What Is Jiaobei? The Moon Block Divination Guide

Jiaobei are two crescent-shaped blocks used to ask a question in Chinese temple practice. One flat face and one curved face pointing up is sheng bei, an affirmative result. Two flat faces are xiao bei, the laughing result; two curved faces are yin bei, a negative result.

Taipei’s tourism office describes the same pair of flat and curved surfaces in its temple guide. Comparing the surfaces is more useful than remembering “heads” and “tails”, since moon blocks have neither.

Cast jiaobei online for free without an account, or check the three patterns below.

The three results at a glance

These are customary religious interpretations. A cast cannot establish what will happen to a relationship, job or health condition.

Sheng bei meaning

Sheng bei is often translated as sacred cup or sacred answer. In a fortune-stick confirmation, it can mean that the selected stick is accepted. Whether one affirmative cast completes that step depends on the temple’s procedure.

A result has to be read with the question that preceded it. If you asked whether to request a conversation, an affirmative result gives no information about what the other person will say.

Xiao bei meaning

With both flat faces up, the result is called xiao bei. “Laughing” is a customary name for the response. At Longshan Temple, the published instructions describe it as the deity having not yet decided whether to grant a fortune stick, and tell the worshipper to state the request again.

On this site, take the pause to check your wording. A random online cast does not inspect the question and cannot diagnose why you received xiao bei.

Yin bei meaning

Both curved faces up gives yin bei. In a request for permission, it indicates that the request is not affirmed. Names such as negative cup, crying blocks and angry blocks appear in different accounts.

For a temple ritual, follow the next step posted there. For a personal reflection online, you can stop after the result. It does not require you to make a real-life decision against your judgment.

Moon blocks with fortune sticks

The Longshan Temple instructions distinguish permission to draw from confirmation of the selected stick. Their confirmation step calls for three consecutive affirmative casts. That is a rule for that temple’s procedure, not a universal limit of three attempts.

Wong Tai Sin visitors should follow Sik Sik Yuen’s current on-site instructions. Our Wong Tai Sin fortune-stick collection lets you read an existing stick number online.

Other names you may see

Moon blocks, jiaobei and poe refer to the same family of divination objects. English searches also use bwa bwei, bua buey and sheng bei online. The names and materials guide separates names for the blocks from names for their results.

For a casting sequence, continue with how to use jiaobei. If you already know the shapes but are unsure what to do with a result, read interpreting sheng bei, xiao bei and yin bei.

Sources

• Taipei City tourism office on temple etiquette and moon blocks
• National Museum of Taiwan History bamboo moon blocks