Zi Wei Dou Shu: Patterns（紫微斗數格局） ​

Introduction ​

Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） has many patterns（格局）, comparable to simplified mathematical formulas. You can still interpret a chart without knowing their names. Think of equipment sets in a game: bringing the required pieces together grants extra set bonuses. But relying on patterns alone and ignoring basic analysis can easily lead you astray.

The patterns collected here come from both classical texts and the internet. Many were identified by earlier practitioners as Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） developed. Once your understanding is sufficiently deep, you can also formulate patterns in your own style. Like classical texts themselves, some patterns fit their original social setting but may not fit today. Readers should examine them carefully.

This series of articles is original, please indicate the source when reprinting.

Ruler and ministers gather（君臣慶會） ​

Ruler and Ministers Gather（君臣慶會格） has strict requirements: there must be no malefic stars（煞星） or D（化忌） in the soul palace（命宮）, its two trine palaces, or its opposite palace—the four related palaces（三方四正）. It has three qualifying arrangements, listed below.

1. The soul palace（命宮） contains emperor（紫微） and rebel（破軍）. The two immediately neighboring palaces contain officer（左輔） and helper（右弼）, one on each side, flanking it.

   si spouse	advisor officer woo siblings	emperor rebel wei soul	helper shen parents
   sun chen children	Ruler and ministers gather		empress you spirit
   warrior marshal mao wealth			moon xu property
   fortunate sage yin health	minister chou surface	advocator zi friends	judge wolf hai career

2. The soul palace（命宮） contains emperor（紫微） and minister（天相）; scholar（文昌） and artist（文曲） occupy the two ends of the fate line（命遷線）.

   fortunate si health	warrior empress woo wealth	sun moon wei children	wolf shen spouse
   rebel artist chen surface	Ruler and ministers gather		advisor advocator you siblings
   mao friends			emperor minister scholar xu soul
   judge yin career	chou property	marshal zi spirit	sage hai parents

3. The soul palace（命宮） contains empress（天府）. Together, its two neighboring palaces contain advisor（天機）, moon（太陰）, fortunate（天同）, and sage（天梁）, flanking the soul palace from both sides.

   emperor marshal si surface	woo health	wei wealth	shen children
   advisor sage chen friends	Ruler and ministers gather		judge rebel you spouse
   minister mao career			xu siblings
   sun advocator yin property	warrior wolf chou spirit	fortunate moon zi parents	empress hai soul

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes Ruler and Ministers Gather（君臣慶會格） as follows:

君臣慶會，材善經邦。
君臣慶會 紫微左右同守命是也，更會相武陰妙上。
天府天相天梁同君臣慶會

According to that account, emperor（紫微） sharing a palace with officer（左輔） and helper（右弼） is sufficient. Other sources instead require officer and helper to flank the palace. The extra quality is attracting support through upright conduct. People with the pattern tend to be modest, far-sighted, helpful, and naturally inclined to lead. These traits help them stand out, gain promotion, and enter management.

The pattern requires no malefic stars（煞星） in the soul palace’s（命宮） four related palaces（三方四正）. Although strict, this can still describe many people in a large population. Today, the classical phrase 材善經邦 is better read as an aptitude for corporate management. Clear career plans and skill at identifying and solving problems are common traits. Even without knowing the pattern, analyzing the star qualities discussed earlier can lead to a similar conclusion.

Emperor and empress in the same palace（紫府同宮） ​

For details of emperor–empress sharing a palace（紫府同宮）, see emperor–empress（紫微天府）. These stars share a palace only in Yin（寅） or Shen（申）.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes Emperor and Empress in the Same Palace（紫府同宮格） as follows:

紫府同宮終身福厚。

Abundant blessings are not guaranteed, but people with Emperor and Empress in the Same Palace（紫府同宮格） resist settling for an ordinary life. They have clear goals and standards, and work toward them. The saying does not promise food and clothing without effort; it means their pursuit of goals tends to be more systematic than average.

