The I Ching is both a purely sapiential book, and a divinatory or oracular practice book. As a sapiential it is a source of wisdom in life. As an oracle it is the tool to find harmony, an infallible compass for the correct orientation.
The permutations of Yin and Yang are represented in the I-Ching by the interaction of interrupted lines (- -) in the Yin, and continuous lines (-) in the Yang. They are used to form eight figures of three lines (triagrams).
These are interchanged to form 64 figures of six lines, hexagrams. The full version of the I-Ching has a different reading for each hexagram and for each individual line of the situation for which advice has been sought
IMPORTANT FOR INTERPRETATION
Think about your question and consult the oracle, take note of the advice you will find in the results table. Interpret it as you understand it, and briefly write down your ideas. Be as precise as you can with your questions; the vaguer the question, the more the answer will be. Once the situation in question has been solved, check your notes again. Then you can reevaluate your original interpretation. If you can not discover any immediate importance in a given response, remember that you will be limited by your expectations; you may later see the meaning in an unexpected result.