Rites of divination
Kau cim and jiaobei
Shaking numbered sticks from a cylinder in a temple, and tossing two crescent blocks to ask a question.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
At many Chinese temples a worshipper kneels before an image, shakes a cylinder of numbered bamboo sticks until one falls out, and then reads a matching slip. The method is called kau cim in Cantonese, chouqian in Mandarin, and the slip carries a verse and a rating of fortune. Next to it a second tool, the jiaobei, two crescent wooden blocks, are tossed to ask the god whether the answer is accepted.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Numbered bamboo sticksToolShaken from a cylinder.
- CylinderToolHolds the sticks.
- Jiaobei blocksToolTwo crescent blocks tossed to the floor.
- Printed verse slipObjectMatched to the stick number.
- IncenseOfferingLit before the question is asked.
- Temple altarSpaceWhere the deity is addressed.
- Tool
- Object
- Offering
- Space
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Light Light incense and bow before the image. Step 2: Speak State your name and the question to the deity. Step 3: Cast Shake the cylinder until one stick falls. Step 4: Cast Toss the jiaobei blocks to confirm the stick is accepted. Step 5: Read Match the number to its verse slip and read, or ask the interpreter. Step 6: Close Give thanks and leave the incense to burn.
How it runs
The worshipper first lights incense, says their name and the question to the deity, and then shakes the cylinder. The stick's number leads to a poem on a slip, which a temple interpreter, or the worshipper alone, reads in light of the question. The jiaobei are tossed to check: one flat and one round side up is read as yes, two round as a laugh or no, and two flat as unclear, and the question is asked again.
Where and why
Famous places for the rite include Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, and temples with fortune tellers outside offer interpretation for a fee. Some visitors make a request before a business start or a move, others ask about love, health or study. Scholars of religion regard the rite as a way to hand a hard decision to a trusted source, and the poems are often loose enough to read in several ways.
What it is for
- Ask a deity for guidance
- Decide on a matter such as a trade or a move
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Chinese fortune sticks (The stick method.), Wong Tai Sin Temple (A famous site for it.).
More on EveryJaadu
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.