Hexagram 5 需 - XŪ / WAITING (NOURISHMENT)

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Trigrams

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• Above: Kǎn, the Abysmal, Water
• Below: Qián, the Creative, Heaven

All beings require nourishment from above. However, the dispensing of food has its own proper time, which must be awaited. The hexagram depicts clouds rising into the sky, preparing to shed the rain that refreshes all living things and provides humanity with food and drink. This rain will come in due time. It cannot be forced; one must wait for it. The concept of waiting is further illustrated by the attributes of the two primal trigrams: inner strength faced with danger ahead. Strength in the face of danger does not act precipitously but knows how to wait, whereas weakness in the face of danger grows agitated, lacking the patience to endure the delay.

The Judgment

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Waiting. If you are sincere, you have light and success. Perseverance brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.

Waiting is not empty hoping; it carries the inner certainty of reaching its goal. Only this inner certainty brings the light that leads to success. This leads to perseverance, which brings good fortune and grants the strength to cross the great water.

A danger lies ahead that must be overcome. Weakness and impatience can accomplish nothing. Only the strong can cope with their fate, because their inner security allows them to endure. This strength manifests as unyielding sincerity. Only when we can look at things exactly as they are, free from self-deception and illusion, does a light emerge from events that reveals the path to success. This realization must be followed by resolute and persistent action; for only by resolutely facing one’s fate can it be mastered. Then one can cross the great water - that is, make the decision and endure the danger.

The Image

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Clouds rise up to heaven: the image of Waiting. Thus the superior man eats and drinks, and remains cheerful and of good heart.

When clouds rise into the sky, it is a sign that it will rain. There is nothing to be done but wait for the rain to fall. It is the same in life when destiny is preparing itself. As long as the time is not yet ripe, one should not worry or try to shape the future through personal contrivance and intervention. Instead, one should quietly gather strength - nourishing the body with food and drink, and sustaining the spirit with cheerfulness and goodwill. Destiny unfolds entirely on its own, and when it arrives, one is ready.

The Lines

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Nine at the beginning

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Waiting in the meadow. It furthers one to abide in what is permanent. No blame.

The danger is still far away. One is still waiting in the open plain. Conditions are still simple. There is merely something in the air that is bound to come. In such times, it is essential to maintain the regular routines of life for as long as possible. Only in this way does one prevent the premature waste of energy, remaining free from blame and errors that would cause weakness later on.

Nine in the second place

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Waiting on the sand. There is some gossip. The end brings good fortune.

Danger is gradually drawing closer. The sand is near the bank of the river, which represents the danger. Inconveniences begin to manifest. During such times, general unrest easily arises, and people blame one another. He who remains calm will succeed in making everything turn out well in the end. All slander must eventually fall silent if one does not grant it the satisfaction of an offended counterargument.

Nine in the third place

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Waiting in the mud brings the approach of the enemy.

The mud, already washed by the water of the river, is no favorable place for waiting. Instead of gathering strength to cross the water in one bound, a premature advance was made, whose momentum led only as far as the mud. Such an unfavorable position invites enemies from the outside, who naturally exploit the situation. Only through seriousness and caution is it possible to safeguard oneself from harm.

Six in the fourth place

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Waiting in blood. Get out of the pit.

The situation is extremely dangerous. It has become a matter of utmost gravity, a question of life and death. Bloodshed is imminently expected. One can move neither forward nor backward, cut off as if in a pit. Here, one must simply endure and let fate take its course. This composure, which refrains from worsening the damage through impulsive actions, is the only way to escape the dangerous pit.

Nine in the fifth place

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Waiting with wine and food. Perseverance brings good fortune.

Even in the midst of danger, there are intervals of peace when things go relatively well. If one possesses the right inner strength, one will utilize these breathers to fortify oneself for the coming struggle. One can enjoy the moment without being deflected from the goal, for perseverance is required to remain victorious.

This also applies to public life. Everything cannot be achieved at once. It is the highest wisdom to grant people such periods of rest, which revitalize their joy in work and help carry the task to completion. Here lies the hidden secret of the entire hexagram. It differs from Hexagram 39 (Obstruction) because in Waiting, one is certain of one’s cause and therefore does not allow the peace of inner cheerfulness to be taken away.

Six at the top

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One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end, good fortune comes.

The waiting is over; the danger can no longer be averted. One falls into the pit and must resign oneself to the inevitable. At that moment, all efforts seem to have been in vain. Yet, precisely in this extremity, an unforeseen turn of events occurs. From the outside, an intervention takes place without one’s own doing, leaving one initially uncertain whether it brings rescue or destruction. In this situation, it is crucial to remain inwardly flexible. The correct response is not a defiant, defensive closing-off, but a respectful welcoming of the new turn. Thus, one ultimately escapes the danger, and everything turns out well. Even fortunate turnarounds often arrive in a guise that initially seems foreign to us.¹

Reference links

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• Hexagram look-up table
• Advanced hexagram correspondence table