Xing Xing Fu

The Xing Xing Fu begins with the two lead stars of the Northern and Southern Dippers. Zi Wei is the imperial seat and belongs to earth, and earth is thick, hence 「厚重之容」. Tian Fu is the lead star of the Southern Dipper, also earth, and governs treasuries and holding on to what one has, hence 「純和之體」. Both are steady stars; in looks and bearing they give an impression of reliability and of being able to command a room. Volume two's The Nature of Zi Wei is more concrete: 「面紫色或白青，腰背肥滿，為人忠厚老成」. Descriptions like these are generalisations from what the old writers observed, and are best read as tendencies of bearing. The main star in the Life Palace is only one factor in appearance; the minor and malefic stars beside it also change the impression a person makes.

Calling Tai Yang and Tai Yin the 'golden crow' and the 'jade hare' is a rhetorical habit of the rhapsody form. Tai Yang being round and full means a round face, a bright complexion and plenty of energy; Tai Yin being clear and striking means fine features and a quiet, distinctive air. The old logic is simple: the sun is round and gives light, the moon is cool and waxes and wanes. Brightness matters here. When Tai Yang is Xian (Fallen), for example in Zi or Hai, the shine of 'round and full' is discounted, and a common description is cheerful on the outside and weary within; when Tai Yin is Xian (in Mao, Chen or Si), clear and striking turns into melancholy. The small brightness text on a Xingge chart shows how much of this line applies to a given chart.

Tian Ji's 「不長不短」 is a medium build; 「情懷好善」 echoes Tian Ji's transformed qi, which is 善 (goodness): a flexible mind, willing to help others think things through. Wu Qu's 「至要至緊之操」 is interesting: Wu Qu is metal and its transformed qi is 財 (wealth), and it holds tight to both money and principle, hence the decisive mind. In today's terms, Tian Ji in the Life Palace is often the quick-witted, quick-reacting planner, and Wu Qu in the Life Palace the doer who keeps their word but is not good at showing feelings. Neither line mentions brightness, but you still have to check it on the chart: Tian Ji in Xian is changeable and anxious, and when Wu Qu is Xian or has Hua Ji, decisiveness easily becomes stubbornness.

Tian Tong is water and its transformed qi is 福 (blessing), and the blessed star looks 「肥滿」: rounded in figure, mild in bearing; 「目秀清奇」 means bright, lively eyes. The Nature of Tian Tong adds the condition: 「入廟肥滿清明」. The picture of Lian Zhen is harsh: wide brows, broad mouth, broad face, violent and quarrelsome. Lian Zhen is fire and its transformed qi is 囚 (the prisoner); fire is hasty, and 'the prisoner' is pent-up force that, once it breaks out, becomes anger and quarrels. For a modern reader, Lian Zhen in the Life Palace means strong emotions and a strong will to win, but also principles and the ability to hold oneself in. Here the Quan Shu only describes its fiery side; check the stars in the same palace (with Tian Fu or Tian Xiang, for example, it is much steadier).

Tan Lang is one of the stars the Quan Shu judges most two-sidedly, and this line calls it outright a 「善惡之星」, with brightness as the key. In Xingge's brightness table Tan Lang is Miao (Temple) in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei and Xian (Fallen) in Si and Hai. In its temple the person is tall and has presence; out of its enclosure, stubborn and noisy. Note that different chapters of the Quan Shu disagree about Tan Lang's looks: The Nature of Tan Lang says 「入廟長聳肥胖，陷宮形小聲高而量大」, while What Does Tan Lang Govern? says only 「主人矮小」. With descriptions of appearance like these, put brightness first rather than going by the star's name alone.

Ju Men's transformed qi is 暗 (darkness), and it is the 「是非之曜」: gossip, argument and suspicion are its native colours. Yet in its temple it is 「敦厚溫良」; the same star differs enormously between temple and fallen positions. In Xingge's brightness table Ju Men is Miao in Yin, Mao, Shen and You. The second half gives Tian Xiang 「精神」 and Tian Liang 「穩重」, with hearts pure as jade and clear as ice. Tian Xiang's transformed qi is 印 (the seal), standing for fairness and mediation; Tian Liang's is 蔭 (shelter), standing for principle and looking after others. Today we would say people with Tian Xiang or Tian Liang in the Life Palace come across as trustworthy and suit positions that depend on integrity. Tian Liang's 'clear as ice' has another side too: aloofness and a fondness for lecturing.

