The Nature of Tai Yin

Tai Yin has four roles: its transformed qi of riches, the mother's lodge, the wife star, and master of the Property Palace. Riches answer to Tai Yang's rank, one governing money and the other name; being the mother's lodge and the wife star means that in a man's chart Tai Yin is consulted for mother and wife; being master of the Property Palace means it governs real estate and the family's holdings.

The chapter on what Tai Yin governs says Tai Yin 「與日為配」, and also 「以卯辰巳午未為陷地，以酉戌亥子丑為得垣」 (see the original). Tai Yin's brightness runs opposite to Tai Yang's: Tai Yang likes the daytime palaces, Tai Yin the night-time ones.

The temperament of Tai Yin in the Life Palace: a square, round face, gentle, refined and upright, clever. 「花酒文章」 deserves a second look: Tai Yin people have an elegant side and enjoy poetry, wine and the arts. The 橫 in 「博學橫立功名」 carries a sense of not following the usual road, opening one's own path through talent and learning.

Today's reading of Tai Yin as sensitive, reserved and attentive to feeling points the same way as this passage. On a Xingge chart, look at the brightness shown for Tai Yin: Miao in Hai, Zi and Chou, Xian in Mao, Chen and Si, a large difference.

The first half says Tai Yin in the Body Palace means 「隨娘繼拜」: following one's mother into remarriage, or being adopted and taking others as parents. Tai Yin is the mother's lodge, and in the Body Palace it is read as an especially deep tie to the mother. The chapter on what Tai Yin governs also says 「身若居之，則有隨娘繼拜，或離祖過房」 (see the original).

The second half says that in a fallen position even Hua Ke, Hua Quan or Hua Lu is judged bad, and only leaving home is lucky. This is the same principle as 「陷地雖化權祿也凶」 in The Nature of Tai Yang: when the sun or moon loses its light, a lucky transformation cannot save it.

The condition is Tai Yin fallen and meeting the four malefic stars as well, and the verdict follows the original: sunk in drink and lust, depraved, base, dying young. This is the Quan Shu's heaviest verdict on Tai Yin, and it needs both a fallen position and the four malefic stars; without either it does not hold.

Tai Yin is Xian in the three palaces Mao, Chen and Si (and Bu in Wu and Wei). The chapter on what Tai Yin governs puts it this way: 「身命若見惡殺交沖，必作傷殘之論。除非僧道，反獲禎祥」 (see the original), a slightly lighter tone. Read today, a fallen Tai Yin with malefic stars commonly shows as emotional distress, a disordered daily rhythm, and seeking comfort in romance or material things.

The first half: people born in Ren or Wu years with the Life Palace in Hai, Mao or Wei fit the pattern. In Ren years Lu Cun is in Hai and Tian Liang's Hua Lu enters the trine; in Wu years Tai Yin takes Hua Quan. The second half: for people born in Yi, Geng or Wu years with the Life Palace in Hai it is a top pattern; Tai Yin in Hai is in its temple, the Yue Lang Tian Men (the bright moon at the Heaven Gate) pattern. In Geng years Tai Yin takes Hua Ke, in Wu years Hua Quan.

In Yi years Tai Yin's Hua Ji sits in the Life Palace, yet Yi is listed as a top pattern, which looks contradictory. The Nature of the Four Transformations gives the answer: 「太陰在酉戌亥子化忌為福論」. Tai Yin with Hua Ji in Hai is not judged bad, and with Tian Ji's Hua Lu in the opposite palace in Yi years and Lu Cun in Mao in the trine, it is still a top pattern.

Continuing the previous segment: Ding years next, Yi years fitting the pattern, Ding and Wu years lucky with Hua Ke, Hua Quan or Hua Lu. In Ding years Tai Yin takes Hua Lu and in Wu years Hua Quan, the transformations falling directly on Tai Yin, hence lucky.

This segment names no palace, and the chart comparison marks only Tai Yin in the Life Palace with a matching year stem. From the context, the original should mean Tai Yin in Hai, Mao or Wei, or in Hai; if Tai Yin is fallen, then by segment 3 a lucky transformation is judged bad instead.

