In love
Closeness is in view: be attentive, take care of the other, without believing the momentum will last on its own.
Hexagram 19
I Ching hexagram 19: Approach (Lin)
Lin, Approach, is the hexagram of the impulse moving toward the other: a rising kindness, to be kept up with lucidity.
- approach
- kindness
- growth
The essentials
Lin at a glance
For you, Lin describes a period of favorable momentum: move toward others with kindness, without forgetting that every movement changes.
A strength
A movement toward others, made of kindness and presence, which grows when it is tended.
Something to watch
Believing the momentum will last: the ancient text reminds us that movement reverses, and that this should be kept in mind from the start.
- What it advises
- Go toward others with kindness, sustain the momentum, and prepare for what comes after as soon as the moment is favorable.
- Its opposite
- 33. Retreat (Dun)
The situation
Lin means approaching, coming to watch over with kindness. Two solid lines rise from below, pushing the four broken lines. The ancient text sees great success in it, to be held with uprightness, but it warns: in the eighth month, a setback.
The warning is not a prophecy. It invites you to think, from the favorable moment, about what will come next: the present momentum is precious, and the reversal is part of the cycle. Attention to others, with patience and kindness, is the best way to sustain it.
The lines describe various ways of approaching, from the most ardent to the most generous.
The image: Earth above the Lake
- AboveEarth: the welcome that carries
- BelowLake: joy that is shared
Earth above the Lake: the bank overlooks the water and borders it. The commentaries see in it an untiring teaching, joined to a boundless protection.
Consult the I Ching
Throw three coins six times: your hexagram, the lines that change, and the direction they point to.
Free, no account · nothing is sent · no predictions
The six lines
- 1st line (bottom) · solidAdvancing by joining the second line: firmness and uprightness lead to good fortune, through a common impulse.
- 2nd line · solidAdvancing with the first line: a favorable omen, and everything is propitious, even without a clear order from heaven.
- 3rd line · brokenApproaching with pleasure: this leads to nothing good. But the concern to do well, once felt, avoids fault.
- 4th line · brokenApproaching in the most attentive way: no error. The gesture is tender and complete.
- 5th line · brokenApproaching with the wisdom of a great sovereign: a good omen, for discernment knows how to delegate.
- 6th line (top) · brokenApproaching with candor and generosity: a good omen, without blame. This is the highest degree of approach.
Lin in your life
At work
A growth phase: accompany, guide, and support your team, without staking everything on the rising period.
The I Ching helps you reflect on how to act: it does not say what is coming.
How is it built?
- Character
- 臨 (lín)
- Number
- 19 in the King Wen sequence
- Trigrams
- Earth (坤) above, Lake (兌) below
- Inner hexagram
- 24. Return (Fu) (lines 2 to 4 and 3 to 5)
- Read upside down
- 20. Contemplation (Guan)
- Symbol
- ䷒ (U+4DD2)
The English names are the usual renderings of the Chinese characters; the texts rely on the Chinese and on early public-domain translations (Legge, 1882; Philastre, 1885–1893).
Sources
- Wikipedia (English), “List of hexagrams of the I Ching,” read on October 15, 2026: numbers, characters, pinyin, lower and upper trigrams.
- Wikipedia (English), “Bagua,” read on October 15, 2026: lines of the eight trigrams, from bottom to top.
- James Legge (1815–1897), The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI, 1882 (Wikisource): public domain.
- Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre (1837–1902), Le Yi King ou Livre des changements de la dynastie des Tsheou, Annales du Musée Guimet, 1885–1893: public domain (the author died more than 70 years ago).
Frequently asked questions about hexagram 19
What does hexagram 19 of the I Ching mean?
Hexagram 19, Lin, means approach: a kindly impulse toward others, which grows when it is tended and when you keep its passing nature in mind.
What does the eighth month mean in Lin?
The text mentions a setback in the eighth month. It is read as a reminder that every impulse reverses, not as a date to fear: an invitation not to relax your attention.