The Nature of Tai Yang

This is the general description of Tai Yang in the Life Palace, and the key line is 「夜生陷日生廟旺」: besides the brightness of the palace, the Quan Shu also looks at whether one was born by day or by night. This condition belongs to Tai Yang alone; Star Combinations: Tai Yang also writes out 'born by day' in 「日照雷門，子辰卯地晝生富貴聲揚」.

Xingge marks brightness by palace only (following the brightness table in the setup charts), and it does not change with day or night; those who want to read by the Quan Shu should discount Tai Yang's strength themselves for a night birth. The kind heart and the love of giving, 「心慈面紫色，好濟施」, extend from its transformed qi, rank, and its element, fire: the sun shines on others and gives more than it takes.

The condition is Tai Yang in the Life Palace with lucky stars 「守照官祿」: meeting Zuo Fu and You Bi, Wen Chang and Wen Qu, Tian Kui and Tian Yue, Tai Yin and Lu Cun, and these sitting in the Career Palace or shining on it. Tai Yang is master of the Career Palace, so the Quan Shu looks especially at the career palace for Tai Yang.

In practice, with Tai Yang in the Life Palace, the Career Palace is always in the Life Palace's trine, so reading the Life Palace's San Fang Si Zheng covers both together. The Tai Wei Fu also has 「太陽會文昌於官祿，皇殿朝班，富貴全美」 (see the original), a concrete combination along the same lines.

The first half is about Tai Yang in the Body Palace: with lucky stars gathered it is 「貴人門下客」, otherwise 「公卿走卒」. Both are at the side of the powerful, only at different levels; today it can be read as suited to working in a large organisation or beside important people, whether as an adviser or at the base depending on how many lucky stars there are.

The second half, 「六庚生人命坐卯宮，第一廟所」: Tai Yang in Mao is in its temple and shares the palace with Tian Liang, the Ri Zhao Lei Men (the sun shining on the Thunder Gate) pattern; in Geng years Tai Yang's Hua Lu sits in the Life Palace, so it ranks first, and in Ren years Tian Liang's Hua Lu sits there, so it comes next. Note that this contradicts segment 9 of this chapter; see the explanation there.

The condition of this line is Tai Yang in the Life Palace in Hai. Tai Yang in Hai is fallen, with Ju Men in the opposite palace, exactly what the chapter on what Tai Yang governs describes as 「在戌亥子為失輝，更逢巨暗一生勞碌貧忙」 (see the original).

What 'born in Shen' means is unclear, as the note says. Read as people born in Shen years, Tian Ma in a Shen year is in Yin, with no direct relation to Hai, and there is as yet no reliable explanation of why the original singles out Shen years. The chart comparison marks only Tai Yang in the Life Palace in Hai.

This line is the general rule for Tai Yang's brightness: Miao or Wang means wealth and rank for life, while fallen it is bad even with Hua Quan or Hua Lu. By the brightness table, Tai Yang is Xian (Fallen) in Zi and Hai, Bu (Unsupported) in Chou and Xu, Ping (Average) in You, and De (Gain) or better in all other palaces. The claim that a lucky transformation cannot rescue a fallen position is rare in the Quan Shu, which shows how seriously the ancients took Tai Yang losing its light.

「出外離祖可吉」 is the remedy for the fallen position: leaving one's birthplace turns out better. Star Combinations: Tai Yang says 「日落未申在命位，為人先勤後懶」, and 'diligent first, lazy in the end' here is the same phrase.

The segment has three levels of condition: fallen and clashed and broken by Qing Yang and Tuo Luo is a low pattern, 「橫發橫破」; with harmful killing stars added there is illness; with Hua Ji, eye disease. Tai Yang takes Hua Ji only in Jia years. Tai Yang governing the eyes is a general rule in the Quan Shu; Star Combinations: Tai Yang also says 「太陽化忌，是非日有目還傷」.

The Quan Shu has another view to keep in mind: The Nature of the Four Transformations says Tai Yang with Hua Ji in Yin, Mao, Chen, Si or Wu 「為福論」, and 「若日月陷地化忌，主大凶」. Reading the two together, Tai Yang with Hua Ji in a Miao or Wang position is not bad after all, and only in a fallen position does it bring eye disease and quarrels. The chart comparison marks Tai Yang with Hua Ji in the Life Palace; check the brightness shown on the chart for whether it is strong or fallen.

There are two kinds of Tai Yang in a woman's chart: in its temple she helps her husband and benefits her children; fallen and meeting Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing, Ling Xing, Hua Ji and Di Jie, poverty, low station and disability. What stands out is the last part: even fallen and meeting malefic stars she is still 「貞潔之婦」, and as a nun she is 'pure'. This differs from the Quan Shu's ready verdicts of 'lewd' for women with Tai Yin, Tian Ji or Ju Men; in a woman's chart Tai Yang is seen as an upright star.

