Alex Chiu's Online I-Ching © 2001  Registered with the US Copyright Office.

Business

When tossing coins asking about money, the G star is the main character.  If G money star produces the self line R, you will earn money.  If G star is strong, but it is producing the U line, somebody else earns money.  You don't earn anything.   The K star is also important because K star is the one which produces the money.   If K star is hurt, money is hard to come.  But if the self line is K, you will lose money.  Why?  Because K produces money.  If the self line is K, you become the one who's pouring out the money. 

The most dangerous star is the B star.  If B star moves killing your money star, do not invest! 

Master Liang-Han said the R star represents customers.  But based on my experience, if you own an online business or a mail order business, the R star does not represent customers.  Maybe it's because you never meet people face to face.   That's why your feeling is a little bit different.

A business owner is about to sign a contract with another company.  He tossed the coins asking if everything would turn out successfully.  He got [Bride] and [Zen].

We got a 6 strike here.  The self line is not bounding to the date nor to the month.  The self line turns into P cn which bounds to the month.  But that cannot save the situation from the power of a 6 strike.   Only if the element of the self line in the 1st hexagram is bounding to the date or to the month, the power of a 6 strike can be eliminated.  No moving line is bounding to the self line either.  This contract will definitely not be signed!  The G money star moves bounding to the U line.  The G money star is closer to the self line, so that money is your money.  Your money moves and bounds to the U line means the people from the other company is asking you to give them more money.  But the 2nd line money star retreats.  That means you refuse to give them more money. 

Result:  The business owner came back the next day and said to the I-Ching master, "My God you are incredible!  We couldn't sign the contract because now they want 50 - 50 instead of 60 - 40.  They wanted us to give them 10% more."

A man said his company will establish a big company in Taiwan.  He will be the vice-president there.  He tossed the coins asking about his luck in that new company.  He got [Trapped] and [Combine].

The self line G money star turns into it's own grave.   The self line money star has no strength, and the U line K is extremely weak.   The U line is K.  K produces the self line money.  So the U line is the source of the money.  But now the source is very weak.  So this new company won't be too successful.  The 2nd line P cn moves killing the U line K h, and the 2nd line R e strikes with the U line K h.  The Taiwan branch will cause you lots of headaches and frustration.  By the way, your money is in the East, not in the South.  If you want to earn money, you really should travel East.  (His money is in the East because the money stars are y and m.  And y and m are in the East direction.)  Or you can go North because North is water.  Water produces your self line's money star.

Result: He went to Taiwan.  But the company didn't do too well.  He lost a fortune and got sick over there too.  So you see?  Not all 6 matches are good.   You also need to measure the strength of the stars.  In this hexagram, the money star turning into its own grave already tells you that something upsetting will happen.

A woman tossed the coins asking about her husband's business.  She received [Joy] and [Rise] from the Lord.

If one asks about a company, the U line is the company.  The R star is the customers.  The G star is money.  A yellow star means old, loyal customers.   The 6th line is being struck by the date.  Therefore it is a moving line.  It moves producing the 5th line's loyal customers.  The U line moved turning into c which also produces the 5th line R.  The month and the date are both producing the 5th line.  Your store must be living completely off of old customers.  The R star s is now empty.  In month s when the R star is no longer empty, all these other elements will start producing the 5th line.  So in month s, business shall increase tremendously.  The U line has a red K.  K represents employee.  Red means this person is a good talker.  The U line's employee star moves turning into c which produces the 5th line customer star.  You have a very good salesperson working in your company. 

• The inner gua (lower gua) becomes a gua strikes back.  Inner means inside the company.  When you see this kind of stuff, you know that the partners are fighting.   Green means blood related.  The 3rd line's green R yo is your husband.   It is striking with the B star.  B star represents the partner(s).  Last month was the month of yo.  So last month, your husband and his partner(s) were fighting.
  
  "Right!  That's why I am here asking about the company.", the woman replied.
  
  
• The 2nd line has a K star.  K means employees, and it has the element e.  This month is sh.  Next month is h.  Next month, the month's element h strikes with the 2nd line's K e.  Some employees will either be fired or quit.

Result:  In the month of h, 4 employees quit their jobs. 

A man is about to bet on a basketball game.  He tossed the coins asking should he put his bets on a certain team, and he received [Hollow] and [Cover].

