Chong Bu Dou Shu Gou Lü

The opening line rewrites the Tai Wei Fu's 「諸星吉，逢凶也吉。諸星凶，逢凶也凶」, but adds a layer: 「惡多逢吉也凶」. The Tai Wei Fu only speaks of a malign chart meeting more malign stars; this goes further and says a chart with many malign stars cannot be rescued even by meeting auspicious ones. It is the Quan Shu's clearest 'principle of proportion': one auspicious or one malefic star cannot change the overall picture; what counts is the balance. When reading a chart, you can count the Six Auspicious Stars, Lu Cun, Hua Lu, Hua Quan and Hua Ke in the San Fang Si Zheng of the Life Palace as pluses and the Six Malefic Stars and Hua Ji as minuses, see which way the total leans, and then read the details.

「星更纏度」 says the positions of the stars change (纏 here is the same as 躔); 「數分定局」 says each person's fate divides into a different pattern according to where the stars are. The line links what comes before and after: when a star's position changes, the pattern changes, so the text goes on to describe the patterns one by one. For a modern reader, the same star in a different palace or a different branch means something different, so studying Dou Shu cannot mean memorising the stars' natures alone; position has to be read together with them. This is also why Xingge writes a separate page for each star in each palace: Zi Wei in the Life Palace, for example, is about something different from Zi Wei in the Spouse Palace.

This line narrows the focus of chart reading to two terms: 「得垣」, gaining the enclosure, and 「受制」, being held in check. Gaining the enclosure means a star is in a place that suits it; being held in check means it is suppressed by another star or by the element of the palace. Together they decide how much of a star's power comes through. The Tai Wei Fu uses 'entering the temple' and 'losing the degree', the Xing Yuan Lun explains through the Five Elements why a star gains its enclosure, and here we have the concise conclusion. On a Xingge chart, 'gaining the enclosure' roughly corresponds to brightness Miao, Wang or De; for 'held in check' you have to look at whether malefic stars or Hua Ji are in the same or the opposite palace, and whether the elements of star and palace overcome each other. Brightness only shows the former.

This line is almost identical to segment 2 of the Tai Wei Fu, 「以身命為福德之本，加以根源為窮通之資」, except that 'root of good fortune' becomes 「禍福之柄」, 'handle of fortune and misfortune', and 'resource' becomes 「窮通之機」, 'key'. The words have changed but not the meaning: Life and Body are the main axis, and the root source (the inborn foundation, usually taken to mean the transformations and star placements that come from the stem and branch of the birth year) is the key. One thing worth noticing is that 柄, a handle, is more active than 本, a root, as if to say the Body and Life Palaces are something a person can grasp and use. When reading a chart, look first at the Life and Body Palaces, then at which palaces the birth-year transformations fall in.

This line gathers three patterns. First, Zi Wei with Zuo Fu and You Bi in the Life Palace is the strictest version of Jun Chen Qing Hui (the ruler and ministers celebrate together), stricter than Xingge's looser test. Second, 「財印夾命」: Wu Qu and Tian Xiang in the two palaces either side of the Life Palace. In an actual chart this only happens when the Life Palace is in Yin or Shen and holds Tai Yang with Ju Men or Tian Tong with Tian Liang, a very narrow condition. Third, 「日月夾財」, as in the Tai Wei Fu. What the three patterns share is 'being supported': the emperor star has ministers, the Life Palace has Cai and Yin, the Wealth Palace has the sun and moon. Read today: resources and connections are close at hand, and there is no need to fight alone.

These two lines are the same as the Tai Wei Fu's 「日月守不如照合，蔭福聚不怕凶危」, only with the halves swapped and 'danger' (凶危) changed to 'striking' (凶沖). 'Striking' is more concrete: malefic stars or Hua Ji striking from the opposite palace or the trines. Tian Tong and Tian Liang share the Life Palace only in Yin and Shen; Tian Tong stands for blessing and Tian Liang for shelter, and both can dissolve disaster. See the discussion in the Tai Wei Fu. What can be added here: the sun and moon share a palace only in Chou and Wei, and then one is bright and the other dim (on Xingge's table, in Chou Tai Yang is Bu and Tai Yin Miao), which is why the old writers said it is better for them to shine in separately from the trine.

Compared with segment 30 of the Tai Wei Fu, there are two differences: first, 「貪狼居子」 names only the Zi palace, while the Tai Wei Fu names both Hai and Zi; second, 「天刑遭貪」 uses Tian Xing, while the Tai Wei Fu has 「刑遇貪狼」 (usually read as Qing Yang), and volume three has 「貪狼陀羅在寅宮」 instead (Star Combinations: Tan Lang). So the same 'flogging over romance' appears in the Quan Shu with three different conditions: Qing Yang, Tian Xing and Tuo Luo. Tian Xing is a minor star placed by birth month, standing for punishment and solitary harm, and is listed among the minor stars on a Xingge chart. What the three versions share is Tan Lang plus a star of punishment; read today, romantic trouble that brings legal problems or damage to one's reputation.

