Plum Blossom Divination Calculator (Mei Hua Yi Shu)
Cast a hexagram from the current time or from your own numbers. Get the upper and lower trigram, moving line, mutual hexagram and changing hexagram, each with a short meaning. Free, instant, no login.
Tip: use the moment you ask your question. The time is converted to the Chinese lunar calendar for you.
Use any whole numbers that come to mind: a house number, a date, or the first numbers you think of. Same numbers always give the same result.
For entertainment only. This calculator is for reflection and fun. It cannot predict the future and is not medical, legal, financial or other professional advice.
What is Plum Blossom Divination (Mei Hua Yi Shu)?
Mei Hua Yi Shu (梅花易数), usually translated as Plum Blossom Numerology or Plum Blossom Divination, is a method of casting an I Ching hexagram without coins or yarrow stalks. Instead you use a moment in time or a few numbers. Tradition credits the Song dynasty scholar Shao Yong, and the story says he cast his first hexagram after watching a plum blossom fall.
The idea is simple: the moment you ask a question is treated as a small snapshot of the situation. The calculation turns that snapshot into two of the eight trigrams, which stack into one of the 64 hexagrams, plus one “moving line” that shows where things are in motion.
How to calculate a Mei Hua Yi Shu hexagram
Cast by numbers
Pick two numbers, A and B. Divide A by 8 for the upper trigram and B by 8 for the lower trigram, using the remainder. A remainder of 0 counts as 8. For the moving line, add A and B and divide by 6, again using the remainder, where 0 counts as 6. If you use a third number, C, it is added only to the moving line sum.
| Remainder | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trigram | Qian ☰ Heaven | Dui ☱ Lake | Li ☲ Fire | Zhen ☳ Thunder | Xun ☴ Wind | Kan ☵ Water | Gen ☶ Mountain | Kun ☷ Earth |
Cast by time
For the classic time method, convert the moment to the Chinese lunar calendar. Add the year-branch number (Rat 1 through Pig 12), the lunar month and the lunar day. That total mod 8 gives the upper trigram. Add the hour-branch number (each branch covers two hours, with Rat covering 23:00 to 01:00) and the total mod 8 gives the lower trigram, while the same total mod 6 gives the moving line. This page treats 23:00 and later as the next day, a common convention, and does all the lunar conversion for you.
Primary, mutual and changing hexagram explained
A Plum Blossom reading looks at three hexagrams that tell one story:
- Primary hexagram (本卦): the present situation and its main theme.
- Mutual hexagram (互卦): built from lines 2 to 5, it describes what is happening in the middle: the process, the hidden factors.
- Changing hexagram (变卦): made by flipping the moving line, it points to where the situation is heading.
Read them together. A tense primary hexagram followed by a supportive changing hexagram, for example, is usually read as “pressure now, relief later” rather than as a verdict.
Ti and Yong: the Five Element balance
The trigram that holds the moving line is called Yong (用, the matter asked about). The other trigram is Ti (体, you). Each trigram has a Five Element: Heaven and Lake are Metal, Fire is Fire, Thunder and Wind are Wood, Water is Water, Mountain and Earth are Earth. Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water and Water nourishes Wood. In the controlling cycle, Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal and Metal cuts Wood.
When Yong supports Ti, or Ti controls Yong, the tone is generally favorable. When Ti feeds Yong, it can mean a lot of effort for slow return. When Yong controls Ti, it suggests resistance, and the traditional advice is to go slowly. This calculator shows that relationship for the primary, mutual and changing hexagram.
Tips for a more useful result
Ask one clear, open question, such as “How should I approach this job change?” rather than a yes-or-no question about a stock price or a medical result. Do not recast the same question again and again until you like the answer. Use the hexagram as a prompt for reflection: what is the theme, where is the friction, and what is one small step you could take?
Want a personal written reading?
Get a clear, constructive written interpretation of your hexagram for one question, covering the primary, mutual and changing hexagram, Ti/Yong balance and practical suggestions. Starting at $1.99.
Get a personal reading →Readings are for entertainment and reflection only.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mei Hua Yi Shu (Plum Blossom Divination)?
Mei Hua Yi Shu, also called Plum Blossom Numerology or Plum Blossom Divination, is a Chinese method of casting an I Ching hexagram from a moment in time or from a few numbers instead of coins or yarrow stalks. It is traditionally credited to the Song dynasty scholar Shao Yong.
How do I cast a plum blossom hexagram with numbers?
Pick two numbers, a and b. The upper trigram is a divided by 8 (remainder, with 0 counted as 8), the lower trigram is b divided by 8, and the moving line is (a + b) divided by 6 (remainder, with 0 counted as 6). With three numbers, the third is added only to the moving line sum.
How does time-based plum blossom casting work?
Convert the moment to the Chinese lunar calendar. Add the year-branch number, lunar month and lunar day to get the upper trigram (mod 8). Add the hour-branch number to get the lower trigram (mod 8) and the moving line (mod 6). This calculator does the lunar conversion for you.
What are the primary, mutual and changing hexagrams?
The primary hexagram describes the present situation. The mutual hexagram, built from lines 2 to 5, describes the process in the middle. The changing hexagram, made by flipping the moving line, describes where things are heading.
What are Ti and Yong in plum blossom divination?
Ti (body) is the trigram that does not contain the moving line and stands for you. Yong (function) is the trigram with the moving line and stands for the matter you asked about. Their Five Element relationship (generating, controlling or equal) gives the overall tone.
Is this calculator accurate, and can it predict the future?
The arithmetic follows the traditional rules and gives the same result every time for the same input. Divination itself cannot be proven to predict anything, so please treat the result as reflection and entertainment, not as medical, legal, financial or other professional advice.
Does this site store my question or numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your numbers, date and results are not sent to a server and not saved.
Can I get a written reading of my hexagram?
Yes. A personal written reading of one question is available from Caike AI Side Hustle on Gumroad, starting at $1.99. The calculator on this page is free. See the reading.