The self line's money star killer B wa advances.  If the U line P e produces the self line, he will lose even more money because his self line's B star will become even stronger.  But P e won't produce the self line because the U line's P e links to the 5th line's P e, which has been killed back by G t.  So P e is out of the picture.  

• P e got killed back by G t.  So P e cannot produce the self line's advancing B star anymore.  So he won't lose money after all.
• But look at the U line.  The U line's P e got produced back by a healthy R y.   So the troubled P e has been rescued by R y.  That means P e still has the ability to produce the self line's advancing B star.  If I were you, I won't place this bet.  This is too vulnerable.

Result:  He didn't place a bet because he trusted this sign.  And the team he thought about betting lost the game.

A guy tossed the coins asking when can he speak to his business partner about money.   He expected to speak to his partner within 3 days.  He got [Well].

This is a single hexagram.  Based on a single hexagram's law, the self line that has been struck by the date is what you shall get.  The G sh money star sits on the self line and has been struck by the date.  So this man definitely will receive some money or will hear a good news concerning money. 

• He could receive a good news today because the self line G sh has been struck today.   (day cn)
• He could receive a good news on day sh because the self line G sh could move on day sh.

The man tossed the coins again and got [Wonderful] and [Quarrel].

The U line represents the partner, and the self line is himself.  The U line moves bounding to the self line, and the self line moves bounding to the U line.  When 2 lines move and bound to each other, things will happen immediately.  He could talk to his partner on day sh.  Why?  Because the date ( cn ) is bounding to both the self line and the U line.  Day sh can strike open the bondages causing the lines to move and bound to each other.  But he could also talk to his partner today.   Why?  Because today is day cn.  The self line is cn, and it moves on day cn.  The U line is yo, and it could also move on day cn. 

Result:  His partner phoned him and talked to him about money right after he tossed the coins.  So it happened on day cn.

Mr. Hapoel is very new to Dynamic Java Server Pages (DJSP), and he has built a new utility using this new tool and will offer it to a big client.  Will he get paid for the job?  He tossed the coins and got [Kan] and [Cover].

There is a 6 strike, and nothing is bounding to the self line.  So the power of the 6 strike is permanent.  Sometimes if a person gets a 6 strike, he has to wait for a little bit longer for things to happen.  But in this case, he will not be paid.   Why?  Because the self line moved and turned into the K loser star.  The loser star means he won't be paid. 

Result:  His client found lots of bugs in his new program.  So he was never paid for it.

Someone asked if he can earn good money by selling paper lanterns.  He got [Family] and [Consolidate].

             B   m   -       B   y   -
             K   e   O   U   P   t   - -
             G   wa  - -     G   sh  - - U
             P   h   -       P   h   -
             G   c   - - J   G   c   - -
             B   m   -       B   m   - J

The U line's K e loser star moved turning into P t which bounds to the self line.   This means the self line just received a loser star.  The U line's K e cannot represent happiness in this case because this man is not worried at all.  So the U line's K e must be a real loser star.  Wild Crane requested the man to throw the coins once more.  This time, the man got [Quarrel] and [Break].

             P   e   -       R   y   - U
        G t  B   wa  - -     G   t   - -
             K   yo  O J     B   sh  - -
             B   c   - -     B   c   - - J
             R   m   -       R   m   -
             P   e   - U     P   e   -

After Wild Crane has viewed this hexagram, Wild Crane told the man, "You will not profit. Don't waste your energy."  The man asked Wild Crane to explain. Wild Crane explained, "The self line still has a loser star.  The money star G t is weak and is hiding."

Result: The man tried to earn that money, but it truly was a waste of time. 

If the B star turns into an R star, you can earn money. 

A man tossed the coins asking when will his company earn 1 million Chinese Yuan a year.   He got [Hurt] and [Zen].

There is a 6 strike.  But luckily, the date strikes the U line causing the U line to move.  U line moves turning into B t which bounds to the self line R c.  So the power of the 6 strike is eliminated.  The 3rd line's B h turns into R cn.   This means his company will earn 1 million a year in the future.  Right now, the 3rd line's R cn is bounding to the date.  So the 3rd line cannot move yet.   But in year sh, sh strikes the 3rd line's R cn and breaks the bondage.  That's the time the B star can be killed by the R star.  So in year sh, his company will do 1 million a year.  Although the money star is weak and empty, as long as the B star turns into an R, he still will earn money when the time comes.

