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.\"
.IX Title "CHING 1"
.TH CHING 1 "2001-06-06" "perl v5.20.0" "User Contributed Perl Documentation"
.\" For nroff, turn off justification.  Always turn off hyphenation; it makes
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.SH "NAME"
ching \- the Book of Changes
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.IX Header "SYNOPSIS"
\&\fBching\fR [\fB\-n\fR] [\fB\-r\fR] [\fB\-h\fR] [\fB\-p\fR \fIprogram\fR] [\fIhexagram-lines\fR]
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
The \fII Ching\fR or \fIBook of Changes\fR is an ancient Chinese oracle that
has been in use for centuries as a source of wisdom and advice.
.PP
The text of the \fIoracle\fR (as it is sometimes known) consists of
sixty-four \fIhexagrams\fR, each symbolized by a particular arrangement
of six straight (\-\-\-) and broken (\-\ \-) lines.
.PP
Each hexagram consists of two major sections.  The \fBJudgement\fR
relates specifically to the matter at hand (For instance, \*(L"It furthers
one to have somewhere to go.\*(R") while the \fBImage\fR describes the
general attributes of the hexagram and how they apply to one's own
life (\*(L"Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring.\*(R").
.SS "The Lines"
.IX Subsection "The Lines"
The lines are associated with numeric values ranging from six through
nine.  The even values (6 and 8) indicate broken lines, while the odd
values (7 and 9) indicate solid lines.
.PP
When the value is six or nine, the line is said to be \fImoving\fR; for
any such line 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.
.PP
The numeric value of a hexagram is constructed by listing the digits
corresponding to each of the lines, going from the bottom upward.
.SS "Consulting the Oracle"
.IX Subsection "Consulting the Oracle"
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.
.PP
This oracle simply reads a question from the standard input (up to an
\&\f(CW\*(C`EOF\*(C'\fR, or a period on a line by itself) and hashes the individual
characters in combination with the time of day, process \s-1ID\s0 and the
user's user and group IDs.  The resulting value is used as the seed of
a random number generator which drives a simulated coin-toss
divination.  The answer is then formatted and written to the standard
output.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.IX Header "OPTIONS"
The \fB\-n\fR option will cause *ROFF commands to be piped through \fInroff\fR\|(1)
for output formatting, as they were in original \s-1BSD\s0 implementation.  By
default, the formatting is done by the \f(CW\*(C`ching\*(C'\fR program itself.
.PP
The \fB\-r\fR option will cause *ROFF formatting commands to be sent to the
standard output.  You probably won't find this very useful unless you're
debugging the \fB\-n\fR switch.
.PP
The \fB\-p\fR option specifies the command to use to display the output.
The default is the value of the environment variable \s-1CHING_PAGER,\s0 or
of \s-1PAGER,\s0 or none if neither environment variable is set.
.PP
For those who wish to remain steadfast in the old traditions, the
oracle will also accept the results of a personal divination using
yarrow sticks or coins.  To do this, cast the change and then type the
resulting line values as an argument.
.PP
Conversely, the \fB\-h\fR option can be used to display the line values
from a divination cast by the computer.
.SH "COPYRIGHT"
.IX Header "COPYRIGHT"
The Perl code is copyright (c) 1995, 1999 Albert Dvornik <bert@genscan.com>.
.PP
The hexagram text and \s-1ROFF\s0 macros are Copyright (c) 1988 The Regents
of the University of California.  All rights reserved.  This product
includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley
and its contributors.
.SS "About The Hexagram Text Copyright"
.IX Subsection "About The Hexagram Text Copyright"
In the original \s-1BSD\s0 version, the macros and the hexagram text resided
in separate files from the program source, and neither of these files
contained a copyright notice.  I'm working under the assumption that
they were intended to be covered by the same copyright as the program
source, which is the copyright displayed above.  If you have reason to
believe otherwise, please let me know.
.PP
Also, please drop me a line if you know of a freely available \fII Ching\fR
text that's not encumbered by the Obnoxious \s-1BSD\s0 Advertising Clause.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.IX Header "SEE ALSO"
.Vb 1
\&  It furthers one to see the great man.
.Ve
.SH "DIAGNOSTICS"
.IX Header "DIAGNOSTICS"
.Vb 2
\&  Thus the superior man at nightfall
\&  Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
.Ve
.SH "BUGS"
.IX Header "BUGS"
The program does not support simulated tossing of yarrow stalks as a
way of consulting the oracle.