XinggeWhat Does Tuo Luo Govern?
〈問陀羅星所主若何？〉
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 Tuo Luo 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: 「問陀羅星所主若何？」, what does Tuo Luo govern? The whole chapter is a single passage from Master Xiyi. Like Qing Yang, Tuo Luo is 「北斗之助星」, a helper star of the Northern Dipper. Guarding the Body or Life Palace, the person's heart and conduct are not upright, secret tears flow long, he is hard and fierce, goes forward and back in what he does, rises suddenly and falls suddenly, and drifts without rest. With Tan Lang in the same degree, wine and women bring consumption; with Huo Xing and Ling Xing, scabies and plague; in the Health Palace, hidden illness that lingers. For people born in Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei years it is a blessing; in its temple it is judged by wealth and office, and soldiers rise suddenly and high. In a fallen place with malefic stars added it brings harm and misfortune, and one must 「二姓延生」; a woman suffers harm to family and is base.
「二姓延生」 means being adopted or fostered into a family of another surname in order to survive; 癆 was a wasting disease of old.
1希夷先生答曰：陀羅北斗之助星。守身命心行不正，暗淚長流，性剛威猛，作事進退。橫成橫破，飄蕩不定。與貪狼同度因酒色以成癆，與火鈴同處，疥疫不死。居疾厄，暗疾纏綿。辰戌丑未生人為福，在廟財官論，文人不耐久，武人橫發高遷。若陷地加殺刑剋招凶，二姓延生，女人刑剋下賤。
TranslationMaster Xiyi answered: Tuo Luo is a helper star of the Northern Dipper. Guarding the Body or Life Palace, the person's heart and conduct are not upright, and secret tears flow long; he is hard by nature and fierce, and goes forward and back in what he does. He rises suddenly and falls suddenly, and drifts without rest. With Tan Lang in the same degree, wine and women bring on consumption; with Huo Xing and Ling Xing in the same place, he gets scabies and plague but does not die. In the Health Palace, hidden illness lingers. For people born in Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei years it is a blessing; in its temple it is judged by wealth and office; a scholar does not last, while a soldier rises suddenly and high. If it is in a fallen place with malefic stars added, it brings harm to family and misfortune, and one lives on only under a second surname; a woman suffers harm to family and is base.
- 橫成橫破
- Rising suddenly and falling suddenly.
- 癆
- Consumption: in old usage a wasting disease such as tuberculosis.
- 疥疫
- Scabies and plague.
- 二姓延生
- Living on under a second surname: being adopted or fostered into a family of another surname in order to survive.
Tuo Luo's transformed qi is obstruction, and it forms a pair with Qing Yang: Qing Yang is the open blade, Tuo Luo the hidden drag. So its character is written as 「心行不正，暗淚長流」, 「作事進退」 and 「橫成橫破」: an energy of entanglement, delay and back-and-forth. Tuo Luo sits in the palace just before Lu Cun (「祿前擎羊後陀羅」), so it only ever falls in the eight palaces Yin, Shen, Si, Hai, Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, never in Zi, Wu, Mao or You. On a Xingge chart it is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei and Xian in Yin, Shen, Si and Hai, matching the Star Combinations chapter's 「陀羅 廟辰戌丑未 陷寅申巳亥」 (Star Combinations: Qing Yang and Tuo Luo).
「辰戌丑未生人為福，在廟財官論」: like Qing Yang, it is fond of the four tombs. 「文人不耐久，武人橫發高遷」 is almost the same line as the Hua Ji chapter's 「文人不耐久，武人縱有官災口舌不妨」, which shows the Quan Shu treats Tuo Luo and Hua Ji as kin. 「二姓延生」 was the old remedy for a child with a hard fate: adoption, or taking godparents.
Base text (Wikisource, partly in simplified Chinese)
FAQ
What does Tuo Luo govern in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Master Xiyi says Tuo Luo is a helper star of the Northern Dipper. Guarding the Body or Life Palace, the person's heart and conduct are not upright, secret tears flow long, he is hard and fierce, goes forward and back in what he does, rises suddenly and falls suddenly, and drifts without rest. In its temple it is judged by wealth and office; scholars do not last, and soldiers rise suddenly and high.
What does the Quan Shu say about Tuo Luo with Tan Lang?
The original says Tuo Luo 「與貪狼同度因酒色以成癆」: wine and women bring on consumption. Later writers also call this combination 'the romantic's coloured staff'.
What does 'living on under a second surname' mean?
The original says that Tuo Luo in a fallen place with malefic stars brings harm and misfortune, and 「二姓延生」: one must be adopted or fostered into a family of another surname in order to survive. The Huo Xing chapter likewise has 「過房出外養，二姓可延生」.
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