I Ching, or the Book of Changes or "Bible of Changes" is one of the most ancient books in China. (I may want to translate the words I Ching to "Bible of Changes", because in the ancient China, there were 4 books and 5 Chings -- I Ching is one of them, which every literary people had to study. Chinese people call the Christian Bible "Shen Ching", the Buddhist Bible "Fou Ching", therefore I may want to translate I Ching to Bible of Changes, but since every one else translates it to the Book of Changes, I will stick to the general practice). This book contains much wisdom spoken by the Chinese prophets, who have, after observing the changes in our universe for thousands of years, come to certain conclusions about the events occurring in our daily lives.

I Ching is also a divinatory art, allowing you to find solutions to any problem you may encounter. Examples include the following questions:

• Should I divorce?
• Do I have a chance to land this job?
• Will my business be prosperous?
• Will I pass this exam successfully?
• Should I invest in this company?

This art may also offer a means to avoid experiencing a problem in the first place.

The eight trigrams of I Ching

How to consult the I Ching

For example, if you have two heads and one tail in the first throw, the sum will be 5 (2 + 2 + 1 = 5), which is an odd number, therefore it constitutes a straight line. The second throw might give you three heads, the sum will be 6 (2 + 2 + 2 = 6) which is an even number therefore a broken line. The third throw might yield three tails, the sum will be 3 which gives you a straight line. The fourth throw might be one head and two tails which total 4, a broken line. The fifth throw might give you two heads and one tail which is equal 5, a straight line. And finally the last throw might be two tails and one head again, this will be equal 4, a broken line. Now you obtain two I Ching trigrams: