初
初六。發蒙、利用刑人、用說桎梏、以往吝。
Opening the young mind; use discipline, loosen shackles. Going on carelessly brings regret.
䷃
Hexagram 4
Youthful Folly (山水蒙)
Sansui-mō / Méng
Unformed ignorance like a spring under a mountain. Seek guidance humbly; sincerity attracts a worthy teacher.
Judgment
蒙。亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞。
Folly. Success. It is not I who seek the immature; the immature seek me. First divination is answered; repeated asks profane it and will be refused. Benefit in correctness.
Awareness of not knowing is the start of wisdom. Approach teachers with sincerity; careless questioning is disrespectful.
Line-by-Line (Yao)
Interpretations if the line changes.
二
九二。包蒙、吉。納婦吉、子克家。
Embracing the ignorant—good fortune. Taking a wife is good; the children can manage the home. Guidance nurtures capability.
三
六三。勿用取女、見金夫、不有躬、无攸利。
Do not take this woman; she eyes a richer man and neglects herself. No benefit—wrong motives spoil learning.
四
六四。困蒙、吝。
Stuck in ignorance—regret. Learning stalled.
五
六五。童蒙、吉。
Childlike learner—good fortune. Pure curiosity is rewarded.
上
上九。擊蒙。不利為寇、利禦寇。
Strike ignorance. Not good to be the aggressor; good to defend against it. Correct firmly, don’t attack.
Practical Reading: Love, Career, Health & Decisions
When you cast Hexagram 4, Méng (Youthful Folly), the Book of Changes shows you a situation with Gen (Mountain) above and Kan (Water) below. Unformed ignorance like a spring under a mountain. Seek guidance humbly; sincerity attracts a worthy teacher. Use the cards below to map that pattern onto your specific question — a love reading, a career decision, a health concern, or a yes/no choice.
Love & Relationships
Inexperience can mislead—take advice and do not rush decisions. In a love or relationship reading, Hexagram 4 (Méng) describes the meeting point of Gen (mountain) above and Kan (water) below: how the outer situation meets your inner state. Ask whether you are forcing the relationship to fit a picture, or letting it move at the rhythm this hexagram suggests. For a partnered question, read the changing lines to see which side — yours or the other person's — is being asked to shift.
Work & Career
Learn from seniors and specialists; avoid acting alone while you are still green. In work and career, Méng points to whether the outer market or workplace (Gen (mountain)) and your inner stance (Kan (water)) are in alignment. If a project, negotiation, or job change is the question, ask what this hexagram says about timing rather than effort: pushing harder rarely changes a Méng situation; reading the configuration usually does.
Health & Wellbeing
Do not self-diagnose—seek proper expertise and correct information. For a body or wellness reading, treat the lines of Hexagram 4 as descriptions of phases, not diagnoses. Méng usually signals where energy needs to be conserved versus where it is asking to be expressed. Combine the hexagram's advice with concrete medical guidance — the I Ching is a reflective tool, not a substitute for professional care.
Decision-Making
When the question is a yes/no — should I take the offer, move, leave, commit? — read Hexagram 4 (Méng, Youthful Folly) as a statement about the configuration of your situation rather than the outcome. The summary "Unformed ignorance like a spring under a mountain. Seek guidance humbly; sincerity attracts a worthy teacher." is your starting frame. Ask: does this action respect that configuration, or fight it? Changing lines, if any, tell you which specific aspect needs to bend.
Go Deeper in the I Ching App
Study real readings, changing lines, and FAQs. The AI edition gives tailored interpretations and dialogue.
📖 The app translation is now a book
Wilhelm's I Ching (Japanese edition)
is now available as a book
Free with Kindle Unlimited