1CHING(6)                         Games Manual                         CHING(6)
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NAME

6       ching, fortune - the book of changes and other cookies
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SYNOPSIS

9       /usr/games/ching [ hexagram ]
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11       /usr/games/fortune
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DESCRIPTION

14       The  I  Ching  or Book of Changes is an ancient Chinese oracle that has
15       been in use for centuries as a source of wisdom and advice.
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17       The text of the oracle (as it is sometimes known)  consists  of  sixty-
18       four  hexagrams,  each  symbolized  by  a particular arrangement of six
19       straight (---) and broken (- -) lines.  These lines have values ranging
20       from  six  through  nine,  with  the  even values indicating the broken
21       lines.
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23       Each hexagram consists of two major sections.   The  Judgement  relates
24       specifically  to  the  matter  at  hand (E.g., "It furthers one to have
25       somewhere to go.")  while the Image describes the general attributes of
26       the  hexagram  and how they apply to one's own life ("Thus the superior
27       man makes himself strong and untiring.").
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29       When any of the lines have the values six  or  nine,  they  are  moving
30       lines;  for  each there is an appended judgement which becomes signifi‐
31       cant.  Furthermore, the moving lines are inherently unstable and change
32       into  their opposites; a second hexagram (and thus an additional judge‐
33       ment) is formed.
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35       Normally, one consults the oracle by fixing the desired question firmly
36       in  mind  and then casting a set of changes (lines) using yarrow-stalks
37       or tossed coins.  The resulting hexagram will  be  the  answer  to  the
38       question.
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40       Using  an  algorithm suggested by S. C. Johnson, the Unix oracle simply
41       reads a question from the standard input (up to an EOF) and hashes  the
42       individual  characters  in combination with the time of day, process id
43       and any other magic numbers which happen to be lying around the system.
44       The  resulting  value  is used as the seed of a random number generator
45       which drives a simulated coin-toss  divination.   The  answer  is  then
46       piped through nroff for formatting and will appear on the standard out‐
47       put.
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49       For those who wish to remain steadfast in the old traditions, the  ora‐
50       cle  will  also  accept the results of a personal divination using, for
51       example, coins.  To do this, cast the change and then type the  result‐
52       ing line values as an argument.
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54       The impatient modern may prefer to settle for Chinese cookies; try for‐
55       tune.
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SEE ALSO

58       It furthers one to see the great man.
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DIAGNOSTICS

61       The great prince issues commands,
62       Founds states, vests families with fiefs.
63       Inferior people should not be employed.
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BUGS

66       Waiting in the mud
67       Brings about the arrival of the enemy.
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69       If one is not extremely careful,
70       Somebody may come up from behind and strike him.
71       Misfortune.
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