a line with the value of six, representing the yin at its zenith. This yin is old and will change into yang. In the other two lines, the yin and yang forces are still in ascendancy, so there is no change.
It will be easy to understand why one inscribed or tail (yin) side will take precedence over the two other blank or head (yang) sides in determining whether the hexagram line is yin (broken) or yang (solid), if one regards the inscribed or tail side as the female and the other as the male. When one woman is in the company of two men, she controls the situation. Likewise, two women in the company of one man are under his control. Thus, the one blank or head coin will take precedence over the others and the line determined by the throw will be yang.
The following list will simplify the interpretation of lines.
| H= | Head or blank side=3 |
| T= | Tail or inscribed side=2 |
| H+H+H=9= | Changing yang line (solid line changing into broken) |
| T+T+T=6= | Changing yin line (broken line changing into solid) |
| H+T+T=7= | Youn g yang line (solid) |
| T+H+H=8= | Youn g yin line (broken) |
A changing yang line is written and a changing yin line is written A young yin is written —— —— and a young yang line is written —————. When throwing for the hexagram it is a good idea to keep a record of the lines as you build the hexagram. Any method convenient will do. For illustration here we will use these time-honored symbols for the lines.
EXAMPLE: On the first toss the coins come up one yang and two yin (one blank or head side and two inscribed or tail sides). The number value is seven and is written—————. The second toss results in three yin (all inscribed or tails). The number value is six and is written. The third toss results in one yin and two yang (one inscribed or tail side and two blank or head sides). The number value is eight and is written —— ——. The fourth toss is the same as the third, —— ——. The fifth toss results in three yang (all three coins blank or head). The number value is nine and is written . The sixth and last toss comes up the same as the first and is written —————. The hexagram formed is No. 42 I (Increase). This is the starting situation.
If lines two and five, counting from the bottom, are changed, the resulting hexagram will give the future situation. In this case an old yin line is changed to a yang and an old yang line is changed into a yin. This is hexagram No. 41 Sun (Decrease). Thus the situation at the time of the throwing is represented by Increase and all this hexagram symbolizes while future developments will go in accord with what Decrease symbolizes. If no changing lines appear, then the situation covered by the hexagram in question will provide you with the answer to your question.
This method of tossing coins to build hexagrams is the easiest and most popular method of consulting the oracle. The difficulty in consulting the oracle lies in the problem of how to interpret the hexagram and corresponding texts. Masters combine their profound knowledge of the I-Ching and its tradition with the principles of the Five Elements, Twelve Zodiacal Places, and Ten Celestial Stems. Interpretation has been and still is the key to accurate use of the oracle. Our introduction provides twenty basic situations with answers or the basics necessary for arriving at an answer. Also given are the characteristics of the Eight Trigrams and the 64 Hexagrams. Studying these linear complexes will provide an understanding of the nature of their symbolic values.
The Question and Interpretation
First decide on your question. The more specific you make it the better. For instance, to ask "Will I get rich?" is too hazy. It is better to ask "Will I succeed in X business?" or "Will I get wealthy by doing X business?" Also, "either-or" questions are to be avoided. To ask whether it is better to go east or west is not the right kind of question. It is better to ask "What will happen if I go east?" A few sample questions show the precise frame needed.
If X is done, what will be the result?
In X situation, is it wise to proceed with project Y?
In how many days (weeks, months, years) will it be possible to accomplish X?
Perhaps the most common question asked by I-Ching users is whether a certain endeavor or situation will turn out favorably or not. "Is it favorable for me to do X?" The answers looked for in the Chinese are chi or li, both meaning favorable, auspicious and propitious, and hsiung, meaning unfavorable or adverse.
It is best to first calm yourself, concentrate on the question, and then throw the coins. When the hexagram is built, turn to the appropriate hexagram number in Part Three after finding its number in the chart on page 21. Read the general explanation of the hexagram and the fortune and then try to fit your question into one of the remaining 19 categories. Your question may fit into more than one category. In the instance where it does not fit under any of the categories, you can determine an answer by checking the two component trigrams in Part Two and carefully reading the characteristics of the hexagram. If changing lines are present in your hexagram, be sure to consult both the original and the resulting hexagrams, remembering that the former refers to the present while the latter refers to possibilities in the future.
In addition to the upper and lower trigrams, the hexagrams also contain two "inner" or "nuclear" trigrams. These too are important in interpreting answers. The easiest way to show these trigrams is by diagram.
The nuclear trigrams are lines two, three, and four (counting from the bottom) forming trigram Sun and lines three, four, and five forming trigram Ch'ien These two trigrams combined form Hexagram 44, Kuo (Coming to meet). Thus, in addition to looking at trigrams Tui and Ken which are the component parts of Hexagram 31, and at the hexagram itself, one must keep in mind all meanings, images, and associations of the two nuclear trigrams and the resulting hexagram. In this case the resulting hexagram Kuo has the meaning of intercourse or contact between man and woman, giving hexagram Hsien the meaning of contact between the sexes. For marriage, then, Hsien is auspicious.
It is hoped that these categories will be sufficient for your purposes. When they are not, remember to look also at the nuclear trigrams when determining your answer.
There is one more thing to remember. Tradition maintains that the answers provided by the hexagrams and the subsequent interpretation are accurate only if the user is calm and collected when consulting the oracle, when his life is not extremely reckless, and when no ulterior motives, such as desire for fast money, exist. The number of men and women who frequently use the I-Ching is large and growing. This number even includes the distinguished Chinese Nobel Prize laureate physicists Tsung Tso-lee and Chen Ning-yang (1957) and the Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1947. All three have written that they regularly consult the I-Ching at each step of their research.
Further Reading
This book is an introduction. After familiarity is gained the reader will want to go beyond our scope. Two English translations of the I-Ching are readily available. James Legge, the translator of numerous Chinese classics, completed his rendering of the I-Ching into English in 1882. Originally called "The Yi-King" and published as vol. 16 of The Sacred Books of the East (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1882), Legge's work was reprinted by University Books, New Hyde Park, New York, 1964, with an "Introduction and Study Guide" by
