There are four common ways to cast an I Ching hexagram: random numbers, three coins, the letters of a name, and the moment your mind is stirred. Random numbers, names and the stirred-mind moment belong to Plum Blossom Numerology (Mei Hua Yi Shu), while the three-coin method belongs to Six Lines (Liu Yao). This guide walks through each method step by step and tells you which school it fits, so you can start casting right away.

In short: Here is which school each method belongs to, and how widely each one is used.

Method	Which school it fits	How common
Random numbers	Plum Blossom Numerology, Zhou Yi	Very common
Three coins	Six Lines	Very common
Name (counting strokes or letters)	Plum Blossom Numerology	Moderate
The stirred-mind moment	Plum Blossom Numerology	Moderate

Method 1: Casting With Random Numbers

This is the simplest and most popular method, and it suits an app or a website especially well.

Where to get the numbers:

There are many options. Pick one of these:

• A banknote serial number: take any 7 or 8 digits from a bill in your wallet.
• The current hour and minute: for example 14:37, use 14 and 37.
• Numbers that come to mind: close your eyes, hold the question, and let a few random numbers surface.
• Numbers you notice: look around, and if a string of digits seems linked to the moment, take that string.

The principle: the numbers should arrive naturally, not be picked on purpose. Use one set of numbers per question. Do not recast just because you dislike the result. If you want to ask again, wait until the next day.

Fits: Plum Blossom Numerology and Zhou Yi.

If you would like to cast with numbers and see the matching hexagram explained, you can try it on HOROS.

Method 2: Casting With Coins

Use 3 identical coins and toss them 6 times to get 6 lines, stacked from the bottom up.

The rules:

• 3 heads: a moving Yin line (it turns into a Yang line in the changed hexagram)
• 2 heads and 1 tail: a Yang line
• 1 head and 2 tails: a Yin line
• 3 tails: a moving Yang line (it turns into a Yin line)

An easy way to remember it: heads count as Yin and tails count as Yang. When all three coins land the same way, that line is "moving," meaning it has reached an extreme and is about to turn into its opposite.

Important: this method only fits Six Lines. It is not used for Zhou Yi or for Plum Blossom Numerology. Each school has its own way of building a hexagram, so do not mix them up.

Method 3: Casting With a Name (Counting Strokes)

This method uses the stroke count of written characters as numbers, then divides by 8 to find the trigrams. The original method counts strokes of Chinese characters, but the Plum Blossom approach can also be applied to other scripts, such as names written in Latin letters. When casting a Plum Blossom hexagram, one stroke of a Chinese character counts the same as one letter in a Latin-alphabet word.

The core rule (the Earlier Heaven trigram numbers):

Trigram	Number
Qian (Heaven)	1
Dui (Lake)	2
Li (Fire)	3
Zhen (Thunder)	4
Xun (Wind)	5
Kan (Water)	6
Gen (Mountain)	7
Kun (Earth)	8

How to build the hexagram:

1. Count the strokes (or letters, for a Latin-alphabet name) of the family name, divide by 8 and keep the remainder. That gives the upper trigram.
2. Count the strokes or letters of the given name, divide by 8 and keep the remainder. That gives the lower trigram.
3. Add the two totals, divide by 6 and keep the remainder. That gives the moving line.

When working out a trigram, no matter how large the number is, you only subtract 8 until what remains is 8 or less. If subtracting 8 once still leaves a number above 8, keep subtracting 8. If it divides evenly (remainder 0), use 8 itself.

Example with the name "Smith Anna" (Latin letters):

• "Smith" = 5 letters, so 5, Xun (Wind), which is the upper trigram.
• "Anna" = 4 letters, so 4, Zhen (Thunder), which is the lower trigram.
• Total: 5 + 4 = 9, and 9 divided by 6 leaves 3, so the moving line is Line 3.

When to use it: when you want to look at one specific person, such as a partner, a love interest or a coworker, through their full name.

Fits: Plum Blossom Numerology.

Method 4: Casting by the Moment Your Mind Is Stirred

The stirred-mind moment is the time when your thoughts keep returning to one question or one matter. The time data for that moment includes the hour, day, month and year, which are then converted to the lunar calendar and used to work out the hexagram.

How to calculate it (Plum Blossom Numerology):

1. Take the lunar year, month, day and double-hour of the moment your mind was stirred.
2. Convert them to numbers. The year and the double-hour use the number of their Earthly Branch (Rat = 1, Ox = 2, Tiger = 3 ... Pig = 12), while the month and day use their lunar numbers directly.
3. Upper trigram = (year + month + day) divided by 8, keeping the remainder.
4. Lower trigram = (year + month + day + hour) divided by 8, keeping the remainder.
5. Moving line = (year + month + day + hour) divided by 6, keeping the remainder.

Fits: Plum Blossom Numerology.

A note: some modern I Ching teachers no longer use this method. Modern life gives us far more to think about in a single double-hour than people had in ancient times. Information updates by the hour, even by the minute and second, and people have too many things on their minds. Within a stretch of 120 minutes, their mind may already have been stirred by many different matters. For that reason, many people choose random numbers or coins to keep the result clearer.

Tips for a Hexagram That Fits Your Situation

Whichever method you choose, the person casting is what decides whether the hexagram speaks clearly. The I Ching values sincerity (Cheng) and calm (Jing): only when the mind is settled does the hexagram come into focus.

Before you cast, try this:

• Settle your mind for at least 1 minute: close your eyes, breathe slowly, and set aside every thought except the question.
• Keep your body clean: wash your hands, shower, and put on tidy clothes.
• Light a stick of incense or a candle: this is optional, but it helps create a respectful atmosphere and marks the moment as a serious one.
• Ask a clear, specific question: "Should I accept the job offer from company X?" works better than "How is my career?"
• One matter, one cast: this is the traditional rule that you do not cast twice about the same thing. If the hexagram does not seem to fit, cast again the next day.

Do not cast when:

• You are angry, panicking or drunk.
• You are asking just for fun, to see what comes up.
• You already have the answer you want and only want the hexagram to "confirm" it.

The calmer the mind, the clearer the hexagram. This principle holds for Plum Blossom Numerology, Six Lines and Zhou Yi alike.