易經 · The 3,000-year-old Chinese oracle, in clear English
The I Ching (Yijing) maps 64 archetypal situations of change — beginnings and standstills, breakthroughs and returns — built from eight trigrams of broken and unbroken lines. Cast the coins, find your hexagram, and read what the oldest book of wisdom says about your question.
One hexagram, chosen for today's date — a small daily practice.
Hexagram 1: The Creative
The Book of Changes (I Ching / Yijing, 易經) began as an oracle-bone divination manual more than three millennia ago and became one of the foundations of Chinese thought. Its system is elegant: eight trigrams (八卦) — Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Water, Mountain, Lake, Fire and Wind — stack in pairs to form 64 hexagrams, each a snapshot of a moment of change. People consult the I Ching on decisions, relationships and timing by casting coins or yarrow stalks and reading the resulting hexagram. Read the full history →
Hold one sincere, specific question. The I Ching answers the situation around your question, so vagueness in, vagueness out.
Throw three coins six times, building your hexagram line by line from the bottom up. Old yang and old yin lines are "changing." The coin method →
Look up your hexagram's Judgment and Image, note any changing lines, and read the second hexagram they point toward. How to read →
Every hexagram with its Chinese name, structure, classical Judgment and Image, and a modern English interpretation. Click any card.
Three lines each: the building blocks of all 64 hexagrams.
The I Ching (Yijing, 易經) or Book of Changes is a 3,000-year-old Chinese classic used for divination and reflection. It consists of 64 hexagrams — six-line figures built from eight trigrams — each naming an archetypal situation and how to act within it. Start with the beginner guide.
Hold a sincere question, cast three coins six times to build a hexagram from the bottom line up, then read that hexagram's Judgment and Image and its interpretation for your situation. Our step-by-step guide walks through every step.
Traditionally the coin side with four characters counts as 3 points (heads) and the plainer side with two characters counts as 2 points (tails). Throw three coins and add: a total of 6, 7, 8 or 9 decides each line. See the coin method explained.
When a coin toss totals 6 (old yin) or 9 (old yang) that line is changing and flips into its opposite, pointing you to a second hexagram that shows where the situation is heading. Full explanation: changing lines.
Yes — our three-coin casting runs entirely in your browser: no account, no tracking, instant result with both hexagrams when changing lines appear.