What is Ju Ji Tong Lin (Gate and Strategist Together)?

Tian Ji loves to think; Ju Men loves to ask. Together they make a combination where both the mind and the tongue are quick: strong at research, analysis, debate and expression. The classics call it Ju Ji Tong Lin (Ju Men and Tian Ji arriving together), or Ju Men and Tian Ji in the same palace. It has one peculiarity: the Quan Shu rates the Mao and You positions differently. To see which you have, draw your chart.

The conditions for Ju Ji Tong Lin

• The main stars in the Life Palace are exactly Tian Ji and Ju Men.
• The Life Palace is in Mao or You.

Tian Ji and Ju Men only share a palace in Mao and You. Their brightness is the same in both: Tian Ji at Wang, Ju Men at Miao, both good positions. About 1 chart in 75 has Ju Ji Tong Lin in the Life Palace.

Both positions count as Ju Ji Tong Lin, but the classics favor Mao, and Xingge's tone follows suit: Mao counts as a favorable pattern, while You, and either position with Qing Yang in the same palace, count as neutral. The reasons are below.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

The Gu Sui Fu in volume one says:

Ju Men and Tian Ji in the same palace: the rank of minister.

Volume one's passage on stars well placed in the twelve palaces is more explicit:

Ju Men and Tian Ji in Mao is a noble pattern.

Volume three gives the most detail:

Ju Men and Tian Ji in Mao, for people of Yi, Xin, Ji and Bing years, reach the ranks of ministers.

Ju Men and Tian Ji in You, even with auspicious transformations, have wealth and office that do not last.

Mao is the true form, better still for people born in Yi, Xin, Ji or Bing years; in You, even with Hua Lu, Hua Quan or Hua Ke, wealth and office "do not last" and are hard to keep. The brightness is identical in both positions, yet the classics split them, without explaining why. When reading charts today, you can take it as "Mao more easily expands outward, You needs more care to hold what it has," without reading You too heavily.

In its commentary on "Ju Men and Tian Ji in Mao," volume three also points out one exception: people born in Jia years are ordinary, because in Jia years Lu Cun is in Yin, so Qing Yang is in Mao and the pattern is broken.

Taking the two stars apart:

• [Tian Ji](/star/tianji) is the strategist star: a fast-turning mind, plenty of ideas, and a tendency to overthink.
• [Ju Men](/star/jumen) is the star of speech: always asking why, strongly analytical, with words that carry weight and can stir up disputes.

Together, the common picture is:

• Very good at research and analysis. You follow a matter to the end and want to know the reasons behind it.
• Persuasive expression. Teaching, writing, debating and negotiating are all strengths.
• Suited to professional work. Researcher, lawyer, lecturer, journalist, consultant, engineering analysis, medical diagnosis.

Where Ju Ji Tong Lin tends to get stuck

First, overthinking. Tian Ji's worry plus Ju Men's doubt can turn the same matter over many times without moving.

Second, speaking too fast. Ju Men is blunt and Tian Ji reacts quickly, so you often say things as soon as you think them, and only afterward notice they hurt.

Third, slow to trust. Ju Men doubts first and trusts later, and Tian Ji runs through every possibility, so it takes a long time to watch someone before working with them.

Another verse in volume one, on stars losing their light, includes the line "in You, Tian Ji and Ju Men lack the sun's essence," a reminder that Ju Men and Tian Ji in You lack light. The modern reading: people with it in You especially need a stage where they can be seen and use their eloquence, rather than only analyzing quietly in the background.

What strengthens it and what weakens it

• Strengthens: Yi years (Tian Ji takes Hua Lu), Xin years (Ju Men takes Hua Lu), Bing years (Tian Ji takes Hua Quan) and Ji years are all named in the classics. Zuo Fu, You Bi, Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Tian Kui or Tian Yue in the San Fang make research and expression easier to notice.
• Weakens: In Jia years Qing Yang is in Mao, and in Geng years in You, so the Life Palace meets Qing Yang either way; Hua Ji, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing, Ling Xing, Di Kong or Di Jie in the San Fang bring more disputes and back-and-forth.

How to check whether you have Ju Ji Tong Lin

1. Draw your chart and see which branch your Life Palace is in.
2. If it is Mao or You with Tian Ji and Ju Men as the main stars, you have Ju Ji Tong Lin.
3. Then check your birth-year stem and whether Qing Yang is in the Life Palace, against the strengthening and weakening conditions above.

To read the two stars separately, see the Tian Ji and Tian Liang lesson, the Tian Tong and Ju Men lesson and Ju Men in the Life Palace.

Common questions

How does Ju Ji Tong Lin differ in Mao and in You?

In both positions Tian Ji is at Wang and Ju Men at Miao, the same brightness. Yet the Quan Shu favors Mao: "Ju Men and Tian Ji in Mao, for people of Yi, Xin, Ji and Bing years, reach the ranks of ministers," while for You it says "even with auspicious transformations, wealth and office do not last." Today you can read it as Mao expanding outward more easily, and You needing more care to hold what it has and more need to find a stage where it can shine.

What work suits Ju Ji Tong Lin?

Work in research, analysis and expression, such as researcher, lawyer, lecturer, journalist, consultant or engineering analysis. Tian Ji brings thinking and planning; Ju Men brings digging to the root and eloquence.

What are Ju Ji Tong Lin's weaknesses?

The most common are overthinking, speaking too fast and being slow to trust. Tian Ji worries and Ju Men doubts, so together they hesitate back and forth; Ju Men is blunt and can give offense without meaning to.

Why is Ju Ji Tong Lin ordinary for people born in Jia years?

Volume three of the Quan Shu explains: in Jia years Lu Cun is in Yin, so Qing Yang falls in Mao, and Ju Ji Tong Lin with the Life Palace in Mao meets Qing Yang, which breaks the pattern. That is why the classics name Yi, Xin, Ji and Bing years, but call Jia years ordinary.