Qi Men Dun Jia Charting Principles
Step 1: Memorize the order and placement of elements in the Qimen Three Plates
In the Three Odd and Six Even, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui, Ding, Bing, Yi correspond to:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9;
The 9 Doors—Rest, Death, Injury, Du, Center, Open, Shock, Life, Scene—correspond to:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9;
The 9 Stars—Peng, Rui, Chong, Fu, Qin, Xin, Zhu, Ren, Ying—correspond to:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9;
The 8 Spirits—Fu, She, Yin, Liu, Bai, Xuan, Di, Tian—correspond to:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
- Order of the 8 Doors around the eight palaces (circular): Rest, Life, Injury, Du, Scene, Death, Shock, Open;
- Order of the 9 Stars around the eight palaces (circular): Peng, Ren, Chong, Fu, Ying, Rui (Qin), Zhu, Xin;
- Order of the 8 Spirits around the eight palaces (circular): Fu, She, Yin, Liu, Bai, Xuan, Di, Tian.
Step 2: Quickly determine the Xun for the time
Jiazi (Wu) Xun, Jiaxu (Ji) Xun, Jiashen (Geng) Xun, Jiawu (Xin) Xun, Jiachen (Ren) Xun, Jiayin (Gui) Xun; corresponding to the numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6;
- The Ten Heavenly Stems correspond to numbers 1–10;
- The Twelve Earthly Branches correspond to numbers 1–12;
Before you start, remember: The 60 Jiazi are divided into 6 Xun, each corresponding to the numbers: 0, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2.
Example: For the time of Bingchen, first find its Xun. The Heavenly Stem Bing is 3; the Earthly Branch Chen is 5. Earthly Branch 5 minus Heavenly Stem 3 equals 2, so Bingchen is in the 6th Xun, i.e., Jiayin (Gui) Xun. Similarly, for Bingzi: Bing is 3, Zi is 1, 1-3=
-2. What if the result is negative? Just add 12! The result is 10, so it is the 2nd Xun, Jiaxu (Ji) Xun. Knowing the time’s Xun is crucial—the key to arranging the Qimen chart lies here!
Summary formula:
Xun index = Earthly Branch number − Heavenly Stem number
If the result is less than 0, add 12 to get the final Xun index; if the result is 0, it is Jiazi Xun; if it is 10, it is Jiaxu Xun; and so on.
Step 3: Calculate the Direct Symbol and Direct Use based on the number of plates
First, the method for Yang Dun:
- Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = number of plates used + time’s Xun sequence number − 1
- If this result is greater than 9, subtract 9 to obtain the final sequence number.
- If the sequence number = 1, the Direct Symbol is Tianpeng and the Direct Use is the Rest Door; if it is 2, the Direct Symbol is Tianrui and the Direct Use is the Death Door; and so on.
Now, the method for Yin Dun:
- Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = 1 + number of plates used − time’s Xun sequence number
- If this result is greater than 9, subtract 9 to obtain the final sequence number.
- If the sequence number = 1, the Direct Symbol is Tianpeng and the Direct Use is the Rest Door; and so on.
Step 4: Find the palace where the Direct Symbol and Direct Use fall
Method for Yang Dun:
Direct Symbol palace number = the sequence number of the Heavenly Stem in the Three Odd and Six Even + number of plates − 1
If the palace number exceeds 9, subtract 9 (repeat as needed) to get the final Direct Symbol palace number.
Example 1: Yang Dun, 7 plates, time Yichou — compute the Direct Symbol and its palace
- Yi is 2 in the 10 Heavenly Stems; Chou is 2 in the 12 Earthly Branches; 2−2=0, so Yichou is Jiazi Xun, with Xun sequence number 1.
- Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = number of plates + time’s Xun sequence number − 1 = 7 + 1 − 1 = 7; 7 corresponds to the star Tianzhu and the Shock Door, so Tianzhu and the Shock Door are the Direct Symbol and Direct Use.
- Direct Symbol palace number = number of plates − time’s Xun sequence number + the Heavenly Stem’s sequence number in the Three Odd and Six Even = 7 − 1 + 9 = 15; since 15 > 9, subtract 9 to get 6, so the Direct Symbol falls in the 6th palace.
Example 2: Yin Dun, 6 plates, time Xinchou — compute the Direct Symbol and its palace
- Xin is 8 in the 10 Heavenly Stems; Chou is 2 in the 12 Earthly Branches; 2−8 = −6. Since it’s negative, add 12 to get 6. Thus Xinchou is Jiawu Xun, with Xun sequence number 4.
- Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = 1 + number of plates − time’s Xun sequence number = 1 + 6 − 4 = 3, so sequence number 3 corresponds to Tianchong and the Injury Door as the Direct Symbol and Direct Use.
