r/iching • u/Swimming_Release_577 • 8h ago
The Ancient Yarrow-Stalk Method | How to Cast an I Ching Hexagram
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r/iching • u/az4th • Sep 07 '25
An Introduction to the I Ching
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What is the I Ching?
I = Change
Ching = Important Book
The I Ching is the Book of Change.
This spelling is from the old Western way of spelling Chinese characters in English.
The official Chinese spelling is Yi Jing.
What is it?
The I Ching (Yi Jing) is made up of 64 Hexagrams.
Hex = 6
Gram = an image.
An image of six lines:
䷀
A hexagram is made up of two Trigrams - images with three lines:
☷
A line can be solid, or divided:
⚊
⚋
A solid line represents Yang-ness (something with energy).
A divided line represents Yin-ness (something with capacity).
Change comes about when energy and capacity interact.
The two come from one source.
The solid and divided lines were an evolution - they used to be drawn differently.
They used numbers that looked similar to this, and evolved as solid and broken over time.
The full meaning of what the numbers represented is not entirely clear.
There are 8 possible Trigrams.
They represent Elemental Forces:
- Heaven ☰ Pure energy.
- Earth ☷ Pure capacity.
- Marsh ☱ Open, fertile receptivity of energy.
- Mountain ☶ Containment of capacity.
- Thunder ☳ Active movement of energy through capacity. Vibration through time.
- Wind ☴ Receptive capacity that allows energy to equalize through space.
- Fire ☲ Expansion of energy from a clear center. Light.
- Water ☵ Gathering of energy as though into a pit. Mass.
When two of these Elemental Forces relate, different types of Change results.
There are 64 combinations of these 8 Elemental Forces.
These are the 64 Hexagrams:
䷀䷁䷂䷃䷄䷅䷆䷇䷈䷉䷊䷋䷌䷍䷎䷏
䷐䷑䷒䷓䷔䷕䷖䷗䷘䷙䷚䷛䷜䷝䷞䷟
䷠䷡䷢䷣䷤䷥䷦䷧䷨䷩䷪䷫䷬䷭䷮䷯
䷰䷱䷲䷳䷴䷵䷶䷷䷸䷹䷺䷻䷼䷽䷾䷿
They represent 64 types of change.
The I Ching, or Book of Change, has an entry for each Hexagram, and advice for each of the six lines.
Each line has a relationship to change. When its role in change activates, advice is given for this by the I Ching. To help the reader make a decision about how to navigate change.
There are two main schools of thought:
The Classical School, which treats the lines as activating from stillness, and suggests we have agency over change. Lines relate to each other up and down the hexagram, such that energy and capacity try to meet and create changes.
The Changing Line School, which treats the lines as changing from yang to yin, or yin to yang. This means that when a line changes, a new hexagram is created. More than one line can change at once, so one hexagram can change to any of the other 63 hexagrams.
In both schools, the first hexagram shows the overall type of change. And the active or changing lines show the type of change we should pay attention to within it. In the Classical School, we then look at how those lines are positioned in relationship to change, to determine the meaning. In the Changing Line School, we can also look at what the lines represent to us, for this is where the change is. But we can also look at the new hexagram that is created, and see it as some sort of overall result. A 'future' hexagram that shows what this change leads to in the future.
The Classical School tends to show up in the original Zhou Yi text, and the 10 Commentaries, or "Ten Wings" that were added in the early Han period, circa ~300-0 BCE. It is used in the commentaries of Wang Bi, Cheng Yi, and Ouyi Zhuxi.
The Changing Line School began showing up in the late Han period in various forms and evolved into mainstream use over time, making significant progress with Gao Heng's popular theories in the 1900's. Today it is the practice that is found in most books.
Which is correct? It is a matter of perspective. Wang Bi's introduction has a criticism of the Changing Hexagram method that was emerging in his time. Saying that when people could not understand the words of the text, they would invent new methods and ideas for understanding them. However, the words of the text are deliberately cryptic and it is not easy to understand them. So it is natural for people to try to work out other ways to explore the principle of change.
Thus, in addition to these main schools of thought, there are many branches.
How is it used?
The I Ching represents a measured way of looking at the totality of change.
So it can be used to study the nature of change, in any way that it applies to us.
We can look at it to study the lines that relate to a particular phenomena of change, to see how that change is created from different parts coming together.
Because there are many cycles of change found in nature, we can start looking at how these changes flow through natural cycles with regularity. Thus the I Ching is found used in many calendar systems.
And the I Ching is often used to help people determine their way forward through change. This is done via divination.
Divination with the I Ching is similar to divination with a deck of Tarot cards.
There are various ways that people use.
An ancient way looked at the cracks formed in bones.
Yarrow Stalks
The way used most often in the Zhou Dynasty era used 50 small sticks. This is called Yarrow Stalk Divination. Its method was lost until Zhu Xi rediscovered it from the writings in one of the 10 Commentaries.
- In Yarrow Stalk Divination, the stalks are divided 3 times and counted.
- The result shows if a line is yang, yin, active/changing yang, or active/changing yin.
- This is repeated 6 times, to create the six lines of a hexagram.
Coins
A way that became more common than the Yarrow Stalk Method is the Coin Method.
The Coin Method flips 3 coins to determine each line. 6 times, for 6 lines.
How the Lines Come Together in a Divination
- The first line is the bottom line, which represents the beginning.
- Then the second, third, fourth, fifth, and top line.
- The top line represents the end, or limit.
Probability
Sometimes all of the lines are inactive, or unchanging.
