This paper examines ritual failure through the practice of jiaobei (珓杯, moon-block divination) in Daoist and local ritual contexts in central Hunan. Jiaobei are routinely cast there at critical moments of ritual performance to confirm divine permission for a ritual to proceed. When divinatory results fail to meet ritual expectations, it produces a publicly visible moment of uncertainty.
Rather than signalling ritual breakdown, such moments initiate a process of negotiation. Drawing on ongoing fieldwork, this paper analyses how ritual masters respond to unfavourable jiaobei results by modifying bodily techniques, e.g. mudras and mantras, and ritual pacing in order to “urge” the divination (cui gua 催卦). These practices reflect a structured compromise between gods and ritual specialists grounded in Daoist ritual logics.
I argue that jiaobei-mediated ritual failure is an anticipated and productive condition that reaffirms relational authority between gods, ritual masters, and the ritual community, rather than undermining ritual efficacy.