What is Ma Tou Dai Jian (Arrow at the Horse's Head)?

Among the twelve branches, Wu is the horse, and the ancients also called Qing Yang "the goat blade," a knife. Qing Yang sitting in Wu is like an arrow stuck in a horse's head, hence Ma Tou Dai Jian (an arrow in the horse's head), also written in the classics as "a sword at the horse's head." The name sounds dangerous, yet the ancients rated it as the pattern of a general who could guard the frontier. To see whether you have it, draw your chart.

The conditions for Ma Tou Dai Jian

Xingge's detection follows volume three of the Quan Shu:

• The Life Palace is in Wu, with Qing Yang in it.
• The Life Palace's main stars include [Tian Tong](/star/tiantong) or [Tan Lang](/star/tanlang). Qing Yang in Wu alone doesn't count.

Qing Yang is always in the palace after Lu Cun, so for it to reach Wu, Lu Cun has to be in Si, which means people born in Bing or Wu years. Tian Tong in Wu always shares the palace with Tai Yin; Tan Lang in Wu sits alone. So in practice there are only two kinds of chart: born in a Bing or Wu year with Tian Tong and Tai Yin in the Life Palace in Wu, or born in a Bing or Wu year with Tan Lang in the Life Palace in Wu. The pattern is rare: about 1 chart in 500.

The Quan Shu says two different things

This pattern has one peculiarity: the Quan Shu itself gives two definitions.

The version in volume three, which Xingge uses:

Tian Tong or Tan Lang with Qing Yang or Tuo Luo in Wu, for Bing and Wu years: guarding and ruling the frontier.

The commentary says "this is an arrow in the horse's head, rich and noble." Given where Qing Yang can be, only people born in Bing and Wu years have it in Wu, which matches the two years in the line.

The section on noble patterns in volume one, however, says:

A sword at the horse's head means the horse carries a blade; it is not the pattern in Wu.

Here "the horse" means Tian Ma: Tian Ma sharing a palace with Qing Yang is "a sword at the horse's head," and it states explicitly that this is not the Wu pattern.

Both versions are in the Quan Shu; Xingge follows volume three's "Qing Yang in Wu." If your chart has Tian Ma and Qing Yang together in the Life Palace, it can also count as "a sword at the horse's head" by volume one's definition.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

The Tai Wei Fu in volume one says:

A sword at the horse's head guards the frontier.

The ancients meant that this kind of person is suited to winning distinction in dangerous places and on the frontier. Qing Yang is the punishing star, impulsive and meeting force with force; it needs a battlefield where it can be used, and in a smooth environment it tends to hurt its own side.

Today, Ma Tou Dai Jian commonly looks like this:

• Adversity brings out strength. In smooth conditions you grow restless; when pressure arrives, it forces out your ability.
• Easier to stand out far from home. The classics say "guarding the frontier"; today that means leaving familiar ground to compete in new markets or new fields.
• Drive and pressure arrive together. You act with great nerve, and also often push yourself very hard.

The two kinds of main star feel rather different:

• Tan Lang in Wu: Tan Lang is at Wang in Wu, with strong desire and drive; with Qing Yang added, it is a very daring combination.
• Tian Tong and Tai Yin in Wu: both are on the weak side in Wu (Tian Tong at Xian, Tai Yin at Bu). They are naturally gentle, comfort-loving stars, pushed along by Qing Yang, often the kind of person whose surroundings force them to grow.

Where Ma Tou Dai Jian tends to get stuck

First, too hard-edged. Qing Yang's nature is head-on collision; faced with resistance, the first reaction is often to force through, and relationships easily get tense.

Second, unable to settle. Without pressure, something feels wrong, and it's easy to create conflicts or challenges for yourself.

Third, pressure piling up. People with strong drive often forget to rest, and it builds until it bursts out all at once.

What strengthens it and what weakens it

• Strengthens: Zuo Fu, You Bi, Tian Kui, Tian Yue, Hua Lu or Hua Quan in the San Fang, so the drive has direction and support. In Bing years Tian Tong takes Hua Lu, a help for people with Tian Tong and Tai Yin in Wu; in Wu years Tan Lang takes Hua Lu, a help for people with Tan Lang in Wu.
• Weakens: Huo Xing, Ling Xing, Tuo Luo or Hua Ji in the San Fang as well, stacking pressure on pressure, so it matters even more to find a position where the drive can be used rather than worn down in place.

How to check whether you have Ma Tou Dai Jian

1. Check whether your birth-year stem is Bing or Wu (by lunar year).
2. Draw your chart and see whether your Life Palace is in Wu, and whether Qing Yang is in it.
3. If the main star sharing the palace is Tan Lang, or Tian Tong with Tai Yin, you have Ma Tou Dai Jian.

To learn more about Qing Yang, see the Six Malefic Stars lesson and Tan Lang in the Life Palace.

Common questions

What does Ma Tou Dai Jian mean?

Wu is the horse among the branches, and Qing Yang is also called the goat blade, so Qing Yang in Wu is like an arrow in a horse's head. The Quan Shu says "a sword at the horse's head guards the frontier," which the ancients read as a general's pattern, able to win distinction in dangerous places; today it is mostly read as rising through adversity.

Is Ma Tou Dai Jian only in Wu?

By volume three, it is Qing Yang with Tian Tong or Tan Lang in the Life Palace in Wu. But the section on noble patterns in volume one has another version: "a sword at the horse's head means the horse carries a blade; it is not the pattern in Wu," meaning Tian Ma with Qing Yang in the same palace. Both are in the Quan Shu; Xingge uses volume three's Wu version.

Who has Ma Tou Dai Jian?

Qing Yang only lands in Wu for people born in Bing or Wu years, so only people born in those years, with the Life Palace in Wu and Tan Lang or Tian Tong and Tai Yin as the main stars, have it: about 1 chart in 500.

What path suits Ma Tou Dai Jian?

Environments with challenge and competition, such as opening new markets, overseas postings, entrepreneurship, competitive sport and crisis management. The classics say "guarding the frontier": leaving your comfort zone to compete somewhere new is often where this pattern shines.