Chapter 01: What Is Liu Yao?

After completing this chapter, readers should understand:

1. What Liu Yao is, and why it belongs to a question-judgment system based on I Ching hexagram imagery.
2. The difference between Liu Yao and Meihua Yishu.
3. Why Liu Yao leans more toward structured, detailed analysis of concrete questions.
4. The basic roles of the six line positions, Self line, Other line, Useful Line, Six Relatives, and Six Spirits in Liu Yao.
5. What kinds of questions Liu Yao is suitable for, and which real-world judgments it should not replace.
6. Liu Yao judgment does not look only at the hexagram name; it reads the Useful Line, Self and Other, moving lines, month and day, strength and weakness, generation, control, clash, and combination together.
7. Liu Yao must be learned step by step; beginners should not start by memorizing fixed statements.
8. The value of Liu Yao is to help people understand the subject, object, relationship, change, and timing trend inside a specific question.

Liu Yao can be written in English as:

Liu Yao
Six Lines Divination
Six-Line I Ching Divination

The name “Liu Yao” comes from the six-line hexagram.

One of the sixty-four hexagrams is made of six lines:

Top line
Fifth line
Fourth line
Third line
Second line
First line

In the Liu Yao system, these six lines are not merely part of the hexagram image; they are assigned a much more detailed relational structure.

Within a single hexagram, Liu Yao analyzes:

• Which line represents oneself;
• Which line represents the other party;
• Which line represents the matter being asked about;
• Which line is moving;
• Which line is affected by the month and day;
• Which line is generated, controlled, clashed, or combined;
• Which line is empty;
• Which line transforms into a new force;
• When the matter may produce a result.

Therefore, Liu Yao is not just about “which hexagram was received.” It breaks a concrete question into multiple relationship points that can be analyzed.

It is a highly structured system for judging specific matters.

Liu Yao is based on I Ching hexagram imagery.

It uses:

• The Eight Trigrams;
• The sixty-four hexagrams;
• Yin and yang lines;
• Moving lines;
• Changed hexagrams;
• Six line positions;
• Five Element generation and control;
• Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches;
• Month Branch and Day Branch;
• Self and Other relationships;
• Six Relatives relationships.

At its root, Liu Yao cannot be separated from the I Ching hexagram system.

But Liu Yao is not limited to reading the judgments and line texts of the Book of Changes.

It further adds rules such as stems and branches, Six Relatives, Six Spirits, Self and Other, Useful Line, month-day strength and weakness, making the judgment much more detailed.

If the original I Ching text places more emphasis on hexagram judgment, line text, imagery, meaning, timing, and position, Liu Yao develops hexagram imagery into a concrete model for asking about specific matters.

It does not only ask:

What does this hexagram image mean?

It also asks:

Who represents me in this question?

Who represents the other party?

Which line is the key?

Is the key line strong or weak?

Is it moving?

Is it clashed or controlled?

Is it held by combination?

When might the matter respond?

For this reason, Liu Yao is one of the very practical question-judgment methods within the I Ching tradition.

Both Liu Yao and Meihua Yishu can be used for judging concrete questions.

But their emphases are different.

A simple way to understand it:

Meihua Yishu is like using hexagram imagery to observe the current situation.

Liu Yao is like breaking the question into roles, relationships, forces, and time.

For example, suppose the question is:

Will this client pay?

Meihua Yishu may look at the Body-Function relationship, original and changed hexagrams, and whether the image is open or blocked.

Liu Yao would look in more detail at:

• Which line is the Wealth line;
• Whether the Wealth line is strong;
• Whether the Wealth line is moving;
• Whether the Wealth line is held by combination;
• Whether the Self line can receive the wealth;
• Whether the Other line shows sincerity from the other party;
• Whether the month and day support the Wealth line;
• When payment may happen.

This is why Liu Yao is more suitable for detailed judgment.

Liu Yao is suitable for concrete, clear questions with a real object.

For example:

Career questions

Does this interview have a real chance?

Is this position suitable for me?

Will my current work situation change?

Can this project move forward?

Will the relationship with my superior ease?

Partnership questions

Is this partner reliable?

