Hexagram ䷃ Meng 蒙

Mystical Journey

ShanXiaChuQuan Meng JunZiYiGuoXingYuDe

山下出泉 蒙 君子以果行育德

At the foot of the mountain there is spring water running. This is the natural image of hexagram Meng. Learn from this - be consistent with your practice in order to build up your ability.

 — DaXiang 大象  

As usual, the first four words in Hexagram Meng’s DaXiang sentence describes the pattern of the hexagram. The first word, Shan 山, means mountain and is the symbol of the top trigram, Gen 艮 ☶.

The second word, Xia 下, means under, below, or a lower position. In this usage, it means “at the foot of the mountain.”

The third word, Chu 出, means emerge, out, appear, rise, or transpire. It emphasizes the action of the bottom trigram ☵.

Yes! You would expect that the fourth word would be 水 Shui for the symbolic image of the bottom trigram ☵, Kan 坎. Good noticing. Instead, we see a new word, Quan 泉, which means spring.

Together, these first four words give us an image of gentle spring water running steadily out from the foot of the mountain. This is a much different image than a water in a strong flood or river rapids. The gentle spring moisturizes the land, nourishing plants and animals.