Liu Yao entries: the books and the three pages
This page says what Liu Yao is, then names the books and the three pages.
What Liu Yao is
Liu Yao is a Zhouyi method. Three coins tossed six times make a hexagram. The six relatives, Shi and Ying, and the focus line are read for one matter already underway. It does not use a birth chart.
To cast one, open the chart page. How the coins become lines, how the stems are loaded, and which branch is void, sit on the three pages below.
Which page holds which step
The three pages follow the order in which a chart is loaded. The same six coin values continue from one page to the next, so this page does not cast them again.
The cast holds the strokes, the coins, and the changed hexagram. The load holds najia, the relatives, and the focus line. Month, day, and the limit holds void, month-break, and the one matter a cast can hold.
| Page | The names it holds |
|---|---|
| The cast | Six strokes, eight palaces, the coin cast, the changed hexagram |
| The load | Najia, the six relatives, the focus line, Shi and Ying |
| Month, day, and the limit | Void, month-break, day clash, and the one matter a cast can hold |
Where the names come from
The line figures and the sixty-four names belong to the Zhouyi. The eight palaces and the loading of stems and branches are associated with Jing Fang, and are set out in the Jingshi Yizhuan. Later manuals, among them Huangjin Ce, Zengshan Buyi, and Bushi Zhengzong, discuss the loaded chart.
Each of the three pages cites the book it follows. The sources at the bottom of this page are the same five books.
When the books disagree, compare the rule first
These books do not all speak with one voice. A page here follows the account it names. A different manual can place a line differently.
That difference is a difference of rules, not by itself a mistake in arithmetic. Match the rule before you match the sentence.
Use it in fatequery
Liu Yao
Six tosses of three coins, then a najia chart with world and response lines, six relations and the useful god
What Liu Yao is →Frequently asked questions
Is the definition on this page?
Yes. This page says what Liu Yao is, then keeps the books and the three-page list.
Which page has the coin table, the focus line, and void?
The cast has the coins. The load has najia and the focus line. Month, day, and the limit has void, month-break, and day clash.
Why do the three pages use the same six values?
So the cast, the load, and the month-and-day marks can be checked against one frozen input. This page does not cast them.
If another book gives a different focus line, which one failed?
Not necessarily either. The books do not all choose the focus line the same way. Compare the rule before you compare the sentence.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. Zhouyi
Used to check the line figures, the hexagram names, and which lines are yin or yang. A Liu Yao chart rests on these sixty-four hexagrams, not on a birth chart.
- 2. Jingshi Yizhuan
Used to check the eight palaces of Jing Fang and the principle of loading stems and branches. This page uses that layer. It does not treat the book as the only way to read a hexagram.
- 3. Huangjin Ce
Used to check the reading order: name the focus line first, then the month, the day, and whether a line moves.
- 4. Zengshan Buyi
Used to check the coin cast, the six relatives, the focus line, Shi and Ying, and the use of month, day, and void.
- 5. Bushi Zhengzong
Used to check the received account of loading a chart, the six spirits, and how the focus line is chosen, set beside Zengshan Buyi. Where the two books differ, the page says which account it follows.