The Eight Deities of Qi Men Dun Jia: Meanings of Each Deity
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The eight deities sit on the Spirit Plate of a Qi Men Dun Jia chart: Chief, Soaring Serpent, Great Yin, Six Harmony, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Nine Earth and Nine Heaven. They stand for the unseen side of a matter: people’s motives and the hidden help and resistance around you. The Chief leads, and the rest follow in order: forward in a Yang Dun chart, backward in a Yin Dun chart.
The eight deities at a glance
| Deity | Element | Nature | Meaning and what it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief (Zhi Fu) (值符) | Wood | Very auspicious | Head of the benefactors, turns bad into good. Good for meeting elders, launching projects and protection. |
| Soaring Serpent (Teng She) (腾蛇) | Fire | Inauspicious | Deceit and oddities, suspicion and entanglement. Beware nightmares and deception; stay calm and think twice. |
| Great Yin (Tai Yin) (太阴) | Metal | Auspicious | A female benefactor, quiet planning. Good for confidential planning, technical PR and saving strength. |
| Six Harmony (Liu He) (六合) | Wood | Auspicious | Partnerships, contracts and harmonious marriage. Good for negotiating and signing and for matchmaking; avoid going solo. |
| White Tiger (Bai Hu) (白虎) | Metal | Inauspicious | Illness and disaster, but forceful. Signals strong conflict or obstacles, and also high execution. |
| Black Tortoise (Xuan Wu) (玄武) | Water | Inauspicious | Concealment, falsehood and petty thieves. Beware being cheated and false advertising; keep records. |
| Nine Earth (Jiu Di) (九地) | Earth | Auspicious | Hidden, stable, accumulating for the long run. Good for buying property, long-term investment and defense; avoid quick fights. |
| Nine Heaven (Jiu Tian) (九天) | Metal | Auspicious | High aims and going abroad. Good for rising, long trips, promotion and listing; go high-profile. |
How to read the deities
- Auspicious deities: Chief, Great Yin, Six Harmony, Nine Earth and Nine Heaven. Inauspicious deities: Soaring Serpent, White Tiger and Black Tortoise.
- Six Harmony matters most for partnerships, contracts and romance.
- White Tiger is inauspicious but also stands for forceful execution, so it is not always bad for tasks that need nerve and speed.
- Yang Dun lays the deities out clockwise and Yin Dun counterclockwise, so the same deity sits in different places in the two kinds of chart.
These readings are the ones Qimena’s charting engine uses, offered for study and as a reference for decisions.
Related reading: The Eight Doors, The Nine Stars, Focus Symbols.
FAQ
Which of the eight deities are auspicious?
Chief, Great Yin, Six Harmony, Nine Earth and Nine Heaven are auspicious; Soaring Serpent, White Tiger and Black Tortoise are inauspicious. For partnerships and contracts, look especially at Six Harmony.
In what order are the deities laid out?
Starting from the Chief, they run Chief, Soaring Serpent, Great Yin, Six Harmony, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Nine Earth, Nine Heaven: forward in a Yang Dun chart and backward in a Yin Dun chart.
Is White Tiger always bad?
No. White Tiger signals strong conflict and obstacles, but it also stands for forceful execution, so it can help with tasks that need nerve and speed.