FAQ
Qi Men Dun Jia FAQ
Qi Men Dun Jia (奇门遁甲) builds a nine-palace board for a two-hour period. These answers explain the components and the setup used on this site.
Open the tool in another tab to follow along.
01
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What determines yin or yang dun? | From the winter solstice to the summer solstice the board uses yang dun; from summer to winter solstice, yin dun. |
| What is the ju number? | One of nine layouts chosen by the solar term and its upper, middle or lower period (上中下元). |
| Which setup method is used? | The tool states its method (e. |
| What are the nine stars? | Tian Peng, Tian Rui, Tian Chong, Tian Fu, Tian Qin, Tian Xin, Tian Zhu, Tian Ren and Tian Ying. |
| What are the eight doors? | Open, Rest, Life, Harm, Delusion, View, Death and Fear (开休生伤杜景死惊). |
| What are the eight deities? | Zhi Fu, Teng She, Tai Yin, Liu He, Bai Hu, Xuan Wu, Jiu Di and Jiu Tian in the common yang-dun order. |
| Do I need my birth chart? | Not for time-based Qi Men; the board is built from the moment of the question. |
| Is Qi Men used for Feng Shui? | It is associated with direction and timing, and some practitioners use it alongside Feng Shui. |
02
Key terms
- Nine PalacesThe nine palaces are the Luo Shu magic-square grid used in Qi Men Dun Jia: eight directions plus the centre.
- Solar TermsThe twenty-four solar terms divide the sun's path into 15° steps.
- TrigramThe eight trigrams — 乾兑离震巽坎艮坤 — are three-line figures associated with heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain and earth, and with five-element attributes.
03
Practising with Qi Men Dun Jia
The fastest way to understand Qi Men Dun Jia 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 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 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 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.
04
A suggested study path
Qi Men Dun Jia 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.
- Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
- Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
- Read the Ten Gods in context.
- Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
- Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.
05
Scope
Charts on this site use the published rule set: true solar time by default, the year changes at 立春 (Start of Spring), months change at the 12 节 solar terms and the day changes at 23:00. Example charts below are computed live by the same engine.
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.
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