TL;DR: The Hexagram Mountain over Water, Mông (蒙, hexagram number 4), consists of the upper trigram Cấn (Mountain) and the lower trigram Khảm (Water). The Judgement text says: 蒙：亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞。 Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when asking about work, relationships, or money, one should take the initiative to seek experienced people, ask at the right time and the right person, and not rush to decide when understanding is still unclear.
What is the Shan Shui Meng Hexagram?
The Shan Shui Meng hexagram (蒙) is the 4th hexagram in the Zhou Yi sequence, composed of the upper trigram Gen (Mountain) and the lower trigram Kan (Water). The name "Meng" refers to a state still dim and unformed, like a spring just gushing out at the foot of a mountain.
This hexagram follows the Zhun hexagram (hexagram 3) in the traditional King Wen sequence. Tradition attributes the drawing of the trigrams to Fu Xi, the naming and writing of the gua ci to King Wen, the writing of the yao ci to the Duke of Zhou, and the writing of the Ten Wings to Confucius; modern scholarship does not regard this chain of authorship as proven, and generally places the classic text around the early 1st millennium BCE and the Ten Wings between roughly the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE.
What is special about the structure of the Shan Shui Meng hexagram?
The hexagram consists of two single trigrams: below is Kan (☵) representing Water, above is Gen (☶) representing Mountain[1]. The image is a spring flowing out from the foot of a mountain, its stream still small, its course not yet clear.
The six lines, from bottom to top, are: first six (yin), nine two (yang), six three (yin), six four (yin), six five (yin), top nine (yang). The nuclear hexagram of Meng is Di Lei Fu (hexagram 24), and the changed hexagram when all six lines transform is Ze Huo Ge (hexagram 49).
What does the original text of the Shan Shui Meng hexagram say?
The gua ci reads: 蒙：亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞[1]。
Sino-Vietnamese reading: Meng: Heng. Fei wo qiu tong meng, tong meng qiu wo. Chu shi gao, zai san du, du ze bu gao. Li zhen.
Close translation: Meng: success. It is not I who seek the youthful fool, but the youthful fool who seeks me. The first divination is answered; repeated two or three times it becomes profane, and when profane, it is not answered. Favorable to be steadfast and correct.
The six yao ci read:
- First six line: 初六：發蒙，利用刑人，用說桎梏，以往吝[1]。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: First six: Fa meng, li yong xing ren, yong tuo zhi gu, yi wang lin. Translation: To open up obscurity, it is favorable to use punishment to release the shackles; to proceed in this way brings regret.
- Nine two line: 九二：包蒙吉，納婦吉，子克家[1]。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: Nine two: Bao meng ji, na fu ji, zi ke jia. Translation: To embrace obscurity is auspicious, to take a wife is auspicious, the son can carry on the family line.
- Six three line: 六三：勿用取女，見金夫，不有躬，无攸利。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: Six three: Wu yong qu nü, jian jin fu, bu you gong, wu you li. Translation: Do not take a wife; she sees a husband with wealth, she does not keep herself, nothing is favorable.
- Six four line: 六四：困蒙，吝[1]。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: Six four: Kun meng, lin. Translation: Trapped in obscurity, regrettable.
- Six five line: 六五：童蒙，吉[1]。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: Six five: Tong meng, ji. Translation: Youthful obscurity, auspicious.
- Top nine line: 上九：擊蒙，不利為寇，利禦寇[1]。 Sino-Vietnamese reading: Top nine: Ji meng, bu li wei kou, li yu kou. Translation: To strike at obscurity; it is not favorable to act as a bandit, it is favorable to resist bandits.
What do the Tuan Zhuan and Xiang Zhuan of the Meng hexagram say?
