Time or three numbers: the upper trigram, the lower trigram, and the moving line
Meihua first finds an upper trigram, a lower trigram, and one moving line. A time cast uses the lunar counts. A three-number cast uses three positive integers. Do not mix the two in one cast.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fatequery
A time cast uses the lunar counts
Year branch, lunar month, and lunar day sum, then divide by 8. The remainder is the upper trigram. Add the hour branch and divide by 8 for the lower trigram. The same sum plus the hour, divided by 6, is the moving line.
The day changes at 23:00. After 23:00 the lunar day moves forward. This clock is 10:30, so it does not cross that line.
A three-number cast uses the integers given
Three integers from 1 to 99999. The first two set the trigrams. All three set the moving line. The lunar month only adjusts the moving line.
One cast uses one method. A time cast does not also take three numbers.
Only one line moves
The six lines run from the bottom. The moving line decides which line the changed hexagram flips. The other five stay.
A remainder of 0 counts as the full number: 8 for the trigram count, 6 for the top line.
Illustration: one clock, two trigrams
10:30 on 11 January 2024. Lunar Gui-Mao, month 12, day 1. Year branch Mao, hour branch Si. Upper 1 is Qian, lower 7 is Gen, moving line 5. The primary hexagram is Heaven Mountain Dun.
The definition is on What Meihua is.
Common mistakes
- Mixing time and three numbers in one cast.
- Marking two moving lines.
- Replacing the lunar month and day with the civil date.
Use it in fatequery
Meihua Yishu
A hexagram from three numbers, read by host/guest, nuclear hexagram and changing line
Cast a Meihua hexagram →Frequently asked questions
Why is the upper trigram Qian?
Mao is 4. Add lunar month 12 and day 1. The sum is 17. 17 divided by 8 leaves 1, and 1 is Qian.
Where is moving line 5?
The fifth line from the bottom, the middle line of the upper trigram. Only that line changes.
What happens after 23:00?
The lunar day moves forward before it enters the sum.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. Meihua Yishu, transmitted text
The traditional count for the upper trigram, the lower trigram, and the moving line.
- 2. fatequery rule snapshot
Supports only the fields the engine printed in the illustration. An illustration is not something that has already happened.