XinggePoor First, Rich Later
〈論命先貧後富〉
The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu, Volume 3: Reading a life and its luck periods · Original text with translation
Introduction
Poor First, Rich Later (論命先貧後富), in volume three of the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu, is about turning points in the middle of a life, and contrasts two kinds of people.
The first is born into a rich and noble family, with prosperity and office, an honoured wife and noble children, yet halfway through comes to 「人離財散，官非火盜，身喪家亡」: family scattered and wealth dispersed, lawsuits, fire and theft, death and the ruin of the house. The Quan Shu says this is not the natal chart's fault: the luck has reached a point where the Decade and Minor Luck clash with Tai Sui and malefic stars guard there, so ruin follows, 「不貧即損壽」, if not poverty then a shortened life. It calls this success first and failure later, great first and small later.
The second is born humble, earning a living as a craftsman, a doctor or a farmer, toiling in early life, yet rising from the flat ground in middle and later life and growing rich enough to astonish the whole district. The reason is that the natal chart is of a middling sort, and later the luck periods support it, the stars meeting lucky stars in Miao or Wang, so prosperity comes suddenly. It calls this poor first and rich later, small first and great later.
The chapter's point is the luck periods: the natal chart sets the pattern, and the luck periods set the rises and falls.
1人生於富貴之家，一生快樂享福，財官顯達，妻榮子貴，奴僕成行，聲名昭著。其間有半途遭傷，人離財散，官非火盜，身喪家亡，此等之命非命也。是限步逢大小二限及太歲相沖照，又加凶殺守臨，故此破敗，不貧即損壽也。所謂先成後敗，先大後小也。
TranslationA person is born into a rich and noble family, happy and blessed all through life, prosperous in wealth and office, with an honoured wife and noble children, servants in rows, and a shining name. Yet among them some suffer harm halfway: the family scatters and the wealth disperses, there are lawsuits, fire and theft, the person dies and the house is ruined. Such a life is not the natal chart. It is that the luck has come to where the Decade and Minor Luck and Tai Sui clash with one another, with malefic stars guarding there as well, and so there is ruin: if not poverty, then a shortened life. This is what is called success first and failure later, great first and small later.
- 限步
- The palace the luck period has reached.
- 大小二限
- The Decade Luck and the Minor Luck.
- 太歲
- Tai Sui: the Annual Luck.
This paragraph answers a practical question: why do some people with the same good chart fall halfway through life? The Quan Shu's answer is 「此等之命非命也」: the natal chart is not bad; the trouble is in the luck periods, the Decade Luck, Minor Luck and Tai Sui clashing with each other, and malefic stars guarding there. This is the basic Dou Shu idea of reading fate and luck separately: the natal chart sets the foundation, the luck periods decide what one meets and when. A Xingge chart marks the Decade Luck ages on each palace and shows which ten years you are in now; for a given year it also shows that year's transformations and where the annual Qing Yang and Tuo Luo fall. The Quan Shu's The Two Lucks and Tai Sui is about how to stack these layers.
2又有人命出身微賤，營活生計，百工巧藝，九流醫術，又為農圃等輩，初歷艱辛度日。卻仍中末平地升騰，發財驚駭鄉邦，因生在中庸之局，後因限步相扶，星辰逢吉曜兼廟旺，以此突然發達進祿。所謂先貧後富，先小後大是也。
TranslationThere are also people of humble birth who scrape a living, as craftsmen of every kind, in the nine trades or as doctors, or as farmers and gardeners, getting through hard days at first. Yet in middle and later life they rise from the flat ground, and grow rich enough to astonish the district, because they were born with a middling chart, and later the luck periods support them, the stars meeting lucky stars that are also Miao or Wang; so they prosper suddenly and gain income. This is what is called poor first and rich later, small first and great later.
- 百工巧藝
- Crafts and handiwork of every kind.
- 九流
- The 'nine streams': trades and arts of every kind.
- 農圃
- Farming fields and growing vegetables.
The reverse of the previous paragraph: born humble, a craftsman, doctor, diviner or farmer, toiling early, yet rising from the flat ground in middle and later life. There are two conditions: the natal chart is 「中庸之局」, neither good nor bad; and later 「限步相扶」, the Decade Luck reaches palaces with lucky stars in Miao or Wang. This shows that the Quan Shu does not think a low chart means a low life throughout; the luck periods can do a great deal. In practice, follow the Decade Luck ages along a Xingge chart: the ten-year spans whose palaces have bright main stars, lucky stars and Hua Lu are the stretches where a turnaround may come. It is what the lesson on the Decade Luck stresses: the chart is the map, and the Decade Luck is which part of the map you are walking through.
Base text (Wikisource, partly in simplified Chinese)
FAQ
How does Zi Wei Dou Shu see 'poor first, rich later'?
Poor First, Rich Later says that someone whose natal chart is of a middling sort toils in early life, and later, because the luck periods support it and the stars meet lucky stars in Miao or Wang, prospers suddenly in middle and later life: 「先貧後富，先小後大」, poor first and rich later, small first and great later.
Why do people with good charts fall halfway through life?
The Quan Shu says that 「非命也」, it is not the natal chart: the luck has reached a point where the Decade and Minor Luck clash with Tai Sui and malefic stars guard there, so there is ruin, and if not poverty then a shortened life. It calls this 「先成後敗」, success first and failure later.