The Nature of the Four Transformations

Hua Lu is not a star of its own; the birth-year stem 'transforms' a certain star into Lu: Jia Lian Zhen, Yi Tian Ji, Bing Tian Tong, Ding Tai Yin, Wu Tan Lang, Ji Wu Qu, Geng Tai Yang, Xin Ju Men, Ren Tian Liang, Gui Po Jun. The Quan Shu gives it an element, earth, and a role, 'the spirit of blessings and virtue'. This passage is almost word for word the same as What Does Hua Lu Govern? (What Does Hua Lu Govern?), which suggests the volume two chapters on the stars' natures reworked the question-and-answer chapters. The condition is guarding the Body or Life Palace or the Career Palace and meeting Hua Ke and Hua Quan. On a Xingge chart Hua Lu is marked beside its star; look at the Life Palace and see whether the Lu, Quan and Ke marks all appear in its San Fang Si Zheng.

This segment gives Hua Lu's effect in the luck periods: in the Minor Luck, entering office; in the Decade Luck, ten years of good fortune; 「惡曜來臨並羊陀火忌沖照，亦不為害」. The Quan Shu has great faith in Hua Lu, saying even Hua Ji clashing with it does no harm, which differs from later views of Lu and Ji in one palace or 'Lu clashed and broken': later writers treat Lu Feng Chong Po (Lu clashed and broken) as a broken pattern. The two views can coexist: the Quan Shu speaks of Hua Lu's own resilience, later writers of Hua Lu weakened by malefic stars and Hua Ji. When reading a Decade Luck on Xingge, the decade's stem also turns some star into Hua Lu, and that star's palace is the focus of those ten years.

A woman's Hua Lu with lucky stars: a titled lady, dignified at home and abroad; with malefic stars, ordinary. 'Dignified at home and abroad' meant being respected both within the family and outside it. What Does Hua Lu Govern? places it after 「二限逢之」, so it may originally have spoken of the luck periods and been moved here to the natal chart. The verdict on a woman's Hua Lu is gentler than on Hua Quan (segments 12 and 16), with nothing like 'takes her husband's authority'. A woman with this placement is well liked, has resources, and does well at home and at work; with many malefic stars Hua Lu's benefits are discounted and things become ordinary.

「十干化祿」 stresses that Hua Lu is allotted by the ten stems, one star per year stem. A man meeting it wins merit on the frontier in military office, or fills the court with his name as a man of letters: good in both careers. Hua Lu's nature is 'affinity and harvest', so whatever line of work one takes up, results come readily. On a Xingge chart, the condition of this verse is a Lu mark beside the main star of the Life Palace. If Hua Lu sits in another palace, that palace is the area where the person most easily reaps rewards; see the Hua Lu lesson.

「祿主天同」 is Tian Tong becoming Hua Lu in Bing years. Tian Tong's transformed qi is blessing, and Hua Lu adds another layer of blessing, hence 「常人大富足田莊」. 'Meeting the sun' is an extra condition, but by the placement rules Tian Tong and Tai Yang neither share a palace nor enter each other's San Fang Si Zheng, so on a natal chart it can hardly hold as written; more likely it means a luck period reaching Tai Yang, or some other combination merged in by later copyists. 'The six domestic animals thrive' is a measure of wealth in a farming society; today it reads as business, investments and every source of income doing well.

Hua Lu in the luck period: rank rising high, ordinary folk greatly noble, gold and silver stored up. This verse states the benefits of Hua Lu in the luck periods at their fullest. Note that 'Lu in the luck period' can come from three sources: the natal Hua Lu falling in the decade's San Fang, the Hua Lu produced by the decade's stem, and the Hua Lu produced by the annual stem. It is clearest when all three stack. When reading the Decade or Annual Luck on Xingge, the palace where that period's transformation marks fall is where the period's rewards lie.

