5. Waiting
需 · xū · L'Attesa · lines from the bottom: 111010
The two trigrams
The Judgement
Waiting is not passivity: it is strength that, faced with peril, chooses not to rush in and waits for the safe moment. The Judgment promises you a great deal: with the sincerity declared in this hexagram there will be brilliant success; with firmness there will be good fortune; and it will be advantageous to cross the great stream, that is, to take on the big undertaking in front of you. But everything passes through three conditions, and it is worth looking at them one by one. Sincerity: if you are waiting for an answer, from an interview, from a person, from a medical test, your position has to be clean, no double games. Firmness: do not change your plan every day, hold your course. And the great stream: when the moment comes, do not pull back. If these days you feel suspended, as though everything depends on something you cannot control, that is no accident: this is precisely the season of waiting. Practical advice: use this time to get ready, not to brood. Sort out the paperwork, train the body, clear your head. When the water opens, you will be ready to cross.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
The Image
The Image is clouds ascending over the sky: they have climbed to the top and have nothing left to do but wait for the rain to release itself, at the right time. The wise person, Legge says, in accordance with this eats and drinks, feasts and enjoys himself, as if there were nothing else to employ him. This is not a licence to be distracted: it is the wisdom of someone who knows that, when there is nothing to push, anxiety does not help. If you are waiting for the outcome of something, allow yourself a dinner with friends, a light evening, a good meal. Feeding yourself well and resting is the best preparation.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
The six lines
First line
First line: you are waiting in the distant border, far from the danger. It will be well for you constantly to maintain this purpose, and then there will be no error. You are still at a distance from the trouble, in your own fields, in your everyday life. Do not go looking for the difficulty ahead of time: keep doing your things, work, home, routines. Staying regular while others get agitated is your strength right now.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Second line
Second line: you are waiting on the sand, closer to the mountain stream. You will suffer the small injury of being spoken against, but in the end there will be good fortune. You have moved nearer to the situation and someone has started criticising, muttering, questioning your choices. It is no accident, and it is not serious: whoever holds the centre with generous forbearance, the commentary says, brings things to a good issue. Let the gossip run off you, stay calm and patient. The result will prove you right.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Third line
Third line: you are in the mud, right beside the stream, and thereby you invite the approach of injury. You have pushed too far too soon, and now you are exposed: your move has provoked resistance. If you find yourself bogged down, in a forced negotiation, in an argument you yourself started, do not add anything more. The commentary says that if you are reverent and careful, you will not be worsted. Advice: lower your tone, take no further step, and wait for the ground to dry.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Fourth line
Fourth line: you are waiting in the place of blood, that is, in the thick of the danger, but you will get out of the cavern. You have entered a zone of confrontation, a conflict at work, a family crisis, and you feel caught in the middle of the fight. This line reassures you: you will come through, provided you do not play the hero. Accommodate yourself to the circumstances, listen to what the moment requires, and withdraw in time. Getting out of the cavern is already the victory.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Fifth line
Fifth line: you are waiting amidst the appliances of a feast, and through your firmness and correctness there will be good fortune. This is the serene waiting of someone who has already got past the worst: you are at the centre, in the correct place, with everything you need. If things are going well for you right now, do not sabotage them with impatience. Enjoy the meal, the company, the calm you have earned. Advice: stay firm in your integrity even when everything is easy; that is where success takes root.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Sixth line
Sixth line: you have entered into the cavern, all the way in. But three guests are coming, without being urged, to help you. If you receive them respectfully, there will be good fortune in the end. If you feel you have sunk deep, inside the difficulty with no way out, this line tells you that help arrives from where you do not expect it: people who step forward on their own. Do not turn them away out of pride and do not treat them with suspicion. Open the door, say thank you, accept: that is how you get out.