Cast & Chart

Yin throw

Yīn jiǎo. No.

How it falls. Both blocks round side up. Chance on any throw: 1 in 4.

A throw is a traditional way of reflecting on a question. It cannot decide health, money, law, marriage or children.

About this throw

A yin throw is when both blocks land round side up. On this page it comes up in one throw out of four. The round side is called the yin side and the flat side the yang side, which is where the name comes from. In temple practice this result is read as a no to the question as it was asked.

A no is an answer to one question at one moment. It is not a verdict on you or on a whole area of your life. People often respond by thinking about why the question was worth asking, by changing what they ask, or by waiting before they ask again.

Throwing again and again until a yes appears answers nothing, so if you throw again, change something first, such as the wording or the time. Accounts say you may ask again after a no, and one from Taiwan gives three tries as the limit for the same question. One encyclopedia swaps the names and gives two round sides as the laughing throw. This site follows the accounts from Taiwan. If you are in a temple, follow the custom of the place.

Where this text comes from

The description of the blocks and of how each throw is read follows the accounts linked here, which mostly describe practice in Taiwan. Temples differ on the details noted in the text, and one of these sources names the laughing and yin patterns the other way round. The chances given are for the throw on this page. The wording is our own.

The Chinese names are the ones commonly used at temples. The English names and all of the wording are our own plain summary.