Hexagram 5: Waiting
需 · Xū
Waiting is not empty hoping; it has the certainty of reaching the goal. It furthers one to cross the great water. Perseverance brings good fortune.Judgment 卦辭
Clouds rise in the sky: the image of Waiting. The noble one eats and drinks, is joyous and of good cheer while waiting.Image 象辭
Core Meaning of Hexagram 5
Hexagram 5 depicts rain clouds gathering but not yet falling — a goal that is certain but not ripe. This is the hardest discipline in the Book of Changes: confident, nourished waiting. You are not doing nothing; you are eating well, resting, staying ready, refusing both despair and premature action.
Hexagram 5 in a Reading
In a reading, the outcome is forming and cannot be hurried. Use the interval to build strength — skills, savings, health — so you are ready when the moment breaks. Anxiety is the failure mode here; forced action now creates the failure waiting avoids. When the rain comes, move.
Common Questions
What does hexagram 5 mean?
Hexagram 5 depicts rain clouds gathering but not yet falling — a goal that is certain but not ripe. Read the full meaning above, or cast your own reading with our free online I Ching coins.
What is the structure of hexagram 5?
Hexagram 5 is built from the trigram Water above and Heaven below — binary 111010 read from the bottom line to the top. Waiting is King Wen number 5 of the 64 hexagrams.
Related Hexagrams
Other Hexagrams with Trigram Water Above
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