Hexagram 25 · Wu Wang 无妄
Act sincerely without assuming you control the outcome
Wu Wang places Heaven above Thunder. Movement below meets strength above. The classical text links a sound course with acting free of falseness and also recognizes events that arise without an intended cause.
Short answer
Read Wu Wang as a prompt to act honestly from the facts of the situation. Examine your motives, do the work that is yours to do, and allow for consequences that your intentions alone cannot determine.
- Upper
- Qian · Heaven
- Lower
- Zhen · Thunder
Pattern
Heaven above Thunder
- Chinese
- 无妄
- Upper trigram
- Qian · Heaven
- Lower trigram
- Zhen · Thunder
- Lines
- Yang at the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions
Classical text
Sincerity needs a sound course
无妄：元亨。利貞。其匪正有眚，不利有攸往。— Zhouyi, Hexagram 25
The judgment joins great progress with beneficial correctness, then warns that an unsound course brings trouble. The Tuan commentary emphasizes movement with strength and a firm center. The name is often translated as Innocence or the Unexpected; these meanings invite attention both to conduct and to what lies outside intention.
The Image says “天下雷行，物與无妄；先王以茂對時，育萬物”. The Image presents thunder moving beneath heaven and early kings responding to the seasons to nurture living things. The third line describes an unexpected loss through the image of a tethered ox taken by a passerby; the final line warns that further action can bring trouble. Applied today, these themes can suggest attending to actual conditions and avoiding the assumption that good intentions guarantee a favorable result. These are modern interpretations.
When it helps
Choose a grounded action
Separate what you know from the outcome you hope to secure. Choose a straightforward action you can justify on its own merits, and review it as the facts change.
What to watch
Check the assumptions
Sincerity can coexist with mistaken assumptions. Check whether you have overlooked a practical limit or attributed an unexpected event to someone without evidence.
Questions for reflection
- What action is honest and appropriate here?
- Which outcome am I trying to control beyond my influence?
- What fact would make me reconsider my next step?
Read moving lines with the question and method of your own cast; this reference is not a complete reading. See how changing lines are displayed.
Sources
Check the original text
This page paraphrases the classical material and identifies its modern applications as interpretation.