Hexagram 5, line 1
初九Line 1 of Attending
Nine at the beginning · 需 xū
爻辭 The line text
需于郊。利用恆，无咎。The first line, undivided, shows its subject waiting in the distant border. It will be well for him constantly to maintain (the purpose thus shown), in which case there will be no error.
需于郊，不犯難行也。利用恆，无咎；未失常也。'He is waiting in the (distant) border:'—he makes no movement to encounter rashly the difficulties (of the situation). 'It will be advantageous for him constantly to maintain (the purpose thus shown), in which case there will be no error:'—he will not fail to pursue that regular course.
In plain words
'Waiting in the outskirts: it is favourable to remain constant; no blame.' Line one is the lowest yang line of Qian, heaven, and the farthest from the water of Kan that stands across the hexagram's path. The outskirts are open ground outside the city, nowhere near the river: the danger is known but not yet close. The text's one instruction is constancy (恆) — keep doing what you were doing. The small Image says that waiting here means not going out to meet the difficulty (不犯難行也), and that constancy is blameless because one has 'not lost the normal course' (未失常也). Cheng Yi: the person strong enough to advance who chooses to hold their routine instead.
If this line is changing
The obstacle is real but still far off; keep to your ordinary routine and resist the urge to go out and meet it early.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 乾 Qian (the Creative) (heaven).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
需 Attending becomes ䷯ 48 井 Well
Water drawn up through wood: the well. Towns move, the well stays; it neither increases nor decreases — but a broken rope or a muddy well helps no one.
What it becomes48 · 井 WelljǐngThe six lines of 需 Attending
- 初九Nine at the beginningwaiting in the open country · constancy · far from danger
- 九二Nine in the second placewaiting on the sand · a little gossip · good in the end
- 九三Nine in the third placewaiting in the mud · inviting robbers · reverent care
- 六四Six in the fourth placewaiting in blood · out of the pit · yielding and listening
- 九五Nine in the fifth placewine and food · steadfast good fortune · central and correct
- 上六Six at the topinto the pit · three uninvited guests · honour them
Read 需 Attending for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine at the beginning of hexagram 5, Attending, mean?
- 'Waiting in the outskirts: it is favourable to remain constant; no blame.' Line one is the lowest yang line of Qian, heaven, and the farthest from the water of Kan that stands across the hexagram's path. The outskirts are open ground outside the city, nowhere near the river: the danger is known but not yet close. The text's one instruction is constancy (恆) — keep doing what you were doing. The small Image says that waiting here means not going out to meet the difficulty (不犯難行也), and that constancy is blameless because one has 'not lost the normal course' (未失常也). Cheng Yi: the person strong enough to advance who chooses to hold their routine instead.
- What does hexagram 5 become when line 1 changes?
- Attending becomes hexagram 48, 井 Well: Water drawn up through wood: the well. Towns move, the well stays; it neither increases nor decreases — but a broken rope or a muddy well helps no one.
- Is line 1 of Attending in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).