蒙 · 稚
Judgement
亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三渎，渎则不告。利贞。
Success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first casting I answer; asked again and again with doubt, that is importunity — the importunate are not answered. It furthers one to be steadfast.
The Image
山下出泉，蒙。君子以果行育德。
A spring at the foot of the mountain: youthful folly. So the superior man nurtures character by broadly questioning.
The Lines
发蒙，利用刑人，用说桎梏；以往吝。
To enlighten the fool it furthers to punish men, to loose the fetters. Going further is pitiable.
“利用刑人”，以正法也。
Punishing men is the way to keep the law straight.
包蒙，吉。纳妇，吉；子克家。
To bear with fools brings good fortune. To take a wife brings good fortune; the son is able to keep the house.
“子克家”，刚柔接也。
The son keeps the house: hard and soft meet.
勿用取女，见金夫，不有躬，无攸利。
Do not take such a woman. Seeing a man of gold, she keeps no body. Nothing furthers.
“勿用取女”，行不顺也。
Not to take such a woman: her walk is against.
困蒙，吝。
Folly in bonds. Pitiable.
“困蒙”之“吝”，独远实也。
Folly in bonds: alone, far from substance.
童蒙，吉。
Childlike folly. Good fortune.
“童蒙”之“吉”，顺以巽也。
Childlike folly is good fortune: obedience and gentleness.
击蒙；不利为寇，利御寇。
To strike the fool furthers nothing. It furthers to ward off robbers.
“利”用“御寇”，上下顺也。
Warding off robbers makes above and below obedient.
Reading
山脚下有泉，水还没有找到河道。蒙不是愚笨，是未经过——经文把它当作一个有其自身功课的阶段。智者不一次答尽所有问题；他让提问的人自己长进到答案里去。