Can this negotiation succeed?

Does the other party have genuine intent?

Is this contract suitable to sign?

Are there hidden risks in this cooperation?

Financial questions

Will the client pay?

Can this money be recovered?

Will this project produce income?

When will the current financial pressure ease?

Can this quotation be accepted?

When investment, lending, or major financial decisions are involved, Liu Yao can only be used as a reference and cannot replace professional financial judgment.

Relationship questions

Is the other person willing to continue communication?

Does this relationship still have room to move forward?

Can the current conflict ease?

Should I contact the other person first?

What is the main obstacle in the relationship?

Lost items, messages, and waiting for results

Can the item be found?

When will the other person reply?

Will the application be approved?

Will the exam result be favorable?

Will the message I am waiting for arrive?

Liu Yao has strong structural advantages in these types of questions because it can examine the Useful Line, moving lines, and timing.

Although Liu Yao is detailed, not every question is suitable for it.

Unsuitable questions include:

Questions that are too broad

For example:

What will my whole life be like?

Will I be happy in the future?

Was I born with a destiny of wealth and status?

Long-term life-structure questions like these are more suitable for chart-based systems such as BaZi and Zi Wei Dou Shu.

Questions with no real object

For example:

What does the universe want to tell me?

I am just asking casually today; is there any message for me?

Liu Yao is better for concrete matters and is not suitable for vague questions with no object.

Repeatedly asking the same matter

For example, asking the same relationship question ten times in one day.

If reality has not changed, repeated casting will make the judgment confused.

Questions that replace professional judgment

Liu Yao cannot replace:

• Medical diagnosis;
• Legal advice;
• Financial investment advice;
• Psychological therapy;
• Emergency safety judgment;
• Contract review;
• Professional investigation;
• Personal responsibility.

For example, when asking about illness development, Liu Yao can at most serve as a symbolic reference and cannot replace a doctor.

When asking about legal disputes, Liu Yao cannot replace a lawyer.

When asking about investment, Liu Yao cannot replace financial analysis and risk control.

Mature Liu Yao practice must respect real-world boundaries.

Common core concepts in Liu Yao judgment include:

Hexagram image
Six lines
Self line
Other line
Useful Line
Six Relatives
Six Spirits
Moving line
Changed line
Month Branch
Day Branch
Emptiness
Generation, control, clash, and combination
Timing of event

This chapter gives an overview first; later chapters will unfold these concepts step by step.

The Self line is a very important concept in Liu Yao.

In most questions, the Self line represents:

• Oneself;
• The querent;
• The main party;
• The current position;
• One’s own state;
• One’s capacity to bear the matter.

For example, in a partnership question, the Self line usually represents your side.

In a relationship question, the Self line usually represents the querent.

In a career question, the Self line represents your state within the matter.

When the Self line is strong, it often means you have strength, initiative, or the capacity to bear the matter.

When the Self line is weak, it may mean insufficient strength, passivity, or pressure.

But the strength or weakness of the Self line should not be judged mechanically.

It must be read together with the Useful Line, Other line, month and day, and moving lines.

The Other line usually represents:

• The other party;
• The external environment;
• A cooperation object;
• A client;
• A competitor;
• The other end of the matter;
• The object one is facing.

For example, in a partnership question, the other party is often seen through the Other line.

In a relationship question, the other person is often seen through the Other line.

In a negotiation question, the Other line may represent the negotiation counterpart.

In a project question, the Other line may sometimes represent the external environment or the responding side of the matter.

The relationship between Self and Other is very important.

If Self and Other generate each other, there may be support or interaction between you and the other party.

If Self and Other control each other, there may be conflict, pressure, or incompatible positions.

If Self and Other combine, there may be connection, relationship, cooperation, or entanglement.

If Self and Other clash, there may be opposition, change, or instability.

But none of these can be used alone to make a final conclusion.

You must also see whether the Useful Line has strength.

The Useful Line is one of the most important concepts in Liu Yao judgment.

The “Useful Line” here is not the same concept as the Useful God in BaZi.

In Liu Yao, the Useful Line means:

The category of line that represents the matter being asked about.

