Study note: This article is adapted from course materials and is provided for traditional culture study and theoretical research. On this site, Qi Men Dun Jia is introduced only as a Chinese cultural and symbolic timing model. It does not constitute decision-making, professional, financial, medical, legal, or personal advice.
1. The Modern Two-Step Method
In modern Qi Men Dun Jia study, chart construction is usually handled in two broad steps.
Step one: construct the chart
Today, students commonly use electronic charting tools. The user enters the correct time, location if needed, charting method, and other parameters. The tool then lays out the Nine Palace chart.
This is practical because traditional hand calculation requires many calendar and plate-rotation steps. Modern tools reduce arithmetic mistakes and allow the student to focus on interpretation.
Step two: interpret the chart
The true core of Qi Men work is not merely drawing the chart. The core is interpretation.
Within the Nine Palace grid, the chart presents many symbolic parameters: stems, gates, stars, spirits, palaces, seasonal states, emptiness, Horse Star, Value Star, Value Messenger, and many other relationships.
The interpreter must combine these symbols into a coherent reading. The challenge is not simply identifying one sign, but understanding how many signs interact.
In this sense, modern tools help with chart casting, but they do not replace study. The student still needs the theoretical structure to read the chart responsibly.
2. Ancient Time-Based Chart Construction
Traditional hour-based Qi Men chart construction can be studied to understand the mechanism behind modern software.
The process can be summarized in four major steps:
- Determine the Yin or Yang Dun ju number and arrange the Earth plate stems;
- Determine the Value Star and Value Messenger Gate;
- Determine where the Value Star lands and arrange the Heaven plate, Nine Stars, and Eight Spirits;
- Determine where the Value Messenger Gate lands.
These steps explain how the rotating chart emerges from time, solar terms, the Three Yuan, and the Nine Palace structure.
3. Step One: Determine Ju and Arrange Earth Plate Stems
Check the solar term
First, use the Gregorian date of the event or question to determine the solar term. The solar term decides whether the chart belongs to the Yang Dun half-year or Yin Dun half-year.
In general:
- Yang Dun is used from Winter Solstice to before Summer Solstice;
- Yin Dun is used from Summer Solstice to before Winter Solstice.
Check the day stem-branch and Three Yuan
Next, use the sixty Jia Zi cycle to determine the stem-branch day and identify whether the day belongs to the Upper, Middle, or Lower Yuan.
Once the solar term and Yuan are known, the ju number can be found in the solar-term ju table. For example, the result may be Yin 2 Ju or Yang 4 Ju.
Arrange the Earth plate Three Wonders and Six Instruments
After the ju number is known, draw the Nine Palace grid and place palace numbers from one to nine.
The Earth plate arrangement uses the fixed order beginning with Wu:
Wu -> Ji -> Geng -> Xin -> Ren -> Gui -> Ding -> Bing -> Yi
The leader Wu is placed into the palace that corresponds to the ju number. Then the remaining stems are placed according to the rule:
- Yang Dun follows the forward sequence;
- Yin Dun follows the reverse sequence.
This produces the Earth plate Three Wonders and Six Instruments.
4. Step Two: Determine the Value Star and Value Messenger
Find the xun head from the hour
The prediction hour belongs to one of the six Jia xun. Each xun has a xun head such as Jia Zi, Jia Xu, Jia Shen, Jia Wu, Jia Chen, or Jia Yin.
In Qi Men, Jia is hidden under one of the Six Instruments:
Jia Zi hides under Wu.
Jia Xu hides under Ji.
Jia Shen hides under Geng.
Jia Wu hides under Xin.
Jia Chen hides under Ren.
Jia Yin hides under Gui.
Find the Six Instrument that represents the hour's xun head, then locate that instrument on the Earth plate.
Determine the Value Star
The original Nine Star of that palace becomes the Value Star for the chart.
For example, if the xun-head instrument is located in Qian 6, and Qian's original star is Tian Xin, then Tian Xin is the Value Star.
Determine the Value Messenger Gate
The Value Messenger Gate is the gate associated with the Value Star's original home palace. If the Value Star comes from Qian 6, the original gate of Qian is the Open Gate. Therefore, the Open Gate becomes the Value Messenger.
The Value Star leads the heavenly star system. The Value Messenger leads the human-affair gate system.
