What is Jiang Jun?

Jiang Jun (General) is the fifth of the Twelve Erudite Gods (Bo Shi). It is about decisiveness and presence: in this palace you act fast, you hold your ground, and when you step up, people follow. Along with the authority, keep other people's feelings in mind. To see which palace your Jiang Jun is in, draw your chart.

How Jiang Jun is placed

The Bo Shi set starts with Bo Shi in the Lu Cun palace, then Li Shi, Qing Long, Xiao Hao and Jiang Jun. Men born in yang years and women born in yin years count forward, so Jiang Jun is four palaces ahead of Lu Cun; men born in yin years and women born in yang years count backward, so it's four palaces behind.

Four palaces forward or back is exactly a trine position, so Jiang Jun always sits in one of Bo Shi's trines; the other trine holds Bing Fu. The palace opposite Jiang Jun always holds Fu Bing.

What the classics say, and how to read it now

The verse in volume two of the Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu (The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), in the An Shi Er Gong Tai Sui Sha Lu Jue section, says "Jiang Jun is martial, Zou Shu is blessing." Where volume two lists each star's element, it goes into more detail:

Jiang Jun is Wood and rules forcefulness, lacking harmony.

The Tai Wei Fu also says "Li Shi and Jiang Jun with Qing Long display power and influence." The classics affirm Jiang Jun's authority on one hand, and on the other use the words "lacking harmony" as a reminder: with that much force, getting along with people doesn't come easily.

Read for today, Xingge takes Jiang Jun to mean you act decisively in this palace. You don't stall when a decision is due, and you're willing to push back against resistance. The "lacking harmony" side is that you decide so fast that others get swept along before they've caught up. Explain your reasons one more time, and people will follow more willingly.

Jiang Jun in key palaces

• Life Palace: you're direct and bold, often the one who says "let's do it this way." Along with the speed, remember to ask what others think.
• Wealth Palace: you can commit to spending and investing, and once you've made up your mind, you move. Decisiveness is a strength; for big sums, still leave yourself a buffer.
• Career Palace: suited to front-line roles that need someone to make the call, such as sales, starting a business or leading a team. When leading people, explain more and the team gets steadier.
• Spouse Palace: you're often the one driving things forward in the relationship. Talk shared matters over, and factor your partner's pace in too.
• Health Palace: once you're busy, you tend to charge all the way to the end. Schedule rest after a sprint; it takes you further than holding on nonstop.

Telling it apart from Jiang Xing

The first of the Twelve General Gods (Jiang Qian) is Jiang Xing. Its name shares the word "jiang" (general), but it's a completely separate set. Jiang Xing is placed from your birth-year branch's trine and changes with the Annual Luck; it shows who calls the shots within a year. The Bo Shi Jiang Jun is placed from Lu Cun and never changes; it shows the force with which you handle this palace.

Natal chart and Annual Luck

Jiang Jun is natal and doesn't change with the Annual Luck on the Xingge chart; the sets that change each year are the Twelve General Gods (Jiang Qian) and the Twelve Year Gods (Sui Qian). When the Decade Luck or Annual Luck reaches the Jiang Jun palace, it's a better time to take the initiative in that area and make the decisions.