XinggeWhat Does Tian Ma Govern?
〈問天馬星所主若何？〉
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 Tian Ma question 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: 「問天馬星所主若何？」, what does Tian Ma govern? Tian Ma in the Body or Life Palace is called the 'post horse', and it likes Lu Cun, Zi Wei and Tian Fu, and Wen Chang and Wen Qu guarding or shining on it. The chapter is best known for its string of named horses: with Lu Cun in the same palace it is Lu Ma Jiao Chi, wealth and horse racing together (also called the broken-whip horse); with Zi Wei and Tian Fu, the horse that draws the carriage; with Tian Xing and malefic stars, the horse that carries a corpse; with Huo Xing, the war horse; with the sun and moon, the male and female horses; meeting Kong Wang, the dead horse or lost horse; in the Jue or Si position, the dead horse; meeting Tuo Luo, the lame horse. The last line says that all of these that 'offend' bring disaster and illness, and that the Annual Luck is judged the same way.
轝 is the same as 輿, a carriage; 絕死 means the Jue (cut off) and Si (death) stages among the twelve stages of growth.
1希夷先生答曰：諸宮各有制化，如身命臨之謂之驛馬。喜祿存、紫府、昌曲，守照為吉。如大小二限臨之，更遇祿存紫府，流昌必利。
TranslationMaster Xiyi answered: each palace has its own checks and transformations. If Tian Ma is in the Body or Life Palace, it is called the post horse. It likes Lu Cun, Zi Wei and Tian Fu, Wen Chang and Wen Qu guarding or shining on it, which is lucky. If the Decade or Minor Luck reaches it and it also meets Lu Cun, Zi Wei or Tian Fu, the annual Wen Chang is sure to bring benefit.
- 驛馬
- The post horse that carried official dispatches between relay stations; a figure for travel and movement.
- 流昌
- The annual Wen Chang.
Tian Ma is the post horse, governing movement and relocation. This passage says it 「喜祿存、紫府、昌曲」: Tian Ma needs something to carry. Lu Cun is money, Zi Wei and Tian Fu are authority, Wen Chang and Wen Qu are paperwork and honours; a horse carrying these means something, and otherwise it only runs empty.
Tian Ma is placed by the birth-year branch: for Yin, Wu and Xu years it is in Shen; for Shen, Zi and Chen years in Yin; for Si, You and Chou years in Hai; for Hai, Mao and Wei years in Si. So Tian Ma is only ever in Yin, Shen, Si or Hai, the four horse positions. The Annual Luck has its own annual horse, placed by the year's branch; 「大小二限臨之，更遇祿存紫府，流昌必利」 is the method of reading luck periods with annual stars stacked on top. See Lu Cun and Tian Ma.
2如與祿存同宮，謂之祿馬交馳，又曰折鞭馬；紫府同宮謂之扶轝馬；刑殺同宮謂之負屍馬；火星同宮謂之戰馬；日月同宮謂雌雄馬；逢空亡謂之死馬、亡馬；居絕死謂之死馬；遇陀羅謂之折足馬。
TranslationIf it is in the same palace as Lu Cun, it is called Lu Ma Jiao Chi (wealth and horse racing together), and also the broken-whip horse. In the same palace as Zi Wei and Tian Fu, it is called the horse that supports the carriage. In the same palace as Tian Xing and malefic stars, it is called the horse that carries a corpse. In the same palace as Huo Xing, it is called the war horse. In the same palace as the sun and moon (Tai Yang and Tai Yin), it is called the male and female horses. Meeting Kong Wang (the void), it is called the dead horse or lost horse. In the Jue or Si position, it is called the dead horse. Meeting Tuo Luo, it is called the lame horse.
- 祿馬交馳
- Wealth and horse racing together: a wealth star meeting Tian Ma.
- 扶轝馬
- The horse that supports the emperor's carriage; 轝 is the same as 輿, a carriage.
- 負屍馬
- A horse carrying a corpse on its back.
- 絕死
- The Jue (cut off) and Si (death) stages among the twelve stages of growth.
This passage gives Tian Ma nine names, sorted good or bad by the star sharing its palace: wealth and horse racing together and the carriage horse are good; the corpse-bearing horse, the war horse, the dead horse, the lost horse and the lame horse are bad; the male and female horses sit in between. This is the Quan Shu's well-known 'table of horses'.
A few facts about the chart can be added. Lu Cun is only in the four cardinal and four horse positions, and Tian Ma only in the four horse positions, so Lu Cun and Tian Ma share a palace only in Yin, Shen, Si or Hai; see Lu Ma Jiao Chi. Zi Wei and Tian Fu share a palace only in Yin and Shen, so the carriage horse occurs only there. Tai Yang and Tai Yin share a palace only in Chou and Wei, and Tian Ma never reaches Chou or Wei, so 「日月同宮謂雌雄馬」 never happens on a natal chart; it can only be read as Tian Ma sharing a palace with one of the sun and moon. That wealth and horse racing together is 「又曰折鞭馬」 is odd, since a broken whip sounds unlucky; it may be a copying error, or it may mean the horse runs so fast that even the whip breaks.
3以上犯此數者，俱主災病，流年值之依此斷。
TranslationAny of the above that offends in these ways brings disaster and illness; when the Annual Luck meets it, judge it in the same way.
「以上犯此數者，俱主災病」: from the context, 'offending' refers to the ill-named horses of the last segment, the corpse-bearing, war, dead, lost and lame horses; wealth and horse racing together and the carriage horse are not among those that offend. The Annual Luck is judged by the same table.
These horse names can be read today as follows: Tian Ma stands for change, and the star it is with decides what kind of change it is. With Lu Cun, running about for money and getting something for it; with Tuo Luo, moving and then getting stuck; with Huo Xing, rushed change full of conflict; meeting Kong Wang, a trip for nothing. When reading Tian Ma in an Annual Luck, look at how the annual horse relates to the natal stars as well.
Base text (Wikisource, partly in simplified Chinese)
FAQ
What does Tian Ma govern in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Master Xiyi says Tian Ma in the Body or Life Palace is called the post horse, and it is lucky when Lu Cun, Zi Wei and Tian Fu, or Wen Chang and Wen Qu guard or shine on it. When the Decade or Minor Luck meets Tian Ma and also meets Lu Cun, Zi Wei or Tian Fu, the annual Wen Chang is sure to bring benefit.
What is Lu Ma Jiao Chi?
The original says that Tian Ma 「與祿存同宮，謂之祿馬交馳，又曰折鞭馬」. A wealth star meeting Tian Ma was read by later writers as making money through movement: the more one moves, the more one gains.
What happens when Tian Ma meets Tuo Luo or Kong Wang?
The original calls Tian Ma meeting Tuo Luo the 'lame horse', meeting Kong Wang the 'dead horse' or 'lost horse', in the Jue or Si position also the 'dead horse', and with Tian Xing and malefic stars the 'horse that carries a corpse'. It says that all of these bring disaster and illness, and that the Annual Luck is judged the same way.