The question sets the boundary
Liuyao, 六爻 (liùyáo, “Six Lines” or Six-Yao divination), usually serves one relatively clear question. Before casting, record the question, time and real-world context. Avoid repeatedly casting after an unwanted result or changing the original question after the fact.
How the hexagram is formed
Six lines are arranged from bottom to top to form the primary hexagram. A line that changes is called a changing line, dòngyáo (动爻), and the changes produce the transformed hexagram. Traditional methods may use coins, yarrow stalks, time or another procedure; a case record should state which method was used.
Common analytical elements
A Liuyao reading may use the Self and Response positions, shìyìng (世应), including the Self Line, shìyáo (世爻), and Response Line, yìngyáo (应爻); the Six Relations, liùqīn (六亲); the Six Spirits, liùshén (六神); month construction, day branch, Void, strength, generating and controlling relationships, clashes and combinations. Different authors translate these terms differently. The relevant key significator, yòngshén (用神), depends on the question, so a hexagram name cannot be judged in isolation.
Primary hexagram, changing lines and transformed hexagram
The primary hexagram can be treated as the current structure, the changing lines as the focus of movement, and the transformed hexagram as a picture of relationships after the change. This is only an introduction; a formal judgment still needs the key significator, Self and Response positions and time conditions.
Common mistakes
- Asking a question that is too broad
- casting repeatedly within a short time
- reading only the hexagram statement instead of the Six-Line rules
- working backward from a known result
- ignoring month, day and Void factors
- or using one hexagram to make a certain medical, legal or investment decision.
Study and record keeping
Begin with the trigrams, sixty-four hexagrams, line arrangement, Six Relations and Self and Response positions, then study strength, key significators and changing relationships. When reading 《增删卜易》 (Zēngshān Bǔyì, often rendered “Expanded and Revised Divination”) or 《卜筮正宗》 (Bǔshì Zhèngzōng, often rendered “The Orthodox Tradition of Divination”), place historical cases in their original context and record your own judgments and later feedback.