Hexagram 37.5 — The Family (Fifth Line)
Jia Ren · The King Approaches His Family — 五爻
家人卦 · 九五（王假有家）
Read from the bottom upward. The highlighted bar marks the fifth line (五爻), which is the focus of this page.
If You Just Cast This Line
The fifth line of Hexagram 37 occupies the position of leadership and authority within the structure of family. This is not the family as private refuge but as the foundational model for all governance, culture, and order. When the king "approaches his family," he brings the same integrity, care, and presence he would bring to the throne — and in doing so, demonstrates that true authority begins at home.
This line speaks to the alignment of public role and private character. It asks you to lead not through control or performance, but through genuine presence, warmth, and sincerity. When your inner circle is harmonious and authentic, that harmony radiates outward naturally. There is no need to worry or force outcomes — the family thrives when the leader is truly present.
Key Concepts
Original Text & Translation
「王假有家，勿恤，吉。」 — The king approaches his family. Do not worry. Auspicious.
The word "假" (jia) means "to approach" or "to arrive at" with sincerity and authenticity. The king does not merely visit or inspect — he genuinely arrives, bringing his full presence. When leadership is authentic and rooted in care rather than control, there is no need for anxiety. The family naturally flourishes, and from that foundation, all other relationships and responsibilities find their proper order.
Core Meaning
The fifth line is traditionally the position of the ruler — the place of central authority, clarity, and benevolent power. In Hexagram 37, this authority is expressed not through edicts or enforcement, but through the quality of relationship. The king who "approaches his family" understands that the health of the whole depends on the health of the core. If the center is warm, sincere, and stable, everything else aligns.
This line also addresses the integration of public and private selves. Many leaders compartmentalize: one face for the world, another for home. The fifth line of The Family dissolves that split. It says that your leadership is only as strong as your integrity in the relationships closest to you. When you bring your best self home — not your exhausted self, not your distracted self, but your genuinely engaged self — you model the coherence that others can trust and follow.
The phrase "do not worry" is crucial. Worry arises when we try to control outcomes or manage perceptions. When presence is authentic, worry dissolves. The family does not need to be micromanaged; it needs to be met with sincerity. From that meeting, natural order emerges.
Symbolism & Imagery
The image of the king approaching his family evokes the return of the sovereign to the hearth — not as a retreat from duty, but as the fulfillment of it. In classical Chinese thought, the family was the microcosm of the state. To govern well externally, one must first cultivate harmony internally. The king who neglects his household while claiming to serve the kingdom is a hypocrite; the king who tends his family with the same care he gives the throne is a sage.
This line also symbolizes the integration of yang authority (the fifth line is yang) with yin receptivity (the family as container and nurturer). The king does not dominate the family; he arrives within it, honoring its structure while bringing clarity and warmth. This is leadership as participation, not imposition.
The absence of worry is itself symbolic. It signals trust — trust in the inherent order of relationships when they are met with sincerity. The king does not second-guess or manipulate. He simply shows up, and that showing up is enough.
Action Guidance
Career & Leadership
- Lead from the center: your authority is most effective when it is grounded in genuine care for the people closest to the work. Show up for your team, not just for outcomes.
- Model coherence: align your public values with your private actions. Inconsistencies erode trust faster than any external challenge.
- Prioritize presence over productivity: schedule time to be fully present with key stakeholders — no multitasking, no performance, just sincere engagement.
- Trust the culture you've built: if you've invested in relationships and clarity, you do not need to micromanage. Let the system breathe.
- Bring warmth to structure: rules and processes are necessary, but they work best when infused with human care. Be the leader who remembers names, asks real questions, and listens.
Love & Relationships
- Show up fully: your partner or family does not need grand gestures; they need your genuine attention. Put the phone down. Be there.
- Lead with sincerity, not control: influence in intimate relationships comes from authenticity, not from managing or fixing. Trust the other person's process.
- Integrate your roles: do not compartmentalize "work you" and "home you." Bring your best self to both, and let them inform each other.
- Release worry about outcomes: if you are present and sincere, the relationship will find its natural rhythm. Anxiety disrupts that rhythm.
- Honor the container: the family or partnership is a sacred structure. Treat it with the same respect you would give any important responsibility.
Health & Inner Work
- Tend your inner family: the different parts of yourself — body, mind, emotion, spirit — are like a household. Bring your awareness to each with care.
- Practice embodied presence: meditation, breathwork, or simple stillness help you arrive fully in your own experience, rather than managing it from a distance.
- Release performance pressure: health is not a project to optimize; it is a relationship to tend. Show up for your body with kindness, not control.
- Trust natural rhythms: sleep, appetite, energy — these have their own intelligence. Listen rather than override.
- Integrate rather than compartmentalize: emotional health, physical health, and relational health are not separate. Tend the whole.
Finance & Strategy
- Govern your resources with care: treat your financial "household" — income, expenses, investments — as a system that thrives on attention and integrity.
- Align values and actions: invest in what you genuinely care about. Misalignment between values and portfolio creates internal friction.
- Lead from the center of your strategy: focus on core holdings and foundational principles. Do not chase every opportunity.
- Trust your process: if you have built a sound framework, you do not need to worry constantly. Check in regularly, but do not micromanage.
- Bring presence to decisions: major financial choices benefit from calm, centered attention. Avoid reactive or distracted decision-making.
Timing, Signals, and Readiness
The fifth line of Hexagram 37 indicates a moment when your leadership — whether in family, team, or self — is most effective through presence rather than action. This is not a time for new initiatives or external expansion. It is a time to consolidate, to show up fully for what is already in your care, and to let that sincerity create the conditions for natural growth.
You will know you are aligned with this line when worry decreases and trust increases. When you stop trying to control outcomes and instead focus on the quality of your presence, you will notice that things begin to resolve on their own. Relationships deepen. Teams perform better. Your own inner state becomes more coherent.
If you feel scattered, anxious, or performative, that is a signal to return to center. Ask yourself: am I truly present, or am I managing appearances? The fifth line invites you to drop the performance and simply arrive — fully, sincerely, and without agenda.
When This Line Moves
A moving fifth line in Hexagram 37 often signals a transition from internal consolidation to external expression. Your work of bringing sincerity and presence to your core relationships is complete enough that its effects are now visible in the wider world. The harmony you have cultivated at the center begins to radiate outward, influencing larger systems and communities.
The resulting hexagram will show the next phase of development. Pay attention to how the energy shifts — from the warm, contained focus of The Family to whatever new structure or dynamic emerges. The key is to carry forward the lesson of this line: that true authority is rooted in presence, not performance, and that the health of the whole depends on the integrity of the center.
Practical takeaway: as you move into the next phase, do not abandon the practices that brought you here. Continue to show up fully for your core relationships and responsibilities. Let your external actions be an extension of that inner coherence, not a departure from it.
Concise Summary
Hexagram 37.5 teaches that the highest form of leadership is sincere presence. The king who approaches his family with authenticity and care creates a foundation of trust and harmony that extends to all his responsibilities. There is no need to worry, control, or perform. Simply show up fully, integrate your public and private selves, and let natural order emerge. When the center is warm and coherent, everything else aligns.
