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This article is an original multilingual rewrite inspired by the WeChat article “六爻入门核心知识点精要（基础框架）”. It does not copy the source text. It reorganizes the core ideas into a search-friendly guide for beginners.
Liu Yao divination, also known as the Najia method, is a practical branch of the I Ching / Yijing tradition. A reading does not rely on the hexagram name alone. It reads six lines, Five Element relationships, Six Relatives, self and response positions, useful spirit, changing lines and the resulting hexagram.
1. Hexagram and Lines
A Liu Yao chart has six lines arranged from bottom to top. The bottom line is the first line, and the top line is the sixth line. Each line can be yin or yang. If a line changes, it becomes a changing line.
The six lines form the original hexagram. When changing lines transform, they form the resulting hexagram. The original hexagram describes the current situation, while the resulting hexagram points to the direction of change.
2. The Six Relatives
The Six Relatives translate Five Element relationships into practical roles: Parent, Officer/Ghost, Sibling, Wife/Wealth, and Child/Descendant. Parent can indicate documents, messages, protection and property. Officer/Ghost can indicate pressure, rules, position, illness or risk. Sibling can indicate peers, competitors or consumption. Wife/Wealth can indicate money, resources and what can be controlled. Child/Descendant can indicate outcome, relief, skills and problem-solving power.
3. Self, Response and Useful Spirit
The self line usually represents the querent or current standpoint. The response line often represents the other party, external environment or object of the question. The useful spirit is the key Six Relative for the question.
For relationship questions, wealth or officer lines may matter depending on context. For career, officer and parent lines are often important. For money, wealth is central. For exams, contracts and certificates, parent lines are usually relevant.
4. Strength, Weakness and Five Elements
Liu Yao reads the Five Elements together with the month, day, moving lines, clashes, combinations, emptiness and tomb states. A line may appear in the chart but still be weak. It may receive support from the month and day, or it may be controlled, empty, clashed or buried.
5. Changing Lines and Resulting Hexagram
Changing lines show where the situation is moving. If the useful spirit moves, the matter itself is active. If an opposing spirit moves, resistance is active. If a line that supports the useful spirit moves, help may appear.
The resulting hexagram is not a separate answer. It is the trend that emerges from the original situation.
6. Najia and Six Spirits
Najia links stems, branches, elements and line positions, giving each line more timing and elemental detail. The Six Spirits, such as Green Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger and Black Tortoise, add symbolic texture. They should support the reading, not replace the core judgment.
7. Beginner Reading Order
Start with a clear question. Choose the useful spirit. Read self and response. Check strength and weakness. Look at changing lines. Read the resulting hexagram. Then add Six Spirits, Najia and finer details.
The vocabulary of Liu Yao can feel dense at first. Once the main framework is clear, the advanced details become easier to place.
