| Name | 蒙 Méng, “Youthful Folly” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☶ 艮 Mountain: stillness and limits |
| Lower trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
The Judgment
亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三渎，渎则不告。利贞。
Success. I do not seek the young fool — the young fool seeks me. First asking is answered; asking again and again is disrespect, and gets no answer. Stay true.
Growth comes when you actually want it. Ask once, listen, sit with it. Asking the same question ten times means you're avoiding the answer.
The Image
山下出泉，蒙；君子以果行育德。
A spring rises from beneath the mountain — Youthful Folly. The wise act with resolve and cultivate character.
Real growth bubbles up slow and steady, not all at once. Build your character on purpose.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yin
发蒙，利用刑人，用说桎梏，以往吝。
Break the folly. Discipline is useful; chains must come off. But going on this way brings shame.
A hard reset works, but stay on it too long and you become the cage. Use the lesson, then move.
Line 2 · second · Yang
包蒙吉。纳妇吉。子克家。
Embracing the inexperienced brings fortune. Marrying a wife brings fortune. The son can manage the household.
Be patient with people still learning — including yourself. Trust grows when you let people figure it out beside you.
Line 3 · third · Yin
勿用娶女，见金夫，不有躬，无攸利。
Do not marry that woman. She sees a man of gold and loses herself. Nothing comes of it.
Don't lock in with someone who's only there for the bag. People who lose themselves around money will lose you too.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
困蒙，吝。
Stuck in folly. Shame.
Trapped in your own confusion with no one to pull you out. The way out is admitting you need help.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
童蒙，吉。
The innocent young one. Fortune.
Beginner energy, open mind. This is when the lessons actually land.
Line 6 · top · Yang
击蒙。不利为寇，利御寇。
Strike at folly. Not to harm, but to defend.
Sometimes love looks like a hard correction. Not punishment — protection.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 49, Revolution