Qián

In 陽宅十書 Qian (乾) is a metal palace. It is number 6 in the count and stands in the northwest. 說卦傳 places it where yin and yang press upon one another. The compass points the imperial almanac 協紀辨方書 files under it are 戌, 乾 and 亥.

The Ming book uses Qian for the worked example in its 大遊年 section. For a door on the Qian side it names the other seven positions: 六煞 at 坎, 天乙 at 艮, 五鬼 at 震, 禍害 at 巽, 破軍 (絕命) at 離, 延年 at 坤 and 生氣 at 兌. Qian belongs to the West Four, and its three favorable positions, 艮, 坤 and 兌, are the other three members of that group.

Men are placed at Qian in 1985, 1994 and 2003, then every ninth year, and women in 1991, 2000 and 2009. The first Qian line in the book's table is 乙丑, where a woman reaches 6 on her way up from the starting 5. Our sources give no sentence about the point in the year at which the number changes.