Hexagram 5: Waiting

水天需 · Xū

Hexagram 5, Waiting (Xū, 需), is formed of the upper trigram Water (坎) over the lower trigram Heaven (乾). Below is the classical judgment, the six line texts, and how to read this hexagram in a reading.

The Judgment

Inner confidence brings shining success. Perseverance brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.
有孚,光亨,贞吉,利涉大川。

Trigrams

Upper · Water 坎
the abysmal, danger
Lower · Heaven 乾
the creative, strength

The outer (upper) trigram Water describes the situation as it meets the world; the inner (lower) trigram Heaven describes its inner disposition. Together they set the theme of Waiting.

The Six Lines

Reading Hexagram 5 for Your Question

When Waiting appears without changing lines, the judgment above stands as the whole answer. When you cast changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read those line texts first — they are the most specific guidance — then look to the relating hexagram they form for where the situation is heading. For love, career, or a decision, apply the theme of Waiting to your own circumstances rather than reading it as a fixed prediction.

Ask the oracle your own question and see whether Waiting answers.

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