Plum Blossom · One Cast
Two offhand numbers set this moment down as a hexagram.
One matter, two offhand numbers, one cast.
How this hexagram is derived
- The first number sets the upper trigram. Divide it by eight and take the remainder, mapped to Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, Kun in the primal sequence; a remainder of zero counts as eight, which is Kun.
- The second number sets the lower trigram. Same division. The upper trigram sits outside, the lower inside; stacked together they form the primary hexagram.
- Both numbers plus the hour set the moving line. The traditional day runs on twelve double-hours; Zi is the first, Hai the twelfth. Add the two numbers to the hour's ordinal, divide by six, and the remainder names the moving line; zero counts as six.
- The moving line flips into the changed hexagram. Invert that one line from yang to yin or back, and the primary hexagram becomes the changed one: the direction the matter is heading.
- The middle four lines stack into the nuclear hexagram. Lines two to four form the lower trigram, three to five the upper. This is the middle passage of the matter, the part you tend to see last.
- Ti and Yong set the main line of the reading. The trigram holding the moving line is Yong, the matter and its circumstances; the still one is Ti, you. The five-element relation between them is what the cast has to say.
Everything above is fixed arithmetic with no AI in the loop. The hour is calculated in Hong Kong time, so the same numbers entered in the same double-hour always yield the same hexagram. You can check every remainder yourself against the steps shown under the cast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mei Hua Yi Shu?
Mei Hua Yi Shu, often rendered Plum Blossom Numerology, is a number-based method of casting an I Ching hexagram. The tradition attributes it to the Song dynasty scholar Shao Yong. Two numbers plus the current double-hour form the hexagram. The reading then follows the primary, nuclear, and changed hexagrams, together with the five-element relation between Ti and Yong.
How do I pick the two numbers?
Any two numbers that surface on their own will do. Hold the matter in your mind first and let the numbers come; avoid birthdays, lucky numbers, or ID digits chosen on purpose. The first number sets the upper trigram, the second the lower, and both feed the moving line.
What are Ti and Yong?
The trigram holding the moving line is Yong: the matter, the other party, the circumstances. The still trigram is Ti: you. Each carries one of the five elements, and their relation is the spine of the reading. Yong feeding Ti is the smoothest; accord between them is steady; Ti overcoming Yong succeeds at extra cost; Ti feeding Yong drains you; Yong overcoming Ti says this is the wrong moment to push.
Why the nuclear and changed hexagrams?
The primary hexagram is the matter as it stands. The nuclear hexagram, built from the middle four lines, is the passage you have yet to see through. The changed hexagram, made by flipping the moving line, is where the matter is heading. Read alone, the primary hexagram freezes a moment; read together, the three show a direction.
Who was Shao Yong?
Shao Yong (1011–1077) was a Northern Song philosopher associated with systems of I Ching cosmology. Mei Hua Yi Shu is traditionally attributed to him. In a well-known story from the received text, he casts after seeing sparrows fight over a plum branch.
How is this different from a standard I Ching reading?
Classic casting builds a hexagram slowly with yarrow stalks or coins and reads the received line texts. Mei Hua trades that ceremony for speed: numbers and the hour form the hexagram at once, and the reading leans on trigram imagery and the Ti-Yong relation rather than on the line texts. It suits a matter that just surfaced and wants a quick structural look.
Can I cast again on the same question?
One matter, one cast is the rule of this method. Several casts on the same wording can leave you comparing answers instead of reading the first one carefully. If the situation has changed, put that change into a narrower question before casting again.
What is free, and what is paid?
Casting is free, with no sign-in. You can see the primary, nuclear, and changed hexagrams, the Ti-Yong reading, and the arithmetic behind every remainder. The full reading is a one-time $2.99 unlock. It connects Ti and Yong to your question, follows the three hexagrams from the present situation to what comes next, and gives you a timing window and one step to take today. One payment, no subscription.