This pattern also has a weakness to address: ambitions can exceed actual ability. Choose work and purchases that fit your capabilities, and avoid becoming an easy target for people who profit from your desire to impress others. As experience and judgment grow, the personal appeal associated with this pattern can become very strong.

Golden carriage supports the ruler（金輿扶駕） ​

This is another appealing pattern. golden carriage（金輿） evokes a luxury carriage, while imperial carriage refers to the sovereign’s carriage. Imagine the leading figure riding in a gold Rolls-Royce Phantom—just a playful comparison. I think the classical description of Golden Carriage Supports the Ruler（金輿扶駕格） is problematic. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

金輿扶駕 紫微守命前後有日月來夾是也。

Yet the star-placement rules（安星訣） make that impossible: sun（太陽） always occupies emperor’s（紫微） children position（子女位）. I therefore speculate that the wording should instead be 帝星守命前後有日月來夾是也. Sun and moon cannot flank emperor, but empress（天府） is also a sovereign star（帝星）. With that reading, the pattern can form in Chou（丑） and Wei（未）.

The pattern brings a supportive upbringing and abundant help. Golden Carriage Supports the Ruler（金輿扶駕格） suggests skillful handling of people and situations, generosity, and an ability to balance firmness with flexibility. Together these qualities make a person appealing, so others are likely to think of them when opportunities arise.

This is also one of the few patterns that tolerates malefic stars（煞星）, because empress（天府） can relieve difficulties and moderate their influence. Readers familiar with my approach know that malefic stars do not simply mean “bad”; sometimes their qualities are needed.

Emperor and empress flank the soul palace（紫府夾命） ​

Emperor and Empress Flanking the Soul Palace（紫府夾命格） requires advisor–moon（天機太陰） in the soul palace（命宮）, already forming Advisor, Moon, Fortunate, and Sage（機月同梁格）. This section adds the particular qualities of the flanking pattern. Its main benefit is a supportive upbringing. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it as follows:

紫府夾命為貴格

This pattern forms only in Yin（寅） and Shen（申）. Only the Yin arrangement is shown here; Shen is its mirror image.

It is called a pattern of high standing because it readily attracts support from superiors—a dependable backer. Its underlying Advisor, Moon, Fortunate, and Sage pattern（機月同梁格）, however, is strongly risk-averse. It prefers familiar surroundings to personal challenges and may stay in one role until retirement. Public-sector work therefore suits it, but entry is difficult today. Those who do not enter that sector need to pursue innovation and change, facing unfamiliar situations.

Emperor faces the southern light（極向離明） ​

Emperor（紫微） in Wu（午）, with no malefic stars（煞星） in its four related palaces（三方四正）, forms the Emperor Faces the Southern Light pattern（極向離明格）. The “pole” is emperor（紫微）; Wu is the position of the Li trigram（離卦） among the eight trigrams（八卦）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it as follows:

紫微居午無殺湊位至三公
紫微居午無刑忌甲丁己命至公卿 加刑忌平常刑乃擎羊也。
紫微居子午科權祿照最為奇 科權祿三方照是也為仰面朝斗格。

The Emperor Faces the Southern Light pattern（極向離明格） has the following chart arrangement:

Wu（午） is considered excessively strong. Assertive stars placed there can become overbearing: sun（太陽） may show off too openly, while sage（天梁） may become overly self-righteous. Emperor（紫微） can also be domineering there, but its abilities are more easily brought forward, allowing its planning and management skills to develop fully.

Why emphasize the absence of malefic stars（煞星） in the trine palaces（三方）? They tend to amplify qualities into excess. A commanding leader can be impressive, but being domineering without the ability to lead is merely off-putting.

