I-Ching (易经) 64 hexagram lookup. Each 卦 with line pattern, Chinese name + pinyin, upper/lower trigrams, and modern reading. Includes coin-cast simulation. Cultural reference only.
I-Ching 64 Hexagrams (易经六十四卦)
How to use
Lookup by number
Enter 1-64 to retrieve a specific hexagram. E.g. "1" = Creative, "63" = After Completion.
Lookup by name
Enter "乾", "qian", or "creative" — Chinese name, pinyin, or English all work.
Random hexagram
Click "🎲 Random" to pull one of the 64 at random.
Coin-cast divination
Click "🪙 Cast coins" — simulates the classical 3-coin toss × 6 lines yarrow-stalk-approximation method.
I-Ching: China\'s Oldest Wisdom Book
The I-Ching (《易经》, "Book of Changes", yìjīng) is one of China\'s oldest texts. Its core was compiled approximately 1000-700 BCE (Western Zhou to Spring-and-Autumn periods); Confucius (551-479 BCE) and his school added the philosophical commentaries known as the "Ten Wings" (《易传》). Originally a divination manual, it grew into the source of Chinese philosophy, influencing Confucianism, Daoism, the Yin-Yang school, traditional medicine, martial arts, and the arts.
The eight trigrams and 64 hexagrams
The core of the I-Ching is the "eight trigrams" (八卦, bāguà), representing eight elemental states: Heaven (乾), Earth (坤), Thunder (震), Wind (巽), Water (坎), Fire (离), Mountain (艮), Lake (兑). Combining the eight trigrams in pairs produces the 64 hexagrams. Each hexagram has 6 lines, each line being either yin (broken) or yang (solid). These 64 patterns are said to encompass all fundamental modes of human and natural change.
Divination methods
Two traditional divination methods: (1) Yarrow-stalk casting: a complex 50-stalk procedure described in the Great Commentary of the Zhou Yi. (2) Three-coin method: three coins tossed six times, each toss producing one line based on heads/tails. This tool\'s "Cast coins" button simulates the second method.
Modern significance
The I-Ching is not really a "future-prediction" tool — it\'s a framework for analysing one\'s current situation. Carl Jung reintroduced it to 20th-century Western philosophy. Business consulting, psychotherapy, and decision science have all drawn from its conceptual framework. East Asian businesspeople (especially in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia) often treat it as a "soft decision-making tool" — not relied upon, but consulted.
This tool\'s judgments and interpretations are based on public-domain text (original ~2,500+ years old) and modern academic consensus. Cultural and educational reference only.
10 Facts about the I-Ching
The I-Ching is "the first of the Confucian classics". In the Four Books and Five Classics, the I-Ching (also known as the Zhou Yi) is regarded as the source of all others — its concepts are repeatedly cited in the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean.
The mathematical elegance of the 64 hexagrams: 8 basic trigrams (2³) combined pairwise = 64 (2⁶). This is arguably the world's first binary system — the 17th-century German philosopher Leibniz discovered that the I-Ching's binary structure matched the binary mathematics he was developing.
The I-Ching's primary text is remarkably brief. Each hexagram has only ~50-100 characters of judgment + 6 line statements. The later "Ten Wings" commentaries added 6,000+ characters of philosophical interpretation. This tool offers a simplified modern reading.
Carl Jung wrote the foreword to the 1949 Wilhelm/Baynes English translation. Jung introduced the I-Ching's concept of "synchronicity" into Western psychology.
The 乾 (Creative) and 坤 (Receptive) hexagrams (1 and 2) are the cosmic poles. 乾 represents Heaven, pure yang, creativity; 坤 represents Earth, pure yin, receptivity. The Chinese phrase 乾坤 ("heaven and earth", "everything") comes from these two hexagrams.
The character 易 carries three meanings: simplicity (简易), change (变易), and unchangeability (不易). Behind seemingly endless change lies unchanging principle — the I-Ching's core philosophical thesis.
The I-Ching profoundly shaped Chinese martial arts and medicine. The Taiji (yin-yang) diagram derives from the I-Ching's "waxing and waning of yin-yang". Traditional Chinese medicine's five-elements theory interlocks with the hexagrams. Martial artists often say "internal cultivation methods" echo the hexagrams.
Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong still occasionally consult the I-Ching as an aid in life decisions. Business openings, wedding dates, and other significant choices may include a "consultation of the hexagram" for some traditional families.
The I-Ching in the West: the 1949 Wilhelm/Baynes English translation (Cary F. Baynes from Wilhelm's German) is the most influential Western version. Bob Dylan, John Cage (composer, who used the I-Ching to select notes), and Philip K. Dick (sci-fi writer) all drew inspiration from it.
Pairs with RT-CHN-001 (Bazi), RT-CHN-007 (Zodiac Compatibility), RT-CHN-018 (Name Strokes), and RT-CHN-044 (Tea Brewing) — the complete traditional Chinese culture toolset.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. The I-Ching is not a "future prediction" tool — it's a framework for analysing the present. Divination results reflect current states and trends, not prophecy. Carl Jung called this "synchronicity".
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Entry level only. The tool's judgments and interpretations are simplified modern paraphrases. A complete traditional reading would consult the Zhouyi Zhengyi, the Ten Wings, Cheng Yi's commentary, and Li Guangdi's synthesis. This tool is a starting point, not the destination.
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This is the traditional method. The three-coin × six tosses approach is a simplification of the yarrow-stalk method, widely used since the Song dynasty. Its "accuracy" concept lies not in statistics but in symbolic meaning — the goal of divination is reflection, not measurement. The tool's coin simulation uses cryptographic random.
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Traditional advice: (1) Pose specific questions — not "Will this year be good?" but "Should I take this job offer?" (2) Cast with reverence. (3) Don't repeat the same question. (4) Treat the judgment as a starting point for reflection, not as an answer.
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The eight trigrams are 3-line combinations of yin and yang. Each line is yin or yang, so 3 lines = 2³ = 8 combinations. E.g. Heaven (☰) = yang-yang-yang; Earth (☷) = yin-yin-yin; Thunder (☳) = yin-yin-yang (bottom line is yang).
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The "King Wen sequence" is the most canonical ordering, starting with 乾 (1, Creative), 坤 (2, Receptive) and ending with 既济 (63, After Completion), 未济 (64, Before Completion). Said to have been arranged by King Wen of Zhou during his imprisonment. Other orderings exist (Shao Yong's binary diagram, the "hexagram sequence song" for memorisation). This tool uses King Wen sequence.
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No. Each hexagram fits a specific moment and situation. The "Creative" (乾) is a good time, but if the present requires waiting, it's mistimed. Fitting the time and position is the key.
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The I-Ching analyses the current situation (you can consult anytime). Bazi reads individual destiny (based on birth time, fixed for life). Different purposes — bazi for long-term, I-Ching for immediate. Pairs well with RT-CHN-001 (Bazi).
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No (under "true random" implementation). Same time, but each person's "question" differs, so each gets a different hexagram. This is the I-Ching's "synchronicity" thesis — the hexagram reflects the asker's situation, not cosmic time.
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Public domain. The 64 hexagrams' primary text comes from the Zhou Yi (compiled 1000-700 BCE, public domain for 2,500+ years). Modern readings synthesise Legge, Wilhelm, Lynn, and other authoritative translations + Chinese academic consensus. This tool offers a simplified presentation; for serious study, consult professional editions.
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