The Tuan Zhuan (part of the Ten Wings, traditionally attributed to Confucius; modern scholarship places it between roughly the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE) says: 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。
The Great Xiang (Xiang Zhuan) says: 山下出泉，蒙；君子以果行育德[1]。
The Small Xiang for each line: the first six line 利用刑人，以正法也 (using punishment to make the rules correct); the nine two line 子克家，剛柔接也 (the son carries on the family line, because hard and soft meet); the six three line 勿用取女，行不順也 (do not take a wife, because the action is not compliant); the six four line 困蒙之吝，獨遠實也 (being trapped in obscurity is regrettable, because one alone is far from what is real); the six five line 童蒙之吉，順以巽也 (the auspiciousness of youthful obscurity, because one is compliant and yielding); the top nine line 利禦寇，上下順也 (favorable to resist bandits, because above and below are in accord).
Named commentary: How does Wang Bi comment on the Meng hexagram?
Wang Bi's commentary (in the Zhou Yi Zheng Yi) on the gua ci: "Shi" (divination) is the means by which doubts are resolved[2]. The youthful fool comes to seek me, wishing to resolve what is still uncertain. If the resolution is not consistent, one does not know what to follow, and doubt increases. Therefore the first divination is answered; repeated two or three times it becomes profane. To be profane is to be obscure. Is the one who can carry out the first divination only the second line? Because it is firm and occupies the middle, it can judge what is doubtful.
Wang Bi's commentary on "Li zhen" (favorable to be correct): What Meng benefits is correctness[2]. Nothing is brighter than the sage, nothing is darker than the obscure. To nurture correctness in obscurity is the work of the sage. But to nurture correctness through brightness is to lose the Way.
Wang Bi's commentary on the Tuan Zhuan: "Meng, heng," to act with success is to attain timely centrality. "It is not I who seek the youthful fool, but the youthful fool who seeks me," means their wills respond to each other. "I" is the one who is not the youthful fool, that is, the yang. In general, the one who does not know seeks the one who knows; the one who knows does not seek the one he instructs; the dark seeks the bright, the bright does not ask the dark. Therefore the meaning of Meng is "it is not I who seek the youthful fool, but the youthful fool who seeks me." The youthful fool comes to seek me because their wills respond to each other. "The first divination is answered, because it is firm and occupies the middle," this speaks of the second line. If the second line, as master of the yin lines, were not firm and had lost the middle, how could it carry out the first divination and answer?
Wang Bi's commentary on the Xiang Zhuan: "Resolute action" is the meaning of the first divination[2]. "Nurturing virtue" is the work of nurturing correctness.
Wang Bi's commentary on the first six line: At the beginning of obscurity, the second line shines upward, so obscurity is opened[2]. When obscurity is opened, doubt becomes clear, and releasing the shackles through punishment is appropriate. "To proceed in this way brings regret" means punishment cannot be prolonged.
Wang Bi's commentary on the nine two line: Being firm and occupying the middle, the youthful fools return to it; embracing them without blocking, near and far all arrive, hence "to embrace obscurity is auspicious."[2] A wife is one who pairs with oneself to complete virtue. With a yang body that can embrace obscurity, being firm and able to hold the middle, if one takes a partner by this, nothing will fail to respond, hence "to take a wife is auspicious." Within the hexagram, using firmness to meet softness, being personally central, one can bear affairs and carry out the work for the son; this is the meaning of carrying on the family.
Wang Bi's commentary on the six three line: In the time of youthful obscurity, yin seeks yang, the dark seeks the bright, each side seeks to open its own darkness[2]. The six three line is above the lower trigram, the top nine line is above the upper trigram; this is the meaning of man and woman. The one above does not seek the three, but the three seeks the one above; this is the woman seeking the man first. The nature of a woman is to keep correct and await her fate. She sees a firm husband and seeks him, hence it says "she does not keep herself." If this is carried out for a woman, the action is not compliant, hence "do not take a wife," and "nothing is favorable."