Result:  His company was doing 1 million a year starting in the year of sh.   You see?  If the B star turns into an R, you still can earn money.  I think this has to do with the person's mentality.  Maybe when this man tossed the coins, he felt that his company is not doing very well.  He wanted to know when will his business improve.  B represents lost of money, and R represents 'You got something'.  So when lost of money transforms into 'You got something', his company does 1 million a year.

A man asked God will he become successful if he goes back to China to start a business.   He got [Break] and [Travel].

Forget about business.  If one asks about business or about money, what's the most important star?  The G money star of course.  Now why is the 5th line's G money star so weak?   You can quit dreaming.  The self line moves turning into K s, and the 4th line B sh moves turning into K yo.  The K stars are killing the R winner star.  The self line turns into K s which strikes with the U line's R y.   U line represents the place where you want to go.  So U line is China.   If the self line moves turning into K s which strikes with the U line, you hate China.  A yellow G represents your girlfriend.  Your girlfriend G t is producing the U line China.   She likes China.  The self line c moved bounding to the 5th line yellow G.   The reason why you make this move is because you are doing this in order to please your girlfriend.

"Master!  That's right!  I don't really like China.  She's the one who wants to go back there.  Will this affect our relationship?", the man replied. 

• The 4th line red B moved.  Red B means argument or fighting.  You guys have been arguing about this.  But luckily, the 4th line B moved turning into yo.   And the date m is striking it.  The 4th line has been struck loose, so the argument won't continue for long.  Although the 5th line's girlfriend is producing the U line China, the 5th line girlfriend is not a moving line.  That means she is only thinking about returning, but she won't insist on it.  So just don't listen to her.  China is not for you.
• The 2nd line R is moving turning into P which produces the self line.  R represents a job or a position.  P represents hard work.  I think you will soon get a job.   Right now, 2nd line's P w is empty.  So the 2nd line cannot move.  But in month w, the emptiness will be fulfilled.  That's the time the 2nd line will move to produce the self line.  So God is saying that in month w he will grant you a new job.   The 2nd line's R and P are in the lower gua.  Lower gua is also called the inner gua.  Inner gua means this new job site is somewhere in your home town.   So you will not go back to China.

Result:  He was introduced by a friend to a new job in month w.  They didn't go back to China, but the girlfriend didn't give him any trouble.

My web site is down again.  So I tossed the coins asking when will my site be back up.  I expected my site to be back up within a day.  I got [Hollow] and [Step].

The self line B wa moves turning into P w which bounds back at itself.  P represents 'Something happening'.  So I guess my site will be back up at the hour of w or wa.  But sometimes when you ask God at what hour will your site be back up, God will show you on which day it will be back up.  Which means, the self line B wa moves could mean that my site won't be back up until day wa.  But since day wa is 10 days away, that's quite impossible. 

Anyway, I tossed the coins again and got [Unsettled] and [Duay].

Although there is a 6 strike, the 5th line K wa moves bounding to the self line.   So the power of the 6 strike is eliminated.  The 1st line P star moves to produce the self line.  P represents 'Something happening'.  But right now, the 1st line B e is empty.  So at hour e, my site should be back up.  The U line B e also moves turning into K wa which bounds to the self line.  K represents happiness.   If a K star moves and bounds to the self line, I shall become happy.  That's another indication stating that my site shall be back up at hour e.  But why does the first sign tell me that my site will be back up at hour w or wa?  The reason is hour e and hour w are just one hour of difference.  I say these two signs are close enough.

Result:  My site went back up at hour e.

Some lady asked will she earn big money if she opens up a restaurant with her sister.   She got [Bite] and [Abide].

The top line's K star moves producing the self line's money star.  The self line moves producing the R customer star.  The R customer star is so strong because it is the same element as the date.  I bet if you open up this restaurant, people will line up to the door.  The U line is your opponent.  U line has a green B.  Green means blood related.  B means your sister.  So the U line represents your own sister.  Your sister B y bounds to the month h.  When a star bounds to the month or to the date, this person is not interested in what you are doing.  This means she is not really interested in this business.  Even if she does invest now, she will change her mind later.  The strong R star also represents a rich sponsor.  Since the self line turned into a strong R star, I think you will find a rich guy who has money to toss into this restaurant business.  The top line K e moves producing the self line's money star.  But it is being struck by the month, so it is quite weak right now.  In the month of e when K e regains its strength, your business shall increase many folds!

