XinggeWhat Do Di Kong and Di Jie Govern?
〈問天空地劫所主若何？〉
The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu, Volume 1: Rhapsodies, questions on the stars, and chart patterns · Original text with translation
Introduction
This is the question 「問天空地劫所主若何？」 in the Zhu Xing Wen Da Lun (Questions and Answers on the Stars) in volume one of the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu: what do Di Kong and Di Jie govern? It is very short: one passage from Master Xiyi and one seven-character verse. With Di Kong and Di Jie guarding the Body or Life Palace, meeting lucky stars it is lucky and meeting bad stars it is bad; with the four malefic stars clashing and shining on it, 「輕者下賤，重者六畜之命」. Monks and priests are not upright, women become maids and concubines, and there is harm to family and loneliness. On the whole neither star should be seen; they surely mean loss of money, and in a Decade or Minor Luck they are sure to be bad. The verse says 「劫空為害最愁人，才智英雄誤一身」, and even with heaps of gold and jade one ends up poor.
The 天空 that the Quan Shu pairs with Di Jie here is what is usually called Di Kong. A Xingge chart also carries a minor star named Tian Kong, which is a different star.
1希夷先生曰：二星守身命，遇吉則吉，遇凶則凶。如四殺沖照，輕者下賤，重者六畜之命。僧道不正，女子婢妾，刑剋孤獨。大抵二星俱不宜見，定主破財，二限逢之必凶。
TranslationMaster Xiyi said: when these two stars guard the Body or Life Palace, meeting lucky stars it is lucky and meeting bad stars it is bad. If the four malefic stars clash and shine on it, in the lighter case the person is base, in the heavier case he has the fate of livestock. Monks and Daoist priests are not upright; women become maids and concubines; there is harm to family and loneliness. On the whole neither star should be seen: they surely mean loss of money, and when the two luck periods meet them it is sure to be bad.
- 六畜之命
- The fate of the six domestic animals (ox, horse, sheep, pig, dog and chicken): the lowest of lives.
- 婢妾
- Maids and concubines.
- 天空
- Paired here with Di Jie, it corresponds to Di Kong; it is not the minor star Tian Kong.
The 天空 of this question is Di Kong, as the note explains. Be aware that a Xingge chart also has a small star actually named Tian Kong, a minor star placed by the birth-year branch, which is not the Di Kong meant here; when reading the chart, go by the two stars Di Kong and Di Jie. Both are placed by birth hour starting from Hai, Di Jie counting forward and Di Kong backward, so for people born in the Zi or Wu hour the two share a palace.
「遇吉則吉，遇凶則凶」 is the basic nature of Di Kong and Di Jie: they decide nothing on their own, but amplify the stars in their palace. Yet the second half, 「大抵二星俱不宜見，定主破財，二限逢之必凶」, pulls the verdict back to the negative. The Quan Shu's general stance is that the two govern things coming to nothing and loss, and with the four malefic stars added they are very bad. The Gu Sui Fu's image is vivid: 「生逢天空猶如半天折翅，命中遇劫恰如浪裏行船」 (Gu Sui Fu). Read now, Di Kong and Di Jie point to unconventional thinking that does not follow the usual rules, but also to wasted effort and plans that fall through.
歌曰
3劫空為害最愁人，才智英雄誤一身，只好為僧並學術，堆金積玉也須貧。
TranslationThe harm of Di Jie and Di Kong is what grieves people most: talented and heroic men are led astray their whole lives. They can only become monks or take up a craft; even with heaps of gold and jade, they must end up poor.
「才智英雄誤一身」: Di Kong and Di Jie leave even gifted people with nothing achieved; the Gu Sui Fu's example is Xiang Yu, who lost his kingdom when his luck reached Di Kong. 「只好為僧並學術」: 學術 here means a craft or the arts of numerology, the same way out as the 'nine trades and crafts' in the other malefic-star chapters.
「堆金積玉也須貧」 is the most typical verdict on Di Kong and Di Jie: no amount of wealth can be kept. It shows most clearly when they sit in the Wealth or Fortune Palace; the Gu Sui Fu says 「生來貧賤劫空臨財福之鄉」. Di Kong and Di Jie in the two neighbours of the Life Palace form Kong Jie Jia Ming (Di Kong and Di Jie flanking the Life Palace), which later writers treat as a broken pattern. Seen from the other side, the two stars suggest little attachment to material things and a creative streak, suited to research, religion, the arts and other fields where wealth is not the main goal.
Base text (Wikisource, partly in simplified Chinese)
FAQ
What do Di Kong and Di Jie govern in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Master Xiyi says that with the two stars guarding the Body or Life Palace, meeting lucky stars it is lucky and meeting bad stars it is bad; with the four malefic stars clashing and shining on it, the lighter case is a base person and the heavier case has the fate of livestock. On the whole neither star should be seen: they surely mean loss of money, and in a Decade or Minor Luck they are sure to be bad.
Is the Quan Shu's 天空 the same star as Di Kong?
In this chapter 天空 is paired with Di Jie and placed by the birth hour, so it corresponds to what is usually called Di Kong. Modern charts also carry a minor star named Tian Kong, placed by the year branch, which is a different star.
What does 'poor even with heaps of gold and jade' mean?
It is the last line of the verse: 「劫空為害最愁人，才智英雄誤一身，只好為僧並學術，堆金積玉也須貧」. It means that with Di Kong and Di Jie in the chart, even someone with heaps of gold and jade will end up poor.