Measuring Daily Life Matters

1. Encountering Good and Evil in Companionship

The Day Master represents you, and the Hour Master represents the people you meet. By examining the Nine Stars on the Hour Master, you can judge whether they are auspicious or inauspicious, while the relative strength of the Five Elements indicates their fortune.

2. Will Guests Arrive?

The Value Star represents the guest, and the Heavenly Yi Star represents the host. Their Five-Element relationship determines whether guests will come. If the Value Star’s palace overcomes the Heavenly Yi’s palace, guests will not arrive; if the Heavenly Yi’s palace generates (nourishes) the Value Star’s palace, guests also will not arrive. Conversely, if the Value Star’s palace generates the Heavenly Yi’s palace, guests will come; if the Heavenly Yi’s palace overcomes the Value Star’s palace, guests will also come.

3. Friendships: Good or Evil

The Day Master represents you, and the Hour Master represents friends. The Nine Stars and the configuration on the Hour Master indicate the nature of the friendship, while the Five Elements determine its duration and depth. If the Hour Master’s palace generates the Day Master’s palace, the friend supports you more; if the Day Master’s palace generates the Hour Master’s palace, you support them more. If the Day Master’s palace overcomes the Hour Master’s palace, the friendship can exist but may be conflict-prone. If the Hour Master’s palace overcomes the Day Master’s palace, it’s best not to engage, as it could bring harm.

4. Tax Revenue: Prosperity or Decline

The Life Gate palace represents tax revenue, the Day Master palace represents the tax collector, and the Opening Gate palace represents tax officials. The outcome is determined by the interaction and strength of the Five Elements among these palaces.

5. Well Water: Abundance or Scarcity

This divination is less common today, but in many rural areas of China, people still rely on wells for drinking water. The Rest Gate palace represents spring water, and the Death Gate palace represents the well. If the Rest Gate and Death Gate palaces have a supportive Five-Element relationship, the water is abundant; if they are in conflict, the water is scarce.

6. Fishing

Historically, this referred to those who fished for a living. Today, it applies both to coastal fishers and to recreational fishing. The Injury Gate represents the fisher, while Jia Yin and Gui represent the net (or fishing rod). The Five-Element relationship determines success or failure, and the relative strength indicates the size of the catch. If Jia Yin and Gui are strong and overcome the Injury Gate, the catch will be good; if they are weak, the catch will be small.

7. Visiting Friends

The destination’s palace represents the host (the friend being visited), while the Heavenly Plate star represents the guest (you). The Five-Element relationship on the Heavenly Plate determines whether a meeting occurs. Auspicious signs or favorable combinations indicate a likely meeting; ominous signs or conflict between the upper and lower plates suggest the friend may not be seen. In a Qimen Dunjia chart, if Geng appears under the year, month, day, or hour, it indicates the visit will not happen.

8. Planting

This divination primarily benefits farmers. If the Value Star is paired with the Tianpeng Star, it is favorable to plant rice, millet, or black beans; if paired with the Tianying Star, plant red beans or wheat; if paired with the Tianchong or Tianfu Star, plant fruits and grains; if paired with the Tianren, Tianqin, or Tianrui Star, plant sesame or yellow beans; if paired with the Tianxin or Tianzhu Star, plant barley, buckwheat, or sorghum.

9. Lifespan

This is drawn from ancient texts and should be used for reference only. A ninety-year lifespan is considered standard, with each palace representing ten years. The number of helpers one has is inferred from the distance between the Tianchong Star and the Death palace—count forward for Yang and backward for Yin. Encountering strong and auspicious elements suggests fewer calamities in life; otherwise, one may face many hardships.