Approach

Lin 臨

Room opens where you can truly draw near to something or someone and care for it up close.

Lower trigramLake (Dui 兌)

Upper trigramEarth (Kun 坤)

Themedrawing near, care, an open window

A question to reflect onTo what or to whom should you draw near now, while it is still within reach?

AdviceUse the favorable time for closeness, but count on it lasting only a while, and do not tighten your grip.

The sayings of the six lines

At the start, draw near honestly and with interest in the other, not merely for what you will get out of that closeness.
Draw near openly and without fear of losing it — true closeness can bear even that it will not last forever.
If closeness comes too easily and sweetly, weigh whether care stands behind it, or only comfort — carelessness tends to have its price here.
If you draw near without ulterior motives, room opens where you can work together and without tension.
A wise approach leaves others room and does not want to lead alone — so closeness becomes cooperation, not dependence.
Even when you no longer must, return to those close to you and pass on what you have learned along the way.

The reading in practice

When to read Approach

When this image comes up

Hexagram 19, Approach, is best read at a moment when something like this is in play: room opens where you can truly draw near to something or someone and care for it up close. The main motif is not a label for the situation, but the direction in which your attention is meant to move.

What the situation asks for

The lower trigram Lake (Dui 兌) shows the inner movement, while the upper trigram Earth (Kun 坤) shows the shape that turns outward. Use the favorable time for closeness, but count on it lasting only a while, and do not tighten your grip.

Work

At work, Approach does not ask only about performance. It leads you to let the theme "drawing near, care, an open window" show in your next step, your pace or your responsibility.

Relationships

In relationships this image is not a verdict on the other person. It rather opens the question of what should be said, borne or left to ripen: To what or to whom should you draw near now, while it is still within reach?

Shadow / risk

The risk is to overdo the image's main motif: drawing near, care, an open window. The top line recalls the extreme form of the situation: Even when you no longer must, return to those close to you and pass on what you have learned along the way.

A question for your journal

To what or to whom should you draw near now, while it is still within reach? Write down one small step and come back to it in a few days.