Lian Zhen and Tan Lang: the Judge and the Player

Lian Zhen: transforms into Restraint

The *Quan Shu* says Lian Zhen "in the Dipper governs rank; in the chart it governs authority and orders": it rules rank and rules. It also explains where the word comes from: "when not at Miao or Wang and also meeting Guan Fu, it is said to transform into Restraint and become harsh". The ancients' restraint carried a sense of being held in check; most practitioners today read it as putting yourself inside a set of rules.

Practitioners tend to read people with Lian Zhen in the Life Palace as having strong principles, strong emotions and real magnetism, often with desire and self-discipline pulling against each other inside. When it holds the line, Lian Zhen is the person with the most presence, best able to take control of a situation; when it can't, it's easy to be at odds with yourself.

Lian Zhen depends a lot on its companions. The *Quan Shu* says it "meeting the imperial seat wields authority, meeting Lu Cun brings wealth and rank, meeting Wen Chang loves rites and music"; volume two adds that Lian Zhen "most likes sharing a palace with Tian Xiang, which can temper its harshness". When Lian Zhen meets the mediating Tian Xiang, its intensity finds a sense of proportion.

The *Quan Shu* also says Lian Zhen "in Body or Life is the second peach blossom". Its charm isn't the lively kind; it's more "the better you know them, the more there is to them".

Tan Lang: transforms into Peach Blossom

Tan Lang is "the spirit of the Northern Dipper that releases from hardship", and its Hua Qi is Peach Blossom. Peach blossom here isn't only romance; it's attraction in the broadest sense: well liked, multi-talented, very curious, quick to learn anything. Tan Lang wants a lot, which is both its drive and its challenge: when you want everything, remember to choose.

The *Quan Shu* has a sharp observation about Tan Lang's relationships: "with those it is close to it is offhand, and with the distant it is warm". It's casual with people it knows well and especially warm with people it's just met. Think of a party: a Tan Lang person can talk with a new friend until midnight and forget to reply to an old friend's message.

The "Dou Shu Zhun Sheng" says "Tan Lang is a kindly star; entering the temple it is not harsh", and Tan Lang is brightest in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei. The *Quan Shu* also says it "only with Huo Xing or Ling Xing can bring wealth and rank", which later became the Huo Tan and Ling Tan patterns, covered again in Chapter 5's patterns.

Tan Lang also forms the Sha Po Lang with Qi Sha and Po Jun: the three stars are always in each other's San Fang Si Zheng, a rhythm of change and pioneering.

Lian Tan, a pair

Lian Zhen belongs to the Zi Wei group and Tan Lang to the Tian Fu group; the two share a palace in Si and Hai, and both are at Xian there. One wants, the other restrains, and both are playing away, which is why this combination is so full of tension. The *Quan Shu*'s song of Lian Zhen says "Lian Zhen and Tan Lang in Si or Hai, meeting helpful stars, fortune overflows", then goes on to warn about being careful after thirty.

Most practitioners today read it like this: lots of wants and lots of rules, and it does best when desire is given a stage with rules, like performing, sales, creative work or negotiation. A common misreading is to take Lian Tan straight as "a messy love life"; in fact it's about the pull between desire and rules, and love is just one of the places that plays out.

Brightness and transformations

Lian Zhen is brightest (Miao) in Yin and Shen, and at Xian in Si and Hai. Volume three says "Lian Zhen in Shen or Wei without challenging stars: wealth and rank, a name heard far and wide", which the commentary calls the "heroic star facing the source" pattern. Tan Lang is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei; Wang in Zi and Wu; and at Xian in Si and Hai.

By the transformation rhyme in volume two of the *Quan Shu*, Lian Zhen takes Hua Lu in Jia years and Hua Ji in Bing years; Tan Lang takes Hua Lu in Wu years, Hua Quan in Ji years and Hua Ji in Gui years.

When you read

In the room where Lian Zhen sits, you have your own set of rules; in the room where Tan Lang sits, you want to try everything. Both are high-energy stars. The point isn't to suppress them, but to give them a good outlet.