Qi Men Dun Jia Calculator

Qi Men Dun Jia (奇门遁甲) is a Chinese system for reading a moment in time across nine palaces arranged on the Luo Shu grid. It is traditionally associated with strategy, timing and direction: the board shows which "doors", stars and deities occupy each direction for a two-hour period.

This tool builds an hour chart (时家奇门) with the rotating-plate method and the Chai Bu (拆补) rule for choosing the ju. It determines yin or yang dun from the solar term, finds the ju number and its upper, middle or lower period, places the earth plate and heaven plate stems, then rotates the nine stars, eight doors and eight spirits.

Only one complete preset is offered so that every board is internally consistent. The method is named on the page so you can compare with a book that uses the same school.

1. Choose the date and time of your question (defaults to now).
2. Choose the city so the correct local time is used.
3. Calculate. The board shows the nine palaces in Luo Shu order.
4. Read the dun (yin/yang) and ju number above the board.
5. Find the Zhi Fu (值符) star and Zhi Shi (值使) door.
6. Click any palace for its stems, star, door and spirit.

The Zhi Fu star and Zhi Shi door lead the board for this period. Their palaces are traditionally read first as the main tone of the moment.

The three auspicious doors — 开 (Open), 休 (Rest) and 生 (Life) — are traditionally favoured for action; 死 (Death) and 惊 (Fear) are approached with caution. Each palace corresponds to a compass direction.

The heaven-plate and earth-plate stems form pairs (格) with traditional names; some patterns are considered favourable, others obstructive.

• Around a solar-term change, the board can switch dun or ju; the tool shows which term it used.
• The centre palace (中五宫) has no door; its star and stem are lodged with palace 2 in this method.
• The board does not depend on any birth chart.
• Printing hides navigation and interactive controls,, so the board and its explanation print cleanly without the menus.
• If JavaScript is disabled, this explanatory text still loads; the interactive board needs JavaScript.

• 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.
• Sexagenary CyclePairing the ten stems with the twelve branches in order (yang with yang, yin with yin) gives sixty combinations, from 甲子 to 癸亥.

The Qi Men Dun Jia Chart uses one fixed rule set, named on this page, so the same input always gives the same result. Traditional methods often have several schools; mixing their rules inside one chart produces boards that no textbook would recognise, which is why only one complete preset is offered.

The engine is tested against worked examples from standard references, and every intermediate value is displayed. If your book shows something different, compare the intermediate values first — the difference is almost always a convention, such as the day boundary or how a leap month or solar-term transition is handled. Calendar data comes from an astronomical library that computes solar terms and lunar months to the minute, so differences of a day or more between sources usually point to a convention rather than an error in the underlying astronomy.

Whether you are new to the Qi Men Dun Jia Chart or checking work from a class, the same routine helps you learn faster and avoid common errors:

1. Record the input exactly: date, time, place and, for divination, the question in one sentence.
2. Generate the board and save or print it before interpreting anything.
3. Identify the one or two fields that matter most for the question, using the steps above.
4. Write a short provisional reading and the reason for it.
5. Revisit the notes later and compare with what actually happened, adjusting your understanding of the symbols — not the board.

Treat the Qi Men Dun Jia Chart as a structured way to think about a question, not as an instruction. Write down the question and the result, and return to them later; many practitioners keep a journal of casts to learn how the symbols behave over time. For decisions involving health, money or law, consult a qualified professional. The tool is free, needs no account, and does not store your question unless you choose to save it.

The fastest way to understand Qi Men Dun Jia Chart 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 Chart 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 Chart 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 Chart 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.

See the Qi Men Dun Jia Chart FAQ, the glossary and the comparisons for how this method relates to BaZi and other systems.

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.