I Ching · Hexagram 4 of 64
Hexagram 4: Meng （蒙） — Youthful Folly
Water below and mountain above: danger beneath the mountain, ignorance resting still inside a sea of suffering. Meng is the folly of childhood, the dimness that follows birth, and also the beginner who awaits enlightenment. The hexagram teaches the wisdom of timely education: preserve innocence to nourish wisdom, let the youth ask of his own will, be tolerant with folly, and correct firmly when the moment calls for it.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 4 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Meng 蒙 · Youthful Folly |
| Upper trigram | Gen （艮）· Mountain |
| Lower trigram | Kan （坎）· Water |
| Structure | Mountain over Water |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Meng. Success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I give answer; if questioned a second and third time, it is importunity, and importunity is not answered. It is favorable to be steadfast.
ExplainedIgnorance is not itself evil: an adult's ignorance breeds desire and ruin, while an infant's ignorance and desirelessness let wisdom grow. Enlightenment must be sought by the learner and never forced by the teacher; the first sincere question is answered, but repeated importunity trifles with the teaching and is met with silence. And the aim of teaching must be steadfastness: to benefit others and make upright people, not to train the pursuit of profit.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Meng: below the mountain lies danger; in danger he halts. That is Meng. Meng brings success, because success moves through the timely center. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me, for their wills respond. The first oracle is answered, because the firm is centered. The second and third are importunity and are not answered, for that trifles with the youth's folly. To nourish what is upright in the young: this is the work of a sage.
ExplainedMountain above and water below mean ignorance halted in the midst of danger, like a youth led astray by bad company. To succeed within danger one relies on the inborn capacity to hold the center, by which one senses and understands without cleverness or learning. When the youth asks with utter trust, two hearts answer each other; and to nourish uprightness in this season of folly is the work of a sage.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
A spring wells up beneath the mountain: Meng. Thus the gentleman resolutely carries out his will and nourishes his virtue.
ExplainedThe spring beneath the mountain is the water of wisdom welling from the spiritual mountain once the heart is kept empty of knowing and wanting. Even without learning, such wisdom judges clearly, resists temptation, and endures every test.
The Six Lines （六爻）
The lines are read from the bottom upward. Each carries its own text, a Small Image commentary, and a plain-English reading.
Line 1 · YinLine 1
Developing the folly: it is favorable to use punishment, to remove the shackles; going on otherwise brings humiliation.
Small ImageUsing punishment is for restoring the right order.
ExplainedThe first stage of enlightenment is not pouring in knowledge but correcting conduct: harmful behavior must be met at once with penalty, so that the child learns that wrong brings consequence. To leave him wholly free is to prepare the prison of later years.
Line 2 · YangLine 2
Bearing with folly brings good fortune; taking a wife brings good fortune; the son is able to uphold the family.
Small ImageThe son upholds the family: the firm and the yielding meet.
ExplainedFault must be punished, but dullness must be embraced, as a household embraces a young bride who does not yet know its ways. Tolerance of stupidity joined with teaching raises children who can uphold the house; tolerance of evil does not.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Do not take this maiden: she sees a man of gold and has no self-possession. Nothing is favorable.
Small ImageDo not take this maiden: her conduct is not in accord.
ExplainedThe worst education produces a person who sees only gold. One who marries for money alone will not honor the household, and nothing good comes of it.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
Entangled in folly brings humiliation.
Small ImageThe humiliation of entangled folly: he alone is far from substance.
ExplainedThe true fool is not the wholly ignorant but the one shut inside his own opinions and far from reality. He is stubborn, hard to reach and ends alone, and such rigidity is usually caught from self-satisfied parents and teachers.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
The folly of a child brings good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of a child's folly: yielding and compliant.
ExplainedA child allowed to remain a child a while longer is fortunate: wisdom is not destroyed by early learning but bursts forth when the gate opens. To be yielding and compliant is to obey heaven's mandate and one's parents.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
Smiting the folly: it is not favorable to be a robber; it is favorable to resist robbers.
Small ImageFavoring resistance to robbers: above and below are in accord.
ExplainedWhen folly reaches its extreme it must be struck awake, yet never by attack or scolding, which only drives the young away. Wait patiently beside them; when the false friend at last shows his true face, step in to protect and dissolve the harm.
Key takeaway
Ignorance can be the ground of wisdom: keep the innocent heart, answer only the sincere question, and nourish uprightness in the young.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 4 (Meng) mean in the I Ching?
Water below and mountain above: danger beneath the mountain, ignorance resting still inside a sea of suffering. Meng is the folly of childhood, the dimness that follows birth, and also the beginner who awaits enlightenment. The hexagram teaches the wisdom of timely education: preserve innocence to nourish wisdom, let the youth ask of his own will, be tolerant with folly, and correct firmly when the moment calls for it.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 4?
Meng. Success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I give answer; if questioned a second and third time, it is importunity, and importunity is not answered. It is favorable to be steadfast. Ignorance is not itself evil: an adult's ignorance breeds desire and ruin, while an infant's ignorance and desirelessness let wisdom grow. Enlightenment must be sought by the learner and never forced by the teacher; the first sincere question is answered, but repeated importunity trifles with the teaching and is met…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 4 say?
Line 1: Developing the folly: it is favorable to use punishment, to remove the shackles; going on otherwise brings humiliation. Line 2: Bearing with folly brings good fortune; taking a wife brings good fortune; the son is able to uphold the family. Line 3: Do not take this maiden: she sees a man of gold and has no self-possession. Nothing is favorable. Line 4: Entangled in folly brings humiliation. Line 5: The folly of a child brings good fortune. Line 6: Smiting the folly: it is not favorable to be a robber; it is favorable to resist robbers.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 4 (Youthful Folly)?
Ignorance can be the ground of wisdom: keep the innocent heart, answer only the sincere question, and nourish uprightness in the young.
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