Fortune-Telling and Old Chinese Cash Coins
Traditional Methods of Fortune-Telling
In ancient times, the Chinese
believed in
consulting a fortune-teller for both important and mundane
matters. For example, a Chinese might have wanted to know if he
would be
successful in his business. Or, he might have wanted to know if
he would
pass the imperial
examinations, have children,
be cured of an illness,
etc.
In old China, fortune-tellers mainly relied on the following methods to foretell the future:
- using a horoscope and reference to the five elements and the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac
- using physiognomy (observing the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, ears, lips, teeth, etc) and palm-reading
- using a little bird to select from 64 slips of paper with poetry and pictures of gods and animals
- having the customer select from various sheets of paper on which were written Chinese characters and then dissecting the various components of the characters
- fengshui
- using three old Chinese cash coins and a tortoise shell
Using Old Cash Coins and a Tortoise Shell
The method of using three old
Chinese cash coins and a tortoise shell to predict the future was as
follows.
Fortune-tellers preferred using old
cash coins from the
Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) such as the kai
yuan
tong bao (开元通宝), pictured
here,
first cast in the year 621 AD during the reign of Emperor Gao Zu.
The fortune-teller would first light incense and candles and place them in front of a picture of an old man whom they considered a deity of this kind of divination. He would then put three cash coins into a tortoise shell, shake them and spill them out onto a plate. After observing how many of the coins were reverse side up he would then use the coins to rap on the tortoise shell.
The process of shaking the coins in the tortoise shell, spilling them out, observing the number of coins reverse side up, and then rapping on the tortoise shell was repeated three times.
The fortune-teller would then use a complicated set of rules and compare the position of the coins with the five elements and the bagua to make his prognostication.
Of the six methods of fortune-telling mentioned above, the literary class of Chinese considered this method to be the most orthodox and reliable.
Note: To see how old Chinese cash coins were also used to treat illness and disease, please visit Chinese Coins and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Return to Ancient Chinese Charms and Coins
Fortune-tellers preferred using old
cash coins from the
Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) such as the kai
yuan
tong bao (开元通宝), pictured
here,
first cast in the year 621 AD during the reign of Emperor Gao Zu.The fortune-teller would first light incense and candles and place them in front of a picture of an old man whom they considered a deity of this kind of divination. He would then put three cash coins into a tortoise shell, shake them and spill them out onto a plate. After observing how many of the coins were reverse side up he would then use the coins to rap on the tortoise shell.
The process of shaking the coins in the tortoise shell, spilling them out, observing the number of coins reverse side up, and then rapping on the tortoise shell was repeated three times.
The fortune-teller would then use a complicated set of rules and compare the position of the coins with the five elements and the bagua to make his prognostication.
Of the six methods of fortune-telling mentioned above, the literary class of Chinese considered this method to be the most orthodox and reliable.
Note: To see how old Chinese cash coins were also used to treat illness and disease, please visit Chinese Coins and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Return to Ancient Chinese Charms and Coins
