Complete Interpretation of the Classic "Qimen Dunjia Tongzong"

I. Overview of Classical Texts

"Qimen Dunjia Tongzong," fully titled "The Complete Qimen Dunjia Tongzong," is a classic of ancient Chinese divination culture.Shi Jia Turntable Qimen DunjiaThe definitive work of the system, and the most widely circulated and influential standard text on Qi Men Dun Jia since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Traditionally attributed to Zhuge Liang of the Han Dynasty, this book is actually a orthodox compilation created through collective transmission by generations of Qi Men practitioners, gradually expanded and assembled during the Ming and Qing eras. The title "Tong Zong" (Unified Ancestry) signifies its purpose: to integrate diverse historical theories, restore the ancient rotating disc method, and establish a unified operational paradigm for Qi Men Dun Jia.

As the folk standard for Qimen Dunjia within the "Three Methods" studies, Tongzong continues the orthodox lineage from the Song Dynasty's Dunjia Fuying Jing and the Ming Dynasty's Qimen Wuzonggui and Dunjia Yanyi. It pioneered the practical application of Qimen in folk traditions from the Qing Dynasty onward, transforming the once-exclusive military art of "Bing Yin Yang" into a systematic, civilian-oriented practice. This work is an essential reference for studying ancient Chinese decision-making based on space-time principles and numerological culture.

II. Origins and Lineage of Editions

(I) Development of the Book

The art of Qi Men Dun Jia originated in the Han and Tang dynasties, flourished during the Song and Yuan periods, and saw numerous schools and divergent theories emerge by the Ming Dynasty. "Tong Zong" was not written by a single person at one time; rather, it was gradually compiled over a millennium of transmission.

• Theoretical Origins: Rooted in the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams system of the Luoshu, as well as Han Dynasty Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, it integrates core principles from the Tang Dynasty's *Dun Jia Jing* and the Song Dynasty's *Dun Jia Fu Ying Jing*.

• Text draftThe Ming Dynasty works "Qi Men Wu Zong Gui" and "Dun Jia Yan Yi" established the basic framework of rotating-wheel Qi Men, laying the structural foundation for "Tong Zong".

• FinalizedDuring the Qing Dynasty, folk diviners systematically organized this work, incorporating numerous practical divination formulas and methods for handling all kinds of matters, resulting in a complete twelve-volume system.

(II) Major Versions

• Hunan Book Bureau edition from the 24th year of Guangxu, Qing Dynasty (1898): The most widely circulated edition today, comprising twelve volumes in six books. It is the most widely disseminated version since modern times and serves as the primary source for most contemporary facsimile editions.

• Imperial Palace Manuscript (from the Collected Edition of Rare Books in the Forbidden City)High scholarly value; content closely reflects the official original, with more rigorous and standardized text.

• Modern Lithographed and Photoreprinted EditionsReprinted frequently since the Republic of China era, this edition largely follows the Guangxi original and remains the most accessible version for contemporary enthusiasts.

III. Structure and Contents of the Complete Work

The book consists of twelve volumes, following a logical structure of "from essence to application" and "from theory to technique." It progresses systematically from foundational theories to chart-drawing rules, pattern analysis, and practical applications, offering a comprehensive and well-organized framework.

Volume I: General Theory

Serving as the overarching framework of "The General Treatise on Qimen Secrets," this section systematically expounds the fundamental principles of Dunjia and the logic of Yin-Yang progression and reversal. It details the methods for initiating Dunjia, including Super-Immersion, Connecting Qi, and Leap Month rules; catalogs the 40 Qimen configurations; and establishes foundational criteria for assessing the prosperity, decline, rest, and imprisonment of the Eight Doors and Nine Stars, alongside the concepts of Door-forcing-Palace and Palace-forcing-Door.

Book 2: Core Chart Calculation

Comprehensive operational guidelines for Zhuanpan Qimen Dunjia, including fundamental attributes of the Eight Gates, Nine Stars, Six Instruments, and Eight Deities; methods for initiating Yin and Yang遁 (遁) cycles; and the Three Periods and Eight Solar Terms Bureau determination method.Value Symbol plus Hour Stem method, Value Envoy plus Hour Branch method, Small Value Symbol plus Large Value Symbol methodThree core chart casting principles. The appendix includes year, month, and day Qi Men formulas as supplements to hour-based Qi Men.

