What is Sui Yi?

Sui Yi (Year Post-Horse) is the third of the Twelve General Gods (Jiang Qian). A post-horse station was where riders changed horses in old China. In the palace holding Sui Yi, things often involve travel, going out and changing surroundings: a lot of change, a lot of running around, but once you get moving, chances come with it. It always shares a palace with Tian Ma, and the two say the same thing. To see which palace it's in for you, draw your chart.

How Sui Yi is placed

Count two palaces on from Jiang Xing:

• Yin, Wu and Xu years: Shen
• Shen, Zi and Chen years: Yin
• Si, You and Chou years: Hai
• Hai, Mao and Wei years: Si

So Sui Yi only lands in Yin, Shen, Si or Hai. In 2026, a Bing Wu year, it is in Shen; in 2027, a Ding Wei year (from February 6, 2027), it is in Si.

This table is exactly the same as the placement of Tian Ma. Tian Ma also goes by the year branch's trine: in Shen for Yin, Wu and Xu years, in Yin for Shen, Zi and Chen years. So on the natal chart Sui Yi and Tian Ma share a palace, and the annual Sui Yi also shares a palace with the annual Tian Ma. Bazi (Four Pillars) calls this position the Post-Horse, and the San Ming Tong Hui, a Ming-dynasty classic of Bazi, in its chapter on the Post-Horse also puts it in Shen for Yin, Wu and Xu, and in Yin for Shen, Zi and Chen.

What Sui Yi means

Xingge reads it like this: a lot of change, often running from place to place; once you get moving, chances come with it.

In volume one of the Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu (The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), the question on what Tian Ma governs says:

When it falls in the Body or Life Palace, it is called the Post-Horse.

The Post-Horse is about travel and moving around. The name Sui Yi isn't in the Quan Shu, but the meaning runs along the same line as the Post-Horse.

For older readers, Xingge reads it as: you often need to go out and about, so keep the schedule loose and take extra care with safety when you travel.

Sui Yi in key palaces

Using the annual set:

• Travel Palace: plenty of chances to go out this year: business trips, travel, even a move. You're more likely to find opportunities out there than staying put.
• Career Palace: more places to go for work, or job duties that keep changing. Keeping your schedule in order helps more than toughing it out.
• Wealth Palace: money follows movement. Income from fieldwork or work across regions has a better chance; transport and odd expenses go up a bit too.
• Life Palace: you find it harder to sit still this year. If you want a change of scene, start with short trial runs.
• Spouse Palace: you may spend more time apart. Keep a regular time to stay in touch.

Natal and annual, read separately

The natal Sui Yi shares a palace with Tian Ma for life, and the annual set changes every year. Xingge's readings already cover the annual Tian Ma, so the "this year" part doesn't add a separate line for Sui Yi: the two would say the same thing. When reading the chart, you can treat Sui Yi as Tian Ma's shadow.

The palace directly opposite Sui Yi always holds Zhi Bei: while you're out and about, what you leave behind tends to get talked about, so hand things over properly before you go. For what happens when Tian Ma meets Lu Cun, see the Lu Cun and Tian Ma lesson.