At a glance
- Reading focus
- The three classes have locally assigned meanings, not universal physical significance.
Definition and details
A pair commonly consists of wood or bamboo-root crescents, each with a flat and a convex face. Taiwan’s tourism authority labels the flat face yang and the convex face yin. The pair’s landing combination is read according to local convention; the name does not describe an ordinary drinking vessel.
Structure and history
The procedure generally starts with a stated question and uses the faces for confirmation, sometimes alongside a lot number. Two binary faces yield four ordered outcomes, or three classes if left and right are ignored. That combinatorial description explains the format; it does not establish equal real-world probabilities for differently shaped blocks.
A concrete example
In the authority’s example, one flat and one convex face form a sacred response, two flat faces a laughing response, and two convex faces an angry response. An observer should also record repeated-confirmation rules. Other temples may explain a response differently, so this description is a documented example rather than a universal code.
Context and limits
Block consultation includes addressing a deity, awaiting a response and negotiating a question’s meaning. A sacred response does not replace practical evidence or justify judgments about strangers. Respect the temple’s handling rules, and distinguish participants’ religious explanations from the observed faces and from any interpretation offered by an outside researcher.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- Taiwan Tourism Administration · 文化信仰Institutional / reference source
Government cultural description of crescent blocks and three landing combinations; a local account.