Result:  Her sister changed her mind and left the partnership before the restaurant even opened.  In the month of e, business increased a lot.

I received a phone call from a mail order catalog company.  They said they want to see a sample of my product.  If they think my product fits their product line, they might sell it for me in their catalog.  I tossed the coins asking if my magnetic product (Immortality Device) can be sold in their mail order catalog.  I got [Difficulty].

The R star represents someone who has power.  So the R star can be a judge or an examiner.  So the R star is the person who will examine my product.  The R star w is the same element as the date.  It is killing the self line.  No!  The examiner will not like my stuff.  If the examiner star R produces the self line, he will favor me.  But now he's killing me.  The money star is also an important role here.  The money star is buried by the month and is weak under the date and is hiding under the 2nd line.  That means there is no money to be earned.  God is saying that my product won't appear in their catalog.

Result:  They never called me back after they received my product. 

My business partner owes me money.  I tossed the coins asking when will I be able to talk to him about the money.  I got [Rise] and [Humble].

The 2nd line's strong P h moves killing the weak K w.  P h represents frustration, and K w represents happiness.  The U line's G c links to the self line's G c.   So the advancing G c of the U line is the self line.  The 2nd line K w moved to produce the U line's advancing G star.  This means money will increase for me.

But let's toss the coins once more to make sure.  I tossed the coins once more, and this time I got [Touch] and [Rot].

The self line K s has just received a strong money star G t through the 5th line's P e.   This is good!  The 2nd line's frustration star P w cannot hurt my self line because it got killed back by G h.  This is also very good.  The 5th line P e can move on day e, and the 2nd line P w can move on day w.

Result:  My business partner's employee phoned me on day e and on day w.  He told me that they will send me the money right away.

A horse dealer tossed the coins asking can he earn money selling horses in the South.   He got [Cup] and [Big Profit].

The horses are pets.  Pets are represented by the K star because they are kind of like your children.  You have to take care of them and feed them each day.  They will never grow up and take care of themselves.  The 1st line's K star represents the horses.  It turned into an R star which bounds back at itself.  What does that mean?  The R star represents death.  This means lots of your horses will die on the way to the South.  But luckily, the date strikes the 3rd line and the 4th line causing the twin money stars to move.  The twin money stars move producing the self line.  You will still earn some money. 

Result:  Lots of horses did die on the journey.  But when he reached the South, the price of horses were high.  He earned some money.

A man tossed the coins asking if he and another guy will become business partners or not.  He got [Abide] and [Little much].

The 5th line R represents 'You got something.'  The 5th line moved bounding to the self line.  The self line also moved bounding to the 5th line.   Although the 5th line retreats, the self line is bounding to it so it cannot retreat.  The U line advances.  That means the other guy is very sincere about this.  The self line and the 1st line also form a P combo.  P represents business or a contract.  The partnership definitely will be established.

Result:  They established a partnership within a few weeks.

If 4 or 5 lines move, lots of trouble ahead.

A man tossed the coins asking about his jewelry shop.  He received [Intercourse] and [Hollow].

The U line and the 4th line form a strong G money combo.  If one asks about a store, the R star represents the customers.  The strong G combo produces the 2nd line R w.  R w also moves turning into G m which produces back at itself.  Business is pretty good.  But too bad that the G combo is not connected to the self line B s in any way.  The G combo embraces the U line.  The U line must be another person.  This other person could be your business partner.  If the G combo embraces the U line, your partner controls the money.  The G combo is linking to the 2nd line because the 2nd line also has G m.  The 2nd line R w kills the self line.   This means your partner is earning all of the money.  His action is hurting your feelings. 

"That is correct.  So will this situation shift in the future?", the man asked.

