Approach
臨Lin
No. 19 · Earth over Lake
Lin (Approach)
Yang energy grows step by step, like someone in charge coming down to look after the people below. It is about leading well while momentum is on your side, and remembering that a good season has an end date.
Cast your own hexagramMomentum is improving, and you have a chance to widen your influence or move forward. This is a time to take the initiative and lead people, while staying on the right path. The Judgment also reminds you that a good season has a limit, so while things go well, prepare for the day they ease off.
Favorable
- Push ahead while momentum lasts
- Go see things in person
- Mentor the people behind you
- Plan a way back in good times
Avoid
- Winning people with sweet talk
- Assuming the good run won't end
- Managing only from reports
Work and money
- Job search
- Momentum is on your side, so it is a good moment to ask about a promotion or go after a role where you lead people. Still, the Judgment warns of trouble "when the eighth month comes", so line up your next fallback while things are smooth.
- Business
- Lin (Approach) is yang growing, and sales are picking up. You can add a location or hire. When you expand, look past the good numbers in front of you: the busy season always ends, so keep enough cash to get through the slow months.
- Money
- Income or investments may be improving, but don't assume it will last forever. While things are good, set some money aside.
Love and people
- Single
- Dui below is joy and Kun above is receptiveness, so two people click easily now. Making a move has a real chance. Remember the first two lines, "approaching through mutual feeling": sincerity works, pickup lines don't.
- In a relationship
- The relationship is warming, which makes this a good time to plan something big together. The third line's "sweet words" is the warning here: saying nice things to keep the peace doesn't help. Follow through on what you promise.
- Getting back together
- There is a chance; both of you are still leaning toward each other. Talk in person, as the fourth line's "approaching in person" suggests, rather than passing messages through friends. If it is all promises and no change, the thaw won't last.
- People and partnerships
- You are being pushed into a role where you look after others. The Image speaks of embracing and protecting people "without bounds". Making room for different personalities is what lets your circle of collaborators keep growing.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Your progress is speeding up, and effort put in now pays back the most. While you are in good form, shore up your weakest subject instead of scrambling once your form dips.
- Moving and travel
- Travel and moving both go fairly smoothly. Lean toward places that are growing and drawing people in. Good momentum has a limit, though, so avoid locking in a very long lease or itinerary all at once.
- Body and mind
- Your energy is coming back, and it is easy to take on too much once you get busy. Use this good stretch to set a steady routine rather than running yourself down. If something physical is bothering you, see a doctor.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It is coming, getting closer step by step, and the pace is picking up. But the window has a limit. When the news arrives, take it, and stop waiting to see.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- You have the upper hand, and the other side is more willing to cooperate. Settle it while the advantage is yours. If it drags past the turn, you tend to have fewer cards to play.
- Lost things and people
- Likely to be found. With Earth over Lake, look low and near water: by the bathroom sink, around the kitchen sink, in corners of the floor. Asking the people you talk with most may also help.
Making a decision
Go ahead; the timing is good. As you do, plan a way back, and don't treat good conditions as permanent.
If you are…
Lin (Approach) is the time to come down and look after the people below. Talking to each cook one on one and seeing where they get stuck does more than a pep talk before service. While morale is high, set the routines, so the kitchen holds up when the slow season comes.
Lake below, Earth above: one side joyful, the other receptive. They probably like you too, so you can make the first move. Keep what you say down to earth. Big promises to fill the silence are the third line's "sweet words", and they don't last.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
元亨。利貞。至于八月有凶。
Great success; it pays to stay steadfast. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune.
Earth over Lake: Kun (Earth) above, Dui (Lake) below. Land sits on the shore, high above the water and looking down over it, which is Lin (Approach). The two yang lines at the bottom are growing upward, and the momentum keeps building.
Nine at the beginning
咸臨，貞吉。
Approaching through mutual feeling. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Your influence is just starting, and it rests on people trusting that you mean it. Keep doing things the right way instead of reaching for tactics, and people tend to follow.
