Patterns of Rank

Patterns of Rank is the Quan Shu's longest register of patterns, and eleven of its twenty-seven entries say only 'see the earlier commentary', pointing to the notes in earlier chapters such as the Gu Sui Fu. Ri Yue Jia Ming: the two palaces beside the Life Palace hold Tai Yang and Tai Yin, the palace itself has auspicious stars and does not sit in emptiness. Sun and moon flanking the Life Palace occur only with the Life Palace in Chou or Wei, which then holds Tian Fu or Wu Qu with Tan Lang. The second half of the condition matters just as much: the Life Palace needs auspicious stars and no emptiness, or however good the flanking, the palace itself is hollow.

The Star Combinations chapters have 「日月夾命夾財加吉曜不權則富」 (Star Combinations: Tai Yin (with Sun and Moon)), and add that with Qing Yang and Tuo Luo clashing or sitting there one should become a monk, so Ri Yue Jia Ming is not rank without conditions.

Ri Chu Fu Sang: Tai Yang guarding the Life Palace or the Career Palace in Mao. Mao is in the east, and Fusang is where the sun rises in myth. Tai Yang in Mao is Miao, one of its brightest positions on the brightness table Xingge uses. The Gu Sui Fu's 「日照雷門富貴榮華」 (Gu Sui Fu) says the same thing, the Thunder Gate also being Mao (the Zhen trigram is thunder).

One pattern with two names is a trace of the Quan Shu being compiled from different sources. Tai Yang in Mao shares the palace with Tian Liang, so the pattern often carries Tian Liang's sheltering quality too.

Yue Luo Hai Gong, also called Yue Lang Tian Men (the moon bright at the Heaven Gate): Tai Yin guarding the Life Palace in Hai, where it is Miao. Hai is the Heaven Gate, and the moon shines clear above it. The Gu Sui Fu says 「月朗天門進爵封侯」, a pair with the sun shining on the Thunder Gate.

This entry matches 「亥宮最喜太陰逢」 in Stars in Strong Positions: Fitting Patterns; see Stars in Strong Positions: Fitting Patterns. With Tai Yin in Hai, Tian Ji is opposite and Tai Yin is the only main star in the Life Palace.

Yue Sheng Cang Hai: Tai Yin guarding the Property Palace in Zi. Zi belongs to water and the moon is the essence of water, so the moon rises over the sea, hence 'the blue sea'. Tai Yin in Zi is Miao and shares the palace with Tian Tong.

What sets this entry apart is that it names the Property Palace, not the Life Palace. Tai Yin is the ruler of property, and in the palace it governs, in a Miao position, it means a thriving family estate. Xingge's pattern pages also explain Yue Sheng Cang Hai, where the conditions can be compared.

Fu Bi Gong Zhu: Zi Wei guarding the Life Palace, with Zuo Fu and You Bi converging from the San Fang or flanking it from the neighbouring palaces. This turns the principle that Zi Wei 'needs Zuo Fu and You Bi' into a pattern: they need not share the palace; converging or flanking both count. The Tai Wei Fu says 「輔弼夾帝為上品」.

Zuo Fu and You Bi move symmetrically about the Chou-Wei axis, so the only palaces they can flank are Chou and Wei, and only for people born in the third, fifth, ninth or eleventh month; 'Zuo Fu and You Bi flanking Zi Wei' therefore appears only on charts with Zi Wei and Po Jun in Chou or Wei. This entry and the next, Jun Chen Qing Hui, form a set covering three cases: converging, flanking and sharing the palace.

Jun Chen Qing Hui: Zi Wei with Zuo Fu and You Bi together in the Life Palace, better still meeting Tian Xiang, Wu Qu and Tai Yin. Zuo Fu and You Bi share a palace only in Chou and Wei, so taken strictly, this pattern appears only for people with Zi Wei and Po Jun in Chou or Wei who were born in the fourth or tenth month, very rare; as the Xingge approach above explains, Xingge's rule is looser.

Of 「更會相武陰」, Tai Yin never enters Zi Wei's San Fang Si Zheng under the placement method; only Tian Xiang and Wu Qu can meet it. The Tai Wei Fu says 「君臣慶會，材善經邦」 (Tai Wei Fu), one of the most highly rated patterns in the Quan Shu.