This line uses two historical allusions to describe the harsh stars. Qi Sha is like Zilu: brave, always in front, but Confucius criticised Zilu's 「暴虎馮河」 as courage without planning. Huo Xing and Ling Xing are like Yu Rang: for revenge he would swallow charcoal and disfigure himself, enduring humiliation in hiding, a picture of extreme willpower and endurance. The allusions are well chosen: Qi Sha's ferocity is outward, Huo and Ling's ruthlessness is hidden. Read today, Qi Sha in the Life Palace brings drive and quick decisions, and the lesson is to plan before acting; Huo or Ling in the Life Palace brings deep fixations and explosive force, and the lesson is to give the emotions an outlet. The Nature of Qi Sha says Qi Sha 「廟旺有謀略」, so in Miao or Wang it can have both courage and strategy.

This line turns the previous allusions into features: Qi Sha's eyes are fierce, Huo and Ling's voice is hoarse and low. The textual problem in 「暗狼聲沉」 is explained in the collation. Worth adding: old physiognomy put great weight on the eyes and the voice, the two things that most reveal character. Sharp, pressing eyes are a common description of Qi Sha in the Life Palace; Huo and Ling stand for a low voice and few words, which also fits Ling Xing's 'smouldering' nature. Reading a chart today, there is no need to use this line for face reading, but it can be taken to mean that people with these stars often make a first impression of being hard to approach.

Wen Chang and Wen Qu are both literary stars, but their air differs: Wen Chang is handsome and refined, clear-browed and fine-eyed, leaning to orthodox learning; Wen Qu is open and upright with a glib tongue, leaning to eloquence and the arts. 「便佞」 is pejorative in old texts, meaning someone who says pleasing things; read today it is being articulate and expressive, which used well is communication skill and used badly is slickness. The second half, 「在廟定生異痣，失陷必有斑痕」, is a very concrete verdict about appearance, and volume three says similar things, for example Star Combinations: Wen Chang and Wen Qu says that Chang and Qu flanked by Qing Yang and Tuo Luo 「當生異痣」. Verdicts like these can be taken as the old writers' records of what they observed, not as a way to test a chart.

Zuo Fu and You Bi are stars of support, warm, kind, upright and dignified; Tian Kui and Tian Yue are stars of noble helpers, with an air of authority. The note explains the two readings of 「重合三臺」. All four belong to the Six Auspicious Stars, and when they sit in the Life Palace the old writers portray 'model' people: rule-abiding, courteous, trusted. Note that none of the four is a main star. When one of them sits alone in a Life Palace with no main star, it has to borrow the strength of the main star in the opposite palace; elsewhere the Tai Wei Fu says 「輔弼單守命宮，離宗庶出」, so with the same Zuo Fu or You Bi in the Life Palace, the conclusion can be entirely different depending on whether there is a main star.

Qing Yang and Tuo Luo are the two most common of the Six Malefic Stars, and this line describes their looks and manner in the Life Palace: ugly in form, coarse in features, with a crafty air. Qing Yang is metal and its transformed qi is 刑 (punishment), standing for hard, head-on force; Tuo Luo is also metal and its transformed qi is 忌 (obstruction), standing for delay and entanglement. Tying these two stars directly to rough looks and scheming is a very heavy description. In today's terms, Qing Yang in the Life Palace often goes with visible injuries or scars and a direct, charging personality; Tuo Luo in the Life Palace with a roundabout way of doing things and slowness to warm up. When Qing Yang and Tuo Luo are in their temples in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, The Nature of Qing Yang also says 「入廟權貴」 and 「橫立功名」, so they are not purely negative.

Po Jun's transformed qi is 耗 (waste); it is the star that 'breaks first and builds after'. 「不仁」 and 「奸詐好行驚險」 are the Quan Shu's typical criticisms of Po Jun; 「背重眉寬，行坐腰斜」 describes its looks. The Nature of Po Jun says nearly the same: 「體型五短背厚眉寬腰斜，性剛寡合，好爭強」, and adds 「棄祖發福」. For a modern reader, Po Jun in the Life Palace means not following the usual path, daring to take risks and to tear down and start over, which suits founding a business, reform and crisis management; 'not benevolent' means caring little for others' feelings in pursuit of a goal. When Po Jun is in Miao or Wang (Zi, Wu), other parts of the Quan Shu judge it clearly more favourably.

This is a pair of contrasts: Lu Cun 「如春和藹」, genial as spring, and Po Jun 「似火鋒沖」, fiery with its edge thrusting. Lu Cun is the star of income and emolument, conservative, mild and holding on to what it has, hence genial; Po Jun is the wasting star, full of drive and with its edge showing, hence its forceful authority. The Xing Xing Fu already described Po Jun in segment 12; here it writes about it again, from the angle of 'nature'. On a Xingge chart Lu Cun is always flanked by Qing Yang and Tuo Luo before and behind, so people with Lu Cun in the Life Palace, genial as they are, are often kept on a tight rein and find it hard to let go; as for the 'authority' of Po Jun in the Life Palace, look at whether Hua Quan or Hua Lu strengthens it.

