I Ching Hexagrams
Hexagram 25 · Heaven above, Thunder below

Innocence 無妄

Wú Wàng
sincerityspontaneityhonestythe unexpected

Innocence is acting without hidden motives, as nature grows without calculation. Do what is right because it is right, and meet surprises calmly.

Judgment

Innocence brings great success, and staying with what is right is favorable. Whoever walks a path that is not right meets with disaster. For such a person it is not favorable to go anywhere.

Image

Thunder rolls under heaven; everything returns to its natural innocence. The ancient kings nourished all beings in harmony with the seasons.

What does Innocence mean?

Thunder echoes beneath the sky and everything wakes into its natural state. This situation speaks of acting sincerely and without calculation. A childlike purity, a movement with no hidden intent. Doing what is right not because you expect a reward but because it is right. A person who acts this way often moves forward with surprising ease. That is because there is no conflict inside them. What they say and what they do, what they want and what they feel, are the same. This wholeness gives people confidence and opens doors by itself. Nature works the same way; it grows without calculating and blooms without forcing.

But innocence is not naivety. You need to know the difference between instinct and whim. Trying to look innocent while calculating your own interest does not work; that kind of behavior shows itself in the end. Another face of this situation is the unexpected. Sometimes something happens to you through no fault of your own. At such moments, do not panic or look for someone to blame. If your heart is clean and your actions are right, even the unexpected will not harm you. Do not force outcomes, and do not hold your plans too tightly. Trust nature, time and your own inner voice.

What to do now

Do something good today without expecting a return, only because it is right.

Love and relationships

Act sincerely in the relationship, without games or calculation. Do not try to change or steer your partner. If something unexpected happens, let it take its natural course without panic.

Work and money

At work, being honest and transparent is the best strategy right now. Do not resort to cunning for quick gains. An unexpected development may change your plans; stay flexible.

The lines

If a line changed (red) in your reading, read only that line. Lines are counted from the bottom up.

  1. First line

    Setting out in innocence. Good fortune. Your first instinct is clean and right; you can trust it.

  2. Second line

    Not counting on the harvest while plowing, not expecting the crop before the field is cleared. Then it is favorable to go somewhere. Focus on the work itself without calculating the result.

  3. Third line

    Undeserved misfortune. Someone tethers a cow, a passerby takes it, and the villager suffers the loss. You may face a loss through no fault of your own; this period will pass.

  4. Fourth line

    Whoever can stay with what is right makes no mistake. Stand firm in your own essence and do not be swayed by others.

  5. Fifth line

    An illness that is not your fault. It heals without medicine, and joy comes. Do not try to force a solution to a trouble that came from outside; it passes by itself.

  6. Top line

    Even innocent action brings disaster. It brings no benefit. Now is not the time to act; even if your intentions are good, wait.

Trigrams

Upper trigramHeaven 乾
creative, strong
Lower trigramThunder 震
arousing, moving

Related hexagrams

Ask your own question

Toss three coins six times and see the hexagram and changing lines for your question.

Cast a reading