NAME
ching —
the book of changes and other
cookies
SYNOPSIS
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 superior 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 significant. 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(1) 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(6).
DIAGNOSTICS
The great prince issues commands,
Founds states, vests families with fiefs.
Inferior people should not be employed.
SEE ALSO
It furthers one to see the great man.
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.