How to Use Your Lucky Direction: Departure or Arrival, Transfers, Distance and Time
Published
Once people have a lucky direction, the questions start: leave or arrive? How far? How long do I stay? What about transfers? Schools do not agree on any of this. This article lists the common reference approaches and says plainly where there is no standard.
Two things first
- The chart and scores are fixed. The chart, each palace’s score, the lucky direction and the suggested hours are calculated by fixed rules, so the same time and place always give the same result. The AI only turns those results into words; a different AI changes the wording, not the numbers (how scores are calculated).
- There is no scientific evidence of effect. Qi Men Dun Jia is a traditional practice. Qimena provides a chart calculated by its rules, for cultural reference and as one more angle on a decision. It guarantees no result.
Leaving or arriving
There is no standard. A common reference approach: use the hour you chose, and both leave and arrive within that hour. Each hour is two hours long, so the departure time and the trip have to fit inside it. If the trip is too long for one hour, split it into legs and read the chart for each, or pick a more convenient hour.
Transfers and detours
Your destination is in the lucky direction, but you must first walk away from it to a station, or change trains on the way. Does that count? A common approach is to look at the overall direction from where you start to where you end up and ignore transfers and detours. Some schools put more weight on the direction of the first step out of the door. Neither is “right”; pick the one that seems reasonable, and don’t worry about it.
Distance and time spent
There is no standard. These are common references, not hard rules:
| Chart type | Common reference distance | Common reference stay |
|---|---|---|
| Hour chart (one per two hours) | A few kilometers | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Day chart (one per day) | A few dozen kilometers | Several hours (roughly a day) |
The numbers differ widely between schools, and no distance or time is “guaranteed to work”. Anyone who says “a few hundred meters is enough” or “it must be this many kilometers” is giving a personal view.
If you can’t move
Tradition also has a version without travel: face the lucky direction. In a meeting, negotiation or signing, turn yourself or your desk toward it; the place where you work or wake can use it too. The Direction Compass in the app points it out with your phone’s compass.
Casting abroad
The chart is cast for your local True Solar Time, not Beijing time (why). When you travel:
- For the moment you set off, cast the chart at where you set off.
- For things after you arrive, cast it at the destination, entering the destination city or longitude and time zone.
- Daylight saving time is handled automatically.
Why other software draws a different chart
Qi Men Dun Jia has several schools: the ju can be set by Chai Bu or by Run Ju, the chart can be laid out as a rotating plate or a flying plate, and there is also Yin-plate Qi Men. Qimena uses Hour-based Qi Men with Chai Bu and the rotating plate (why we chose them). At the same moment, software from different schools can draw completely different charts.
For example, some software marks a moment with an unfavorable pattern such as White Tiger Runs Wild (Geng on Xin) (pattern table), while the chart Qimena draws by its own rules may not have it. That is usually a difference of school, not a mistake by either, and Qimena does not judge other schools.
What the chart does not contain
The chart describes patterns of time and direction only. It does not include your surroundings: weather, traffic, crowds. Safety and health come down to common sense and doctors. If you feel unwell after going out, please rest and see a doctor if needed, and don’t attribute it to a direction.
Further reading
- How to find your lucky direction today
- Choosing a moving date abroad
- Choosing a day to sign a contract
To see your lucky direction right now, use the free Qi Men charting tool and tap “Direction Compass”.
FAQ
Is the lucky direction about leaving or arriving?
Schools differ. A common reference approach is to choose one two-hour period, then leave and arrive within that same period. Cast the chart for the place you are leaving from.
How far do I have to go and how long do I stay?
There is no standard. Commonly quoted references: a few kilometers and 30 to 60 minutes for an hour chart; a few dozen kilometers and several hours for a day chart. These are references, not hard rules, and no distance is guaranteed to work.
My destination is in the lucky direction, but I must first go the other way to a station and change trains. What then?
A common approach is to look at the overall direction from where you start to where you end up and ignore transfers and detours. Some schools care about the direction of the first step out of the door. Schools differ and there is no standard; pick the one that seems reasonable to you.
I felt unwell after going out. Was it the unlucky direction?
We can't make that judgment and shouldn't. Feeling unwell has many causes. Please rest and see a doctor if needed. Qi Men Dun Jia has no scientific evidence of effect, so please don't attribute symptoms to a direction.