What this change means
The first line is the brake on a cart: the wheels are dragged back and the tail gets wet, and there's no fault in it. Moving ahead too fast won't bring results now, while stopping to wait for better conditions will. In a situation where everything seems to be going your way, that's counterintuitive, but this line says the good start doesn't need to be rushed. As it changes, the Fire below becomes Mountain under the water, and the resulting hexagram is 39 Held Back. There, every advance meets a block that makes you stop, step back and look for support from like-minded people, until the obstacles fall one by one. So the counsel is consistent: slow down on purpose before something slows you down. Hold your position, gather the right allies, and move again when conditions improve. Patience now spares you a harder halt later.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 63 After the End
If you try to move ahead too fast, you won't get results. But if you can stop and wait for better conditions, there will be achievements.
Drags back on its wheels; wets its tail. No fault.
- The judgment of 63 After the End
You're in a situation where you'll have a passing success: everything seems to be in your favor, and at the end comes a period of stagnation. If you prepare for it ahead of time, you'll be able to soften its effects.
Success in small things. Constancy is favorable. At first, good fortune; in the end, disorder.
- The judgment of 39 Held Back
Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.
The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
39 Held Back → 63 After the Endline 1
Other transformations of After the End
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.