Volume 3: General Principles of Divine-Class Entities and Military Affairs

The system integrates the Ten Heavenly Stems, Twelve Earthly Branches, Nine Stars, Eight Doors, and Eight Deities along with their corresponding symbolic associations to establish a complete framework for selecting useful gods. It dedicates a specialized section to military strategies governing offensive and defensive roles, detailing core principles such as attacking from behind, exploiting emptiness, avoiding isolation, and adhering to the "Three Advantages" while steering clear of the "Five Pitfalls." This approach fully embodies the foundational essence of Dunjia's "Military Yin-Yang."

Volumes 4–9: Detailed Explanation of the Eighteen Yin-Yang Divination Configurations

These six volumes form the core practical section of the book, providing a detailed analysis of each of the nine Yang Dun and nine Yin Dun configurations. Each configuration includes a chart diagram with layout annotations, listing star-door-spirit-omen combinations for every palace, along with auspicious/inauspicious patterns and key judgment criteria. This serves as the standard reference for chart casting and pattern lookup.

Volumes 10–12: Divination of All Affairs and Supplementary Laws

Includes special applications such as Qimen divination, military strategy excerpts, evasion from danger, navigation in mountains, and campsite selection. Systematically organizes folk divination techniques for travel, wealth seeking, legal disputes, health issues, household matters, and marriage, balancing military tactics with daily auspicious timing needs.

IV. Core Charting System

"Datong" was establishedThe Earth Plate remains stationary as the foundation, while the Heaven, Human, and Spirit Plates rotate to generate function. The Value Director and Value Envoy serve as the pivotal mechanisms of this operation.The standard model of the rotating wheel Qi Men Dun Jia, with its rigorous and unified arrangement rules, serves as the foundational source for the vast majority of subsequent Qi Men arrangement tools.

(I) Fixed Rule: Three-Term Super-Connection, Leap Month Return to Origin

AdoptLeap Year RuleFixed Outcome: The Core Signature of Ancient Qimen

• Based on the 24 Solar Terms, each term is divided into three yuan (upper, middle, and lower), with each yuan governing five days and sixty time periods.

• Distinguish the three relationships between Fu and Jie: Fu preceding Jie is Chao Shen; Jie preceding Fu is Jie Qi; Fu and Jie on the same day is Zheng Shou.

• Leap months are inserted only before Mangzhong and Daxue. If a supergod period exceeds nine days, a leap month is added to ensure alignment with the solar terms.

(II) Earthly Branches and Three Marvels: Yang proceeds forward, Yin moves backward; Wu is the starting point of the formation.

The foundation of the board remains constant and steady:

• The number of cycles corresponds directly to the palace where Jiazi Wu resides: in cycle N, Wu is located in palace N.

• The fixed sequence of the Three Mysteries and Six Instruments is: Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui, Ding, Bing, Yi. The Six Instruments come first, followed by the Three Mysteries.

• Yang Dun: distribute the Six Instruments clockwise and the Three Mysteries counter-clockwise; Yin Dun: distribute the Six Instruments counter-clockwise and the Three Mysteries clockwise. Both follow the sequence of the Luo Shu Nine Palaces.

(III) Heavenly Stars: The Chief Star follows the Hour Stem, uniting the star and its instrument.

The Tianpan is formed by the rotation of the Qi Yi carried by the Nine Stars, with its core principle being:The Value Symbol follows the Heavenly Stem at all times.：

• The value star is the star originally located in the palace where the Earth Plate of the Six Deities for the current Jia head resides; it changes with each decade.

• The Value Star is precisely added to the palace where the temporary stem lands; the remaining nine stars are shifted clockwise as a group according to their fixed order.

• The Nine Stars permanently carry the Heavenly Stems of this Palace's Earthly Branch. When the Stars move, the Stems move with them; Stars and Stems rotate as a unified whole, never shuffled or rearranged independently.

(4) Human Pan Eight Doors: The Value Enforcer follows the current branch, with the entire system rotating.

The human disk consists of the Eight Gates arrangement; its core principle isValue is always supported：

• The Value Enforcer Door is determined by the Earth Plate's base position of the Six Instruments at the beginning of the cycle, corresponding to the Palace where the Value Deity Star resides.

• Yang Dun follows the eight palaces clockwise, while Yin Dun moves counter-clockwise; values are assigned based on the hour sequence to determine placement.

• The eight doors maintain a fixed clockwise sequence that never changes; only the entire arrangement rotates, perfectly aligning with the true meaning of a "rotating dial."

(5) Eight Deities: The Lesser Deity follows the Greater Deity; Yang moves forward, Yin moves backward.

The Ba Shen, also known as the Eight Deceit Gates, operates on the core principle of:Minor symbol follows major symbol：

• The Chief of the Eight Gods, "Zhi Fu," always moves with the Tian Pan's Zhi Fu Star in its palace and does not initiate a separate palace.

