Qi Men Chart Patterns: Fu Yin, Fan Yin and the Five Non-Encounters Hour
Published · Last updated
Besides the stem pairs inside single palaces, a Qi Men chart has a few patterns that act on the whole board. Qimena’s charting engine checks for the three below whenever it casts a chart and takes them into account in its readings and scores.
Whole-chart patterns
| Pattern | Nature | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Five Non-Encounters Hour (五不遇时) | Inauspicious | The hour stem attacks the day stem, yang on yang or yin on yin. Stay quiet; forcing things invites obstruction or failure. |
| Fu Yin (Stars and Doors Unmoved) (星门伏吟) | Neutral | Stars and doors have not moved from their home palaces: things stall; it favors the host, not the guest; defend and do not rush. |
| Fan Yin (Stars and Doors Opposed) (星门反吟) | Inauspicious | Stars and doors sit in clashing palaces: violent change, back and forth and many twists; cut through quickly. |
Palace-level patterns
The engine also flags three patterns that sit in a specific palace: Flying Bird Drops into the Nest (Heaven Bing on Earth Wu, very auspicious), Green Dragon Returns Its Head (Heaven Wu on Earth Bing, very auspicious) and Soaring Serpent Writhes (Heaven Gui on Earth Ding, inauspicious). Their meanings are on the stem combinations page.
How the engine detects them
- Five Non-Encounters Hour: the hour stem attacks the day stem and the two share the same polarity (for example day stem Jia, hour stem Geng).
- Fu Yin: the stars and the doors both stay in their home palaces. Each ring turns as one, so one match proves the ring is home; the engine tests for Tian Peng in Kan, Tian Chong in Zhen, the Rest Door in Kan, the Death Door in Kun and the Harm Door in Zhen.
- Fan Yin: the stars and the doors both land in the opposite palaces; the engine tests for Tian Ying in Kan, Tian Peng in Li, the Scenery Door in Kan and the Rest Door in Li.
- Palace-level patterns: each palace is checked for Heaven Bing on Earth Wu, Heaven Wu on Earth Bing or Heaven Gui on Earth Ding.
Palace marks: Void, Punish and Pressed
Qimena also marks palaces directly on the board: a void palace shows “Void,” and Punish and Pressed are small orange tags in a palace’s top-right corner.
- Void: the palaces of the two void branches of the decade; the energy comes to nothing. The engine lowers the score of a void palace.
- Liu Yi Ji Xing (instrument punishment): a Heaven Plate instrument stem lands in the palace of the branch that punishes the branch it hides under: Wu in Zhen 3, Ji in Kun 2, Geng in Gen 8, Xin in Li 9, Ren in Xun 4 and Gui in Xun 4. It signals obstruction, legal trouble and being held back.
- Men Po (door pressed): the door’s element overcomes the element of its palace (Wood overcomes Earth, Earth Water, Water Fire, Fire Metal, Metal Wood), so the door’s fortune is held back. For example, the Metal Open Door in the Wood palace Zhen 3.
Each Punish or Pressed mark lowers its palace’s score by 6 and is also passed to the AI reading as a prompt. Entering the tomb (ru mu) is not marked yet, because schools disagree on how to take it.
How to use them
- The Five Non-Encounters Hour is a timing warning: resistance is high in that hour, so move important matters if you can.
- Fu Yin and Fan Yin describe the board as a whole: Fu Yin is “no movement,” Fan Yin is “great movement,” and the strategies are opposite.
- In Qimena’s whole-chart score, a Five Non-Encounters Hour, Fan Yin and Fu Yin lower the score, while good patterns such as Flying Bird Drops into the Nest and Green Dragon Returns raise it; all of them are also passed to the AI reading as prompts.
These readings are the ones Qimena’s charting engine uses, offered for study and as a reference for decisions.
Related reading: Stem Combinations, The Eight Doors, How to Cast a Qi Men Chart.
FAQ
What are Fu Yin and Fan Yin?
Fu Yin means the stars and doors have not left their home palaces, which brings stagnation. Fan Yin means the stars and doors sit in opposing palaces, which brings violent change and repeated twists.
What is the Five Non-Encounters Hour?
When the hour stem attacks the day stem, yang on yang or yin on yin, the hour is called a Five Non-Encounters Hour. Tradition says it is best to stay quiet in it, because forcing things invites obstruction.
Do these patterns affect the score?
Yes. In the whole-chart score, a Five Non-Encounters Hour, Fan Yin and Fu Yin lower it and good patterns raise it; they also appear as reading prompts.