Overview

QimenMind is a free, browser-based Qi Men Dun Jia (奇门遁甲) charting platform built on the San Yuan (三元) system taught in the Zuo Ye Lao Dao lineage and maintained by lineage disciples. Instead of juggling desktop software or hand-calculating ju numbers, you pick a date and time, and the tool instantly produces a complete nine-palace (九宫) chart grounded in Beijing time (UTC+8).

The workflow is deliberately two-stage. First you cast the chart: the engine resolves the solar term (节气), yin/yang dun (阴阳遁), ju number (局数), xun head (旬首), and the Zhi Fu / Zhi Shi (值符值使), then lays out the eight doors (八门), nine stars (九星), eight gods (八神), and the heaven-plate and earth-plate stems (天盘干 / 地盘干). Then, only if you need it, you ask Dun Yuan (遁元), the built-in AI reader, a single concrete question about that exact chart — it returns a conclusion, the chart evidence behind it, the risks, and a suggested next move.

A companion lifetime chart tool (终身局排盘) handles birth-time charts with luck cycles (大运流年) and a written report, so event-based divination and long-term structure are kept cleanly separated.

Key Features

• One-click nine-palace generation — enter Gregorian or lunar year/month/day/hour/minute; the default is the current Beijing time, editable to any point between 1900 and 2100.
• Full chart payload — solar term, yin/yang dun, ju number, xun head, Zhi Fu and Zhi Shi; eight doors, nine stars, eight gods, heaven-plate and earth-plate stems.
• Deep diagnostic layer — 81 pattern combinations (81 格局), void/death (空亡), post horse (驿马), door pressure (门迫), tomb entry (入墓), punishment clash (击刑), and per-palace strength (宫位旺衰).
• San Yuan interpretation lines — Yuan Shen Palace (元神宫), Yuan Qi Palace (元气宫), Tian Yi Palace (天乙宫), plus flying/hidden advance-retreat (飞伏进退) for reading momentum.
• AI reading on the same chart — write one specific question (optional, up to 300 characters) at casting time, or ask later. Prompt shortcuts for 事业 / 感情 / 合作 get you started.
• Persistent follow-ups — continue asking about the same matter on the original chart instead of re-casting, which the site explicitly recommends against.
• Saved archives (档案) — store charts and revisit them; chart links can be copied and shared so another person sees identical time and palace data.
• Lifetime chart module — birth-time charting with luck cycles and reports, using local clock time at the birthplace (no Beijing-time conversion).
• Free and installable — no download, works in mobile and desktop browsers, and can be added to the home screen for app-like access.
• Learning resources — a terminology index, a line-by-line reading of the Yanbo Diaosou Ge (烟波钓叟歌) classic, guides on how to read a chart and how to ask a question, and a blog explaining why different schools produce different charts for the same moment.
• Multilingual — Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Spanish.

Target Users

• Qi Men Dun Jia practitioners and students who want a fast, standards-transparent charting engine that shows its solar-term and ju-number reasoning rather than hiding it.
• Decision-makers facing one concrete question — a job interview, a partnership, a relationship conversation, a trip, a money matter — who want a situational read and a timing suggestion.
• Beginners who can cast but not interpret — the AI reader supplies the yong shen (用神), palace relationships, and reasoning that a novice would otherwise miss.
• Chinese metaphysics hobbyists comparing schools, who need to verify time, solar term, and ju number line by line when charts disagree.
• Users of BaZi tools who want to pair long-term structure (BaZi) with short-term situational analysis (Qi Men); QimenMind links directly to a companion BaZi calculator.

Unique Selling Points

1. Chart and interpretation stay welded together. The AI reads the same plate you cast — same time, same palaces — so there is no copy-paste drift between calculator and commentary.
2. Transparent San Yuan lineage method. It publishes which system it uses and how ju numbers are derived (solar term, day-pillar xun head, upper/middle/lower yuan), so results are auditable against other schools.
3. Depth beyond the surface chart. 81 patterns, void, post horse, door pressure, tomb, punishment, and palace strength are computed automatically — the details most free tools omit.
4. Three-line reading framework. Yuan Shen / Yuan Qi / Tian Yi palaces plus flying-hiding advance-retreat give structure instead of a single lucky-door verdict.
5. Genuinely free entry point. Charting costs nothing and every account gets 3 free AI readings, cumulative rather than reset daily.
6. Discipline built into the product. The UI actively discourages one-question-multiple-matters and repeated re-casting of the same question — good methodology enforced by design.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free charting with no download, no install, and mobile home-screen support.
• Unusually complete output: solar term through to 81 patterns and San Yuan palaces.
• AI interpretation is tied to the exact chart and supports follow-up questions on the same plate.
• Clear, honest methodology disclosure (San Yuan lineage, automatic ju determination rules).
• Strong educational layer: terminology index, classic text walkthrough, how-to-read and how-to-ask guides.
• Lifetime chart tool is separated from event charting, with correct time-handling rules for each (local clock time for birth charts).
• Shareable chart links let two people examine identical data.
• Available in five languages including English, Japanese, and Spanish.

Cons

• Event charts are fixed to Beijing time (UTC+8) with no true solar time (真太阳时) or location correction — users outside China must convert manually.
• Only 3 AI readings are free per account (cumulative); heavier interpretation use requires a paid plan.
• The San Yuan framework (Yuan Shen / Yuan Qi / Tian Yi palaces, flying-hiding advance-retreat) is a specific lineage method and may not match other schools' outputs, which can confuse users comparing results.
• Steep learning curve for newcomers: 81 patterns, door pressure, tomb, and punishment terms assume background knowledge.
• Traditional metaphysics framing will not appeal to users seeking empirically validated decision tools.
• AI interpretation quality depends on how well you phrase a single, specific question.
• The interface and much of the content are Chinese-first; non-Chinese users rely on translated pages.