- Direct Symbol palace number = 1 + number of plates − time’s Xun sequence number = 1 + 6 − 4 = 3, so the Direct Symbol falls in the 3rd palace.
The above does not distinguish between Yang and Yin Dun: if Tianqin is the Direct Symbol, then Tianqin follows Tianrui to move to the palace, with the Death Door as the Direct Use.
Step 5: Find the palace where the Direct Use falls
Method for Yang Dun:
- Heavenly Stem sequence in the 10 Heavenly Stems: Jia 1, Yi 2, Bing 3, and so on.
- Direct Use palace = Direct Use sequence number + Heavenly Stem sequence number − 1; if the result is greater than 9, subtract 9 to get the Direct Use palace number.
Method for Yin Dun:
- Heavenly Stem sequence (reversed): Jia 1, Yi 9, Bing 8, and so on.
- Direct Use palace = Direct Use sequence number + Heavenly Stem sequence number − 1; if the result is greater than 9, subtract 9 to get the Direct Use palace number.
For both Yang and Yin Dun: if the Direct Use falls in the 5th palace, treat it as residing in the Kun 2nd palace.
Example 1: Yang Dun, 7 plates, time Yichou — Tianzhu and the Shock Door are the Direct Symbol and Direct Use; find the Direct Use palace
Direct Use palace = Direct Use sequence number + Heavenly Stem sequence number − 1 = 7 + 2 − 1 = 8, so the Direct Use (Shock Door) falls in the 8th palace.
Example 2: Yin Dun, 6 plates, time Xinchou — the Direct Symbol/Direct Use are Tianchong and the Injury Door
Direct Use palace = Direct Use sequence number + Heavenly Stem sequence number − 1 = 3 + 3 − 1 = 5, so the Direct Use (Injury Door) falls in the 5th palace and is taken as the Kun 2nd palace.
These five steps are essential. Memorize the corresponding numbers for each element in the Three Plates, and under the specified conditions make sure the numbers align correctly. For example, when calculating the Direct Use, the Heavenly Stem sequence used differs between Yang and Yin Dun. Be careful to distinguish the Heavenly Stem sequence numbers in the 10 Heavenly Stems from those in the Three Odd and Six Even.
Step 6: Using the Direct Symbol and Direct Use palaces from Steps 1–5, lay out the Qimen chart by rotation
New An Fisherman - Poem:
- Heaven, Earth, and Man within my palm,
- The cosmos turns; the wondrous method flows,
- The Three Odd and Six Even at my command,
- All directions heed my will.
- Untouched by a speck of worldly dust,
- Drifting on vast waves, at ease,
- A basket of fish traded for a pot of wine,
- Too carefree to ask the way to the Peach Blossom Source.
Calculate the Direct Symbol and Direct Use
- Yang Dun: Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = number of plates + time’s Xun sequence number − 1
- Yin Dun: Direct Symbol/Direct Use sequence number = number of plates − time’s Xun sequence number + 1
Calculate the Direct Symbol palace:
- Yang Dun: Direct Symbol palace number = number of plates + the Heavenly Stem’s sequence number in the Three Odd and Six Even − 1
- Yin Dun: Direct Symbol palace number = number of plates − the Heavenly Stem’s sequence number in the Three Odd and Six Even + 1
Calculate the Direct Use palace:
- Yang Dun: Direct Use palace number = Direct Use sequence number + Heavenly Stem sequence number (10 Heavenly Stems) − 1
- Yin Dun: Direct Use palace number = Direct Use sequence number − Heavenly Stem sequence number (10 Heavenly Stems) + 1
Note: The Yin Dun formula for the Direct Use palace has been revised. There’s no need to use a different Heavenly Stem sequence—just use Jia 1, Yi 2, Bing 3, and so on.
Heavenly Stems Corresponding Numbers:
- Yang Dun: Wu 1, Ji 2, Geng 3, Xin 4, Ren 5, Gui 6, Ding 7, Bing 8, Yi 9
- Yin Dun: Wu 1, Ji 9, Geng 8, Xin 7, Ren 6, Gui 5, Ding 4, Bing 3, Yi 2; Heavenly Stem sequence numbers (10 Heavenly Stems): Jia 1, Yi 2, Bing 3, Ding 4, Wu 5, Ji 6, Geng 7, Xin 8, Ren 9, Gui 10. General rule: Earthly Branch + (number of plates − 1) = palace; therefore, Symbol (Use) = (number of plates − 1) + Xun Heavenly Stem.
- Symbol palace = (number of plates − 1) + Heavenly Stem
- Use palace = Symbol (Use) ± (Heavenly Stem sequence number − 1)
Note: Use “+” for Yang Dun and “−” for Yin Dun.