井 → 需
Hexagram 48: The Well → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 1 changing line (line 1).
Line 1
初六 井泥不食。舊井无禽。
Six at the beginning means: One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
大夫行父，无地不涉。為吾相土，莫如韓樂，可以居止，長安富有。
The minister Xingfu traverses every land without exception. Surveying the earth on our behalf: none compares to the joy of Han, where one may dwell and rest, abiding in lasting peace and plenty.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water drawn up through wood nourishes wherever it is found, and the great minister Xingfu travels every land without exception. He surveys the terrain on our behalf and finds no place as fine as the pleasure of Han, where one may settle and dwell in lasting peace and abundance. The 'Dafu Xingfu' likely refers to a Lu minister of the Zang clan who assessed territory for resettlement. 'Surveying the land' (相土) echoes the ancient practice of geomancy and site selection. From The Well to Waiting, clouds gather above heaven: the minister's patient search for the right dwelling mirrors Xu's counsel to wait with confidence, trusting that the ideal site reveals itself when the time is ripe.
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