臨
“Nearing” — King Wen #19
Approaching with greatness. A favorable time to come forward and guide others generously.
The Judgment 卦辞
元亨，利貞；至于八月，有凶。
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.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
咸臨，貞吉。
The first NINE, undivided, shows its subject advancing in company (with the subject of the second line). Through his firm correctness there will be good fortune.
咸臨，吉，無不利。
The second NINE, undivided, shows its subject advancing in company (with the subject of the first line). There will be good fortune; (advancing) will be in every way advantageous.
甘臨，無攸利；既憂之，無咎。
The third SIX, divided, shows one well pleased (indeed) to advance, (but whose action) will be in no way advantageous. If he become anxious about it (however), there will be no error.
至臨，無咎。
The fourth SIX, divided, shows one advancing in the highest mode. There will be no error.
知臨，大君之宜，吉。
The fifth SIX, divided, shows the advance of wisdom, such as befits the great ruler. There will be good fortune.
敦臨，吉，無咎。
The sixth SIX, divided, shows the advance of honesty and generosity. There will be good fortune, and no error.
Reading the Picture
Hexagram 19 places lake (兑) beneath earth (坤) —joy lifting what it touches below, receptive ground holding all things above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Nearing”:approaching with greatness. A favorable time to come forward and guide others generously Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
Questions About Hexagram 19
What does 臨 (lín) mean?
Hexagram 19 of the I Ching is named 臨 (lín), usually rendered "Nearing" in English editions. Its figure pairs lake (兑) below with earth (坤) above.
Which trigrams form hexagram 19?
坤 (Earth) sits above and 兑 (Lake) sits below — the classical picture is joy lifting what it touches beneath receptive ground holding all things.
How is hexagram 19 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 19 gives hexagram 33 — 遯 (Retiring). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 20 — 觀 (Viewing). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 24 — 復 (Returning).
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1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.