There are two kinds of Tai Yin in a woman's chart: meeting Tai Yang and in its temple, she is honoured as a titled lady; fallen, she harms her husband and children and is of the kind of concubines and courtesans, translated literally from the original. In a woman's chart Tai Yin stands for herself and Tai Yang is often read as the husband star, so 'meeting Tai Yang' is good for her.

The sun and moon stand in fixed relation: with Tai Yin in Mao, You, Chen or Xu, Tai Yang is in its San Fang Si Zheng; with Tai Yin in Hai, Tai Yang is in the trine too. So the typical form of 'meeting Tai Yang and in its temple' is the Yue Lang Tian Men of Hai. The verdict on the fallen position is a judgment made under the old ideal of chastity, and today it is enough to read it as a harder road in love and marriage.

Tai Yin in these three palaces: in Zi it shares the palace with Tian Tong, in Chou with Tai Yang, in Yin with Tian Ji. In Ding years Tai Yin takes Hua Lu and in Wu years Hua Quan, hence a wealth and office pattern. Tai Yin in Zi is called Shui Cheng Gui E (clear water and cassia blossoms), and Star Combinations: Tai Yin says 「太陰居子，丙丁富貴忠良」.

As for brightness in Yin, the Xingge approach above points out that the table has Wang, not Miao; Star Combinations likewise writes 'Wang in Yin, You and Xu', in agreement with the table.

In Mao, Chen and Si Tai Yin is fallen, and people born in Yi, Ren or Wu years are lonely and widowed, nothing lasting. In Yi years Tai Yin's Hua Ji falls in a fallen position, exactly what The Nature of the Four Transformations means by 「日月陷地化忌，主大凶」; in Wu years Tai Yin's Hua Quan falls in a fallen position, which by segment 3 is 'a lucky transformation in a fallen position judged bad instead'.

The contrast with segment 5 is clear: the same Yi-year Hua Ji and Wu-year Hua Quan on Tai Yin are a top pattern in Hai and loneliness in Mao, Chen and Si. In the Quan Shu, brightness is the precondition for reading Tai Yin's transformations.

In Wu Tai Yin shares the palace with Tian Tong, in Wei with Tai Yang, in Shen with Tian Ji. In Ding years Tai Yin takes Hua Lu and in Geng years Hua Ke, hence a wealth and office pattern; the grounds for Jia years are less obvious.

As for brightness, this line has Wu fallen and Wei and Shen Li, while the Xingge approach above points out that the table has both Wu and Wei as Bu. The chapter on what Tai Yin governs instead lists 'Mao, Chen, Si, Wu and Wei' all as fallen (see the original); the Quan Shu says three different things in three places, and Xingge follows the table.

In You, Xu and Hai Tai Yin is in night-time positions, Wang in You and Xu and Miao in Hai. In Bing years Tian Tong takes Hua Lu, and with Tai Yin in You, Tian Tong is in the opposite palace; in Ding years Tai Yin's Hua Lu sits right in the Life Palace; hence a wealth and office pattern, and with many lucky stars, high rank.

Tai Yin in Xu paired with Tai Yang in Chen is 「日辰月戌並爭耀」 (see Star Combinations: Tai Yin): sun and moon each in its own place, one of the most ideal patterns for Tai Yin.

A man with Tai Yin in the Body or Life Palace has blessings arising of themselves; in You, Xu and Hai it is in a gaining position and its light shines out. This verse brings out the image of Tai Yin as 'the essence of water': the moon is brightest at night, so the night-time positions are best.

「酉戌亥垣為得地」 agrees with segment 11, and compared with the chapter on what Tai Yin governs, 「酉戌亥子丑為得垣」, it leaves out Zi and Chou. On a Xingge chart Tai Yin in these palaces is marked Miao or Wang.

The condition is a man with Tai Yin in its temple and taking Hua Quan, which happens only in Wu years. Tai Yin is in its temple in Zi, Chou and Hai. The verdict is refined and clever, gentle, good, respectful, frugal and yielding, pure and eminent in office.

