Category: 9 Star Ki
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (8) – The Mountain People
We have already seen two types of people who possess earthy characteristics, i.e. Gua 2 and Gua 5 people. Yet, there is another type of earthy people, Gua 8. Although all three Guas have earthy characteristics, they are not all the same.
Gua 8 – The Mountain
The kind of earth that Gua 8 belongs to is like mountain, in contrast to Gua 2 which is like flat ground. So, although both of them are quite inflexible, Gua 2 people tend to be satisfied with the status-quo, while Gua 8 people may the tendencies to achieve goals.
When try to achieve goals, Gua 8 people could set targets to progressively reach to the top, just like climbing mountains. They have goals but they are not greedy. They would not set aggressive targets but reachable goals only.
Similar to Gua 2 and Gua 5 people, Gua 8 people also have good perseverance. You can’t beat a mountain easily. No matter how hard you hit it, the mountain still stands there.
Gua 8 People – Disadvantages
Looks like Gua 8 people are quite good. Do they have bad characteristics? Yes. as they are quite down-to-earth, sometimes they could go overboard and become hardheaded. They could be a little bit too practical and lack flexibility to handle challenges.
Besides, as rigid as the mountain, Gua 8 people may be less able to appreciate other people’s feeling. They could work hard as an employee, but if they want to be a leader, they need to learn how to drive people to excel.
Who are Gua 8 People?
You can look up your birth year in the table below and find your Gua number. Or, if you want to know more about the theory, read my introductory article about 9 Star Ki please.
A point to note: Chinese Astrology regard Spring as the start of a year, and Spring usually begins on 4 February. In other words, if you were born from 1 January to 3 February, you should look up for the previous year when you check the following tables. For example, a person born on 27 January 2001 should be regarded as born in 2000 when determining the Gua number.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (7) – The Soft Metal People
According to Chinese Astrology, everyone is born to belong to one of the nine Flying Stars (Guas). By just knowing the Gua of a person, we could instantly know some of the characteristics of that person. We have learnt how to read the characters of people of Gua 1 to Gua 6 in this series of articles. This time, let us move on to Gua 7.
Gua 7 – Soft Metal
If I need to describe Gua 7 with an element, I would use metal, and in particular soft metal. Gua 7 people has the characteristics of soft metal: ductile, flexible, mobile, fast and outreaching.
Gua 7 people are ductile and flexible. Although both Gua 6 and Gua 7 are metals, they are distinctively different in how they cope with changes. Gua 6 people are like hard metal (e.g. steel beams, giant metal structures) that they could not adapt to new things easily. On the other hand, Gua 7 people are like soft metal, in changing environments they could bend and change shape. This characteristic makes they very good at resisting adverse situations.
Gua 7 people are also mobile, i.e. they tend to move around. They could be good employees if the job requires them to move around, e.g. contact clients at different locations. Gua 7 could also represent transportation, so it is also good for Gua 7 people to be pilots, drivers, etc. or take up jobs that require them to travel or commute frequently.
Gua 7 people can act fast. They are quite smart and can usually come up with solutions to problems easily. They are usually able to reach out to different people and work in a team.
Gua 7 People – Disadvantages
The advantages of Gua 7 people could also be disadvantages. For example, they can act fast but if they put too much emphasis on speed, they may be unable to consider all factors and would make pre-mature decisions.
Besides, with their intelligence and fast action, they may become aggressive and sometimes a bit speculative. If they do not know how to properly manage their finance, this could lead to a big problem.
All in all, Gua 7 people are not bad to work or live with. If you are a Gua 7 person, try to slow down at times when you need to make an important decision.
Who are Gua 7 people?
To find out your Gua number, please read my introductory article about 9 Star Ki. Or, you can find out your Gua number by checking the following tables.
A point to note: Chinese Astrology regard Spring as the start of a year, and Spring usually begins on 4 February. In other words, if you were born from 1 January to 3 February, you should look up for the previous year when you check the following tables. For example, a person born on 27 January 2001 should be regarded as born in 2000 when determining the Gua number.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (6)
In the previous five articles, I have examined the characteristics of people of Guas 1 to 5. This time, let’s learn how to instantly tell the characteristics of Gua 6 people.
Gua 6 – Hard Metal
Gua 6 belongs to metal element. While we could further define metal into hard metal and soft metal, Gua 6 is definitely hard. You can imagine hard metal as large piece of steel which is very strong and rigid, while soft metal is similar to the golden rings and bracelets, which are not for building and construction but for collection and decoration.
Gua 6 People’s Advantages
Gua 6 people tend to have strong self-confidence. When facing challenges, their persistence could help them get through difficulties. Imagine how a steel column takes on the heavy loading. This ability makes them honest and reliable. They would not change easily.
These people can act fast, they don’t need much time to think.
