Qimen Dunjia
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Qimen Dunjia is an ancient Chinese work on divination and numerology, and it is also the first secret art among the three great secret treasures of Qimen, Liuren, and Taiyi. It is known as the "Learning of Emperors" and the "Highest Predictive Science". The following is a detailed introduction to it:
- Meaning of the Name: It is composed of three parts: "Qi" (the Mysterious), "Men" (the Gates), and "Dunjia" (the Concealment of the Six Jia). "Qi" refers to the three mysterious elements of Yi, Bing, and Ding. In ancient times, people believed that the sun was born from Yi, the moon was illuminated by Bing, and Ding was the South Pole. Therefore, Yi is the Mysterious of the Sun, Bing is the Mysterious of the Moon, and Ding is the Mysterious of the Stars. "Men" refers to the eight gates, namely the Rest Gate, the Birth Gate, the Injury Gate, the Obstruction Gate, the Scenery Gate, the Death Gate, the Alarm Gate, and the Opening Gate. "Dunjia" means that the six Jia are concealed under the six Yi. In order to prevent the six Jia from being overcome by the Metal of Geng, that is, Jiazi is concealed under Wu, Jiaxu is concealed under Ji, Jiashen is concealed under Geng, Jiawu is concealed under Xin, Jiachen is concealed under Ren, and Jiayin is concealed under Gui.
- Origin and Development: Regarding its origin, there is a saying that it originated in the era of the Yellow Emperor, was formed by Jiang Shang during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and was finally simplified and finalized into nine patterns by Zhang Liang in the Han Dynasty. However, historical records also show that a complete written form had not been formed in the Han Dynasty. During the period of Emperor Jianwen of the Southern Dynasties, the theory of "Three Gates" and the term "Tongjia" began to appear. It gradually became popular during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and there were detailed relevant records in the Ming Dynasty. Later scholars believe that it is an ideological and cultural system that has evolved and developed over many years.
- Basic Content: Based on the Yi Jing (Book of Changes) and the Eight Trigrams, it integrates the knowledge of multiple disciplinary fields such as astrology, calendar, astronomy, geography, and the Five Elements of Yin and Yang. It contains elements such as the Ten Celestial Stems, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Eight Trigrams, the Nine Palaces, the Nine Stars, the Eight Gates, and the Eight Deities. These elements are combined and interact with each other to form a complex spatio-temporal mathematical model, which is used to simulate and predict the development and changes of things.
- Classification Methods: According to time, it can be divided into Annual Qimen Dunjia, Monthly Qimen Dunjia, Daily Qimen Dunjia, Hourly Qimen Dunjia, and Divisional Qimen Dunjia; according to the performance methods, it can be divided into Rotating Disc Qimen Dunjia and Flying Disc Qimen Dunjia; according to the purposes, it can be divided into Mathematical Qimen Dunjia and Magical Qimen Dunjia; in the folk, it is also divided into Yang Pan Qimen Dunjia and Yin Pan Qimen Dunjia, etc.
- Application Scenarios: In ancient times, it was mainly applied to state affairs, military strategy, etc., providing a basis for political decision-making and military command. It is said that outstanding figures in history such as the Yellow Emperor, Jiang Taigong, Zhang Liang, Zhuge Liang, and Liu Bowen were proficient in this art and used it to guide wars and political decisions. In modern society, its primary application is mainly calculation, and the advanced application is resolution and operation, which can help people correctly grasp opportunities and seek advantages and avoid disadvantages in life, study, and work.
However, there are both some scientific contents in Qimen Dunjia, involving knowledge of astronomy, geography, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements. But it also has limitations. It is just a method of prediction and cannot completely accurately predict future events.