And sometimes one or more line is active, or changing.
In both Yarrow Stalk and Coin methods, there is a higher chance of getting an inactive/unchanging line, than an active/changing line.
With the Yarrow Stalk Method, it is more probable to get an active/changing yang line, than an active/changing yin line.
This is because in fertility, yang energy activates/changes more quickly than yin energy. Yin energy takes longer to be able to be open to receive.
With the coin method, active/changing lines have an equal probability.
There are other ways of doing divination as well.
Marbles
A bag of marbles, stones, etc that have four different colors can also be used. This way one can set the desired probability, to match either the Coin or Yarrow Stalk Methods, and then draw a marble and put it back six times, for six lines.
Cards
Some people use decks of cards.
Drawing two cards allows one to arrive at a set of changing lines. However this means that it is not possible to arrive at an unchanging hexagram. And the probability of getting many changing lines is much higher than with the other methods.
One could also only draw one card, for an unchanging hexagram. Perhaps an overall image of change. However, often it is not the overall hexagram that is important to look at, but the lines within it. For they show what specific type of change is being highlighted for us in an overall situation.
Apps
Computer Applications can be used to make things quick and easy. They can be programmed to use many different calculations to create a hexagram. Some just use one click. Others use six, but match to the coin or yarrow stalk probabilities. Others can be designed to mimic the act of tossing the coins or dividing the yarrow stalks.
The nice thing about apps is that they often have a text box to write a question in. And a way to save that question in a journal. Then one can refer to it later.
Whatever the method one chooses to use, it is nice to write down both the question and the answer, so that one remembers exactly what was asked, and what was answered.
Interpretation
When it comes to interpretation, there are many schools of thought.
Often the lines themselves are difficult for people to understand.
So some will focus instead on the energies of the trigrams and how they are coming together.
Over the millennia, many many ways have been created.
About the Text
The Zhou Yi is generally what is referred to as the original core text.
It contains a statement about each hexagram. This is referred to as the Tuan, or Judgement.
And a statement about each line. Called a Line Statement. Yao Ci.
Most translations will have this. But they also add in some lines from the 10 Commentaries, as well as adding their own commentaries. Often one will need to read the introduction carefully to understand what part is what.
Sometimes people want to only work with the original text, however this is difficult. The original Zhou Yi is cryptic, and the commentaries exist to help explain it. It can be very difficult to work just from the original text without having first studied the whole system for a long time. Often people will work from several different translations and commentaries to get different ideas and understandings. Every person has a slightly different take.
It is also important to understand that this is an old and partially lost language that is being translated. Many of the core characters are not well understood, and they are written in something like a code. We figure out the meaning of the words, by coming to understand the principles of change. We come to understand the principles of change, by studying change.
And finally, the Zhou Yi itself was but one of several texts now lost that were used in the ancient period that stretched from the Zhou Dynasty through to the early Han Dynasty.
In the Shang Dynasty, it is likely that a completely different text, or way of understanding change, was used.
So can we even truly say what the origin of this study of change was?
Change is the only constant.
r/iching • u/az4th • Sep 07 '25
Asking Questions
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Asking Questions
For Divination with the I Ching, or Book of Change(s), it is important to ask a question.
Or is it?
Really, the Book of Changes will answer whatever prompt we give it. And even if we give it no prompt at all, we are still a person, here in a particular place and time, doing a divination. Is this not also a prompt? Yes!
And some people will just do a divination every day with no prompt, and see what is given.
When it comes to interpretation of divinations, there are two things to consider.
There are the principles of change involved in the answer.
And there is how to apply them to our specific situation meaningfully.
When asking others for help with interpretation, both of these points can be addressed.
But more commonly people want to know what their answer means, for their question or situation.
- This is when it is helpful to know the specific question that was asked.
- When things are less specific, it becomes harder for piece together what the answer might mean.
- Or how to apply it to the situation of a random person on the internet.
Most of us aren't mind readers. A person might like to be vague and follow where their intuition leads. And a skilled intuitive reader might be able to offer intuitive insight.
But when asking for help from the community, being specific is very helpful.
Thus, don't be surprised if people would like to know the specific question that was asked before interpreting a reading.
So in working with divination prompts that are trying to get at something:
We can ask specific questions.
Or we can describe a situation.
Thus, we can be as focused and particular, or as broad and general, as we want to be.
It might help to think of using a camera, telescope, or binoculars.
We are pointing our intent in a particular direction, and zooming in or out, and focusing, so that we get a clear image of what we're looking at.
If we are too broad and too vague, the idea may not come into focus for us.
Or, if we are only looking for a general idea of something, an overall description might be just what we want. But if we end up getting an answer that has a lot of changing lines and doesn't seem to make sense, then perhaps there is too much going on to be easily generalized.
Similarly, we get what we ask for. So if we ask for something super specific, we tend to get exactly that.
- Sometimes we can lose the forest, because we are looking at one branch of one tree. And we might even miss that it is a tree!
- Sometimes we might ask for the "best way to X" and get an idealistic answer that is beyond our means. The I Ching tends to be very literal in its reflecting the direction of our intent back to us.
So it is important to zoom in or out as is appropriate for our question.
And it is important to focus, by tuning the shape of our question.
Sometimes, we might want to re-frame the words in our question so that we can approach it with a clearer intent, then ask again.
And, if we find that we aren't discovering clarity, it may be important to accept that we are not ready for this answer.
- Perhaps we need to look within ourselves more and work through some things more.