• Yang Dun, arranged clockwise in order: Tengshe, Taiyin, Liuhe, Gouchen, Zhuque, Jiudi, Jiutian

• In Yin Dun, the arrangement proceeds counter-clockwise; the Eight Deities cycle through the eight palaces and do not enter the central fifth palace.

(VI) Central Palace Standard: Tianqin resides in Kun, rotating with Rui.

The five central palaces do not have independent orientations.The Tianqin Star resides in the Kun Palace (2nd Palace).The Earthly Stems rotate in sync with Tian Rui Star, and the Six Jia in the Center Palace are attached accordingly. This is the established convention followed by both the Rotating Wheel and Official schools of Qi Men Dun Jia.

5. Divination Philosophy and Application Framework

The decision-making framework of "Tongzong" is built on four core principles: correspondence between the Three Realms, distinction between host and guest, structural patterns as the main guideline, and class deities as specific indicators.

(I) General Guidelines for Host and Guest

The Heaven Plate represents the guest, the Earth Plate the host; movement is the guest, stillness the host. The first mover is the guest, the second mover the host. In any divination, one must first distinguish between host and guest before analyzing productive/controlling relationships and strength or decline. This emphasis on determining victory or defeat in military contexts directly reflects Qi Men Dun Jia's "military yin-yang" attributes.

(II) Strategic Framework

The system incorporates classic auspicious patterns such as Long Hui Shou, Niao Die Xue, Tian Dun, Di Dun, and Ren Dun, as well as inauspicious patterns including Bai Hu Chang Kuang, Qing Long Tao Zou, Da Ge, and Xiao Ge. It establishes clear criteria for determining fundamental configurations like Fu Yin, Fan Yin, Ru Mu, Ji Xing, Men Po, and Gong Po, forming the core framework for Qi Men Dun Jia fortune assessment.

(III) Godlike System

Using the principle of "all things as archetypes" as the foundation for selecting the use god, map the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Nine Stars, Eight Doors, and Eight Deities to dimensions such as human affairs, military operations, objects, geography, flora, and fauna. This forms an image-numerical thinking mode characterized by "classifying objects through archetypes and determining events through objects."

(IV) Application Dimension

• Military ApplicationsDirections of troop deployment, enemy strength and weakness, supply lines, camp positioning, and flanking tactics—these are the core applications of Jia Yi.

• Civil Auspicious Date SelectionTiming for daily activities: travel, financial pursuits, business transactions, weddings, construction, and relocation.

• Pepsi occupiesFortune-telling for civil disputes, illness, lost items, household matters, travelers, and farming.

VI. Academic Value and Cultural Significance

(I) Historical Value of Divination Studies

"Tongzong" is the standardized classic of the folk rotating-disc Qi Men system. It ended the era of conflicting interpretations among various Qi Men schools since the Ming Dynasty, establishing a unified framework for chart arrangement and divination. Building on the orthodox academic tradition of the Song and Yuan dynasties, it paved the way for practical applications in the Qing Dynasty. This work serves as a pivotal bridge in the historical transmission of Qi Men Dun Jia.

(II) Ideological and Cultural Value

This volume embodies the ancient Chinese cosmological concept of "unity between heaven and humanity" and the strategic wisdom of "acting in harmony with the flow." Using the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams as its framework, Yin-Yang and Five Elements as its logic, and solar terms and time periods as its temporal markers, it presents a spatiotemporal model that reflects the systematic thinking of ancient people on the laws governing celestial and earthly operations and their relationship to human fortune and misfortune. It stands as a quintessential vehicle of traditional Chinese Xiangshu (image-number) culture.

(3) Practical Cultural Value

As a representative classic that brought ancient "emperor's art of governance" to the common people, *Tongzong* transformed high-level decision-making wisdom into practical daily techniques. It profoundly influenced traditional fields such as auspicious date selection, Feng Shui, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, serving as a key window into understanding ancient Chinese folk beliefs and everyday wisdom.

(4) Comparison with the "Imperially Commissioned Qimen Baojian"

Both are authentic Qi Men Dun Jia classics, one civil and one official, complementing each other: The *Imperial Qi Men Bao Jian* was commissioned by the Kangxi court, characterized by rigorous scholarship and pure rules, representing official orthodoxy. The *Qi Men Tun Jia Tong Zong* is a widely circulated folk version with rich content focused on practical application, preserving numerous folk mnemonics and methods. It has broader dissemination and greater influence. Studying both in tandem provides a comprehensive understanding of Qing Dynasty Qi Men Dun Jia.