Waiting
The Clouds Before Rain
Everything needed is present, but the rain has not come yet: strength held in reserve, not idleness.
Xu places Kan, the Abysmal Water, above Qian, the Creative Heaven, and the Image is of clouds rising up to heaven: everything needed is present, but the rain has not yet come. Strength is therefore held in reserve rather than spent. The Judgement holds that sincerity brings light and success, that perseverance brings good fortune, and that it furthers one to cross the great water when the time has come. The name also carries the sense of nourishment, and the Ten Wings say that in waiting the superior man eats and drinks and is of good cheer.
Light
Signifies patience with certainty behind it, readiness kept in reserve, and the confidence to let a favourable time arrive rather than to force it forward.
Shadow
Waiting can decay into idleness, anxiety, or delay past the moment for action. The third line, waiting in the mud, brings about the arrival of the enemy by standing too close to danger.