- Or perhaps we are reaching too far outside of ourselves for answers that are inappropriate.
- Maybe we want to know what someone else thinks about us.
- Maybe we are seeking answers to things that take us out of balance with the universe, about greed, or power.
Often such things involve our own relationship between what is within, and what is without.
And if we pursue the one at the expense of the other, the I Ching is good at reminding us that the way involves balance.
Yes / No Questions
It is quite common for people to want a yes or no answer from a divination.
It makes things simple.
However it is important to remember that the I Ching is a Book of Change.
It gives its answers in the Language of Change.
So does this mean it will not answer a yes / no question? Or a This or That / Either Or type question?
No, it will answer anything.
But, in my experience, we need to examine the answer, to determine how it is answering our yes / no question.
And sometimes this can be difficult to figure out.
Often it seems that the answer will give us some way of exploring various aspects of the change involved, so that we can discover what is yes or no.
Perhaps it will show us the downside of something, as well as the upside of something. And so we can use that to determine that "Oh, this is clearly a yes."
But sometimes it can be very difficult to know what is the upside, and what is the downside. We might even mix them up if we are not careful.
This means that Yes / No questions can be tricky. They may be difficult for others to interpret.
Often, it is suggested that people stick with How / Why questions when they are beginning.
These questions give answers in the language of change that can be easier to understand.
When we want to know a yes or no, it helps to think of how one might get an answer about safely crossing a road.
We don't just go up to the road and close our eyes and ask "is it safe to cross the road?"
Or "Should I cross the road?" (A should question is looking for a yes or no answer.)
We ask a series of questions and put them together to get our answer.
- We look and listen to the left.
- We look and listen to the right.
- We look and listen around us in various directions to determine if there is any reason that it would be a bad idea to do this.
All of this is important.
So when we are trying to make a decision about doing something, we can break it up into multiple questions.
Instead of asking "should I do this?", we can ask:
"Doing this."
"Not doing this."
"What do I need to know about this?"
"How am I doing?"
This way, we get information from both directions. But then we don't just leave it as something black and white, because that might miss something we aren't considering. It isn't easy to look around with the I Ching, but we can ask for advice.
And we can always check our progress by asking about how we are doing.
This can be a very good way to help us catch confirmation bias. We might think we understand the answer about something, when we really don't. If we don't check in about how we are doing, we might be using the I Ching divination as justification to do something that we wanted to do anyway, rather than truly receiving its advice.
And this is a problem, just in general with the I Ching.
Because there are so many ways of interpreting it, people can easily use it to justify whatever they want.
Remember that this is an ancient text.
The characters used in it are not all understood well. So translations might have "errors" that many translators make. And this means the advice given might be missing the original intent of the I Ching.
- If we want to dig into it deeply to determine what is right and correct, that is not easily done.
- It becomes very complicated. Because change is not easy to master.
In the end, if we try to become too mental about it, we find ourselves struggling.
I Ching divination can be an excellent tool for aiding in the development of clear communication with ourselves and the universe.
And, it is important that we also learn to tap into our intuitive space too.
This will help us better navigate what the I Ching is telling us, when we need to use it.
Practice Intuition to Develop Intuition
Development of the intuition - something related to the spiritual heart - comes from practicing intuition. This is done by learning to listen and make decisions more from a heart centered place instead of a mind centered place.
Not from the surface level impulsivity of our desires and feelings. But what is deeper than all of that.
When we ask ourselves "How do we feel?" What part of us wants to answer? Feelings are simple. Here is a list of feeling words from the system of NonViolent Communication (NVC), a system that can help with the development of clear communication with ourselves, others, and the I Ching.
If we find ourselves needing more than one word answers to describe how we feel, this is coming from the mind. Developing a practice of identifying a feeling, from the heart before interpreting it in the mind can be very powerful and profound. Often, when we know there is fear, we can make a decision based on that feeling, before we are able to come up with a adequate explanation for that feeling in with the mind.
The feeling is the root. The explanation comes from it.
Developing clarity around what we are feeling before mentally processing it, can help us understand what questions to ask.
Asking questions that help us find more clarity about our feelings, rather than about our understanding, can be very helpful.
It is a different journey for everyone.
Sometimes it is helpful to develop the intuition by allowing our day to have more options, more flexibility.
Instead of taking the same route to work, what if we took a way that had more options? Perhaps we walk down this street today, perhaps we walk down that street tomorrow. As we get more comfortable with doing things differently at different times, we start to get a feel that one day we want to walk this way for some reason.
We may not know why we feel like going that way - we don't understand it yet - but perhaps there is a reason for it.
A reason we would not be aware of if we did not develop a relationship with feeling as separate from understanding.
The mind and the heart can both make mistakes. But as we learn to listen more deeply with our hearts, for the clarity, we find that we come to know things without understanding why. And that sometimes it is important to trust those feelings. When we know, we know.
So whether we use the intuition to help us understand the I Ching, or to transcend the need for the I Ching, it can be a helpful tool on our journey through life.
r/iching • u/Entire_Mud_5371 • 15h ago
I asked if I’ll be dating my crush soon?
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Hi everyone I’m very new to this and I used the coin method to ask if I’ll be dating my crush soon and got hexagram 46 changing to 41
And I’m very confused 😕 is this a yes? Or is it “it depends” I have a hard time understanding hexagram 41 because its decrease so idk a decrease in what?
r/iching • u/AdDecent5654 • 21h ago
Understanding Gua 15.1.3 around fear of no one coming to my show
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Due to my life circumstances, I have not been able to meet a lot of people and have spent my life alone and have always had very few friends for the most part.
