How to Cast Xiao Liu Ren
The six palaces always run in this order: Da An (Great Peace) → Liu Lian (Lingering) → Su Xi (Swift Joy) → Chi Kou (Red Mouth) → Xiao Ji (Small Fortune) → Kong Wang (Emptiness), and after Kong Wang the count goes back to Da An and round again. Traditionally they are laid out on the index, middle and ring fingers of the left hand: Da An at the base of the index finger, Liu Lian at its tip, Su Xi at the tip of the middle finger, Chi Kou at the tip of the ring finger, Xiao Ji at the base of the ring finger and Kong Wang at the base of the middle finger. The thumb touches each in turn as you count.
Casting by time
- Month: start month 1 on Da An and count forward to the current lunar month. For lunar month 3: Da An (1), Liu Lian (2), Su Xi (3), so you stop on Su Xi.
- Day: from where the month stopped, start day 1 and count forward to today's lunar date.
- Hour: from where the day stopped, start the Zi hour and count forward to the current double hour (see the table below).
- Where you finally stop is the answer (the hour palace). The month and day palaces can be read as the background and process.
The starting position counts as one. As a formula: month palace = (month − 1) mod 6; day palace = (month palace + day − 1) mod 6; hour palace = (day palace + hour number − 1) mod 6. Remainders 0 to 5 stand for Da An to Kong Wang, and the hour number is 1 for Zi, 2 for Chou and so on.
The twelve double hours
| Hour | Time | No. |
|---|---|---|
| Zi | 23:00–01:00 | 1 |
| Chou | 01:00–03:00 | 2 |
| Yin | 03:00–05:00 | 3 |
| Mao | 05:00–07:00 | 4 |
| Chen | 07:00–09:00 | 5 |
| Si | 09:00–11:00 | 6 |
| Wu | 11:00–13:00 | 7 |
| Wei | 13:00–15:00 | 8 |
| Shen | 15:00–17:00 | 9 |
| You | 17:00–19:00 | 10 |
| Xu | 19:00–21:00 | 11 |
| Hai | 21:00–23:00 | 12 |
A worked example
On 8 November 2026 at 3:30 pm, the lunar date is day 30 of month 9 and the double hour is Shen (15:00–17:00).
- Count month 1 from Da An up to month 9: Da An, Liu Lian, Su Xi, Chi Kou, Xiao Ji, Kong Wang, Da An, Liu Lian, Su Xi. Stop on Su Xi (Swift Joy).
- Count day 1 from Su Xi up to day 30: 30 is exactly five rounds of six, so the last day lands one place before the start, on Liu Lian (Lingering).
- Count the Zi hour from Liu Lian up to Shen, the 9th hour: stop on Chi Kou (Red Mouth).
The outcome is Chi Kou (Red Mouth), with Su Xi (Swift Joy) as the background and Liu Lian (Lingering) as the process. For a question about a negotiation, you might read it as "a good start, a dragging process, and an ending prone to arguments, so get the terms in writing".
Casting by numbers
When you cannot check the time, or want to ask about different matters in the same double hour, cast by numbers: focus on the question, say three numbers, and use them in place of the month, day and hour. Count the first from Da An, the second from where the first stopped, and the third from where the second stopped.
For example, with 3, 8 and 5: count 3 from Da An to reach Su Xi (Swift Joy); count 8 from there to reach Chi Kou (Red Mouth); count 5 from there to reach Liu Lian (Lingering), which is the answer.
How this site does it
- The lunar calendar is calculated astronomically (new moons and principal solar terms) using dates in UTC+8 (Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong and so on).
- By default the Zi hour after 23:00 counts as the next day; the tool also lets you keep 23:00–24:00 on the same day.
- A leap month is counted with the same number as the month it repeats, so leap month 6 counts as 6.
To cast right away, use the Xiao Liu Ren tool; it lists every counting step so you can check it yourself.
This is fixed text compiled from general convention, not a reading of any individual and not a prediction. For important decisions, please consult qualified professionals.