This is a principle that recurs throughout the Quan Shu: a star's strength depends on Miao and Wang, and what it fears most is emptiness. The first half says that an auspicious star falling into emptiness gives benefits that float and do not land; the second half says that a harsh star (殺) falling into emptiness has no power at all. These are exactly the two sides of emptiness: auspicious stars fear it, harsh stars welcome it. The Nature of Qi Sha also says Qi Sha 「落空亡無威力」. On a Xingge chart, for 'emptiness' look at whether the palace has Xun Kong, Jie Lu or Kong Wang, or Di Kong and Di Jie. Read today, an overly forceful combination that meets emptiness is reined in; a resource star that meets emptiness warns that things may come to nothing.

The note explains the words of 「權祿乃九竅之奇」. Hua Quan stands for control and ability, Hua Lu for resources and goodwill; in or facing the Life Palace they make a person clever, nimble and resourceful. In the second half 耗 usually means Po Jun, and may also mean the minor star Da Hao, standing for scattering the blessings built up over a lifetime. The couplet is about what the transformations and the wasting star do to 'blessing': Quan and Lu add, Hao subtracts. When reading a chart, first count how many Hua Lu and Hua Quan are in the San Fang Si Zheng of the Life Palace, then find Po Jun and Da Hao; if Po Jun itself has Hua Lu or Hua Quan (Hua Lu in a Gui year, Hua Quan in a Jia year), its wasting force turns into pioneering.

The first half, 「祿逢梁蔭」: Tian Liang in the same palace as Lu Cun, or Tian Liang with Hua Lu (in a Ren year). Tian Liang is the sheltering star, high-minded; it carries wealth but does not keep it for itself, 「抱私財益與他人」. In today's terms, money often goes to looking after others, to charity or to social obligations, and the person does not end up rich. For the second half, 「耗遇貪狼」, note a fact about the chart: Po Jun and Tan Lang are always in each other's San Fang, so Po Jun in the Life Palace always faces Tan Lang. Taken literally, the line would apply to every Po Jun Life Palace; what the old writers meant was probably that combination plus malefic stars, Hua Ji or peach-blossom stars. In Star Combinations: Po Jun, 「破軍貪狼逢祿馬，男多浪蕩女多淫」 gives a clearer condition.

The 「馬垣」 are Yin, Shen, Si and Hai. In these four palaces Tan Lang's brightness on Xingge is Ping in Yin and Shen and Xian in Si and Hai, none of them strong positions, hence 「易善易惡」: with no brightness to hold it up, good or bad depends entirely on the stars in the same palace and those it meets. In Si and Hai Tan Lang always shares the palace with Lian Zhen; both have a peach-blossom character and both are Xian there, and the Quan Shu has always rated Lian Zhen with Tan Lang in Si or Hai low. The second half, 「惡曜扶同善曜」, extends this: when auspicious and malefic stars come together, the person's character swings back and forth. For a modern reader, people with this kind of chart are very malleable: in a good environment they go in a good direction, in a bad one they are easily led astray, so choosing friends and workplaces matters especially.

These are three separate statements. First, the wealth star (Wu Qu) in emptiness, 「巴三覽四」, grabs at everything and holds nothing; compare the Tai Wei Fu: 「金星專司財庫，最怕空亡」. Second, Wen Qu in a Wang palace is clever and understands ten things from hearing one; in Xingge's brightness table Wen Qu is Miao in Chou, Si and You and Wang in Mao, Wei and Hai. Third, Ju Men 'secretly combines' with Lian Zhen: the two never share a palace and are never in each other's San Fang Si Zheng. Some read it as a hidden Six Harmonies link, but as the note shows, their branches never form one, so this half-line matches no combination on a chart, and schools disagree sharply about it. A 「貪濫之曹吏」 is a petty official of old who grabbed small advantages; today it could be read as someone who exploits loopholes in a system.

The note explains that 「身命司數」 is unclear. The subject of this half-line should be the combination at the end of the previous segment, 「暗合廉貞」, so 「奸盜之技兒，豬屠之流」 carries on from the greedy petty clerk and pushes further; it is one of the Quan Shu's heaviest insults. The second half turns positive: 「善祿」 is Tian Ji meeting Lu (Tian Ji has Hua Lu in a Yi year, or shares the palace with Lu Cun). Tian Ji is clever to begin with, and with Lu it becomes a person of fine craftsmanship and quick wits. Read today, Tian Ji with Hua Lu suits work that calls for ingenuity and technique, such as design, engineering or programming. Star Combinations: Wu Qu has 「武曲貪狼加殺忌技藝之人」; the Quan Shu's view of 'skilled trades' is often neutral to low, reflecting the old idea that office ranked above craft.

