What is Tan Wu Tong Xing (Wolf and Military Travel Together)?

Some people seem to have to fight for everything when young, changing jobs several times and taking a few detours, then suddenly hit their stride in their thirties. Zi Wei Dou Shu has a pattern for exactly this rhythm, Tan Wu Tong Xing (Tan Lang and Wu Qu traveling together): Wu Qu and Tan Lang together in the Life Palace. To see whether you have it, draw your chart.

The conditions for Tan Wu Tong Xing

The conditions are simple:

• The main stars in the Life Palace are exactly Wu Qu and Tan Lang, with no others.
• The Life Palace is in Chou or Wei.

Wu Qu and Tan Lang only share a palace in Chou and Wei, so the two conditions are really one. In these positions both stars' brightness is Miao, each at its most comfortable. About 1 chart in 75 has Tan Wu Tong Xing in the Life Palace.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

The Quan Shu mentions this pair several times. The Gu Sui Fu in volume one has two lines:

Poor first, rich later: Wu Qu and Tan Lang together in the Body or Life Palace.

Tan Lang and Wu Qu in a tomb palace: fortune comes only at thirty.

"Tomb" refers to the four tomb palaces, Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, and Chou and Wei are exactly where Wu Qu and Tan Lang share a palace. Volume three also says "Tan Lang and Wu Qu: poor first, then rich." The classics keep stressing one thing: this pair blooms late.

The same text has another line:

Tan Lang and Wu Qu traveling together hold the frontier in awe.

This line looks at the other side: Wu Qu is a general star and Tan Lang has drive and desire, so together they have nerve, which the ancients read as a general who could hold the frontier.

Why the hard start? Take the two stars apart:

• Wu Qu is practical and decisive, counts only what is actually done, and isn't one for sweet talk; when young, it often works head-down without being noticed.
• Tan Lang wants a lot and has wide interests; when young it is easily distracted and wants to try everything.

Together, the first half is building strength while searching for direction. Once the direction is set and the skills are honed, Wu Qu's execution plus Tan Lang's ambition finally show their force.

Today, people with Tan Wu Tong Xing commonly look like this:

• Suited to dealing with money and resources. Sales, finance, trade, entrepreneurship and running physical businesses, work judged by results and numbers, is where it shines.
• Stronger with each round of grinding. The hardships of the early years later turn into judgment and connections.
• Strong ambition. If you want it, you go get it, rather than waiting for others to give it.

Where Tan Wu Tong Xing tends to get stuck

First, judging too early. Not yet successful in your twenties, you conclude you aren't good enough. What this pair needs most is time; "fortune comes only at thirty" means don't give up too soon.

Second, focusing too much on gain. After "Tan Lang and Wu Qu: poor first, then rich," volume three adds "benefiting oneself at others' expense," the ancients' warning about this pair: ambition is a good thing, but looking only at your own interest narrows the road over time.

Third, scattered focus. Tan Lang wants to try everything and Wu Qu is willing to grind, so you open too many lines at once and finish each only halfway.

What strengthens it and what weakens it

In the same passage, volume three says that with Zi Wei, Tai Yang and Tai Yin, Zuo Fu, You Bi, Wen Chang and Wen Qu in the Life Palace's San Fang, and a Decade Luck that reaches Hua Lu, Hua Quan and Hua Ke, you can go from wealth to rank. Simply put, the more auspicious stars in the San Fang and the smoother the periods, the earlier and steadier the bloom.

On the other hand, with Hua Ji, Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Di Kong or Di Jie in the San Fang, the hard first half stretches a little longer, and finding a stable environment to build slowly matters more. Wu Qu or Tan Lang taking Hua Ji is also worth watching: Wu Qu with Hua Ji tends to get stuck around money, Tan Lang with Hua Ji around desires.

How to check whether you have Tan Wu Tong Xing

1. Draw your chart and see which branch your Life Palace is in.
2. If it is Chou or Wei and the main stars are Wu Qu and Tan Lang, you have Tan Wu Tong Xing.
3. Then look at your Decade Luck: the period in which you first reach palaces with many auspicious stars is often the turning point.

If only your Body Palace falls in the palace with Wu Qu and Tan Lang, the classics also count it as "in the Body or Life Palace," and life takes on this rhythm more as you go. To read the two stars separately, see Wu Qu in the Life Palace, Tan Lang in the Life Palace and the Lian Zhen and Tan Lang lesson.

Common questions

Why does Tan Wu Tong Xing mean "poor first, rich later"?

The Quan Shu says "poor first, rich later: Wu Qu and Tan Lang together in the Body or Life Palace" and "Tan Lang and Wu Qu in a tomb palace: fortune comes only at thirty." Wu Qu is practical and counts only what's done, Tan Lang has wide interests and is easily distracted, so the young years go into building up and finding direction; once the direction is set, execution and ambition work together. The ancients meant a later rhythm, not a lifetime of hardship.

What work suits Tan Wu Tong Xing?

Work judged by results and numbers, such as sales, finance, trade, entrepreneurship and running physical businesses. Wu Qu brings execution, Tan Lang brings ambition and social skill, and together they are well suited to opening up and managing resources.

Is there a difference between Wu Qu and Tan Lang in Chou and in Wei?

In both positions Wu Qu and Tan Lang are at Miao, so their basic nature is the same. The differences lie in the other stars the San Fang Si Zheng meets and in which direction the Decade Luck moves, so look at the whole chart.

Does Tan Wu Tong Xing only get better after thirty?

"Fortune comes only at thirty" is the classics' phrasing, meaning a late start. The real turning point depends on where the Decade Luck goes and whether the San Fang has auspicious stars. Some people rise in their twenties, some later; what matters is not breaking off the early building.