Liu Yao: The Three-Coin Method

Liu Yao (六爻, "six lines") casts an I Ching hexagram for one specific question and then reads it with stems, branches and the five elements. It is one of the most systematic forms of I Ching divination: once the hexagram is cast, every line receives a branch, an element, a relative and a spirit by fixed rules. This article walks through the three-coin method from the question to the reading.

Start with the question

Liu Yao answers one question at a time. A good question is specific, concerns the asker, and ideally has a time frame: "Will this contract be signed before the end of the month?" works much better than "How will my career go?". Write the question down before you toss — it decides which line you will read later.

Traditional teaching also asks for a single sincere cast. Repeating the same question until you like the answer defeats the method.

Line values

The classic method uses three coins tossed six times, building the hexagram from the bottom line up. Count heads as 3 and tails as 2, and add the three coins:

The probabilities come from the eight equally likely outcomes of three fair coins: three heads (9) or three tails (6) each occur once, two-and-one combinations three times each. Picking 6–9 with equal chance would not be the three-coin method. The yarrow-stalk method has different probabilities again (old yin is rarer than old yang), which is one reason the two methods are not interchangeable.

Primary and changed hexagram

The six lines form the primary hexagram (本卦). Moving lines (6 and 9) flip to their opposite — old yin becomes yang, old yang becomes yin — to form the changed hexagram (变卦). With no moving lines there is no changed hexagram; the reading is "static". With all six moving, the two hexagrams are opposites.

The primary hexagram describes the present situation; the changed hexagram describes where it is heading; the moving lines are the active parts of the matter.

Na Jia: stems and branches on the lines

What distinguishes Liu Yao from older I Ching reading is Na Jia (纳甲): each line receives a stem and branch according to its trigram. For example, the lines of the 乾 trigram take 子, 寅, 辰 in the lower position and 午, 申, 戌 in the upper. With branches come elements, and with elements the whole apparatus of generating and controlling cycles.

Each hexagram also belongs to one of eight palaces (八宫), named after the pure hexagrams 乾, 坎, 艮, 震, 巽, 离, 坤, 兑. The palace has an element, and every line's element is compared with it to give the line's relative (六亲):

Shi, ying and the six spirits

Within its palace, each hexagram has a position that fixes the shi line (世, the asker) and the ying line (应, the other party or the matter), always three lines apart. The six spirits (六神) — Green Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Hook Chen, Flying Snake, White Tiger and Black Tortoise — are assigned from the day stem of the cast, starting at the bottom line, and add colour to each line.

Month, day and void

Liu Yao reads every line against the month branch (月建) and day pillar (日辰) of the moment of casting. A line supported by the month and day is strong; one clashed by the day may be "dispersed"; one combined may be bound.

Every ten-day decade of the sixty cycle leaves two branches without a stem. Lines carrying these branches are void (旬空) for that cast. A void line is traditionally read as not yet effective — the matter is present but not active — until a later day fills or clashes it.

Reading the cast

A standard sequence:

1. Choose the use god (用神): the line whose relative matches the question — Wealth for money, Officer for career, Parents for documents and housing, Offspring for children and relief from worry, Siblings for peers and competitors.
2. Judge its strength against month and day, moving lines and void.
3. Look at the shi line and its relation to the use god.
4. Read the moving lines: what each changes into, and whether the change helps or hurts the use god.
5. Consider timing: classical texts infer timing from when a void line is filled or a weak line is supported.

This sequence is deliberately mechanical — the same cast should lead two readers to the same basic structure, even if they phrase the conclusion differently.

How the tool works

The Liu Yao tool can toss virtual coins or record your own tosses line by line. The cast time is fixed when you start, so the month and day pillars do not change, and retrying a request never re-tosses. Every field — Na Jia, palace, relatives, spirits, shi and ying, void — is generated by rule and displayed, so you can check it against a textbook.

Liu Yao and Mei Hua

Both methods produce a hexagram, but they read it differently. Mei Hua Yi Shu derives the hexagram from numbers or time and reads the relation between two trigrams; Liu Yao reads individual lines through Na Jia. See Liu Yao vs Mei Hua Yi Shu and the Mei Hua method.

Key points

• Start with one clear, time-bound question.
• Six tosses of three coins give six lines, from the bottom up. Old yin and old yang lines change.
• The primary hexagram shows the situation, and the changed hexagram shows its development.
• Na Jia attaches stems and branches to each line, and the six relations follow from the palace element.
• The shi line represents the querent and the ying line represents the other side.
• Month and day branches set each line's strength, and void lines may be delayed.
• Choose the useful god by the question, then read its strength, its relations and the changing lines.
• Keep a casting journal to learn honestly what the method shows.

Key terms in this article

Hexagram · 卦

A hexagram is a figure of six lines, each solid (yang) or broken (yin), built from two trigrams. There are 64 hexagrams in the I Ching. Liu Yao and Mei Hua Yi Shu both produce a primary hexagram and, through moving lines, a changed one.

Changing Line · 动爻

A changing (moving) line is an old yang or old yin that flips to its opposite, producing the changed hexagram. In the three-coin method, three heads or three tails give a moving line.

Na Jia · 纳甲

Na Jia assigns stems and branches to each line of a hexagram according to its trigrams. From the branches come the six relatives (父母, 兄弟, 子孙, 妻财, 官鬼) relative to the palace element, which is the basis of Liu Yao reading.

Void Emptiness · 空亡

Each ten-day "decade" (旬) of the sixty cycle leaves two branches without a stem; these are void (空亡) for pillars in that decade. In BaZi it is a secondary indicator; in Liu Yao divination void lines are a central technique.

A worked example of the reading steps

Suppose the question is whether a planned job change in the next three months will go smoothly, and the cast produces a primary hexagram with one changing line. The reader first identifies the useful god for the question — for career, usually the Officer line. Next they check that line's element against the month and day branches: is it supported by the season, or weak? Then they look at its relationship to the shi line, which represents the querent. If the Officer line produces or combines with the shi line, the matter is traditionally read as approachable; if it is void or clashed by the day, the reader looks for timing — the matter may develop once the void is filled.

Finally the changing line is read: does it change into an element that supports or damages the useful god? The changed hexagram shows the direction of development, not a separate answer.

Keeping a casting journal

Liu Yao rewards record keeping. For each cast, write down the question exactly, the date and time, the hexagrams, the useful god and your reading. After the matter is resolved, add the outcome. Over months this builds a personal reference far more useful than memorised rules, and it shows honestly where the method helped and where it did not.

Questions that suit Liu Yao

Specific, time-bound questions work best: "Will this contract be signed this month?" rather than "What does my future hold?". Questions about other people's private matters, medical diagnoses or legal outcomes are better taken to the relevant professionals. Liu Yao is a tool for reflection on choices you can actually make.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use physical coins? Yes. Toss them and enter each result in the tool, bottom line first.

What if there are no moving lines? Read the primary hexagram alone; the use god's strength against month and day carries the reading.

How long is a cast valid? Traditionally until the matter resolves; asking again on the same question is discouraged.

Is this a prediction? Liu Yao is a traditional method for reflecting on a question. It is not scientifically validated, and decisions about health, money or law deserve qualified advice. See the Liu Yao FAQ.