Cai Yin Jia Lu: Lu Cun guarding the Life Palace, with the wealth star and the seal star in the two neighbouring palaces. The note explains that Tian Liang and Tian Xiang cannot flank a palace and the text probably means Wu Qu and Tian Xiang. Under the placement method, though, the neighbours of Lu Cun are always Qing Yang and Tuo Luo, so 'flanking' here cannot mean the two adjacent palaces, a more basic problem than 'Liang Xiang'.

One possible explanation is that the Lu here is not Lu Cun but Hua Lu: Hua Lu guarding the Life Palace with Wu Qu and Tian Xiang in the neighbouring palaces could actually occur. The Chong Bu Dou Shu Gou Lü also says 「財印夾命日月夾財，其富何疑」 (see Chong Bu Dou Shu Gou Lü), using 'wealth and seal flanking the Life Palace' rather than flanking Lu.

Lu Ma Pei Yin: Tian Ma, a Lu star and Tian Xiang in one palace. The meaning of 'Lu in front of the horse' is unclear, and as the note says, it is translated literally. Tian Ma is only ever in Yin, Shen, Si or Hai, Lu Cun can reach these four palaces too, and Tian Xiang can sit in any of them, so the three can share a palace on a chart, though the conditions are quite strict.

The pattern means: travel that brings money (Lu and the horse), plus an official seal (Tian Xiang), gaining wealth and office on the move. It is Lu Ma Jiao Chi upgraded with a seal star.

Zuo Gui Xiang Gui: Tian Kui and Tian Yue, one in the Life Palace and one in the Travel Palace. By the Quan Shu's placement verse, only for people born in Jia, Wu and Geng years do Tian Kui and Tian Yue face each other across Chou and Wei, so this pattern appears only on charts with one of these three year stems and the Life Palace in Chou or Wei.

What Do Tian Kui and Tian Yue Govern? says Tian Kui and Tian Yue 「入命坐貴向貴，或得左右吉聚無不富貴」, and calls them gods of harmony. In everyday terms this is a life with many helpful people, where promotion and support come naturally.

Ma Tou Dai Jian: Tian Ma carrying Qing Yang. The note and the Xingge approach above explain that Tian Ma and Qing Yang never share a palace and how Xingge's rule is taken. One more point: the text specifically says 「不是居午格」, which shows that some people already read Ma Tou Dai Jian as 'Qing Yang in Wu', and the author is correcting them here. Wu is the horse among the branches, so 'the horse's head' is easily read as the Wu palace.

The Tai Wei Fu says 「馬頭帶劍，鎮衛邊疆」 (Tai Wei Fu), but the Gu Sui Fu says 「馬頭帶劍非夭折則主刑傷」: one pattern, one auspicious verdict and one ill. The Quan Shu is consistent about neither the definition nor the fortune of this pattern.

Qi Sha Chao Dou: Qi Sha in the Life Palace in Yin, Shen, Zi or Wu, with Tian Fu opposite (Zi Wei and Tian Fu together when it is Yin or Shen). 'See the earlier commentary' refers to the Gu Sui Fu's 「七殺朝斗爵祿榮昌」 (Gu Sui Fu) and its notes.

The pattern also appears in the verse of What Does Qi Sha Govern?: 「七殺寅申子午宮，四夷拱手服英雄」.

Ri Yue Bing Ming: Tai Yang and Tai Yin both in bright positions, each shining on the Life Palace. The Gu Sui Fu says 「日月並明佐九重於堯殿」 (Gu Sui Fu). The Quan Shu gives no definition here, and later writers differ; Xingge's rule is that Tai Yang and Tai Yin are both Miao or Wang and both fall in the San Fang Si Zheng of the Life Palace.

On a Xingge chart, open the Life Palace and check whether Tai Yang and Tai Yin sit on the San Fang Si Zheng lines and whether the small brightness text for both reads Miao or Wang.

Ming Zhu Chu Hai: 'see the earlier commentary' refers to the Gu Sui Fu's 「三合明珠生旺地穩步蟾宮」 (Gu Sui Fu). The usual later definition is the Life Palace in Wei with no main star, Tai Yang in Mao and Tai Yin in Hai, converging from the trine.

The hallmark of this pattern is an empty Life Palace lit by the sun and moon from the trine. The sun is Miao in Mao and the moon Miao in Hai, both at their brightest, so the empty palace becomes a pattern instead.