Hua Quan belongs to wood, 「掌判生殺之神」: the power to decide, to make the final call. Hua Quan by the ten stems: Jia Po Jun, Yi Tian Liang, Bing Tian Ji, Ding Tian Tong, Wu Tai Yin, Ji Tan Lang, Geng Wu Qu, Xin Tai Yang, Ren Zi Wei, Gui Ju Men, all of them main stars. The condition is guarding the Body or Life Palace and being greeted by Hua Ke and Hua Lu: then general abroad and minister at court. What Does Hua Quan Govern? has a further line, 「科權相逢必定文章冠世」 (What Does Hua Quan Govern?), which this passage leaves out. All three transformations in the Life Palace's San Fang is what later writers call San Qi Jia Hui (the three marvels meeting).

Hua Quan meeting Ju Men and Wu Qu: sole charge of great affairs, holding the military tallies. Ju Men is eloquence and analysis, Wu Qu money and generalship, and both lean to real power when they meet Quan: Ju Men becomes Hua Quan in Gui years, Wu Qu in Geng years. 「為人極古怪，到處欲人敬重」 is the side effect of Hua Quan: caring about face, wanting respect, not easy to get along with. Segment 46 says 「權會巨武英揚」 again, and Star Combinations has 「巨武戍揚科」 (戍 is a slip for 戌) (Star Combinations: Tian Ma, Hua Ke, Hua Quan and Hua Lu), so the link between Ju Men, Wu Qu and Hua Quan is stressed again and again in the Quan Shu.

Hua Quan in the luck periods: in the Minor Luck nothing unlucky, in the Decade Luck ten years going as wished; but meeting Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Tian Shang, Tian Shi, Di Kong and Di Jie, 「聽說貽累，官災貶謫」. The line is perceptive: the greatest risk for a person with power is not lack of ability but listening to slander and being dragged down by those around him. What Does Hua Quan Govern? has 「聽讒貽累」, which makes the meaning clearer. The note explains 耗使. In a period when one holds power, it pays to filter the voices around one and not let others act in one's name.

A woman with Hua Quan is content at home and abroad; monks and Daoists are in charge of mountain and forest and hold a master's title. The passage is positive about a woman's Hua Quan, and What Does Hua Quan Govern? adds 「可作命婦」. Compare segment 16's verse, 'takes her husband's authority': the same Hua Quan is 'content' in the prose and 'takes her husband's authority' in the verse, two different tones. It describes a woman who knows her own mind, makes decisions, and can take the lead both at home and at work.

This verse says the same as segment 10 in verse: the Quan star needs lucky stars in support, and meeting Ju Men and Wu Qu, 「三邊鎮守掌兵符」. The three frontiers were the strategic borderlands of old China. 'Bold nerve' is Hua Quan's temperament: ready to charge in and take responsibility. Such a person suits positions that call for decisiveness and execution, such as management, starting a business or leading a project. Without lucky stars in support, all that is left of Hua Quan is the 'bold nerve', and conflicts with others come easily.

A woman's Hua Quan meeting lucky stars: ample clothing and income, both wealth and rank, but 「人性硬，奪夫權柄」. This is the typical old judgment on a woman holding power: being capable is good, but overshadowing her husband is a problem. The meaning is kept as written. Today it reads as decision-making power at home resting with her; if the partner accepts this division of roles the family is stable, but if the partner also wants to lead, there will be tugs of war. For people with Hua Quan in the Spouse Palace, similar tugs of war are more obvious.

Hua Quan governing the luck period: office rising high, money increasing, a good time to found an enterprise. This verse singles out 'suits founding an enterprise', the only one of the Quan Shu's luck verses on the four transformations that says so outright. Hua Quan's force is control, and a luck period reaching Hua Quan is a time when one can make one's own decisions and start one's own ventures. When reading the Decade Luck on Xingge, whichever palace the Quan produced by the decade's stem falls in, the affairs of that palace are what one can take charge of in those ten years.

The Quan star meeting Wu Qu and Tan Lang: everything succeeds, scholars win a high name, commoners pile up gold and silver. Wu Qu becomes Hua Quan in Geng years and Tan Lang in Ji years; Wu Qu and Tan Lang are also the stars of money and desire, so this group leans to wealth. 「權星若遇武貪臨」 can mean Hua Quan falling on Wu Qu or Tan Lang itself, or Hua Quan on some other star meeting Wu Qu and Tan Lang. On a Xingge chart, check whether the palaces of Wu Qu and Tan Lang carry the Quan mark, or have it in their San Fang.

