HEXAGRAM 63 – Chi Chi – After Completion
Above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Below Li THE CLINGING, FIRE
This hexagram is the evolution of T’ai, PEACE (11).
- The transition from confusion to order is completed,
and
- everything is in its proper place even in particulars.
- The strong lines are in the strong places,
- the weak lines in the weak places.
- This is a very favorable outlook,
yet
- it gives reason for thought.
For
- it is just when perfect equilibrium has been reached
that
- any movement may cause order to revert to disorder.
The one strong line that
has moved to the top,
thus
effecting complete order in details,
-
is followed by the other lines,
each moving according to its nature,
and thus suddenly
- there arises again the hexagram P’i, STANDSTILL (12).
Hence
the present hexagram
- indicates the conditions of a time of climax,
which
- necessitate the utmost caution.
THE JUDGMENT
AFTER COMPLETION.
Success in small matters.
Perseverance furthers.
- At the beginning good fortune,
- At the end disorder.
The transition from the old to the new time
is already accomplished.
In principle,
everything stands systematized,
and
it is only in regard to details
that
success is still to be achieved.
In respect to this, however,
we must be careful to maintain the right attitude.
- Everything proceeds as if of its own accord,
and
-
this can all too easily tempt us to
relax and let things take their course
without troubling over details.
Such indifference is the root of all evil.
Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result.
Here
we have
- the rule indicating the usual course of history.
But
- this rule is not an inescapable law.
He who understands it
is in position to avoid its effects by dint of
- unremitting perseverance
and
- caution.
THE IMAGE
Water over fire: the image of the condition
In AFTER COMPLETION.
Thus
the superior man
- Takes thought of misfortune
And
- arms himself against it in advance.
When
water in a kettle hangs over fire,
the two elements
- stand in relation
and thus
- generate energy
(cf. the production of steam).
But
the resulting tension demands caution.
If
the water boils over,
- the fire is extinguished
and
- its energy is lost.
If
the heat is too great,
- the water evaporates into the air.
These elements here
- brought into relation
and thus
- generating energy
are by nature hostile to each other.
Only the most extreme caution can prevent damage.
In life too there are junctures when
- all forces are in balance
and
- work in harmony,
so that
everything seems to be in the best of order.
In such times only
the sage
- recognizes the moments that bode danger
and
- knows how to banish it by means of timely precautions.
THE LINES
Nine at the beginning means:
He brakes his wheels.
He gets his tail in the water.
No blame.
In times following a great transition,
everything
- is pressing forward,
- striving in the direction of development and progress.
But
this pressing forward at the beginning
- is not good;
it
- overshoots the mark
and
- leads with certainty to loss and collapse.
Therefore
a man of strong character
- does not allow himself to be infected by the general intoxication
but
- checks his course in time.
He
-
may indeed not remain altogether untouched
by the disastrous consequences of the general pressure,
but
he
-
is hit only from behind
like a fox that, having crossed the water,
at the last minute gets its tail wet.
He
-
will not suffer any real harm,
because his behavior has been correct.
Six in the second place means:
The woman loses the curtain of her carriage.
Do not run after it;
On the seventh day you will get it.
When
- a woman drove out in her carriage,
- she had a curtain that hid her from the glances of the curious.
It was regarded as a breach of propriety to drive on
if this curtain was lost.
Applied to public life,
this means that
a man who wants to achieve something
is not receiving that confidence of the authorities
which he needs, so to speak, for his personal protection.
Especially in times “after completion” it may happen that
those who have come to power
- grow arrogant and conceited
and
- no longer trouble themselves about fostering new talent.
This as a rule results in office seeking.
If
- a man’s superiors withhold their trust from him,
-
he will seek ways and means
- of getting it
and
- of drawing attention to himself.
- of getting it
We are warned against such an unworthy procedure:
“Do not seek it.”
- Do not throw yourself away on the world,
but
-
wait tranquilly
and
- develop your personal worth by your own efforts.
Times change.
When
- the six stages of the hexagram have passed,
- the new era dawns.
- That which is a man’s own cannot be permanently lost.
- It comes to him of its own accord.
He need only be able to wait.
Nine in the third place means:
The Illustrious Ancestor
Disciplines the Devil’s Country.
After three years he conquers it.
Inferior people must not be employed.
“Illustrious Ancestor” is the dynastic title of
the Emperor Wu Ting of the Yin dynasty. 1
After putting his realm in order with a strong hand,
he waged long colonial wars for the subjection of the Huns
who occupied the northern borderland with constant threat of incursions.
The situation described is as follows.
After times of completion,
when
- a new power has arisen
and
- everything within the country has been set in order,
a period of colonial expansion almost inevitably follows.
Then as a rule
long-drawn-out struggles must be reckoned with.
For this reason,
a correct colonial policy is especially important.
The territory won at such bitter cost
must not be regarded as an almshouse for people
- who in one way or another have made themselves impossible at home,
but
- who are thought to be quite good enough for the colonies.
Such a policy ruins at the outset any chance of success.
This holds true in small as well as in large matters,
because
it is not only rising states that carry on a colonial policy;
the urge to expand, with its accompanying dangers,
is part and parcel of every ambitious undertaking.
Six in the fourth place means:
The finest clothes turn to rags.
Be careful all day long.
In a time of flowering culture,
an occasional convulsion is bound to occur,
- uncovering a hidden evil within society
and at first
- causing a great sensation.
But since the situation is favorable on the whole,
such evils can easily be
- glossed over
and
- concealed from the public.
Then
- everything is forgotten
and
- peace apparently reigns complacently once more.
However, to
- the thoughtful man such occurrences are grave omens
that
- he does not neglect.
This is the only way of averting evil consequences.
Nine in the fifth place means:
The neighbor in the east who slaughters an ox
Does not attain as much real happiness
As
the neighbor in the west
With his small offering.
Religious attitudes are likewise influenced
by the spiritual atmosphere prevailing in times after completion.
In divine worship
the simple old forms are replaced by
- an ever more elaborate ritual
and
- an ever greater outward display.
But
-
inner seriousness
- is lacking in this show of magnificence;
- is lacking in this show of magnificence;
-
human caprice
- takes the place of conscientious obedience to the divine will.
- takes the place of conscientious obedience to the divine will.
However, while
- man sees what is before his eyes,
- God looks into the heart.
Therefore
- a simple sacrifice offered with real piety
holds a greater blessing than
- an impressive service without warmth.
Six at the top means:
He gets his head in the water.
Danger.
Here in conclusion another warning is added.
After crossing a stream,
- a man’s head can get into the water
only if
- he is so imprudent as to turn back.
As long as
he
- goes forward and
- does not look back,
he
- escapes this danger.
But
there is a fascination in
- standing still and
- looking back on a peril overcome.
However, such
vain self-admiration brings misfortune.
- It leads only to danger,
and
unless one finally resolves to go forward without pausing,
- one falls a victim to this danger.
1. [Wu Ting reigned from 1324 to 1266 B.C.]
