Hexagram 19 Lin - Complete Guide Part 1: The Symbol and Structure of Approach
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 19 Lin - Complete Guide Part 1: The Symbol and Structure of Approach
Lin is the I Ching’s great hexagram of approach — of the genuine drawing near that creates genuine lasting authority, genuine lasting relationships, and genuine lasting success. The character lin (臨) carries the meaning of looking down upon, drawing near to, approaching with care and attention — the image of the ruler who approaches the people with genuine benevolence, the teacher who draws near to the student with genuine wisdom, the person of genuine inner virtue who approaches the situation with genuine presence and genuine care. Lin is one of the most auspicious hexagrams in the I Ching, and its wisdom is immediately practical: genuine approach — the genuine drawing near that is grounded in genuine inner virtue — creates supreme success.
The Structure of Lin
Binary and Trigram
Lin is Hexagram 19 in the King Wen sequence. Its binary structure is 000011 — four yin lines above two yang lines. This structure is the image of the two yang lines rising from below — the genuine inner energy of genuine approach that is growing, expanding, and drawing near to the four yin lines above. The two yang lines in the first and second positions are the structural key of Lin: the genuine inner energy of genuine approach that is at the beginning of its growth, full of genuine potential and genuine promise.
The Two Trigrams
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Lower trigram: Dui (兑) — Lake, Joy, Openness
The lake is the image of genuine joy and genuine openness — the quality of the person who receives all things with genuine delight, who is genuinely open to the natural flow of events. In Lin, the lake of genuine joy is in the lower position: the genuine inner joy that is the foundation of genuine approach. Genuine approach is not the approach of duty or obligation but the approach of genuine joy — the genuine delight in drawing near to the people, the situation, the genuine good. -
Upper trigram: Kun (坤) — Earth, Receptivity, Yielding
Earth is the image of genuine receptivity — the quality that receives all things without discrimination, that supports all things without demanding recognition. In Lin, the earth of genuine receptivity is above the lake of genuine joy: the genuine receptivity that receives the genuine joy of approach and expresses it in the genuine care and genuine attention of genuine drawing near.
The Image: Earth Above the Lake
The Xiang Zhuan (Image Commentary) states: “The earth above the lake: the image of Approach. Thus the superior person is inexhaustible in his will to teach, and without limits in his tolerance and protection of the people.”
Earth above the lake is the image of genuine approach: the genuine receptivity of the earth drawing near to the genuine joy of the lake, the genuine care and genuine attention of the superior person drawing near to the people with inexhaustible will to teach and without limits in tolerance and protection. The superior person’s task in Lin is to approach the people with the genuine inexhaustibility of the earth: the genuine care that never runs out, the genuine tolerance that has no limits, the genuine protection that never fails.
The Judgment: Supreme Success in the Eighth Month
The Tuan Zhuan (Judgment Commentary) states: “Approach has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune.”
Lin’s judgment is one of the most auspicious in the I Ching: supreme success through genuine approach. Perseverance furthers: genuine approach is not a single act but a sustained quality of genuine inner virtue that perseveres through the natural cycle of drawing near and withdrawing. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune: the warning of Lin is the warning of the natural cycle — the time of genuine approach is followed by the time of withdrawal (Hexagram 33 Dun), and the person who does not recognize the natural cycle of approach and withdrawal finds misfortune when the eighth month comes.
The Two Rising Yang Lines: The Energy of Genuine Approach
The two yang lines in the first and second positions are the structural key of Lin. In a hexagram of four yin lines above, the two yang lines rising from below are the image of the genuine inner energy of genuine approach: the growing, expanding force of genuine benevolence that is drawing near to the four yin lines of genuine receptivity above. The two yang lines are the minister and the ruler of genuine approach — the two expressions of genuine inner energy that together create the genuine approach of Lin.
This is the central teaching of Lin: genuine approach is not the approach of a single person but the approach of genuine inner energy — the growing, expanding force of genuine benevolence that draws near to the people with the genuine inexhaustibility of the earth and the genuine joy of the lake.
The Natural Sequence: From Gu to Lin
The Xu Gua Zhuan (Sequence Commentary) states: “When there are affairs, there can be greatness. Hence after Gu comes Lin.” The natural sequence from Gu (Work on What Has Been Spoiled) to Lin (Approach) is the I Ching’s account of how genuine approach emerges from genuine corrective work: the person who completes the genuine corrective work of Gu finds the genuine greatness of Lin — the genuine approach that draws near to the people with the genuine inexhaustibility of the earth and the genuine joy of the lake.
Correspondences and Relationships
- Paired hexagram (Bi Gua): Hexagram 20 Guan (Contemplation) — Lin and Guan are paired: genuine approach (Lin) and genuine contemplation (Guan) are the two faces of the same genuine inner virtue. The person who approaches with genuine benevolence (Lin) finds the genuine contemplation that genuine approach makes possible (Guan).
- Inverse hexagram (Zong Gua): Hexagram 20 Guan (Contemplation) — the inverse of Lin is Guan: the earth above the lake (Lin) inverted becomes the wind above the earth (Guan). Genuine approach and genuine contemplation are the two faces of the same genuine inner virtue.
- Nuclear hexagram: Hexagram 24 Fu (Return) — the nuclear hexagram of Lin is Fu, the hexagram of genuine return. The genuine approach of Lin contains within itself the seeds of the genuine return that genuine approach makes possible: the return to genuine inner virtue that genuine drawing near creates.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1 (This Article): The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2: The Six Lines — Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide — How to Read Lin in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Lin in Confucian, Taoist, and Political Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Leadership, Teaching, Mentorship, Genuine Presence
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Servant Leadership, Proximity Management, Presence Science
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