Star Combinations: Tan Lang

Tan Lang's brightness table matches Xingge's; Xingge also grades Yin and Shen as Ping and Mao and You as Li. Tan Lang's transformed qi is peach blossom; it is the star of desire, socialising and talent, and belongs to water and wood. Its fallen positions, Si and Hai, are exactly where Lian Zhen and Tan Lang share a palace and both are Xian. Like Wu Qu, it is Miao in the four tombs, so when Wu Qu and Tan Lang share Chou or Wei, both are Miao. For Tan Lang's character as a whole, see The Nature of Tan Lang and the Tan Lang star page.

These are the Huo Tan pattern and the Ling Tan pattern: Tan Lang meeting Huo Xing or Ling Xing in the four tomb palaces. Huo Xing and Ling Xing are malefic stars, but Tan Lang belongs to water and wood, and fire meeting wood blazes up, so the malefic star turns into explosive force and brings sudden great wealth. The note ranks Chen and Xu first and Chou and Wei next: in Chen or Xu Tan Lang sits alone with Wu Qu opposite; in Chou or Wei it shares the palace with Wu Qu. Huo Xing and Ling Xing are placed by year branch and birth hour; on a chart, check whether one of them shares Tan Lang's palace or shines in from the San Fang.

The wording matches the Tian Tong page's 「天同會吉壽元長」 (segment 2). Fortune and Misfortune in the Decade Luck lists Tan Lang among the longevity stars, alongside Zi Wei, Tian Tong and Tian Liang. Tan Lang is usually seen as a star of romance and desire, and its role as a longevity star gets less attention; this line is one of its sources. Miao here means the four tombs, Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei. The modern sense is abundant energy and strong vitality.

What Does Tan Lang Govern? says 「四殺同，定為屠宰」. The ancients' logic: Tan Lang has desire and drive, malefic stars bring blades and bloodshed, and without lucky stars to restrain them, the person ends up in a trade that kills. Butchery was a lowly occupation in old times; today the line can correspond to work with knives, meat, surgery or the slaughter trade, with no slur intended.

The note's four cases follow one rule: Shen-Zi-Chen births with the Life Palace in Zi, Yin-Wu-Xu births in Wu, Hai-Mao-Wei births in Mao, Si-You-Chou births in You, each the middle position of the birth year's trine, which is the position of Jiang Xing (the General Star). Among the twelve Jiang Qian spirits on a Xingge chart, Jiang Xing falls in exactly this palace, so it can be checked directly. The Tai Wei Fu says 「貪會旺宮，終身鼠竊」 (segment 37), the Wang palaces being Zi, Wu, Mao and You. As written, it is the verdict of a petty thief; in today's terms it suggests strong desire and a liking for shortcuts. The conditions are very specific and should not be stretched to everyone with Tan Lang in the Life Palace in Zi, Wu, Mao or You.

The original is the Tai Wei Fu's 「貪坐生鄉，壽考永如彭祖」 (segment 38). The 'place of birth' is the Chang Sheng position. The note says people of fire, born in Yin, Wu or Xu years, with the Life Palace in Yin or Shen; Yin is fire's Chang Sheng, while Shen is the Chang Sheng of water and earth, so the note mixes things up somewhat. Tan Lang in Yin or Shen is only Ping; what it relies on is the vital force of Chang Sheng, not brightness. 'The Xingge approach' above explains the direction of the twelve life stages: since Xingge sets it by yin or yang and sex, Chang Sheng on a Xingge chart does not necessarily fall in Yin or Shen.

Tan Lang in Si or Hai always shares the palace with Lian Zhen, and both are Xian. This is Tan Lang's weakest position: Lian Zhen's transformed qi is imprisonment and Tan Lang's is peach blossom, both are fallen, desire is strong and restraint is lacking, so with malefic stars the person easily falls foul of the law. The note adds that blessings do not last. Compare the butcher of segment 4: that line covers malefic stars without lucky stars in any palace, while this one is specifically the fallen Si and Hai, hence the added 'punished'.

Tan Wu Tong Xing (Tan Lang and Wu Qu travelling together) appears in the Gu Sui Fu as 「貪武同行威鎮邊夷」 (segment 36). Wu Qu and Tan Lang share a palace in Chou and Wei and face each other from Chen and Xu, so the note ranks Chen and Xu first and Chou and Wei next, the same ranking as the Huo Tan line. The note's 'money after thirty' is the most famous trait of this pair: late success. The ancients described military achievement as overawing the frontier; the modern equivalent is a late bloomer who gains authority in a profession or business from middle age on.

The original is the Gu Sui Fu's 「先貧後富武貪同身命之宮」 (segment 14), the same thing as the previous line's 'money after thirty'. The note first says 'benefiting oneself at others' expense', then that with Zi Wei, the sun and moon, Zuo Fu and You Bi, Wen Chang and Wen Qu in the Life Palace and Hua Lu, Hua Quan and Hua Ke in the luck, the chart is judged noble. So Wu Qu and Tan Lang on their own lean toward money and gain, and need lucky stars and good luck periods to turn into rank. The Quan Shu also has a whole page, Poor First, Rich Later, on the same thing from the angle of the luck periods.

