4. Youthful Folly
Méng — Youthful Inexperience
Trigrams
The Judgment
Youthful Folly has success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I inform. If asked two or three times, it is importunity.
The Image
Mountain above water — a spring emerging at the foot of a mountain. The water does not yet know its course. The student stands before the teacher.
Interpretation
You are in a period of learning. This is not an insult but an honest assessment — there is something you do not yet understand, and the path forward requires humility. Seek a teacher, a mentor, or at minimum, seek the lesson hidden in your current situation. The hexagram warns against asking the same question repeatedly in hopes of a different answer. Ask once, listen carefully, then act on what you receive. Naivety is not a crime, but willful ignorance is.
Advice
Approach your situation as a student. Accept that you don't know everything. Find a guide or mentor. Ask your question once and trust the answer. Don't keep consulting until you hear what you want.
Consult the I Ching for your own question
Cast the Coins