Yijing Divination

Chapter 3 begins by situating divination in the history of Chinese religious practice, from ancient times to the present day. It explains how divination and sacrifice, since the earliest known forms of religious practice, have constituted the backbone of Chinese religion. It then discusses the poorly understood origins of milfoil or yarrow-stalk divination, which became the standard method for consulting the Yijing. It details that method as systematized by Zhu Xi (1130–1200), in addition to the simpler coin method. It concludes with a discussion of the Yijing’s linkage of prognostication and moral guidance.