Before Completion in Decision

This is a hard threshold, so name the difficulty: the crossing must be made and cannot be forced, and getting that order wrong is the classic failure. Fire above water means see first, act second — understand the problem correctly, with a mind calm and free of turmoil, before spending a single stroke. Line 3 is the paradox at the centre: direct attack on the obstacle brings misfortune, yet crossing the great water is favourable. The difference is method, not aim — don't batter at the situation or take the resolution hostage; let yourself be led, hold the good-hearted course, and cross by yielding to the way across. If a genuine long campaign remains (line 4), commit fully and silence the mid-battle doubt — struggle carried through on the correct path wins the lasting reorderings that half-fights never reach.

Waiting is often exactly right at the threshold, but there are two versions and only one is wise. Line 1 is the eager plunge — into the crossing before the ice is read, action ahead of clarity — and the wetting humiliates and teaches: innocent non-action here is the most productive move available. Line 2 is the good kind of wait: braking the wheels — power held, direction chosen, energy turned to preparation, the goal never out of sight. That is poised, not idle. The stall to avoid is idle drift that rots into fantasy and nostalgia while the goal quietly recedes. The difference between parked and poised is entirely inward: keep listening, keep preparing, and you'll know when the ice will hold.