Ri Yue Tong Lin: Tai Yang and Tai Yin in the same palace, which happens only in Chou or Wei. The Gu Sui Fu says 「日月同臨官居侯伯」 (Gu Sui Fu).

Compare Stars in Strong Positions: Fitting Patterns, which says of the sun and moon 「正坐平常中局論，對照富貴禍皆消」: the two together in the Life Palace are only a middling pattern, and they bring wealth and rank when shining from opposite. The same sun and moon together are a pattern of rank in Patterns of Rank and a middling one in Stars in Strong Positions: Fitting Patterns; the Quan Shu's verdicts disagree.

Xing Qiu Jia Yin: defined here as Tian Xing and Lian Zhen together in the Body or Life Palace, 「主武勇之人」, a pattern of rank. But the Tai Wei Fu says 「刑囚夾印，刑杖惟司」 (Tai Wei Fu): punishment by the rod. One pattern name, rated noble and martial in one place and meaning punishment in the other: exact opposites.

A reasonable way to reconcile them: Tian Xing and Lian Zhen both have to do with punishment and discipline; on the right path they make the bravery of soldiers, police and law enforcement, on the wrong one they mean being punished. Placed in Patterns of Rank, the positive side is taken. The 'seal' (Tian Xiang) in the pattern name does not actually appear in the definition.

Ke Quan Lu Gong: Hua Ke, Hua Quan and Hua Lu converging on the Life Palace from the San Fang, later called San Qi Jia Hui. The Gu Sui Fu says 「科權祿拱名譽昭彰」 (Gu Sui Fu).

Whether all three transformations land in the San Fang Si Zheng of the Life Palace depends on the birth-year stem and the positions of the main stars. On a Xingge chart, open the Life Palace and see whether the Lu, Quan and Ke marks all appear on the San Fang Si Zheng lines; see San Qi Jia Hui.

Tan Huo Xiang Feng: Tan Lang and Huo Xing together in the Life Palace, both Miao or Wang. This is the Huo Tan pattern; What Does Huo Xing Govern? says 「若得貪狼會，旺地貴無倫」.

'Both in Miao or Wang' is the key: Tan Lang is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei and Wang in Zi and Wu; Huo Xing is Miao in Yin, Wu and Xu. Positions where both are strong at once are few, Wu or Xu for example. Meeting in fallen positions, they become instead what Stars in Fallen Positions: Broken Patterns describes: 「亥宮貪火天梁同，飄蕩浪子走西東」.

Wu Qu Shou Yuan: Wu Qu guarding the Life Palace in Mao; no other palace counts. This entry is odd: What Does Wu Qu Govern? says Wu Qu 「陷囚會於震宮，必為破主淹留」, and the Star Combinations chapters also say 「武曲破貞於卯地木壓雷驚」, so Wu Qu in Mao is a bad position there, yet here it is the only position that makes a pattern of rank.

On a Xingge chart Wu Qu in Mao is Li and shares the palace with Qi Sha. Stars in Strong Positions: Wealth and Rank also says 「武曲守卯福豐盈」. The two views can be reconciled like this: Wu Qu in Mao is bad when it meets Lian Zhen and Po Jun with malefics, and auspicious with Lu in a Yi or Xin year.

Fu Xiang Chao Yuan: Tian Fu and Tian Xiang facing the Life Palace from the San Fang. The Star Combinations chapters say 「府相朝垣千鍾食祿」 (Star Combinations: Tian Fu), and the note there names the Life Palace in Yin or Shen with Tian Fu and Tian Xiang converging from the Wealth and Career Palaces as the top grade.

Tian Fu and Tian Xiang are always four palaces apart, in trine with each other, so both can face a palace together only when that palace is the third point of their trine. Xingge's pattern pages explain how Fu Xiang Chao Yuan is judged.

Zi Fu Chao Yuan: Zi Wei and Tian Fu facing the Life Palace from the San Fang. The Gu Sui Fu says 「紫府朝垣食祿萬鍾」 (Gu Sui Fu), and the Star Combinations chapters add that it is best with the Life Palace in Yin or Shen and auspicious stars as well.

Zi Wei and Tian Fu share a palace only in Yin and Shen and otherwise sit apart, so the positions where both face the Life Palace are limited. This entry has no 'Your chart' comparison; readers can open the Life Palace and check whether Zi Wei and Tian Fu are in the San Fang Si Zheng.