For example:

Whether the Useful Line has strength often determines the core state of the matter.

For example, when asking whether money can be collected, the Wealth line is the key.

If the Wealth line is strong and generates the Self line, the situation may be more favorable.

If the Wealth line is weak, empty, controlled, or held by combination, collection may be difficult.

Therefore, Liu Yao judgment cannot look only at Self and Other.

The Useful Line must be found.

The Six Relatives are relationship categories in Liu Yao.

They include:

Parents
Siblings
Children/Descendants
Wife/Wealth
Officer/Ghost

Although they are called “Six Relatives,” the practical categories commonly used are five, and they are judged together with structures such as Self and Other.

The Six Relatives do not only represent relatives; they represent different types of human and matter themes.

The Six Relatives allow Liu Yao to turn a hexagram into a real-world question.

For work, look at the Officer/Ghost line.

For money, look at the Wealth line.

For contracts, look at the Parent line.

For competition, look at the Sibling line.

For products, output, or resolving pressure, look at the Children/Descendants line.

This is the key to Liu Yao’s structured method.

The Six Spirits include:

Azure Dragon
Vermilion Bird
Hooked Chen
Flying Serpent
White Tiger
Black Tortoise

The Six Spirits are used to assist judgment by showing the atmosphere, nature, and way the matter manifests.

A simple understanding:

The Six Spirits cannot determine good or bad by themselves.

They are more like adding a “manifesting temperament” to the Useful Line, Self line, or Other line.

For example, a Wealth line with Azure Dragon may indicate a more presentable or smoother financial opportunity.

A Wealth line with Black Tortoise may indicate hidden, ambiguous, or opaque financial factors.

Officer/Ghost with White Tiger may show heavier pressure.

Parents with Vermilion Bird makes documents, messages, and communication themes obvious.

The Six Spirits are auxiliary, not the core.

The core remains the Useful Line, Self and Other, strength and weakness, generation, control, clash, and combination.

In Liu Yao, moving lines are very important.

A moving line indicates the part of the matter that is currently changing.

After a line moves, it changes into another line and forms a changed line.

A moving line may indicate:

• The matter begins to change;
• A certain role takes initiative;
• A certain factor is triggered;
• The relationship changes direction;
• The matter develops or fluctuates.

For example:

• If the Wealth line moves, the financial theme is moving;
• If Officer/Ghost moves, position, pressure, rules, or illness imagery is moving;
• If Parents move, documents, contracts, or messages are moving;
• If Siblings move, competition, friends, partnership, or division of wealth is moving;
• If Children/Descendants move, output, products, or the force that resolves pressure is moving.

A moving line is not automatically good or bad; you must see whom it generates, whom it controls, and what it changes into.

If the Useful Line moves and generates Self, it is usually more favorable.

If an unfavorable line moves and controls Self, the pressure may be greater.

If the Useful Line moves and changes into a returning control, the matter may move first and then meet obstruction.

If a moving line changes into an advancing spirit, the trend may strengthen; if it changes into a retreating spirit, the force may weaken.

Later chapters will explain these topics further.

Liu Yao judgment pays great attention to the Month Branch and Day Branch.

In simple terms:

• The Month Branch represents the qi momentum of the month;
• The Day Branch represents the force of the day.

They influence the strength and weakness of each line in the hexagram.

For example, if a Useful Line receives seasonal authority from the month and is also generated or supported by the day, it is usually stronger.

If the Useful Line is controlled, clashed, damaged, or empty through the month and day, its strength may be insufficient.

Month and day are like the real time environment.

The same hexagram can give different line strengths under different months and days.

This is one reason Liu Yao is more detailed than Meihua Yishu.

It does not only read hexagram imagery; it also reads how the power of time affects each line in the hexagram.

Emptiness is an important concept in Liu Yao.

If a line falls into emptiness, it may indicate:

• Temporarily not real;
• The matter has not been settled;
• The other party is not fully present;
• The plan has not landed;
• The information is floating or unreliable;
• It is currently difficult to take shape.

But emptiness should not simply be judged as bad.

Emptiness may mean there is temporarily no result; it may also change when the line leaves emptiness, is clashed out of emptiness, or becomes filled.

For example, when asking about a message, an empty Parent line may mean the message has not arrived for now.

When asking about money, an empty Wealth line may mean the money is not yet in place.

When asking about a relationship, an empty Other line may mean the other person’s state is unclear or absent.

Emptiness must be judged together with moving lines, month and day, and timing.

In Liu Yao judgment, Five Element generation, control, clash, and combination are very important.

Basic relationships include:

• Generation: support, help, nourishment;
• Control: pressure, restriction, obstruction;
• Clash: movement, change, breaking open;
• Combination: involvement, cooperation, being held together, entanglement;
• Tomb: storage, entering the storehouse, hiddenness;
• Emptiness: temporarily not real;
• Damage: injury, instability.

For example:

• Useful Line generates Self: the matter helps oneself;
• Self line generates Useful Line: oneself gives to the matter;
• Useful Line controls Self: the matter gives oneself pressure;
• Self line controls Useful Line: oneself controls the matter;
• Useful Line combines with Self: oneself and the matter are connected;
• Useful Line is clashed: the matter changes greatly;
• Useful Line enters tomb: the matter is stored away, hidden, or temporarily hard to move.

These relationships allow Liu Yao to analyze concrete questions in detail.

Liu Yao can also attempt to judge timing.

Timing refers to the time when the matter may happen or produce a result.

Timing judgment looks at:

• When the Useful Line becomes strong;
• When the moving line responds;
• When what is clashed meets combination;
• When what is combined meets clash;
• When emptiness is released;
• When a tomb or storehouse is opened by clash;
• When the month or day activates the key line.

Timing judgment is one of the more difficult parts of Liu Yao.

At the beginner stage, it is not suitable to pursue precise time too early.

A more mature approach is to first judge:

1. Whether the matter has an opportunity;
2. Where the obstruction lies;
3. Whether the current condition has strength;
4. Whether the trend is moving or still;
5. Then further examine possible timing.

Do not begin by asking only, “Which exact day will it happen?”

A basic Liu Yao judgment can usually follow this order:

Step 1: Clarify the question

First know what is being asked.

Liu Yao is most vulnerable to unclear questions.

Step 2: Determine the Useful Line

Different questions use different Useful Lines.

Ask about money: look at the Wealth line; ask about work: look at Officer/Ghost; ask about documents: look at Parents; ask about children: look at Children/Descendants.

Step 3: Read Self and Other

Self represents oneself; Other represents the other party or the outside.

Read the Self-Other relationship to understand the state of both sides.

Step 4: Read the strength and weakness of the Useful Line

Does the Useful Line receive support from the month or day?

Is it moving?

Is it empty?

Is it clashed or controlled?

Does it enter tomb?

Step 5: Read moving lines and changed lines

Which lines are moving?

Whom do the moving lines generate or control?

What do they change into?

Do they change into advancing, retreating, returning generation, or returning control?

Step 6: Read the overall trend

Judge together whether the matter can succeed, where the resistance lies, who is active, where change occurs, and how to respond.

When learning Liu Yao, the easiest mistake is memorizing fixed statements.

For example:

If the Wealth line is strong, one will get rich.

If Officer/Ghost moves, there will be disaster.

If Siblings move, money will be lost.

If Children/Descendants move, it is definitely good.

If the Other line is empty, the other person has no intention.

These are all too simplistic.

Liu Yao must be understood through the question.

Officer/Ghost may represent a job in a work question, illness imagery in a health question, burden in a pressure question, or the relationship object in a woman’s relationship question.

The Wealth line is wealth in a money question, may be the object in a man’s relationship question, and may be resources in a client question.

Siblings may be partners in a cooperation question, and competition or division of wealth in a money question.

Parents may be the key in questions about contracts, messages, or certificates.

Therefore, the Six Relatives do not have fixed good or bad meanings.

They must be understood inside the specific question.

Liu Yao has many rules, so do not rush the learning process.

