Hexagram 5: Waiting
Xu · 需
The Judgment
This isn't passive hoping—it's knowing the goal is certain and letting events ripen. Inner certainty creates the light that guides you through. When you're this grounded, even crossing dangerous waters becomes possible.
The Image
Clouds rise toward heaven—rain will come, but not yet. Nothing to do but wait. So eat, drink, be cheerful. Anxiety doesn't speed the rain. The person of character knows when action is useless and relaxes accordingly.
「雲上於天，需。君子以飲食宴樂。」雲升到天上——雨會來，但還沒來。什麼都做不了，只能等。那就吃飯，喝酒，放鬆。知道什麼時候行動是沒用的，然後真的停下來——這也是一種修養。
The Six Lines
You're waiting in the open field, far from danger. Stay with your regular routines. Nothing dramatic required yet—just consistency. No blame in this.
Waiting on the sand now—closer to the water, closer to danger. Some talk, some criticism. Ignore it. Stay patient and the outcome will be good.
You've waded into the mud. Now the enemy notices you. By acting prematurely, you've attracted exactly what you feared. Caution here is critical.
You're in the pit. Blood. This is life-or-death now. The only move is to get out, not to fight. Sometimes survival means accepting the situation's gravity and withdrawing.
Waiting amid food and drink—a pause in the danger. Don't mistake temporary comfort for final safety, but do accept nourishment when it comes. Perseverance still required.
You fall into the pit anyway. Three uninvited guests arrive—the danger you waited to avoid. Treat them with respect. The situation can still resolve well if you maintain dignity.
Artwork & Treatise
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Caspar David Friedrich, 1818
A lone figure stands on a rocky summit, back turned to us, surrounded by an ocean of fog. Caspar David Friedrich painted Wanderer above the Sea of Fog in 1818, positioning his subject at the edge where solid ground meets absolute obscurity. Every valley below, every path forward, every landmark that might guide movement—erased by cloud. The wanderer's walking stick suggests he arrived here through effort, climbed to this vantage point deliberately. Yet now all forward progress stops. Not from exhaustion or defeat, but because the landscape itself refuses passage. The figure stands still, dark coat and hair silhouetted against pale mist, waiting for conditions to change.
This is Xū (需), which combines Heaven (☰) below and Water (☵) above. The character 需 suggests rain and need—something required that has not yet arrived. Clouds gather in heaven; moisture accumulates but rain holds back. Friedrich's wanderer inhabits this exact moment: strength and clarity exist above (he has reached the summit, the sky remains visible), while danger and the unknown pool below in the valley mist. The path exists beneath that fog, but forcing passage now means stumbling blind.
{artwork_reasoning}
The Judgment addresses the wanderer: "Waiting. If you are sincere, you have light and success. Perseverance brings good fortune." The text promises that crossing the fog-ocean becomes possible—but timing separates tragedy from triumph. In Zhou Dynasty court divinations, this hexagram appeared when generals planned river crossings, when envoys awaited diplomatic responses, when farmers watched clouds for rain. Ancient diviners understood that Xū describes not passive helplessness but active readiness, positioning oneself where conditions can be recognized when they shift. What does one do while clouds gather? The Image Text offers practical advice: "Clouds rise up to heaven: the image of waiting. Thus the superior man eats and drinks, is joyous and of good cheer." During enforced waiting, maintain strength. Friedrich's wanderer stands firm on his outcrop, not collapsed in anxious striving. He has positioned himself where he can see when the fog lifts. In the I-Ching's sequence, Xū follows Méng: after recognizing what you don't yet know, you must wait for the teacher, the conditions, the clarity that permits advance. Impatience here breeds the next hexagram—Conflict.
Yilin Verse
久旱三年，草木不生。粢盛空之，無以供靈。
Jiao Yanshou's Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — Unchanging verse for 需 (Xū)
Character-by-Character Breakdown
Classical Chinese text with pinyin and English meanings