Patterns and Ten-Stem Interactions
Qi Men patterns = fixed combinations of Heaven Plate stems with Earth Plate stems/gates, for which ready-made interpretations are available. First look at the major patterns to set the tone, then check the interactions in the Useful Spirit Palace.
Common Auspicious Patterns
| Pattern | Combination | Symbolic Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Dragon Returns Its Head | Heaven Plate Wu (戊) + Earth Plate Bing (丙) | Greatly auspicious; wishes and plans come true |
| Flying Bird Falls into the Nest | Heaven Plate Bing (丙) + Earth Plate Wu (戊) | Greatly auspicious; undertakings succeed |
| Heaven Concealment | Bing (丙) + Life Gate (生门) over Tian Xin (天心) / Six Ding (六丁) | Gains Heaven's timing; favorable to advance |
| Earth Concealment | Yi (乙) + Open Gate (开门) (or Yi Wonder over Nine Earth (九地)) | Gains Earth's advantage; favorable to conceal form and strategize |
| Human Concealment | Ding (丁) + Rest Gate (休门) over Tai Yin (太阴) | Gains human harmony; favorable to socialize and seek help from others |
| Three Deceptions | Yi, Bing, Ding (乙丙丁) + Open, Rest, Life Gates + Tai Yin (太阴) / Liu He (六合) / Nine Earth (九地) | True Deception, Heavy Deception, Rest Deception — favorable for designing and planning schemes |
| Jade Maiden Guards the Gate | Ding Wonder (丁奇) over the Zhi Shi (Envoy) (值使) gate's palace | Favorable for private matters and harmonious unions |
| Three Wonders Gain Their Envoy | Yi, Bing, Ding (乙丙丁) paired with specific Xun-head Yi (旬首仪) | Wonders and Instruments in their proper place |
Common Inauspicious Patterns
| Pattern | Combination | Symbolic Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Dragon Flees | Wu (戊) + Xin (辛) | Loss of wealth and setbacks; both host and guest are harmed |
| White Tiger Runs Wild | Xin (辛) + Yi (乙) | Fierce and violent; household unrest |
| Soaring Snake Twists | Gui (癸) + Ding (丁) | Documents, lawsuits, and disputes |
| Vermilion Bird Plunges into the River | Ding (丁) + Gui (癸) | Documents sink unheard; gossip and quarrels |
| Ying Enters Tai Bai | Bing (丙) + Geng (庚) | The thief comes to harm me; favors the host, not the guest |
| Tai Bai Enters Ying | Geng (庚) + Bing (丙) | I go to guard against the thief; favors the guest, not the host |
| Major Pattern | Geng (庚) + Gui (癸) | Obstructions and car accidents |
| Punishment Pattern | Geng (庚) + Ji (己) | Imprisonment, breakage, and depletion |
| Hidden Palace Pattern | Geng (庚) + Wu (戊) | Everything goes smoothly wrong |
| Flying Palace Pattern | Wu (戊) + Geng (庚) | Change and instability |
| Three Wonders Enter the Tomb | Yi, Bing, Ding (乙丙丁) entering a tomb-storehouse palace | Wonders are trapped and cannot manifest |
| Gate Pressure / Punishment / Entering Tomb / Void (空亡) | Four hard defects | Take priority over pattern judgment |
| Fu Yin (伏吟) | Stars and gates return to their original positions | Stillness, guarding in place, stagnation |
| Fan Yin (反吟) | Stars and gates clash opposite their original positions | Repetition and turmoil |
Order of Pattern Judgment
- First check whether the overall chart is Fu Yin / Fan Yin (determines movement vs. stillness, fast vs. slow)
- In the Useful Spirit Palace, check whether auspicious or inauspicious patterns are formed
- The four hard defects — Gate Pressure, Punishment, Entering Tomb, Void — take priority over patterns
- When auspicious and inauspicious signs appear together → explain which is primary and which is secondary; do not vaguely say "half auspicious, half inauspicious"
Ten-Stem Interaction Quick Reference (Excerpt)
Look up interpretations using "Heaven Plate stem + Earth Plate stem"; the full 81 combinations are found in the chart details:
- Wu + Bing (戊+丙) Azure Dragon Returns Its Head: greatly auspicious
- Ding + Yi (丁+乙) Human Concealment auspicious pattern: noble person grants promotion and increased salary
- Bing + Wu (丙+戊) Flying Bird Falls into the Nest: career can be accomplished
- Geng + Gui (庚+癸) Major Pattern: car accidents and obstructions
- Ji + Ren (己+壬) Earth Net Spread High: cunning youths and wanton maidens
- Xin + Geng (辛+庚) White Tiger Exerts Force: host and guest destroy each other
When judging interactions, the Wonder-Instrument patterns must also consider the gate's配合: an auspicious gate doubles the auspicious response, while an inauspicious gate reduces it or reverses it into inauspiciousness.