Hexagram 5 for love
Hexagram 5 Attending in love and relationships
Xu is clouds gathering in the sky: rain that will fall, but not yet. Heaven's strength below is held back by water above, and the whole hexagram is about waiting well. In a relationship it describes a bond with real force behind it that cannot be hurried — someone is not ready, a circumstance stands in the way, the right season has not come. The judgment promises that sincerity (有孚) will be rewarded with 'light and success', and the Great Image's advice is to eat, drink and be cheerful meanwhile.
The lines measure distance from the obstacle. The first and second are far enough away that patience is easy and costs only a little gossip. The third has pushed too close and is stuck, and must go gently. The fourth is already hurt and must yield to come through. The fifth, the ruler, is the ideal: at ease, nourished, steady. The top line is the long wait resolved by the unexpected arrival of others. Keep the feeling sincere and do not crowd the person you are waiting for.
The hexagram in brief
Clouds rising to heaven: rain that will come in its time. Confident waiting — not idle, but nourishing yourself until the crossing is safe.
Hold to sincerity and wait for the right moment; the great river is crossed when the time is right, not when you are impatient.
The judgment
需：有孚，光亨，貞吉。利涉大川。Hsü intimates that, with the sincerity which is declared in it, there will be brilliant success. With firmness there will be good fortune; and it will be advantageous to cross the great stream.
Which line changed?
A changing line sharpens the answer. Each line of 需 Attending has its own page:
- 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
The same hexagram for
Questions
- Is hexagram 5, Attending, a good sign for love?
- Xu is clouds gathering in the sky: rain that will fall, but not yet. Heaven's strength below is held back by water above, and the whole hexagram is about waiting well. In a relationship it describes a bond with real force behind it that cannot be hurried — someone is not ready, a circumstance stands in the way, the right season has not come. The judgment promises that sincerity (有孚) will be rewarded with 'light and success', and the Great Image's advice is to eat, drink and be cheerful meanwhile.
- What does Hexagram 5, 需 Attending, mean?
- Clouds rising to heaven: rain that will come in its time. Confident waiting — not idle, but nourishing yourself until the crossing is safe.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).