Guides

After casting a hexagram you face five layers of text — Judgment, Tuan Zhuan, Great Image, line statements, Xiao Xiang. Which comes first? The answer depends on one thing: does your hexagram have moving lines? Moving-line hexagram takes Path A. Static hexagram takes Path B. Two paths, completely opposite starting points. Includes a full walkthrough example with Lei Huo Feng, first line moving.

Zhu Xi's divination rules from Yixue Qimeng: one moving line — read the line statement. Two — read both, prioritize the upper. Three — read the original and transformed hexagram Judgments. Four — read the two unmoving line statements in the transformed hexagram. Five — read the single unmoving line statement. Six — read the transformed hexagram Judgment. Every rule comes with a full interpretation example. Essential for Dayan method divination.

From the first change to the eighteenth, one line at a time. Follow a full Dayan casting step by step with a real example. Each step: which change, which line, what remainder sum, what value (9/6/7/8), what to draw (⚊/⚋). Final output: original hexagram, transformed hexagram, and the list of moving lines. Includes the iron law of remainder isolation.

Static hexagrams appear at roughly 2% probability — rare but it happens. No moving lines means 'the current state will not change' or 'the time to change has not come.' Interpretation order: Judgment → Commentary → Great Image. Zhu Xi says static hexagrams prioritize the Judgment; line statements are supplementary. Includes a full interpretation example using Di Feng Sheng ䷭ — from overall fortune to action steps, nothing omitted.

Old Yang 9 → Young Yin 8, Old Yin 6 → Young Yang 7 — the iron law of moving lines. Why Young Yang 7 and Young Yin 8 do not move. The original hexagram is the present. The transformed hexagram is the future. Zero moving lines = static hexagram. All six lines move = Qian becomes Kun. Full three-moving-line example: which lines changed, what the transformed hexagram is, how to interpret it.

Why is the Dayan number fifty? Heaven-Earth numbers total fifty-five. Five numbers sit in the center and do not participate. That leaves fifty. One stalk stays aside as Taiji — leaving forty-nine. Every number maps to a layer of the cosmos. Full classical quotes with plain English commentary.

The four complete steps of the Dayan method: Divide-Two mirrors Taiji generating the two principles. Suspend-One places humanity between Heaven and Earth. Count-by-Four echoes the four seasons. Return-Remainder acknowledges the uncontrollable in destiny. Every step detailed: operation, philosophy, and the underlying math.

Divination does not start the moment you touch the stalks. The ritual prescribes choosing the day, choosing the place, lighting incense, cleansing hands, and preparing your mind. The ritual is not fussy philosophy. It is your switch into divination mode.

Why does the Dayan method need three changes to produce one line? The four remainder combinations after three changes map to: Old Yang 9, Old Yin 6, Young Yang 7, Young Yin 8. Full probability table: Old Yang ~19%, Old Yin ~6%, Young Yang ~31%, Young Yin ~44%. Detailed calculations included.

The Daxiang is the 'Xiang yue' line after each hexagram statement. It ignores good fortune and misfortune. It does one thing: derive from the hexagram image what the superior person should do. Qian's Daxiang: 'Heaven moves with strength — the superior person strengthens himself without ceasing.' Heaven keeps turning. The superior person follows the way of Heaven — keeps moving forward. Kun's Daxiang: 'Earth's posture is receptive — the superior person carries all things with vast virtue.' The earth bears everything. The superior person learns to hold space like the earth. 20 representative Daxiang passages selected — Zhun, Meng, Xu, Song, Shi, Bi, Xiao Xu, Lu, Tai, Pi, Tong Ren, Da You, Qian, Yu, Sui, Gu, Lin, Guan — each one a direct translation from hexagram image to action.

The Xiaoxiang is the 'Xiang yue' passage after each individual line. It explains why this line is auspicious or inauspicious. Line position analysis: the first line is the beginning, the top line is the end, line 2 is the ground level, line 5 is the ruler's position. Inter-line relationships: the four relationships of receiving, mounting, neighboring, and responding determine how lines interact. Correct position judgment: a yang line in a yang position is correct, a yin line in a yin position is correct. Selected: full Xiaoxiang analysis of all six Qian lines — from 'hidden dragon, do not act' to 'arrogant dragon has regrets.' Full Xiaoxiang analysis of all six Kun lines — from 'tread on frost, solid ice is near' to 'dragons fight in the wild.' Plus selected classic line Xiaoxiang interpretations. Core value for beginners — when you do not understand the line text, read the Xiaoxiang and you can roughly judge fortune.

Tuan Zhuan is the dedicated commentary on hexagram statements. Every hexagram in the first 30 gets its own Tuan passage. Qian Tuan: 'Great is Qian the origin — the ten thousand things draw their beginning from it.' Kun Tuan: 'Perfect is Kun the origin — the ten thousand things draw their birth from it.' Zhun Tuan: 'Movement within danger.' Tai Tuan: 'Heaven and Earth join — the ten thousand things flow.' Pi Tuan: 'Heaven and Earth do not join — the ten thousand things are blocked.' The Tuan method: hexagram image → hexagram virtue → hexagram statement → fortune judgment. Master this and you can derive any hexagram statement yourself.

Tuan Zhuan Xia interprets the hexagram statements of the last 34 hexagrams, from Xian to Weiji. Xian Tuan: The soft above and the firm below, the two forces resonate and come together, revealing the essence of attraction. Heng Tuan: The way of Heaven and Earth endures without ceasing, the philosophy of lasting. Ge Tuan: Heaven and Earth transform, the four seasons are completed, the law of revolution. The contrast between Jiji and Weiji: after success comes danger; incompletion is just the beginning. The last 34 hexagrams focus on human life. Read them and every phase finds its answer.

Wenyan is the most unusual chapter in the Ten Wings — it only interprets Qian and Kun, the two hexagrams that form the door to the entire I Ching. Master these two, and the remaining 62 tr-grams fall into place. Qian line 9.3 'the superior person works tirelessly all day and stays vigilant at night — no error,' Kun line 'Kun reaches ultimate softness yet moves with firmness' — every passage includes the original text, plain translation, and deep analysis. Read why Wenyan was written for only two hexagrams.

Shuogua (Explaining the Trigrams) is the most practical chapter in the I Ching system. It systematically explains why Qian is Heaven, the ruler, the father, and the horse; why Kun is Earth, the mother, and the ox; why Zhen is Thunder, the dragon, and the eldest son. 'Heaven and Earth are fixed in position; mountain and marsh exchange breath; thunder and wind press against each other; water and fire do not attack each other' — this is the foundational framework of trigram relationships. The animal and body-part correspondences for all eight trigrams — the source of Plum Blossom Divination's classification of things. Original text, plain English translation, and deep analysis.

Xici Shang (Great Commentary Part 1) is the most systematic philosophical explanation of the I Ching, attributed to Confucius and his disciples. From Heaven above and Earth below to 'one yin one yang is the Dao,' from Taiji generating the Two Modes to the distinction between Dao above-form and tools below-form — each passage includes the original text, plain English translation, and deep analysis. See why the Xici Commentary is the key to the entire I Ching.

Xici Xia (Great Commentary Part 2) covers three things: how Fuxi observed Heaven, Earth, and all creatures to abstract the eight trigrams; the philosophy of 'when blocked, change — change leads to passage — passage leads to endurance'; and the line position theory of lines 2 and 4. Plus the thirteen hexagrams for making tools by observing images — nets from Li, plows from Yi, markets from Shi He. How ancient sages made real objects based on hexagram images. Original text, plain English translation, and deep analysis.

Xugua (Sequence of the Hexagrams) explains the order of the 64 hexagrams from Qian and Kun to Jiji and Weiji. Adjacent hexagrams relate in only two ways: mutual rotation (flip the hexagram upside down to get the next one) or mutual transformation (all six lines switch yin to yang and vice versa). Each hexagram's position in the sequence is not random — it forms a complete model of cosmic evolution and human development. Understand Xugua and you understand the grand structure of the entire I Ching.

Zagua (Miscellaneous Hexagrams) distills each of the 64 hexagrams into a single word or two. Qian — hard. Kun — soft. Bi — joy. Shi — sorrow. Zhen — rising. Gen — stopping. Sun and Yi — the beginning of flourishing and decline. Why is Zagua's arrangement different from the received text? For beginners it is the fastest entry point — no need to memorize hexagram statements. Remember one word and you capture the essence of an entire hexagram. Original text, plain English translation, and deep analysis.

Calendar casting is the core method of plum blossom divination. Year uses the Earthly Branch number (Zi=1, Chou=2…Hai=12). Month uses the lunar month number. Day uses the lunar day number. Upper trigram: sum of year+month+day ÷ 8, take remainder. Moving line: sum of year+month+day+hour ÷ 6, take remainder. Complete worked example included, plus why the lunar calendar matters.