Small Image: 咸臨貞吉，志行正也。
Nine in the second place
咸臨，吉无不利。
Approaching through mutual feeling. Good fortune; nothing is unfavorable.
Things are going well, and both your sincerity and your ability are being accepted. You can push ahead with confidence, but what carries it is mutual trust, not blindly doing whatever the people above you say.
Small Image: 咸臨，吉无不利；未順命也。
Six in the third place
甘臨，无攸利。既憂之，无咎。
Approaching with sweet words: nothing is gained. If you already grieve over it, no blame.
Leading people or winning someone over with flattery and big promises doesn't last and doesn't help. Once you notice yourself doing it, change course and tell the plain truth, and the problem is less likely to drag on.
Small Image: 甘臨，位不當也。既憂之，咎不長也。
Six in the fourth place
至臨，无咎。
Approaching in person. No blame.
Go and see for yourself, and handle it yourself. Don't rely only on reports or manage from a distance. Being on the ground is what keeps you from getting it wrong.
Small Image: 至臨无咎，位當也。
Six in the fifth place
知臨，大君之宜，吉。
Approaching with wisdom: this is what befits a great ruler. Good fortune.
You are in the lead and don't need to do everything yourself. See clearly who is suited to what, hand the work to the right people, and keep your hands on the direction.
Small Image: 大君之宜，行中之謂也。
Six at the top
敦臨，吉无咎。
Approaching with generosity. Good fortune, no blame.
You are in a senior or semi-retired position now. Looking after the people coming up behind you and backing others with a generous spirit is the best thing you can do.
Small Image: 敦臨之吉，志在內也。
臨，剛浸而長。說而順，剛中而應，大亨以正，天之道也。至于八月有凶，消不久也。
Lin (Approach): the firm advances and grows little by little. Joyful below and yielding above, the firm stands in the center and is answered from above. Great success through what is correct: this is the way of heaven. "When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune" means that the waning will not be long in coming.
The Image澤上有地，臨；君子以教思无窮，容保民无疆。
Above the lake is the earth: this is Lin (Approach). The noble person, seeing this, is endless in the wish to teach and boundless in embracing and protecting the people.
The Sequence: why it comes here有事而後可大，故受之以臨；臨者大也。
Only once there is work to do can things grow large, so Gu (Repairing Decay) is followed by Lin (Approach). Lin means large. Gu sets right what has gone bad; once that is done there is real work ahead, and momentum can build.
Miscellaneous Notes臨、觀之義，或與或求。
The meaning of Lin (Approach) and Guan (Contemplation) is giving in one and seeking in the other. In Zhu Xi's reading, Lin is going toward people to look after them, which is giving, while in Guan others come to look at you and ask of you. Some commentators say both hexagrams hold both giving and seeking.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Lin mean for love?
Dui below is joy and Kun above is receptiveness, so two people click easily now. Making a move has a real chance. Remember the first two lines, "approaching through mutual feeling": sincerity works, pickup lines don't. The relationship is warming, which makes this a good time to plan something big together. The third line's "sweet words" is the warning here: saying nice things to keep the peace doesn't help. Follow through on what you promise.
What does Lin mean for work?
Momentum is on your side, so it is a good moment to ask about a promotion or go after a role where you lead people. Still, the Judgment warns of trouble "when the eighth month comes", so line up your next fallback while things are smooth. A good time to go for a management role, mentor new people or launch a new project. Use the momentum to lay solid foundations instead of only chasing the numbers.
With Lin, will what I am waiting for come?
It is coming, getting closer step by step, and the pace is picking up. But the window has a limit. When the news arrives, take it, and stop waiting to see.
With Lin, will I find what I lost?
Likely to be found. With Earth over Lake, look low and near water: by the bathroom sink, around the kitchen sink, in corners of the floor. Asking the people you talk with most may also help.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.