Learn the I Ching
Start with three-coin totals and work up to choosing a passage. Six lessons and twelve questions use one recorded cast, so you can check each step.
Recorded example, bottom to top: 7, 8, 6, 7, 8, 9
Read the coin totals
Three coin values add up to 6, 7, 8 or 9. Identify Yin or Yang, then whether the line changes.
Line values from bottom to top 7 / 8 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 · Changing lines 3, 6
Upper Li (Fire) / 離
Lower Zhen (Thunder) / 震
Upper Zhen (Thunder) / 震
Lower Li (Fire) / 離
Count from the bottom. The bottom line is line 1.
| Value | Primary polarity | After change |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Yin | Changes · Yang |
| 7 | Yang | Stays |
| 8 | Yin | Stays |
| 9 | Yang | Changes · Yin |
Which text to read first
- Read first
- Primary Shi He · Biting Through, line 6 text
- Read alongside
- Primary Shi He · Biting Through, line 3 text
This site follows Zhu Xi’s reading rules, selecting judgments or line texts by the number of changing lines.
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Your six lessons
Read the coin totals
Three coin values add up to 6, 7, 8 or 9. Identify Yin or Yang, then whether the line changes.
Record from the bottom
Record six tosses from the bottom up. The highest line in the diagram is line 6.
Build the primary hexagram
The bottom three lines form the lower trigram. The top three form the upper trigram. Together they make the primary hexagram.
Find every changing line
Values 6 and 9 change; 7 and 8 stay. A cast can have zero to six changing lines.
Check the relating hexagram
Flip every changing line to get the relating hexagram. With no changing lines, this tool keeps only the primary hexagram.
Choose the text to read
This site uses Zhu Xi's convention to select a judgment or line text. These lessons cover Zhouyi texts; Na Jia and Plum Blossom Ti-Yong use their own rules.
How do three coins make a line?
This tool assigns 2 to the inscription side and 3 to the reverse. Add all three values for each toss. Toss six times and record the first total at the bottom. Check the values before using a different convention for the two sides.
| Value | Name | Primary figure | In the relating figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Old Yin | Broken line | Becomes Yang |
| 7 | Young Yang | Solid line | Stays Yang |
| 8 | Young Yin | Broken line | Stays Yin |
| 9 | Old Yang | Solid line | Becomes Yin |
From coin totals to the reading text
Read the six recorded values
The recorded values are 7, 8, 6, 7, 8, 9, from bottom to top. 6 is Old yin, 7 Young yang, 8 Young yin and 9 Old yang. This exercise uses recorded values, with no new coin toss.
Number the lines from the bottom
The first toss makes line 1 at the bottom. The sixth makes line 6 at the top. Keep this order when reading or changing the figure.
Combine the two trigrams
Lines 1 to 3 form Zhen (Thunder) below. Lines 4 to 6 form Li (Fire) above. The primary hexagram is Shi He · Biting Through.
Identify all changing lines
Values 6 and 9 change. This cast has 2 changing lines at positions 3, 6. Values 7 and 8 stay as they are.
Check the relating hexagram
Flip every changing line and keep the stable lines. The result is Feng · Abundance. The original primary figure stays in view for comparison.
Select the text by the site's convention
With 2 changing lines, the engine selects primary line 6 first, alongside primary line 3. This site follows Zhu Xi's convention. For three changing lines it reads both judgments, primary first, without the further first-ten/last-ten refinement.
Keep the reading methods distinct
These lessons teach coin totals, figures and the selection of Zhouyi texts. Na Jia adds branches, relatives and calendar relationships. Plum Blossom selects a moving line with numbers and uses Ti-Yong. Text interpretation is a cultural reading, and does not establish a future outcome.
Which text does this tool select?
This table describes the Zhu Xi convention used by this site's coin tool. With three changing lines, it reads both judgments, primary first, without the further first-ten/last-ten refinement. Other traditions select passages differently. State your convention before reading a cast.
| Changing lines | Read first | Read alongside |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Primary judgment | — |
| 1 | The changing line in the primary hexagram | — |
| 2 | The higher of the two changing primary lines | The other changing line |
| 3 | Primary judgment | Relating judgment |
| 4 | The lower of the two unchanged relating lines | The other unchanged line |
| 5 | The single unchanged relating line | — |
| 6 | Qian: the nines; Kun: the sixes. Otherwise, the relating judgment | — |
The example's selected text
Lines 3 and 6 change in hexagram 21, Biting Through. This convention reads the higher changing line, line 6, first, alongside line 3. The relating hexagram is 55, Abundance. Practise selecting the passage before interpreting it in a situation.
Primary line 6
Zhouyi original
何校滅耳，凶。James Legge's 1882 translation
The sixth line, undivided, shows one wearing the cangue, and deprived of his ears. There will be evil.
This site's plain-language note
The person wears a heavy wooden collar that covers the ears, someone who piled up wrongs and refused to listen, and it ends badly.
The Chinese text can be checked against Wikisource. The English classical translation is by James Legge (1882); the plain-language note is our own. Zhouyi: Biting Through · The Yi King, 1882
Try your own cast
Use the coin tool to toss six times, or enter your own recorded values. Check that cast's changing lines and selected text.
I Ching coin casting tool · All 64 hexagrams and their line texts · How to cast the I Ching · Reading changing lines
For a method that uses two numbers and an hour, continue with Plum Blossom practice.
Practice and review questions
Do I need to sign in or pay?
The six lessons are free and require no account. Twelve questions cover coin totals, line order, the primary figure, changing lines, the relating figure and text selection.
Can I continue in the other language?
Yes. The Chinese and English pages share answered questions, first-answer results and review dates in this browser. A different device or cleared site data starts a new record.
How does review work after a mistake?
Read the explanation and retry. A missed question becomes due in about ten minutes. Correct answers move to review intervals of one, three, seven days and longer. You can return to due questions after finishing the course.
Does this teach Na Jia or Plum Blossom Ti-Yong?
These lessons cover three-coin values, hexagram figures and Zhouyi text selection. Na Jia adds branches, relatives and calendar relationships. Plum Blossom uses separate number and Ti-Yong rules.
Does a reading guarantee an outcome?
A passage can help you consider a question from different angles. These exercises check values, figures and text selection. Outcomes still depend on circumstances and actions.