5. Step Three: Place the Value Star and Arrange the Heaven Plate
Use the hour stem to determine the Value Star landing palace
Look at the hour stem of the prediction time. Find where that stem is located on the Earth plate.
The Value Star then leads its original Earth-plate stem and lands in that palace. This palace becomes the new starting point for the star rotation.
Arrange the Nine Stars
Starting from the Value Star's landing palace, arrange the remaining Nine Stars in their rotating sequence around the outer palaces.
The stars rotate clockwise in the rotating-plate method.
Arrange the Eight Spirits
The Eight Spirits begin from the new palace where the Value Star lands. The first spirit is Zhi Fu.
Then arrange the rest of the spirits according to the chart's Dun type:
- Yang Dun arranges the spirits clockwise;
- Yin Dun arranges the spirits counterclockwise.
Arrange the Heaven plate stems
The Heaven plate stems move with the Nine Stars.
Wherever a Nine Star moves, the Earth plate stem that was originally above that star in its home palace moves with it and becomes the Heaven plate stem in the new palace.
This is why the Heaven plate is not placed separately by imagination. It follows the star movement.
6. Step Four: Place the Value Messenger Gate
The Value Messenger Gate is placed according to the hour stem, the xun-head starting palace, the ju number, and the sequence of time branches.
In traditional calculation, one begins from the xun-head palace and advances through the time sequence to find where the Value Messenger Gate lands.
This step completes the human-affair gate system in the chart.
7. Example One: Yin 2 Ju Chart Construction
Basic time data
The example time is:
November 4, 2008, 12:30 noon
Converted into the stem-branch calendar, this is:
Wu Zi year, Ren Xu month, Wu Shen day, Wu Wu hour
Determine the ju
November 4 falls between Frost Descent on October 23 and Beginning of Winter on November 7. Therefore, it belongs to the Frost Descent solar term.
Because this is between Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, the chart uses Yin Dun.
The day Wu Shen belongs to the Lower Yuan. According to the solar-term ju table, Frost Descent Lower Yuan corresponds to Yin 2 Ju.
Arrange the Earth plate
Because this is Yin 2 Ju, the first instrument Wu enters Kun 2.
Since it is Yin Dun, the stems are arranged in reverse palace-number order:
2 -> 1 -> 9 -> 8 -> 7 -> 6 -> 5 -> 4 -> 3
The arrangement is:
- Wu in Kun 2;
- Ji in Kan 1;
- Geng in Li 9;
- Xin in Gen 8;
- Ren in Dui 7;
- Gui in Qian 6;
- Ding in Center 5;
- Bing in Xun 4;
- Yi in Zhen 3.
The Earth plate diagram is:
+----------+----------+----------+
| Bing 4 | Geng 9 | Wu 2 |
+----------+----------+----------+
| Yi 3 | Ding 5 | Ren 7 |
+----------+----------+----------+
| Xin 8 | Ji 1 | Gui 6 |
+----------+----------+----------+
Find the Value Star and Value Messenger
The hour is Wu Wu. Looking up the sixty Jia Zi cycle, Wu Wu belongs to the Jia Yin xun. Jia Yin is hidden under Gui.
In the Earth plate, Gui is located in Qian 6.
The original star of Qian 6 is Tian Xin. Therefore, Tian Xin becomes the Value Star.
The original gate of Qian 6 is the Open Gate. Therefore, Open Gate becomes the Value Messenger Gate.
Determine the Value Star landing palace
The hour stem is Wu. On the Earth plate, Wu is located in Kun 2.
Therefore, the Value Star Tian Xin leads its original Earth-plate stem Gui and lands in Kun 2 as the Heaven plate arrangement begins.
From Kun 2, the remaining stars are rotated clockwise. Because this is a Yin Dun chart, the Eight Spirits are arranged counterclockwise starting with Zhi Fu in Kun 2.
This completes the main mechanism of the chart construction example.
8. Example Two: Fu Yin Chart and Special Auspicious Pattern
Basic time data
The second example time is:
September 26, 1998, 11:20 a.m.
Converted into the stem-branch calendar, this is:
Wu Yin year, Xin You month, Bing Zi day, Jia Wu hour
Determine the ju and Earth plate
September 26 belongs to the Autumn Equinox solar term. The day Bing Zi belongs to the Lower Yuan. According to the table, this is Yin 4 Ju.
