Situational Guidance
The core of the Meng hexagram lies in the attitude of "teaching" and "learning." Whether you are a teacher or a learner, only by being sincere, humble, and upright can you clear away the fog and move towards prosperity.
Hexagram 4
Youthful Folly
Enlightenment, education, chaos not yet begun
The core of the Meng hexagram lies in the attitude of "teaching" and "learning." Whether you are a teacher or a learner, only by being sincere, humble, and upright can you clear away the fog and move towards prosperity.
Trigram Structure
䷃, Gen above, Kan below
Palace：離
Key Themes
Enlightenment, education, chaos not yet begun
Judgement
Meng: Heng. I beg Tong Meng, and Tong Meng beg me. If you complain at first, you will desecrate again and again, but if you desecrate, you will not complain. Li Zhen.
Natural Symbolism
Spring water at the foot of a mountain, dense fog at dawn, mineral deposits deep in the mountains.
Associated Objects
Textbooks, unopened products, antiques covered in dust, maps.
Life Application & Summary
The core of the Meng hexagram lies in the attitude of "teaching" and "learning." Whether you are a teacher or a learner, only by being sincere, humble, and upright can you clear away the fog and move towards prosperity.
Line-by-line Interpretation
Line 1
Enlightenment, using torture people, using words to shackles, used to be stingy.
Guidance
Discipline and norms are needed to open wisdom and lay a good foundation.
Modern Insight
This is the beginning of education. For a beginner who is like a blank slate, establishing rules and discipline is the first priority. This is not to punish them, but to help them build a solid foundation and understand the boundaries of behavior. Indulgence at the beginning will only lead to trouble later.
Line 2
Bao Meng, Ji. Nafu, Ji. Zi Ke family.
Guidance
Treat the ignorant with tolerance; teaching and learning benefit each other, auspicious.
Modern Insight
This is an ideal mentor. They have ability (yang line in the center) and patience, able to tolerate, understand, and accept the student's ignorance and clumsiness. This positive teacher-student relationship can inspire the student's potential, allowing them to grow quickly and eventually stand on their own (Zi Ke family).
Line 3
Don't use it to get a girl. If you meet a gold husband, there will be no bow and no benefit.
Guidance
Do not easily entrust important tasks; observe their character.
Modern Insight
This warns us to be careful in choosing students or partners. Some people seek instruction with impure motives; they pursue not wisdom but superficial things like fame and fortune (gold husband). They lack sincerity in learning and are prone to giving up halfway. Investing time and energy in such people is not worthwhile.
Line 4
Sleepy, stingy.
Guidance
Trapped by ignorance, stuck in old ways, far from the right path.
Modern Insight
This refers to those who are both ignorant and stubborn, and who stay away from good teachers and friends. They are trapped by their own ignorance, yet unaware of it and unwilling to seek help. This self-enclosed state is the greatest obstacle to learning and growth, and will only make things increasingly difficult.
Line 5
Tong Meng, Ji.
Guidance
Seeking instruction with a humble attitude will surely bring enlightenment, auspicious.
Modern Insight
This is the ideal student! Also the wisest leader. Although they hold a high position (the supreme fifth line), they can always maintain a childlike heart, remain humble, and forever seek instruction like a beginner. This humble attitude allows them to continuously absorb new knowledge and keep progressing, naturally bringing great fortune.
Line 6
Hit Mongolia. It is disadvantageous to be a bandit, but it is advantageous to resist bandits.
Guidance
Enlightenment should be moderate; being too harsh will cause harm; guidance should be the main approach.
Modern Insight
When encountering a stubborn student, gentle teaching no longer works. At this time, decisive and even harsh methods are needed, like a sudden wake-up call, to rouse them from their delusion. But remember, this "strike" is out of care, to pull them back to the right path, not to punish or harm.
