A different kind of divination
BaZi and Zi Wei describe a life. Qimen Dunjia 奇門遁甲 describes a moment. Historically it was a strategist’s instrument — attributed to military use, later applied to negotiation, travel and timing — and it is cast fresh for each question rather than fixed at birth.
That is why this tool asks for your question first. The board is generated from the timestamp of the asking, so the reading is only meaningful for the question you actually held in mind.
How the board is cast
The board uses the 時家奇門 hour-based system with 拆補 chai-bu局 selection: the current solar term and its 三元 division determine the 局 number, which sets the arrangement of the nine palaces. The Three Wonders (三奇) and Six Instruments (六儀) are placed around the 值符 duty chief, and the 值使 duty gate moves accordingly.
Each palace then carries a Door, a Star and a Deity. The interaction between the palace holding your question and the palace holding you is the reading.
What you can and cannot ask
Qimen answers best when the question is specific, singular and about a real decision in front of you — a deal, a move, a conversation, a date. It answers poorly when the question is vague (“will I be happy”), compound (“should I move and change jobs”), or asked repeatedly in the hope of a better board.
Ask once, act, and cast again only when the situation genuinely changes.
Common questions
Can I ask the same question twice?
You can, but the tradition advises against it and so do we. Re-casting until you get the answer you wanted is not divination, it’s shopping. If the situation has materially changed, cast again.
Why does it need the current time?
Because that is the input. The board is a function of the solar term, the day’s stem and branch, and the double-hour in which you asked. Change the moment and you change the board.
What’s in the paid report?
The free reading gives you the board and the core answer. The full report reads every relevant palace, gives the favourable direction and the window to act, names what supports and obstructs you, and explains the reasoning so you can judge it yourself.