Emperor in mao or you（極居卯酉） ​

This pattern means emperor（紫微） and wolf（貪狼） sharing mao palace（卯宮） or you palace（酉宮）. For their qualities, see emperor–wolf（紫微貪狼）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes the pattern as follows:

極居卯酉多為脫俗僧人
極居卯酉劫空臨，為僧為道福興隆，樂享山林有師號，福壽雙全到古齡。

The Emperor in Mao or You pattern（極居卯酉格） has this chart arrangement:

The classical account suggests curiosity about mysteries and a strong desire to explore them. If that desire is unmet while growing up, this pattern can become rebellious, pleasure-seeking, and deeply absorbed in its interests. With age, understanding, and wider experience, it may turn toward deeper questions such as life’s meaning and how to live.

That exploration can lead in two directions. One is having satisfied one’s desires, experienced life broadly, and become less attached to worldly pursuits. The other is prolonged frustration from unfulfilled desires, leading to helplessness about reality and a wish to withdraw from it.

Advisor, moon, fortunate, and sage（機月同梁） ​

This pattern has many forms: advisor（天機）, moon（太陰）, fortunate（天同）, and sage（天梁） must all be present within the soul palace’s（命宮） four related palaces（三方四正）. The relatively permissive conditions make it very common. Eight arrangements qualify, some using stars borrowed from the opposite palace（對宮）:

1. Fortunate–sage（天同天梁） occupies the soul palace（命宮） in Shen（申）.
2. Fortunate–sage（天同天梁） occupies the soul palace（命宮） in Yin（寅）.
3. The soul palace（命宮） is empty in Shen（申）; fortunate–sage（天同天梁） occupies the surface palace（遷移宮） in Yin（寅）.
4. The soul palace（命宮） is empty in Yin（寅）; fortunate–sage（天同天梁） occupies the surface palace（遷移宮） in Shen（申）.
5. Advisor–moon（天機太陰） occupies the soul palace（命宮） in Shen（申）.
6. Advisor–moon（天機太陰） occupies the soul palace（命宮） in Yin（寅）.
7. The soul palace（命宮） is empty in Shen（申）; advisor–moon（天機太陰） occupies the surface palace（遷移宮） in Yin（寅）.
8. The soul palace（命宮） is empty in Yin（寅）; advisor–moon（天機太陰） occupies the surface palace（遷移宮） in Shen（申）.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes Advisor, Moon, Fortunate, and Sage（機月同梁格） as follows:

梁同機月寅申位一生利業聰明 聲多不論。
機月同梁作吏人 命在寅申方論，加吉不論，無吉無殺亦是平常人，兇殺空劫化忌為下格。

A literal reading of classical descriptions makes Advisor, Moon, Fortunate, and Sage（機月同梁格） seem suited only to public-sector work—but entering that sector is not easy. The pattern’s core is strong risk aversion. All four stars are passive in disposition, explaining its dislike of taking risks.

Most people live ordinary lives, so do not dwell on classical labels such as “ordinary” or “common.” Seeing a “lower-rated pattern”（下格） can make people feel so discouraged that they wish they could start life over. There is no need to reach that conclusion. Understanding why earlier writers made those judgments shows why they may not apply today.

Consider what inauspicious stars（凶星）, malefics（煞星）, ideologue–fickle（空劫）, and D（化忌） can bring: overthinking or insufficient thought, lack of persistence or excessive fixation. These influences can distort judgments about opportunities. Advisor, Moon, Fortunate, and Sage（機月同梁格） seeks stability, resists the unknown, and dislikes leaving familiar surroundings; that explains the classical assessment.

A poor choice of industry, company, or partner can then leave this pattern caught in a difficult situation. Without malefics（煞星） or D（化忌）, it is more likely to choose what suits it, then deepen its commitment to a field, job, or relationship, producing steady progress.

Advisor and sage attend the court（善蔭朝綱） ​

The “benevolent star”（善星） refers to advisor（天機）, and the “protective star”（蔭星） refers to sage（天梁）. This pattern means that both stars occupy the same palace. Most patterns in Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） favor auspicious stars (officer（左輔）, helper（右弼）, scholar（文昌）, artist（文曲）, assistant（天魁）, aide（天鉞）, A（化祿）, B（化權）, C（化科）) and avoid malefic stars (impulsive（火星）, spark（鈴星）, driven（擎羊）, tangled（陀羅）, ideologue（地空）, fickle（地劫）, D（化忌）).

