Hexagram 63: 既濟 (jì jì)
Judgment
亨小。利貞。初吉終亂。
Kî Zî intimates progress and success in small matters. There will be advantage in being firm and correct. There has been good fortune in the beginning; there may be disorder in the end.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
既濟，亨，小者亨也。利貞，剛柔正而位當也。初吉，柔得中也。終止則亂，其道窮也。
The image (大象)
水在火上，既濟；君子以思患而豫防之。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 – – | 濡其首，厲。 | The topmost line, divided, shows its subject with (even) his head immersed. The position is perilous. | 37 |
| 5 — | 東鄰殺牛，不如西鄰之禴祭，實受其福。 | The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject (as) the neighbour in the east who slaughters an ox (for his sacrifice); but this is not equal to the (small) spring sacrifice of the neighbour in the west, whose sincerity receives the blessing. | 36 |
| 4 – – | 繻有衣袽，終日戒。 | The fourth line, divided, shows its subject with rags provided against any leak (in his boat), and on his guard all day long. | 49 |
| 3 — | 高宗伐鬼方，三年克之，小人勿用。 | The third line, undivided, (suggests the case of) Kao Sung who attacked the Demon region, but was three years in subduing it. Small men should not be employed (in such enterprises). | 3 |
| 2 – – | 婦喪其茀，勿逐，七日得。 | The second line, divided, (shows its subject as) a wife who has lost her (carriage-)screen. There is no occasion to go in pursuit of it. In seven days she will find it. | 5 |
| 1 — | 曳其輪，濡其尾，无咎。 | The first line, undivided, (shows its subject as a driver) who drags back his wheel, (or as a fox) which has wet his tail. There will be no error. | 39 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Inverse (lines in reverse order): hexagram 64
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 64 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 64
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 亨hēngprospering, going smoothly
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 初chūbeginning, initial, primary
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 亂luànanarchy, chaos; revolt
- 曳yèto tow, to pull, to drag
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 輪lúnwheel; to turn, to revolve; to recur
- 濡rúto moisten, to immerse; wet, damp
- 尾wěitail; extremity, end; back, rear
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 婦fùmarried woman; wife
- 喪sàngmourning; mourn; funeral
- 茀fúweeds; overgrowth
- 勿wùmust not, do not; without, never
- 逐zhúto pursue; to expel; step by step
- 七qīseven
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 高gāotall, lofty; high, elevated
- 宗zōngancestry, clan, family, lineage; religio
- 伐fácut down, subjugate, attack
- 鬼guǐghost; demon; sly, mischievous
- 方fāngsquare, rectangle; side; region; flag
- 三sānthree
- 年niányear; anniversary; a person's age
- 克kèto subdue, to restrain, to overcome; use
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 人rénman, person; people
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 繻xūfine silk gauze; torn piece of silk
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 衣yīcloth; clothes, apparel; dress, coat
- 袽rúclothes
- 戒jièto warn, to admonish; to swear off, to a
- 東dōngeast, eastern, eastward
- 鄰línneighbor; neighborhood
- 殺shāto kill, to murder, to slaughter; to hur
- 牛niúox, cow, bull
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 西xīwest, western, westward
- 禴yuèsacrifice
- 祭jìto sacrifice to, to worship
- 實shíreal, true; honest, sincere
- 受shòuto receive, to get, to accept; to bear
- 福fúhappiness, good fortune, blessings
- 首shǒuchief, head, leader
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.