Hexagram 64, line 3
六三Line 3 of Not Yet Crossed
Six in the third place · 未濟 wèi jì
爻辭 The line text
未濟，征凶，利涉大川。The third line, divided, shows its subject, with (the state of things) not yet remedied, advancing on; which will lead to evil. But there will be advantage in (trying to) cross the great stream.
未濟征凶，位不當也。'(The state of things is) not yet remedied. Advancing will lead to evil:'—the place (of the line) is not that appropriate for it.
In plain words
Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of the water, neither correct nor central, standing at the exact edge where danger ends and the fire begins. Its text is the hexagram's name followed by a contradiction: 'not yet across; to advance brings evil; favourable to cross the great river.' Cheng Yi resolves it as a matter of means — a weak line pushing forward on its own strength is heading for evil, but it corresponds to the strong top line and can be carried across by that support; Zhu Xi suspected a missing negative. The small Image blames the position (位不當也). Either way, the line should not make the crossing alone.
If this line is changing
Going forward on your own strength from here leads to trouble, but the crossing itself is right; make it with the support you have been offered, not alone.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 坎 Kan (the Abysmal) (water).
- It corresponds (應) with line 6: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
未濟 Not Yet Crossed becomes ䷱ 50 鼎 Cauldron
Fire over wood: the cauldron that cooks the offering. Supreme success — the vessel that turns raw into cooked, nourishing the wise and settling the new order after a revolution.
What it becomes50 · 鼎 CauldrondǐngThe six lines of 未濟 Not Yet Crossed
- 初六Six at the beginningwet tail · setting out too soon · not knowing limits
- 九二Nine in the second placeholding the wheel · steadiness · central and correct
- 六三Six in the third placenot yet across · advance is evil · yet cross the river
- 九四Nine in the fourth placerousing to the campaign · three years · will carried out
- 六五Six in the fifth placethe gentleman's light · sincerity · no regret
- 上九Nine at the topconfident feasting · head under water · losing measure
Read 未濟 Not Yet Crossed for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the third place of hexagram 64, Not Yet Crossed, mean?
- Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of the water, neither correct nor central, standing at the exact edge where danger ends and the fire begins. Its text is the hexagram's name followed by a contradiction: 'not yet across; to advance brings evil; favourable to cross the great river.' Cheng Yi resolves it as a matter of means — a weak line pushing forward on its own strength is heading for evil, but it corresponds to the strong top line and can be carried across by that support; Zhu Xi suspected a missing negative. The small Image blames the position (位不當也). Either way, the line should not make the crossing alone.
- What does hexagram 64 become when line 3 changes?
- Not Yet Crossed becomes hexagram 50, 鼎 Cauldron: Fire over wood: the cauldron that cooks the offering. Supreme success — the vessel that turns raw into cooked, nourishing the wise and settling the new order after a revolution.
- Is line 3 of Not Yet Crossed in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).