I Ching · Book of Changes

A Guide to I Ching Coin Casting

The three-coin method is the most widely practiced way to cast an I Ching reading. It takes about two minutes, needs only three coins, and produces one of the 64 hexagrams — the same symbolic vocabulary the oracle has used for three thousand years.

What you need

Three coins of the same denomination. Traditional Chinese practice uses round bronze coins with a square hole, but any modern coin works. Decide before you begin which face counts as yang (heads, value 3) and which as yin (tails, value 2).

Ask a clear question

The I Ching answers what you actually ask. Sit quietly, hold your question in mind, and phrase it in the open form — "What should I understand about …" rather than a yes/no. The clarity of the answer mirrors the clarity of the question.

Cast six lines, from the bottom up

Toss all three coins together. Add their values:

• 6 — old yin, a broken changing line (⚋ →)
• 7 — young yang, a solid line (⚊)
• 8 — young yin, a broken line (⚋)
• 9 — old yang, a solid changing line (⚊ →)

Record the line, then toss again. Repeat six times. The first toss is the bottom line of the hexagram; each new toss stacks on top.

Read the primary hexagram

Six lines form your primary hexagram — the situation as it stands. Look it up by its trigrams (the lower three lines and the upper three) and read the Judgment and Image texts. This is the frame the oracle offers for your question.

Follow the changing lines

Any line that came up as a 6 or a 9 is a changing line — it is at a turning point and flips to its opposite. Flip each changing line to build a second hexagram: the direction the situation is moving toward. The pair reads as now becoming next.

Casting online with Gua Gua

Gua Gua's free online I Ching oracle performs exactly this method. The app tosses three virtual coins six times, records the values, draws your primary and changing hexagrams, and shows the classical text alongside a plain-language interpretation. The randomness comes from your device — the ritual is preserved, the bookkeeping is done for you.

Ready to try it? Cast a reading on the home page.

A note on interpretation

The I Ching is a mirror, not a fortune. Treat the reading as a lens on your situation — the value is in the reflection it prompts, not in prediction. The coins are a way to slow down long enough to hear yourself think.