Hexagram 5, line 2
九二Line 2 of Attending
Nine in the second place · 需 xū
爻辭 The line text
需于沙。小有言，終吉。The second line, undivided, shows its subject waiting on the sand (of the mountain stream). He will (suffer) the small (injury of) being spoken (against), but in the end there will be good fortune.
需于沙，衍在中也。雖小有言，以終吉也。'He is waiting on the sand:'—he occupies his position in the centre with a generous forbearance. Though 'he suffer the small injury of being spoken (against),' he will bring things to a good issue.
In plain words
'Waiting on the sand: there is a little talk, but in the end good fortune.' Line two has moved closer — sand is the riverbank, within sight of the water — and the nearness draws some criticism, the 'small words' of people who think one should either cross or go home. Line two is yang in a yin place but central in the lower trigram, and centrality is what the small Image credits: it is 'at ease in the centre' (衍在中也), broad and unhurried. The talk is small because the position is sound. Zhu Xi reads the line as the patient person who tolerates being misunderstood for a while rather than moving to silence the comments.
If this line is changing
Expect some muttering about why you have not moved, and let it pass; your position is sound, and the end of this is good if you do not react to the noise.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 乾 Qian (the Creative) (heaven).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
需 Attending becomes ䷾ 63 既濟 Already Crossed
Water over fire, every line in its proper place: completion. Success in small matters; favourable to persevere — good at the start, disorder at the end if you relax.
What it becomes63 · 既濟 Already Crossedjì jìThe 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 in the second place of hexagram 5, Attending, mean?
- 'Waiting on the sand: there is a little talk, but in the end good fortune.' Line two has moved closer — sand is the riverbank, within sight of the water — and the nearness draws some criticism, the 'small words' of people who think one should either cross or go home. Line two is yang in a yin place but central in the lower trigram, and centrality is what the small Image credits: it is 'at ease in the centre' (衍在中也), broad and unhurried. The talk is small because the position is sound. Zhu Xi reads the line as the patient person who tolerates being misunderstood for a while rather than moving to silence the comments.
- What does hexagram 5 become when line 2 changes?
- Attending becomes hexagram 63, 既濟 Already Crossed: Water over fire, every line in its proper place: completion. Success in small matters; favourable to persevere — good at the start, disorder at the end if you relax.
- Is line 2 of Attending in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).