Hua Ke belongs to water, 「上界應試之神，主掌文墨之神」. Hua Ke by the ten stems: Jia Wu Qu, Yi Zi Wei, Bing Wen Chang, Ding Tian Ji, Wu You Bi, Ji Tian Liang, Geng Tai Yin, Xin Wen Qu, Ren Tian Fu, Gui Tai Yin. Tai Yin becomes Hua Ke in both Geng and Gui years, the only repeat in the Ke column of the ten stems. Unlike Lu and Quan, Ke can fall on three auxiliary stars (Wen Chang, You Bi, Wen Qu), because Ke is about literary fame and the stars of letters fit in. See Hua Quan and Hua Ke.

Hua Ke guarding the Body or Life Palace and meeting Quan and Lu: intelligent and accomplished; 「最喜逢魁鉞」, and then one surely passes. In the pairing of Hua Ke with Tian Kui and Tian Yue, Kui and Yue are noble helpers and Hua Ke is being graded and noticed, so examinations, selections and recommendations go especially smoothly. 「如遇惡星，亦為文章秀士」 is where Hua Ke is most resilient: even with malefic stars, reputation and expertise remain. What Does Hua Ke Govern? has nearly the same line, 「如逢惡曜亦為文章秀士」 (What Does Hua Ke Govern?), and the Lu Cun chapter uses almost the same sentence pattern for Kui and Yue (The Nature of Lu Cun).

「或作群英師範」 continues the previous segment: Hua Ke meeting evil stars can still make a teacher. But Hua Ke fears 'the road-blocking void, Xun Kong and Tian Kong': three kinds of void. Jie Kong follows the year stem, Xun Kong the ten-year cycle of the birth year, and Tian Kong is Di Kong (placed by the hour). Hua Ke is reputation, and what reputation fears most is coming to nothing: missing an examination by a hair, an award withdrawn, work nobody reads. On a Xingge chart Jie Kong and Xun Kong are both marked in a palace; check whether Hua Ke shares a palace with them. Later writers have two similar broken patterns, Lu Feng Jie Kong (Lu meeting the road-blocking void) and Lu Feng Xun Kong (Lu meeting Xun Kong), on the same principle.

A woman's chart with the Ke star shining on or guarding it: the wife of a high minister, 「雖四殺沖破也主富貴」. Of the four transformations Hua Ke gets the best verdict for women; even the four malefic stars clashing do not touch the wealth and rank, the same tone as for a woman's Kui and Yue (segment 18 of the Lu Cun chapter). The woman it describes has learning, presence and a good name, and even when circumstances go badly, she can stand firm on expertise and reputation.

「一躍禹門龍變化」 alludes to the carp leaping the Dragon Gate, a figure for passing the examinations and changing one's station. A man with Hua Ke in the Life Palace holds brocade within and his fame reaches the court. The verse sets no condition at all; Hua Ke entering the Life Palace is enough, the Quan Shu's most generous verdict on Hua Ke. For people like this, degrees, certificates and professional qualifications are the main way to change their fortunes.

This verse adds a condition to the last: meeting Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Tian Kui and Tian Yue, one leaps the Dragon Gate. Wen Chang and Wen Qu are stars of letters and Kui and Yue noble helpers, the same family as Hua Ke, so stacked together they make the strongest combination for examinations. On a Xingge chart, Hua Ke in the Life Palace with Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Tian Kui and Tian Yue in the San Fang Si Zheng is this verse. Later patterns such as Chang Qu Jia (flanked by Wen Chang and Wen Qu) and Kui Yue Jia (flanked by Kui and Yue) are of the same kind.

A woman's Hua Ke, 「四德兼全性格清」: the four virtues were the four demands old China made of women, womanly virtue, speech, appearance and work. Meeting lucky stars, Quan and Lu as well, her husband is honoured, her sons noble, and she is a titled lady. This verse binds a woman's Hua Ke to the old image of the ideal woman, and the meaning is kept as written. It suggests someone cultivated, well spoken and careful in her work, respected at home and in the workplace.

