Start with the original hexagram
A hexagram has six lines. In the representation used here, an unbroken line is yang and a broken line is yin. The lower three lines form the lower trigram and the upper three form the upper trigram. Count from the bottom, not from the first line you see at the top of the screen.
The original hexagram is the pattern produced by the chosen numbers or casting time. Its name identifies the pattern. The name alone is not a verdict about the question, and a translation may differ from the one used by another book.
The moving line is a position, not another hexagram
Multifate’s supported number and time casts select one moving line. Lines one, two and three are in the lower trigram; lines four, five and six are in the upper trigram. A highlighted sixth line is therefore the top line.
To make the changed hexagram, switch that line from yang to yin or yin to yang and leave the other five unchanged. This is a mechanical transformation. A phrase such as “direction of change” belongs to the interpretation of the result, not proof that events must develop in that way.
Check the transformation with a line-only exercise
As a teaching exercise, write six line values from bottom to top: 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, where 1 is unbroken and 0 is broken. If line two moves, the changed sequence is 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0. Only the second value changes.
This example is deliberately about positions, not a personal forecast. When reviewing an actual result, do the same comparison before asking why the interpretation associates a theme with the change. If several lines appear different, check whether you are comparing the original with the mutual figure instead.
Why the mutual hexagram is a separate layer
In Multifate’s implementation, the mutual hexagram uses inner lines of the original: lines two, three and four form its lower trigram, while lines three, four and five form its upper trigram. It is not obtained by flipping the moving line.
Keep three labels distinct: original, mutual and changed. A useful first note is a small table containing each label, its displayed name and how it was formed. That avoids treating three related drawings as three independent confirmations.
What body and use add to the display
Body and use, or ti and yong, identify roles for the two trigrams within this reading framework. The implemented convention assigns the moving trigram to use and the unmoving one to body. The display then describes an elemental relationship between them.
These labels are traditional associations. They are not measurements of a person’s physical body, medical condition or practical chance of success. Read an auspicious or difficult label in context rather than treating it as a numerical forecast.
Ask about one relationship at a time
You could ask: “What does the change at this position add to the original figure, and which part of my description does that relate to?” That makes the explanation inspectable. A claim unrelated to either the chart or your question deserves follow-up.
Use the three-number guide to reproduce a clear teaching cast before comparing more complicated time-based results. Knowing which layer you are looking at is more useful than collecting more terminology at once.
Sources and scope
- Multifate Meihua chart: Original, mutual, moving-line, changed and body-use fields as implemented in this tool.
Continue with Meihua Yishu
How to Cast a Meihua Yishu Hexagram With Three Numbers
Use Multifate’s three-number Meihua method, check the upper and lower trigrams, and understand how the moving line is selected.