Coin Method vs Yarrow Stalk Method: Two Ways to Cast the I Ching

There is more than one way to cast a hexagram. The most common is the quick three-coin method; the oldest is the elaborate yarrow-stalk method. Both produce a six-line hexagram — they differ in process and in probability.

The three-coin method

Take three coins, throw six times building from the bottom up, and read heads and tails to set old or young yin and yang. Fast and simple, it is the most widely used method today. See the three-coin guide for the steps.

The yarrow-stalk method

Using 50 yarrow stalks (today often bamboo sticks), you divide, count by fours, and gather the remainder through repeated rounds — three changes per line, eighteen for a full hexagram. It is elaborate and ceremonial, the ancient method described in the Great Treatise.

The difference in probability

The key difference is how often old yin and old yang appear. With coins, old yin and old yang each occur about 1/8 of the time; with yarrow stalks, old yang is about 3/16 and old yin about 1/16. So the distribution of changing lines differs, and the yarrow method is traditionally felt to be closer to the old way.

Which should you use

For speed and everyday reflection, coins are plenty; for ritual and a taste of the ancient practice, use yarrow stalks. Either way, sincerity and focus on your question matter most. You can also skip the throwing with the online caster.