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Divine will via moon blocks
Jiaobei(擲筊), the signature divination of Taiwanese temple culture, casts two crescent-shaped wooden blocks to ask the gods' will. Three outcomes — Shengjiao (聖筊, approval), Xiaojiao (笑筊, reserved), and Yinjiao (陰筊, refusal) — reveal the gods' answer, and important matters are confirmed by three consecutive Shengjiao.
Jiaobei is the signature ritual for asking a deity's will in the temples of Taiwan and China's Minnan region. A pair of crescent-shaped blocks called jiaobei (筊杯) is cupped in both hands; after stating your question, they are tossed to the ground, and the deity's answer is read from how the blocks land — flat side up or curved side up.
The original character for jiao is 珓, and the blocks were first made from clam shells before wood and bamboo took over. With one flat face (yang) and one rounded face (yin), the two blocks reveal the deity's intent through their yin-yang combination.
In Taiwan they are also called bo-bue (搏杯) or bua̍h-bue (跋杯); in Taiwanese Hokkien, shengjiao (聖筊) is 'siūnn-pue', xiaojiao (笑筊) is 'tshiò-pue', and yinjiao (陰筊) is 'im-pue'. From grand temples like Xingtian Temple in Taipei and Chaotian Temple in Beigang to neighborhood Tudigong shrines, it is the most everyday way of asking a deity a yes-or-no question before decisions like school, work, marriage, moving, or opening a business.
The pair's landing combination produces three rulings. Shengjiao (聖筊) — one block flat side up, the other curved side up — is the affirmative answer: the deity grants and agrees.
Xiaojiao (笑筊) — both blocks flat side up — means 'the deity smiles and does not answer right away,' a signal that the question is vague or the time to answer has not come. The convention is to refine the question and cast again.
Yinjiao (陰筊) — both blocks curved side up, also called wujiao (無筊) or nujiao (怒筊) — is the negative answer: the deity does not permit it, or now is not the time to proceed.
Assuming perfectly symmetric blocks, the probability of shengjiao is 1/2, and xiaojiao and yinjiao are each 1/4. This service simulates that traditional probability structure exactly.
An everyday light question is settled by a single shengjiao. But for grave matters — marriage, opening a business, surgery, moving — temple convention widely holds that shengjiao must appear three times in a row before 'the deity has truly consented' is confirmed.
Conversely, yinjiao counts as a denial and the plan should be reconsidered; xiaojiao counts as a withheld answer, so the question is refined and cast again. The same question is not repeated endlessly — the general ritual flow is to reach a combined ruling within a maximum of three casts.
In the traditional rite you first offer incense before the deity and quietly state your name, date of birth, address, and the matter at hand. Then the blocks are gathered in both hands and cast — the question in your heart must take a yes-or-no form, like 'May I do this?'
The result is judged on sight: shengjiao is taken as permission, xiaojiao sends you back to rephrase and cast again, yinjiao closes the question. In Taiwan it is also common to pair this with drawing a qianshi (籤詩) fortune slip, then re-confirming with jiaobei whether that slip is truly the deity's answer.
The jiaobei on this page follows the actual order of the Taiwanese temple rite. Set your question and press cast — the two blocks are thrown and judged as shengjiao, xiaojiao, or yinjiao.
A shengjiao on the first cast means granted; xiaojiao or yinjiao triggers up to three casts under the traditional rule for a combined ruling; three consecutive shengjiao delivers the highest ruling of 'full consent.'
Jiaobei is a culture of asking the divine rooted in faith. Drawing yinjiao does not fix misfortune — the traditional attitude is to take it as a signal to look again at that direction for now.
Casting the same question over and over until you get the answer you want goes against the spirit of the rite. Please use a single answer as a mirror to examine your own decision.
Taiwanese temple Jiaobei (擲筊) ritual protocol — three verdicts: Shengjiao (聖筊, one flat one convex), Xiaojiao (笑筊, both flat), Yinjiao (陰筊, both convex) with fixed probabilities (1/2, 1/4, 1/4); Three-Shengjiao (三聖筊) confirmation rule for major matters (Xingtian Temple, Beigang Chaotian Temple practices); Wikipedia 'Jiaobei' entry and Penghu County Cultural Affairs Bureau folklore sources
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Jiaobei is the signature ritual for asking a deity's will in the temples of Taiwan and China's Minnan region. A pair of crescent-shaped blocks called jiaobei (筊杯) is cupped in both hands; after stating your question, they are tossed to the ground, and the deity's answer is read from how the blocks land — flat side up or curved side up.
The pair's landing combination produces three rulings. **Shengjiao (聖筊)** — one block flat side up, the other curved side up — is the affirmative answer: the deity grants and agrees.
An everyday light question is settled by a single shengjiao. But for grave matters — marriage, opening a business, surgery, moving — temple convention widely holds that shengjiao must appear three times in a row before 'the deity has truly consented' is confirmed.
Jiaobei(擲筊), Korean Yihak - Genius Young Master Cheongjae, Liushijiazi(六十甲子籤), Ziwei Doushu, Meihua Yishu, Omikuji, Ssaljeom