Wang Bi's commentary on the six four line: Alone and far from the yang, situated between two yin lines, nothing is darker and more unopened, hence it says "trapped in obscurity."[2] Trapped in obscurity, unable to draw near to the worthy to open one's will, this is also narrow and shallow, hence it says "regrettable."
Wang Bi's commentary on the six five line: With a yin nature occupying the honorable position, not taking on the task of judgment oneself but entrusting it to the second line, handing affairs to the one with ability, not belaboring one's own clarity, the work is then completed, hence it says "youthful obscurity, auspicious."[2]
Wang Bi's commentary on the top nine line: At the end of obscurity, being firm and above, one can strike and drive away the youthful fools to open their darkness, hence it says "to strike at obscurity."[2] The youthful fools originally wished to be opened and one has driven them on, matching the wishes of above and below, so nothing is not in accord. In the work of resisting and defending, all things attach themselves. If one wishes to take, all things turn away, hence "it is not favorable to act as a bandit, it is favorable to resist bandits."
When encountering the Shan Shui Meng hexagram in a question about work, how should it be understood?
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the Meng hexagram is not a verdict on the future but a mirror describing the present state: the querent is at a stage of insufficient information, insufficient experience, or is being obscured by preconceptions. The gua ci speaks of success through holding to correctness, and emphasizes that inquiry must be sincere, not profane.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when starting something new, one should find an experienced teacher or advisor, actively ask at the right time and of the right person, and not ask indiscriminately and then doubt. In love, one should slow down and understand carefully rather than deciding hastily. Regarding money, this is not a stage for bold investment when understanding is still dim. Regarding health, one should consult professional opinion rather than self-diagnose.
When leading, how should the Meng hexagram be understood?
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the six five line is a yin line in the honorable position, suggesting the image of a leader who does not consider himself all-knowing, but knows to delegate to the capable (the nine two line) and maintains a receptive attitude. The top nine line shows that when obscurity has gone too deep, forceful measures may be needed to correct it, but one must distinguish between resisting bandits and acting as a bandit.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: a leader should know that he is not the one who knows everything, and should seek out and employ the capable; when correction is needed, it should aim at resisting bandits (protecting the collective) rather than acting as a bandit (excessive punishment).
Quick reference table: the Shan Shui Meng hexagram
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Position among the 64 hexagrams | 4 |
| Chinese character name | 蒙 |
| Symbol | ䷃ |
| English name | Youthful Folly |
| Upper trigram (outer) | Gen (Mountain), element Earth, direction Northeast |
| Lower trigram (inner) | Kan (Water), element Water, direction North |
| Six lines, first line at the bottom | first yin, second yang, third yin, fourth yin, fifth yin, top yang |
| Image | A spring flowing at the foot of a mountain, the stream not yet knowing where it goes. |
| Interpretation | An image of immaturity, understanding still dim. The ancients placed the emphasis on learning and asking at the right time. To decide hastily on one's own when not yet clear enough is to easily lose the way. |
The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.
Connection with modern psychology
Carl Gustav Jung once took an interest in the I Ching as a tool for perceiving synchronicity, that is, meaningful coincidences between the psychological state of the querent and the result of the divination. In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, when the Meng hexagram is cast, it may be an occasion for the querent to examine himself and see where he is in a state of confusion, lacking information, or in need of enlightenment.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: take the Meng hexagram as a gentle reminder that obscurity is not a sin, but a necessary stage for wisdom to be forged; what matters is to be humble in learning and persistent in that process.
A note on the historical context of the yao ci
Some yao ci carry the social norms of ancient times, such as the six three line speaking of taking a wife, the nine two line speaking of wife and son carrying on the family, and the six five line speaking of the leader. This is the historical context of the period in which the classic text was recorded, and should not be read as advice imposed on marriage, gender roles or ruler-subject relations today.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what remains for reference is the general spirit: actively seeking learning, keeping sincerity, knowing how to be tolerant and knowing how to correct at the right time.
Overview article on the topic: The 64 I Ching Hexagrams