This line treats men and women differently, as old fate-reading commonly did. First half: for a man, look at the Chang Sheng and Di Wang positions, and what matters most is that the stars are strong. Second half: for a woman in the Si or Jue position, look only at the Fortune Palace. The old reasoning was that a woman's fate weighed security and blessing most, so even if her Life Palace fell where qi is weak, a good Fortune Palace let her live in comfort. Men's and Women's Charts Compared also says that for a woman one should 「次看福德宮吉凶」. Today this can be read without dividing by gender: for people whose Life Palace is weak, inner life and a sense of inner contentment (the Fortune Palace) are often what decide whether their life is happy. The difference in the Chang Sheng direction is explained above under the Xingge approach.

First half, 「命最嫌立於敗位」: the Bai position is Mu Yu among the twelve Chang Sheng spirits. With the Life Palace there, qi scatters instead of gathering, and the old writers held that life would have many ups and downs and many temptations. Mu Yu is also seen as a peach-blossom position, so there is a reading of changeable love life too. Second half, 「財源卻怕逢空亡」: when the Wealth Palace or a wealth star falls into emptiness, money is hard to keep. This line is also one of the grounds for Xingge patterns such as Lu Feng Xun Kong (Lu meets Xun Kong), though Xingge only judges a Lu star (Lu Cun or Hua Lu) or Tian Ma in emptiness, the Lu star only in the Life, Body and Wealth Palaces and Tian Ma only in the Life and Body Palaces. When reading a chart, first see whether the Chang Sheng spirit under the Life Palace is Mu Yu, then see whether the Wealth Palace has Xun Kong, Jie Lu, Di Kong or Di Jie.

This line lists four 'lonely stars': Tian Ji, Qing Yang (刑), Qi Sha and Tian Liang (蔭). In the Children Palace, with malefic stars, Hua Ji or the Hao star added, they are bad for descendants. Why are these the lonely stars? Tian Ji stands for change and a busy mind; Qing Yang for injury and clashing; Qi Sha for severity and going it alone; Tian Liang for aloofness and a liking for caring for others rather than being cared for. The old writers held that these qualities did not favour a flourishing line of descendants. The Children Palace chapter of the Quan Shu gives star-by-star verdicts on the number of children, worth comparing. A thinner bond with one's children, a parent-child relationship that takes more care, or children who become independent early. 「不為奇特」 is itself fairly mild wording, a warning about degree.

Tuo Luo, Po Jun (耗) and Lian Zhen (囚) guarding the Parents Palace: 「決然破祖刑傷」. The Parents Palace is read for parents, elders and the ancestral estate, and these three stars stand for delay and entanglement, waste, and confinement, so the old writers judged that the person ruins the family estate and clashes harmfully with the parents. 「決然」 is very strong. The Quan Shu's Parents Palace chapter is equally severe star by star, saying 「破軍剋早離祖」, but it also leaves exceptions: Po Jun with Zi Wei has no harm, and Lian Zhen with Tian Fu escapes harm. In practice: a thinner bond with the parents, clashing views, leaving home early to stand on one's own, or building something new rather than relying on the family business. Whether there is real harm depends on the brightness of Tai Yang and Tai Yin and on malefic stars and Hua Ji.

This short line links what comes before and after: to read a child's chart, combine it with the child's appearance and examine the foundation. 'Foundation' can mean the underlying quality of the Life Palace, or the family background. The old writers were especially careful with children's charts, because the luck periods of childhood are very uncertain (the Tai Wei Fu says 「童子限如水上泡漚」). In today's terms, a child's chart should not be judged too early; temperament and looks are still changing, and the chart can only show the general direction. What parents should look at is the child's traits, not good or bad fortune.

This line repeats Zi Wei and Tian Fu from segment 1, but describes them differently: in segment 1 Zi Wei is 「厚重」 and Tian Fu 「純和」, here Zi Wei is 「肥滿」 and Tian Fu 「精神」. Inconsistencies like this are common in rhapsodies, and both descriptions can stand. Lu Cun and the 「祿主」 should also be solid; the Women's Gu Sui Fu likewise says 「祿存厚重多衣食」. What these stars share is stability, holding on to what one has, and resources, so their build is described as solid. When reading a chart, people with these stars in the Life Palace mostly come across as reliable and not frivolous.

