Plum Blossom divination practice
Find the trigrams and moving line, then identify Ti and Yong. Six lessons help you check the primary, nuclear and changed hexagrams.
Fixed example · Numbers 7 and 2 · 5 September 2026, 6 am Hong Kong time · Mao
Recognize trigrams
Read three lines from the bottom up and identify each trigram.
Sample numbers 7 / 2 · Hour number 4 · Moving line 1
Upper Gen (Mountain) / 艮
Lower Dui (Lake) / 兌
Upper Kun (Earth) / 坤
Lower Zhen (Thunder) / 震
Upper Gen (Mountain) / 艮
Lower Kan (Water) / 坎
Count from the bottom. The bottom line is line 1.
- Ti · Upper
- Gen (Mountain) / 艮 · Earth
- Yong · Lower
- Dui (Lake) / 兌 · Metal
The moving line is in the lower trigram, so that trigram is Yong. The other trigram is Ti.
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The six lessons
Recognize trigrams
Read three lines from the bottom up and identify each trigram.
Calculate trigram numbers
Divide each number by eight. A zero remainder selects Kun, trigram eight.
Find the moving line
Add the two numbers and hour ordinal, then divide by six. Count lines from the bottom.
Identify Ti and Yong
The trigram with the moving line is Yong. The other is Ti. Compare their elements.
Build the nuclear hexagram
Use primary lines two, three and four below, and three, four and five above.
Read the changed hexagram
Flip the moving line and keep the other five lines as they are.
Follow the cast from 7, 2 and Mao
The existing casting code computes this example. Check each remainder, line and hexagram before considering an interpretation.
Find the upper trigram
7 divided by 8 leaves 7. Trigram 7 is Gen (Mountain).
Find the lower trigram
2 divided by 8 leaves 2. Trigram 2 is Dui (Lake). Together they form Sun · Decrease.
Read the hour ordinal
The recorded Hong Kong time falls in the Mao hour, ordinal 4. Zi is 1 and Hai is 12; both early and late Zi use 1.
Locate the moving line
7 + 2 + 4 = 13. Dividing by 6 leaves 1. The moving line is 1, counted from the bottom. A zero remainder means line 6.
Separate Ti and Yong
Line 1 is in the lower trigram, which is Yong, Dui (Lake) (Metal). The upper trigram is Ti, Gen (Mountain) (Earth). In the five-element cycle, Earth generates Metal. Ti supports Yong. Keep this original Ti when comparing the nuclear and changed hexagrams.
Build the nuclear hexagram
Read primary lines 2, 3 and 4 as the lower trigram, Zhen (Thunder). Lines 3, 4 and 5 form the upper trigram, Kun (Earth). The result is Fu · Return.
Flip one line
Flip primary line 1 from Yang to Yin. Keep the other five lines. The changed hexagram is Meng · Clouded Sight. Ti remains Gen (Mountain).
Count lines from the bottom
Line 1 moves in this example. The lower Dui (Lake) trigram is Yong; the upper Gen (Mountain) trigram is Ti. Keep this primary Ti, Gen (Mountain) Earth, when comparing the nuclear and changed hexagrams.
| Line | Primary | Changed | Primary Ti-Yong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang, moving | Yin | Lower, Yong |
| 2 | Yang | Yang | Lower, Yong |
| 3 | Yin | Yin | Lower, Yong |
| 4 | Yin | Yin | Upper, Ti |
| 5 | Yin | Yin | Upper, Ti |
| 6 | Yang | Yang | Upper, Ti |
The trigram order for division by eight
This two-number method uses the Early Heaven trigram sequence. A zero remainder counts as eight, selecting Kun.
| Ordinal | Trigram and image | Element |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qian (Heaven) | Metal |
| 2 | Dui (Lake) | Metal |
| 3 | Li (Fire) | Fire |
| 4 | Zhen (Thunder) | Wood |
| 5 | Xun (Wind) | Wood |
| 6 | Kan (Water) | Water |
| 7 | Gen (Mountain) | Earth |
| 8 | Kun (Earth) | Earth |
For a question-based reading of this same example, see Plum Blossom Divination explained. The I Ching casting guide compares number, coin and yarrow methods; their inputs and moving lines differ.
Try two numbers for the current hour
After the fixed example, cast with the Plum Blossom tool. It uses the present Hong Kong double-hour, so the moving line may differ. Read the cast and return to the question you wrote, checking the circumstances you can verify.
To practise locating symbols on a nine-palace chart, try Qi Men Dun Jia practice.
Questions before and after practice
Which casting method do these exercises use?
Two numbers plus the Hong Kong double-hour ordinal. Divide the first number by eight for the upper trigram and the second for the lower, with zero counting as eight. Add both numbers and the hour ordinal, then divide by six for the moving line, with zero counting as six. Calendar-time and three-number methods have their own rules.
What does the fixed example produce?
The numbers are 7 and 2, at 6 am Hong Kong time on 5 September 2026. This is Mao, hour ordinal 4. The primary is Sun · Decrease, hexagram 41. The sum 13 leaves remainder 1 on division by six, so the bottom line moves. The nuclear is Fu · Return, hexagram 24; the changed is Meng · Clouded Sight, hexagram 4.
How are Ti and Yong assigned? Does Ti change in the other hexagrams?
Find the moving line in the primary hexagram. Its trigram is Yong; the other is Ti. In this example, the lower Dui Metal trigram is Yong and the upper Gen Earth trigram is Ti. Earth generates Metal, so Ti generates Yong. This site keeps Ti from the primary when comparing the nuclear and changed hexagrams.
Which lines form the nuclear and changed hexagrams?
For the nuclear hexagram, primary lines two, three and four form the lower trigram; lines three, four and five form the upper. The changed hexagram flips only the moving line, keeping the other five. Count all six lines from bottom to top.
How is progress saved? Can I practise a current cast?
This browser saves answered questions, first results and review times, without a sign-in. Clearing site data or changing browsers starts a new record. The exercises use fixed examples. For a current matter, use the Plum Blossom tool to enter two numbers and cast with the present Hong Kong hour.
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