Hexagram 25
天雷无妄
Innocence
Hexagram 25, Wu Wang (Innocence), is Thunder under Heaven - thunder rolling beneath the sky, all things following their natural, uncorrupted course.
Upper Trigram
☰
乾 (金)
Lower Trigram
☳
震 (木)
Palace
巽 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 4 · Ying: Line 1
The 乾 trigram (金) sits above the 震 trigram (木), forming 天雷无妄. This hexagram belongs to the 巽 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Innocence. Supreme success. Perseverance furthers.
Judgment text follows the Wilhelm–Baynes translation (The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press), quoted for commentary.
Image (象辞)
Under heaven thunder rolls: all things attain the natural state of innocence.
Line Texts (爻辞)
Innocent behavior brings good fortune. (无妄)
If one does not count on the harvest while plowing. (不耕获)
Undeserved misfortune. The cow is the wanderer's gain. (无妄之灾)
He who can be persevering remains without blame. (可贞)
Use no medicine in an illness through no fault. (无妄之疾)
Innocent action brings misfortune. (无妄，行有眚)
Hexagram 25 in Love & Relationships
Relationships: Bring sincerity, not strategy. Innocence in intention is the foundation of trust.
Hexagram 25 in Career & Decisions
Career: Act without ulterior motive. The honest path may not be the fastest, but it keeps you free of self-blame.
Hexagram 25 as a yes / no answer
Depends on timing
The hexagram counsels timing and care: the answer depends on how and when you proceed.
The I Ching reads situations, not fixed outcomes — your reading can weigh the moving lines with this leaning.
In-Depth Analysis[+]
Hexagram 25, Wu Wang (Innocence), is Thunder under Heaven - thunder rolling beneath the sky, all things following their natural, uncorrupted course. This is the hexagram of sincerity, of acting without ulterior motive, in alignment with what is naturally right. The judgment promises supreme success through perseverance. The lines trace innocence's forms: the good fortune of natural behavior, the farmer who plows without counting on the harvest, and the 'undeserved misfortune' of the third line - calamity that strikes the innocent through no fault of their own. Wu Wang teaches that the honest heart may still meet misfortune, but it remains free of self-blame.
Historical Stories[+]
Job in the Hebrew Bible, struck by calamity he did not deserve, yet refusing to curse - the 'undeserved misfortune' of the innocent who remains upright.
A farmer who plants in faith, working the land without anxiety over the harvest, trusting the natural order - innocence in practice.
Practical Applications[+]
Career: Act without ulterior motive. The honest path may not be the fastest, but it keeps you free of self-blame.
Relationships: Bring sincerity, not strategy. Innocence in intention is the foundation of trust.
Personal Growth: Undeserved misfortune is not your fault. Do not let the innocent meeting with pain turn your heart.
Classical Sources for Hexagram 25
黄金策 (The Golden Strategy)明 (Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644)
The subject-category diagnostic framework and its mnemonic verse formulas for common life-domain questions.
Related Hexagrams
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