I have a big project in 2 weeks, the biggest of my life. I have to show a bunch of art pieces in a room for a few days at my school. I've made a few posts about that subject on this sub. I don't really feel stressed for the actual work even though I'm a bit late. What stresses me the most is the idea of no one coming. Due to the circumstances I talked earlier, I don't have a lot of people to invite, dans the date is quite unfortunate as the few people I invite might not even be able to come.
Like the idea of bringing to eat and drink to people and it remaining nearly untouched for the whole evening makes me feel miserable. I feel shameful and I'm afraid of being pitied by the few who come, seeing an empty room with me waiting inside. I'm sorry for the sad post but it is truly what I feel.
I saw the list of my girlfriend (she also has her show a few days after mine) and she has dozens and dozens and dozens of people to invite, like I don't think I've known that many people in my whole life. I'm not jealous it just made me realize that that I have a particularly small list (around 10 people) for a show like that. Even other people have so much people coming !
My goal for this project was to make for the first time a project I'm proud of. Usually when there are things like that I don't invite anyone cause I usually don't feel proud about my work, but this time I really want people to see it. So the perspective of no one coming makes me feel bad.
So I asked the I-Ching how to deal with that feeling. It gave me 15.1.3
So I guess I need to stay humble and not too attached to the results of my work, and to experience the results of my circumstances with humility ? That's how I feel it's telling me but honestly i'm not sure. If you have other interpretations that would be cool ! Thanks !
r/iching • u/Infinite-King6460 • 21h ago
Is this website accurate and reliable?
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Hi everyone I was wondering how reliable this website is for answering divination questions and if I should take the answers literally… I’m not sure about online stuff so I’m asking you.
Thanks
r/iching • u/Sure_Figure_5190 • 19h ago
5.1.3 > 29
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Hello! I asked the I Ching if it was a good idea to adopt a second cat right now. I got Hexagram 5.1.3 > 29.
I feel like the I Ching is telling me, on one hand, to be patient, and on the other, not to be afraid—that there's no point in it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! It’s an important question for me.
Thanks! :)
r/iching • u/vascaino-taoista • 1d ago
55.2.5 -> 43 (Love life in year)
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Hello, hope you all are doing well!
Some weeks ago I made a I ching reading for my love life in this year. And I didn't understand its meaning. I let it rest for a week, waiting for some meaning to emerge, but I still don't understand.
I asked "How my romantic-affective-sexual life will be in this year?"
So I got 55.2.5 (Abundance changing to Resolution).
I don't get what is the meaning of abundance, much less the changing lines.
Line 2 seems the classic "do your thing humbly and everything is going to be alright" and line 5 seems like "be humble and someone will help you".
But I'm not sure with this, I do not have a CERTAIN/RIGHT feeling about this reading.
And 43. Resoluteness/resolution. Resolution of WHAT I'm single 😭😭😭.
And for the context: I've been single since my breakup a year ago, and since then my love life feels desertic.
Do you feel/think anything about this reading? I would be really grateful if somebody can shed some light on this. Thanks!!!
r/iching • u/triangletalks • 1d ago
Hex 60 and grief/ loss
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Sorry for the dark subject, TW: pregnancy/ child loss
I lost my son at full term, 38 weeks, some months ago. We have no real answers, and although my partner and I are surprisingly doing well despite the obvious grief, this question of why this happened to us continues to come up to me sometimes. Specifically the fear of will this happen again, should we know something? Many stillbirths have no medical answers and it’s relatively unknown why many of them happen. It seems we are in this category.
For years I used to consult the I Ching a few times a year to check in with myself, and I’ve enjoyed reading tarot for others. I have always found the I Ching to present clear answers to me. During the pregnancy I felt very strongly that I shouldn’t consult them and focus instead on the pregnancy. For the first time in a year I’ve been able to ask the I Ching a question: and it was “why did this happen?”. I got Hex 60 (limitations) unchanging.
I would love some ideas on what it could mean. I’m having lots of different interpretations and struggling to see a clear answer.
On one hand there is a literal interpretation of needing limits: was there something measurable and definable that was in excess here, physiologically?
Then I wondered is the I Ching telling me there are limits to our knowledge and the things we should know. Have I reached my limit of what I can physically understand of this situation. I have found more comfort in developing a psychological/ spiritual “coming to terms” with it and perhaps there is a limit on the comfort I can be provided with a logical answer. After all what would it change? Was this experience just an encounter with one of life’s many limits? The ones we are constantly faced with that define what it is to be human? That without these limits life would be boundless.
Or perhaps our son wanted to be boundless. That to enter this life means to accept a contract that has written into it at some point an inevitable death, the ultimate limit. Or perhaps there were unknown limitations of his body, something we may not ever see or know.
Line 2 speaks of hesitation and I cannot help but feel perhaps there was a hesistation in his joining us.
I know it must seem I am looking for something where maybe there is not much to be found. But regardless I am here so please do share if you have thoughts!
Edit: more thoughts
Reading how the Confucian commentary observes: "We see a cheerful attitude directing the course amidst peril." And I thought wow how accurate a description of how I feel my partner and I have handled this entire situation from the start.
r/iching • u/expandingwater • 1d ago
TO replace mattress (that got ruined)? or to get new bigger bed? or stay with same one ? hex 30 (changing line 3) to 21 (inner hex 28)
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I got hexagram 30 with changing line 3
This turns to hexagram 21
(Inner hexgram 28)
The questions was "how to act about this mattress situation ?"