• The K star could represent employees because the K star is the source of income, which could be the employees.  The 4th line's K star represents the employees.  It turns into a P star which kills back at itself.  Some employees will either quit or be fired. 
• The self line is empty.  Empty means you don't really want your business anymore.  The self line also turns into its own grave.   Self line running into the grave means you basically don't care anymore. 
• The Lord is saying that you should leave this company.  You should sell your shares to your partners.  If you don't leave, there won't be too much benefit for you anyway.  All you will get is agony and worries.

Result:  The man said, "Master.  You are a true prophet.  What you said makes me feel that you have seen this story in a movie.  Yes!  I do plan to sell my shares to my partner.  I really don't profit much if this continues on.   I made my plans already before I came to you." 

A man wants to go to a place to sell Chinese medicine.  He wants to know if this trip will be profitable for him.  He got [Combine] and [Zen].

The U line has a yellow B.  B represents a friend.  Yellow means he is a close friend.  So basically, you are doing business with an old friend. 

"Correct.", the man replied.

• The month and the date are killing the money star.  There is no profit in this business what so ever.  Although the U line's B star is retreating, the month and the date still killed your money star.  The yellow B star on the U line is your old friend.  Beware that your old friend is setting up a scam!
  
  "No no no.  I know my friend.  He's a cool guy, and we knew each other for many years already.  He will do anything, but he won't scam my money.  That I'm very sure.", the man said.
  
  
• The date strikes the 3rd line G m.  G m money star moves producing the self line.   But the 3rd line is so weak, it's almost none existing.  So in the month of m or sh, you will receive a little bit of money.  Why in month of m or sh?   Because in month m, the 3rd line will move.  In month sh, sh bounds to the 3rd line and will also cause it to move.  I think you will receive some money most likely in month m.  The U line B yo cannot retreat because it is bounding to both the month and the date.  Month m will break their bondage allowing B yo to retreat.
• 6 strike means you won't earn money.  Although the U line B s could bound to the self line, a retreating line cannot bound to other lines.  So the retreating U line cannot bound to the self line.

Result:  Everything was sold to his old friend, but the old friend refused to release the money.  After being phoned everyday for the money, his old friend finally paid him no more than one third of the money in the month of m.  What did you learn from this lesson?  You must always trust the word of God.  Never trust your old friend more than you trust God.  What ever God said will come to pass.

Mr. Hapoel wrote:

• "I am managing a soccer fan site for the leading Israeli team: Hapoel Tel Aviv.   I called an investor that I know wanting to take the site to a new market based on the International success of Hapoel Tel Aviv.  I wrote him a letter, and he promised a reply by next week."

Mr. Hapoel threw the coins asking will his investor invest in his business.  He got [Duay] and [Separate].

There is a 6 strike.  But since the self line and the 4th line form a G combo, the power of the 6 strike is eliminated.  But too bad that the month and the date are both striking at the self line P wa.  The self line also turns into G m which kills back at itself.  P wa represents document or 'something happening'.  In this hexagram, the P star is being severely damaged by both the month and the date.  The U line represents the investor.  The U line P c is the same element as the month and the date.  It also turns into R w which produces back at itself.  The U line is very tough.  The U line also is striking the self line.  This means the investor is very tough to deal with. 

• But the 1st line R e moved turning into G y which bounds to the 4th line K h.  This means the self line's G combo just received an R e winner star.  I think the investor will invest at the end.

I told Mr. Hapoel to toss the coins once more to get a clearer message from God.   So he tossed the coins again and got [Humble] and [Chen].

There is a 6 strike in here.  But since the self line is bounding to the date, the power of the 6 strike could be eliminated.  But too bad that the date is striking the B s which the self line has turned into.  B s represents a friend or a partnership.   Now the date is striking at it.   When the date strikes a moving line, that line becomes useless.  So the partnership is gone.  In this hexagram, 5 lines moved.  Too many lines move is not too good.  This means an agreement is hard to reach.  The 4th line P c is linked to the U line, which represents the investor.  The 4th line moves killing the self line means the investor is rejecting his proposal.  The U line R w moves and turns into a very strong money star which produces back at the R w.  This means the investor wants more money.  So I told Mr. Hapoel that the agreement cannot be reached.

Result:  Mr. Hapoel later told me that the investor demanded him to make some changes in the contract before he invests.  After changes were made in the contract, the investor signed the contract.

A man tossed coins asking about his wealth.  He got [Commander] and [Stop].

