I Ching coin oracle Kinh Dịch · the Book of Changes
The I Ching, Kinh Dịch in Vietnamese, is the ancient Book of Changes. Hold a question in mind, toss three coins six times, and the result builds a hexagram from the bottom up. Each hexagram comes with a short modern summary written by our team.
Heads count 3 and tails 2. The total of each toss gives one line: 6 changing Yin, 7 Yang, 8 Yin, 9 changing Yang. Lines build from the bottom.
How the three-coin method works
The coin method is the most popular way to consult the I Ching today. You toss three coins together six times. Heads are worth three and tails two, so each toss totals six, seven, eight or nine. Seven is a solid Yang line and eight a broken Yin line. Six and nine are “old” lines that are about to change into their opposite: these changing lines are the most personal part of a reading. The first toss gives the bottom line, the sixth toss the top line.
The six lines form your primary hexagram, which describes the present situation. If any lines are changing, flip them to get the relating hexagram, which shows where things are heading. Each hexagram is made of two trigrams, such as Heaven over Earth or Water over Fire, and the tool also shows the nuclear hexagram hidden in lines two to five.
Asking a good question
The I Ching responds best to open questions about your own situation: “What should I understand about…?” or “What attitude helps me with…?” work better than yes-or-no questions or questions about other people’s private lives. Write the question down, stay calm while you toss, and ask each question only once. Reading the result, notice which images and phrases resonate rather than looking for a literal prediction.
The I Ching in Vietnam
In Vietnamese, the Book of Changes is Kinh Dịch, and divination with it is called bói Dịch or gieo quẻ. Alongside coins, Vietnamese practitioners often use the Mai Hoa method, which builds a hexagram from the lunar date and hour, and the Lục Hào method that assigns stems, branches and family relations to each line. Our Vietnamese I Ching page offers these methods. The hexagram summaries on this page are original, modern paraphrases of each hexagram’s traditional theme, not a translation of any particular edition.
All 64 hexagrams (number, pinyin and English name)
- Qian · The Creative
- Kun · The Receptive
- Zhun · Difficulty at the Beginning
- Meng · Youthful Folly
- Xu · Waiting
- Song · Conflict
- Shi · The Army
- Bi · Holding Together
- Xiao Chu · Small Taming
- Lü · Treading
- Tai · Peace
- Pi · Standstill
- Tong Ren · Fellowship
- Da You · Great Possession
- Qian · Modesty
- Yu · Enthusiasm
- Sui · Following
- Gu · Repairing the Spoiled
- Lin · Approach
- Guan · Contemplation
- Shi He · Biting Through
- Bi · Grace
- Bo · Splitting Apart
- Fu · Return
- Wu Wang · Innocence
- Da Chu · Great Taming
- Yi · Nourishment
- Da Guo · Great Exceeding
- Kan · The Abysmal
- Li · The Clinging
- Xian · Influence
- Heng · Duration
- Dun · Retreat
- Da Zhuang · Great Power
- Jin · Progress
- Ming Yi · Darkening of the Light
- Jia Ren · The Family
- Kui · Opposition
- Jian · Obstruction
- Xie · Deliverance
- Sun · Decrease
- Yi · Increase
- Guai · Breakthrough
- Gou · Coming to Meet
- Cui · Gathering Together
- Sheng · Pushing Upward
- Kun · Oppression
- Jing · The Well
- Ge · Revolution
- Ding · The Cauldron
- Zhen · The Arousing
- Gen · Keeping Still
- Jian · Development
- Gui Mei · The Marrying Maiden
- Feng · Abundance
- Lü · The Wanderer
- Xun · The Gentle
- Dui · The Joyous
- Huan · Dispersion
- Jie · Limitation
- Zhong Fu · Inner Truth
- Xiao Guo · Small Exceeding
- Ji Ji · After Completion
- Wei Ji · Before Completion
Frequently asked questions
Is the result random?
Yes. Each virtual coin uses your browser’s cryptographic random number generator, which is as unpredictable as tossing real coins. The traditional view is that chance at the moment of asking reflects the moment itself.
What does it mean if no lines are changing?
The situation is relatively settled. Read the primary hexagram as the whole answer, with no relating hexagram.
Can I ask the same question again?
Traditionally no. Asking again because you do not like the answer is described in hexagram 4 as muddying the waters. Reflect on the first reading, or ask a different, more specific question.
Can I use real coins?
Of course. Toss three coins, count heads as 3 and tails as 2, and note each total from the bottom line up. You can compare your result with the hexagram list on this page.
Are these the traditional texts?
No. Each summary is our own short modern interpretation of the hexagram’s traditional theme. For study, consult a full translation of the Book of Changes.
Is my question stored anywhere?
No. The question box is only for your own focus; it never leaves your device and is not saved.