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蒙 4 · Méng · Youthful Inexperience
Mountain over Water — upper Gèn 艮 (still, resting, bounded); lower Kǎn 坎 (deep, dangerous, flowing)
Hexagram 4, Youthful Inexperience (Méng, 蒙), is Mountain over Water. Spring water at the foot of a mountain. The learner asks; the teacher answers once. Not-knowing is the beginning of learning.
The situation
Spring water at the foot of a mountain. The learner asks; the teacher answers once. Not-knowing is the beginning of learning.
The counsel
Be teachable. Ask sincerely, receive the answer, and do not pester the oracle with the same question.
The six lines
Line 1 — Discipline helps the learner grow, but cruelty does not. Set clear limits, then lift them.
Line 2 — Gentleness toward the inexperienced. Even the young can carry responsibility if trusted.
Line 3 — Do not grab at an attractive shortcut. Nothing real is gained that way.
Line 4 — Entangled in your own folly. The embarrassment itself is the teacher.
Line 5 — Childlike openness. Good fortune comes from asking simply.
Line 6 — Correcting folly should defend against harm, not punish for its own sake.