需 Waiting

Also known as Nourishment

Rain is coming but not yet fallen. The counsel is active patience: not passivity but trust, sustained by normal life.

waiting · patience · trust

The Story

An old archer stood at the edge of the reeds, bow slack. His companions urged him to shoot; geese were moving east overhead. "The wind is wrong," he said. He did not tense, did not posture, did not explain. He ate his bread. He watched the sky. At a moment no one else saw, the wind softened; a feather drifted; he drew and released, and the arrow found its mark. Waiting is not doing nothing. It is living ordinarily — eating ordinarily, breathing ordinarily — until the one instant arrives for which all the ordinariness has been preparation.

Bow Slack panel 1 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — Bow Slack

Wrong Wind panel 2 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — Wrong Wind

Ordinary Waiting panel 3 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — Ordinary Waiting

The Feather Turns panel 4 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — The Feather Turns

One Exact Release panel 5 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — One Exact Release

Prepared By Waiting panel 6 for Hexagram 5, Waiting. — Prepared By Waiting

The Judgment

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

The Image

Clouds rise up to heaven: the image of waiting. Thus the superior person eats and drinks, is joyous and of good cheer.

Interpretation

Rain is coming but not yet fallen. The counsel is active patience: not passivity but trust, sustained by normal life. Do not strain forward. Keep your rhythms — eat, sleep, converse — and the moment will arrive on its own feet.

Trigrams

Upper · Outer

坎

Kǎn · Water

the abysmal, danger, flow

Lower · Inner

乾

Qián · Heaven

the creative, strong, active

The Six Lines

First (Bottom) Waiting in the meadow. It furthers one to abide in what endures. No blame. The danger is still distant; keep to the ordinary.
Second Waiting on the sand. There is some gossip. The end brings good fortune. Criticism is harmless if one does not engage with it.
Third Waiting in the mud brings about the arrival of the enemy. Pressing too close to difficulty invites it. Step back.
Fourth Waiting in blood. Get out of the pit. Danger is upon you; do not fight from the lower ground, extract yourself first.
Fifth Waiting at meat and drink. Perseverance brings good fortune. Having arrived at safety, rest properly — the ordeal is not over but the middle holds.
Sixth (Top) One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end there is good fortune. Accept help from unexpected directions with courtesy.