A way of looking, from the I Ching

One photo.
One sign.

Hold a question in mind and photograph whatever is in front of you. Yixiang reads the picture as two trigrams, casts one of the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, and lays it before you as a woodcut card.

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Peace

LXIV

Before Completion

Not Yet Clear

IV蒙Mang(The trigram representing) a mountain, and beneath it that for a spring issuing forth form Mang. The superior man, in accordance with this, strives to be resolute in his conduct and nourishes his virtue.

Tap the card to turn it over

From a photo to a sign

This is a real cast: one photo of a cat at a rainy window, sent through the same service the app uses. Nothing below was written by hand.

Real example

Hold a question

Keep it to yourself, or write it down. Held in mind, the card speaks for itself. Written down, the reading answers you.

“Should I move to another city?”

Photograph what's in front of you

What you photograph becomes the upper trigram; the place it sits, the lower.

MountainWater

A cat is the Mountain trigram: small, still, and guarding at the window.
Rainy glass and a blurred street feel like Water: wet, dim, and flowing.

Together: Mountain over Water — IV, Not Yet Clear.

III

Turn the card

Each of the sixty-four hexagrams has its own woodcut card. On the back: the hexagram's Great Image.

Not Yet Clear

Read it

“Should I move to another city?”

Go slowly; learn the shape before you step

Success. I do not seek the youthful and inexperienced; the youthful and inexperienced seek me. When he shows sincerity in the first divination, I instruct him…

Mountain over Water speaks of a new place that is not yet clear, but can be learned. Your side is the Mountain trigram: steady, watchful, able to shape the question with effort and initiative. The city itself feels like Water: deep, changing, and easy to get lost in at first. This reading is about whether you are ready to meet confusion with patience rather than impulse.

Not Yet Clear

Success. I do not seek the youthful and inexperienced; the youthful and inexperienced seek me. When he shows sincerity in the first divination, I instruct him…

This is the image of water beneath a mountain: the path is there, but the view is clouded. The point is not to force clarity, but to admit where things are still unclear and need teaching, sorting, and patient attention. The answer is not won by pushing; it appears when you are ready to receive it.

Photo: “Ruby”, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Sixty-four cards

Drawn in the manner of the old Marseille woodcut decks: four inks and a heavy black line. Each picture is drawn from the hexagram's Great Image, the classic commentary that gives every hexagram its picture. Tap any card to turn it over.

Heaven

I乾KhienHeaven, in its motion, (gives the idea of) strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity.

Earth

II坤KhwanThe (capacity and sustaining) power of the earth is what is denoted by Khwan. The superior man, in accordance with this, with his large virtue supports (men and) things.

III

First Growth

III屯Kun(The trigram representing) clouds and (that representing) thunder form Kun. The superior man, in accordance with this, (adjusts his measures of government) as in sorting the threads of the warp and woof.

Not Yet Clear

Waiting

V需Hsu(The trigram for) clouds ascending over that for the sky forms Hsu. The superior man, in accordance with this, eats and drinks, feasts and enjoys himself (as if there were nothing else to employ him).

Dispute

VI讼Sung(The trigram representing) heaven and (that representing) water, moving away from each other, form Sung. The superior man, in accordance with this, in the transaction of affairs takes good counsel about his first steps.

VII

Leading Many

VII师Sze(The trigram representing) the earth and in the midst of it that representing water, form Sze. The superior man, in accordance with this, nourishes and educates the people, and collects (from among them) the multitudes (of the hosts).

VIII

Holding Together

VIII比Pi(The trigram representing) the earth, and over it (that representing) water, form Pi. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, established the various states and maintained an affectionate relation to their princes.

Small Restraint

IX小畜Hsiao Khu(The trigram representing) the sky, and that representing wind moving above it, form Hsiao Khu. The superior man, in accordance with this, adorns the outward manifestation of his virtue.

Treading

X履Li(The trigram representing) the sky above, and below it (that representing the waters of) a marsh, form Li. The superior man, in accordance with this, discriminates between high and low, and gives settlement to the aims of the people.

Peace

XI泰Thai(The trigrams for) heaven and earth in communication together form Thai. The (sage) sovereign, in harmony with this, fashions and completes (his regulations) after the courses of heaven and earth, and assists the application of the adaptations furnished by them, in order to benefit the people.

XII

Standstill

XII否Phi(The trigrams of) heaven and earth, not in intercommunication, form Phi. The superior man, in accordance with this, restrains (the manifestation of) his virtue, and avoids the calamities (that threaten him). There is no opportunity of conferring on him the glory of emolument.