Compared with segment 33 of the Tai Wei Fu, both patterns here have changed their conditions. 'The golden carriage with comb-bearers' is Zi Wei sitting in the 「命庫」, which the note reads as Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei; 'brocade robes touched with heavenly fragrance' is Wen Chang or Wen Qu in the Career Palace, whereas the Tai Wei Fu's 「玉袖天香」 is Chang and Qu in the Fortune Palace. One is about career, the other about inner life; they point in different directions. The difference may be a copying error, or the two versions may each have their own source. In actual chart reading, Chang and Qu in the Career Palace favour paperwork, examinations and professional qualifications; in the Fortune Palace they stand for taste and inner cultivation. Both readings make sense, and there is no need to force them into one.

These two lines are the same as segments 34 and 35 of the Tai Wei Fu, but the pattern names have changed: 「蟾宮折桂」 (plucking the cassia in the moon palace) becomes 「翰林清異」, and 「皇殿朝班」 (in the ranks of the imperial court) becomes 「金殿傳臚」. Both sets of names are about success in the imperial examinations: the Hanlin were elite literary officials, and 傳臚 was the calling of the names of the successful candidates at the palace examination. The modern reading is the same too: Tai Yin with Wen Qu in the Spouse Palace means a talented spouse or a marriage connected with learning; Tai Yang with Wen Chang in the Career Palace suits work that involves examinations, licences and paperwork. Volume three's Star Combinations: Tai Yang adds that Wen Qu in place of Wen Chang works the same way. When reading a chart, check the brightness of Tai Yang and Tai Yin as well.

This is the same as segment 36 of the Tai Wei Fu, only the descriptions are more extravagant: 'gold piled and jade heaped' becomes 'grain rotting and gold piled', and 'great merchants and high traders' becomes 'high merchants and wealthy traders'. The 「祿合」 in the first line is broader than the Tai Wei Fu's 「祿存」 and can include Hua Lu. In the second line, 「財蔭」 still means Wu Qu and Tian Liang each sitting in the Travel Palace separately, and volume three says 「吉多方論」, only judge it so when auspicious stars are many. One practical point to add: the Travel Palace is the palace opposite the Life Palace, so a wealth star in the Travel Palace amounts to wealth shining into the Life Palace from outside, which is why the old writers read it as gaining wealth away from home. On your own chart, the opposite palace is simply the one straight across from the Life Palace, so read its stars together with the Life Palace's.

The condition in 「耗居敗地」 differs from the Tai Wei Fu's 「耗居祿位」, as the Xingge approach above and the note explain. The logic can be filled in: Po Jun's transformed qi is 耗 (waste), so it stands for depletion to begin with; in Mu Yu (the Bai position) qi scatters and does not gather, waste on top of waste, hence begging along the road. Of the two versions, 'Bai position' uses the twelve Chang Sheng spirits, while 'Lu position' uses Lu Cun or the Career Palace; the tools of judgment are completely different. The second line, 「貪會旺宮」, is word for word the same as the Tai Wei Fu; for volume three's limits see Star Combinations: Tan Lang. Verdicts like this only weigh heavily together with malefic stars and Hua Ji.

The first line is the same as in the Tai Wei Fu, with only the age 'thirty-two' added to state how long Yan Hui lived. The second line differs a great deal: the Tai Wei Fu has 「貪坐生鄉，壽考永如彭祖」, while here it is 「日在旺宮」, so the subject changes from Tan Lang to Tai Yang. Both lines of reasoning make sense: Tan Lang in a Chang Sheng position has vigorous life qi, Tai Yang in a Wang palace has ample yang qi, and the old writers held that both stand for long life. The 'Your chart' comparison follows this line and tags Tai Yang in Miao or Wang in the Life Palace. On Xingge's brightness table Tai Yang is Miao in Mao and Wang in Yin, Chen, Si and Wu. Read today, couplets about long and short lives like this can only be taken as tendencies of health and vitality, not as predictions of lifespan.

This line corresponds to segment 39 of the Tai Wei Fu; the difference between 'Ju An' and 'Ji An' is explained in the collation. The second half has a change worth noticing: in the Tai Wei Fu, malign stars meeting the Parents or Travel Palace mean 「刑傷破祖」, injury and ruin of the ancestral estate, while here malign stars meeting the Appearance or Travel Palace mean 「傷刑其面」, injury to the face. 'Appearance' is another name for the Parents Palace, so the palace is the same, but the verdict changes from ruining the ancestral estate to injuring the face. This shows that the Parents Palace has two readings in the Quan Shu: one for parents and the ancestral estate, the other for appearance. The Dou Shu Zhun Sheng's 「相貌逢凶必帶破相」 (Dou Shu Zhun Sheng) is the latter.

