☯️ 六爻占卜

Six Lines Divination — Cast coins and reveal your answer

六爻 · 纳甲 · 用神分析

What is Liu Yao?

Liu Yao (六爻), meaning "Six Lines," is a Chinese divination method that uses three coins cast six times to produce a hexagram (卦) of six lines. Each line is either Yin (broken — —) or Yang (solid ———). When all three coins land as heads (3 heads) or all as tails (3 tails), that line becomes a "changing line" (变爻), which transforms into its opposite to produce a second hexagram. The system then uses the Na Jia (纳甲) method to map Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to each line, and the Six Relations (六亲) to interpret the relationship between the question and the answer.

History & Origin

Liu Yao traces its origins to the I Ching (易经), one of the oldest Chinese texts dating back over 3,000 years. The coin-casting method (铜钱法) replaced the older yarrow stalk method during the Han Dynasty, making divination more accessible. The Na Jia system (纳甲) was developed by Jing Fang (京房) in the Western Han Dynasty (77–37 BCE), mapping the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches to the lines of each hexagram. This innovation transformed the I Ching from a philosophical text into a practical divination tool with precise analytical methods that are still used today.

How to Use This Reading

1. Form a clear question — Liu Yao works best with specific, focused questions rather than vague inquiries.

2. Select your Yong Shen (用神) — This is the key element representing your question. For career/authority questions, choose 官鬼; for wealth, choose 妻财; for exams/support, choose 父母; for creativity/health, choose 子孙; for peers, choose 兄弟.

3. Set your yao lines — Use the coin buttons to build your hexagram from bottom (初爻) to top (上爻). Or think of it as casting 3 coins × 6 throws.

4. Read the result layers — Original hexagram (本卦) shows the current situation; Changed hexagram (变卦) shows the outcome; Nuclear hexagram (互卦) reveals hidden influences.

5. Judge strong vs. weak — Lines are evaluated based on the month and day of casting. A strong Yong Shen line that is supported by the month/day is favorable.

Key Terminology

纳甲 Na Jia— System mapping Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to hexagram lines, providing elemental and temporal context

用神 Yong Shen— The key element (六亲) that represents the subject of your question; the focus of the entire reading

变爻 Changing Line— A line that transforms (Yin↔Yang), producing the Changed hexagram and showing dynamics

世应 Shi-Ying— Self line (世) and Object line (应), representing the querent and the question's subject

Six Relations (六亲)

父母 Parents — Support, protection, education, documents, contracts, property

兄弟 Peers — Competition, colleagues, friends, siblings, expenses

子孙 Offspring — Creativity, health, happiness, solutions, dispelling negative energy

妻财 Wealth — Money, income, material resources, wife (for male querent)

官鬼 Authority — Career, position, authority, husband (for female querent), illness, trouble

Interpretation Tips

✦ The Yong Shen (用神) is the heart of the reading. Identify it correctly, then judge whether it is strong or weak under the month and day of casting.

✦ Strong Yong Shen = favorable outcome. If the Yong Shen is supported by the month/day elements and not attacked by other lines, the answer leans positive.

✦ Changing lines reveal dynamics. They show what is actively transforming in the situation — the most important lines to read.

✦ Read 本卦 as present, 变卦 as outcome. The original hexagram shows current conditions; the changed hexagram shows where things are heading.

✦ 空亡 (Void) means unrealized potential. A void line's influence is suspended — it may manifest later when the void is "filled."