Hexagram 25 of 64
无妄 Wú Wàng · Innocence
上 乾 Heaven (Qián) over 下 震 Thunder (Zhèn)
Guess not; do it as it is.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: thunder under heaven.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Wú Wàng is thunder rolling under heaven; thunder follows its own path without artificial arrangement or second-guessing causes. Wú Wàng counsels not guessing: take things as they truly are, with less rehearsing of others' reactions and less preemptive contrivance for the outcome. What is spared from second-guessing is just enough to see the work through to the end.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Without pretense; going forward brings good fortune.” Wúwàng means having no false or deluded intentions, and acting sincerely in keeping with what is right. The first yang line stands at the beginning: proceeding with this attitude brings good fortune, meaning a favorable outcome. What is affirmed here is honest and proper action.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“Advancing in innocence achieves one’s aspiration.” Moving forward while free from false delusions and keeping the original heart pure allows one to smoothly realize one’s ambitions and fulfill one’s initial aspiration.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Not calculating the harvest while plowing, not anticipating the three-year field while clearing wasteland; then favorable to have somewhere to go.” When plowing, one does not calculate the harvest in advance; when clearing land, one does not count in advance on its becoming established farmland. Zī means newly cleared land, and yú means land cultivated for three years. The second yin line follows the course of things and does what the present requires, without deluded thoughts of profit. Thus, going somewhere is favorable.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Not plowing for the harvest shows one seeks no wealth.” Not calculating the harvest while plowing shows that one does not act for riches, disregarding personal gain.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“An undeserved calamity: someone tied up an ox; a passerby takes it, which is the townsman's misfortune.” Someone ties up an ox, and a passerby takes it away and benefits, while the villagers become implicated through no fault of their own. This is an undeserved calamity: unexpected harm despite having done nothing wrong. The third yin line uses this example to show that freedom from false intentions does not mean freedom from all outside troubles.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“A traveler gains an ox; to the villagers, it is a disaster.” A passerby casually takes an ox while locals suffer calamity; this is the unexpected disaster of the line statement, arising entirely unforeseen.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Steadfastness is possible; no blame.” In a time of Wúwàng, the fourth yang line can hold firmly to the right path and so remain without fault. Steadfastness means staying on that path; no blame means having no fault and inviting no reproach.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“One can remain steadfast without blame, for it is inherently possessed.” Being able to maintain correctness without blame is because this steadfastness is inherently possessed and firmly preserved.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“An innocent illness; do not apply medicine, joy will follow.” The fifth yang line is strong, balanced, and upright, yet encounters an illness it has not brought upon itself. This is illness without fault. The joy of recovery without medicine means that the illness improves on its own. Since it did not arise from wrongdoing, there is no need to treat it rashly.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“The medicine for an innocent affliction must not be tested.” An innocent illness refers to a sickness arising unexpectedly rather than through one’s fault; for such an illness, one must not rashly test drugs.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Without falsity; to act brings calamity; nothing is favorable.” The top yang line reaches the end of the Wúwàng hexagram. Even without false intentions, further action will still bring shěng, meaning fault or harm, with no benefit to speak of. The point here is that freedom from false intentions does not make continued action appropriate at every moment.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Action in innocence brings the calamity of exhaustion.” At the topmost line, the time of innocence has reached its utmost extreme; acting now brings the calamity that comes from exhaustion.
Zhouyi, hexagram 25, line 12. Koyonari translation.