The three-coin method is the most common way to consult the I Ching today. It's quick, it takes only three matching coins and a few minutes, and it gives you a full hexagram, changing lines included.
What you need
- Three matching coins. Pocket change works fine; some people use old Chinese coins with a square hole in the middle.
- Paper and a pencil to note each line.
- A clear question. If you don't have one yet, start with How to Ask a Question.
What each side is worth
Each side of a coin is given a number:
- Heads: 3. The yang side.
- Tails: 2. The yin side.
This is the most widespread convention, but it isn't universal. With Chinese coins, some people count the inscribed side as yang and others the plain side, and some reverse heads and tails altogether. What matters is that you pick one convention before you start and stick to it.
Step by step
- Hold the question in mind, or better, have it written down.
- Shake the three coins in your hands and let them fall.
- Add up the values. There are only four possible results:
| Coins | Total | Line |
|---|---|---|
| three tails (2+2+2) | 6 | changing yin (old yin) |
| one heads, two tails (3+2+2) | 7 | stable yang (young yang) |
| two heads, one tails (3+3+2) | 8 | stable yin (young yin) |
| three heads (3+3+3) | 9 | changing yang (old yang) |
- Write down the line. A 7 or a 9 is a solid line (yang); a 6 or an 8 is a broken line (yin). Mark the 6s and 9s in some way, say with an ✕ or a ○ beside them, because those are the lines that change.
- Repeat until you have six lines.
A shortcut that skips the adding: if all three coins match, the line changes; if one coin differs from the other two, that odd coin decides. One heads among two tails gives yang; one tails among two heads gives yin. The numbers themselves are covered under line values.
From the bottom up
This is the step people forget most: your first toss is the bottom line. A hexagram is built from the bottom up, like a building. If you're drawing on paper, start at the bottom and work upward, or list the numbers and draw the figure at the end with the first one at the bottom.
The bottom three lines make the lower trigram; the top three make the upper one.
An example
Say your six tosses come out, in order: 7, 6, 8, 7, 9, 8.
- Line 1 (bottom): 7, yang.
- Line 2: 6, changing yin.
- Line 3: 8, yin.
- Line 4: 7, yang.
- Line 5: 9, changing yang.
- Line 6 (top): 8, yin.
Thunder is below and lake is above. That's hexagram 17, Adapting.
Lines 2 and 5 are changing. Each moving line turns into its opposite: line 2 becomes yang and line 5 becomes yin. That gives a second hexagram, lake below and thunder above: 54, A Subordinate Role. What to read in each case is covered in Moving Lines.
The odds
Each coin is equally likely to land either way, so the four totals don't come up equally often:
- 6: 1 in 8 (1/8)
- 7: 3 in 8 (3/8)
- 8: 3 in 8 (3/8)
- 9: 1 in 8 (1/8)
Yin and yang come up equally, and changing yin is just as common as changing yang. On average a cast brings one or two changing lines, and about 18 casts in 100 bring none at all.
That's the main difference from the classical yarrow stalk method, where a 9 comes up three times as often as a 6. If you'd like to know why, see The Yarrow Stalk Method.
In Cambios
In Cambios you can toss the coins on screen and save your readings. The app records the lines for you, bottom to top, and shows you both hexagrams when lines are changing. If you'd rather use your own coins, the steps are exactly the same.