Comparison

Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao

Qi Men Dun Jia and Liu Yao are both used for questions rather than life charts. Qi Men builds a nine-palace board from the time and solar term; Liu Yao builds a hexagram from coin tosses.

01

Side by side

Qi Men Dun JiaLiu Yao
InputDate/time + solar termCoin tosses
Structure9 palaces: stars, doors, deities, stems6 lines with Na Jia
OrientationDirections and strategySpecific outcomes
Same input → same chart?Yes, for the same timeNo, each cast differs
ComplexityHighMedium–high

02

How each is set up

Qi Men chooses a yin or yang "dun" and a ju number from the solar term and the day, then rotates nine stars, eight doors and eight deities around the Luo Shu grid. Everyone asking in the same two-hour period gets the same board.

Liu Yao produces a hexagram by chance; two people asking at the same minute will usually get different hexagrams.

03

What each is good at

Qi Men is traditionally associated with strategy, timing and direction — choosing when and where to act. Liu Yao excels at yes/no and outcome questions with a defined subject.

04

Try both yourself

The quickest way to understand the difference is to run the same input through both. Use the links below — calculations are free and need no account.

05

Shared foundations

Most Chinese metaphysical systems share the same building blocks: yin and yang, the five elements, the ten heavenly stems, the twelve earthly branches, the sixty-pair cycle and the solar terms. Learning these once pays off across BaZi, Zi Wei Dou Shu, the almanac and I Ching methods. Differences lie in what each system measures and how it arranges these symbols.

On this site every tool states its calculation conventions on the page and in the methodology, so you can reproduce results by hand or compare with a textbook.

06

A note on neutrality

This page does not rank Qi Men Dun Jia above Liu Yao or the reverse. Each tradition has its own internal logic and its own teachers. Accuracy here means applying each system's rules correctly and stating the conventions used — which is what the tools on this site aim to do.

BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.

07

Practising with Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao

The fastest way to understand Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.

  • Compare two or three charts where Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
  • Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
  • Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
  • Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.

Different schools describe Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.

08

A suggested study path

Qi Men Dun Jia vs Liu Yao is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.

  1. Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
  2. Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
  3. Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
  4. Read the Ten Gods in context.
  5. Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
  6. Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Qi Men harder to learn?
Generally yes: the board has more components and several setup schools (置闰, 拆补).
Can I combine them?
Some practitioners do, using Qi Men for timing and Liu Yao for the specific outcome.
Which method does this site's Qi Men tool use?
The time-based (时家) board with the method stated on the tool page.
Can I use Qi Men Dun Jia and Liu Yao together?
Yes. Many practitioners use more than one method, either to cross-check data such as birth time or to look at a question from a different angle. Keep each method's rules separate rather than mixing them.
Are the tools on this site free?
Yes. All calculators are free without an account; Google sign-in is only needed to save charts to your account.

See where this appears in your own chart

Open the free BaZi calculator