Innocence (The Unexpected)
Heaven (乾 Qián) above, Thunder (震 Zhèn) below
Published July 22, 2026 · By Oriens
I Ching Hexagram 25, 无妄 (Wú Wàng), represents Innocence (The Unexpected).
SourceZhouyi (周易, The Book of Changes) — hexagram 25 (无妄 Wú Wàng). Chinese source: Chinese Text Project, based on 《武英殿十三經注疏》本《周易正義》 (ctp:book-of-changes/wu-wang). Judgment: received Zhouyi hexagram statement (卦辭). English: Translation by Oriens Editorial Translation. Image: Xiang / Image commentary layer (象傳), distinct from the Judgment and line texts. Image and line English: named translation by James Legge, The Yî King (1899), public-domain translation; online reproduction. The named translation is used for the Image and line statements only.
1. Judgment (卦辭 Guàcí)
无妄：元亨，利貞。其匪正有眚，不利有攸往。
Oriens Editorial Translation: Great success; steadfastness is favorable. If it is not upright, there is calamity; it is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
2. Image (象 Xiàng / Xiang commentary)
天下雷行,物与无妄。先王以茂对时育万物。
James Legge: The thunder rolls all under the sky, and to (every)thing there is given (its nature), free from all insincerity. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, (made their regulations) in complete accordance with the seasons, thereby nourishing all things.
3. Line Statements (爻辭 Yáocí)
Line 1 of 6 (from the bottom):
初九：无妄，往吉。
James Legge: The first NINE, undivided, shows its subject free from all insincerity. His advance will be accompanied with good fortune.
Line 2 of 6 (from the bottom):
六二：不耕獲，不菑畬，則利有攸往。
James Legge: The second SIX, divided, shows one who reaps without having ploughed (that he might reap), and gathers the produce of his third year's fields without having cultivated them the first year for that end. To such a one there will be advantage in whatever direction he may move.
Line 3 of 6 (from the bottom):
六三：无妄之災，或繫之牛，行人之得，邑人之災。
James Legge: The third SIX, divided, shows calamity happening to one who is free from insincerity;—as in the case of an ox that has been tied up. A passer by finds it (and carries it off), while the people in the neighbourhood have the calamity (of being accused and. apprehended).
Line 4 of 6 (from the bottom):
九四：可貞，无咎。
James Legge: The fourth NINE, undivided, shows (a case) in which, if its subject can remain firm and correct, there will be no error.
Line 5 of 6 (from the bottom):
九五：无妄之疾，勿藥有喜。
James Legge: The fifth NINE, undivided, shows one who is free from insincerity, and yet has fallen ill. Let him not use medicine, and he will have occasion for joy (in his recovery).
Line 6 of 6 (from the bottom):
上九：无妄，行有眚，无攸利。
James Legge: The topmost NINE, undivided, shows its subject free from insincerity, yet sure to fall into error, if he take action. (His action) will not be advantageous in any way.
For the general method for changing lines and relating hexagrams, see How to Read the I Ching.
4. Modern Interpretation (Oriens commentary)
This is an Oriens interpretation, not part of the Zhouyi text.
Innocence can prompt a careful question about motive: what here is done without second agendas, and how does one stay upright when events arrive unbidden? The figure pairs spontaneity with the unexpected — acting without contrivance while what comes cannot be chosen.
The Chinese source and translation provenance are identified above. The Judgment is an Oriens Editorial Translation; the Image and line statements are labeled with James Legge. This keeps the modern reflection separate from both the received text and the named translation.
This reflection promises that innocence protects no one from what arrives. Health, financial, legal, employment, and relationship decisions belong within their appropriate professional and personal contexts.
Continue with the Hexagram 25 card and the I Ching guide; these are reading paths, not additional predictions.