Category: Uncategorized

Disclaimer:

This case study is provided for learning and reference only.

Time of divination: January 31, 2025, at 11:18 AM.

Stem and branch time: I E year, IV B month, VII A day (void: E and F).

A female querent asked about the illness of her father-in-law. At the time, the elderly man was already in the late stage of cancer. She obtained Bi to Yi.

Judgment: In hexagram interpretation, the second line represents the home.

The basic tone of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness was one of extreme danger: The significator, parents G fire, was in the state of rest and constraint in the B month. More fatally, the fifth line wife and wealth A water and the third line wife and wealth M water, both representing obstacle gods, were active at the same time. This increased the force that overcame G fire. The significator was under repeated overcoming. It had no generation or support at all. In fact, there was only overcoming and no generation. As a result, this showed that the illness was extremely serious, with no strength left to turn the situation around. Death was near at hand.

Timing judgment, the core method of judgment: In the hexagram, the two obstacle gods, M water and A water, were active and respectively transformed into E earth and F fire.

Guarding against misjudgment: Many people would easily misjudge this structure and assume that because the obstacle gods transformed badly or transformed into void, namely the fifth line wife and wealth A water transforming into the parents F fire in void, and the third line wife and wealth M water transforming into siblings E earth in void, they would no longer continue to overcome the significator. However, here, active transformation into void was an important clue for judging the timing of fulfillment.

---

🎉Thank you all for your support, and thank you for your patience. We know many of you have been waiting for this.

In addition, all annual subscribers will receive complimentary access at the end of the year on ichingstream.com to the annual collected casebook.

Thank you again for reading, subscribing, and supporting this work.❤️

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

Time of divination: June 3, 2024.

Stem and branch time: I E year, VI F month, V L day (void: E and F).

A male querent asked whether he could make money in the near term. He obtained Yi.

Judgment: In judging wealth, the wife and wealth line is taken as the significator. In this hexagram, there were two wife and wealth lines, H earth and E earth.

The state of the significator and the querent’s present condition: The significator, wife and wealth E earth, was not overcome in the F month, since fire generates earth, and it also received peer support from the V L day, which belongs to earth. Its own force was therefore in the states of prosperous and supportive. However, because it was in void, this accurately reflected the querent’s present condition of having no money. At the same time, the wife and wealth line happened to be at the host line position. This shows that the querent himself also had no confidence inwardly about seeking wealth at that moment.

Clashing the void and filling it, the key to breaking the situation: Although the significator E earth was in void, on the daily branch the L clashed the significator E earth. As a result, it produces force.

Conclusion: Because the significator was clashed out of void and thereby filled and made real, this showed that the querent’s present state of having no money would change. In the end, he would still be able to obtain wealth in the near term.

Feedback: He received the money six days later, on the I E day. Because E came out of void in the I E cycle, the E day filled it and made it real. This exactly matched the judgment that the wife and wealth line would be realized through being clashed out of void and filled.

If there are certain themes you would like to see in future case studies, welcome to leave a comment and share what kinds of divination cases interest you most.

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

Time of divination: November 23, 2025, at 2:59 PM.

Stem and branch time: II F year, IV M month, III J day (void: E and F).

A querent recently received an opportunity to change jobs and asked about the prospects of the new position. The hexagram obtained was Wei Ji to Jie.

Judgment: The meaning of the hexagram names already gives an important clue. The primary hexagram, Wei Ji, itself signifies that the matter has not yet reached success. The transformed hexagram, 40. Jie, suggests that within difficulty there is still a chance for release or resolution.

The position was excellent, but it required active effort: In judging a job position, the officials and ghosts line is taken as the significator. Depending on the nature of the work, one should also examine the parents line or the wife and wealth line (see the “Tips” at the end). In this hexagram, the officials and ghosts line, M water, was hidden beneath the host line siblings G fire in the third line. Because the divination was made in the M month, the significator coincided with the monthly command. At the same time, it was generated by the daily branch, J metal. Therefore, it was in the states of prosperous and supportive. This shows that the position itself was of very good quality. However, because the significator was hidden, the querent would need to take the initiative and make his ability visible in order to strive for it.

The competitors would withdraw: In the hexagram, the siblings line, F fire, represented competitors. This line aligned with Azure Loong, but in the M month it encountered monthly break. After becoming active, it transformed into the descendants line, L earth, and entered the tomb. In hexagram interpretation, this clearly shows that the competitors would withdraw and lose their competitiveness.

