04 - Youthful Folly

Contemporary Interpretation

04 - Youthful Folly

Gain strength and let go.

We are rooted
In abysses,
On projections.
As our strength increases
We can let go.

[We can let go of those parts of our ancestral heritage which, during our journey, we have already fully integrated into our being and therefore do not need any longer.]

Dynamics of the Hexagram

The Hexagram

yang yin yin yin yang yin

Upper Trigram: Gen, Mountain

2nd Core Character: Kun, Earth

1st Core Character: Zhen, Thunder

Lower Trigram: Kan, Water

The Hexagram's Dynamic within the Matrix

The Changes: 04 - youthful folly

The Changes in Detail

Lower Trigram: Kan, the Water

First Change: Kan → Zhen, the Thunder

Second Change: Zhen → Kun, the Earth

Third Change: Kun → Gen, the Mountain

Upper Trigram: Gen, the Mountain

Follow the Path of the Dao: A Western Approximation

The Interplay of Yin and Yang

Dem Weg des Dao folgen: Annäherung aus Westen

Changes and Impulses

Exemplary Experiences

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Additional Resources

Classical Interpretation

Youthful folly (04) means to be first confused and then to become clear.

The image

A source springs up from underneath the mountain: the image of youth. Thus the superior man nourishes his character through thoroughgoing action.

The judgement

Youthful folly has success. I am not seeing the young fool, the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle, I give advice. If he asks two, three times, then that is annoyance. If he annoys, I give no advice. Perseverance furthers. Full text of Richard Wilhelm's 1924 translation by Cary F. Baynes

References and Connotations