Wen Xing An Gong: Wen Chang and Wen Qu converging from a hidden position. The Gu Sui Fu says 「文星暗拱賈誼允矣登科」 (Gu Sui Fu), taking Jia Yi, the young Han dynasty prodigy, as its example.

What 'in secret' means varies by school: some read it as Wen Chang and Wen Qu in the palace hidden-paired with the Life Palace (the six branch combinations), others as Wen Chang and Wen Qu converging from the trine rather than sharing the palace. This entry in the Quan Shu says only 'see the earlier commentary' and gives no definition, so Xingge tags no condition for it.

Quan Lu Sheng Feng: Hua Quan and Hua Lu both guarding the Life Palace in Miao or Wang; fallen does not count. This entry stresses brightness: Hua Quan and Hua Lu alike are a pattern of rank only in Miao or Wang.

For Hua Quan and Hua Lu to sit in the Life Palace together, the Lu and Quan of one year stem must fall in the same palace. For example, in Jia years Lian Zhen takes Hua Lu and Po Jun Hua Quan, and Lian Zhen and Po Jun share a palace in Mao and You, but Po Jun there is fallen, so it does not qualify. Conditions that need both the right stem and the right palace make this pattern quite rare on real charts.

Yang Ren Ru Miao: Qing Yang guarding the Life Palace in Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei, and meeting auspicious stars. Qing Yang is Miao in these four palaces; What Does Qing Yang Govern? says 「入廟性剛果決，機謀好勇，主權貴」, and also 「四墓生人不忌」.

This is the Quan Shu's typical pattern of a malefic in Miao bringing rank instead, the same idea as the grade of law and punishment and Xing Qiu Jia Yin. The modern picture is a bold leader who can carry pressure, suited to fields that call for decisiveness and competition.

Ju Ji Ju Mao: Tian Ji and Ju Men together in Mao. The Gu Sui Fu says 「巨機同宮公卿之位」 (Gu Sui Fu), and Stars in Strong Positions: Fitting Patterns also says that Tian Ji and Ju Men in Mao give blessings to those born in Xin and Yi years.

'In Mao' is specified because the same pair in You is listed as a broken pattern in Stars in Fallen Positions: Broken Patterns. The same stars, good in Mao and bad in You: on this the Quan Shu is quite consistent. Xingge's pattern pages explain Ju Ji Tong Lin.

Ming Lu An Lu: the Gu Sui Fu says 「子午巨門石中隱玉，明祿暗祿錦上添花」 (Gu Sui Fu). Open Lu is Lu (Lu Cun or Hua Lu) in the Life Palace itself; hidden Lu is Lu in the palace whose branch combines with the Life Palace's branch.

The six branch combinations are Zi-Chou, Yin-Hai, Mao-Xu, Chen-You, Si-Shen and Wu-Wei; for example, the Life Palace in Zi with Lu in Chou is hidden Lu. Xingge's chart does not mark the six combinations, so readers have to check for themselves whether the palace that combines with the Life Palace holds Lu Cun or Hua Lu.

Ke Ming An Lu: Hua Ke in the Life Palace (open) and Lu in the combining palace (hidden). The Gu Sui Fu says 「科明祿暗位列三臺」 (Gu Sui Fu). The difference from the previous entry: there both the open and the hidden are Lu, here the open one is Ke and the hidden one Lu.

Both entries use the idea of 'hidden', that is, the six branch combinations. The Quan Shu often uses them in its pattern lists but seldom in its rhapsodies; when checking, first find the palace that combines with the Life Palace.

Jin Yu Fu Jia: Zi Wei guarding the Life Palace, flanked by Tai Yang and Tai Yin in the palaces before and after. As the note explains, this cannot be assembled on a chart: Tai Yang is always three palaces behind Zi Wei and never next to it, so a chart with the sun and moon flanking Zi Wei does not exist. (Tai Yin does sit beside Zi Wei on some charts, but without Tai Yang on the other side the pattern still cannot form.)

The Tai Wei Fu has a similar-sounding 「帝坐金車則曰金輿捧櫛」 (Tai Wei Fu), which is about Zi Wei sitting in certain particular palaces and has nothing to do with the sun and moon flanking it. This entry can be seen as an ideal pattern built from the image of 'the emperor going out with the sun and moon escorting his carriage'; readers will not find it on a chart and need not force a match.