1 Definition
Qi Men Dun Jia is the art of prediction held to be the highest of the 3 classical systems (the “Three Rites ”: Qi Men , Tai Yi and Liu Ren ). It joins astronomy, geography, human affairs and number in order to foretell fortune and misfortune and to choose the moment and the direction.
- “Qi” (Wonders): the 3 Marvels, Yi , Bing and Ding (3 noble stars)
- “Men” (Gates): the 8 Gates , the states of action
- “Dun” (Concealment): to hide, to conceal
- “Jia”: Jia (the first Heavenly Stem , the Commander, hidden within the Six Standards )
Qi Men Dun Jia = “the art of hiding Jia and using the 3 Marvels and the 8 Gates to seize the mechanism of Heaven and change one's fate.”
2 History & Transmission
- Tradition holds that it was created by the Yellow Emperor and Jiu Tian Xuan Nu , the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens .
- Jiang Ziya of the Zhou used it in the campaign against Zhou Xin.
- Zhang Liang of the Han used it to aid Liu Bang.
- Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms was renowned for applying it.
- Liu Bowen of the Ming used it to aid Zhu Yuanzhang.
- It is regarded as “the learning of emperors”, the learning of those who rule.
3 The Structure of the Board
A Qi Men board has 4 layers laid over the 9 palaces of the Luo Shu :
| Layer | Chinese name | Message | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Earth Board | the Three Marvels and Six Standards (9 stems) | Fixed by the Configuration number; it stands for the ground of all things | |
| the Heaven Board | the Nine Stars (9 stars) | Turns with the Duty Chief ; it stands for the mechanism of Heaven | |
| the Man Board | the Eight Gates (8 gates) | Turns with the Duty Messenger ; it stands for the action of men | |
| the Spirit Board | the Eight Spirits (8 spirits) | Follows the palace of the Duty Chief ; it stands for the help of the spirits |
Over the ground of the 9 palaces of the Luo Shu :
| Xun 4 | Li Trigram (Fire) 9 | Kun 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Zhen 3 | Trung 5 | Dui 7 |
| Gen 8 | Kan 1 | Qian 6 |
4 The Three Marvels & the Six Standards
- The Three Marvels : Yi (, the Sun Marvel , the Sun), Bing (, the Moon Marvel , the Moon), Ding (, the Star Marvel , the stars). These are the 3 noble stars, auspicious and favourable.
- The Six Standards : Wu , Ji , Geng , Xin , Ren and Gui , the 6 Heavenly Stems used to CONCEAL the 6 Jia :
- Jia Zi hidden beneath Wu
- Jia Xu hidden beneath Ji
- Jia Shen hidden beneath Geng
- Jia Wu hidden beneath Xin
- Jia Chen hidden beneath Ren
- Jia Yin hidden beneath Gui
5 The Eight Gates (the Man Board )
| Gate | Auspicious or inauspicious | Direction | Meaning & use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Door, the Open Gate | ★ Greatly auspicious | Northwest | Opening, career, leadership, the opening of a business |
| Rest Door, the Rest Gate | ★ Greatly auspicious | North | Rest, meeting a benefactor, recovering strength, social dealings |
| Life Door, the Life Gate | ★ Greatly auspicious | Northeast | Growth, wealth, business, investment |
| Delusion Door, the Blocking Gate | Moderate | Southeast | Secrecy, concealment, technical work, research |
| Scenery Door, the Scenery Gate | Moderate | Male | Publicity, creation, examinations, feasting |
| Death Door, the Death Gate | Greatly inauspicious | Southwest | Death, endings, burial, danger |
| Fear Door, the Fright Gate | Inauspicious | West | Alarm, litigation, upheaval, gossip and strife |
| Harm Door, the Harm Gate | Inauspicious | East | Conflict, injury, competition |
6 The Nine Stars (the Heaven Board )
| Star | Auspicious or inauspicious | Home palace | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tian Peng Star | Greatly inauspicious | Kan 1 | Theft, stratagem, concealment (Greedy Wolf Star (Tan Lang) ) |
| Tian Rui Star | Greatly inauspicious | Kun 2 | Illness, the study of the Way (Giant Gate Star (Ju Men) ) |
| Tian Chong Star | Auspicious | Zhen 3 | Action, boldness (Heavenly Emolument Star (Lu Cun) ) |
| Tian Fu Star | ★ Greatly auspicious | Xun 4 | Culture, education (Eloquence Star (Wen Qu) ) |
| Tian Qin Star | ★ Greatly auspicious | Trung 5 | The centre, stability (Chastity Star (Lian Zhen) ) |
| Tian Xin Star | ★ Greatly auspicious | Qian 6 | Medicine, leadership (Military Melody Star (Wu Qu) ) |
| Tian Zhu Star | Inauspicious | Dui 7 | Destruction, reform (Army Breaker Star (Po Jun) ) |
| Tian Ren Star | Auspicious | Gen 8 | Diligence, property (Left Assistant Star (Zuo Fu) ) |
| Tian Ying Star | Moderate | Li Trigram (Fire) 9 | Light, civilisation (Right Assistant Star (You Bi) ) |
7 The Eight Spirits (the Spirit Board )
| Gods | Auspicious or inauspicious | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Duty Talisman Star (Zhi Fu), the Duty Chief | Greatly auspicious | The foremost benefactor, who dissolves what is inauspicious |
| Flying Serpent, the Soaring Serpent | Inauspicious | Panic, deceit, transformation, illusion |
| Moon Star (Tai Yin), the Great Yin | Neutral (favours secret schemes) | Shelter, secret schemes, women, secrets |
| Six Harmonies (Liu He), the Six Harmonies | Auspicious | Co-operation, marriage, dealings, unity |
| White Tiger Star (Bai Hu), the White Tiger / Hooked Spirit, the Hooked Array | Inauspicious | Violence, accident (White Tiger Star (Bai Hu) in Yang Dun / Hooked Spirit in Yin Dun ) |
| Black Tortoise (Xuan Wu), the Dark Warrior / Red Bird, the Vermilion Bird | Inauspicious | Theft, quarrels of the tongue (Black Tortoise (Xuan Wu) in Yang / Red Bird in Yin ) |
| Jiu Di, the Nine Earths | Neutral (favours defence) | Stability, concealment, patience, land |
| Jiu Tian, the Nine Heavens | Neutral (favours attack) | Rising high, expansion, ambition |
8 The Algorithm for Casting a Board, in 11 Steps
- Convert the Gregorian date · the lunar date + the Four Pillars of stem and branch (year, month, day, hour).
