I Ching practice · three-coin method

How to Toss I Ching Coins: A Complete Guide

Three coins, six tosses, one hexagram. This guide shows exactly how each toss becomes a yin or yang line — and how 6 and 9 create movement in your reading.

Before you begin

You only need three ordinary coins

You do not need antique Chinese coins, a special cloth, or a memorized ritual. Three coins of the same type, something to record six results, and one focused question are enough.

Before the first toss, decide which side you will call heads and which side you will call tails. 6 Tosses follows the common arithmetic convention heads = 3, tails = 2. Keep that choice unchanged through all six tosses.

If your question is still vague, shape it first with our guide to asking the I Ching a clear question.

Step 1

Hold one question

Name one real situation. Avoid bundling several decisions into a single cast.

Step 2

Toss all three

Let the coins settle naturally, then record each side before touching them.

Step 3

Repeat six times

Every toss makes one line. The first line belongs at the bottom.

Try one toss

Tap the coins. Watch one line appear.

In the convention used by 6 Tosses, heads is worth 3 and tails is worth 2. Add all three coins; the total is always 6, 7, 8, or 9.

3 + 2 + 2 = 7

Stable yang · young yang

This line stays the same in the resulting hexagram.

The four outcomes

Every toss becomes 6, 7, 8, or 9

Add the values of the three coins. An odd total is yang, shown as a solid line. An even total is yin, shown as a broken line. Under this convention, the two extremes — all tails or all heads — are changing.

3 tails

Changing yin

Moves in the resulting hexagram

1 head + 2 tails

Stable yang

Remains unchanged

2 heads + 1 tail

Stable yin

Remains unchanged

3 heads

Changing yang

Moves in the resulting hexagram

Build the hexagram

Record the first toss at the bottom

This is an easy step for beginners to reverse. The I Ching builds from the ground upward: toss one is line 1 at the bottom; toss six is line 6 at the top.

×6

×9

Write in the order you cast, display in the order you build.

For this example, the recorded totals are 7, 8, 9, 7, 6, 8.

The interface shows line 6 at the top, but the casting sequence began with line 1 at the bottom. Mark every 6 and 9 as soon as it appears.

Movement

Changing lines create the resulting hexagram

A 6 is changing yin: its broken line becomes solid. A 9 is changing yang: its solid line becomes broken. Values 7 and 8 remain as they are.

The first figure is your primary hexagram. After the changing lines flip, the second figure is the resulting hexagram. It shows the pattern created by those changes and can be read alongside the primary hexagram without treating it as a fixed prediction. Our changing-lines guide explains how to read that relationship.

Primary hexagram

Resulting hexagram

Save this

The complete coin-method reference card

Screenshot this section or keep the five rules beside you while you cast.

Heads = 3Tails = 2

6 · Changing yinBroken line becomes solid

7 · Stable yangSolid line stays solid

8 · Stable yinBroken line stays broken

9 · Changing yangSolid line becomes broken

Build bottom to topFirst toss = line 1 at the bottom

Questions people ask

Coin-method FAQ

Do I need traditional Chinese coins?

No. Any three coins will work. Use three coins of the same type if possible, decide which side is heads and which is tails, and keep that convention consistent for all six tosses.

Which side of an I Ching coin is heads?

Traditional coins do not map perfectly onto modern heads and tails. Different books use different labels. 6 Tosses uses heads = 3 and tails = 2; consistency across the six tosses matters more than the names you give the two sides.

Why do I toss the coins six times?

A hexagram has six lines. Each toss of three coins creates exactly one line, so six tosses build the complete figure.

What if I get no changing lines?

Read the primary hexagram as the main description of the situation. With no changing lines, there is no distinct resulting hexagram to emphasize. Some readers also treat the absence of changing lines as meaningful in itself.

What if several lines are changing?

Mark every 6 and 9. Each one changes into its opposite in the resulting hexagram. When several lines are changing, each marks a point of movement within the hexagram. Read them in relation to the whole pattern rather than forcing one line to carry the entire answer.

Your coins, clearly interpreted

Toss the coins yourself. Let 6 Tosses read what you received.

Enter all six physical tosses and get the primary hexagram, changing lines, resulting hexagram, and a reading tied to your question.

Start with your question →