What is Fu Xiang Chao Yuan (Treasury and Minister Pay Court)?

"Chao yuan" means "facing your walls": the stars don't sit in the Life Palace but shine into it from outside. In Fu Xiang Chao Yuan, the two stars shining in are very steady ones: Tian Fu is the treasury, in charge of resources; Tian Xiang is the seal, in charge of position and credibility. With the Life Palace surrounded by these two, a common life pattern is that much of your resources and your stage is handed to you by others. To see whether you have it, draw your chart.

The conditions for Fu Xiang Chao Yuan

Xingge's detection uses these conditions:

• Tian Fu and Tian Xiang are not in the Life Palace (if one is, it sits in the Life Palace and isn't called chao yuan).
• Tian Fu and Tian Xiang are both within the Life Palace's San Fang Si Zheng, that is, among the Travel, Wealth and Career Palaces.

The distance between Tian Fu and Tian Xiang is fixed: they always sit in each other's trine positions. So Fu Xiang Chao Yuan really means the Life Palace falls on the third corner of the Tian Fu–Tian Xiang triangle. By this condition, about 1 chart in 12 has it.

The star in the Life Palace is then one of a fixed few: with the Life Palace in Yin or Shen, it is Lian Zhen; in Zi or Wu, Zi Wei; in Chen or Xu, Wu Qu; in the other six branches, the Life Palace has no main star and borrows from the opposite palace.

The commentary in volume three of the Quan Shu draws it more narrowly:

Fu Xiang Chao Yuan brings a thousand measures of salary. With the Life Palace in Yin or Shen and Tian Fu and Tian Xiang in the Wealth and Career Palaces facing it, it is the highest grade; other palaces come second.

Meaning the Life Palace in Yin or Shen is best, and other positions one grade lower. With the Life Palace in Yin or Shen, Lian Zhen sits in it, so the classical form is really Lian Zhen in the Life Palace with Tian Fu and Tian Xiang facing it. Xingge doesn't restrict the position and marks the pattern wherever the Life Palace is, but its strength is discounted as the classics describe.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

Two lines in the Gu Sui Fu are about this pair of stars:

When Tian Fu and Tian Xiang both come to meet the Life Palace, the whole family receives a salary.

In Yin, meeting Tian Fu and Tian Xiang, one rises to the honor of the first rank.

"Receiving a salary" meant drawing an official stipend: in ancient times, having a post and an income in government. The Women's Gu Sui Fu also says "Fu Xiang Chao Yuan, the life is sure to flourish," so it is favored for men and women alike.

Today, a closer reading:

• Suited to rising steadily within large organizations. The public sector, large companies, finance, law and management consulting, places with systems and a ladder to climb, are where Fu Xiang Chao Yuan shines.
• Resources often come from others. Both Tian Fu's treasury and Tian Xiang's seal sit on the outside, meaning your opportunities often come from a boss promoting you, partners or the organization's allocation, rather than from building alone from zero.
• Your credibility is your asset. Tian Xiang values image and commitments; Tian Fu values reserves. People are willing to hand things to you because you look like someone who will take care of them.

Where Fu Xiang Chao Yuan tends to get stuck

First, depending too much on the environment. The stars are all on the outside, and the Life Palace's own star is relatively thin, or even empty. Move to a place without systems or anyone to promote you, and you may suddenly not know what you want.

Second, getting used to waiting for others to arrange things. When positions keep being handed to you, the muscle for asking for them weakens. The people who use this pattern best say what position they want before anyone arranges it for them.

If your Life Palace has no main star, see the Empty Palace lesson and borrow from the opposite palace to find your main thread.

What weakens it

• Tian Fu meeting Di Kong or Di Jie. Tian Fu in the same palace as Di Kong or Di Jie is called an empty treasury: resources shine in but are hard to keep.
• Tian Xiang flanked by Hua Ji and Qing Yang. This is Xing Ji Jia Yin: the seal star is pulled from both sides, so be especially careful about vouching for others and taking on their responsibilities.
• Hua Ji in the San Fang clashing with the Life Palace. Tian Fu and Tian Xiang still shine in, but the process has more twists.

On the other hand, Tian Xiang flanked by Hua Lu and Tian Liang is Cai Yin Jia Yin, an extra layer of protection for the seal star; Zuo Fu, You Bi, Hua Lu and Hua Quan in the San Fang also add strength.

How to check whether you have Fu Xiang Chao Yuan

1. Draw your chart and find Tian Fu and Tian Xiang.
2. Confirm neither is in the Life Palace, and that they are in two of the Travel, Wealth and Career Palaces.
3. Then check whether the Life Palace is in Yin or Shen to see whether it is the classics' highest grade.

To read the two stars in more detail, see the Wu Qu and Tian Xiang lesson and the Zi Wei and Tian Fu lesson.

Common questions

What does Fu Xiang Chao Yuan mean?

Tian Fu and Tian Xiang aren't in the Life Palace but shine into it from San Fang positions such as the Travel, Wealth and Career Palaces. Tian Fu governs resources and Tian Xiang governs position and credibility; with both shining in, the classics say "a thousand measures of salary," which today reads as being suited to rising steadily within an organization.

Does the Life Palace have to be in Yin or Shen?

The commentary in volume three of the Quan Shu says "the Life Palace in Yin or Shen" is the highest grade, with other palaces second. Xingge doesn't restrict the position and marks it whenever Tian Fu and Tian Xiang both shine in from the San Fang, but Yin and Shen are the most complete.

How common is Fu Xiang Chao Yuan?

About 1 chart in 12. Because Tian Fu and Tian Xiang always sit in each other's trine positions, it forms whenever the Life Palace falls on the third corner of that triangle.

Does Tian Fu or Tian Xiang in the Life Palace count?

No. Chao yuan means shining in from outside; a star sitting in the Life Palace is read differently. Tian Fu in the Life Palace reads as Tian Fu's personality, and Tian Xiang in the Life Palace as Tian Xiang's; see each star's introduction.