4/ 蒙 / ䷃ / Youthful Folly
the judgement
YOUTHFUL FOLLY has success.
It is not I who seek the young fool;
The young fool seeks me.
At the first oracle I inform him.
If he asks two or three times, it is importunity.
If he importunes, I give him no information.
Perseverance furthers
the image
A spring wells up at the foot of the mountain:
The image of YOUTH.
Thus the superior man fosters his character
By thoroughness in all that he does
the lines
Six at the beginning means:
To make a fool develop
It furthers one to apply discipline.
The fetters should be removed.
To go on in this way brings humiliation.
Nine in the second place means:
To bear with fools in kindliness brings good fortune.
To know how to take women
Brings good fortune.
The son is capable of taking charge of the household.
Six in the third place means:
Take not a maiden who, when she sees a man of bronze,
Loses possession of herself.
Nothing furthers.
Six in the fourth place means:
Extangled folly bring humiliation.
Six in the fifth place means:
Childlike folly brings good fortune.
Nine at the top means:
In punishing folly
It does not further one
To commit transgressions.
The only thing that furthers
Is to prevent transgressions
When all the lines are nines, it means:
There appears a flight of dragons without heads.
Good fortune.
4/ 蒙 / ䷃ / The Măng Hexagram
Explanation of the entire figure by king Wăn
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.
Explanation of the separate lines by the duke of Kâu
The first SIX, 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.
The second NINE, 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.
The third SIX, 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.
The fourth SIX, divided,
(shows its subject as if) bound in chains of ignorance.
There will be occasion for regret.
The fifth SIX, divided,
shows its subject as a simple lad without experience.
There will be good fortune.
In the topmost NINE, 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
1/ 蒙 / ䷃ / Childhood/ Meng
decision
Childhood.
Prosperous and smooth
It is not I who seek the ignorant,
The ignorant seeks me.
On the first divination, I give light.
Repeating again is contemptuous.
Being contemptuous, I give no more instruction.
Favorable to be steadfast and upright.
commentary on the symbol
A spring flows out of a mountain.
The symbol of an unenlightened ignorant.
In correspondance with this,
The superior person makes every effort
To cultivate virtue with resolute deeds.
yao text (the lines)
Initial Six
Enlightening and ignorant.
Favorable to set examples.
Operating with shackles,
Going forward: humiliation.
Second Nine
Being magnanimous to an ignorant.
Good fortune.
Taking a maiden as wife:
Good fortune.
The son is able to sustain the family.
Third Six
Do not engage in taking this woman.
Catching sight of a handsome man,
Losing herself.
Nothing is favorable.
Fourth Six
Confining an ignorant.
Humiliation.
Fifth Six
An ignorant is being enlightened.
Good fortune.
Top Nine
Disciplining an ignorant.
Not favorable to treat like a foe.
Favorable to prevent further mischief.