Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 4 · Méng ䷃
Hexagram 4 · Méng ䷃ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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蒙：亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞。
初六：發蒙，利用刑人，用說桎梏，以往吝。
九二：包蒙吉，納婦吉，子克家。
六三：勿用取女，見金夫，不有躬，无攸利。
六四：困蒙，吝。
六五：童蒙，吉。
上九：擊蒙，不利為寇，利禦寇。
彖曰：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。
象曰：山下出泉，蒙；君子以果行育德。
利用刑人，以正法也。
子克家，剛柔接也。
勿用取女，行不順也。
困蒙之吝，獨遠實也。
童蒙之吉，順以巽也。
利禦寇，上下順也。
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the classical Chinese, passage for passage, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Meng (Youthful Folly): Success. I do not seek the ignorant youth; the ignorant youth seeks me. At the first divination I answer; a second and third time profanes it, and if profaned I do not answer. Steadfastness is favorable.
Six at the beginning: To awaken the ignorant, it is favorable to discipline people and remove their shackles. Going on in this way brings humiliation.
Nine in the second place: Embracing the ignorant brings good fortune; taking a wife brings good fortune. The son can govern the household.
Six in the third place: Do not take this woman in marriage. On seeing a man with gold she loses all self-possession. Nothing is favorable.
Six in the fourth place: Ignorance hemmed in. Humiliation.
Six in the fifth place: The ignorant youth. Good fortune.
Nine at the top: Striking at ignorance: it is not favorable to act as a robber, but favorable to ward off robbers.
The Judgment Commentary says: Meng has danger beneath the mountain; danger and stillness make ignorance. Ignorance succeeds by acting successfully at the proper time and from the center. “I do not seek the ignorant youth; the ignorant youth seeks me”: their purposes answer each other. “At the first divination I answer”: firmness occupies the center. Repeated appeals profane the oracle, and when it is profaned there is no answer: this profanes the ignorant youth. Nurturing uprightness through ignorance is the work of sages.
The Image Commentary says: A spring flows out beneath the mountain: Meng. Thus the noble person acts decisively and nurtures virtue.
It is favorable to discipline people in order to set the law right.
The son can govern the household because firmness and yielding meet.
Do not take the woman in marriage: her conduct is disobedient.
The humiliation of ignorance hemmed in: alone, it stays far from substance.
The good fortune of the ignorant youth comes from obedience and gentleness.
It is favorable to ward off robbers because above and below are obedient.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the classical Chinese, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Meng (Youthful Inexperience): Success. I do not seek the inexperienced young person; the young person seeks me. I answer the first divination. Asking a second or third time shows disrespect; when treated with disrespect, I give no answer. Staying steady is favorable.
Six at the beginning: Teach the inexperienced. It is favorable to use punishment to correct people and remove their restraints. Continuing with punishment brings humiliation.
Nine in the second place: Taking care of the inexperienced brings good fortune. Welcoming a wife brings good fortune. The son can manage the household.
Six in the third place: Do not marry this woman. When she sees a wealthy man, she loses control of herself. Nothing is favorable.
Six in the fourth place: Trapped by inexperience. Humiliation.
Six in the fifth place: An inexperienced young person. Good fortune.
Nine at the top: Strike at inexperience. It is not favorable to act like a robber; it is favorable to defend against robbers.
The Judgment Commentary says: Meng means danger beneath a mountain: there is danger and a halt. That is inexperience. Meng succeeds by acting successfully at the right time and in a balanced way. “I do not seek the inexperienced young person; the young person seeks me” means their aims answer each other. Answering the first divination comes from a firm center. Asking a second or third time shows disrespect; refusing to answer then prevents disrespect toward the inexperienced. Raising the inexperienced to be upright is the work of a wise person.
The Image Commentary says: A spring flows out from below the mountain: this is Meng. The noble person therefore acts decisively and develops his character.
Punishment is favorable for correcting people because it establishes proper rules.
The son can manage the household because firm and yielding meet.
Do not marry the woman because her conduct is improper.
Being trapped by inexperience brings humiliation because she alone is distant from what is real.
The inexperienced young person's good fortune comes from being obedient and humble.
Defending against robbers is favorable because those above and below work together.