Hexagram 19 of 64
临 lín
Approach
坤 (kūn, Earth) above · 兑 (duì, Lake) below
The Judgment 卦辞
A time of growing influence approaches — the great draws near. Act with generosity while the tide rises, and remember: all high points are seasonal.
The Image 大象
The earth above the lake: approach. The wise person is tireless in teaching, and without limits in caring and protecting.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 临 has its own classical text. If a line in your cast is changing, its text is the heart of your reading.
Line 1 · 初九
Arriving together, moved by feeling. Steady — good fortune.
「咸临，贞吉」
Line 2 · 九二
Arriving together in goodwill — good fortune, nothing amiss.
「咸临，吉无不利」
Line 3 · 六三
Sweet-talking your way in gets you nothing. Once you worry about it honestly, no blame remains.
「甘临，无攸利。既忧之，无咎」
Line 4 · 六四
Arriving fully, in person. Present and direct — no blame.
「至临，无咎」
Line 5 · 六五
Approaching with awareness — the mark of a great ruler. Good fortune.
「知临，大君之宜，吉」
Line 6 · 上六
Arriving with generous sincerity. Good fortune, no blame — but the peak is passing.
「敦临，吉无咎」
If you drew this in a reading
A favorable pattern. Among the sixty-four patterns, this one belongs to the favorable family: its core movement supports what you would do with it. Favorable does not mean automatic — the hexagram still asks you to hold up your end with steadiness and good faith.
In yes/no questions this hexagram leans yes — the pattern supports proceeding.
The trigrams give the flavor: 坤 (Earth) above — receptive devotion — nourishment, patience, carrying others — over 兑 (Lake) below — joyous openness — exchange, persuasion, pleasure shared. Where those two energies meet, 临 is born.
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