Every cell on the chart carries five symbols. This page goes through them one group at a time — the eight gates, the nine stars, the eight deities and the ten heavenly stems — with a plain one-line meaning, then the places, people and matters each one usually stands for. Every entry comes from the imagery tables of this site's casting engine: it is the same data you see when you tap a cell in the app.
New to the chart? Start with the one-minute guide. To see these meanings on a live chart, cast one now.
Gates are about the road — whether a matter can move forward, and how. Open, Rest and Life are favourable; Death, Shock and Harm unfavourable; Block and View sit in between.
Time to rest — calm and steady
Often shows up inwater's edge, rivers, lakes, ponds, and wells, lounges, bedrooms, hotels and inns, teahouses
People likeelder, old man, benefactor, monks and priests, hermit, idler
Matters likeseeking peace, recuperation, stepping aside, reconciliation, harmonious marriage
Alive with growth — good for making money
Often shows up innortheast, hilly land, country fields, markets and shops, banks, graveyards and hillocks
People likebenefactor, wealthy man, merchant, doctor, someone raising a family, young person
Matters likeseeking money, doing business, starting a venture, buying property, fertility
Prone to bumps and losses
Often shows up ineast, broad avenues, bridges, stations, busy streets, wooded areas
People likesoldiers and police, hunter, butcher, thug, injured person, brawler
Matters likefavorable for hunting, collecting debts, competition, and gambling, unlucky for travel, seeking money, marriage, or lawsuits (a bad omen)
Blocked — no way through
Often shows up insoutheast, closed-off, hidden spots, dark rooms and secret chambers, warehouses, caves, deep in the woods
People likeartisan, technician, person in hiding, recluse, monks and priests, guard
Matters likefavorable for evading, hiding, defending, keeping secrets, and taking refuge, unlucky for opening a business, seeking money, awaited travelers, or lawsuits (things stall)
Lively — plenty of news
Often shows up insouth, royal court, schools, libraries, cultural venues, bright places
People likeman of letters, official, exam candidate, performer, gifted talent, beautiful woman
Matters likefavorable for seeking fame, exams, petitions, paperwork, planning, publicity, and celebrations
Stalled — the end of the line
Often shows up insouthwest, graves, graveyards, funeral homes, morgues, ruins
People likeold woman, mourner, gravely ill person, monks and priests, butcher, gravedigger
Matters likefavorable for mourning, hunting, closing cases, and wrapping up old business, everything is ill-omened — bad for marriage, seeking money, awaited travelers, or seeing a doctor (very unlucky)
Disturbance — quarrels flare up
Often shows up inwest, courts and courtrooms, loud, crowded places, performance venues, trouble spots, dangerous, alarming places
People likewitch doctor, lawyer, persuader, good talker, performing singer, frightened person
Matters likefavorable for lawsuits, debate, filing complaints, persuasion, and planning, unlucky for marriage, awaited travelers, or seeking money (unsettling)
Wide open — clear to go
Often shows up innorthwest, government offices, main gates, city avenues, open ground, government offices
People likebenefactor, ranking official, leader, old man, elder of the parents' generation, government employee
Matters likefavorable for opening a business, seeking office, meeting patrons, trade, travel, marriage, ventures, and winning lawsuits — everything is very lucky
Stars are the weather of a cell — how strong its state is, how hasty its temper. Each star has an element; Tian Qin lodges in the centre and travels with Tian Rui.
