What is Xian Chi?

Xian Chi (Salt Pool) can appear twice on a chart: once as the Xian Chi minor star, often counted among the romance stars, and once as the tenth of the Twelve General Gods (Jiang Qian). This article is about the General God. In the palace holding it, things are livelier for a while and people tend to gather around you; amid all that, it's up to you how much to join in. To see which palace it's in for you, draw your chart.

How the General God Xian Chi is placed

Count nine palaces on from Jiang Xing:

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

So Xian Chi only lands in Zi, Wu, Mao or You. In 2026, a Bing Wu year, it is in Mao; in 2027, a Ding Wei year (from February 6, 2027), it is in Zi.

How it relates to the Xian Chi minor star

The Xian Chi minor star goes by the birth-year branch with exactly the same table as above, the same one Bazi (Four Pillars) uses to find the romance star. The San Ming Tong Hui, a Ming-dynasty classic of Bazi, in its chapter on Xian Chi lists "Yin-Wu-Xu in Mao, Si-You-Chou in Wu, Shen-Zi-Chen in You, Hai-Mao-Wei in Zi," identical to this table. The book calls Xian Chi "the Mu Yu place of the Five Elements," that is, the Mu Yu (Bathing) position of the year branch's trine, and adds that it is "also called the spirit of defeat, also called the peach blossom sha." So on the natal chart, the minor star and the General God always share a palace.

The difference is in the annual chart. The minor star never moves for life; the General God is placed again each year by that year's branch. "Where is Xian Chi this year" means the annual General God. When a palace has the Xian Chi minor star and this year's General God Xian Chi also lands there, Xingge's reading keeps only the minor star's line, so the same palace doesn't show two labels with the same name.

What Xian Chi means

Xingge reads it like this: lively, with people drawn your way; amid the bustle, decide for yourself how far to go.

The liveliness of the General God Xian Chi isn't only about romance. It also covers get-togethers, invitations and people coming to you for help. Lots of people is a good thing: it means you have some pull in that palace this year. What you have to judge is which invitations to accept and which to politely turn down, so the bustle doesn't eat all your time.

If that palace is otherwise read as having few close ties, or as you being someone who keeps to yourself, Xingge says instead: more people are coming and going around you, and some will seek you out; if you don't usually keep in touch much, this is a good moment to reach out more.

Xian Chi in key palaces

Using the annual set:

• Spouse Palace: more romantic interaction this year. If you're single, more chances to meet someone new; if you have a partner, more occasions to go out together.
• Life Palace: you draw more attention overall, and invitations multiply. Pick the ones you really want to go to.
• Friends Palace: a livelier circle with plenty of new friends. Give it some time before you judge how close someone really is.
• Career Palace: more work socializing and offers to collaborate. A good time to talk partnerships; put the important terms in writing.
• Wealth Palace: social spending tends to go up. Set a budget for get-togethers in advance.

Natal and annual, read separately

The natal Xian Chi sits in the same palace for life; the annual set changes every year. Xingge's palace readings only use the annual set, in the "this year" part of the reading. The palace directly opposite Xian Chi always holds Xi Shen: one side is busy, the other wants quiet. Read the two together to know where to open up this year and where to hold back.

The Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu (The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu) does not include Xian Chi, and the Twelve General Gods as a set aren't in the book either. For how romance stars like Hong Luan, Tian Xi and Tian Yao are read together, see the romance stars lesson.