Meng, six in the fourth placeHexagram 4, line 4 · Meng (Youthful Ignorance) · changing to 64
The line
In plain wordsStuck in confusion, with no one around who understands. A pity. Only by going out of your way to get close to someone who does understand can you avoid it.
The Image commentary on this line
困蒙之吝，獨遠實也。
The humiliation of being "trapped in ignorance": he alone is far from what is solid.
The small Image commentary is the earliest explanation of the line texts. It usually explains a line from its position: where it stands, whether it holds the center, and which line answers it.
Verdict
慎Proceed with care. There is some risk, or some regret left over, but nothing serious. Notice it early, correct it early, and things turn for the better.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- You are stuck on something you don't understand, with no one around who can point the way. Puzzling over it alone only leaves you more and more on the back foot and embarrassed. Get out there and go ask someone who knows.
- Love
- You can't make sense of this relationship and have no one to ask, so you are left guessing alone, and the more you guess, the more muddled it gets. Don't keep it bottled up; talk it over with someone clear-headed and trustworthy, and hear what an outsider sees.
- Money
- You are in a fog about this money matter, and everyone around you knows as little as you do; that is when you are most likely to lose out and look foolish. Don't move yet; find someone who truly understands, get it clear, and then decide.
This is how to read it when this is the only changing line. With several changing lines, first see which text governs; for the hexagram as a whole, see Meng.
Line position
A yin line in a yin place: it is in its proper place. Its partner is the first line, which is also yin, so there is no answer from it.
Fourth place: next to the ruler, a place of caution. Serve those above with care.
When you get this line
If this is the only changing line in your cast (three inscribed sides, old yin), this line is your answer. The primary hexagram is Meng (Youthful Ignorance); when this line changes it becomes Weiji (Before Completion): hexagram 4 changing to 64.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Weiji (Before Completion)
Not done yet. One last step remains, and this is the step where mistakes come most easily.