The Women's Gu Sui Fu also says 「端正紫微太陽星，早遇賢夫性可憑」. The Quan Shu has always rated the character of a woman with Tai Yang highly; the misfortunes lie only in money and health.

In Zi and Wu Tai Yang has Tian Liang in the opposite palace. Tai Yang in Wu is Wang, the Jin Can Guang Hui (golden brilliance) pattern, which the Tai Wei Fu calls 「日麗中天」 (see the original); in Zi it is fallen. The reasoning by year stem is clear: in Ding and Ji years Lu Cun is in Wu, either in the Life Palace or shining from opposite; in Bing and Wu years Qing Yang is in Wu, and in Ren years Qing Yang is in Zi, hence 'regret and trouble'.

Note that this line writes Zi and Wu together, and the same year stem works differently in the two palaces: in Ding years, for example, Lu Cun in Wu sits in the Life Palace for someone with it in Wu, but shines from opposite for someone with it in Zi.

Tai Yang is in its temple in Mao and Ping in You, sharing the palace with Tian Liang in both. In Yi years Lu Cun is in Mao and in Xin years in You, and in Xin years Tai Yang also takes Hua Quan, hence a wealth and office pattern; in Jia years Tai Yang takes Hua Ji and Qing Yang is in Mao, so the person is hard pressed.

The problem is Geng years: this line says 「甲庚生人困」, yet segment 3 of this chapter says 「六庚生人命坐卯宮，第一廟所」, the same chapter contradicting itself. One possible explanation: the line writes Mao and You together, and in Geng years Qing Yang is in You, so it is hard only for people with Tai Yang in You; for people with it in Mao, Tai Yang's Hua Lu sits in the Life Palace in Geng years, which is exactly what makes it first. With lines that write two palaces together, read the year stems palace by palace.

In Yin and Shen Tai Yang shares a palace with Ju Men, the Ju Ri Tong Gong (Ju Men and the sun in one palace) pattern. In Yin Tai Yang is Wang, the rising sun; in Shen it is De, the sun already past noon. The Gu Sui Fu says 「巨日同宮，官封三代」 (see the original); the Quan Shu rates this combination very highly, and Star Combinations mentions 「巨日寅宮立命申，先馳名而食祿」 again and again.

As for the year stems, Geng years are best, with Tai Yang's Hua Lu and Lu Cun in Shen; in Jia years Lu Cun is in Yin, but Tai Yang takes Hua Ji the same year; in Ding and Ji years Lu Cun is in Wu, in the trine of Yin.

Tai Yang in Si is Wang, the sun 'ascending the palace', standing alone; Ju Men is in the opposite palace, and with a bright sun shining on the dark star, Ju Men's quarrels are held down, so it is judged a wealth and office pattern outright. Tai Yang in Hai is fallen with Ju Men opposite, the case of segment 4, and with killing stars as well there is loneliness, widowhood and poverty.

Star Combinations: Ju Men has a related pair of lines, 「巨在亥宮日在巳，食祿馳名」 (see the original) and 「巨在巳宮日在亥，反為不佳」 (see the original), which match this segment's Si lucky, Hai unlucky exactly.

Tai Yang is Wang in Chen and 'fallen' in Xu, and in both palaces Tai Yin is opposite. The sun in Chen paired with the moon in Xu is 'sun and moon both bright': the sun in a daytime position and the moon in a night position, each where it belongs; Star Combinations: Tai Yin says 「日辰月戌並爭耀，權祿非淺」. Xu is just the reverse, sun in Xu and moon in Chen, which is Ri Yue Fan Bei (sun and moon turned away).

As for brightness, this line says Tai Yang in Xu is fallen while Xingge marks it Bu following the table, as the Xingge approach above points out.

In Chou and Wei Tai Yang shares a palace with Tai Yin, the Ri Yue Tong Lin (sun and moon arriving together) pattern. In Wei Tai Yang is De, in Chou fallen (Bu on the table); Tai Yin is the reverse in these two palaces, Miao in Chou and Bu in Wei, so when sun and moon share a palace one is always bright and the other dim. That is why the Quan Shu requires 'lucky stars added' before granting a wealth and office pattern.

Star Combinations: Tai Yin says 「日月同未命安丑，侯伯之材」: the sun and moon in Wei with the Life Palace in Chou, shining in from the opposite palace, is better than having them together in the Life Palace, the same reasoning as 'the sun and moon are better shining in than sitting in the palace'.