- Determine the current solar term (of the 24 solar terms ).
- Determine Yang Dun or Yin Dun (the 12 terms from the Winter Solstice to Grain in Ear = Yang; the 12 terms from the Summer Solstice to Great Snow = Yin).
- Determine the Three Origins (Upper, Middle, Lower) by the Chai Bu method.
- Look up the Configuration number (1-9) from the solar term + the Three Origins .
- Lay out the Earth Board , the Three Marvels and Six Standards (Wu Ji Geng Xin Ren Gui Ding Bing Yi ).
- Determine the Duty Chief & the Duty Messenger by the Jia decade.
- Lay out the Heaven Board , the Nine Stars turning with the Duty Chief .
- Lay out the Man Board , the Eight Gates turning with the Duty Messenger .
- Lay out the Spirit Board , the Eight Spirits .
- Work out the Void , the Horse Star , Repeated Chant / Reversed Chant , and the configurations.
The methods this tool applies
The site at present supports all 5 principal methods of casting + the Eight Gates Dun Method :
- By the Hour , by the hour; the most widely used, for a pressing matter (12 boards a day)
- By the Day , by the day; the exact hour is not needed, for a general view of one day
- By the Month , by the month (the month stem worked out by the solar term), for the long-term fortune of a month
- By the Year , by the year (the year stem counted from the Beginning of Spring ), for the fortune of a year
- By the Quarter-Hour , by the quarter-hour of 15 minutes; the most detailed, for a matter pressing within a few tens of minutes
- The Eight Gates Dun Method , a simple method after Du Jun, using only the 8 gates and not requiring the full 4-layer board. It suits a beginner, or a quick judgement on everyday matters.
All 5 principal methods use the Chai Bu method and Rotating Board (traditional in Vietnam & on the mainland).
9 Special Configurations
A Qi Men board has more than 50 special auspicious and inauspicious configurations. Some typical auspicious ones:
- Fei Niao Die Xue, the Bird Falling into the Cave, greatly auspicious: Bing over Wu , and every scheme is brought to completion.
- Azure Dragon Star (Qing Long) Fan Shou, the Azure Dragon Turning its Head, greatly auspicious: Wu over Bing , and everything is much to one's advantage.
- Tian Dun / Di Dun / Ren Dun , auspicious configurations of the Nine Dun : Heaven, Earth or Man affords shelter.
- Three Wonders Gaining Envoy (San Qi De Shi) , the Three Marvels gathered with the Three Auspicious Gates .
Typical inauspicious configurations:
- Six-Instrument Punishment (Liu Yi Ji Xing) , 6 cases in which a Standard of the Six falls in a palace that punishes it.
- Repeated Chant / Reversed Chant , a Star or Gate sitting in its home palace or in the palace directly opposite.
- Three Nobles Entering the Grave , a Marvel of the Three falls into a Tomb palace · the auspicious turns inauspicious.
- Da Ge (Major Obstruction) (Geng + Gui ), gravely inauspicious; do not begin anything.
10 Practical Application
- Auspicious timing: Choosing a good day and hour to open a business, to hold a wedding, to set out, or to sign a contract.
- Direction: Go towards a direction holding an auspicious Gate + an auspicious Star + an auspicious Spirit, and draw on that good energy.
- Planning an undertaking: Judging what is auspicious or inauspicious before deciding on something important.
- Feng shui : Laying out a board and choosing an auspicious position for a house or an office.
- Business strategy: “Arraying the forces” on the basis of the board, in business and in negotiation.
- 23 areas of reading: wealth, renown, marriage, health, litigation, travel, the dwelling, pregnancy and birth, military affairs, buying and selling, borrowing and lending, partnership, opening a business, taking office, news, the reading of dreams, length of life, seeking a person, seeking an object, planning an undertaking and more.