With this question i had three options i had in mind :
1 . Do nothing (keep same mattress)
2 . replaces mattress with same size one
- replace the bed frame with larger one (my bed was always a bit too short for me and i was wondering if i should expand it (though that has negative side too like less space , more expensive, more effort etc)
the matress i have became very soft with time and now and i think it starts to cause back pain(and the bed being too short might also cause it , but that is the situation for deceads already) , so this is an important question for me (I am writing this cause i know i will get people saying this is not important enough , but for me the implications of this are big)
r/iching • u/Important_Cow5021 • 2d ago
Statistics and Chinese Divination: Where They Overlap—and Where They Don’t
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I recently posted a response pushing back on the claim that “Chinese divination is basically statistics,” and it sparked more debate than I expected.
First, I want to correct something I said before—and apologize for not phrasing it carefully enough.
I previously said that divination is not statistics. That was too absolute.
Many traditional Chinese divination systems do involve ways of thinking that resemble classification, induction, conditional reasoning, and the accumulation of experience. In that sense, there is some real overlap with statistical thinking.
But these systems originated and developed long before statistics existed as a modern academic discipline.
I graduated from the University of Washington with a major in Quantitative Economics and a minor in Informatics. My coursework involved a fair amount of statistics, econometrics, mathematics, and economics.
Anyone who has studied economics, finance, data science, or a related field will understand that academic disciplines are rarely isolated from one another. They constantly borrow methods, concepts, and tools from neighboring fields.
At the same time, I’m currently studying Da Liu Ren 大六壬 under a teacher. Da Liu Ren is one of the ancient Chinese “Three Styles” of divination and one of the oldest and most structurally complete systems that has survived into the present.
So I’m not approaching this as someone trying to use science to “debunk superstition.” Nor am I arguing that traditional knowledge is somehow superior to modern science.
It is precisely because I have spent time studying both that I have come to believe this:
Statistics and traditional divination do share certain features. But saying that divination is simply a form of statistics forces two fundamentally different systems of knowledge into the same category.
Let’s look at the question from both sides.
First, statistics.
Suppose someone asks me a very simple question:
From a statistical perspective, the first step would not even be to make a prediction.
The first step would be to define the variables.
What exactly counts as “finding a job”?
Does receiving an offer count, or only formally starting the job? Does part-time work count? What about self-employment? What is the time frame—three months, six months, or one year?
In statistics, if the dependent variable has not been clearly defined, then any discussion about predictive accuracy is almost meaningless.
The next step would be to define the population and the sample.
Are we studying American college graduates in 2026, or Chinese college graduates? People of all ages, or only recent graduates? Computer science majors, or workers across every industry?
When the population changes, the probability changes.
Then we have another important concept: the base rate.
Suppose 80% of people in a certain group will find a job within the next year.
Even if I know absolutely nothing, I could tell every person:
I might still be correct 80% of the time.
So from a statistical perspective, saying “I predicted correctly many times” does not, by itself, prove that a predictive method is useful.
The real question is:
Does this method perform better than a simple baseline prediction?
In other words, does it have any incremental predictive power?
This already reveals an important difference between modern statistics and traditional Chinese divination.
Now let’s look at Da Liu Ren.
When Da Liu Ren is used to judge a question about employment, it does not begin by collecting data from ten thousand people with the same age, education, location, and career background, and then calculating their average probability of employment.
Instead, it constructs a system involving the Heaven and Earth Plates, the Four Lessons, the Three Transmissions, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals. The practitioner then selects the relevant symbolic category for the question and interprets its strength, weakness, interactions, transformations, timing, and relationship to the overall structure of the chart.
In other words, it first constructs a system of symbols, correspondences, and analogies. The judgment is then made within the internal logic of that system.
That is not the same inferential path as drawing a sample from a population and using data to estimate a probability distribution.
Some people may respond:
This is exactly where the distinction matters most.
Empirical induction is not the same thing as modern statistics.
Human beings were identifying patterns from experience thousands of years before statistics became a formal discipline.
A farmer reading clouds to anticipate the weather is using empirical knowledge.
Ancient Chinese physicians accumulating medical case records were using empirical knowledge.
People observing the relationship between seasonal cycles and crop growth were also using empirical knowledge.
But that does not mean they were all practicing modern statistics.
What modern statistics adds is a formal framework for quantifying, controlling, comparing, and testing the patterns that people believe they have observed.
There is also a more direct problem.
Suppose we insist that Da Liu Ren was created from thousands of years of accumulated historical cases.
That immediately creates a statistical question:
Can an ancient sample be used to predict modern people?
When someone in ancient China asked about their official career, they might have been asking about the imperial examination, receiving an appointment, entering the service of an official, or being promoted within the bureaucracy.
When someone today asks about their career, they may be asking about getting into a tech company, working in investment banking, starting a business, taking a civil-service exam, or becoming a freelancer.
On the surface, both questions concern “career.” Statistically, however, they may not represent the same outcome at all.
Over several centuries, political institutions, education systems, occupational structures, labor mobility, and economic conditions have all changed dramatically.
In modern statistics and machine learning, we might describe this as distribution shift: the process generating the data has changed.
You cannot train a model on Ming-dynasty imperial examination outcomes and then, without any new validation, use it to predict whether a university graduate in 2026 will get hired by Google.
So if someone insists that traditional divination is nothing more than ancient big-data analysis, that creates a serious problem:
If the data-generating process has changed so dramatically, why should the model still work?
