Three-coin casting
Cast three coins together six times, recording from the bottom to the top line. Each cast’s three-coin sum gives 6, 7, 8 or 9.
Traditional basis
Three-coin casting is a commonly used later practical method, not the yarrow procedure in the Zhouyi classical text. This site consistently counts an inscription face as 2 and a reverse face as 3.
Procedure
- Prepare three coins of the same form and agree which face is inscription and which is reverse.
- Shake the coins between cupped hands and cast them together. All three belong to the same cast.
- Record the face combination and total. The first cast forms the bottom line.
- Complete six casts in total, forming the second, third, fourth, fifth and top lines in order.
- Mark 6 and 9 as changing lines. Their changes form the resulting hexagram.
Face values
| Combination | Total | Line type | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three inscription faces | 6 | Old yin | Changing: becomes yang |
| Two inscription, one reverse | 7 | Young yang | Unchanging |
| One inscription, two reverse | 8 | Young yin | Unchanging |
| Three reverse faces | 9 | Old yang | Changing: becomes yin |
This site’s implementation
Each animated coin independently receives an inscription or reverse face. The line is calculated after the coins settle; all six results and face details are saved in local history.
Each coin face has equal probability, so the distribution of the four totals differs from the yarrow method. Producing the same values 6, 7, 8 and 9 does not make the two probability models identical.
Reading limits
Coin design and animation support recording the faces only. Landing positions, spin directions and on-screen positions add no fortune meanings.