The Ke star in the two luck periods meeting Wen Chang: scholars' names grow fragrant, monks, Daoists and commoners are often rich and of rank. Wen Chang and Hua Ke are of a kind, and a luck period meeting both is the moment for examinations, publishing and awards. Laying the Decade or Annual Luck over the chart on Xingge, see which palace the Ke from that period's stem falls in, then whether Wen Chang is in that palace or its San Fang. Such a period suits examinations, applications, submissions and reviews.

Hua Ji belongs to water, 「多管之神」: tangled up in much, unable to let go, managing too much. Hua Ji by the ten stems: Jia Tai Yang, Yi Tai Yin, Bing Lian Zhen, Ding Ju Men, Wu Tian Ji, Ji Wen Qu, Geng Tian Tong, Xin Wen Chang, Ren Wu Qu, Gui Tan Lang. Guarding the Body or Life Palace: a life of setbacks and quarrels. What Does Hua Ji Govern? has the same text (What Does Hua Ji Govern?). 'Meddling in much' fits a modern reading well: where Hua Ji sits is what a person can least let go of and most wants to control, and so where trouble most easily arises; see the Hua Ji lesson.

Hua Ji in the luck periods: in the Minor Luck a year of shortfall, in the Decade Luck ten years of regret; with the two lucks and Tai Sui arriving together, 「斷然蹭蹬」. The second half sorts by occupation: scholars do not last, soldiers suffer no harm from lawsuits, merchants and craftsmen are ill-suited everywhere. The division is interesting: soldiers live amid conflict anyway, so a few more quarrels hardly count, while scholars and merchants live on reputation and credit, and Hua Ji strikes at the root. Anyone who lives on trust should watch contracts and promises closely in a Hua Ji period.

These are Hua Ji's finer rules: with Zi Wei, Tian Fu, Wen Chang and Wen Qu in the same palace it is lucky, the harm resolved; Hua Ji sharing a palace with Quan and Lu, plus Qing Yang, Huo Xing, Ling Xing and Di Kong, means 'sudden gains and sudden losses, making money but not keeping it'. What Does Hua Ji Govern? puts it more clearly: 「如會紫府、昌曲、左右、科權祿，與忌同宮又兼四殺共處，即發財亦不佳」, and also 「處事只求七分」 (What Does Hua Ji Govern?). 'Aim for only seventy percent' is the Quan Shu's most practical advice for a Hua Ji chart: do not reach for the full measure, leave some room.

As the notes point out, these two lines do not fit the ten-stem table: in Ding years Tian Tong becomes Hua Quan, not Hua Ji (its Hua Ji comes in Geng years), and in Xin years Ju Men becomes Hua Lu, not Hua Ji (its Hua Ji comes only in Ding years). Set beside the Gu Sui Fu, the matter is clear: 「天同戌宮為反背，丁人化吉主大貴」 (Gu Sui Fu) and 「巨門辰戌為陷地，辛人化吉祿崢嶸」 (Gu Sui Fu). The original point is that a weakly placed Tian Tong or a fallen Ju Men meeting a good transformation (Hua Quan for Tian Tong in Ding years, Hua Lu for Ju Men in Xin years) turns out well; the lines were probably copied into the Hua Ji passage by mistake, a clear case of the Quan Shu misplacing its own material. Note that Tian Tong in Xu is Ping (Average) on the Xingge chart, not Xian, which is why the Gu Sui Fu calls it 反背, 'back turned', rather than fallen; Ju Men in Chen is Xian. The chart follows the table, so Tian Tong's Hua Ji is read in Geng years and Ju Men's in Ding years.