'Gentle, good, respectful, frugal and yielding' are the Confucian virtues of the gentleman, and the Quan Shu uses them for a person with Tai Yin's Hua Quan, meaning that power on Tai Yin is a gentle power, not the hard power of Wu Qu or Ju Men. The chart comparison marks it only when both conditions hold, in its temple and with Hua Quan.

The condition is Tai Yin in Yin sharing the palace with Tian Ji, with Wen Chang and Wen Qu as well: Tian Ji, Tai Yin, Wen Chang and Wen Qu together. Even with lucky stars embracing it there is no abundance; a man is a servant, a woman a prostitute, and with killing stars, poor to old age. Stars in Fallen Positions: Broken Patterns has an almost identical line: 「寅上機昌曲月逢，雖然吉拱不豐隆，男為伴僕女娼婢」.

In Yin Tai Yin is Wang and Tian Ji De, so the brightness is not poor; the harm lies in the combination: Tian Ji and Tai Yin govern change, Wen Chang and Wen Qu literary flair, and the ancients read this as clever but not applying oneself to proper work. This is one school's view within the Quan Shu, and today it is enough to read it as many talents without enough focus.

The condition is Tai Yin fallen, among malefic stars, meeting Tuo Luo and Huo Xing: surely hardship and poverty, suited only to a monk or Daoist. This verse is the verse version of the same condition as segment 4, but lighter in tone: segment 4 says early death, while here it says only poverty and that leaving the household life suits.

Star Combinations: Tai Yin says 「太陰羊陀必主人離財散」, harm likewise falling on money.

The condition is a woman's Tai Yin meeting Tian Tong and Tai Yang, with lucky stars embracing it from the San Fang and no harmful killing stars: wealth and rank complete to old age. Tai Yin meets both Tian Tong and Tai Yang only when it sits in Mao, Chen, You or Xu: with Tai Yin in Mao or You, Tian Tong is opposite and Tai Yang in the trine; in Chen or Xu, Tai Yang is opposite and Tian Tong in the trine.

The chart comparison marks it only when both stars are met. This is the Quan Shu's best verse on Tai Yin in a woman's chart, the sun (husband), the moon (herself) and Tian Tong (blessings) matched together.

A woman with Tai Yin fallen in the Life or Body Palace does not like harmful killing stars in the San Fang: harm to her husband, early death, weak blood and qi. Tai Yin governs the yin blood, and its fallen position is read as a delicate constitution, an example of the Quan Shu judging the body by the stars.

Today this verse can be taken as a health reminder: a woman with a fallen Tai Yin should look after her blood and energy, gynaecological health and daily rhythm. The talk of harming her husband belongs to the old view of marriage, and can only be judged by looking at the Spouse Palace.

The luck-period verse: when a luck period meets Tai Yin, wealth and income are abundant, everything goes smoothly, there are marriages and children, and the family flourishes. Tai Yin governs riches, property and the wife, so a Tai Yin period is a time of buying property, setting up a family and having children.

This verse says nothing of brightness; read together with segment 23, it is about a period where Tai Yin is Miao or Wang. On a Xingge chart, find the Decade Luck ages and the brightness shown in Tai Yin's palace.

Tai Yin in the two luck periods adds houses and brings in money; with Huo Xing and Ling Xing gathering, trouble with officials and illness. This verse singles out Huo Xing and Ling Xing: Tai Yin belongs to water and Huo Xing and Ling Xing to fire, and water and fire overcome each other, read as trouble arising in the midst of wealth.

The chapter on what Tai Yin governs says Tai Yin in the Health Palace 「遇火鈴為災」 (see the original), the same pair of opposing elements.

The condition is a luck period reaching Tai Yin in a turned-away position, that is, Tai Yin fallen and without light (Mao, Chen, Si). It does not like Qing Yang and Tuo Luo meeting in the San Fang, and Huo Xing and Ling Xing are worst: if not trouble with officials, then loss and regret.

'Turned away' originally means the sun and moon in reversed positions, with Tai Yin in Chen and Tai Yang in Xu the typical case. Star Combinations: Tai Yin says 「日月最嫌反背」, but also adds 「若出外離宗成家也吉。勿概以反背論」, leaving a way out for the turned-away position.