已成之卦，初吉終亂
Judgment and its commentary
先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。Read the received text first, then its Tuan commentary.
既濟：亨小，利貞。初吉終亂。
既濟卦——小事亨通，利於守正。一開始吉，但結束時混亂——已成之事最容易失於懈怠。
Ji Ji 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.
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。
既濟亨通——但只是小事亨通。「利貞」是因為剛柔皆得正位。「初吉」是因為柔爻（六二）得中位；但若停滯不前則亂，因為已成之道最終會走到盡頭。
Ji Ji indicates progress and success — in small matters. The strong and weak are correctly arranged, each in its appropriate place. The good fortune at the beginning is due to the central position of line two; if there is stoppage at the end, the way is exhausted.
Great Image Commentary
上下卦取象 → 全卦成象 → 人事取法Trigrams → whole image → conduct
水在火上，既濟
(The trigram representing) water over (that representing) fire forms Ji Ji.
君子以思患而豫防之。
The superior man, in accordance with this, thinks of evil (that may come), and beforehand guards against it.
水在火上——水可滅火、火可煮水，互相成就，這是既濟之象。君子由此體會：在事成之時就要思考將來的禍患，提前防備。
本站導讀，不屬《大象傳》原文；用來預覽本卦六爻由初至上的意象變化。An editorial preview of the six line images, not part of the Great Image Commentary.
曳其輪，濡其尾，無咎。
拖住車輪不讓它太快走，浸濕了狐狸的尾巴——慢一點，無咎。
The first NINE shows its subject (as a driver) who drags back his wheels, (or as a fox) which has wet his tail. There will be no error.
曳其輪，義無咎也。
拖住車輪以緩之，按理當然無咎。
婦喪其茀，勿逐，七日得。
婦人丟了車蔽——不要去追，七天之後自然找回。
The second SIX shows (a wife) who has lost her (carriage-)curtain. There is no occasion to go in pursuit of it. In seven days she will find it.
七日得，以中道也。
七天之後得回，是因為守住了中道。
高宗伐鬼方，三年克之，小人勿用。
商高宗征伐鬼方，三年才打勝——大事不可輕舉，小人不可重用。
The third NINE shows (such a case as that of) Gao Zong, who attacked the Demon region, but was three years in subduing it. Small men should not be employed (in such enterprises).
三年克之，憊也。
三年才克之，疲憊到極點。
繻有衣袽，終日戒。
華服雖然絲縷漏出，全日戒備防漏——已成之時更要警醒。
The fourth SIX shows its subject with rags provided against any leak (in his boat), and being on his guard all day long.
終日戒，有所疑也。
全日戒備，是因為心中有疑慮。
東鄰殺牛，不如西鄰之禴祭，實受其福。
東邊鄰居殺牛大祭，不如西邊鄰居薄禴祭——實心誠意，反得福報。
The fifth NINE shows its subject — the neighbor in the east who slaughters an ox; but he does not derive the blessing from it of the (small spring) sacrifice of his neighbor in the west.
東鄰殺牛，不如西鄰之時也。實受其福，吉大來也。
東鄰殺牛不如西鄰得時。實受其福，是大吉到來之兆。
濡其首，厲。
頭都浸濕了——已過河卻反而沉頭，危。
The topmost SIX shows its subject with (even) his head immersed. The position is perilous.
濡其首厲，何可久也。
頭都濕了的危險，怎能持久呢？
Already, accomplished — the 'done' half of the pair with 未 (wei, 'not yet') in Hexagram 64.
To ford, cross a river; hence to succeed, bring to completion.
To drag, pull back — braking the wheels so the crossing doesn't run away with itself.
The screen at the front of a carriage — the lady's lost curtain in line 2. Don't chase it; it returns.
The modest spring-summer sacrifice of antiquity — small in form, real in sincerity.
Fine silk fabric — the splendid garment already fraying at the threads.
Rags, worn wadding — the old cloth kept ready to plug a leak in the boat.
The Gui Fang — a northern tribal people of the Shang era, target of Gao Zong's three-year campaign.