XIII

Fellowship

XIII同人Thung Zan(The trigrams for) heaven and fire form Thung Zan. The superior man, in accordance with this, distinguishes things according to their kinds and classes.

XIV

Great Possession

XIV大有Ta Yu(The trigram for) heaven and (that of) fire above it form Ta Yu. The superior man, in accordance with this, represses what is evil and gives distinction to what is good, in sympathy with the excellent Heaven-conferred (nature).

Modesty

XV谦Khien(The trigram for) the earth and (that of) a mountain in the midst of it form Khien. The superior man, in accordance with this, diminishes what is excessive (in himself), and increases where there is any defect, bringing about an equality, according to the nature of the case, in his treatment (of himself and others).

XVI

Delight

XVI豫Yu(The trigrams for) the earth and thunder issuing from it with its crashing noise form Yu. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, composed their music and did honour to virtue, presenting it especially and most grandly to God, when they associated with Him (at the service) their highest ancestor and their father.

XVII

Following

XVII随Sui(The trigram for the waters of) a marsh and (that for) thunder (hidden) in the midst of it form Sui. The superior man, in accordance with this, when it is getting towards dark, enters (his house) and rests.

XVIII

Repair

XVIII蛊Ku(The trigram for) a mountain, and below it that for wind, form Ku. The superior man, in accordance with this, (addresses himself to) help the people and nourish his own virtue.

XIX

Approach

XIX临Lin(The trigram for) the waters of a marsh and that for the earth above it form Lin. The superior man, in accordance with this, has his purposes of instruction that are inexhaustible, and nourishes and supports the people without limit.

Looking

XX观Kwan(The trigram representing) the earth, and that for wind moving above it, form Kwan. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, examined the (different) regions (of the kingdom), to see the (ways of the) people, and set forth their instructions.

XXI

Biting Through

XXI噬嗑Shih Ho(The trigrams representing) thunder and lightning form Shih Ho. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, framed their penalties with intelligence, and promulgated their laws.

XXII

Grace

XXII贲Pi(The trigram representing) a mountain and that for fire under it form Pi. The superior man, in accordance with this, throws a brilliancy around his various processes of government, but does not dare (in a similar way) to decide cases of criminal litigation.

XXIII

Peeling Away

XXIII剥Po(The trigrams representing) the earth, and (above it) that for a mountain, which adheres to the earth, form Po. Superiors, in accordance with this, seek to strengthen those below them, to secure the peace and stability of their own position.

XXIV

Return

XXIV复Fu(The trigram representing) the earth and that for thunder in the midst of it form Fu. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, on the day of the (winter) solstice, shut the gates of the passes (from one state to another), so that the travelling merchants could not (then) pursue their journeys, nor the princes go on with the inspection of their states.

XXV

Without Guile

XXV无妄Wu WangThe thunder rolls all under the sky, and to (every)thing there is given (its nature), free from all insincerity. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, (made their regulations) in complete accordance with the seasons, thereby nourishing all things.

XXVI

Great Taming

XXVI大畜Ta Khu(The trigram representing) a mountain, and in the midst of it that (representing) heaven, form Ta Khu. The superior man, in accordance with this, stores largely in his memory the words and deeds of former men, to subserve the accumulation of his virtue.

XXVII

Nourishment

XXVII颐I(The trigram representing) a mountain and under it that for thunder form I. The superior man, in accordance with this, (enjoins) watchfulness over our words, and the temperate regulation of our eating and drinking.

XXVIII

Great Excess

XXVIII大过Ta Kwo(The trigram representing) trees hidden beneath that for the waters of a marsh forms Ta Kwo. The superior man, in accordance with this, stands up alone and has no fear, and keeps retired from the world without regret.

XXIX

Deep Water

XXIX坎Khan(The representation of) water flowing on continuously forms the repeated Khan. The superior man, in accordance with this, maintains constantly the virtue (of his heart) and (the integrity of) his conduct, and practises the business of instruction.

XXX

Radiance

XXX离Li(The trigram for) brightness, repeated, forms Li. The great man, in accordance with this, cultivates more and more his brilliant (virtue), and diffuses its brightness over the four quarters (of the land).

XXXI

Mutual Feeling

XXXI咸Hsien(The trigram representing) a mountain and above it that for (the waters of) a marsh form Hsien. The superior man, in accordance with this, keeps his mind free from pre-occupation, and open to receive (the influences of) others.