A recommended order is:

1. First understand what Liu Yao is;
2. Learn how to cast and arrange a hexagram;
3. Understand the Self line and Other line;
4. Understand the Six Relatives;
5. Understand the Six Spirits;
6. Learn how to select the Useful Line;
7. Learn how to read moving lines and changed lines;
8. Learn how to read Month Branch and Day Branch;
9. Learn how to read strength and weakness, emptiness, generation, control, clash, and combination;
10. Finally learn timing and integrated judgment.

If you pursue quick predictions from the beginning, misjudgment is easy.

Liu Yao is a detailed system; structural sense must be built step by step.

This chapter should be remembered through the following key points:

1. Liu Yao is a structured question-judgment system based on the six-line hexagram.
2. Liu Yao is closely related to the I Ching, but it is not merely reading hexagram and line texts.
3. Liu Yao is more detailed than Meihua Yishu and places greater weight on Self and Other, Useful Line, Six Relatives, month and day, movement and transformation.
4. The Self line usually represents oneself or the main party.
5. The Other line usually represents the other party or the outside.
6. The Useful Line represents the matter being asked about and is the core of judgment.
7. The Six Relatives turn lines in the hexagram into real-world human and matter themes.
8. The Six Spirits assist in observing the atmosphere of the matter but cannot determine good or bad alone.
9. Moving lines show factors in the matter that are currently changing.
10. Month Branch and Day Branch affect the strength and weakness of lines.
11. Emptiness means temporarily unreal or unsettled, but it does not necessarily mean there will never be a result.
12. Liu Yao judgment must integrate the question, Useful Line, Self and Other, movement and transformation, month and day, generation, control, clash, and combination; it cannot rely only on memorized statements.

Which is more accurate, Liu Yao or Meihua Yishu?

It should not be reduced to a simple comparison of which is more accurate.

Meihua Yishu leans toward intuitive image-and-number reading; Liu Yao leans toward detailed structure.

For simple and quick questions, Meihua Yishu can be used.

For complex and specific questions, Liu Yao is more suitable for detailed analysis.

Does Liu Yao only look at the hexagram name?

No.

Liu Yao rarely judges only from the hexagram name.

It places more weight on the Useful Line, Self and Other, Six Relatives, moving lines, month-day strength and weakness, generation, control, clash, and combination.

Does the Self line always represent me?

In most questions, the Self line represents oneself or the querent.

But in specific questions, context still needs to be considered flexibly.

Does the Other line always represent the other party?

In most questions involving another party, the Other line represents that party or the outside.

But in some questions, the Other line can also represent the environment, the object, or the responding side of the matter.

Is the Useful Line the same as the Useful God in BaZi?

No.

In Liu Yao, the Useful Line is the line representing the matter being asked about.

In BaZi, the Useful God is the key Five Element or Ten God that helps balance and activate the natal structure.

The two concepts are different.

Can the Six Spirits directly determine good or bad?

No.

The Six Spirits only assist in observing atmosphere.

The core remains the Useful Line, Self and Other, moving lines, strength and weakness, generation, control, clash, and combination.

1. What is Liu Yao?
2. What is the relationship between Liu Yao and the I Ching?
3. How is Liu Yao different from Meihua Yishu?
4. What kinds of questions is Liu Yao suitable for?
5. Which professional judgments should Liu Yao not replace?
6. What is the Self line?
7. What is the Other line?
8. What is the Useful Line in Liu Yao?
9. What real-world themes do the Six Relatives represent?
10. What role do the Six Spirits play?
11. Why are moving lines important?
12. Why are Month Branch and Day Branch important?
13. How should emptiness be understood at a beginner level?
14. Why can Liu Yao not rely only on memorized statements?

Next chapter:

The next chapter will further explain:

• How to cast a Liu Yao hexagram;
• What coin casting is;
• How to understand number casting and time casting;
• What hexagram arrangement means;
• How to arrange the Six Relatives;
• How to determine the Self line and Other line;
• How to assign the Six Spirits;
• Why Liu Yao chart arrangement must be rigorous.

After completing the next chapter, readers will understand:

The first step of Liu Yao judgment is not to interpret immediately, but to arrange the hexagram clearly first. Only when the hexagram image, Six Relatives, Self and Other, Six Spirits, movement and transformation are clear does later judgment have a foundation.