Tai Yang as Hua Ji in Yin, Mao, Chen, Si or Wu, Tai Yin as Hua Ji in You, Xu, Hai or Zi: judged a blessing; the sun and moon as Hua Ji in fallen positions: great misfortune. The logic is brightness: Tai Yang from Yin to Wu is Wang or Miao (Xingge marks it Wang or Miao), and Tai Yin from You to Zi is Wang or Miao; a bright sun or moon dissolves Hua Ji with its light, while a fallen sun or moon has no light and Hua Ji is unlucky. Tai Yang becomes Hua Ji in Jia years and Tai Yin in Yi years. On a Xingge chart, when the sun or moon carries the Ji mark, the small brightness mark beside it tells which case it is.

Lian Zhen as Hua Ji in Hai, 「火入泉鄉」: Lian Zhen belongs to fire and Hai to water, so the fire falling into water is put out, and Hua Ji's harm is put out with it. For a person of a water chart (Water 2 Bureau) as well, Hua Ji does no harm. Lian Zhen becomes Hua Ji in Bing years; in Hai, Lian Zhen shares a palace with Tan Lang, and Xingge marks Lian Zhen Xian there. The logic is the overcoming cycle of the five elements: an unlucky star held in check stops being unlucky. Later readings that 'subdue harm by overcoming it' mostly come from passages like this. On a Xingge chart, the Five Elements Bureau is shown on the chart; just check whether it is Water 2.

Hua Ji on any star is not good to meet; with unlucky stars it is worse; even rescued by lucky stars, wealth and rank are not abundant. This verse fixes the basic verdict on Hua Ji: lucky stars can rescue, but not fully. It means the same as segment 33's 'aim for only seventy percent'. People with Hua Ji in the Life Palace often have one corner of life that stays missing; acknowledging it and working around it takes less effort than insisting on filling it in.

Tan Lang and Po Jun fallen and becoming Hua Ji: a man a villain or thief, a woman a lewd harlot. The verse has a problem with the transformation table: of the ten stems, none makes Po Jun Hua Ji (Po Jun becomes Hua Quan only in Jia years and Hua Lu in Gui years), so only Tan Lang as Hua Ji (Gui years) can hold, and the comparison with your own chart marks only Tan Lang. Tan Lang's fallen positions are Si and Hai, where it shares a palace with Lian Zhen. 'No sleep' means no rest at night, a restless mind or activity at night. The meaning is kept as written; in modern terms, desire and impulse readily cross the line.

A woman's Hua Ji is no wonder to begin with, and with unlucky stars it is the root of disaster, with hardship in food and clothing; lucky stars gathering lessen the disaster. Compared with the man's verse it adds 「衣食艱辛貧賤甚」, a heavier judgment on a woman's livelihood that reflects women's economic dependence in old China. For a woman with Hua Ji in the Life Palace, financial independence and a steady support system matter especially.

「忌星入廟反為佳」: Hua Ji falling in a temple position turns out well, and even lawsuits do no harm. This is the same principle as segment 35, where the sun and moon as Hua Ji depend on brightness: when the star itself is bright, Hua Ji's harm is absorbed. On a Xingge chart, if the small brightness mark of the star carrying Hua Ji reads Miao or Wang, this verse applies. 「一進一退名不遂」 still keeps Hua Ji's character: back and forth, not smooth, but not harmful.

The Ji star in the two luck periods: disaster, the family collapsing; an official dismissed and charged with corruption, a clerk in danger of prison and the cane. 贓濫 was the charge of corruption, what officials of old feared most. This verse brings Hua Ji's harm down to the law and one's post: the official wrongly accused or truly corrupt, the clerk punished. When Hua Ji enters the luck period, handling money and signing documents call for particular care, and the accounts must be clear.

The Ji star fallen in an idle palace, with evil malefic stars: money scattered and people gone, much illness, officials harmed and dismissed, mourning again and again. It is the counterpart of segment 43's 'in its temple, turns out well'. Two separate conditions are stacked here: 'fallen' is the star's brightness, while the idle palace (閑宮) comes from a fixed table in the Quan Shu that lists particular main stars in particular palaces (Life Master, Body Master and Notes on Chart Setup); it is not another name for Xian. A fallen star carrying Hua Ji that also sits in one of its idle palaces has the least strength to absorb the harm. 「孝重逢」 is one bereavement after another. When this combination appears in a Decade Luck, the health of older family members needs looking after, and risks in one's career are best avoided.

