需 → 臨
Hexagram 5: Waiting → Hexagram 19: Approach
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 5).
Line 3
九三 需于泥。致寇至。
Nine in the third place means: Waiting in the mud Brings about the arrival of the enemy.
Line 5
九五 需于酒食。貞吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Waiting at meat and drink. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
沒游源口，求鮫為寶。家危自懼，復出生道。
Diving to the source’s mouth, seeking the shark as treasure. The household endangered, oneself afraid; but one emerges again on the road of life.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Clouds above heaven give way to the lake's edge where the earth watches over rising waters. A diver plunges into the mouth of a spring, seeking a shark-pearl as treasure. The household faces danger and one grows afraid, yet a path of survival opens and one emerges alive. The 'shark-pearl' (鮫) references the mermaid-pearls of southern legend — treasures found only in the deepest, most perilous waters. Risk taken at the extremity of need yields a way out. From Waiting to Approach, the patient clouds become the earth overlooking the lake: one who descends into danger and returns brings back not just survival but the authority of direct experience, which is precisely what 'approach' demands — drawing near to what matters.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store