The above is what a typical Qi Men Dun Jia chart looks like. Try not to get overwhelmed by what you see.

A chart is generated based on the date and time you ask the question. This is usually expressed in the Solar Calendar, meaning there will be 4 Pillars, which is the 八字 for that specific day and time the QMDJ chart generated. I won't go into the formula of how the chart is plotted in the introductory course as it gets too technical and dry.

In essence, what you see are the following:

• 9-Sectors: The immediate thing that catches your attention is the 9-square grid, which represents your 九宫 (9-Sectors) and represents the 8-Trigrams. Note that there is a difference between 天盘 and 地盘。Most of the information you need to digest resides within these nine sectors/squares. As long as you can do that, you won't feel overwhelmed.
• The 8 Gods: Next, pay attention to the Chinese characters on each square's top area. These are the 'Gods'.
• 8 Doors: Next, you'll notice the extra large Chinese words with 門 (门 in simplified Chinese). These are your 8 Doors, or what I like to call Gates.
• 9 Stars: The characters below the doors are the 9 Stars.
• Heavenly Stems: Finally, what's left is the Heavenly Stems on the right of the 9 Stars. You will notice that there are two Heavenly Stems. The one on top represents the Heavens Trigram (天盘), and the one below is the Earth Trigram (地盘)。

Let's visualise it better:

The above image appears 2-D to you, but imagine it like a 3-D image with different layers stacked on each other. Some layers are more important than others. You'll get what I mean later.

There are some other details to note that are outside each sector. They'll usually be indicated somewhere else on the app you use. They are:

• Where 值符 lands.
• Where 值使 lands.
• Where 天乙 lands.
• Where 空亡 lands.
• The elemental strength in a given season. This should be easy. Wood dominates spring, Summer by Fire, Autumn by Metal, and Winter by Water. Earth comes in between the transition of the seasons. In Chinese metaphysics theory, this is your 旺相休囚死 theory.

The above points are additional variables to consider when analysing a chart.