What is the I Ching? How to cast and read a hexagram

The I Ching (Book of Changes) is one of the oldest and deepest classics of the East. At its core are 64 hexagrams — each of six lines — describing a situation and how it tends to change.

Yin, yang and the eight trigrams

Each line is yin (broken) or yang (solid). Three lines form a trigram (the eight: Heaven, Water, Mountain, Thunder, Wind, Fire, Earth, Lake). Two trigrams stacked make a six-line hexagram — 8 × 8 = 64 in all.

Casting with three coins

Toss three coins six times (one line each, bottom to top). Heads = 3, tails = 2; each throw totals 6, 7, 8 or 9: 7 = static yang, 8 = static yin, 9 = moving yang, 6 = moving yin. The six throws give your primary hexagram; flipping the moving lines gives the changed hexagram.

Reading it

Primary = the present; moving lines = what is changing; changed hexagram = where things tend. No moving lines means a stable situation.

Ask well

Calm your mind and ask something specific. The I Ching opens reflection rather than a yes/no verdict.

Cast online

Try it at I Ching reading: ask a question and get your hexagrams plus an AI interpretation. Explore also fortune sticks, Tarot or Tử Vi. For reflection, not a fixed verdict.