I Ching Reading

Hexagram 19: Approach

臨 · Lín · Earth over Lake

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Approach (臨, Lín) is hexagram 19 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Earth (☷) above Lake (☱).

Meaning of hexagram 19

Something great is approaching and momentum is building. The favorable period is real but not permanent.

Advice

Move forward with care and sincerity, and do not let confidence outrun preparation.

The two trigrams

Approach places ☷ Earth (Kūn), yielding, receptive and nourishing, above ☱ Lake (Duì), joyful, open and pleasing. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
19. Approach
Chinese name
臨 Lín
Upper trigram
☷ Earth (Kūn)
Lower trigram
☱ Lake (Duì)
Lines
2 yang (solid) and 4 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
19 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Approach

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yang, solid): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yin, broken): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yin, broken): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yin, broken): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams