Casting a Liu Yao hexagram with three coins
The most common Liu Yao casting method uses three coins tossed six times. Record the two sides after each toss and draw six lines from bottom to top to form a hexagram. This article walks through a complete example.
What is Liu Yao?
Liu Yao is a traditional divination method for a specific question. BaZi considers the structure of a person’s life; Liu Yao focuses on one matter, such as a job interview or recovering money lent to someone.
A hexagram contains six lines, each called a yao (爻). An unbroken line is yang; a line broken in the middle is yin. Count from the bottom: first, second, third, fourth, fifth and top line.
Before casting
- Ask about one matter at a time, as specifically as possible: for example, “Can I sign this contract smoothly this month?” rather than “How will my year go?”
- Do not repeatedly ask about the same matter within a short period.
- Record the date and time of casting; the day’s stem and branch will be needed later.
- Prepare three identical coins. Decide which side you will call the inscription side (字) and which the reverse (背)—for example, the numbered side as inscription—and keep that convention throughout.
Six tosses, six lines
Shake the three coins in your cupped hands and cast them onto a table. Count the reverse sides (背) and record the line using the table below. Toss six times: the first produces the bottom line and the sixth the top line.
| Result of the three coins | Name | How to draw it | Does it change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| One reverse, two inscription sides | Young yang (少阳) | Yang line —— | Unchanging (static line) |
| Two reverse, one inscription side | Young yin (少阴) | Yin line — — | Unchanging (static line) |
| Three backs | Old yang (老阳) | Yang line with ○ beside it | Changes to yin (moving line) |
| Three inscription sides | Old yin (老阴) | Yin line with × beside it | Changes to yang (moving line) |
Some folk traditions reverse this convention and treat the inscription side as yang. Either convention may be used; consistency matters.
A complete example
| Toss number | Line position | Coin result | Record as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toss 6 | Top line | A back | Young yang —— |
| Toss 5 | Fifth line | A back | Young yang —— |
| Toss 4 | Fourth line | A back | Young yang —— |
| Toss 3 | Third line | A back | Young yang —— |
| Toss 2 | Second line | A back | Young yang —— |
| Toss 1 | First line | Three backs | Old yang —— ○ (moving) |
All six lines are yang, forming Qian, Heaven over Heaven (乾为天). The first line is old yang and changes to yin. The lower three lines then form Xun, turning the hexagram into Gou, Heaven over Wind (天风姤).
Moving lines, the original hexagram and the changed hexagram
Old yang and old yin are called moving lines (动爻), representing the changing parts of a situation. Moving yang becomes yin, and moving yin becomes yang. The new figure is the changed hexagram (变卦, also called 之卦); the starting figure is the original hexagram (本卦).
One way to read this symbolism is that the original hexagram describes the present situation, the changed hexagram its direction, and the moving lines its turning points. In the example, Qian changes to Gou through the first line. A hexagram without moving lines is static (静卦); its reading focuses on the Self and Response lines and their relationship with the current month and day.
This page introduces traditional culture knowledge for reference only; it makes no predictions or guarantees about fate, health, relationships or wealth.