Yukyo (육효)

Six-Line I Ching for Pointed Questions

Overview

Yukyo (육효, six lines) is the Korean form of Liuyao, the analytic branch of I Ching divination used for specific, situational questions. Three coins are cast six times to build a hexagram, with any changing lines pointing to a transformed second hexagram. Rather than reading the classical text alone, Yukyo overlays each line with an Earthly Branch, a Five-Element value, and one of the Six Relatives — symbolic roles such as parents, wealth, and officials — so the diviner can locate exactly which factor in a question is strong, weak, or moving. It excels at concrete yes-or-no and outcome queries.

Origin & history

Yukyo derives from the Chinese Liuyao tradition founded by the Han-dynasty scholar Jing Fang (78–37 BCE), who mapped Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the Five Elements onto the hexagram lines. His Na Jia method and Eight Palaces framework turned the static hexagram into a dynamic model and gave rise to what is also called Wenwanggua.

Liuyao spread through China as a practical alternative to yarrow-stalk divination, replacing fifty stalks with three coins. The Yijing was intensively studied in late-Joseon Korea, where its diagrams shaped scholarship and folk practice; the line-based Liuyao method took root as Yukyo and remains a staple of Korean fortune-tellers handling targeted questions.

How it works

Three coins are tossed six times; heads and tails values build each line from the bottom up, and lines that come up all-yin or all-yang are changing, generating a second hexagram that shows where the matter is heading. The diviner assigns each line its branch, element, and Six-Relative role, then judges the subject line against the day and month. The askTIAN API casts a seeded six-line hexagram, identifies changing lines and the resulting hexagram, tags each line’s element and Six Relative, and returns the pair with an interpretation.

Good for

• Specific questions
• Yes-or-no answers
• Outcome forecasting
• Lost objects
• Career and money queries
• Timing of events

Use cases

Single Question

Cast a hexagram for one concrete matter and read the subject line for a direct answer.

Changing-Line Forecast

Use moving lines and the resulting hexagram to see how a situation will evolve.

Six Relatives Analysis

Trace wealth, officials, or parents lines to locate the key factor in a question.

Decision Support

Weigh a hexagram’s strengths and clashes to inform a specific choice or action.

Key terms

Yukyo

The six lines of a hexagram, and the Korean name for the Liuyao method of I Ching divination.

Six Relatives

Six symbolic roles — parents, siblings, offspring, wealth, and officials, centred on the self — assigned to the lines (六親).

Changing lines

Lines cast as fully yin or yang that transform, yielding a second hexagram showing where a matter is heading.

Na Jia

Jing Fang’s technique of attaching stems, branches, and elements to each line so the hexagram can be analysed dynamically.

API

The askTIAN Yukyo API casts a seeded six-line hexagram, marks changing lines and the resulting hexagram, tags each line’s Six Relative and element, and returns an interpretation with a 0–100 score.

Endpoint: POST /trpc/korean.yukyo — 5 TIAN Points. See the API documentation and Playground.