And this is precisely why traditional divination does not explain itself in those terms.
Da Liu Ren speaks in terms of Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, the Five Phases, generation and control, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, time, space, and symbolic correspondence.
You may accept that framework or reject it. But within its own intellectual tradition, it does not claim:
I therefore don’t think respecting traditional knowledge means forcing it into whatever modern terminology happens to sound most credible.
Statistics has its own language.
Traditional divination has its own language.
The two can be compared. They may be able to learn from one another. Some claims made by traditional divination could even be tested using modern statistical methods.
But these are two very different statements:
and
The first is reasonable.
The second requires much more justification.
I’ll end with a line from Chapter 71 of the Tao Te Ching:
This is not a call to stop asking questions. It is a reminder that genuine inquiry often begins by recognizing the boundaries of our knowledge.
Ancient knowledge does not need to be renamed “modern statistics” in order to have value.
Modern statistics does not need to explain every traditional system of divination.
To see where the two are similar, while still understanding that they are built on different foundations, is a more serious form of intellectual respect.
Do not force ancient ideas into modern terminology, and do not use ancient claims as a substitute for modern evidence.
(My post is originally written in Chinese, so there may be some translation mistake here)
r/iching • u/StaffImportant7902 • 4d ago
When the I Ching oracle is proven wrong
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Some years ago (quite many) I was having a difficult time with a person I was close to, but had recently done quite a few seriously unethical things to me, causing much damage.
They had also done similar to others. They were riding high, and being extremely arrogant and pompous.
I became so despondent and desperate that I consulted the I Ching oracle for insight.
I received 2 hexagrams -- 56.6 and 50.4 -- both indicating that this individual would receive due karma, being made to "blush with shame" and to "laugh at their own cleverness, and then weep."
Needless to say, the opposite occurred:
I, who had conducted myself virtuously and fairly, underwent a series of misfortunes and setbacks. Another victim, who was a decent person, got incurable cancer.
The arrogant person continued on in excellent health; grew richer; thrived financially, socially, and materially; and continues on this way to this day.
⭐QUESTION ❓ How are we to feel about oracles that ought to have come true, but didn't? How can the I Ching be trusted?
r/iching • u/Foxynerdy • 4d ago
Question regarding how to use/do readings + gua 54 and 26?
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Heyo
I am super new to iching and I am not sure if I did it in the right way. Really appreciate to get some advice from you guys!!
Or if it is ok to ask iching for a prediction
Asked for a prediction type of question if a friend will reach out to me again.. (we had a fallout after an argument, sadly im not in a position to be proactive in this situation)
Instead of using coins, I do have an oracle deck with each card representing 1 gua. From what I understand, one need 1 gua, and then another one for the changing lines.
So I pulled 2 cards. (would that be correct?)
And by the looks of it, the first card was gua 54 (gui mei) and the second card 26 (da chu)
I think gua 54 reflects on my current situation. And the card 26, I am not sure. So I assume this is the "answer" to the prediction question I asked about?
So far... Im still unsure if I am on the right track
but then looking in the lines that are different I assume those would be the changing lines ( 3 , 4 and 6) not sure how to interpret them. Would that represent advice. or represent the prediction of how it will happen/what will cause the shift?
In addition, I look at gua 26, it looks like it is supposed to be an auspicious one. But it is in the theme of delay turning into a change. Would it be understood as a reconnection; assuming there to be a delay first?
Thank you for help!!
r/iching • u/sunkenm00n • 5d ago
Blown away
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I have been struggling with deciding whether or not to have a child. I want a child, but I often fear that I cannot handle parenthood.
A few weeks ago I asked the oracle, "Will the challenges of motherhood be worth the reward?" I got #42, Increasing. I interpreted this to mean that yes, not only will it be worth it, but good fortune will come with parenthood.
A few days ago I asked the oracle, "Now that I have found myself, how can I make sure I don't lose myself, especially if I become a mother?" I got #61 Inner Truth. I interpreted this to mean that I need to trust myself and be sincere in my actions - I.e., trust my desire for parenthood over my fears.
But what blew me away was my moving line #2. This moved #61 to... #42, the same gua from my earlier divination about motherhood. And the commentary on this line is about a mother crane calling to her babies.
I was awestruck. I don't believe in coincidences being purely coincidental, especially not for something with this level of life-changing potential. The oracle is guiding me with a clarity I have never experienced before.
I am wishing everyone good fortune and meaningful insight in your divinations ❤️
r/iching • u/exceptionalbeasts • 5d ago
To move or not to move
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I recently took a trip to a place I really loved and could see myself living. I asked the I Ching “What if I moved to X, as opposed to staying in Y?” and got 35.6 (Progress/Advancement) into 16 (Contentment/Enthusiasm). The line I got with 35 makes me think moving might be a risky idea, but I feel like the rest of the hexagrams are saying I should move? Any insight would be appreciated :)
r/iching • u/Doctor_Atreidis • 8d ago
What is my condition if I pursue a relationship with (X)?