---

🎉Thank you all for your support, and thank you for your patience. We know many of you have been waiting for this.

A yearly subscription to the Substack column is USD 159.99 and includes about 110 to 120 case studies published over the course of the year. In addition, all annual subscribers will receive complimentary access at the end of the year on ichingstream.com to the annual collected casebook. This casebook includes about 150 case studies in total and is otherwise sold separately for USD 179.99.

Thank you again for reading, subscribing, and supporting this work.❤️

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.This case study involves I Ching Divination as a tool for reflection and understanding.

II. Understanding Six Lines Divination

Part 2.3. The Upper Trigram and the Lower Trigram

The Inner Trigram represents the internal condition of a matter and symbolizes its beginning. The Outer Trigram represents the external condition of a matter and symbolizes its ending.

For example, in Tai, the lower body is Qian and the upper body is Kun, so the Tuan Commentary says: “The inner is yang and the outer is yin; the inner is strong and the outer is compliant; the inner is the noble one and the outer is the small person.” This is an example of distinguishing inner and outer from the upper and lower bodies.

Because in the Tai hexagram the lower trigram is Qian, which represents yang, and the upper trigram is Kun, which represents yin, yang is below and yin is above. This arrangement indicates that the energies of above and below can circulate and connect with one another. In the Na Jia method, Tai is also classified as a Six Compatibles hexagram.

The opposite of Tai is the Pi hexagram. Pi is also a Six Compatibles hexagram, but its arrangement is exactly the reverse: Qian yang is above, while Kun yin is below. The energies have each returned to their respective places and can no longer circulate between above and below. Therefore, the Tuan Commentary says: “This means Heaven and Earth do not interact, and all things have no free passage; the high and the low do not interact, and there are no states in the world. The inner is yin and the outer is yang; the inner is soft and the outer is hard; the inner is the small person and the outer is the noble one. The way of the small person is growing; the Way of the noble one is fading.”

In Chinese culture, many common idioms come from the Yijing (I Ching). One well known example is When Pi reaches its limit, Tai comes (否极泰来，pi ji tai lai), which comes from the contrast between Pi and Tai. It means that when things have become bad to the utmost extreme, the energy will begin to reverse, and better conditions will arrive. So when one is going through a difficult period, this phrase can serve as a reminder: if you hold on a little longer, better days may already be on the way.

Of course, when better days do arrive, one should not become complacent or carried away. It is still important to remain modest and maintain a humble attitude, so that favorable circumstances can continue for longer rather than quickly turning again.

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

Time of divination: March 13, 2026, at 8:43 PM.

Stem and branch time: III G year, VIII D month, III L day (void: G and H), V L hour.

A female querent asked about reconciliation. The background was that she suspected her ex-boyfriend had a third party, although he did not admit it. At the moment of casting the hexagram, she was full of doubt about this matter. At the same time she asked whether the two of them could reconcile. She obtained Qian to Tong Ren.

Judgment: In this hexagram, the first line, the fourth line, the fifth line, which was the host line, and the top line were all active. Therefore, this was a hexagram with an unusually large number of active lines.

• Many active lines indicate upheaval in the matter: Because there were too many changes in the hexagram, the matter was judged to be highly turbulent. When many lines are active at once, it is often difficult to grasp a single clear main thread. This itself shows that the emotional entanglement was extremely complicated and full of twists and reversals. In “I Ching Divination: Complete and Restored” (Zengshan Buyi, 《增删卜易》), this falls under the discussion of “chaotic movement of the six lines.”Cases of this kind are precisely where many readers misjudge the hexagram if they focus only on one line or one seemingly favorable sign. For a fuller treatment of how to read these structures, including “chaotic movement of the six lines” and “solitary activity,” see my translation of Zengshan Buyi.
• In relationship divination, officials and ghosts represent the man, while wife and wealth represent a woman. This clearly showed that there was indeed another romantic opportunity, ambiguous involvement, or female entanglement around the man.
• Why the matter was so difficult to judge cleanly: On the one hand, the hexagram was full of movement, which already showed instability and repeated reversals. On the other hand, the querent was asking about reconciliation while at the same time carrying strong suspicion about another woman. This meant that the emotional question itself was not pure and simple. Instead, it had already become mixed together with distrust, concealment, and outside interference. Therefore, even if reconciliation were to occur, it would not easily be a clean or stable reconciliation.
• The transformed hexagram being Tong Ren, a returning soul hexagram, also suggested that the two might ultimately come back together. In relationship matters, a returning soul hexagram often points to something returning to its former place. However, in this case, because the hexagram also showed chaotic movement and hidden romantic entanglement, this return did not indicate a stable resolution. Instead, it showed only that reconciliation remained possible.

