I Ching Beginner’s Guide

What is the I Ching?

The I Ching, also called the Yijing or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese text used for divination and philosophical reflection. Its 64 hexagrams describe patterns of change through six stacked lines: broken lines represent yin and unbroken lines represent yang.

Each hexagram combines two three-line patterns called trigrams. Their images—such as water, mountain and thunder—offer a language for considering circumstances, relationships and the timing of action.

How to ask a question

Choose one situation that matters to you. Ask an open question about understanding or responding, rather than asking for a guaranteed outcome or another person’s hidden thoughts.

• What is mine to understand right now?
• How can I meet this change wisely?
• What needs my attention before I act?

You can name a specific situation: “What should I consider as I decide whether to change jobs?” Write down your question before casting so you can return to it when you read.

In “Asking a Question,” the book shifts the emphasis from whether something will succeed to what we need to understand about pursuing it. Sincerity matters more than finding perfect wording.

How a reading is formed

In the I Ching app, choose or write your question, then cast the virtual coins six times. Each cast forms one line. The first line is at the bottom and the sixth is at the top.

The completed hexagram is your present condition: a pattern to consider alongside what you already know about your situation. Begin with its meaning and the question for contemplation.

What changing lines mean

With the three-coin method, each cast totals 6, 7, 8 or 9. A 6 is a changing yin line and a 9 is a changing yang line. Lines totaling 7 or 8 remain unchanged.

Changing lines point to particular aspects of the reading that deserve attention. When they switch to their opposite—broken to unbroken or unbroken to broken—they form a second hexagram. Here, that resulting hexagram offers another perspective on the change, not a promised future.

With no changing lines, stay with the first hexagram. With several changing lines, read their relationship rather than treating each as a separate prediction. The app explains which teachings to focus on using the reading approach in The Courage to Meet Change; different traditions use different conventions.

Reflection, not a fixed prediction

The I Ching has a long history as a divination text. At Cultivating Courage, the practice is reflection and discernment: noticing what is happening, examining your response and choosing with care.

A reading does not establish facts about another person or guarantee what will happen. Compare it with your experience and practical evidence. You remain responsible for your choices.

Before you finish, ask: “What does this help me notice?” Then write one observation or a small next step in your journal. Give the reading time to settle before casting again.

In “The I Ching as a Tool for Discernment,” the book asks readers to use a hexagram as a lens that opens understanding. Consider the facts, your motives and the people affected before deciding how to respond.