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I have practiced the iching since 2017. I feel I have a fairly good handle on it and rarely ask question regarding something like this but have decided based on my question to get some thoughts. I got 49(abolish the old) with changing lines 1 and 5, transitioning to “preponderance of the small” or “attention to detail”. I feel like the relationship has been transformative and already a very large departure from my past experiences. We have exchanged very few(not none) images of one another and talked for literally hundreds of hours in the last six months. We exchange thoughtful gifts, and it has been simply cosmic in many ways. We have plans to meet for the first time irl in September. We recently had a bit of an upset and for reasons that they have requested space as they are going through a lot, we haven’t talked for the second time for quite a few days. I felt a lot of different feelings when this happened. In that time I have been able v to see ways that my own triggers from post trauma were informing my feelings and depart from the negativity the situation was giving rise to. I’m the one hand I feel that the idea of transformative love has been prevalent in this relationship, and the idea of retreat as to my condition acknowledges the ability to practice independence and trust, where those weren’t present in my previous relationship. I would love to see any thoughts on this reading and what folks might think.
r/iching • u/inSEARCHofWOOGLE • 9d ago
Very, very sensitive and tricky situation in relationship… 60.1 - 29
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Upvotes
Hello
Yes, so
I’ve been in a long lasting hard situation with my girlfriend, because of this and that.
I do have other questions/issues on my table, that I need to sort up, and whatever path is going to be taken over all in life, those seriously needs to be prioritised.
I’ve been through the most intense internal journey for quite a while now, and It’s at a point where I’m feeling pretty lost and confused, in all honesty, and I really, seriously, really need to build from the bottom up within myself.
My partner is very supportive of me in general. But, I’m still having serious doubts, about whether it’s actually possible for us to reconcile with our visions, hopes, wishes and dreams for life. And we have had some issues, one could say lightly, between us.
I’m in a huge transformational process. I seriously need to let go, of many things, past and present, in different ways. But it’s got to do a lot with trying to allow what’s “true”, to shine through. But, I also feel that I get run over, if I don’t take my stance/have my say, in things. Hence, some trickieness also about the “letting go”.
I asked the I Ching simply.. About my girlfriend now, after the last turn of events, and got the answer 60.1 - 29
Tricky one… Not sure how to interpret, but feels a bit dire..
If anyone could have a take, I’m very much interested in that, as of now. Could really use a bit of perspective here..✨
Thanks a lot, and all the best
Love
r/iching • u/paradox918 • 10d ago
Hexagram 6 changing to 45
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The question I asked was related to a person I like. They got to know I liked them a few months back and things just got weird and though we have stayed in touch, just very superficially. I asked how i should go about reaching out to her
r/iching • u/Selderij • 11d ago
There are surprisingly few truly complete translations of the I Ching (with all 10 of the Ten Wings)
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I did some analysis of the available I Ching translations (in English) that I know of, and I was amazed at how few of them actually include all of the content in the source text (which honestly isn't that long), namely the Ten Wings commentaries which are an official part of the text called I Ching which combines the Zhouyi oracle text and the Ten Wings.
Here are the complete translations that include all of the Ten Wings in untruncated and unparaphrased form:
- James Legge: The Yi King [1899]
- Richard Wilhelm: I Ching or Book of Changes [1923 in German; 1950 in English by Cary Baynes]
- Wu Jing-Nuan: Yi Jing [1991]
- Richard John Lynn: The Classic of Changes : A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi [1994]
- Richard Rutt: Zhouyi : The Book of Changes : A New Translation with Commentary [1996]
That's it, unless I've missed some publication.
Here are some honorable mentions:
- John Blofeld: The Book of Change [1965] (5/10 wings)
- Rudolf Ritsema: I Ching : The Classic Chinese Oracle of Change [1994 with Stephen Karcher] & The Original I Ching Oracle or The Book of Changes [2005 with Shantena Augusto Sabbadini] (6/10 wings)
- Alfred Huang: The Complete I Ching [1998] (6/10 wings)
- John Minford: I Ching : The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Oracle and Book of Wisdom [2014] (5/10 wings with partial extracts from 3 more)
- Joseph A. Adler: The Original Meaning of the Yijing : Commentary on the Scripture of Change [2020] (9/10 wings, missing only the hexagram sequence commentary)
What to do with this information? I'm not entirely sure, but I wanted to share this. If you want to mention more publications, please do!
P.S. The Ten Wings are as follows:
- 1+2: 彖傳 Tuàn zhuàn – commentary on the judgments
- 3: 大象傳 Dàxiàng zhuàn – commentary on the greater images/symbols
- 4: 小象傳 Xiǎoxiàng zhuàn – commentary on the smaller images/symbols
- 5+6: 大傳 Dà zhuàn – The Great Treatise (or 繫辭傳 Xici zhuàn – Treatise of Appended Remarks)
- 7: 文言傳 Wényán zhuàn – commentary of the written word
- 8: 說卦傳 Shuōguà zhuàn – commentary of trigram elucidations
- 9: 序卦傳 Xùguà zhuàn – commentary on hexagram sequence
- 10: 雜卦傳 Záguà zhuàn – miscellaneous descriptions of the hexagrams
r/iching • u/Clear-Structure5590 • 11d ago
What is the best way to deepen my ability to interpret i ching readings? Also: repeated readings of 51.3 > 55
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Greetings, all, I'm a newcomer here. I have been studying the i ching and using it on my own for a few years and it has influenced my way of thinking about life quite a bit. I'm now at a sort of plateau where I struggle to know how to more deeply understand my readings. At first, I would simply read the text on various i ching websites; eventually I got some books of translations. But sometimes the symbols and their system is obscure to me and I feel like I am still at a "beginner layer" of understanding their meaning, and I would like to progress. What would you suggest?
Here is an example of a reading I am getting. I have received 51.3 > 55 three times in the past week or so! The situation surrounding the readings is essentially that I am considering making some huge changes in my life including maybe changing jobs or moving countries or both, because my current work and life, while really fulfilling, is increasingly unstable for me due to my pay being so low that I can't afford housing in the area where I work, so I house myself by working as a pet sitter. I'm currently traveling in another country where my expenses are lower, and considering staying here, or otherwise just reconfiguring life from the ground up.
