Two strong lines advance from below, as spring approaches after winter. Lin describes a time of growing influence and favorable momentum, when what is good draws near and those above come close to those below. Use it with warmth and generosity, and remember that every season turns. Good times are a window, not a permanent state.
Judgment
臨：元亨利貞。至于八月有凶。
Approach: supreme success; steadfastness is favorable. When the eighth month comes, misfortune.
Image
澤上有地，臨；君子以教思无窮，容保民无疆。
Earth above the lake: approach. Taking this as a model, the noble one is tireless in teaching and caring, boundless in sheltering and protecting the people.
- Growing influence
- Favorable momentum
- Caring leadership
- Generosity and teaching
- Awareness of seasons
- approach
- growth
- influence
- care
- momentum
- teaching
- Seize the favorable season while it lasts.
- Influence is best used to teach and care for others.
- Plan for the turn that follows every rise.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Nine at the beginning 初九
Line text
咸臨，貞吉。
Approach together. Steadfastness: good fortune.
A favorable movement is starting and you are carried along with others who share the same aim. Stay true to what is right and it goes well.
- Shared momentum
- Staying principled
- Being swept along without direction
- Advancing with good companions
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
咸臨，吉无不利。
Approach together. Good fortune; nothing is unfavorable.
The momentum is strong and well supported. Even knowing that times will change, you can move forward confidently now.
- Strong support
- Confident advance
- Forgetting that seasons change
- Making real progress while conditions favor it
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
甘臨，无攸利。既憂之，无咎。
Sweet approach: nothing is favorable. Once one grieves over it, no blame.
Influence gained through easy charm or flattery leads nowhere. Once you see this and change your approach, no harm is done.
- Empty charm
- Correcting course
- Relying on charm instead of substance
- Recognizing the mistake in time
Line 4Six in the fourth place 六四
Line text
至臨，无咎。
Approach that reaches all the way: no blame.
Someone in a high position draws near to capable people below without prejudice, welcoming their contribution. This openness is right.
- Open-minded engagement
- Bringing in talent
- Status-based prejudice
- Strength gained by including others
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
知臨，大君之宜，吉。
Wise approach, fitting for a great lord. Good fortune.
A wise leader chooses capable people and lets them do their work without interference. Knowing how to delegate is the essence of good leadership.
- Wise delegation
- Trusting capable people
- Micromanaging
- Strong results through trusted collaborators
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
敦臨，吉无咎。
Generous, earnest approach. Good fortune, no blame.
Someone who could stay aloof chooses to return and help with generosity and warmth. Wholehearted care brings good fortune.
- Wholehearted generosity
- Returning to help
- Withholding experience others need
- Making a lasting contribution through care
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
In Lin, the yang lines push upward from the bottom, like the returning light after the winter solstice. The hexagram speaks of approach in two senses: good fortune approaching, and a superior drawing near to those in their care. The reading may suggest an expanding phase in which your efforts gain traction and your influence grows.
The judgment adds a striking warning: the eighth month will bring misfortune. What rises will in time decline. This is not pessimism but timing. Use the upswing well, and prepare. The image directs the energy outward, into teaching, caring and protecting. In relation to a question, Lin may emphasize making the most of a favorable period with generosity and foresight.