The condition of this verse is a man with Tai Yang in the Life Palace, plus Hua Quan and Hua Lu, Tian Kui, Wen Chang, Zuo Fu and You Bi. Tai Yang takes Hua Quan in Xin years and Hua Lu in Geng years. 「富貴雙全比石崇」 is hyperbole; Shi Chong was the richest man of the Western Jin.

The verse says nothing of brightness, but segment 5 already said that a fallen Tai Yang is bad even with Hua Quan or Hua Lu, so this verse should be read together with Miao and Wang: it fits only with Tai Yang in its strong positions of Yin, Mao, Chen, Si and Wu.

With the sun and moon in the Life Palace in Chou or Wei, the San Fang needs a lucky transformation, or else 'blessings can hardly be abundant'; lucky stars without a transformation are still not fine in the end, and with killing stars one is poor for life. The Quan Shu's view of the sun and moon in Chou or Wei here is clearly more guarded than in segment 13, because one is bright and the other dim.

Star Combinations: Tai Yin has an almost identical line, 「日月命身居丑末，三方無吉反為凶」 (末 is the base text's miswriting of 未, Wei), with a note that the sun and moon in the Body or Life Palace in Zi, Wu, Chen or Xu are better still. On a Xingge chart, when the sun and moon share a palace, the brightness shown for the two stars tells whether it is Chou or Wei and which one is brighter.

The condition is Tai Yang fallen and 「居反背」, meeting Hua Ji as well. In the Quan Shu 'turned away' means the sun or moon in a position where it loses its light; Tai Yang in Xu, Hai or Zi is the typical case. Hua Ji comes only in Jia years. In this situation 「命強化祿也無益」: even if the rest of the Life Palace is good and there is Hua Lu, it cannot rescue it.

The chart comparison widens the brightness condition to both Xian and Bu, because Xingge follows the brightness table, which marks Tai Yang in Xu and Chou as Bu. For the turned-away pattern see Ri Yue Fan Bei.

Tai Yang 'shining squarely' on a woman's Body or Life Palace means Tai Yang in the Life or Body Palace, and in a Miao or Wang position. Her looks are out of the ordinary and her nature chaste, and with lucky stars too she is made a titled lady. This verse agrees with the woman with Tai Yang in its temple in segment 7.

The Women's Gu Sui Fu also has 「太陽寅到午，遇吉終是福」, limiting 'shining squarely' to the five palaces from Yin to Wu, and this verse can be understood the same way.

Tai Yang in the Life Palace 「有奇能」, and in a fallen position she should beware of fierce killing stars. 「作事沈吟多進退」 is vivid: a person with Tai Yang fallen wants to give but cannot let go, hesitating back and forth. The closing line, 「辛勤度日免家傾」, gives the fallen woman's chart a way through: hard work and careful management can keep the family estate.

This verse makes no outright bad verdict and is milder in tone than segment 21. Read together, both concern Tai Yang in a woman's chart; the difference is whether, once fallen, there are fierce killing stars and reversed shining.

'Shining in reverse' here means Tai Yang fallen and without light. The verdict follows the original: a troubled heart, a short life, harm to husband and children, fit only to be a secondary wife. The ancients saw Tai Yang as the husband star in a woman's chart; the chapter on what Tai Yang governs says that 「女得之為夫星」 (see the original), so Tai Yang losing its light was read as poor ties with a husband and a low position in marriage.

This is the old method of inferring a marriage from the 'husband star'; today it can be taken to mean that in love she tends to give much and receive little. Whether she harms her husband or children depends, even by the Quan Shu's own method, on the stars in the Spouse and Children Palaces, and no conclusion should be drawn from a fallen Tai Yang in the Life Palace alone.

The luck-period verse: when the Decade or Minor Luck meets Tai Yang, money is added, the enterprise advances, the marriage is harmonious, children are born and office rises, all lucky. Tai Yang governs rank and radiance, and a Tai Yang period is a time of being seen and earning a name. The Quan Shu's Fortune and Misfortune in the Decade Luck also lists Tai Yang among the lucky stars a Decade Luck likes to see.

Read it with segment 24: this verse is about a period where Tai Yang is Miao or Wang. On a Xingge chart, find the Decade Luck ages shown in Tai Yang's palace, then look at Tai Yang's brightness.

Tai Yang guarding a luck period 「有多般」: in a fallen position beware of fierce killing stars, and with Hua Ji and harmful stars added there are obstacles, sudden troubles, loss of money and a forlorn family. The chapter on what Tai Yang governs says that Tai Yang 「與鈴刑忌集限，目下有憂，或生剋父母」 (see the original), and Tai Yang with Hua Ji in a luck period is often read as matters concerning one's father or one's eyes.

Tai Yang fallen in a Decade Luck commonly shows today as giving a great deal without being noticed, damage to one's reputation, or toiling for family; with Hua Ji it becomes more marked.