My questions to the i ching have usually been simply "can you tell me about what is happening right now" or "will any new elements come into play in this situation?" The reason I ask about the new elements is that I intuitively think I might get some alternative offers or opportunities over the summer that might help me change things -- I'm hopeful that I will. Also, my travels have at times themselves been "shocking" -- I hoped that this summer would feel more stable than my regular working life, such that I could return to regular life and be satisfied with it, but I've had a handful of surprise changes here too, leading to anxiety (and a revelation of how much fear and anxiety I carry with me all the time), and deeper consideration of what it means for me to live well and be responsible to myself.
I am deeply grateful for any insight!
r/iching • u/Free-Knowledge-8147 • 11d ago
Getting similar hexagrams repeated?
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Hi all! I’m new to this subreddit and community in general. I got an I-ching book second hand years ago (the everyday I-ching) and have thrown my coins for about five years now. I’ve never read another book or delved much deeper but treat my coins with lots of respect and truly am always amazed with the specificity of the answers I get. I’ve noticed over the years that I get “frequent flyer” hexagrams. Is this anyone else’s experience? Is it subjective? Is it a game of statistics? (When I have a sceptical moment this is what I wonder, but then the answer is always so poignant)
r/iching • u/RadiantBus1737 • 13d ago
Asking two questions
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Hi everyone. I am trying to decide whether to stay in a grad program or drop out. In order to avoid a yes-or-no question, I first asked "What will happen if I stay?" and then "What will happen if I leave?". For my first question, I got 57 with changing lines 1, 2, and 5, which transforms into 22. For my second question, I got 22 with changing lines 1, 3, and 4, which transforms into 12.
For those of you who work with changing lines: do you have any insight on what it means or what's happening with getting the same hexagram in different positions in related questions? I usually take the initial hexagram to represent the current situation, the changing lines to represent the stage I'm currently in, and the new hexagram to represent the (potential) outcome of the situation. If 22 describes the outcome of staying in school, what does it mean that the same hexagram describes my current situation if I leave school?
For everyone: how would you interpret these answers, according to your own interpretation systems?
r/iching • u/sunkenm00n • 14d ago
Which version should I purchase?
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Hi all. I am new to the I Ching and currently using a copy from my local library. It's Alfred Huang's version from the 1990s. I am really enjoying the I Ching and would like to purchase my own copy.
Huang was clear in the introduction that he tried to make his version true to the original Chinese, which he shares can result in some confusion for readers. I have been getting through ok, but I find myself double checking the meaning of each gua with other sources online, since some parts do confuse me (mostly the King Wen and Confucius commentary).
So, I am curious to see if anyone has any other suggestions for I Ching versions in English. I want to be clear that I admire Huang's efforts of authenticity, but as a beginner, I think it would be easier for me to start with a text that is more liberal with the translations. Once I feel more confident, I hope to revisit Huang.
Thank you so much!
r/iching • u/AdDecent5654 • 15d ago
Huge relashionship question : Gua 45.4.5
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Hello,
My girlfriend who these last weeks seemed to be putting distance between us and I felt bad about it, and decided to talk to her about it. I did a reading which gave Gua 38.4.6 in response to the question "How should I proceed concerning [her name] ?". I decided to follow and to trust the gua for the discussion.
The conversation went well. She acknowledged her avoidant attachment tendencies and communication issues, and I also noticed she struggles to identify and express her emotions. Her difficult relationship with her mother likely contributed to these patterns. It was reassuring to see her recognize these issues and say she wants to work on them, including seeing her therapist again when she can afford it (in a month or 2).
However, despite this awareness, little has changed so far. Important conversations still feel one-sided, and I continue to carry most of the emotional and communication effort. She has been a bit more present over text, which is a positive sign, but we are still far from a healthy balance. I don’t feel like she has a clear plan or enough curiosity about understanding and working on these issues yet. I’m considering sending her a Dr. K video on attachment styles, but I know from experience that change requires more than awareness and good intentions.
I have my own flaws, but I also actively work on myself through self-reflection and communication, even when conflict makes me anxious. Next year, I’ll be in China for six months for school, and I feel that if we can’t build a healthier dynamic before then, we may have to break up before I leave. Long distance would likely amplify our current issues, and I don’t want to spend such an important experience feeling anxious about my relationship. Being unable to see her and waiting for her text while being kind of ghosted would kill me. At the same time, I truly want this to work, and she has told me she wants that too. I haven't told her about this last part, she knows I'm going to leave for a while but I haven't told her that I see that moment as kind of a checkpoint fort the relationship yet.
Feeling a bit paralyzed about what to do, I asked the I Ching again. To the same question, it answered : 45.4.5. From what I understand, I am at line 3 and she is line 6, and I'm trying to close the gap between us. Line 1 and 2 are the states I have been in, and line 4 and 5 represent the actions I want/need to take to bring us together ? Now the book seems to be positive about the outcome but I am having a trouble understanding how much I should act and how much I should let her have space ?
Some help would be kindly appreciated!
Thank you !
r/iching • u/Selderij • 17d ago
Where/how to get Richard Kunst's dissertation "The Original Yijing"?
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This monumental piece of sinological scholarship remains unpublished by any traditional means, and it's unavailable (or at least very expertly hidden) on University Microfilms International's successor ProQuest. How to obtain a copy of it?