I Ching · King Wen 19
Hexagram 19: Approach
䷒ 臨 Lín · also called Nearing, Overseeing, Arriving · The Receptive above The Joyous
A favourable time approaching, and the reminder that it will pass: use it before the eighth month.
growthopportunityattentiongenerosityurgency
The meaning of Hexagram 19
Lake below, earth above: the earth leaning over the water, the higher approaching the lower with care. Approach describes a rising time, spring coming, the strong lines entering from below and growing. The judgement is very favourable and it contains a warning: in the eighth month there is misfortune. The season will turn. The reading asks you to act now, generously and attentively, as someone in authority approaches those they are responsible for, and to keep the coming turn in mind so that the gains are secured before it arrives.
The image. The earth above the lake; the wise person is inexhaustible in teaching and boundless in protecting the people.
- Advice
- Act generously and attentively while the time is favourable, and secure the gains before it turns.
- Warning
- A favourable season treated as permanent ends in the misfortune the judgement names.
over
Structure: ☱ The Joyous (Lake) below, ☷ The Receptive (Earth) above. Nuclear hexagram 24, Return. Every line reversed: 33, Retreat.
Hexagram 19 for love and relationships
Things are growing and the time to invest in them is now. Approach the other person with care and generosity. The reading's warning is that a good season is not permanent: use it to build what will last past it.
Hexagram 19 for career
Rising influence and opportunity. Engage fully, teach and protect the people you are responsible for, and secure the gains. The eighth month is a real deadline: what is not established by then may be lost.
Hexagram 19 for money
A growing phase. Invest, build and act while conditions favour it, and set aside for the turn. Do not assume the rise continues indefinitely.
Hexagram 19 for decisions
Act now on the opportunity; delay wastes a favourable season. Choose the option that uses the rising conditions while they last and does not depend on them lasting.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
Generous approach. Good fortune. No blame.
Someone who has withdrawn from affairs returning to help those still in them, out of generosity rather than obligation. The line honours the teacher who comes back. Both sides benefit.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 41, Decrease. Read line 6 →
Wise approach. Right for a great prince. Good fortune.
The leader who does not do everything themselves, who finds capable people and lets them act. Wisdom here is knowing what to delegate. The line is fortunate because it multiplies the leader's reach.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 60, Limitation. Read line 5 →
Complete approach. No blame.
A person of rank who approaches those below without reserve, drawing capable people into real responsibility. Open-mindedness here is entirely correct and it is what keeps the good season alive.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 54, The Marrying Maiden. Read line 4 →
Comfortable approach. Nothing furthers. If one becomes concerned, no blame.
Success has made someone careless: easy manners, slack attention, influence taken for granted. The line says nothing good comes of it, and then offers the cure, which is to notice and become serious again.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 11, Peace. Read line 3 →
Joint approach. Good fortune; everything furthers.
The rising time recognised and supported from above. Everything works because the movement is in season. The line is nearly unconditional in its promise.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 24, Return. Read line 2 →
Joint approach. Persistence brings good fortune.
Someone in a low position rising together with others, welcomed by those above. The line favours approaching together rather than alone, and asks that the approach be made in earnest.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 7, The Army. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 19 mean?
- A favourable time approaching, and the reminder that it will pass: use it before the eighth month. Lake below, earth above: the earth leaning over the water, the higher approaching the lower with care. Approach describes a rising time, spring coming, the strong lines entering from below and growing. The judgement is very favourable and it contains a warning: in the eighth month there is misfortune. The season will turn. The reading asks you to act now, generously and attentively, as someone in authority approaches those they are responsible for, and to keep the coming turn in mind so that the gains are secured before it arrives.
- What does Hexagram 19 mean for love?
- Things are growing and the time to invest in them is now. Approach the other person with care and generosity. The reading's warning is that a good season is not permanent: use it to build what will last past it.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 19 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 7, The Army; line 2 gives Hexagram 24, Return; line 3 gives Hexagram 11, Peace; line 4 gives Hexagram 54, The Marrying Maiden; line 5 gives Hexagram 60, Limitation; line 6 gives Hexagram 41, Decrease. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 33, Retreat.