Hexagram 5
Waiting
需
Upper
Water · 坎
the abysmal, danger
Lower
Heaven · 乾
the creative, strong
Contemporary judgment
Waiting. The time is not yet ripe. Forcing the moment will spoil what would otherwise arrive in due course. Nourish yourself, conserve your strength, and hold your faith. The situation is moving: it simply does not yet need your hand.
Image
Clouds gathering in the sky before rain. The superior person eats and drinks and remains at ease, trusting what is coming.
Counsel
Do not act out of anxiety. Tend to ordinary life; strengthen your body, your relationships, your attention. When the right moment arrives, you will recognize it by the simplicity of what it asks. Until then, remain inwardly ready and outwardly unhurried.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: Waiting in the meadow. It is favorable to abide in what lasts. No blame.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means: Waiting on the sand. There is a little gossip. The end brings good fortune.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: Waiting in the mud brings on the coming of the enemy.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: Waiting in blood. Out of the pit.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: Waiting at wine and food. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 6
A six at the top means: One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end good fortune comes.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.