At a glance
- Center
- Five
- North palace
- Kan 1
Definition and terminology
The usual assignments are Kan 1, Kun 2, Zhen 3, Xun 4, Center 5, Qian 6, Dui 7, Gen 8 and Li 9. Palaces contain symbolic layers. Numbers are identifiers rather than fortune scores. Eight trigrams cover the perimeter; the center does not introduce a ninth trigram.
Structure and rules
With south at top, rows are 4-9-2, 3-5-7 and 8-1-6. Numerical progression differs from traveling around the perimeter. Rotating and flying methods move layers differently, and center-hosting conventions vary. Declare the route and center treatment instead of assuming that every layer follows the same sequence.
Worked reading
On a south-up chart, Gen 8 appears bottom-left and means northeast; rotating north-up puts it top-right. Check that 1 and 9 oppose and 5 remains central. This verifies orientation, not a claim that a building, seat or route acquires a guaranteed favorable or harmful property from a corner.
Context and limits
Nine-palace systems occur in several traditions, but Taiyi numbering and routes need not match Qimen or geomancy. Dunjia Yanyi’s editorial account discusses origins and criticizes legendary attributions. State the table, orientation and center rule. A shared Luoshu framework does not justify transferring results or claims between different systems.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- 《遁甲演义》（四库全书本）Primary / tradition source
Public-domain Qimen source; editorial account distinguishes legends from documentation and describes palaces, stems, doors and stars.
- 《奇门遁甲统宗》Primary / tradition source
Public-domain received Qimen manual; documents palace, star, door and spirit rules and variants, not modern validation.