A touch of danger — deep and scheming
Often shows up inrivers, lakes, and seas, wells, toilets, brothels, casinos, dark, damp places
People likethief, fisherman, sailor, butcher, bandit, underworld
Matters liketheft, looting, water accidents, legal trouble, sexual misconduct
Steady — slow, careful work
Often shows up infarmsteads, hilly land, warehouses, rich families, northeast, grave hills
People likewealthy people, farmer, landlord, honest, kind people, young boy, money-keepers
Matters likebuying property, holding onto money, diligent farming, taking on responsibility, accumulation
Hot-tempered — acts on the spot
Often shows up inarmy barracks, battlefields, roads, stations, forests, places of thunder
People likemilitary generals, soldier, knights-errant, brave warriors, athlete, driver
Matters likewaging war, travel, breaking ground, fighting, fright
Gentle — help is at hand
Often shows up inschools, Confucian temples, studies, gardens, southeast, monasteries
People likeman of letters, teachers, official, lawyer, adviser, benefactor
Matters likepursuing studies, exams, paperwork, promotions, pursuing an undertaking
Eye-catching — but restless and edgy
Often shows up incultured places, royal court, assembly halls, south, cookstoves, beautiful places
People likebeauty, gifted talent, man of letters, painter, shamans, frivolous people
Matters likepaperwork, exams, celebrations, ceremony, empty fame
Heavy with illness — slow and dragging
Often shows up infields, graves, hospitals, apothecaries, old houses, low-lying land
People likeold woman, patient, farmer, witch doctor, lazy people, ignorant people
Matters likeillness, seeking a teacher, making friends, inviting trouble, getting stuck
Head-on — loves a fight
Often shows up inarmy barracks, temples, ruins, west, steep, rugged places, prisons
People likesoldier, lawyer, warriors, shaman, argumentative people, destroyers
Matters likedisputes and lawsuits, quarrels and gossip, destruction, breakage, conquest
Resourceful — full of ideas
Often shows up inhospitals, pharmacies, temples and monasteries, high places, northwest, authorities
People likedoctor, Taoist priests, adviser, leaders, high officials, elder
Matters liketreating illness, planning, giving out medicine, doing good, making decisions
Solid and steady
Often shows up incenter, cells, temples, city center, plains, wealthy districts
People likerulers, powerful figures, go-betweens, steady, mature people, wealthy households, shaman
Matters likemediation, taking charge, coordinating between sides, buying property, holding steady
Deities are help and caution — who is quietly on your side, what to watch out for. The Chief leads the eight and moves with the lead star.
A benefactor is watching over you
Often shows up inauthorities, government offices, royal court, main hall, seat of power, seats of honor
People likeleader, benefactor, elders, respected seniors, bosses, top boss
Matters likematters of rank and office, promotions, seeking a post or job, top-level decisions, main affairs
False alarms and entanglements
Often shows up inwinding roads, kilns, dark, gloomy places, strange places, hearths, spiraling places
People likepetty people, smooth talkers, rumor-mongers, high-strung people, fickle people, sinister people
Matters likefalse alarms and trickery, fright and strange dreams, being caught up in disputes, blowing hot and cold, lies and half-truths
Working quietly, out of sight
Often shows up inhidden spots, dark rooms, west, behind the scenes, backstage, inner rooms
People likewomen, people who operate in the shadows, young woman, someone working behind the scenes, quiet helpers, adviser
Matters likeprivate matters, planning in secret, pulling strings from behind, hiding the truth, helping behind the scenes
Good chemistry — someone makes the connection
Often shows up inmarkets, agencies, matchmaking agencies, trading venues, sheltered spots, doorway
People likematchmaker, brokers, peacemakers, lovers, spouses, business partners
Matters likemarriage and weddings, teaming up, buying and selling, settling and mediating, brokering a deal
Big commotion — prone to collisions
Often shows up inroads, streets, dangerous places, army barracks, police headquarters, slaughterhouses
People likesoldiers and police, military men, vicious person, villains, butcher, surgeons
Matters likebloody accident, illness and death, car-crash disasters, lawsuits and fights, blocked roads
Cagey and evasive — don't take it at face value
Often shows up inmurky places, water's edge, gutters, toilets, filthy places, thieves' dens
People likethief, petty people, con artists, crafty people, shady people, wicked people
Matters liketheft and losses, fraud and getting cheated, secret plots, running off and going missing, secret affairs
Lie low and hold — best to stay put
Often shows up inland, fields, plains, underground, graves, warehouses
People likefarmers, womenfolk, honest, simple folk, old mother, kind, decent people, rank-and-file workers
Matters likehiding and lying in wait, holding the line, pulling back and staying put, collecting and saving, better to stay put
Bold and far-reaching — you can go far
Often shows up inhigh places, high-rises, sky, airports, faraway places, high mountains
People likebenefactor, military officers, pilots, those in authority, military generals, top brass
Matters likerising to fame, long journeys, going on the offensive, getting ahead, forging ahead
The heaven stem is what is in motion on the surface; the earth stem is the base underneath. Each stem has yin or yang and an element; the six yi (Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui) and three qi (Yi, Bing, Ding) are all here.
