Traditional Chinese Six-Line Divination Method

Six Lines divination is an I Ching method that interprets changes in a hexagram’s six lines to forecast matters of heaven, earth, and human affairs. It is an integral part of the I Ching and is commonly described as divination or fortune-telling.

In addition to Six Lines divination, the I Ching also includes several widely used applications, such as:

• Feng Shui;
• Qimen Dunjia;
• Da Liu Ren;
• Plum Blossom Numerology.

When it comes to divination and fortune-telling, some people respond with scorn or contempt. Yet the origins of the I Ching are closely tied to divination. In fact, this connection helped the I Ching survive Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s book burnings and later spread widely, gaining international renown. While scholars through the ages recognize that the I Ching is vast and profound and not limited to divination, we should not treat divination itself with disdain. The terms “divination” and “fortune-telling” played a crucial role in the preservation of the I Ching. “A gentleman does not forget kindness; following the principles of the I Ching is the way of the noble.” This is also a virtue the descendants of the Huaxia (Chinese) people should uphold. Those who truly look down on divination need not take offense; everyone has their own path, and no one can be forced. This article is simply a light-hearted commentary.

The core of the I Ching is the eight trigrams, which are inseparable from numbers. The “Shuo Gua” says: “In ancient times, the sages created the I Ching, inspired by the divine and using yarrow stalks, relying on numbers to observe the changes of yin and yang and establish hexagrams.” In antiquity, hexagrams were cast with forty-nine yarrow stalks through repeated divisions, a complex process. By the Han Dynasty, Jing Fang improved the method by replacing yarrow stalks with three coins, greatly simplifying it. In the late Tang Dynasty, Chen Tuan, learning from the Daoist Ma Yi, further refined these methods and authored “Fire Pearl Forest.” During the Ming and Qing dynasties, divination studies advanced further, yielding representative works such as “Comprehensive I Ching Divination,” “Revised I Ching,” and “Authentic Divination.” In modern times, Mr. Shao Weihua’s “I Ching Divination Studies” has once again opened the door to divination.

Why use three coins? Because we “rely on numbers to observe changes in yin and yang and establish hexagrams.” Three represents heaven, the positive extreme; two represents earth, the negative extreme. As Laozi said: “One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things,” which underpins the logic of changing lines in divination.

A common concern about divination is also a source of skepticism. The yin-yang transformations in the I Ching follow natural laws, which human will cannot alter—like the changing seasons, the waxing and waning of the moon, and weather cycles. No matter how advanced science becomes, these natural laws remain beyond human control.

Casting three coins, however, is a human action and can be influenced by intent. People can try to manipulate it to suit their needs. Even without manipulation, the immediate outcome appears to be a fifty-fifty probability—yin or yang, this or that.

Moreover, the yin-yang result of one divination will not necessarily match that of a second or third. So how can one arrive at a consistent conclusion from differing hexagrams and changing lines?

The interpreter replies: “Sincerity brings results!” From this, some conclude: whenever a divination is inaccurate, the diviner must have been insincere—letting various “fortune-tellers” easily absolve themselves of responsibility. This gives skeptics a ready excuse to dismiss divination as mere fortune-telling, fraud, or superstition. In the end, even the I Ching is not spared.

We need to carefully reinterpret “sincerity brings results” to clear up misunderstandings.

• The person seeking the divination must not deceive; the matter in question must actually exist. Do not fabricate or ask about what is not there. (Avoid empty hexagrams)
• Eliminate all doubts and biases. Do not fixate on the diviner’s reputation or skill. (The hexagram corresponds to the person involved—the diviner)
• Concentrate on the specific matter at hand and avoid distractions from other events or outside factors. (Avoid chaotic hexagrams and line patterns)

These requirements for sincerity are not excessive. If the querent meets all three conditions and the result is still inaccurate, then the issue lies with the diviner’s skill. This is mutual responsibility—and it also provides a standard for identifying fraud and superstition.

Some people reject the very foundations of divination. They fall into two groups:

• Those who do not accept the ancient philosophical idea of yin and yang as a unity of opposites and do not understand “three gives birth to all things,” thereby rejecting the teachings of the I Ching.
• Those who accept the above theory but remain skeptical of the artificial conditions set for divination.

This returns us to the principle that everything has its likeness. The movement of yin and yang in the universe is a higher expression of the Dao that both constrains and illuminates all things, symbolized by the Taiji diagram. By the principle that each thing has its own Taiji—vast with nothing outside it, minute with nothing inside it—every object (living or not) has a yin-yang likeness. Three identical coins, with clearly distinguished yin-yang faces, are easy to use. In fact, any three balanced, equivalent objects can serve: leaves, bamboo strips, tiles—anything that can clearly distinguish yin from yang. The choice of objects is therefore impartial, and the objects themselves are part of nature.

Humans are also part of nature, but we possess intellect and consciousness. At times, relying on our cleverness, we ignore nature’s prompting and fail to “resonate” with the chosen objects. For divination to be effective, this “resonance” is essential—hence the requirement for sincerity from the person seeking the divination.

With a fair choice of objects, a sincere querent, and proper casting, applying the analytical methods of the eight trigrams to real situations can yield remarkably accurate results.

This article focuses on methods and techniques for learning divination, the practical points that demand attention, and especially the reasons divination may fail. It also examines issues related to superstition, aiming to adapt ancient wisdom to modern use and to promote China’s ancient culture—honoring heaven and passing it on to future generations. Though we may not always master our desires, it is hoped that readers will continually correct themselves in practice.