What is the Fei Lian star?

The first character of Fei Lian is the same one used in the Chinese idiom for idle gossip: words that fly fast and travel far. Common practice uses this minor star to describe talk and rumor. In whichever palace it sits, that palace's matters are more easily talked about and passed along, and more easily change shape as they're retold. To see which palace your Fei Lian is in, draw your chart first.

What kind of star is Fei Lian

Common practice counts Fei Lian among the challenging stars, governing talk and disputes, and some say it carries a touch of solitude too. Xingge reads it this way: in Fei Lian's palace, words carry more weight than you think. The good side is that people listen when you speak in that area, and you're well informed; the side to watch is that an offhand remark can be magnified and retold to mean something else.

Two "Fei Lian"

Reading the Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu (The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), you'll hit something easy to confuse: the Fei Lian in that book isn't this one.

The An Shi Er Gong Tai Sui Sha Lu Jue in volume two of the Quan Shu places the Twelve Erudite Gods (Bo Shi): starting Bo Shi from Lu Cun, in order Bo Shi, Li Shi, Qing Long, Xiao Hao, Jiang Jun, Zou Shu, Fei Lian and so on. The verse in the same passage gives each god its character:

Bo Shi is clever, Li Shi has power, Qing Long brings joy, Xiao Hao is money; Jiang Jun is martial, Zou Shu is blessing, Fei Lian rules solitude, Xi Shen prolongs.

Elsewhere in volume two, where each star's element is listed, it also says "Fei Lian is Fire and rules solitude." So the Quan Shu's Fei Lian follows Lu Cun, and is about "solitude." However, the Bo Shi verse Wang Tingzhi cites reads "Fei Lian brings gossip, Xi Shen prolongs," crediting gossip to this Bo Shi position too, so the "governs talk" reading exists on both sides. On the Xingge chart, this Bo Shi position is written with a different first character, and it sits in the row of the Twelve Erudite Gods; the Bo Shi lesson introduces it.

The Fei Lian this article covers is another minor star, placed by the birth-year branch, unrelated to Lu Cun, and not included in the Quan Shu. The two share a name but are placed differently, so just read them separately on the chart.

How Fei Lian is placed

The minor star Fei Lian goes by the branch of your birth year. The common placement is:

• Zi year in Shen, Chou year in You, Yin year in Xu
• Mao year in Si, Chen year in Wu, Si year in Wei
• Wu year in Yin, Wei year in Mao, Shen year in Chen
• You year in Hai, Xu year in Zi, Hai year in Chou

Every three years form a group, landing in three adjacent palaces in a row. Because the Quan Shu doesn't include this star, most schools follow this common placement, and there is no classical version to check it against.

Fei Lian in key palaces

• Life Palace: your words are persuasive, and you're also easily talked about. Say important things face to face; it beats having them reach the other person secondhand.
• Spouse Palace: what happens between the two of you is easily known and commented on by outsiders. Talk through problems in the relationship with your partner first, not in a group chat or in front of friends.
• Career Palace: you're well informed at work, and also easily drawn into office rumors. Focus on the issue rather than the person, and put important decisions in writing; that's the best protection.
• Friends Palace: many friends, and a lot of talk. Hold on to what you hear before passing it on, and choose the right people to share your own news with.
• Travel Palace: what you say and do in public is easily seen and spread. Think for one more second before you post or speak in public.

Fei Lian with main stars, transformations and luck periods

• With Ju Men: Ju Men is already linked with eloquence and disputes, and adding Fei Lian makes your words more influential: on the positive side, persuasiveness; on the other side, being easily quoted out of context.
• With Gu Chen and Gua Su: if you follow the view that "Fei Lian carries solitude," when it shares a palace with Gu Chen or Gua Su, you're even more used to carrying that palace's matters yourself.
• With the four transformations: with Hua Ke in the same palace, your name and reputation tend to spread in a good direction; with Hua Ji in the same palace, words tend to get stuck inside or be misunderstood, and the Hua Ji lesson covers how to read it.
• With luck periods: when the Decade Luck or Annual Luck reaches Fei Lian's palace, in matters related to that palace during that time, keep your words measured and keep a record of commitments.