I Ching coin method: how to cast with three coins

1. Keep one question and choose your coins

The three-coin I Ching method needs three coins, not six. If you are using physical coins, decide which face is heads and which is tails before you start. YiPhase’s convention counts heads as 3 and tails as 2. Keep that convention for all six throws.

Hold one situation in mind: for example, “What should I understand before following up on this proposal?” Write it down if that helps. You do not need personal names or birth details. See more I Ching question examples.

Our online coin studio uses virtual coins with the same line values and order. You can follow these steps on paper to understand the method; the online studio performs its own virtual throws.

2. Throw three coins and add their values

One throw of all three coins makes one line. The possible totals are 6, 7, 8 and 9. Odd totals draw a solid yang line; even totals draw a broken yin line.

Only 6 and 9 are moving lines, also called changing lines. A 7 or 8 does not move. Mark the number beside each line so you can distinguish a moving yin from a stable yin, or a moving yang from a stable yang.

3. Repeat six times, from the bottom up

1. Record the first throw as line 1, the bottom line.
2. Place the second throw above it as line 2.
3. Continue until throw six becomes line 6, the top line.
4. The bottom three lines form the lower trigram; the top three form the upper trigram.

Your six lines now form the primary hexagram / 本卦. Identify it by its full pattern, not by adding all six totals together. The 64-hexagram library connects each pattern to its Chinese name and original text.

4. Reverse every moving line to form the relating hexagram

Copy the same six positions. Change each 6 from broken to solid, and each 9 from solid to broken. Keep every 7 and 8 as it was. The result is the relating hexagram / 之卦, also called the changed hexagram.

There can be zero to six moving lines. If none moves, keep the primary hexagram; do not invent a second pattern or cast again just to get a change. The rule for which classical passages to read is a separate question from which lines actually change. Read the guide to I Ching changing lines.

A complete six-throw example

Suppose the values, in throw order, are 9, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7. They are shown below in hexagram order, with the last throw at the top.

All six primary lines are yang, so the primary pattern is Qian 乾, Hexagram 1. Only its bottom line reverses. The new lower trigram is Xun, Wind, under upper Qian, Heaven: Gou 姤, Hexagram 44. This is an illustrative cast, not a required or especially lucky result.

5. Read the reasons before deciding what to do

On YiPhase, this same cast first receives a calculated Mei Hua Yi Shu body/use judgment. The result labels the trigrams, their Five Phases and the relationship before and, where applicable, after change. Coins with multiple or no moving lines follow the stated Guanbian edition convention.

Then open the I Ching’s judgment and the selected line passages. In this example, Qian’s first line, “潛龍勿用,” can prompt a question about preparation before acting. That is a teaching application; the line is not proof that your proposal will succeed or fail. Compare it with deadlines, responses and resources you can actually observe.

The initial calculation does not use AI. If you choose a further AI explanation, it uses the same cast and the question you share. Follow the complete first-reading walkthrough.

I Ching coins: common questions

Rules, sources and limits

The heads/tails values, virtual throws and body/use extension described here are the rules implemented in YiPhase’s coin studio. For the example’s classical text, see Zhou Yi: Qian and Gou. They support study of the hexagrams; they are not a modern coin-toss instruction manual.

Prepared by YiPhase with AI assistance and checked against the stated site rules and linked texts. The example is educational material, not a customer outcome. Readings offer traditional reference, not guaranteed predictions or medical, legal or financial advice.