Also known as Waiting, Needing, Nourishment.
The character 需 means both waiting and needing: rain clouds have gathered, and the rain hasn't come. Hexagram 5 is about waiting with confidence. The time isn't yours to set, but how you spend the wait is.
The figure
Water over Heaven. Strength sits below and danger lies ahead. You are strong enough to push forward, and wise enough not to yet.
The judgment
Trust it and it comes clear. Hold your position and it goes well. This is the moment for the big crossing.
This waiting is calm and sure of itself, not anxious. The paradox is the point: because you can wait, the crossing will go well when it comes.
The image
Cloud has gone up and the rain has not come. Eat, drink, and be good company until it does.
You can't hurry rain. Keep your strength up and your spirits good, so you're ready when it falls.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Waiting out in the meadow, far from the danger. Keep to your normal routine. Not a mistake.
- Line 2. Waiting on the sand, closer to the water. There is some talk and some criticism. In the end, it goes well.
- Line 3. Waiting in the mud. You've moved too close, and that draws trouble toward you.
- Line 4. Waiting with blood already spilled. You're in the middle of it. Climb clear of the hole: keep calm and let events lift you out.
- Line 5. Waiting over food and drink. A pause in the middle of the difficulty. Enjoy it and stay steady. It goes well.
- Line 6, at the top. You fall into the pit, and three guests arrive that you didn't invite. Treat them with respect and it ends well. Help comes from a direction you didn't expect.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 5 says not yet, and not never. Prepare, look after yourself, and stay close to good people. Watch where you are standing: the lines move from the meadow toward the water, and the closer you get, the more care it takes.