In love
Patience is called for: do not press for an answer, let the bond settle at its own pace, stay sincere.
Hexagram 5
I Ching hexagram 5: Waiting (Xu)
Xu, Waiting, is the hexagram of active patience: stand ready at the water’s edge and do not force the crossing.
- waiting
- trust
- patience
The essentials
Xu at a glance
For you, Xu signals a time of useful waiting: stay sincere and unhurried, look after yourself, and prepare the crossing rather than forcing it.
A strength
The serenity of someone who knows how to wait without fuss, saving strength for the right moment.
Something to watch
Mistaking waiting for inaction: staying ready takes attention, and trust is no substitute for preparation.
- What it advises
- Wait without fuss, prepare and keep up your strength, then cross when the moment is ripe.
- Its opposite
- 35. Progress (Jin)
The situation
Xu is the hexagram of waiting. Heaven is below, and water above: the cloud is heavy but the rain does not fall yet. The ancient text links it with sincerity, clarity, and success, when you hold steady.
It adds that crossing the great river is favorable: waiting does not prevent action, it prepares it. The point is not to freeze but to stay ready, to nourish yourself, to enjoy what is here, without rushing toward a visible danger.
Xu invites trust: the right moment is recognized by the fact that you are then ready to seize it.
The image: Water above Heaven
- AboveWater: the risky passage
- BelowHeaven: the force that creates
Heaven beneath Water: clouds gather without yet pouring their rain. The ancient commentaries draw a quiet piece of advice from it: eat, drink, and be cheerful while you wait, without turning it into agitation.
Consult the I Ching
Throw three coins six times: your hexagram, the lines that change, and the direction they point to.
Free, no account · nothing is sent · no predictions
The six lines
- 1st line (bottom) · solidWaiting far off, in the countryside: the distance from danger lets you keep your routine, and you avoid fault by staying constant.
- 2nd line · solidWaiting on the sand near the stream: a few unpleasant words go around, but the end is favorable.
- 3rd line · solidWaiting in the mud, at the water’s edge: you draw the threat yourself. Better to stay very alert, without haste.
- 4th line · brokenWaiting in blood and in the breach: the situation is tense, but by yielding, you climb out of the pit and withdraw.
- 5th line · solidWaiting in the middle of the meal and the wine: firmness and uprightness bring good fortune, when you know how to nourish yourself without excess.
- 6th line (top) · brokenHaving entered the cave, three uninvited guests arrive: welcoming them with respect brings good fortune in the end.
Xu in your life
At work
A time of preparation: consolidate, train, and put off hasty decisions as long as the situation stays unclear.
The I Ching helps you reflect on how to act: it does not say what is coming.
How is it built?
- Character
- 需 (xū)
- Number
- 5 in the King Wen sequence
- Trigrams
- Water (坎) above, Heaven (乾) below
- Inner hexagram
- 38. Opposition (Kui) (lines 2 to 4 and 3 to 5)
- Read upside down
- 6. Conflict (Song)
- Symbol
- ䷄ (U+4DC4)
The English names are the usual renderings of the Chinese characters; the texts rely on the Chinese and on early public-domain translations (Legge, 1882; Philastre, 1885–1893).
Sources
- Wikipedia (English), “List of hexagrams of the I Ching,” read on October 15, 2026: numbers, characters, pinyin, lower and upper trigrams.
- Wikipedia (English), “Bagua,” read on October 15, 2026: lines of the eight trigrams, from bottom to top.
- James Legge (1815–1897), The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI, 1882 (Wikisource): public domain.
- Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre (1837–1902), Le Yi King ou Livre des changements de la dynastie des Tsheou, Annales du Musée Guimet, 1885–1893: public domain (the author died more than 70 years ago).
Frequently asked questions about hexagram 5
What does hexagram 5 of the I Ching mean?
Hexagram 5, Xu, means waiting: a time when you prepare without forcing the crossing, keeping your trust and calm.
Which figure answers Xu when it is turned upside down?
It is hexagram 6, Song, Conflict. The two answer each other: patient waiting on one side, confrontation on the other. Reading them together helps you choose your stance.