Moon blocks

What it is

Moon blocks are a pair of small crescent-shaped tools of divination, carved from wood or bamboo, that come from China. Each one is rounded on one face and flat on the other; the round face is named yin, the flat one yang. A worshipper throws the pair towards a deity and reads the way they settle as the answer to a yes or no question. Along with fortune sticks they count among the everyday objects of Chinese traditional religion, kept at home shrines and in temples. A pair of clam shells, or coins of like value and design, is sometimes used in their place. The Hokkien word for them is poe, and readings taken this way are called poe divination.

Where it comes from

The practice belongs to China, where it is most widespread, and to Taiwan. Its names are Chinese and Hokkien: jiaobei, written 筊杯 or 珓杯 and romanised in pinyin as jiǎo bēi, and poe, from the character 桮 in Pe̍h-ōe-jī. The blocks are thrown in the settings of Chinese traditional religion, at Taoist and Chinese temples and at household shrines, frequently beside fortune sticks, or kau cim. Besides wood and bamboo, a pair of clam shells serves the same purpose.

How it is done

Used alone, the blocks are first carried around the incense burner three times. The person kneels, gives a name, date of birth and address, states the matter in hand, holds the pair cupped in praying hands and lets them fall. Four results follow. One flat face with one round face is shèngjiǎo, the divine answer, a yes. Two flat faces give nùjiǎo, the angry answer, also called the crying answer or the no answer, read as refusal. Two round faces give xiàojiǎo, the laughing answer, which may be taken as a firm no, the swaying of the blocks being seen as laughter. A block that stands upright on its pointed ends, lìjiǎo, means the asking must be done again. Alone, the blocks are thrown three times, three shèngjiǎo in a row being the best outcome and two out of three accepted.

Tools and materials

The pair is cut into a crescent from wood or bamboo, with one rounded face and one flat face, the two named for yin and yang. A pair of clam shells can replace them, and coins of matching value and design are occasionally substituted. The blocks are kept and thrown in temples and at home altars, and an incense burner stands ready for the circling that opens a reading. They are ranked with the fortune sticks known as kau cim among the items used to put a matter to the gods.

What it is for

A throw is made to get a plain reply from a deity: yes or no. Worshippers ask about ordinary matters of daily life, and also use the blocks to check points of ritual, such as whether the proper forms have been kept, whether the gods are present, or whether they have taken the food laid out for them. Moon blocks are often paired with fortune sticks when a longer oracle needs clearing up, and on their own they settle a single question. Three throws are the usual way of holding the reply steady.

Who does it

The person with the question does the asking; custom asks them to say who they are, giving name, date of birth and home address before the blocks fall. This happens at home shrines and in temples, and the throwing is observed at Taoist and Chinese temples, among them temples to Guangdi and to Mazu. The practice travels with Chinese communities around the world.

Peoples and places

China is where moon blocks are most used, and Taiwan has them as well, at the temples of Chinese traditional religion: Taoist houses of worship, shrines to Mazu, the sea goddess, and shrines to Guangdi. Beyond those two countries the practice follows Chinese communities, so poe divination can be seen in temples elsewhere in the world. The blocks sit beside fortune sticks, or kau cim, in ordinary use, kept at home as much as in public temples.

What people believe

Behind the throw lies the idea that a deity is listening and will answer. The two faces carry the names of yin and yang. When both blocks fall flat the reply is taken as displeasure or disagreement, and the flat lying of the blocks is said to show it. Two round faces bring laughter at the person asking, and the rocking of the blocks as they come to rest is read as the sign of that laughter. A block that stays up on its pointed ends means the message did not get through, and the throw is made again.

Compare and confuse

Moon blocks are one of several ways of drawing lots for a divine reply. Chinese tradition also has the fortune sticks called kau cim, the planchette writing of fuji, the spirit-basket practice of jailangkung and the almanac Tung Shing; Japan has omikuji, and the binary lot is a simpler relative. In Hokkien the blocks themselves are poe, so the method is often named poe divination. Feng shui and the tangki medium appear alongside them as neighbouring entries.

Today

The blocks are still thrown at temples and home shrines, most heavily in China and Taiwan and among Chinese communities settled elsewhere in the world. In the worship of the goddess Mazu they appear among her nine treasures, under the name Xiantao Jiaobei, and they remain a common sight beside the fortune sticks in Taoist and Chinese temples.

Rites that involve Moon blocks

Questions people ask about Moon blocks

Good reading and sources

• Jiaobei on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data