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes Advisor and Sage Attend the Court（善蔭朝綱格） as follows:

善蔭朝綱，仁慈之長。
機梁酉上化吉者，縱遇財官也不榮。
機梁會合善談兵，居戌亦為美論 孟子遷移戌宮，有機梁。
機梁守命，加吉曜，富貴慈祥 加刑忌，僧道。
機梁同照命身，又逢劫空，偏宜僧道 機同單守命身，又逢空亡。
機梁七殺破軍沖，羽客僧流命所逢 若兼帝座，加太陽，吉。
機梁貪月同機會，暮夜經商無眠睡 遇兇星奔波。
天機逢天梁，必有高藝隨身。

For its qualities, see advisor–sage（天機天梁）. Its main strengths are quick thought and speech. It may seem like a protective older sibling, yet lack confidence about taking the top position. It works best when someone else leads and bears the pressure, explaining its suitability for planning and advisory roles.

Advisor and Sage Attend the Court（善蔭朝綱格） also suits work involving people. It coordinates different parties’ needs and intentions to find good solutions. It needs company and fears loneliness, especially enjoying intelligent conversation. Do not bluff about expertise in front of it—particularly in its own field, where your pretense is likely to be exposed.

As an intellectual type, it relies on intuition and awareness of risks, making its thoughts sensitive. It has practical skills, but excels more at solving problems through reasoning. It dislikes repetitive work and does not want to remain in routine junior roles. Yet it is also less suited to being the top leader, so it often works at middle or upper-middle levels.

Advisor and advocator in the same palace（機巨同臨） ​

Advisor（天機） and advocator（巨門） sharing a palace form Advisor and Advocator in the Same Palace（機巨同臨格）, also called Advocator and Advisor Together（巨機同臨格）; I prefer the first order. Some sources exclude the placement in You（酉） from this pattern. Since I place limited weight on pattern names, that distinction is less important to me; I list it for learners’ reference.

When advisor（天機） and advocator（巨門） share Mao（卯）, they also form the branch pattern Advisor and Advocator in Mao（機巨居卯格）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes their combination in sensational and often contradictory terms. Read these classical claims critically:

巨機同宮公卿之位。
卯上巨機為貴格。 巨機居卯乙辛己丙至公卿 不貴即富，甲人平常何也，因甲祿到寅卯宮有擎羊破格耳。
巨宿天機為破蕩 女命巨機於卯酉，雖富貴不免淫佚，若陷地下賤。

These classical descriptions may please some readers and worry others. They are extreme and contradict themselves. For advisor–advocator’s（天機巨門） actual personality qualities, see advisor–advocator（天機巨門）.

Advisor and advocator in mao（機巨居卯） ​

Also called Advocator and Advisor in Mao（巨機居卯格）, this is the Mao（卯） placement of Advisor and Advocator in the Same Palace（機巨同臨格）. Traditional assessments regard it favorably. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） includes a dedicated verse in its section on favorable star placements across the twelve palaces:

卯宮機巨武曲逢，辛乙生人福氣隆，男子為當縻廩祿，女人享福受褒封。

For details, see Advisor and Advocator in the Same Palace（機巨同臨格）; they are not repeated here.

Sun and moon in the same palace（日月同宮） ​

Also called sun and moon in the same palace（日月同臨）, this pattern is sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） sharing a palace, which happens only in Chou（丑） and Wei（未）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it as follows:

日月同臨官居侯伯。 日月同未命安丑侯伯之材。

For detailed information, refer to sun（太陽） + moon（太陰）, which will not be repeated here.