The leader — big, weighty things
Often shows up inforests, under big trees, high-rises, east, government bureaus, office buildings
People likeleader, elders, eldest son, rank and office, wealthy merchants, pillars of society
Matters likestarting a venture, rising to power, being one's own boss, stepping into the spotlight, getting things started
Soft, delicate matters
Often shows up incountry fields, flower beds, thickets, parks, flower shops, Chinese-medicine clinics
People likewomenfolk, young woman, wives, younger siblings, man of letters, secretaries
Matters likepapers and contracts, seeking medical help, arranging a marriage, fine, delicate work, slow, painstaking work
Bright, showy matters
Often shows up inplayhouses, movie theaters, busy streets, famous landmarks, public squares, stages
People likerank and office, leader, celebrity, actors, hosts, soldiers and police
Matters likechasing fame and recognition, official, public-facing matters, urgent matters, documents and licenses, watch for burns and quarrels
Documents and news
Often shows up inancestral shrines, places of worship, under lamplight, studies, post offices, telecom rooms
People likebeautiful woman, young married women, man of letters, gifted talent, teachers, customer-service reps
Matters likedocuments and word from afar, exam credentials, matchmaking and passing word, quietly lending a hand, small slip-ups
Money and capital — steady
Often shows up inhigh mountains, city walls, fields, storerooms, banks, pawnshops
People likewealthy people, merchant, bosses, middle-aged men, real-estate developers, bank clerks
Matters likemoney and land, buying a home, saving and holding steady, mortgages and collateral, safe, steady dealings
Things done behind the scenes
Often shows up infields, plains, burial plots, low ground, vegetable gardens, kitchens
People likefarmer, village woman, ordinary people, matchmaker, nannies, earth laborers
Matters likethings kept hidden, arrangements made in secret, petty chores, fields and graves, having a hidden agenda
Head-on resistance
Often shows up inroads, highways, mines, barracks, machine factories, metalworking plants
People likesoldier, police officer, tough fighters, burly men, ruthless types, adversaries
Matters likethings that get stuck, lawsuits and fights, debt standoffs, matters of roads and vehicles, head-to-head standoff
Slip-ups and small metal
Often shows up ingem shops, gold shops, mines, prisons, west, jewelry workshops
People likegem dealers, jewelry-makers, watchmakers, dentists, wrongdoers, convicts
Matters likemistakes and do-overs, punishment and wrongdoing, jewelry and money, fixing mistakes, out with the old, in with the new
Flow and movement
Often shows up inrivers, lakes, and seas, docks, harbors, water's edge, bathrooms, swimming pools
People likeboatman, fishermen, sailor, driver, thief, drifters
Matters likebeing away from home, shipping by water, hustling for money, pregnancy and childbirth, messy, drawn-out lawsuits
Hidden, secret matters
Often shows up inwells and springs, ditches, basements, dark rooms, back doors, north
People likelittle girls, small children, shaman, secret agents, soft, gentle people, shadowy people
Matters likethings that can't see daylight, talking it over in private, quietly looking into things, being held up and delayed, rainy, overcast weather