This line corresponds to segment 40 of the Tai Wei Fu, with the subject of the first half changed from 'Xing and Sha' to 'Da Hao'. Da Hao is a minor star among the twelve Bo Shi spirits or the twelve Sui Qian spirits, and some read it as Po Jun. If it is Po Jun, then Po Jun with Lian Zhen in the Career Palace (possible only in Mao and You) is 「枷杻囚徒」. Lian Zhen's transformed qi is 囚 (the prisoner) and Po Jun's is 耗 (waste); both are heavily malign, and in the career palace they stand for breaking the law in the course of one's work. The second line is the same as in the Tai Wei Fu. Read today: people who work in high-risk or grey areas should take special care with regulations; when Guan Fu reaches the Travel Palace in an Annual Luck, watch for lawsuits or penalties away from home.

The first line, 「七殺臨於陷地，流年必見死亡」, is extremely heavy. But in the volume three table Qi Sha has 'no fallen position', and on Xingge's brightness table the lowest Qi Sha gets is Ping (in Si and Hai), so a 'fallen position' is hard to find on a chart; it may be a general reference to positions with many malefic stars and poor conditions. Volume three's Star Combinations: Qi Sha is more specific: Qi Sha in the Body or Life Palace, with Xing and Ji in the Annual Luck, brings disaster and injury, but 「逢紫微天相祿存可解」, meeting Zi Wei, Tian Xiang or Lu Cun resolves it. The second line: Hao and Sha fear meeting Po Jun, Huo and Ling fear meeting Tai Sui; both are about malign stars piling up in the Annual Luck. When malign stars pile up in an Annual Luck, play it safe and avoid high-risk activities.

This line is the same as segment 44 of the Tai Wei Fu, only 'show their power' becomes 'show their authority and blessing'. Every palace gets one of the twelve Bo Shi spirits, so these lucky spirits only add points; they are not the main actors. It is worth adding that the twelve Bo Shi spirits are counted from Lu Cun's position, with Bo Shi always placed in Lu Cun's palace, which is why 'Bo Shi' and 'the annual Lu' are so often mentioned together. On a Xingge chart the twelve Bo Shi spirits are listed under every palace, and the lesson The Twelve Bo Shi Spirits explains them in full. In today's terms, when these lucky spirits appear in an Annual Luck, they can be read as the year's small blessings, or smooth going with paperwork or people.

This line is almost identical to segment 45 of the Tai Wei Fu, only 'like' (如, 似) is replaced by the two words 'weak' (弱) and 'failing' (衰), which makes the meaning clearer: a child's luck period is weak, an old person's is failing. The rewrite is helpful: it tells the reader that this does not say children and the old are 'sure' to meet disaster, but that these two stages of life have weaker strength and resistance in themselves, and are more likely to come to harm when meeting malign stars. The Quan Shu has a separate chapter on Children's Charts. For a modern reader, looking after the health of small children and the elderly is common sense anyway; if a chart shows malefic stars or Hua Ji in these two luck periods, take it as a reminder to pay a little more attention.

This line has only eight characters and condenses the Tai Wei Fu's 「遇殺無制乃流年最忌」, but drops the two characters 'without check' (無制), saying 「遇殺必驚」. Without 'without check', the meaning becomes more absolute: meeting a Sha star is sure to bring a fright. Comparing the two versions, the Tai Wei Fu's is more complete: if the star is held in check, there is nothing to fear. When reading a chart, it is better to follow the Tai Wei Fu's condition: when a Sha star appears in the Annual Luck, check whether auspicious stars or Hua Lu or Hua Ke in the San Fang Si Zheng hold it in check. 「流年最緊」 says the Annual Luck is the time unit that most needs watching, reflecting the year's events more directly than the Decade Luck.

This line rewrites segment 46 of the Tai Wei Fu, but says 'prosperity' (發達) for 'honour and disgrace' (榮辱) and 'hardship' (迍邅) for 'loneliness and poverty' (孤貧), and names two problems outright: 「浮沉」, rising and sinking, and 「駁雜」, mixture. One who prospers fears luck periods that swing up and down; one in hardship has a Life Palace and luck periods where good and bad are mixed. The idea of 'mixture' recurs throughout the Quan Shu; the Xing Xing Fu also says 「假如運限駁雜終有浮沉」. In practice, the hardest thing in life is not staying low all the time, but swinging high and low so that nothing accumulates. When reading a chart, find the decades where good and bad are mixed and prepare risk management in advance.

The closing line answers the Tai Wei Fu's 「學至此誠玄微矣」. Reading the whole Chong Bu Dou Shu Gou Lü, you can see it is another version or a rewrite of the Tai Wei Fu: most lines are the same, but many conditions have been swapped (Fortune for Career, Tan Lang for Tai Yang, 刑 for Tian Xing, the Lu position for the Bai position). What these differences offer readers most is a reminder that the conditions in old books were never set in stone; the same line may appear in two or three versions within the Quan Shu. When reading verdicts, rather than agonising over which version is right, grasp the logic they share.