What Liu Yao is, starting from a line
Liu Yao, in short, is a Zhouyi method: toss three coins six times, then read the six relatives, Shi and Ying, and the focus line for one matter already underway.
A line is one stroke of yin or yang in the Zhouyi. A yang line is solid. A yin line is broken in the middle. Liu Yao stacks six of these strokes from the bottom up: the lowest is the bottom line, and the highest is the top line. The lower three make the inner trigram. The upper three make the outer trigram. Together they are one of the sixty-four hexagrams.
The hexagram name is only the name of those six strokes. To read a matter already underway, each line also receives a stem and branch, and from that you see the six relatives, Shi, Ying, and the focus line. That way of filling a chart is called Najia, and it is often called the Fire Pearl Forest method. fateshow uses one way of starting it: three coins. The program tosses them six times, records the first toss as the bottom line and the last as the top line, and lays out the original hexagram. Which lines move, and where the changed hexagram comes from, follows that one cast. Once it is filled, you can read each item on the chart.
Cast a Liu Yao chartWhat you can ask, and what does not fit
Liu Yao reads one matter that is already underway, or a decision you have to make soon. Write it as one matter, and the focus line can match it. The examples below are worded so you can adapt them.
- Relationships: Will they write back? Where is this relationship stuck? Will the mood change after we meet? This kind of question looks at Ying.
- Work: Should I keep pushing this job? After the interview, will they offer a next step? Where is this task stuck? This kind of question looks at Officer.
- Money: Will this payment actually go out? Is the money already spent still recoverable? Should I pause this expense? This kind of question looks at Wealth.
- A choice: Of the two things in front of me, which comes first? Should I settle this now? This kind of question looks at Shi, your own side of the matter.
- How you are holding up: Sleep has been light, energy is lagging, or your body has felt heavy. Read only the image on the hexagram. This is not a medical opinion. This kind of question looks at Descendants.
- Lost things and paperwork: Which step is that document stuck on? Where should I keep looking? When will the result land on paper? This kind of question looks at Parents.
Leave two unrelated matters out of the same hexagram. A hexagram is an image to set beside the situation. It does not replace a doctor, a contract, or an investment decision.
To cast from one of these questions, use Cast a Liu Yao chart.
How it differs from BaZi and Meihua
These three read different stretches of time. Each one has its own job.
| Liu Yao | BaZi | Meihua |
|---|
| What it reads | One matter already underway | The pattern of a birth time | The numbers of this moment, as Body and Use |
| Time | The timezone frozen when you ask; the day turns at 23:00 | Birth time | The moment of the cast |
| How it starts | Three coins, tossed six times | No cast is needed | Numbers taken from this moment |
Ask how this matter stands right now, and use Liu Yao. Ask about the pattern of a birth time, and use BaZi. Ask how the numbers of this moment generate and restrain each other, and use Meihua. Qi Men fills nine palaces for the hour and reads direction and gates. That is a different chart.
What a hexagram is made of
The six relatives are Siblings, Descendants, Wealth, Officer, and Parents. They sit on each line and match the kind of matter you asked. Which one becomes the focus line depends on the question: your own side looks at Shi, the other person looks at Ying, money looks at Wealth, work looks at Officer, how you are holding up looks at Descendants, and documents or outcomes look at Parents.
Shi is your side of the matter. Ying is the other person or the setting. Once those two are clear, you can tell who the hexagram is talking about.
A moving line is a line that changes. The original hexagram is the six strokes in front of you. The changed hexagram is the new condition after the moving lines have changed. If no line moves, the hexagram is quiet, and you read where the focus line sits now.
The stems and branches on the chart come from Najia. Void, month-break, and day clash mark which line is weak right now. When you see one of those marks, hold off treating that line as a result already in hand.
Where to start reading
Read in this order. Place the focus line and see which line it sits on. Then look at Shi and Ying, so your side and the other side are separate. Then see whether any line moves; only a moving line opens the changed hexagram. Last, check void, month-break, and day clash. A line that is void or broken is not yet a result in hand.
The day boundary uses the timezone frozen when you ask. The day turns at 23:00. Liu Yao does not use your birth time.
To get used to these names, start with a short Liu Yao overview. If you already have one specific matter, cast a Liu Yao chart for it.
Common questions
What is Liu Yao good for?
One specific matter that is already underway, or a decision you have to make soon: how a job is moving, whether someone will reply, or where a document is stuck. Ask one thing at a time.
How reliable is a Liu Yao reading?
The hexagram is the image from this coin cast, set beside the matter. Whether it fits still comes back to the matter itself.
Do I need real coins?
You do not need to bring coins. After you submit the question, the program tosses the three-coin method six times and fills the chart.
How soon is the chart ready?
Once the question is written and submitted, the six tosses are fixed at once. The original hexagram, the changed hexagram, and the focus line are ready then.
What if I cannot read the result?
Start with the line the focus line sits on, then Shi, Ying, and any moving line. Each name has a short definition on this page and in the knowledge base. After the cast you can also read the chart line by line.
Can I ask about someone else?
You can ask about one matter that involves you and is already underway, such as whether the other person will reply. Keep two unrelated people out of the same hexagram.
Should this be Liu Yao or BaZi?
For one specific matter already underway, use Liu Yao. For the pattern of a birth time, use BaZi. Each one reads a different stretch of time.
How do I read a quiet hexagram?
When no line moves, there is no changed hexagram. Read where the focus line sits now, and whether it is void, month-broken, or clashed by the day.
Can I make decisions from this hexagram?
For reference only — not a substitute for medical, legal, or financial advice. The hexagram shows an image. The decision still depends on the matter itself.