One look at this hexagram, Master Wu could tell this man is very wealthy.  The self line money star is being produced by the date and is the same element as the month.   The self line money star also turns into K which produces back at itself.  R represents power, control, and possession.  The 4th line R moves and links to the self line.  Only thing bad in this sign is that the 5th line B star moves turning into P which produces back at itself.  The 5th line B star is also quite powerful because the 6th line's powerful P star moves producing the 5th line B star.  The 5th line B h will move in the month h.  In the month of h, you will lose money.  The element of the year is even stronger than the element of the month.  So in the year of h, you will lose lots of money.  The man asked, "Master.  You are very right.  My business boomed, and I became extremely wealthy.  But you say I will lose money?  How about if I retire right now?  Will I still lose money then?"  Master Wu replied, "If you retire and don't invest in the year h, you will not lose money.  In fact, you should retire even earlier.  The U line P yo moves turning into an R star which produces back at itself.  The U line P yo is quite strong, and it moves to produce the enemy star B h.  But right now, P yo is being struck loose by the date.  But in year yo, P yo shall be resurrected and shall move to produce B h.  The U line's R sh is also bounding to the date.  But in year yo, the bondage shall be broken allowing the U line to move to produce the B star.   You could also lose big money in year yo."

Result:  The man listened to the prophet and retired early. 

A man tossed the coins asking about his wealth, and he got [Cup] and [Big profit].

The 1st line K turns into R.  If someone asks about wealth, K represents a loser and R represents a winner.  K turns into R means he changed from a Mr. Nobody into a wealthy big boss.  So in the year c, he became rich.  This year is m.  m strikes the double money stars yo allowing the money star to move producing the self line R.  This year, he has earned even more money.  What a lucky guy.

Result:  The man said, "Exactly!  I became filthy rich in the year of c.   I am doing even better this year."

Someone owes me money and is hiding from me.  I tossed the coins asking when can I speak to that person, and I got [Intercourse] and [Too much].  I expected to speak to him within 12 days.

The R star moved and turned into the K star.  R represents 'You got something'.   K represents 'You got nothing'.  If the R star turns into the K star, nothing will happen for me.

Result:  I didn't talk to him within 12 days.

Some guy asked will he make money from his new project.  He got [Revolution] and [Return].

The self line B h moves and turns into R.  R represents 'You got something'   If the self line B turns into R, he will earn money.  The self line B h is also linked to the 3rd line B h.  The 3rd line B h also turns into an R.  So he will earn money from 2 places because there are two R stars.  But too bad that the self line and the U line are empty.  This is his first toss, so nothing will happen if J and U are empty in the first toss.  He won't make money.

Result:  He told me that he is promoting 2 kinds of money making programs on his web site.  So his question was about these 2 money making programs.  Few months later, he quitted his projects without making a cent.

My business web site was down probably due to maintenance.  Usually, the web site won't be down more than 1 or 2 days.  I tossed the coins asking when will my site be back up.  The Lord gave me [Feed] and [Quarrel].

The self line sh moves and turns into the R star.  R represents control and possession.  If the self line turns into the R star, I will gain access to my web site again.  The self line is sh.  Today is also sh.  So today, my web site should be back up.

Result:  Few hours later, my web site went back up.

A customer faxed me an order.  I processed his order and threw the fax away.   But on the next day, I realized that I forgot to write down his mailing address.   I remembered that he asked me to send the products to the Chemical Engineering department of Universiti Kebangsaan of Malaysia.  So I searched for Universiti Kebangsaan on a search engine and found its address.  Then I sent him the products.   But I worried that he might not get the product.  So I tossed the coins and asked, "Did I send to the right address?  Will he get the product?  Will the package I sent him be lost in mail so I would need to send it again?"  I got [Feed] and [Li].

The 6 strike means he won't receive the product.  But luckily, the 3rd line G cn moves bounding to the self line's R yo.  The power of the 6 strike is eliminated.   The 3rd line moves bounding to the self line R yo means somebody will receive the product. 

Result:  Two weeks later, he emailed me telling me that he received the products.

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If you would like to write your own I-Ching book after you have mastered I-Ching, please ask the author for permission to use all of our element symbols, date symbols, calendar indications, charts, and the names of the hexagrams.  We encourage an unification of English I-Ching symbols so more people can learn about I-Ching.