Wú Wàng · Innocence
Upper trigram: ☰ Heaven · lower trigram: ☳ Thunder
Act without ulterior motive, in accord with what is natural. Whoever strays from it makes no headway.
The archaic ideogram is composed of two signs: negation, and error or wandering. "Wu Wang" literally means "non-wandering", the absence of calculation or mental distortion. It graphically represents the state of original purity, the innate uprightness of the being who acts in total accord with the laws of nature, without hidden intention or preconceived plan.
Perfect alignment with the Tao
This hexagram describes a phase of absolute clarity and sincerity. The situation is sound and demands immediate responsiveness, based on instinct or pure intuition. There is no room for strategic calculation or political scheming. If your intentions are pure, everything unfolds with remarkable fluidity; if you cheat, heaven will call you to order.
Act with authenticity and accept the unforeseen
The strategy consists in being fully present to the moment, without anxious projection into the future. The Accomplished Being responds to what presents itself with total honesty, without seeking to manipulate events. If a difficulty arises entirely unexpectedly (the "illness without cause"), the text counsels taking no remedy: balance will restore itself if you remain aligned with your nature.
From a structural point of view, the figure joins the trigram of Thunder (Zhen, the driving impulse) below to the trigram of Heaven (Qian, uprightness, vigour) above. Movement springs forth beneath the celestial vault, carried by the creative power of the Universe. The Ancient Kings here instituted accord with the order of the world as the basis of all just action.
Each line is read only if it is changing in your cast. A changing line transforms the figure: the link under each text shows which hexagram it leads to.
Three-coin or yarrow-stalk cast, changing lines, outlook figure — computed on your device, no account.