A hexagram is a stack of six lines, each solid (Yang) or broken (Yin). The six lines can be seen as two three-line trigrams, and the eight trigrams combine to make 64 hexagrams. Each has a name, a Judgment, an Image, and a text for each line.
How to do a reading
Form an open question. Write it down in one sentence.
Cast six lines. Toss three coins six times, building from the bottom.
Read the primary hexagram. It describes the situation as it stands.
Read any changing lines. These are the most specific part of the answer.
Read the relating hexagram. Flip the changing lines to see where the situation is heading.
The I Ching (易经), or Book of Changes, is a classical Chinese text built around 64 hexagrams. It has been used for divination and philosophical reflection for thousands of years.
How do you cast the I Ching with coins?
Toss three coins six times, building a hexagram from the bottom up. Count heads as 3 and tails as 2: a total of 6 or 8 is a Yin line, and 7 or 9 is a Yang line. Totals of 6 and 9 are changing lines.
What are changing lines?
Changing lines are lines that transform into their opposite. They point to the specific part of the reading to focus on and produce a second, relating hexagram.
What kind of question should I ask the I Ching?
Open questions work best, such as “What should I understand about this decision?” rather than a simple yes-or-no question.
Daoly presents BaZi and the I Ching as cultural traditions and tools for self-reflection. Nothing here is a prediction or medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice.
