shé
揲
divine with yarrow; count stalks
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to count and arrange yarrow stalks for divination; to perform stalk-casting in I Ching
archaicTechnical term from classical Chinese divination (I Ching). Refers to the process of sorting the 50 yarrow stalks into piles to generate hexagram lines.
dà大
yǎn衍
zhī之
shù数
wǔ五
shí十
，
qí其
yòng用
sì四
shí十
yǒu有
jiǔ九
，
fēn分
ér而
wéi为
èr二
yǐ以
xiàng象
liǎng两
，
shé揲
zhī之
yǐ以
sì四
yǐ以
xiàng象
sì四
shí时
。
The number of the Great Expansion is fifty, of which forty-nine is used. Dividing them into two represents the two [primordial forces], and counting them by fours represents the four seasons.
shé揲
shī蓍
chéng成
guà卦
shì是
gǔ古
dài代
zhān占
bǔ卜
de的
zhòng重
yào要
bù步
zhòu骤
。
Casting yarrow stalks to form a hexagram was an important step in ancient divination.
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wū巫
zhě者
shé揲
zhī之
yǐ以
zhān占
jí吉
xiōng凶
。
The shaman counted the stalks to divine good or ill fortune.