Chinese tarot · Yi Jing
Chinese tarot, or the Yi Jing
It is often called “Chinese tarot”: it is really the Yi Jing (or I Ching), one of the oldest symbolic systems in the world. As in tarot, you draw a figure and interpret it in relation to a question — but here the figure is not an omen: it is the image of a situation.
Tarot vs Yi Jing: what’s the difference? →
Chinese tarot or Yi Jing?
“Chinese tarot” is the popular name; “Yi Jing” is the real one. The tarot analogy helps — you draw, you interpret — but the Yi Jing has no arcana or illustrated cards originally: it rests on 64 figures, the hexagrams, made of six solid or broken lines.
Each figure is an image: a tension, a movement, a way of looking. You don't consult the Yi Jing to know “what will happen”, but to illuminate “how to look at this situation” and “what attitude to take”.
How a reading works
The gesture is simple: you phrase the question that truly occupies you, you draw a figure, then you tie it to your situation. The drawn figure is the source of truth — in Daoa, the AI helps with interpretation, but never chooses the result of the draw.
You leave with a symbolic reading tied to your question, and often a concrete next step. No prediction, no fate: the decision stays yours.
The 64 figures
The 64 hexagrams cover the range of human situations: the creative impulse, waiting, conflict, return, clarity… Each is composed of two trigrams (Heaven, Earth, Fire, Water, Mountain, Lake, Wind, Thunder) that draw its image.
A few figures to start with:
By theme
- Free Chinese tarot reading onlineAsk a question, draw a figure, get a reading — no sign-up.
- Chinese tarot cardsThe “cards” of Chinese tarot are the 64 Yi Jing figures: how you draw and read them.
- Chinese tarot and loveLooking at a relationship differently, instead of predicting what the other will do.
- Chinese tarot and workClarifying a career choice: which move is right, and when.
- The meaning of the hexagramsWhat the 64 hexagrams mean, and how to read the one you draw.
- Chinese tarot: yes or no?Why the Yi Jing doesn't answer yes or no — and what it offers instead.
- Chinese tarot and the futureThe Yi Jing doesn't predict the future: it illuminates the present it's decided from.
Do your Chinese tarot reading
Ask a question and do a free reading online, then receive a reading tied to your situation.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Chinese tarot fortune telling?
- No. The Yi Jing doesn't announce the future: it illuminates a present situation to help you decide. The drawn figure is an image to interpret, not an omen.
- How is it different from a regular tarot deck?
- The principle — drawing and interpreting — is close, but the Yi Jing has no illustrated cards: it rests on 64 hexagrams made of solid and broken lines, and on a Chinese tradition thousands of years old.
- Do you have to believe in it for it to work?
- No. The reading works like a mirror: it puts words on what you already sense and opens up angles. Its value comes from the quality of your question and attention, not from belief.
- Can you do a reading for free?
- Yes. You can ask your question and draw a figure for free online, with no sign-up. The Daoa app goes further with an AI-supported reading and the tracking of your Path.