Hexagram 5, line 6
上六Line 6 of Attending
Six at the top · 需 xū
爻辭 The line text
入于穴，有不速之客三人來，敬之終吉。The topmost line, divided, shows its subject entered into the cavern. (But) there are three guests coming, without being urged, (to his help). If he receive them respectfully, there will be good fortune in the end.
不速之客來，敬之終吉。雖不當位，未大失也。'Guests come unurged (to give their help), and if (the subject of the line) receive them respectfully, there will be good fortune in the end:'—though the occupant and the place are not suited to each other, there has been no great failure (in what has been done).
In plain words
'Going into the pit: three uninvited guests arrive; honour them, and in the end good fortune.' Line six is yin at the top of Kan, the end of the waiting, and it has sunk into the hole it could not avoid. Then something unexpected: three guests, the three strong lines of the lower trigram, which have finished waiting and now come up. They were not summoned, but they are not enemies, and the line that treats them with respect ends well. The small Image admits the line is 'not in its proper place' (不當位) and says it has nonetheless 'not greatly lost' (未大失也). Wang Bi reads it as the end of a long wait resolved not by one's own action but by the arrival of others, met with courtesy.
If this line is changing
The wait ends not on your terms but with people you did not plan for; receive them with respect instead of suspicion, and the outcome will be better than the position suggests.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 upper trigram 坎 Kan (the Abysmal) (water).
- It corresponds (應) with line 3: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
需 Attending becomes ䷈ 9 小畜 Small Accumulation
Wind over heaven: dense clouds but no rain yet. A small force restrains a great one for now; gather strength quietly, with success in small things.
What it becomes9 · 小畜 Small Accumulationxiǎo chùThe 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 Six at the top of hexagram 5, Attending, mean?
- 'Going into the pit: three uninvited guests arrive; honour them, and in the end good fortune.' Line six is yin at the top of Kan, the end of the waiting, and it has sunk into the hole it could not avoid. Then something unexpected: three guests, the three strong lines of the lower trigram, which have finished waiting and now come up. They were not summoned, but they are not enemies, and the line that treats them with respect ends well. The small Image admits the line is 'not in its proper place' (不當位) and says it has nonetheless 'not greatly lost' (未大失也). Wang Bi reads it as the end of a long wait resolved not by one's own action but by the arrival of others, met with courtesy.
- What does hexagram 5 become when line 6 changes?
- Attending becomes hexagram 9, 小畜 Small Accumulation: Wind over heaven: dense clouds but no rain yet. A small force restrains a great one for now; gather strength quietly, with success in small things.
- Is line 6 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).