需
Xū · Waiting
The rain is already in the clouds. Nothing to do but be ready when it falls.
The judgment
需：有孚，光亨，貞吉。 利涉大川。
Waiting can succeed if you are sincere. It is bright and open, and steady effort brings good fortune. This is a time when crossing the great water is possible.
Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex05.judgment.
The image
象曰：雲上於天，需。君子以飲食宴樂。
Clouds are in the sky and the rain has not come. A capable person eats, drinks, and enjoys the wait instead of forcing the weather.
Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex05.image.
Waiting is not passivity; it is keeping yourself resourced until the moment moves.
The six lines
Each line is a stage, from the bottom of the hexagram to the top. Open any line to read it in plain English.
初九 需於郊。 利用恆，無咎。 Waiting in the open field, far from the action. Stay constant and nothing goes wrong.
Waiting in the open field, far from the action. Stay constant and nothing goes wrong.
九二 需於沙。 小有言，終吉。 Waiting on the sand, close enough for small complaints. Words fly, but the end is good.
Waiting on the sand, close enough for small complaints. Words fly, but the end is good.
九三 需於泥，致寇至。 Waiting in the mud, too close to the water, invites trouble. This is the danger of waiting in the wrong place.
Waiting in the mud, too close to the water, invites trouble. This is the danger of waiting in the wrong place.
六四 需於血，出自穴。 Waiting in blood, then getting out of the pit. You are in the worst of it; the way out is to leave, not to hold.
Waiting in blood, then getting out of the pit. You are in the worst of it; the way out is to leave, not to hold.
九五 需於酒食，貞吉。 Waiting with food and wine. Stay steady and it is lucky: this is the good kind of waiting, where life continues.
Waiting with food and wine. Stay steady and it is lucky: this is the good kind of waiting, where life continues.
上六 入於穴，有不速之客三人來，敬之終吉。 You fall into a pit, and three uninvited guests arrive. Treat them with respect, and it ends well.
You fall into a pit, and three uninvited guests arrive. Treat them with respect, and it ends well.