Hexagram 4

Content

méng

inex­pe­ri­ence

Inexperience.

hēng

growth

Growth.

fěi wǒ qiú tóng méng

ban­dit • me • search • child • inex­pe­ri­ence

It is not me who seeks the inexperienced child;

tóng méng qiú wǒ

child • inex­pe­ri­ence • search • me

It is the inex­pe­ri­enced child who seeks me.

chū shì gào

begin • check fate • inform

At the first consultation of fate, instruct.

zài sān dú

a sec­ond time • three • to pester

A sec­ond, a third man­i­fest an over­flow.

dú zé bù gào

importuner • so • not • inform

In case of overflow, do not instruct.

lì zhēn

prof­itable • omen

Consistency is profitable.

Structure of Hexagram 4

In hexagram 4, there are twice as many yin lines as yang lines. It is preceded by H3 屯 chún 'Initial Difficulty' (they belong to the same pair), and followed by H5 需 xū 'Waiting'. Its Opposite is H49 革 gé 'Revolution'. Its Nuclear hexagram is H24 復 fù 'Return'. The master lines are the second and the fifth.

The Man­tic For­mu­las used in this text are: 亨 hēng; 利貞 lì zhēn.

Summary
The article discusses the meanings of various Chinese characters and their combinations, focusing on concepts like inexperience, growth, and seeking. It presents a dialogue between characters symbolizing bandit, child, and inexperience. The text also mentions consulting the oracle and the importance of consistency. The structure of Hexagram 4 is analyzed, highlighting its composition of yin and yang traits and its relationship with other hexagrams. The article concludes by mentioning the mantras 'hēng' and 'lì zhēn' used in the text.