Timing (Ying Qi)

In the game of Six Lines, the core still lies in Timing. Timing helps us prepare our stance for facing or taking on a matter, with an absolute choice between facing it and avoiding the heavy for the light.

Besides, some important hexagrams have only a timing and no process. For example with investment: if the Wealth line is Prosperous, the timing of the Wealth line is the moment one sells at a profit, and not that the whole process is profitable in that way. Or as when we know that tomorrow there will be a mishap, or that tomorrow we shall be cheated, we avoid it on the strength of the characteristics of the person coming or of the accident; but the core of it is still knowing "tomorrow".

Timing by still and moving lines and by Strength

• A still line answers at the clash or at its own branch, whatever its Strength. Example: a still Mao Wood line answers at Yin, Mao or You
• A moving line answers at its own branch or at its combination, whatever its Strength. Example: Mao Wood moving answers at Yin, Mao or Xu
• A Resting line: for a near matter it answers as for a still or moving line and fails; for a distant matter it answers at Birth or Peak and succeeds. Example: a Resting Mao Wood line, near matter — if still it answers at Yin, Mao or You, if moving at Yin, Mao or Xu, and fails; for a distant matter it answers at Hai or Mao and succeeds
• A line of Excessive strength answers at the distant timing and not at the near one; asked about something within the day, it answers on the day of the Tomb, and succeeds at the timing of the day of the Tomb. Example: a Mao Wood line of Excessive strength, if asked about a matter within the day, only succeeds on the Wei day
• A Rootless line answers at the clash of the line. Example: a Rootless Mao Wood line answers at You

Timing of Void, Month Break, the Tomb and combination

• A Void line answers at its own branch or at the clash. Example: Mao Void answers at Mao or You for a matter counted by month or year, and at Yin, Mao or You for a matter counted by day
• A Void line, in matters concerning people, answers at its own branch or at the clash, and turns against one. Example: asking about a person, the Target line at Mao Wood being Void, it answers at Mao or You for month or year, or at Yin, Mao or You counted by day, and turns against one
• A line entering the Tomb: if Weak it answers at the clash of the Tomb and fails; if Prosperous it answers at the clash of the Tomb and succeeds; if Resting it answers at the clash of the line and fails. Example: a Mao Wood line in the Tomb at Wei answers at Chou and succeeds or fails according to whether the line is Prosperous or Weak, and answers at You and fails if the line is Resting
• Month Break, moving or changing into Break, answers at its own branch or at its combination; when still, for a near matter it answers at the clash. Example: in the You month, Mao Wood in Month Break, if moving it answers at Mao or Xu, and if still it answers at You and fails
• Moving and combined, or changing into a combination, it answers at the clash that breaks the combination. Example: Zi changing into Chou answers at Wei
• A line in Break changing into Extinction answers at the clash of the Break. Example: a Mao Wood line in Month Break moving and changing into Shen answers at You
• A Void line changing into the Tomb answers at the clash of the Void. Example: a Void Mao Wood line moving and changing into Wei, or read on a Wei day, or with a moving Wei line, answers at You
• A line in Break changing into Extinction but generated by a moving line answers, and succeeds, at the own branch or the combination of the Break. Example: a You Metal line in Month Break changing into Yin, with Wei Earth moving, answers and succeeds at Chen or You
• A Void line changing into the Tomb but generated by a moving line answers at the own branch or at the clash of the Void. Example: a Void You Metal line moving and changing into Chou, or on a Chou day, or with a moving Chou line — if Xu moves, then it answers and succeeds at Mao or You for month, year or hour, and at Shen, You or Mao for the day
• A line both Void and in Break answers as for Void.
• Hidden movement answers within the day; asked about something distant it answers at the own branch or at the combination. Example: on a Chen day, a Xu Earth line in Hidden movement answers within the day for a near matter, and at Mao or Xu for a distant matter

