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Meaning and Context
Character casting is a uniquely Chinese divination method that leverages the structural nature of Chinese characters. Each character has a specific stroke count and can be decomposed into components, all of which can generate hexagrams.
- Method: Count strokes in a character or character components
- Source: Any Chinese character—names, words seen, characters chosen
- Process: Stroke counts converted to trigrams via modulo 8
- Extension: Character meaning can inform interpretation
Cultural context
This method highlights the Chinese belief that writing itself carries cosmic significance—characters are not arbitrary symbols but meaningful patterns.
Classical Roots
The Meihua Yishu describes the stroke-counting method:
From Meihua Yishu
「凡见字以笔画起卦，字有多少画即以此数起之。」
Plain translation
"When encountering a character, cast a hexagram using stroke count. However many strokes the character has, use that number to cast."
The broader principle:
From Meihua Yishu
「触类旁通，见物即占。」
Plain translation
"By analogy and extension, upon seeing anything, one can divine." Characters are among the many phenomena that can trigger a reading.
Methods of Character Casting
Several approaches exist:
- Single character: Total strokes mod 8 = upper trigram; divide character, each part mod 8 = lower trigram
- Two characters: First character strokes mod 8 = upper; second character strokes mod 8 = lower
- Multiple characters: Sum all strokes; upper trigram from first half, lower from second half
- Moving line: Total stroke count of all characters mod 6
Example: Character 明 (bright) has 8 strokes. 8 mod 8 = 0 → Kun trigram. It can be split into 日(4) and 月(4). 4+4=8 for moving line calculation.
How to Read It
Interpreting character-cast hexagrams:
- Determine the hexagram from stroke counts
- Calculate the moving line
- Read the hexagram judgment and relevant line text
- Consider the changed hexagram
- Optionally: incorporate the character's meaning into interpretation
Advanced interpretation
Skilled practitioners may read the character's meaning (semantic interpretation) alongside the numerical hexagram. The character "困" (difficulty), for example, adds context beyond its stroke count.
How It Shows Up in FateFolio
In FateFolio's I Ching tool:
- Character input method available for Chinese characters
- Automatic stroke counting and hexagram generation
- Moving line calculation included
- Full interpretation with classical references
Common Misconceptions
Common misunderstandings about character casting:
- Using simplified vs. traditional character stroke counts inconsistently
- Ignoring the moving line calculation
- Over-relying on the semantic meaning at the expense of the hexagram structure
- Thinking only certain "special" characters can be used—any character works
Sources and Quotes
FAQ
Should I use simplified or traditional characters?
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Use whichever system is natural to you and the context. Traditionally, classical texts use traditional characters, so some practitioners prefer them.
The key is consistency—if you start with simplified characters, continue with them throughout the reading. The stroke counts will differ between systems.
Can I use characters from other languages?
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Character casting was developed for Chinese characters with their unique structure. For other writing systems, number casting (using letter positions or counts) might be more appropriate.
Japanese kanji, being derived from Chinese characters, can use similar methods.