These four lines are the rhyme that sums up the four transformations: Hua Lu meeting Lu Cun, wealth and rank (double Lu, the later Shuang Lu Jiao Liu, the two Lu exchanging); Hua Quan meeting Ju Men and Wu Qu, a far-spread name; Hua Ke meeting Kui and Yue, rank and distinction; Hua Ji meeting the Body or Life Palace, quarrels. Star Combinations has 「科權祿合富貴雙全」, with the note 「祿存亦是祿，祿會祿存，富貴全會」 (Star Combinations: Tian Ma, Hua Ke, Hua Quan and Hua Lu). The four lines are the best introduction to reading the four transformations: each has its favourite partner.

From this segment the text deals with the Year Lord (the Annual Luck's Tai Sui). Tai Sui belongs to fire; meeting the unlucky spirits it 'does not conspire', which, as the note says, is usually read as not doing evil together; what it fears most is clashing with the Decade and Minor Luck. The meaning: Tai Sui is not an unlucky star in itself, but when the Tai Sui palace and the luck-period palace face each other in clash, that is the crux of the year. Laying the Annual Luck over the chart on Xingge, the Annual Luck's Life Palace is where Tai Sui is; see whether it stands opposite the Decade Luck's Life Palace.

The Decade Luck meeting Zi Wei, Tian Fu, Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Zuo Fu, You Bi, Tian Kui, Tian Yue and other lucky stars to the rescue: few disasters, only livestock dying or straying to watch for. In a farming society, dead or lost livestock was a small loss; the point is that with lucky stars to the rescue, big troubles shrink to small ones. In a year when Tai Sui clashes with the luck period, if the Decade Luck's San Fang has many lucky stars, the problems are mostly minor losses, a sick pet or something broken, nothing that strikes at the bone.

This line follows on, with the condition reversed: meeting Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing, Ling Xing, Di Jie, Di Kong, Tian Shang and Tian Shi, money lost and people dying. Here the six malefic stars (Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing, Ling Xing, Di Jie, Di Kong) are listed together with Tian Shang and Tian Shi, the Quan Shu's full roster of unlucky stars. A year when Tai Sui clashes with the luck period and meets all these malefic stars calls for great caution: health checks, insurance and financial backup should all be in place.

A woman's chart with Tai Sui clashing the luck period: beware of a difficult birth; many lucky stars, rescue; many evil ones, death. Childbirth was the greatest threshold of life and death for women in old China. The condition is clear: the balance of lucky and unlucky stars decides the outcome. Medical conditions are different now; without changing the book's meaning, it reads as a year in which any plans for a child call for careful preparation with prenatal care and medical resources.

Tai Sui guarding the Career Palace or the luck period needs careful working out; with no lucky stars to help, there is an uproar of lawsuits. 官限 can be read as the Career Palace and the luck period. In a year when Tai Sui falls in the Career Palace, there are changes at work, and without lucky stars legal or workplace disputes come easily. Laying the Annual Luck over the chart on Xingge, this verse applies when the Annual Luck's Life Palace falls on the natal Career Palace.

The Dou Jun is the palace of the first month in the Annual Luck, from which the monthly lucks are counted. As the note and the glossary explain, the rhyme for placing the Dou Jun says to start the first month at the Annual Luck's Tai Sui palace and count backward to the birth month, then start the Zi hour at the birth month and count forward to the birth hour (Placing the Annual Spirits, Dou Jun and Kong Wang). 「遇吉斷吉，遇凶斷凶」: whether the Dou Jun's palace is lucky or unlucky sets the tone for that year's first month. See Minor Luck and the monthly luck.

The Dou Jun falling in a certain palace and meeting unlucky malefic stars means gains and losses, disaster, illness and lawsuits that year, 「依月限斷之」: start the first month at the Dou Jun's palace and read on one palace per month. This is the basic rule of the Quan Shu's monthly luck method. When the monthly luck is laid over the chart on Xingge, each month's Life Palace is laid out exactly this way. Breaking the year into twelve months, the month whose palace holds malefic stars or Hua Ji is the one to be careful in.