.TH CHING 6 
.SH NAME
ching, fortune \- the book of changes and other cookies
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B /usr/games/ching
[ hexagram ]
.SH DESCRIPTION
The
.I "I Ching"
or
.I "Book of Changes"
is an ancient Chinese oracle
that has been in use for
centuries
as a source of wisdom
and advice.
.PP
The text of the
.I oracle
(as it is sometimes known)
consists of sixty-four
.I 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.
.PP
Each hexagram
consists of two major sections.
The
.B  Judgement
relates specifically
to the matter at hand
(E.g.,
"It furthers one to have somewhere to go.")
while the
.B  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.").
.PP
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.
.PP
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
Using an algorithm
suggested by S. C. Johnson,
the Unix
.IR 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
.BR nroff " for formatting"
and will appear on the
standard output.
.PP
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.
.PP
The impatient modern may prefer to settle for
Chinese cookies; try
.IR fortune (6).
.SH "SEE ALSO"
It furthers one to see the great man.
.SH DIAGNOSTICS
The great prince issues commands,
.br
Founds states, vests families with fiefs.
.br
Inferior people should not be employed.
.SH BUGS
Waiting in the mud
.br
Brings about the arrival of the enemy.
.PP
If one is not extremely careful,
.br
Somebody may come up from behind and strike him.
.br
Misfortune.