Gua 6 People’s Disadvantages
Due to the strong and rigid characteristics, Gua 6 people usually are less flexible. They could not easily change the way they do things. They may not be very talkative and easy to communicate with. They tend to believe that they know the world and how things work (but not necessarily).
They usually project the image of strong men and women in the workplace. However, this also means that they care about how people think about them.
With the above characteristics, Gua 6 people are more suitable to work in stable jobs and industries. The volatile trades, such as marketing and investment are definitely good choices (how could you survive in these industries if you are not flexible enough)?
If I am asked to give advice to Gua 6 people, I would suggest them not to insist to be strong. Sometimes we need to change and adapt to the prevailing environment, even if we do not agree with it.
If you don’t know how to find out the Gua number, please read my introductory article about 9 Star Ki. Or, you can find out your Gua number quickly by looking up the following tables.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (5)
This is my fifth article in the “Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters” series under the 9 Star Ki Collection. This time, we will look at the characters of people of Qua 5.
Wonder who belongs to Gua 5? You may refer to the tables below, which originally appeared in my introductory article about 9 Star Ki and divination.
Qua 5 – Central Earth
Same as Qua 2, Qua 5 along belongs to the earth element. In the traditioal Chinese Luo Shu dragram, 5 occupies the central box (palace), that is why we call Qua 5 the central earth.
Qua 5 – Advantages
Qua 5 people are usually hard working. They tend to believe in working hard in order to achieve good results. They usually do not mind having to expereience a hard time before getting fruitful result. If they idntified a target, they could go all the way to achieve it, no matter how hard it could be.
Qua 5 people are usually self-confident. They believe in yourself and tend to think that they could win in every battle. So they are not afraid of challenges and enjoy winning in competitions.
Qua 5 – Disadvantages
If the self-confidence and eagerness to win of Qua 5 people are driven to extreme, Qua 5 people may become over-confident and arrogant.
They may be unable to appraise the problems other people face, and insist to think in their own ways. They may be inflexible when dealing with situations, especially in cases that involve complex interpersonal issues. In this respect, you may think of Qua 5 people as rigid earth, stone wall or concrete.
Because it may be uneasy for them to understand other people, it may be more common for them to be alone even in a large organization. But sometimes Gua 5 people do not mind being alone.
Due to all the above characteristics, it is not advisable to suggest a Qua 5 person to take part in any risky decision. For example, even if the stock market is falling, since Qua 5 people are relatively self-confident, they may insist that their judgment is correct and resist to take appropriate actions to cut loss. You can easily think of a dozen similar situations.
My advice to Gua 5 people is that they really should listen to other people and be more open-mind. With their good resistance to hardship and eagerness to win, they have the potential to achieve good results.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (4)
We have already seen how to read the personality of people of Gua 1, 2 and 3. This time, I will show you what are the typical characteristics of Gua 4 people.
Gua 4 – Soft Wood
Similar to Gua 3, Gua 4 also belongs to the wood element. However, they are quite different.
There are basically two types of vegetation, one is big tall trees, the other one is flowers, grasses and bushes. The former is very hard and strong wile the latter is soft. You can see the latter bending as wind blows, but it is rare to see big trees bending under the wind unless it is very strong wind.
The above difference highlights the characteristics of Gua 4 people.
Gua 4 People’s Advantages
Gua 4 people are like beautiful flowers. They are usually gentle, soft and liked by many people. As they resembles the characteristics of soft wood, they usually would not be arrogant but rather polite.
Unlikely Gua 3 people who would persist to achieve their goals, Gua 4 people are less concerned about making achievement. They usually tend to enjoy spiritual satisfaction. Earning money is not necessarily their top priority task.
Girls of Gua 4 usually have an aura of elegance. Boys are usually debonair gentlemen. They usually like literature, music and arts. Of course, this certainly depends on the background and education of that particular person.
Gua 4 People’s Dsiadvantages
You could probably guess what “disadvantages” Gua 4 people would have by relating to the differences between hardwood and softwood. Gua 4 people are usually considered to be lack of persistance. They tend to accept the reality as it is (consider grasses bending as the wind blows). It is likely that they may change their ideas easily.
When facing failure, they have less self-confidence to overcome it. They may be less able to resist pressure.
Because they are usually liked by many people, sometimes they may be too casual in lovelife.
My overall view is that Gua 4 people are generally great. They would be even better if they could be tougher and upholding their principles more.
If you want to find out which Gua you belong to, you can check out my article that introduces 9 Star Ki. I have also re-posted below a reference table that you can quickly find out your own Gua.
Next time, we shall examine the common characteristics of Gua 5 people.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters (3)
We have come to the third article in this Instantly Know Any Person’s Characters series. This time, we shall look at the personality of people of Gua 3.
Gua 3 – The Big Tree
Flying Star 3 belongs to the Wood element, so as Gua 3. People of Gua 3 more or less have some personal characters that resemble a big and tall tree.
