How to Read Changing Lines in the I Ching (Zhu Xi’s Rules)
Changing lines tell you which part of the text answers your question. With several of them, Zhu Xi’s rules from the Yixue Qimeng settle which text leads.
Casting with three coins
Toss three coins six times, building the hexagram from the bottom line up. Count heads as 3 and tails as 2, then add them up.
| Total | Line | Changing? |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Old yin — broken line | Yes: becomes yang |
| 7 | Young yang — solid line | No |
| 8 | Young yin — broken line | No |
| 9 | Old yang — solid line | Yes: becomes yin |
Zhu Xi’s rules by number of changing lines
The primary hexagram is the one you cast. Flip every changing line and you get the transformed hexagram.
| Changing lines | What to read |
|---|---|
| 0 | The judgment of the primary hexagram. |
| 1 | That one changing line of the primary hexagram. |
| 2 | Both changing lines of the primary hexagram; the upper one leads. |
| 3 | The judgments of both the primary and the transformed hexagram. |
| 4 | The two unchanged lines, read in the transformed hexagram; the lower one leads. |
| 5 | The one unchanged line, read in the transformed hexagram. |
| 6 | The judgment of the transformed hexagram. For Qian (1) read Use of Nines; for Kun (2) read Use of Sixes. |
Other traditions weigh the lines differently. These rules are a consistent way to stop second-guessing which text applies.