What is Ling Tan Ge (Bell and Wolf)?

When people talk about Tan Lang's explosive patterns, the Huo Tan pattern usually comes to mind first. Ling Tan Ge (the Ling Tan pattern) is its other half: Tan Lang meets not Huo Xing but Ling Xing. Ling Xing is the smoldering star: enduring, holding things in, with strong staying power. It lights up Tan Lang's opportunities too, but Ling Tan's fire doesn't flare up at once; it burns for a while before it shows, and once it shows, it burns longer. To see whether you have it, draw your chart.

The conditions for Ling Tan Ge

Xingge's detection:

• Tan Lang is the main star of a palace (alone, or with Zi Wei, Lian Zhen or Wu Qu).
• Ling Xing is in the same palace.

If Huo Xing and Ling Xing are both in the same palace, Xingge marks it as Huo Tan Ge. In practice, across a large number of charts, Tan Lang has never been found with both Huo Xing and Ling Xing in its palace, so the two patterns almost never collide.

Like Huo Tan Ge, Ling Tan Ge is an in-palace combination that can appear in any of the twelve palaces. About 1 chart in 12 has Ling Tan Ge in some palace; in the Life Palace, about 1 in 150.

The section on noble patterns in the Quan Shu only includes "Tan Lang and Huo Xing meeting," without a separate entry for Ling Tan. Applying Huo Tan's standard, requiring the Life Palace with Tan Lang and Ling Xing both at Miao or Wang: by Xingge's brightness table, Ling Xing's brightness matches Huo Xing's, so again only Wu and Xu qualify, about 1 chart in 1,200.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

The Quan Shu puts Ling Tan at the same height as Huo Tan. The Gu Sui Fu in volume one says:

Tan Lang and Ling Xing guarding together: the fame of a general or minister.

When volume two introduces Ling Xing, it says that at Miao, Ling Xing:

At Miao, meeting Tan Lang or Wu Qu, holds the frontier in awe.

Volume two's verse on Ling Xing in the Decade Luck also mentions Tan Lang in its first line:

When the period reaches Ling Xing, how do things go? Meeting Tan Lang, blessings are many.

A Decade Luck reaching Ling Xing's palace would normally be a ten years to be careful in, but meeting Tan Lang makes it a stretch with plenty of blessings instead. The ancients clearly saw Tan Lang as a star that could turn Ling Xing's pent-up force into results.

Today, a closer reading of Ling Tan Ge:

• Quiet for a while, then landing all at once. Ling Tan's opportunities often don't drop out of the sky; they are noticed all at once after a stretch of quiet preparation.
• Able to stay with long-term things. R&D, technical work, building content, long-term investing and expertise that takes years to hone: Ling Tan's staying power is especially useful there.
• Quiet on the surface, ambitious inside. People with Ling Xing aren't showy, but Tan Lang's desire is still there, just kept inside.

Where Ling Tan Ge tends to get stuck

First, holding things in too long. Ling Xing's energy is used to being pressed down; when things go wrong you don't say so, until it all bursts out at once, and what comes out is often emotion rather than results.

Second, rushing when others move fast. When someone nearby breaks through suddenly, Huo Tan style, people with Ling Tan easily doubt their own pace, and give up on something that was about to pay off.

One suggestion for people with Ling Tan Ge: set a few visible milestones for long-term work, and find a regular outlet for your feelings, rather than dealing with them only when they can't be held in any longer.

What weakens it

• Ling Xing at Xian. Ling Xing is at Xian in Chen, Shen and Zi; its pent-up force more easily turns into getting stuck in your own head.
• Hua Ji, Di Kong or Di Jie in the same palace or the San Fang. What you've worked at for a long time can more easily come to nothing at the end, so add an extra safeguard.
• Qing Yang and Tuo Luo as well. With challenging stars stacked up, patience wears very thin.

A broken pattern doesn't disappear; it means reading those stars in too. To learn about Ling Xing itself, see the Six Malefic Stars lesson.

The difference between Ling Tan and Huo Tan

Huo Xing and Ling Xing both belong to the Six Malefic Stars, one in the open and one hidden. One way to remember the difference:

• Huo Tan: an open flame, fast and visible, suited to catching short windows.
• Ling Tan: a hidden fire, slow to come and long to last, suited to things that need building up.

Both break out; one in a moment, the other after a long burn.

How to check whether you have Ling Tan Ge

1. Draw your chart and find which palace Tan Lang is in.
2. See whether Ling Xing is in that palace.
3. If so, you have Ling Tan Ge; in the Life Palace and in Wu or Xu, it comes closest to the classics' standard.

For Tan Lang's overall personality, see Tan Lang in the Life Palace and the Lian Zhen and Tan Lang lesson.

Common questions

What does Ling Tan Ge mean?

Ling Tan Ge is Tan Lang and Ling Xing in the same palace. Tan Lang stands for desire and opportunity, and Ling Xing is the smoldering star; together, the ancients read the ability to accomplish great things. The Quan Shu's Gu Sui Fu says "Tan Lang and Ling Xing guarding together: the fame of a general or minister," at the same height as Huo Tan Ge.

Which is better, Ling Tan Ge or Huo Tan Ge?

Both are combinations the classics approve of; the difference is pace. Huo Tan comes fast and visible; Ling Tan comes slow with long staying power. Whether it is good doesn't depend on Huo or Ling, but on brightness, which palace it falls in, and whether the San Fang has Hua Ji or challenging stars.

Does Ling Tan Ge have to be in the Life Palace?

The Quan Shu's section on noble patterns only includes Huo Tan, with the conditions of the Life Palace and both stars at Miao or Wang. Applying that standard to Ling Tan, the ideal is the Life Palace in Wu or Xu. Xingge's detection is broader and counts any of the twelve palaces; whichever palace it falls in is where its staying power works.

What should people with Ling Tan Ge watch out for?

The most common issue is holding things in too long: not saying when things go wrong, until it all bursts out, often as emotion rather than results. Setting a few visible small goals and finding a regular outlet for your feelings works better than just pushing through.