Conclusion: This hexagram showed that reconciliation was possible, but not in a clean or stable way. It would be unlikely to resolve the underlying emotional knot.

Afterward, she continued casting many more hexagrams about the matter.

Bonus Case from “I Ching Divination: Complete and Restored” (Zengshan Buyi, 《增删卜易》)

A related discussion appears in “I Ching Divination: Complete and Restored” (Zengshan Buyi, 《增删卜易》), where Old Man Yehe discusses the problem of chaotic movement and solitary stillness.

The hexagram obtained was “Wei Ji to Jian”. [132]

In ancient times, some would determine the time of fulfillment based on a solitary static line. For example, in this hexagram, the C Wood is the solitary static line. In this hexagram, Earth represents descendants. However, even so, I dared not make a definitive judgment.”

That is exactly why cases of this kind require more than mechanical line reading. Instead, they require careful attention to the significator, the host line, the chain of generation and overcoming, and the balance between movement and stillness. Readers who want to study this type of structure more systematically can find a fuller discussion in my translation of Zengshan Buyi.

If there are certain themes you would like to see in future case studies, welcome to leave a comment and share what kinds of divination cases interest you most.

Disclaimer:

This case study, which explores I Ching Divination, is provided for learning and reference only.

II. Understanding Six Lines Divination

Part 1. Reading the Chart Layout

Part 2. Composition of Hexagram Symbols

Notably, this is the general convention in the Zhouyi (the I Ching tradition passed down since the Zhou Dynasty).

• When the Second Line is a yang line, counting from the bottom upward, and the same applies below, it is called Nine-Two; when it is a yin line, it is called Six-Two.
• When the Third Line is a yang line, it is called Nine-Three; when it is a yin line, it is called Six-Three.
• When the Fourth Line is a yang line, it is called Nine-Four; when it is a yin line, it is called Six-Four.
• When the Fifth Line is a yang line, it is called Nine-Five; when it is a yin line, it is called Six-Five.
• When the Top Line is a yang line, it is called Top-Nine; when it is a yin line, it is called Top-Six.

As shown below in the Bi Hexagram.

In the Zhouyi, nine and six respectively represent yang lines and yin lines.Where there is an initial point, there must also be an end point. Thus the concept of time arises. Where there is above, there must also be below, and thus the concept of space arises. This concept is extremely important. It directly relates to the later methods of judging auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.

As shown below in the Qian Hexagram:

Time of divination: February 10, 2023.

Stem and branch time: the X D year, the I C month, the VI M day (void: E and F).

When the Kun Hexagram represents space, the line position represents time, and the Top Line is the endpoint.

When the Kun Hexagram represents the patient, this means the person is about to die.

These points will all be explained gradually later on.

We will explain the exact procedure later, so there is no need to worry for now.

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only.

Time of divination: November 5, 2023, at 10:17 AM.

Stem and branch time: X D year, IX L month, IV D day, II F hour (void: L and M).

A man asked whether he could reconcile with his girlfriend. He obtained Jie to Sui.

Judgment: In judging reconciliation, one must first determine the significator clearly. When a man asks about reconciliation with his former girlfriend, the wife and wealth line is taken as the significator. In this hexagram, the wife and wealth line, IV F fire, happened to hold the host position. In addition, it received generation from the daily branch, IV D day, so the significator was relatively prosperous. If one looked only at this point, it would seem to be an auspicious sign.

