How it works

The 筊杯 are a pair of small crescent-shaped blocks, usually wood or bamboo. Each has one flat side and one rounded side. The flat side is called the yang side and the round side the yin side.

The person asking holds a single question in mind, throws both blocks together, and reads how they land. Each block falls on its own, flat side up or round side up, and the two are not linked.

• 笑筊Laughing throw

  Both blocks flat side up. Chance 1 in 4. Unclear. Ask again or rephrase.

• 聖筊Sacred throw

  One block flat side up, one block round side up. Chance 1 in 2. Yes.

• 陰筊Yin throw

  Both blocks round side up. Chance 1 in 4. No.

Practice is not the same everywhere. The number of sacred throws asked for varies: some people accept one, and for an important matter many ask for three in a row. In many places a sacred throw is also used to confirm a fortune stick. The laughing throw and the yin throw are treated differently from place to place, and sources disagree on which pattern has which name. If you are in a temple, follow the custom of that place. This page counts a single throw.

Each throw is decided on our server using the same secure random source that protects web connections. The two blocks are independent, each equally likely to land flat or round, which gives one in two for a sacred throw and one in four for each of the others. Real carved blocks may not fall so evenly. Your browser only animates the result.

There is no account, no history and no plan, and none of them could change a throw. The random draw is the only thing involved.

The question box is only for you. What you type is never sent to our server, never saved and never put in a link. It is cleared when you leave or reload the page.

A throw is a traditional way of reflecting on a question. It does not predict anything, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified person on medical, legal, financial or safety matters.