Timing of changing into control and of the moving lines

• A line changing into control, not Void or in Break, answers at the branch that opposes the line. Example: a Mao Wood line changing into Shen Metal answers at Shen Metal and fails
• A line changing into control where the line or the opposing branch is Void or in Break answers at the Void or the Break. Example: a Mao Wood line that is Void or in Break moving and changing into Shen answers at Mao or You for Void, and at Mao or Xu for Break; the same with the changed line
• A Prosperous moving line with a changed line in returning control that is Weak answers at the changed line, distantly. Example: on a Yin day, a Yin Wood line changing into You Metal answers in the You month and fails
• The Draining line moving: it answers at the own branch or the clash of the Target line. Example: with a Mao Wood Target line and Si Fire moving, it answers at Yin, Mao or You when still, and at Yin, Mao or Xu when moving
• The Hostile line moving: it answers at the own branch or the clash of the Target line. Example: with a Mao Wood Target line and Chen Earth moving, it answers at Yin, Mao or You when still, and at Yin, Mao or Xu when moving
• The Source line moving: it answers at the own branch or the clash of the Target line. Example: with a Mao Wood Target line and Zi moving, it answers as above
• The Source line moving and Void or in Break: it answers at the Void or the Break. Example: with a Mao Wood Target line and Hai moving but Void or in Break, or changing into Void or Break, it answers at the filling of the Void or the Break
• The Opposing line moving: it answers at the Opposing line. Example: with a Mao Wood Target line and Shen Metal moving, it answers at Si, Shen or You
• A moving Opposing line weaker than the Target line: it answers at the clash of the Opposing line. Example: on a Mao day in the Yin month, with a Wu Fire Target line and a moving Hai line, it answers at Si, which clashes Hai, and the matter succeeds
• A Void Self line: it answers at the clash or the own branch of the Self line. Example: with a Void Mao Wood Self line and a Fire Target line, it answers at Mao or You for year and month, and at Yin, Mao or You for the day

Timing by kind of hexagram and by the matter asked

• Asking about a theft: with a Resting or Weak line it answers at the Tomb or Extinction and the thief is caught; with a Prosperous line it answers as for a still or moving line and the thief is caught. Example: a Resting or Weak Mao Wood line — caught at Wei or Shen; if Prosperous, the timing is Yin, Mao or You when still, and Yin, Mao or Xu when moving
• Asking about a child, with Offspring changing into Officer, take the timing at the Officer line to know when the child is in danger. Example: the Offspring line at Mao Wood changing into the Officer line at Chen Earth — the timing of the danger is at Chen Earth
• Asking about a matter with the Opposing line sitting on the Self line, the timing is as for a still or moving Self line, and tells us when it is spoilt. Example: asking about Wealth with Siblings sitting on the Self line, the timing at Siblings tells us when the money is lost
• A Clash or Harmony hexagram changing into Clash or Harmony: the timing is at the still or moving Target line. Example: a Six Clashes hexagram changing into Six Harmonies or the other way round, with a Mao Wood Target line — the timing of Mao Wood is the moment of success or failure
• Stagnant repetition answers at the clash of the repeating line. Example: the hexagram Following (Sui) moving at lines 2 and 3 is a Stagnant repetition hexagram, with Yin moving and Chen moving. It answers at the clash of Yin, which is Shen; Yin then counts as moving again and controls Chen Earth.

  Following (Sui) changes to Breakthrough (Guai) Thunder (Zhen) Palace · Wood

  Wealth	Wei Earth	Resp.
  Officer line	You Metal
  Parents	Hai Water
  Wealth	Chen Earth	Self		×		Wealth · Chen Earth
  Siblings	Yin Wood			×		Siblings · Yin Wood
  Parents	Zi Water

• Reversed repetition answers at the combination of the reversed line. Example: a Reversed repetition hexagram with You changing into Mao answers at Chen and You

See also

• Void, Month Break, Tomb
• Near and distant matters, Day Branch and Month Command (Ri Chen, Yue Ling)
• Double appearance, Three Harmonies frame — special timing
• Life stages