Zi Wei and Tian Fu: the Emperor and the Steward

Zi Wei: transforms into Honor

The *Quan Shu* calls Zi Wei "the honored star of the central heavens", and volume two says it "becomes the imperial seat"; later practitioners generally say it "transforms into Honor". In plain terms: it cares about position and dignity, and is used to being on the side that decides. Practitioners tend to read people with Zi Wei in the Life Palace as having presence and opinions, caring about face, and carrying a strong sense of responsibility.

The key to Zi Wei is "whether anyone is around it". The *Quan Shu* puts it bluntly: "without Zuo Fu and You Bi alongside, it is a lonely ruler"; without its two assistants, the emperor becomes a lonely ruler. Master Yuchan even laid out a whole court for Zi Wei: "Zuo Fu and You Bi as ministers, Tian Xiang, Wen Chang and Wen Qu as attendants, Tian Kui and Tian Yue as messengers". So when you read Zi Wei, start by counting how many helpers are in its San Fang Si Zheng.

A Zi Wei with no one around carries everything alone, tires easily, and can seem hard to approach. Think of it at work: a very capable manager with no team ends up doing everything themselves, until everyone finds them hard to get along with and they find everyone unreliable.

Zi Wei doesn't only lean on others, though. The *Quan Shu* says it "can restrain Huo Xing and Ling Xing for good, and can tame Qi Sha into authority": impulsive stars like Huo Xing and Ling Xing calm down around Zi Wei, and Qi Sha's fierceness turns into the power to take control of a situation. Half of an emperor's weight comes from the people around it, and half from its ability to hold the room.

Tian Fu: the commanding star and the treasury

Tian Fu is "the first commanding star of the Southern Dipper". The *Quan Shu* says it "governs wealth, property and livelihood", and that "Tian Fu is the treasury of wealth". Its nature is to hold: steady, careful and accommodating, valuing reserves and a way out. The "Dou Shu Zhun Sheng" calls it "the commanding star Tian Fu": command as in issuing orders, the one on the chart who gives instructions and keeps the books.

Tian Fu needs something to guard before it feels at ease. The *Quan Shu* says Tian Fu "meeting the void is isolated", and later practitioners extended this into the idea of an "empty treasury": when Tian Fu meets void stars like Di Kong and Di Jie, the treasury feels empty, and Tian Fu tends to get anxious and want to grip tighter. On the other hand, when Tian Fu meets Lu Cun or Hua Lu, there's something in the treasury and it's at ease. Think of savings: the same Tian Fu is generous with an emergency fund in the bank, and counts every penny when the account is nearly empty.

The distance between the two captains

The fourteen main stars split into the Zi Wei and Tian Fu groups. Zi Wei leads Tian Ji, Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong and Lian Zhen counterclockwise; Tian Fu leads Tai Yin, Tan Lang, Ju Men, Tian Xiang, Tian Liang, Qi Sha and Po Jun clockwise. Their positions mirror each other across the Yin-Shen axis, so the distance between them is always one of a few kinds:

• Zi Wei in Yin or Shen: the two share a palace, called Zi Wei and Tian Fu together.
• Zi Wei in Si or Hai: Tian Fu is directly opposite.
• Zi Wei in Zi, Wu, Chen or Xu: Tian Fu falls in one of Zi Wei's trine positions, so they shine on each other.
• Zi Wei in Chou, Wei, Mao or You: the two are one cell apart and not in each other's San Fang Si Zheng.

In that last kind of chart, the one who decides and the one who manages the money each go their own way. Reading such a chart, practitioners pay special attention to whether the area where you want to make the calls and the area where you want to hold on are the same thing.

A note on the transformations

By the transformation rhyme in volume two of the *Quan Shu*, Zi Wei only ever takes Hua Quan (Ren years) and Hua Ke (Yi years), and Tian Fu only takes Hua Ke, in Ren years. Neither takes Hua Lu or Hua Ji. The emperor and the steward are both very steady, and for them the transformations are mostly a bonus, rarely a challenge.

When you read

In the room where Zi Wei sits, you want to be in charge; in the room where Tian Fu sits, you want to hold on and save. Read the two together, and you'll see where you want to be the boss and where you want to be the steward.