Xiao Liu Ren FAQ

Which day does 23:00–24:00 belong to?

That hour is part of the Zi double hour. Most practitioners hold that the new day begins with the Zi hour, so this site counts it as the next day by default; others treat 23:00–24:00 ("late Zi") as still the same day. Both are in use, and the tool lets you choose; the results differ.

What about leap months?

The most common approach, used here, is to count a leap month with the same number as the month it repeats, so leap month 4 counts as 4. A minority count the second half of a leap month as the following month.

Can I use the Gregorian date?

No. Casting by time uses the lunar month and day. The site converts the Gregorian time you enter into the lunar calendar automatically.

I live outside East Asia. How should I cast?

The site converts to the lunar calendar using dates in UTC+8. If you are in another time zone, the usual approach is to cast with your local time; the lunar date can differ by a day between places only around the first day of a lunar month.

Can I keep asking about the same thing?

It is better not to. Traditionally you ask once; recasting because you dislike the answer only adds confusion. Ask again when the situation has changed.

Is Xiao Liu Ren accurate?

It uses only three numbers, the month, day and hour, so anyone asking anything in the same double hour gets the same result. It shows a very rough tendency. Treat it as a way to sort out your thoughts and to remind yourself of things to watch, not as a firm prediction.

How is it different from Da Liu Ren?

Da Liu Ren is one of the three classical Chinese divination arts. It builds heaven and earth plates from the monthly general and the hour, derives four lessons and three transmissions, and reads the spirits and stem-branch relations, with very complex rules. Xiao Liu Ren only borrows the "Liu Ren" name; its method of counting round six positions is a separate system.

Why does another source give a different result?

There are three common reasons: whether the day changes at the Zi hour, how leap months are counted, and whether the starting position counts as one. The tool lists every counting step under the result so you can check it.

Which elements and directions belong to each palace?

Some schools assign elements, directions, colours or spirits to the six palaces, for example to guess where a lost item is, but they do not agree with one another. This site covers only the meaning of the palaces themselves and leaves those correspondences out.

If you are new to the method, start with how to cast, with examples.

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.