XXXII

Enduring

XXXII恒Hang(The trigram representing) thunder and that for wind form Hang. The superior man, in accordance with this, stands firm, and does not change his method (of operation).

XXXIII

Retreat

XXXIII遁Thun(The trigram representing) the sky and below it that for a mountain form Thun. The superior man, in accordance with this, keeps small men at a distance, not by showing that he hates them, but by his own dignified gravity.

XXXIV

Great Strength

XXXIV大壮Ta Kwang(The trigram representing) heaven and above it that for thunder form Ta Kwang. The superior man, in accordance with this, does not take a step which is not according to propriety.

XXXV

Advance

XXXV晋Zin(The trigram representing) the earth and that for the bright (sun) coming forth above it form Zin. The superior man, according to this, gives himself to make more brilliant his bright virtue.

XXXVI

Dimmed Light

XXXVI明夷Ming I(The trigram representing) the earth and that for the bright (sun) entering within it form Ming I. The superior man, in accordance with this, conducts his management of men; he shows his intelligence by keeping it obscured.

XXXVII

Family

XXXVII家人Kia Zan(The trigram representing) fire, and that for wind coming forth from it, form Kia Zan. The superior man, in accordance with this, orders his words according to (the truth of) things, and his conduct so that it is uniformly consistent.

XXXVIII

Opposition

XXXVIII睽Khwei(The trigram representing) fire above, and that for (the waters of) a marsh below, form Khwei. The superior man, in accordance with this, where there is a general agreement, yet admits diversity.

XXXIX

Obstruction

XXXIX蹇Kien(The trigram representing) a mountain, and above it that for water, form Kien. The superior man, in accordance with this, turns round (and examines) himself, and cultivates his virtue.

Release

XL解Kieh(The trigram representing) thunder and that for rain, with these phenomena in a state of manifestation, form Kieh. The superior man, in accordance with this, forgives errors, and deals gently with crimes.

XLI

Decrease

XLI损Sun(The trigram representing) a mountain and beneath it that for the waters of a marsh form Sun. The superior man, in accordance with this, restrains his wrath and represses his desires.

XLII

Increase

XLII益Yi(The trigram representing) wind and that for thunder form Yi. The superior man, in accordance with this, when he sees what is good, moves towards it; and when he sees his errors, he turns from them.

XLIII

Breakthrough

XLIII夬Kwai(The trigram representing) heaven and that for the waters of a marsh mounting above it form Kwai. The superior man, in accordance with this, bestows emolument on those below him, and dislikes allowing his gifts to accumulate (undispensed).

XLIV

Encounter

XLIV姤Kau(The trigram representing) wind and that for the sky above it form Kau. The sovereign, in accordance with this, delivers his charges, and promulgates his announcements throughout the four quarters (of the kingdom).

XLV

Gathering

XLV萃Zhui(The trigram representing the) earth and that for the waters of a marsh raised above it form Zhui. The superior man, in accordance with this, has his weapons of war put in good repair, to be prepared against unforeseen contingencies.

XLVI

Ascending

XLVI升Shang(The trigram representing) wood and that for the earth with the wood growing in the midst of it form Shang. The superior man, in accordance with this, pays careful attention to his virtue, and accumulates the small developments of it till it is high and great.

XLVII

Confinement

XLVII困Khwan(The trigram representing) a marsh, and (below it that for a defile, which has drained the other dry so that there is) no water in it, form Khwan. The superior man, in accordance with this, will sacrifice his life in order to carry out his purpose.

XLVIII

The Well

XLVIII井Zing(The trigram representing) wood and above it that for water form Zing. The superior man, in accordance with this, comforts the people, and stimulates them to mutual helpfulness.

XLIX

Renewal

XLIX革Ko(The trigram representing the waters of) a marsh and that for fire in the midst of them form Ko. The superior man, in accordance with this, regulates his (astronomical) calculations, and makes clear the seasons and times.

The Cauldron

L鼎Ting(The trigram representing) wood and above it that for fire form Ting. The superior man, in accordance with this, keeps his every position correct, and maintains secure the appointment (of Heaven).

Thunder

LI震Kan(The trigram representing) thunder, being repeated, forms Kan. The superior man, in accordance with this, is fearful and apprehensive, cultivates (his virtue), and examines (his faults).

LII

Stillness

LII艮Kan(Two trigrams representing) a mountain, one over the other, form Kan. The superior man, in accordance with this, does not go in his thoughts beyond the (duties of the) position in which he is.

