Two forms of temple divination are near-universal and both are self-checking. Jiaobei are a pair of crescent-shaped wooden blocks, flat on one side and curved on the other, thrown to the floor: one flat and one curved is an affirmative, both flat is a negative, both curved is conventionally read as the god laughing, meaning the question was badly framed or the answer is being withheld. Qiuqian is the stick oracle — a cylinder of numbered bamboo sticks is shaken at an angle until one falls out, and the number corresponds to a printed verse in a drawer or wall rack, which is then interpreted, often with help from a temple attendant. The two are used together: having drawn a stick, you throw the blocks to confirm the god intended that one, and if the blocks say no you draw again. The blocks are also used to ask whether a god has finished consuming an offering so it can be cleared away.