Gua 3 People – The Advantages
Gua 3 people are usually tough and strong They could face challenges without much fear. They are usually proactive, optimistic, bright and self-confident.
Consider a tall green tree standing upright under the sunshine. It can stand the strong wind and the heat of the sun. It could also be a great shelter for other animals. So, you really can count on Gua 3 people for help.
If Gua 3 people find a goal, they would go all the way to achieve it. They could have good concentration. This character could help them to get through troubles.
Gua 3 – The Disadvantages
Same as other Guas, when there are advantages there would be disadvantages. A common problem of Gua 3 people is that they are too eager to win, so while they strive for the best result, chances are they forget what price they need to pay for it. And because they are a trunky big tree, they tend to have less flexibility when dealing with people. This could cost them a lot.
Since Gua 3 people are quite optimistic, they tend to think only the bright side of a thing. While positive thinking is usually regarded as a good thing, extremely positive thinking may make a person not sensitive to potential danger.
Gua 3 people have a tendency to think that they are great and people count on them. However, over-confidence on oneself may be a bad thing.
Finally, if a Gua 3 person is in a low tide period, i.e. having bad luck, he or she could still good. The detachment from reality may prevent him or her from responding to the changing environment.
My overall verdict is that Gua 3 people are lovable but sometimes you just cannot stand their over-confidence. They are hard wood without much flexibility.
Wonder which Gua you are of? No problem. I re-attach the following table, which I firstly posted in my article that introduces the 9 Star Ki system. Just look up this table, find your year of birth and gender, you will see your corresponding Gua.
Instantly Know Any Person’s Character (2)
The Nature of Gua 2

The Characters of Gua 2 People
Tips for Gua 2 People
Instantly Know Any Person’s Character (1)
In my Introduction to 9 Star Ki article, I have explained that people born in different years have different Guas (卦). The Gua of a person could be used to do fortune telling. Do you know the Gua also reflects a person’s character?
In this second series about 9 Star Ki, I shall demonstrate how you can know any person’s character. All you need to know is his or her year of birth and the gender. You can re-read my Introduction to 9 Star Ki article to know how to find out a person’s Gua.
From 1 to 9
According to the 9 Star Ki theory, each person has a Gua that represents him or her. The Gua could be identified by knowing the year of birth of that person. There are totally nine Guas, you could treat each Gua as a Star. This is why 9 Star Ki is so named.
If you have learnt 9 Star Ki from other web sites, books or teachers, you may have learnt a system which determines a person’s Gua only by the year of birth. This system is particularly popular in Japan.
However, the traditional Chinese 9 Star Ki uses both year of birth and the gender. In a given year, all male born in that year have the same Gua, while all female born in the same year have another Gua. This reflects the Yin and Yang characteristics of everything on earth. This is why we should check both the year of birth and gender.
9 Stars with Unique Characters
Each Gua (or Star) has a group of unique characters. The characters are partly inherited from the Five-element characteristic of the Gua, and partly inherited from the corresponding Ba Gua characteristics.
The Characters of Gua 1
Let’s use the first Gua, 1, as an example. Gua 1 belongs to water element. So it inherited the “flowing” characteristic of water. Water is also considered as flexible and volatile.
[Photo via See-ming Lee]
In the context of human character, people of Gua 1 are usually clever. They have flexible minds and could adapt to different environments and new things easily. They are usually eager to learn and may have many hobbies or interests. They are usually not stubborn and have good sense to how things work. They usually love thinking. They usually could enjoy social life and could make friends easily.
How cool are these characters? Right. But there are two sides on a coin. You have advantages and inevitably disadvantages as well. Since people of Gua 1 are very flexible and volatile, they usually have less concentration, particularly on things they do not like. It may be more difficult for them to stay in the same environment for many years without a change.
Besides, friends of a person of Gua 1 may think that this Gua 1 guy always changes his thinking. There are always new ideas in Gua 1 people’s minds. However, these new ideas may not necessarily be practical.
As mentioned, Gua 1 people usually can socialize easily. To an extreme, this could also mean that Gua 1 people may have a relationship easier. In the eyes of other people, Gua 1 people may be less serious in finding a long-term partner.
Gua 1 people are usually like water. Unless frozen, water needs a container to form a shape. Water without a container will flow to everywhere and make no real use. That’s why, many Gua 1 people has high tendency to rely on other people. They need advices from other people to consolidate their innovative ideas and guide them through the every-changing environment.
The above are typical characteristics of Gua 1 people. The list is not exhaustive, nor is it definite. Human being is shaped by the surrounding environment, educational background, family, peers and personal experience. If all male born in 1990 have the same characters, it would be a very boring world. Please make your sensible judgment when appraising people around you using 9 Star Ki.
There are other factors that may affect the weighting of different characteristics that a person manifests. An example is the month of birth. We shall examine these factors in the final article in this series, after the overview of the remaining eight Guas in the coming articles.
Stay tuned!