However, they are not yet in

their places. While the preceding hexagram offers an

analogy to autumn, which forms the transition from summer

to winter, this hexagram presents a parallel to spring, which

leads out of winter's stagnation into the fruitful time of

summer. With this hopeful outlook the Book of Changes

comes to its close.

THE JUDGMENT

BEFORE COMPLETION. Success.

But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing,

Gets his tail in the water,

There is nothing that would further.

The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It

is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to

order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that

can unite the forces now tending in different directions.

At first,

however, one must move warily, like an old fox walking over ice. The

caution of a fox walking over ice is proverbial in China. His ears are

constantly alert to the cracking of the ice, as he carefully and

circumspectly searches out the safest spots. A young fox who as yet has

not acquired this caution goes ahead boldly, and it may happen that he

falls in and gets his tail wet when he is almost across the water.

Then of

course his effort has been all in vain. Accordingly, in times "before

completion," deliberation and caution are the prerequisites of success.

For crossing the river, careful preparations must be made, this implies

not to do anything randomly, analyze and plan, taking into account all

the risks for not giving them place during the execution of the work.

To cross the river symbolizes a difficult transition, between chaos and

order.

The warning about getting the tail in the water points to the difficulties of

the endeavor. One must have a surplus of strength and prudence to face

such a task. If one can't carry the endeavor out to the end, everything

will be in vain.

THE IMAGE

Fire over water:

The image of the condition before transition.

Thus the superior man is careful

In the differentiation of things,

So that each finds its place.

When fire, which by nature flames upward, is above, and water, which

flows downward, is below, their effects take opposite directions and

remain unrelated. If we wish to achieve an effect, we must first

investigate the nature of the forces in question and ascertain their proper

place. If we can bring these forces to bear in the right place, they will

have the desired effect and completion will be achieved. But in order to

handle external forces properly, we must above all arrive at the correct

standpoint ourselves, for only from this vantage can we work correctly.

The fire over water represents the wrong place of the factors, before the

completion. Fire above water can't be used to cook food.

To differentiate the things to allow them to be placed in the right places

means to recognize the potential of each thing and to order and

structure them in function of the objective.

THE LINES

Six at the beginning means:

He gets his tail in the water.

Humiliating.

In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as

possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm

leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not

yet arrived. In such times it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of

failure by holding back.(1)

The submerged tail implies improvisation, lack of planning, analysis

and caution.

The humiliation implies pain, but it serves to know the own limits, and to

turn back, avoiding further danger.

Nine in the second place means:

He brakes his wheels.

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Here again the time to act has not yet come. But the patience needed is

not that of idle waiting without thought of the morrow. Kept up

indefinitely, this would not lead to any success. Instead, an individual

must develop in himself the strength that will enable him to go forward.

He must have a vehicle, as it were, to effect the crossing. But he must

for the time being use the brakes. Patience in the highest sense means

putting brakes on strength. Therefore he must not fall asleep and lose

sight of the goal. If he remains strong and steadfast in his resolve, all

goes well in the end.

To brake the wheels means not to go forward at the moment, but

invigorate one to face the challenge in the future.

Perseverance means to make preparatory tasks, without forgetting the

main goal.

Six in the third place means:

Before completion, attack brings misfortune.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

The time of transition has arrived, but one lacks the strength to complete

the transition. If one should attempt to force it, disaster would result,

because collapse would then be unavoidable. What is to be done? A new

situation must be created; one must engage the energies of able helpers

and in this fellowship take the decisive step --cross the great water. Then

completion will become possible.

To cross the great water means, in this line, to be placed at the level

that the situation demands, renovating the endeavor with external help,

and getting ready to the challenge.

Nine in the fourth place means::

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Remorse disappears.

Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country.

For three years, great realms are rewarded.

Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We

must make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All

misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be

silenced. It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the

Devil's Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its

reward. Now is the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for

the future.

The carefully planned advance is going smoothly, thus remorse

disappears.

Shock and discipline symbolize the means to control and repress an

undesirable factor: the Devil's Country.

The Devil's Country denotes something that is unaware to the norms,

that is away from the own circle, that is a source of danger.

The three years mean one period of disputes and achievements. The

realms are a symbol of domain symbol, of control; therefore, great

realms are rewarded means that there will be achievements with a great

domain of the situation.

In other interpretation level, the Devil's Country also denotes all those

fears that one should conquer. To shock and discipline them, that is to

say, to overcome what perturbs.

Six in the fifth place means:

Perseverance brings good fortune.

No remorse.

The light of the superior man is true.

Good fortune.

The victory has been won. The power of steadfastness has not been

routed. Everything has gone well. All misgivings have been overcome.

Success has justified the deed. The light of a superior personality shines

forth anew and makes its influence felt among men who have faith in it

and rally around it. The new time has arrived, and with it good fortune.

And just as the sun shines forth in redoubled beauty after rain, or as a

forest grows more freshly green from charred ruins after a fire, so the

new era appears all the more glorious by contrast with the misery of the

old.

To win the struggle was required a hard attitude, but to administer the

new domains is propitious a more softly approach.

The light of the superior man points to sincerity, civility and

enlightenment that he already had. Such ruler empowers the capable

men on the basis of objective merit.

This one abides in the middle of the trigram of the light, and none is

concealed from his perception.

Nine at the top means:

There is drinking of wine

In genuine confidence. No blame.

But if one wets his head,

He loses it, in truth.

Before completion, at the dawning of the new time, friends foregather in

an atmosphere of mutual trust, and the time of waiting is passed in

conviviality. Since the new era is hard on the threshold, there is no blame

in this. But one must be careful in all this to keep within proper bounds.

If in his exuberance a man gets drunk, he forfeits the favorableness of

the situation through his intemperance.

The new time is on the threshold, but the situation is unfulfilled yet. To

celebrate the end of the old stage and to get ready to receive a new

one is not bad. However, the wine implies all those factors needed to

know how to manage correctly, to avoid danger.

To wet the head means exaggeration, and also to lose control on the

final step. This line is a warning about to get dizzy when success is at

hand.

NOTE. The hexagram AFTER COMPLETION represents a gradual

transition from a time of ascent past a peak of culture to a time of

standstill. The hexagram BEFORE COMPLETION represents a

transition from chaos to order. This hexagram comes at the end of the

Book of Changes. It points to the fact that every end contains a new

beginning. Thus it gives hope to men. The Book of Changes is a book of

the future.

(1) Note how this situation differs from that in the first line of the

preceding hexagram.