Also known as After Completion, Already Fording, Already Complete.
The characters 既濟 mean already across the river. Hexagram 63 is about the moment after success, when everything is in its place. It's a hexagram of balance, and of warning: things in perfect order begin to slip as soon as you stop paying attention.
The figure
Water over Fire. Water sits above the fire, as in a pot over a flame: each one holds the other in check. Every line is in its proper place, strong lines in odd positions and weak lines in even ones. It is the opposite and reverse of hexagram 64.
The judgment
You are over. It goes well in small ways from here, so long as you hold. It starts well and comes apart at the end.
The big work is done. What's left is the care that keeps it done.
The image
Water sitting above fire, each holding the other in place. Work out what could go wrong while nothing has, and set the guard before you need it.
If the water boils over, the fire goes out. If the fire flares, the water boils away. Keep watching the balance.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. You brake the wheels and get your tail wet. Holding back at the start of a good run is no mistake.
- Line 2. You lose the curtain of your carriage. Don't chase it. In seven days it comes back.
- Line 3. A great ruler takes three years to win a hard campaign. Big efforts drain you, and small-minded helpers spoil them.
- Line 4. Fine silk is wearing to tatters. Keep your guard up from morning to night.
- Line 5. The household that kills an ox gets less than the one making a humble gift with an honest heart. Sincerity counts for more than show.
- Line 6, at the top. You get your head wet. Danger: you've gone a step too far.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 63 says you're across, or nearly. Don't relax just yet. Keep the details in order, watch for small problems and don't push past the finish line into new risk.