FAQ
Liu Yao FAQ
Liu Yao is a coin-cast I Ching method that assigns stems and branches to each line. These answers explain how the tool on this site works and the conventions it uses.
Open the tool in another tab to follow along.
01
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How should I phrase my question? | One specific matter, with a time frame if possible: "Will the contract be signed this month?" works better than "How will my life go?". |
| What do the coin results mean? | Heads count 3 and tails 2 in the common convention. |
| Can I use virtual coins? | Yes. |
| What is Na Jia? | The assignment of stems and branches to each line according to the trigrams. |
| What are the six relatives? | Parents, Siblings, Offspring, Wealth and Officer/Ghost, defined by each line's element relative to the palace element. |
| What are shi and ying? | The shi line represents the asker, the ying line the other party or the matter. |
| What does void (旬空) mean? | Branches left without a stem in the decade of the cast day are void; a void line is traditionally read as not yet effective. |
| Can I cast again if I dislike the answer? | Tradition advises against it. |
02
Key terms
- HexagramA hexagram is a figure of six lines, each solid (yang) or broken (yin), built from two trigrams.
- Changing LineA changing (moving) line is an old yang or old yin that flips to its opposite, producing the changed hexagram.
- Na JiaNa Jia assigns stems and branches to each line of a hexagram according to its trigrams.
- Void EmptinessEach ten-day "decade" (旬) of the sixty cycle leaves two branches without a stem; these are void (空亡) for pillars in that decade.
03
Practising with Liu Yao
The fastest way to understand Liu Yao is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Liu Yao appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.
- Compare two or three charts where Liu Yao is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
- Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
- Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
- Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.
Different schools describe Liu Yao with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.
04
A suggested study path
Liu Yao is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.
- Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
- Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
- Read the Ten Gods in context.
- Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
- Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.
05
Scope
Charts on this site use the published rule set: true solar time by default, the year changes at 立春 (Start of Spring), months change at the 12 节 solar terms and the day changes at 23:00. Example charts below are computed live by the same engine.
BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.
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