oracle

CHING(6)							   Games Manual 							  CHING(6)

NAME

       ching, fortune - the book of changes and other cookies

SYNOPSIS

       /usr/games/ching [ hexagram ]

       /usr/games/fortune

DESCRIPTION

       The I Ching or Book of Changes is an ancient Chinese oracle that has been in use for centuries as a source of wisdom and advice.

       The  text  of  the  oracle  (as it is sometimes known) consists of sixty-four hexagrams, each symbolized by a particular arrangement of six
       straight (---) and broken (- -) lines.  These lines have values ranging from six through nine, with the even values indicating  the  broken
       lines.

       Each  hexagram  consists  of  two major sections.  The Judgement relates specifically to the matter at hand (E.g., "It furthers one to have
       somewhere to go.")  while the Image describes the general attributes of the hexagram and how they apply to one's own life ("Thus the  supe-
       rior man makes himself strong and untiring.").

       When  any  of  the lines have the values six or nine, they are moving lines; for each there is an appended judgement which becomes signifi-
       cant.  Furthermore, the moving lines are inherently unstable and change into their opposites; a second hexagram	(and  thus  an	additional
       judgement) is formed.

       Normally,  one  consults  the  oracle  by  fixing  the  desired	question  firmly  in  mind and then casting a set of changes (lines) using
       yarrow-stalks or tossed coins.  The resulting hexagram will be the answer to the question.

       Using an algorithm suggested by S. C. Johnson, the Unix oracle simply reads a question from the standard input (up to an  EOF)  and  hashes
       the  individual	characters in combination with the time of day, process id and any other magic numbers which happen to be lying around the
       system.	The resulting value is used as the seed of a random number generator which drives a simulated coin-toss divination.  The answer is
       then piped through nroff for formatting and will appear on the standard output.

       For  those  who wish to remain steadfast in the old traditions, the oracle will also accept the results of a personal divination using, for
       example, coins.	To do this, cast the change and then type the resulting line values as an argument.

       The impatient modern may prefer to settle for Chinese cookies; try fortune.

SEE ALSO

       It furthers one to see the great man.

DIAGNOSTICS

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

BUGS

       Waiting in the mud
       Brings about the arrival of the enemy.

       If one is not extremely careful,
       Somebody may come up from behind and strike him.
       Misfortune.

																	  CHING(6)