The most exact method of reading in the I Ching
Cast a six-line hexagram with automatic Nạp Giáp 納甲, the Six Relatives 六親, the Thế 世 and Ứng 應 lines and the Governing Line 用神, and measure its strength against the month and the day for a detailed reading of each matter. Save a record, compare readings, and print to A4.
Settle the mind on one clear question, choose the right area, then cast. One matter should take one hexagram, so that the response holds.
Understand each part of the board and you can read the fortune and the direction of events quickly.
Five roles are assigned to the lines: Phụ Mẫu 父母 governs documents and property, Huynh Đệ 兄弟 governs rivalry and hindered means, Tử Tôn 子孫 governs children and blessing, Thê Tài 妻財 governs money, and Quan Quỷ 官鬼 governs office and illness.
The Thế 世 line stands for the questioner, and the Ứng 應 line for the other party or the circumstances. How they generate or control one another shows who is acting and who is being acted upon.
The line that stands for the very matter you are asking about. If the Governing Line is strong and is generated by the month and the day, the matter succeeds. If it is weak, falls in the Tuần Không 旬空 void, or is controlled, the matter is difficult.
A moving line is an old Yang or an old Yin. It is marked with a circle for a moving Yang and a cross for a moving Yin, and it changes into the Resulting Hexagram 變卦, which shows where events are heading.
Choosing the right Governing Line is the most important step. The table below sets out which of the Six Relatives serves as the Governing Line for the matters most often asked.
| The matter asked | The Governing Line 用神 | What it means when strong |
|---|---|---|
| Seeking means, trade, investment | Thê Tài 妻財 | Money comes in, profit runs smoothly |
| Seeking office, examinations, litigation | Quan Quỷ 官鬼 | A title is gained, the case is sound, the suit is won |
| Children, health, deliverance from harm | Tử Tôn 子孫 | Peace, blessing, danger passed safely |
| Property, documents, contracts, study | Phụ Mẫu 父母 | Documents go through, the dwelling is settled, study advances |
| Partnership, siblings, competition | Huynh Đệ 兄弟 | There is support, but the means are easily divided |
Plum Blossom reads quickly by Thể 體 and Dụng 用 and the images of the hexagram, which suits an urgent matter. Liu Yao 六爻 lays out a detailed board with Nạp Giáp 納甲, the Six Relatives 六親, the Thế 世 and Ứng 應 lines and the Governing Line 用神, and measures strength against the month and the day, giving a more concrete and more exact answer for a particular matter.
The tool builds the board by the classical Nạp Giáp 納甲 method, so the casting itself is accurate. The reading follows the Bốc Phệ Chính Tông 卜筮正宗 closely. The result is for guidance and reference, and does not replace your own judgement and your reading of the real situation.
Liu Yao 六爻 suits concrete matters with a clear outcome: seeking means, closing a contract, a partnership, litigation, examinations, marriage, finding a person, waiting for news. The clearer the question, the closer the reading.
A moving line is one that came up as an old Yang or an old Yin, showing what is in the course of changing. A moving line turns into its opposite, forming the Resulting Hexagram 變卦, which shows where the matter is heading.
The Tuần Không 旬空 is the pair of Branches left empty within a ten-day cycle. When the Governing Line or another important line falls in the void, the matter does not answer yet; usually it must wait until the cycle passes or until the day that fills the void.
This tool is for reference and for the study of I Ching culture. The result does not replace personal decisions or professional advice in weighty matters.