In Yin 4 Ju, the leader Wu enters Xun 4. Since it is Yin Dun, the Earth plate is arranged in reverse order:
- Wu in Xun 4;
- Ji in Zhen 3;
- Geng in Kun 2;
- Xin in Kan 1;
- Ren in Li 9;
- Gui in Gen 8;
- Ding in Dui 7;
- Bing in Qian 6;
- Yi in Center 5.
Locate the xun head and Value Star
The hour is Jia Wu. Jia Wu itself is the xun head. In Qi Men this xun head is represented by Xin.
On the Earth plate, Xin is located in Kan 1.
The original star of Kan 1 is Tian Peng. Therefore, Tian Peng becomes the Value Star.
The original gate of Kan 1 is the Rest Gate. Therefore, the Rest Gate becomes the Value Messenger.
Full-plate Fu Yin
The hour stem Jia Wu is represented by Xin. Since Xin is already in Kan 1 on the Earth plate, the Value Star Tian Peng returns to its original home palace, Kan 1.
Because the starting point is exactly the original home, the rotating plate does not visibly move the star system away from its original arrangement. The Nine Stars, Eight Gates, and Heaven plate stems remain in their original palaces.
The result is a rare full-plate Fu Yin:
- Star Fu Yin;
- Gate Fu Yin;
- Stem Fu Yin.
In interpretation, this means that the person is caught in difficulty, tangled, unable to decide, and stuck in place. The matter is difficult to move through ordinary external force.
Heaven Display Hour pattern
Although full Fu Yin is deeply stagnant, this example contains an important rescue pattern: the hour is Jia Wu.
This triggers the Heaven Display Hour pattern. In this pattern, Heaven opens paths, and even a Fu Yin chart may eventually turn favorable after difficulty, repetition, and painful hesitation.
The Heaven Display Hour conditions are:
| Day group | Matching Six Jia hour |
|---|---|
| Jia or Ji day | Jia Zi hour or Jia Xu hour |
| Yi or Geng day | Jia Shen hour |
| Bing or Xin day | Jia Wu hour |
| Ding or Ren day | Jia Chen hour |
| Wu or Gui day | Jia Yin hour |
In the example, the day is Bing Zi and the hour is Jia Wu, so it matches the Bing/Xin day group with Jia Wu hour.
The lesson is that a chart can contain both severe stagnation and a rescue pattern. The final judgment must integrate both.
9. Practical Meaning of Learning Hand Construction
Even though modern software can cast a Qi Men chart, learning the ancient method is still valuable.
It helps the student understand:
- Why the Earth plate is arranged by ju number;
- Why the Value Star comes from the xun-head instrument;
- Why the Value Messenger belongs to the same original palace system;
- Why the Heaven plate stems move with the Nine Stars;
- Why Eight Spirits follow Yang-forward and Yin-reverse movement;
- Why Fu Yin occurs when symbols return to their original homes.
When the mechanism is understood, the chart no longer feels like a mysterious random diagram. It becomes a structured timing model built from solar terms, sexagenary time, Nine Palace movement, and symbolic rotation.
10. Summary
This lesson introduced the method of constructing a Qi Men Dun Jia chart:
- Modern practice usually uses software to construct the chart and then focuses on interpretation.
- Traditional hour-based chart construction begins by determining the solar term, Three Yuan, Yin-Yang Dun, and ju number.
- The Earth plate Three Wonders and Six Instruments are arranged in the order Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui, Ding, Bing, Yi.
- Yang Dun arranges forward; Yin Dun arranges reverse.
- The xun head of the hour determines the palace used to find the Value Star.
- The original star of the xun-head palace becomes the Value Star.
- The original gate of that palace becomes the Value Messenger Gate.
- The hour stem determines where the Value Star lands.
- The Nine Stars rotate clockwise from the Value Star landing palace.
- The Eight Spirits begin from the Value Star landing palace and follow Yang-forward or Yin-reverse order.
- Heaven plate stems move with the Nine Stars.
- The Value Messenger Gate is placed by time sequence from the xun-head palace.
- The Yin 2 Ju example shows how Frost Descent Lower Yuan produces a complete arrangement.
- The Yin 4 Ju example shows how a full Fu Yin chart can occur.
- The Heaven Display Hour pattern can rescue an otherwise stagnant Fu Yin chart when the day-hour condition matches.
Understanding chart construction gives the student a mechanical foundation for interpretation. It reveals how time becomes a Nine Palace symbolic map.