I Ching Coin Method Probabilities

Learn how the three-coin I Ching method produces old yin, young yang, young yin, and old yang lines with a simple 1/8, 3/8, 3/8, 1/8 distribution.

CHAPTER 01

Three coins produce one line at a time.

The coin method turns three binary outcomes into one line value. Count one side as 3 and the other as 2; the sum can only be 6, 7, 8, or 9.

heads = 3, tails = 2
one line = coin 1 + coin 2 + coin 3
six lines, read bottom-to-top, make one hexagram

CHAPTER 02

The coin method is symmetric.

Three coins have 8 possible combinations. The two extremes happen once each; the two middle states happen three times each.

6 old yin1/812.5%

7 young yang3/837.5%

8 young yin3/837.5%

9 old yang1/812.5%

CHAPTER 03

Read the structure before the text.

7 and 8 are stable lines. 6 and 9 are changing lines: they flip polarity and create a resulting hexagram. Hexagram Cast separates primary hexagram, changing lines, resulting hexagram, and computation trace.

Cast with the coin method