I Ching hexagram 19

I Ching hexagram 19: Approach

临 lín · earth above a lake

Earth leaning over the lake shore, drawing near: a rising season of influence, with a warning that it will turn.

The judgment: Great success. It pays to stay true. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune.
"Lin (indicates that under the conditions supposed in it) there will be great progress and success, while it will be advantageous to be firmly correct. In the eighth month there will be evil."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Earth over the lake: the bank leaning over the water, the higher coming close to the lower. Two firm lines are pushing up from the bottom of the figure, so this is the hexagram of things advancing, a season on the rise. Approach also means drawing near to people, to oversee, to help, to lead. The judgment is warm: great success, if you stay true. Then it adds a cold sentence. In the eighth month there will be misfortune. Growth has a season, and seasons turn. So use the good stretch well. Come close to the people and the work in front of you with real care, as the lines urge: sincere, wise, generous. Avoid the third line's mistake of sweet-talking your way forward. And while things are rising, set something aside for the month when they won't.

Matter by matter

Love: Things are warming and moving closer. Be sincere as well as charming, and the bond will outlast the first season.
Work: A good time to advance and lead. Use it fully, and prepare for the momentum to fade.
Money: A rising period. Gains are likely now; build reserves for the downturn the text warns about.
A yes or no question: Yes. The time favors moving forward, but act soon; the window has a season.

The six lines of Approach

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, solid

Approaching together. Staying true brings good fortune.

You are moving forward with others, and the joint push works. Keep your aim honest, so the energy of the group does not carry you somewhere you would never choose alone.
Second line, solid

Approaching together. Good fortune; nothing fails to benefit.

The strongest line in the advance. Allies are with you and the moment is open. Go ahead with confidence; the text promises good fortune and benefit in whatever direction you take.
Third line, broken

Approaching with sweetness. Nothing benefits. Once you are worried about it, no harm follows.

You are trying to get close through flattery or easy charm, and it gains nothing. The fix is simple: notice it, feel uneasy about it, and stop. Here the worry itself is the cure.
Fourth line, broken

Approaching all the way. No mistake.

You come close, fully and in person, without holding anything back. Showing up wholeheartedly is right here. Go and meet the person or the problem directly, and nothing goes wrong.
Fifth line, broken

Approaching with wisdom, as befits a great ruler. Good fortune.

Lead by knowing what you do not know. A wise ruler picks capable people and lets them work. Trust good help instead of doing everything yourself, and the result is good fortune.
Top line, broken

Approaching with generous warmth. Good fortune, no harm.

At the end of the advance, kindness and largeness of heart carry the day. Reach back and help those coming up behind you. Nothing goes wrong when you give from abundance like this.

About hexagram 19

What does I Ching hexagram 19 mean?

Hexagram 19, Approach, puts earth above a lake. Earth leaning over the lake shore, drawing near: a rising season of influence, with a warning that it will turn. Its judgment reads: Great success. It pays to stay true. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune.

Is hexagram 19 a yes or a no?

Yes. The time favors moving forward, but act soon; the window has a season.

What does hexagram 19 mean for love?

Things are warming and moving closer. Be sincere as well as charming, and the bond will outlast the first season.

What does hexagram 19 mean for work?

A good time to advance and lead. Use it fully, and prepare for the momentum to fade.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.