LIII

Gradual Progress

LIII渐Kien(The trigram representing) a mountain and above it that for a tree form Kien. The superior man, in accordance with this, attains to and maintains his extraordinary virtue, and makes the manners of the people good.

LIV

The Younger Bride

LIV归妹Kwei Mei(The trigram representing the waters of) a marsh and over it that for thunder form Kwei Mei. The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief (that may be done at the beginning).

Abundance

LV丰Fang(The trigrams representing) thunder and lightning combine to form Fang. The superior man, in accordance with this, decides cases of litigation, and apportions punishments with exactness.

LVI

The Traveler

LVI旅Lu(The trigram representing) a mountain and above it that for fire form Lu. The superior man, in accordance with this, exerts his wisdom and caution in the use of punishments and not allowing litigations to continue.

LVII

Gentle Wind

LVII巽Sun(Two trigrams representing) wind, following each other, form Sun. The superior man, in accordance with this, reiterates his orders, and secures the practice of his affairs.

LVIII

Joy

LVIII兑Tui(Two symbols representing) the waters of a marsh, one over the other, form Tui. The superior man, in accordance with this, (encourages) the conversation of friends and (the stimulus of) their (common) practice.

LIX

Dispersion

LIX涣Hwan(The trigram representing) water and that for wind moving above the water form Hwan. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, presented offerings to God and established the ancestral temple.

Limits

LX节Kieh(The trigram representing) a lake, and above it that for water, form Kieh. The superior man, in accordance with this, constructs his (methods of) numbering and measurement, and discusses (points of) virtue and conduct.

LXI

Inner Truth

LXI中孚Kung Fu(The trigram representing the waters of) a marsh and that for wind above it form Kung Fu. The superior man, in accordance with this, deliberates about cases of litigation and delays (the infliction of) death.

LXII

Small Excess

LXII小过Hsiao Kwo(The trigram representing) a hill and that for thunder above it form Hsiao Kwo. The superior man, in accordance with this, in his conduct exceeds in humility, in mourning exceeds in sorrow, and in his expenditure exceeds in economy.

LXIII

After Completion

LXIII既济Ki Zi(The trigram representing) fire and that for water above it form Ki Zi. The superior man, in accordance with this, thinks of evil (that may come), and beforehand guards against it.

LXIV

Before Completion

LXIV未济Wei Zi(The trigram representing) water and that for fire above it form Wei Zi. The superior man, in accordance with this, carefully discriminates among (the qualities of) things, and the (different) positions they (naturally) occupy.

Backs in English carry James Legge's 1882 translation of the Great Image.Not every card comes as easily as every other.

III

An old way of looking

Plum Blossom numerology, a method tradition credits to the Song-dynasty scholar Shao Yong, cast hexagrams from whatever happened to be in view: an old man with a worried face, two sparrows quarrelling on a branch. The thing seen gave the upper trigram; where it came from, the lower.

Yixiang keeps the method and changes the instrument. A vision model describes what is in your photo and the place it sits; the eight trigrams' old associations — the still Mountain, the deep Water, the bright Fire — decide which trigram each one is. The engine does the rest, from the canonical text.

The AI writes only the reading. The hexagram, its judgement and its lines come from the book itself.

Upper trigramWhat you photographed — a cat, still, guarding the window: Mountain.

Lower trigramWhere it is — rain on the glass, a blurred street: Water.

The hexagramMountain over Water: IV, Not Yet Clear.

初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。

“The first asking is answered. Asking again and again is troubling, and the troubling get no answer.”

— From the judgement of Hexagram IV

So one question gets one card. Ask the same thing again within a day and the same card comes back.

What Yixiang is not

Not a fortune
No verdicts of luck or doom. The old texts are quoted as they were written; our own words stay plain.
Not advice
Questions about health, law or money get a way to think about the decision, not the decision — and a nudge toward someone qualified.
Not a feed
One ritual: ask, photograph, turn the card, read. No streaks, no points, nothing to scroll.
Not public
Your questions and photos stay private. Shared cards never show your question, and you can delete any reading — or everything — from Settings.

Turn over
your first card.

Thirty seconds, one cat, one card. Yixiang is coming to iPhone in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.

Coming soon to the App Store

One photo.One sign.

From a photo to a sign

Hold a question

Photograph what's in front of you

Turn the card

Read it

Go slowly; learn the shape before you step

Not Yet Clear

Sixty-four cards

An old way of looking

What Yixiang is not

Not a fortune

Not advice

Not a feed

Not public

Turn overyour first card.

One photo.
One sign.

Turn over
your first card.