蒙Immaturity
méngAlso known as “Youthful Folly” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Măng” (Legge)
In plain words
A spring at the foot of a mountain: youthful ignorance that can be taught. Success comes to the learner who asks sincerely — the teacher does not chase the student.
The attitude it asks for
Ask once, sincerely, and act on the answer; nourish correctness with patience and clear boundaries.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
蒙：亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞。Măng (indicates that in the case which it presupposes) there will be progress and success. I do not (go and) seek the youthful and inexperienced, but he comes and seeks me. When he shows (the sincerity that marks) the first recourse to divination, I instruct him. If he apply a second and third time, that is troublesome; and I do not instruct the troublesome. There will be advantage in being firm and correct.
蒙，山下有險，險而止，蒙。蒙亨，以亨行時中也。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我，志應也。初筮告，以剛中也。再三瀆，瀆則不告，瀆蒙也。蒙以養正，聖功也。In Măng we have (the trigram for) a mountain, and below it that of a rugged defile with a stream in it. The conditions of peril and arrest of progress (suggested by these) give (the idea in) Măng. 'Măng indicates that there will be progress and success:'—for there is development at work in it, and its time of action is exactly what is right. 'I do not seek the youthful and inexperienced; he seeks me:'—so does will respond to will. 'When he shows (the sincerity that marks) the first recourse to divination, I instruct him:'—for possessing the qualities of the undivided line and being in the central place, (the subject of the second line thus speaks). 'A second and third application create annoyance, and I do not instruct so as to create annoyance:'—annoyance (he means) to the ignorant. (The method of dealing with) the young and ignorant is to nourish the correct (nature belonging to them);—this accomplishes the service of the sage.
山下出泉，蒙；君子以果行育德。(The trigram representing) a mountain, and beneath it that for a spring issuing forth form Măng. The superior man, in accordance with this, strives to be resolute in his conduct and nourishes his virtue.
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上九Nine at the top
擊蒙；不利為寇，利禦寇。
In the topmost line, undivided, we see one smiting the ignorant (youth). But no advantage will come from doing him an injury. Advantage would come from warding off injury from him.
Its symbolism 利用禦寇，上下順也。
'Advantage will come from warding off injury:'—(the subject of this line) above and (the ignorant) below, all do and are done to in accordance with their nature.
- 六五Six in the fifth place
童蒙，吉。
The fifth line, divided, shows its subject as a simple lad without experience. There will be good fortune.
Its symbolism 童蒙之吉，順以巽也。
'The good fortune belonging to the simple lad without experience' comes from his docility going on to humility.
- 六四Six in the fourth place
困蒙，吝。
The fourth line, divided, (shows its subject as if) bound in chains of ignorance. There will be occasion for regret.
Its symbolism 困蒙之吝，獨遠實也。
'The regret arising from ignorance bound in chains' is due to the special distance of (the subject of this line) from the solidity (shown in lines 2 and 6).
- 六三Six in the third place
勿用取女；見金夫，不有躬，无攸利。
The third line, divided, (seems to say) that one should not marry a woman whose emblem it might be, for that, when she sees a man of wealth, she will not keep her person from him, and in no wise will advantage come from her.
Its symbolism 勿用取女，行不順也。
'A woman (such as is here represented) should not be taken in marriage:'—her conduct is not agreeable to what is right.
- 九二Nine in the second place
包蒙吉；納婦吉；子克家。
The second line, undivided, (shows its subject) exercising forbearance with the ignorant, in which there will be good fortune; and admitting (even the goodness of women, which will also be fortunate. (He may be described also as) a son able to (sustain the burden of) his family.
Its symbolism 子克家，剛柔接也。
'A son able to (sustain the burden of) his family:'—as appears from the reciprocation between this strong line and the weak (fifth line).
- 初六Six at the beginning
發蒙，利用刑人，用說桎梏，以往吝。
The first line, divided, (has respect to) the dispelling of ignorance. It will be advantageous to use punishment (for that purpose), and to remove the shackles (from the mind). But going on in that way (of punishment) will give occasion for regret.
Its symbolism 利用刑人，以正法也。
'It will be advantageous to use punishment:'—the object being to bring under the influence of correcting law.
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 蒙 Immaturity for a question about
古籍
From the classics
Two of the Ten Wings speak of every hexagram: the Sequence (Xù Guà) says why it follows the one before, the Miscellany (Zá Guà) sums it up in a phrase. Here is what they say of 蒙 méng · Immaturity.
物生必蒙，故受之以蒙；蒙者蒙也，物之穉也。Things at birth are sure to be untaught; therefore Méng follows. Méng is the untaught — things in their infancy.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
屯見而不失其居，蒙雜而著。Zhūn shows itself without losing its place; Méng is mixed yet plain to see.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Questions about this hexagram
- What does Hexagram 4, Immaturity, mean?
- A spring at the foot of a mountain: youthful ignorance that can be taught. Success comes to the learner who asks sincerely — the teacher does not chase the student.
- Which trigrams form Immaturity?
- 艮 above 坎 — mountain over water. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 復 Returning.
- What happens when a line of Immaturity changes?
- A moving line turns the hexagram into another one; the list above shows all six. With several moving lines, the guide to changing lines explains which text to read.
- How do I get Immaturity in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern - - — - - - - - - — is Immaturity. You can also cast a reading here — the lines are decided by code, the text is this page's.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).