Behold the Sign: Bridging the Doctrine and the Local Practice with Jiao 筊

Jiaobei (筊杯, monoblocks), a divinatory implement composed of two symmetrical halves—the convex yin (陰) side and the planar yang (陽) side—is extensively utilized across southern China. It functions as a medium through which divine responses are ascertained: a combination of one yin and one yang side typically denotes an affirmative response, whereas two yang or two yin sides indicate either a negative or indeterminate outcome. This study, drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted in an ordination ritual in Guizhou Province (貴州省) and Daoist ritual contexts in central Hunan Province (湖南省), contends that Jiaobei serves as an instrument of ritual mediation, fostering connections among diverse actors and integrating individual and collective religious experiences. Furthermore, it posits that orthopraxy, or the notion of correct practice, emerges through iterative negotiations among multiple participants rather than as an inflexible paradigm unilaterally imposed by a singular authority.