What Does Tan Lang Govern? says that with Tan Lang and Qi Sha guarding the Body and Life Palaces, 「男有穿窬之體，女有偷香之態」, almost the same words, with malefic stars here in place of Qi Sha. As written, it is a harsh verdict on the conduct of men and women. It points to strong desire without boundaries, easily crossing lines in love or money; how it actually plays out depends on whether lucky stars and Hua Ke in the Life Palace's San Fang hold it in check.

Wu Qu and Tan Lang in the Body Palace with no lucky stars in the Life Palace: life is short, and the note says lonely and poor. This is the counterpoint to the late success of segments 8 and 9: the same pair, in the Body Palace without support from the Life Palace, brings loneliness and poverty rather than late riches. The Body Palace is where the person's later efforts go, the Life Palace is the foundation; with a weak foundation and stars of wealth and desire carrying the later life, the ancients thought it could not hold. On a chart, check which palace is the Body Palace and whether Wu Qu and Tan Lang are in it.

The note already says these stars never meet. The Women's Gu Sui Fu has an almost identical verse, 「貪月同殺會機梁，因財計利作經商，須知暮夜無眠睡」 (segment 35), and the Tian Ji page of this chapter has doing business into the night without sleep. Taken together, the three show this is a circulating rhyme about trade, describing a character where the desire stars and the scheming stars mix: calculating, and busy chasing money. It is not a combination that can be found on a chart.

The Tai Wei Fu writes it as 「貪居亥子，名為犯水桃花」 (segment 30). Hai and Zi belong to water and Tan Lang is peach blossom, floating on it. The conditions break down very concretely: Qing Yang is in Zi in a Ren year, and Tuo Luo in Hai in a Gui year; in a Gui year Tan Lang also takes Hua Ji, so for a person born in a Gui year with Tan Lang in Hai, the fallen position, Tuo Luo and Hua Ji all sit in one palace. As written, the person is ruined by drink and lust; the note's 'with lucky stars it is lucky' gives the way out.

The Tai Wei Fu's original is 「刑遇貪狼，號曰風流彩杖」 (segment 30), where 刑 usually means Qing Yang or Tian Xing; this chapter changes it to Tuo Luo in Yin. Tuo Luo is in Yin in a Yi year (Lu Cun in Mao). Tan Lang in Yin is only Ping, with Lian Zhen opposite. The two definitions differ: the Tai Wei Fu stresses the punishing star, this chapter stresses Tuo Luo and the Yin palace. In old times a romantic scandal could earn a beating with the staff; the equivalent now is disputes or penalties arising from romantic trouble.

As the note says, Tan Lang and Wu Qu share a palace only in Chou and Wei, so in Shen only one of them can be in the Life Palace: Tan Lang in Shen is Ping with Lian Zhen opposite; Wu Qu in Shen is De and shares the palace with Tian Xiang. The original note judges it low only with Hua Ji: Tan Lang takes Hua Ji in Gui years, Wu Qu in Ren years. So the real point of the line is Hua Ji, not the Shen palace: only Tan Lang or Wu Qu in Shen with Hua Ji counts as a low pattern.

The four birth palaces are Yin, Shen, Si and Hai, the four tombs Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei. Wu Qu and Tan Lang in these positions meeting Po Jun, Hua Ji and malefic stars are versed in every craft. The Wealth Palace page also has Wu Qu with the four malefic stars making money from the hundred crafts. Again and again the Quan Shu links Wu Qu and Tan Lang with malefic stars to crafts; the logic is that strong energy cut off by malefic stars cannot take the regular road and turns to the crafts instead. It describes someone versatile and good with their hands.

Tan Lang, Wu Qu and Po Jun without lucky stars: lost in drink and pleasure, and the note says or a craftsman. All three stars push energy outward and lean toward desire and action, and without lucky stars to restrain them, the ancients thought the person would easily sink into indulgence. This runs on the same line as segments 11 and 16: Wu Qu and Tan Lang with the wasting star or malefic stars turn from wealth and rank to crafts or indulgence. The modern reading is someone energetic and fond of fun, who needs a career or interest to throw themselves into.

Lian Zhen and Tan Lang share a palace only in Si and Hai, both Xian, one of the Quan Shu's heaviest peach-blossom combinations. Lian Zhen is the secondary peach-blossom star and Tan Lang the principal one; two peach-blossom stars together in fallen positions, hence dissolute men and lewd women. The verdict is kept as written. In present-day terms, it suggests rich feelings, a busy social life and a tendency to get caught in complicated relationships; the Spouse and Fortune Palaces, and restraining stars such as Hua Ke and Tian Xing, decide what actually happens.

The note narrows the condition to Hai or Zi with Qing Yang or Tuo Luo, the same as the 'peach blossom floating on water' of segment 13, only the verdict for women becomes jealousy. It also says Lu Cun and Tian Ma are not good. Lu Cun with Tian Ma is normally a fine combination, but here it turns negative for a woman with Tan Lang; the ancients probably thought that a woman on the move with much money would not settle at home. It is a typical old view of women's charts; read now, it suggests a stronger possessive and competitive streak.