I-Ching & Chinese Almanac
The daily reference tool for people who take traditional timing seriously. Activity-specific almanac results, 64 hexagrams with original interpretive essays and Hatcher Matrix translations, and 4,096 Yilin verses — each with original ink brush artwork.
Activity-First Almanac
Six Lines evaluates each day per-activity using the 1739 imperial Xieji Bianfang Shu (協紀辨方書), a 36-volume compilation commissioned by Emperor Qianlong and preserved in the Siku Quanshu. The classical system evaluates activities individually — weddings, travel, construction — rather than assigning generic day ratings. The source text itself calls generic ratings unreliable. Six Lines shows which activities are auspicious and why, with transparent reasoning from the original text.
Cast a Hexagram
Six Lines supports two casting methods: the three-coin method (三錢法) used in modern Liu Yao practice, and the authentic 49-stalk yarrow method described in the Xi Ci Zhuan commentary. Both build a hexagram from bottom to top across six tosses, with changing lines that produce a transformed hexagram. Procedural generative artwork — unique each time — creates a contemplative interstitial between question and answer.
Liu Yao Structural Analysis
Liu Yao (六爻) is the six-line analytical framework that professional Chinese practitioners have used since Jing Fang formalized it during the Western Han dynasty (77-37 BC). Six Lines maps najia stem-branch pairs onto each line, calculates Five Element relationships against the casting date, and derives Six Relative roles — Brothers, Offspring, Wife's Wealth, Officer/Ghost, and Parents — to identify the useful spirit and assess line strength.
4,096 Yilin Verses & Artworks
The Yilin (焦氏易林) is a collection of 4,096 poetic verses attributed to Jiao Yanshou, a Western Han scholar active around 50 BCE. Each verse corresponds to one of the 4,096 possible hexagram-to-hexagram transformations (64 × 64). Six Lines includes every verse in bilingual classical Chinese and English, each paired with original Chinese ink brush artwork — 4,096 individual pieces commissioned specifically for the app.
Two Guides
Six Lines has two AI-powered guides with different philosophies. Gua provides deep consultation for life decisions, grounded in classical scholarship and honest when hexagrams are severe — drawing on the judgment texts, image texts, and all six line texts. Yao runs entirely on your device using on-device AI for private line-by-line study and translation. Both follow the source texts; neither invents meanings.
Classical Texts & Commentary
Each of the 64 hexagrams includes the original classical Chinese text from the Zhouyi (周易), original interpretive essays connecting hexagrams to classical art and literature, and character-by-character Hatcher Matrix translations that map each Chinese character to its English equivalent. Three commentary layers — judgment, image, and line — let you study the tradition at the depth it deserves.
Contemplative Minimalism
Six Lines uses Goudy Old Style serif typography, a warm ivory (#FAF9F5) palette, and generous whitespace to create a contemplative reading experience. The design philosophy prioritizes the classical text — no dark patterns, no gamification, no ads. Hexagram casting includes procedural generative artwork and haptic feedback. The aesthetic draws from the same minimalist principles found in traditional Chinese ink brush painting and scholarly book design.
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