Liu Yao Hexagram Calculator
Cast by random, by hand, by time, or by numbers, then load the six relations, six spirits, self and other lines and stem-branch lines, with the primary and changed hexagrams, moving lines, topic category, and the classic line texts.
Four casting methods
A Liu Yao cast fixes six lines first and then reads that hexagram through stem-branch loading; one cast builds one hexagram. The form offers four methods and you pick one before casting: random lets the system draw all six lines at once; manual sets each line bottom up as one of four values, and the two moving types become the moving lines; time casting works from the present moment or a date and time you set; number casting takes three numbers. Submit and the board appears with no gender input, so the same inputs give everyone the same hexagram.
Primary, nuclear, reversed and opposite
All four roads do the same first thing: fix the six lines, then derive everything else. Once the lines are set the primary hexagram is set, and once the moving lines are known so is the changed hexagram. The nuclear hexagram takes the middle four lines two ways, the reversed hexagram turns the primary upside down, and the opposite hexagram flips every line to its other polarity. The cast only fixes the six lines and the moment; the images, names and stem-branch loading all follow the same fixed rules, so no method is more correct than another.
Question and topic relation
You can write the matter as one sentence, and there is a topic category with the five relations to choose from or leave on Auto so the system classifies it for you. The topic relation is the one that stands for what you asked; once set, the reading section marks the line or lines carrying it. One matter per cast: a hexagram answers a single ask, so when the focus shifts, cast again rather than pressing a new question onto the old board.
Loading, principle and classic texts
The cast lists the method, time, six-line string, moving lines, question and topic category. The loading table rows each line with stem-branch, element, relation and spirit, self on the second line and other on the fifth, plus changed branches for moving lines. The reading section adds palace element, branch ties, spirit markers and life stages. Classic texts cover the primary, nuclear, changed, reversed and opposite hexagrams with a modern gloss. A time or number cast with one moving line and body-and-function reading is the Mei Hua Hexagram Calculator page.
Time cast and true solar time
The city field only serves time casting. A location folds clock time into true solar time by longitude before the cast moment is fixed, which keeps a cross-time-zone or wide-longitude cast from landing on an hour boundary. Random and manual casts ignore the city. Leave it empty and the cast uses the clock time as entered. The cast moment fixes only this hexagram; to build four pillars from a birth date and time, use the BaZi Chart page.
FAQ
What does one matter per cast mean?
Cast with one clear question in mind. The more specific the question, the more directly the reading applies; several matters piled into one hexagram leave the moving line hard to match to any of them. Asking only whether a trip goes smoothly is easier to read against the Six Relations than mixing travel, work, and romance. If the wording feels fuzzy, write the question as one sentence first, then cast.
Where is a hexagram record stored?
A record holds only the casting values entered: the method, the six lines from a random or manual cast, the moment or the three numbers behind a time or number cast, the question and the topic category, plus the city if one was selected. The result link rebuilds the same hexagram from that record; no page lists records: the link is the only way back to it and is not shown elsewhere; to keep it from others, do not share it.
Random, time, or numbers, which is more accurate?
Accuracy follows the clarity of your question and your focus at the cast, not the button. Random is the easy path when you hold no number and want to set no moment. Time casting works from a moment you pick, useful when a certain time already feels loaded. Numbers suit a figure already on your mind. Once a method is chosen, cast once and read that hexagram; don't keep re-clicking to change the board, and don't cast the same question several times hoping for a prettier one.
What is the Topic Line? Do I have to choose it?
In Liu Yao it is the line that stands for the matter you asked about. You can pick the matching relation by hand: Spouse & Wealth, Officer & Ghost, Parents, Descendants, or Siblings. Or leave it unset and the system classifies the question type for you. When unsure, use Auto; the result page lays out all the relations either way, so nothing stalls on getting the pick right. A wrong pick sends the reading to the wrong subject, so the surer move is to write the question clearly first.
Does True Solar Time matter for Liu Yao?
Time casting works off the moment you set. Across time zones or over large longitude gaps, add your city so True Solar Time correction keeps the cast from landing on the boundary of an Hour Segment. For everyday questions in one city, clock time works fine to start. Manual and random casts depend on the six lines themselves, so the correction barely shifts them; saving a city is still useful for later review of the record.
Can I change the question and reread the same hexagram?
Better not. A hexagram is a snapshot of one ask. If the focus shifts, cast again instead of pressing a new question onto an old chart. When the same matter comes back much later, the situation has moved on too; cast fresh rather than digging an answer out of old records.