• A favorable appearance that could easily mislead the judgment: The primary hexagram was 60.Jie, which is a Six Compatibles hexagram. This showed that during this period there was still some entanglement and lingering connection between the two sides. Moreover, the corresponding line originally formed compatibility with the host line. This could also easily give the impression that reconciliation was still possible.
• The retreating source god: In the hexagram, the descendants line, IV D wood, in the second line was active and transformed into descendants VII C wood. The descendants line was the source god of the wife and wealth line, because wood generates fire. However, D wood transforming into C wood constituted retreating transformation. This meant that the source god itself was weakening. So the force that generated and supported the significator was retreating. In hexagram interpretation, this was an inauspicious sign. It showed that the power supporting reconciliation was declining rather than strengthening.
• The corresponding line transformed and clashed back: The corresponding line representing the other party was the parents line, V J metal. Although it originally formed compatibility with the host line, it was active and transformed into siblings IV M water. This transformed M water directly clashed the host line wife and wealth line, F fire, because M and F clash. This was a very unfavorable sign.
• Temperament and ongoing entanglement: The primary hexagram being a Six Compatibles hexagram showed that the two sides still had some ties and involvement during that period. However, the first line aligned with Vermilion Bird, which mainly signifies disputes and verbal friction, while the fourth line aligned with White Tiger and formed an opposing structure. This suggested that the two were not aligned in values. As a result, they were prone to conflict in everyday interaction.

Conclusion: Although the hexagram showed some apparently favorable signs, including the wife and wealth line holding the host position, receiving support from the day, and the primary hexagram being a Six Compatibles hexagram, these signs were not enough to determine success. The real key lay in the retreating source god. Additionally, the corresponding line transformed out M water to clash the host line F fire, breaking open the original compatibility. Therefore, the final judgment was that the two would not reconcile.

Feedback: The querent later confirmed that it did not succeed, and the two ultimately did not reconcile.

If there are certain themes you would like to see in future case studies, welcome to leave a comment and share what kinds of divination cases interest you most.

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

Time of divination: January 11, 2022.

Stem and branch time: B year, VIII B month, I A day (void: L and M).

A female querent asked about an exam and wanted to know whether her score could exceed 270. She obtained Yu to 15.Qian.

Judgment: In judging academic results, the parents line, A water, hidden in the first line, is taken as the significator. Although the significator was hidden, it received monthly compatibility and daily coincide. A water encountered the B month in compatibility, and it was also exactly on the I A day when A was at value. Therefore, its force was extremely strong.

---

🎉Thank you all for your support, and thank you for your patience. We know many of you have been waiting for this.
You can subscribe to the Substack case study column here: https://wenwanggua.substack.com/

Thank you again for reading, subscribing, and supporting this work.❤️

Disclaimer:

All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

Time of divination: July 29, 2024, at 4:03 PM.

Stem and branch time: I E year, VIII H month, I G day (void: E and F).

A female querent asked whether her interview the next day would succeed. She obtained 47.Kun to Kan.

Judgment: Obtaining a Six Compatibles hexagram transforming into a Six Clashes hexagram is usually inauspicious. If it were Six Clashes transforming into Six Compatibles, it would usually indicate misfortune first and auspiciousness later. In this case, obtaining the Six Compatibles hexagram 47.Kun transforming into Kan, a Six Clashes hexagram, already basically indicated that the interview would not succeed.

• A factor that could easily lead to misjudgment: In the hexagram, there appeared the situation of the corresponding line transforming into return generation, and the corresponding line also generated the host line. In hexagram interpretation, the corresponding line represents the interviewing company. Meanwhile, the host line represents the job seeker, that is, the querent.This can easily cause many people to mistakenly think that the interview would succeed. However, in the H monthly branch and on the G day, the descendants line, M water, was in the state of rest and constraint. So even though the siblings line transformed into return generation, its force was still not sufficient to generate and prosper the host line wife and wealth line.
• The reason for failure: Although the company had interest, the host line representing the querent herself was not supported by either the daily branch or the monthly branch. Wood entered the tomb in the monthly branch H, and the daily branch G drained wood. Thus, wood was in the state of rest and constraint, with its own strength being too weak. More importantly, in this hexagram the wife and wealth line held the host position. This suggested that the key issue in the matter lay in money or salary.

Conclusion: Although the company showed goodwill toward the querent, the interview would still not succeed. The Six Compatibles hexagram transforming into a Six Clashes hexagram already indicated an unfavorable outcome, and the host line was also too weak. Moreover, with the wife and wealth line holding the host position, the core issue pointed to compensation.

Feedback: The final feedback confirmed exactly this. The two sides had too great a gap in salary expectations, and the interview ultimately did not succeed.

If there are certain themes you would like to see in future case studies, welcome to leave a comment and share what kinds of divination cases interest you most.