This line lists eight stars in one breath, Tai Yang, Tai Yin, Wen Qu, Tian Xiang, Tian Tong, Tian Liang, Tian Ji and Wen Chang, all with 「美俊之姿」 and 「清奇之格」, long upper body, short lower body, fine eyes and clear brows. What the eight have in common is a literary, gentle and benign character; none of the hard, harsh stars such as Qi Sha, Po Jun, Tan Lang, Qing Yang or Tuo Luo is among them. Four of the stars in the later Ji Yue Tong Liang pattern are on this list, with a scholarly, civil-service air. Note that the rhapsody does not mention brightness, but descriptions of appearance hold better in Miao or Wang; when the stars are Xian and meet malefic stars, other parts of the Quan Shu have negative descriptions such as 「技藝羸黃」.

First half, 「貪狼同武曲」: the two share a palace only in Chou and Wei, and on Xingge both are Miao there. 'Small in build, loud and generous' means not tall, a big voice and a broad spirit. Interestingly, volume two's The Nature of Wu Qu gives 「形小聲高而量大」 as a trait of Wu Qu itself, while The Nature of Tan Lang gives it as a trait of Tan Lang in a fallen palace: the same phrase is assigned to three different conditions. Second half, 「天同如陀忌」: Tian Tong meeting Tuo Luo, or Tian Tong with Hua Ji (in a Geng year, per the Quan Shu's table of transformations), is stout and has a defective eye. Tian Tong is stout to begin with, and both Tuo Luo and Hua Ji stand for damage, the eyes being a common place for it to show.

Qing Yang in the Life Palace: 「身體遭傷」 is the basic verdict, since Qing Yang stands for injury, surgery and wounds. If it also meets Huo Xing, Ling Xing or Ju Men, 「必生異痣」; volume three's Star Combinations: Ju Men also has 「巨門陀羅必生異痣」. If it further meets Po Jun or Qi Sha, ugly form and coarse features. The three layers build on each other: the more malefic stars, the more visible the signs of damage to the body. For a modern reader, people with Qing Yang in the Life Palace should watch out for sports injuries, surgery and accidents; there is no need to check moles against the chart, the point is a reminder that people with this combination should take extra care in what they do.

This line returns to the twelve Chang Sheng spirits, but now applies them to luck periods: in a Si or Jue luck period, a child is hard to raise and an old person's life ends. It means the same as the Tai Wei Fu's 「童子限如水上泡漚，老人限似風中燃燭」, putting the two most fragile ends of life together with the luck periods where qi is weakest. The verdict is very heavy, but in actual judgment the Quan Shu itself also looks at the main stars, transformations and malefic stars in the luck period, and never decides life or death by the Chang Sheng spirits alone. In such luck periods the health of young children and the elderly deserves extra attention; take it as a reminder to care for them, not as a prophecy.

This is the summary of the whole piece: the form and nature described above are the guiding outline of Dou Shu and the key to the stars; one must study them closely and savour them to see through them. The 「機關」 of 「星緯之機關」 is a pivot, echoing the Tai Wei Fu: 「不察其機，更忘其變」. The old writers' point is that form and nature are the most direct expression of a star: learn each star's looks and character thoroughly first, and reading patterns and luck periods later will have a foundation. Studying Dou Shu today follows the same order: learn the character of the fourteen main stars well, then learn the combinations.

This line turns to the luck periods: 「限有高低」 means luck periods are good or bad, and 「星尋喜怒」 means looking at whether the stars in the period are 'pleased' (auspicious) or 'angry' (malefic). 「駁雜」 means auspicious and malefic stars mixed, and a mixed period brings rises and falls. It is the same idea as the Tai Wei Fu's closing 「處世孤貧數中逢乎駁雜」. When reading a chart, open the Decade Luck and look at the San Fang Si Zheng of the decade's Life Palace: are auspicious and malefic stars, Hua Lu and Hua Ji, mixed together? A decade where they are mixed is often one with both opportunities and setbacks and bigger swings, so managing risk deserves special attention.

The last line of the piece: where a palace holds a harsh star, examine it carefully; where it meets emptiness, scrutinise it closely; put the work in at these two points and there is no fear of being inaccurate. The collation explains the misplaced punctuation. The line points to two hard parts of reading a chart: whether a harsh star is good or bad depends on its combinations and brightness, and emptiness has two sides, 'auspicious stars fear it, harsh stars welcome it' (see segment 14 of this piece). The old writers flagged these two points precisely because they are the easiest to misread. The same holds today: when you see a harsh star or emptiness, do not jump to a bad verdict; first look at which palace it is in, what shares the palace with it and how bright it is.