How China ethnic minority groups use chicken bones of small roosters to predict fortunes

2026.03.16 10:20 In a ritual practised by various ethnic minority groups in China, chicken bone divination uses the leg of a small rooster to predict fortunes. Photo: Sohu Ethnic minority groups in China have long relied on a gruesome method to predict their fortunes: beating a rooster to death and reading its femur bones, a practice that has lasted for centuries. Tracing back to the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties, the custom is known as “Dajibu”, meaning chicken divination. It originated from ancient spiritual beliefs in southwestern China, where people lacking access to medicine would beat bronze drums to pray for healing. Chicken bone divination remains prevalent today among ethnic groups such as the Yi, Mosuo, Zhuang and Yao. Historical records, above, reveal that the ritual dates back centuries. Photo: zhihu.com It is a traditional form of divination that uses a chicken as a medium, predicting good or bad fortune by observing its physical characteristics after it is slaughtered. The practice is often used to make decisions on illness, marriage, harvests and other important matters. Among the Yi people, the chicken is typically killed with a hammer and then thrown outside. If the chicken’s head points outward, it is considered a good omen; if it points inward, it signals misfortune, and if it lies sideways, it is interpreted as neutral. If the chicken’s body ends up sitting upright, it is regarded as a bad omen, while falling flat is considered even more unfavourable. The image above from the historical records shows drawings of the bones used in the ritual. Photo: zhihu.com Another commonly used method among the Yi people is “chicken tongue divination”. When preparing a chicken for a dish, the head is removed before salt is added and the red comb is tasted. The tongue is then examined, with the diviner observing the curling patterns and the balance between the left and right sides, interpreted as yin and yang, to predict fortune or misfortune. A d

原文链接: 南华早报