Liu Yao calculator
Toss six times for a primary and changed hexagram, then lay out each line's stem-branch, relative, spirit and Shi/Ying marker.
Free, no account. The toss runs in your browser; only the cast moment and six results go to this site's own endpoint.
The cast
Record the moment first, then toss six times. The moment is not a formality — it fixes the month and day markers, and the day stem fixes where the six spirits start.
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This clock is the cast moment, read live from your device; it is locked in the second you start tossing. Months turn at the solar term, not at the lunar new moon.The cast moment and six results go only to this site's own endpoint. Nothing is stored, tracked or put in the URL.
The chart follows traditional assignment rules; that does not make those rules verified descriptions of the future. This page makes no prediction and is not medical, legal or financial advice.
What to check first
Confirm month and day
Every line is measured against these two markers. A wrong cast time makes the spirits and the strength reading wrong in the same stroke.
Then the primary and changed hexagram
The primary is the hexagram as cast, moving lines mark where it turns, and the changed hexagram is the result. No moving lines means no changed hexagram — that is not a missing field.
Then read line by line
Six rows, top to bottom, each with its spirit, stem-branch, element and relative. Check the stem-branch before arguing about the relative.
Only then choose a useful spirit
The useful spirit depends on the question and is a judgement call. This page lays out the material; it does not pick for you and does not decide.
Terms this page outputs
Each field here maps back to a wiki definition — including what it cannot tell you.
Primary and changed hexagramThe hexagram as cast, and the one produced when moving lines flip.
Six tosses give the primary hexagram. Old yin and old yang move; flipping them gives the changed hexagram. With no moving lines there is only the primary, and the chart says so explicitly instead of leaving a blank.
Primary and changed hexagram →Na JiaStem-branch pairs assigned per line; only then does each line have an element.
Qian takes Jia and Ren, Kun takes Yi and Gui, the other six trigrams take one stem each; branches run forward or backward by line. Without it, relatives and strength have nothing to stand on.
Na Jia →Six relativesParents, siblings, offspring, wealth and officer, derived from the palace element.
The palace element is “self”; comparing each line's element yields generates-me, same-as-me, I-generate, I-control and controls-me — parents, siblings, offspring, wealth, officer. A category, not a verdict.
Six relatives →Six spiritsAzure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Hook, Coiling Snake, White Tiger, Black Tortoise.
They start from the day stem, so the same hexagram on another day carries different spirits. That is why they must be read with the day marker, never alone.
Six spirits →Shi and YingShi marks the asker's side; Ying marks the other party or the environment.
Which line carries Shi or Ying follows from the palace and hexagram order. The chart marks both directly on the lines so you can open that line's text rather than guessing from the name.
Shi and Ying →Month and day markersThe month branch of the cast and the day's stem-branch pair.
Months turn at the solar term; days advance on a continuous sexagenary count. Both are external references used to judge each line's strength.
Month and day markers →Useful spiritThe line standing for the matter asked, chosen from the six relatives.
Wealth for money, officer for career, parents for documents and elders. Choosing it is a judgement, and schools differ — the main reason Liu Yao readings disagree. This page does not choose for you.
Useful spirit →
FAQ
The toss is random — is that still a cast?
Traditional casting already depends on an unpredictable input: coins landing, yarrow stalks splitting. This page replaces coins with the browser's random source; the rule (three coins, six times, bottom up) is unchanged. What it does not claim is that randomness makes the result true.
Why is the cast time required?
Because the month and day markers come from it, the six spirits start from the day stem, and strength is judged against both markers. An hour or a day later can change the spirits completely. So the field starts at the moment you opened the page, and you can correct it to the real time.
What is a moving line, and why is the changed hexagram sometimes empty?
Three heads is old yang, no heads is old yin — both move. Two heads (young yang) and one head (young yin) do not. Flipping the moving lines gives the changed hexagram; when all six lines are young, there is none.
Why no verdict?
Because a verdict needs a useful spirit and then a school's reading of strength and control — judgement, not arithmetic, and schools disagree. This page does the chart: stem-branches, relatives, spirits, Shi/Ying, month and day, each checkable against a book.
How is this different from BaZi?
BaZi charts four pillars from a birth moment and describes long-term structure. Liu Yao addresses one specific matter and uses the cast moment as its time reference. One person has one BaZi chart; Liu Yao can be cast once per question.
Is the chart saved?
No. It lives only in this tab, disappears on refresh, and is not written into the URL. Screenshot it, or archive it in the desktop app.