What is Zi Fu Tong Gong (Emperor and Treasury Together)?

Zi Wei is the emperor star; Tian Fu is the treasury star. One wants to take charge and move up; the other wants to hold on and keep a way back. Zi Fu Tong Gong is these two stars squeezed into the same Life Palace: able to open new ground, and able to keep what it has. The classics rate it highly, but its most common challenge comes precisely from the two stars wanting different things. To see whether you have it, draw your chart.

The conditions for Zi Fu Tong Gong

The condition is simple: the main stars in the Life Palace are exactly Zi Wei and Tian Fu.

The positions of the fourteen main stars move together. Zi Wei and Tian Fu mirror each other across the Yin–Shen axis, so they only sit together in Yin or Shen and are apart everywhere else; the Zi Wei and Tian Fu lesson explains this in full. By this condition, about 1 chart in 70 has Zi Fu Tong Gong in the Life Palace.

Because the main stars' relative positions are fixed, people with Zi Fu Tong Gong also have a fixed San Fang Si Zheng:

• The Travel Palace opposite holds Qi Sha.
• The Wealth Palace holds Wu Qu.
• The Career Palace holds Lian Zhen and Tian Xiang.

In other words, the Life Palace's San Fang holds a complete Zi Fu Lian Wu Xiang set, plus Qi Sha. It is a very managerial group of stars: Zi Wei sets the direction, Tian Fu keeps the treasury, Wu Qu handles the money, Tian Xiang coordinates, Lian Zhen keeps to the rules, and Qi Sha charges ahead out in the world.

What the classics say, and how we read it today

The Gu Sui Fu in volume one of the Quan Shu says:

Zi Wei and Tian Fu in the same palace: deep blessings all life long.

When volume three discusses Zi Wei, it adds:

Zi Wei and Tian Fu together in Yin or Shen guarding the Life Palace: people born in the six Jia years have wealth and standing.

"People of the six Jia years" are those born in Jia years. The four transformations show why: in Jia years, Lian Zhen takes Hua Lu and Wu Qu takes Hua Ke, landing exactly in the Career and Wealth Palaces of a Zi Fu Tong Gong chart; and in Jia years Lu Cun is in Yin, so with the Life Palace in Yin, Lu Cun sits right in it. The ancients weren't naming Jia at random; its San Fang really does light up.

Another line from the Tai Wei Fu is often quoted:

Zi Wei and Tian Fu depend entirely on the work of Zuo Fu and You Bi.

Meaning however strong Zi Wei and Tian Fu are, they need helpers like Zuo Fu and You Bi to work at full strength. The commentary in volume three says that with Zuo Fu and You Bi in the same palace or shining in from the San Fang, there is "wealth and standing all life long." It is the same point as Jun Chen Qing Hui: the emperor needs people.

Today, a closer reading of Zi Fu Tong Gong:

• Able both to charge and to hold. When starting something new, you have Zi Wei's presence; when running it, you have Tian Fu's steadiness, so you are unlikely to gamble away everything overnight.
• Suited to being in charge. Manager, store lead, founder, successor in a family business: roles where you make the call and look after resources are where you shine.
• You value dignity and security. Zi Wei wants respect; Tian Fu wants reserves. Quality of life, where you live and the resources you hold all matter to you.

Where Zi Fu Tong Gong tends to get stuck

The most common is wanting it both ways. Zi Wei wants to go forward and Tian Fu wants to hold back, two voices in one person. When a trade-off is needed, it's easy to stall: wanting the promotion but fearing the risk, wanting to commit but wanting a way out, until the moment has passed.

Next, being reluctant to ask for help. Both stars carry weight and are used to holding the stage themselves. The classics keep stressing that Zi Wei and Tian Fu depend on Zuo Fu and You Bi, yet people with Zi Fu Tong Gong often feel that asking for help means losing face.

One suggestion for people with Zi Fu Tong Gong: set yourself a "loss I can accept" line for your decisions. Within that line, go ahead; not every step has to have it both ways.

What weakens it

• Di Kong or Di Jie in the Life Palace. Tian Fu fears an empty treasury most; with Di Kong or Di Jie in the same palace, practitioners call it an empty treasury, and Tian Fu's side becomes more anxious and grasping. With Di Kong or Di Jie shining in from the San Fang, the effect is lighter.
• None of the Six Auspicious Stars in the San Fang. Without Zuo Fu, You Bi, Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Tian Kui or Tian Yue, both the emperor and the treasury have only themselves to rely on, and it is much harder work.
• Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing or Ling Xing in the Life Palace. The steady foundation gets more collisions and back-and-forth.

On the other hand, when the San Fang meets Zuo Fu and You Bi, Tian Kui and Tian Yue, Hua Lu or Hua Quan, the classics' "depend entirely on the work of Zuo Fu and You Bi" is fulfilled.

How to check whether you have Zi Fu Tong Gong

1. Draw your chart and see whether your Life Palace is in Yin or Shen.
2. Check whether its main stars are Zi Wei and Tian Fu.
3. If so, look at whether the San Fang has helpers such as Zuo Fu, You Bi or Hua Lu.

To understand the two stars separately, see the introductions to Zi Wei and Tian Fu.

Common questions

Is Zi Fu Tong Gong a good chart?

The Quan Shu says "Zi Wei and Tian Fu in the same palace: deep blessings all life long," and the classics think highly of it: the emperor star can open new ground and the treasury star can hold it. But the classics also say Zi Wei and Tian Fu "depend entirely on the work of Zuo Fu and You Bi," so helpers in the San Fang complete it, and Di Kong, Di Jie or challenging stars call for more effort. A pattern is a bonus, not a guarantee.

How common is Zi Fu Tong Gong?

Not very. Zi Wei and Tian Fu only sit together in Yin or Shen, so about 1 chart in 70 has Zi Fu Tong Gong in the Life Palace.

Does Zi Wei in Si or Hai with Tian Fu opposite count?

No. With Zi Wei in Si or Hai, Tian Fu is directly opposite, so the two face each other rather than sharing a palace. Volume three of the Quan Shu speaks of "Zi Wei and Tian Fu together facing across Si and Hai, wealth and standing in one stroke," but that is a different combination, and practitioners usually discuss it separately.

Why do the classics say Zi Fu Tong Gong is best for people born in Jia years?

In Jia years, Lian Zhen takes Hua Lu and Wu Qu takes Hua Ke, and these two stars sit exactly in the Career and Wealth Palaces of a Zi Fu Tong Gong chart; Lu Cun is also in Yin in Jia years. The key positions of the San Fang are all lit up by the transformations and Lu Cun, which is why the Quan Shu says "people born in the six Jia years have wealth and standing."