Advocator and sun in the same palace（巨日同宮） ​

Also called the bright sun dispels darkness（明日驅暗）, this pattern is sun（太陽） and advocator（巨門） sharing Yin（寅） or Shen（申）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it as follows:

巨日同宮官封三代 寅宮巨日足豐隆 巨日寅宮立命申先馳名而食祿
巨日命宮寅位食祿馳名
巨日申宮立命寅馳名食祿 巨日命立申宮亦妙

Many sources rate sun–advocator（太陽巨門） in Yin（寅） favorably and in Shen（申） unfavorably, but this is not absolute. The classical text itself says 巨日命立申宮亦妙. A more accurate interpretation begins with the stars’ basic qualities.

For detailed information, refer to sun（太陽） + advocator（巨門）, which will not be repeated here.

Sun illuminates the Thunder Gate（日照雷門） ​

Also called sunrise in the east（日出扶桑）, this pattern is sun（太陽） and sage（天梁） sharing Mao（卯）. Mao is the direction of the Zhen trigram（震卦） among the eight trigrams（八卦）; that trigram represents thunder, hence Sun Illuminating the Thunder Gate（日照雷門格）. Fusang, the mythical eastern tree（扶桑） refers to the east, also represented by Mao, giving the other name Sunrise in the East（日出扶桑格）. Like the morning sun, the pattern suggests vitality and warmth.

Sun（太陽） and sage（天梁） share Mao（卯） or You（酉）, but strictly speaking only Mao qualifies as Sun Illuminating the Thunder Gate（日照雷門格）. You corresponds to the Dui trigram（兌卦） in the west, so its placement is figuratively called Sunset in the West（日落西山）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes the pattern as follows:

日照雷門富貴榮華
日照雷門子辰卯地晝生富貴聲揚 日出扶桑 日在卯守命是也，守官祿宮亦然。

For detailed information, refer to sun（太陽） + sage（天梁）, which will not be repeated here.

Sun and moon both shine brightly（日月並明） ​

When sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） both have brightness [+3]（廟） or [+2]（旺）, they form Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）. Earlier people attached great importance to them, seeing clear skies or a bright moon with few visible stars as favorable omens, and eclipses as unfavorable ones. They therefore rated this pattern highly, associating it with both wealth and status.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格） as follows:

日月並明 佐九重於堯殿

Read the phrase as “佐／九重／於堯殿”. 佐 means to assist; 九重 refers to the imperial residence and here stands for the court or ruler; 於堯殿 means at Emperor Yao’s palace or court. The passage describes someone with this pattern serving the ruler at court, reflecting the esteem in which the classical author held the pattern.

In today’s society, Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格） alone is hardly enough for effortless success. Its benefits are more about regular habits, an optimistic outlook, and a constructive approach to life. Its basic arrangements are shown below:

In principle, any arrangement with both sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） at [+3]（廟） or [+2]（旺） within the soul palace’s（命宮） four related palaces（三方四正） qualifies as Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）. Yet combinations differ greatly in personality and conduct; a name alone cannot rank them. Traditionally, fewer malefics（煞星） and more auspicious stars（吉星） are preferred—conditions under which most combinations would do reasonably well. The arrangement below also qualifies, but has its own name: Crimson and Laurel Steps（丹墀桂墀格）.

Sun and moon in unfavorable positions（日月反背） ​

When both sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） are at [-3]（陷）, the pattern is Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格）, the opposite of Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）. Many sources, including the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書）, say 日月最嫌反背 without explaining why. Traditional thinking treated hardship and constant travel as undesirable, preferring a life in which others provide every need and wealth is inherited from birth.

Some teachers rate this pattern very poorly and even use insulting language, which is wrong. Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格） suggests hard work and travel, but effort that brings rewards can be a good thing. Unlike the regular routines of Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）, it can involve working nights or starting before dawn and finishing after dark.

Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格） is much more understated and reserved than Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）. Difficulty promoting itself can mean less recognition and fewer promotions from superiors. Yet it is perceptive and self-protective. Many well-known people have this pattern, and some have reached the highest positions through their own efforts.

As with the bright pattern, assess the soul palace’s（命宮） four related palaces（三方四正）: if both sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） are at [-3]（陷） there, Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格） forms.

Sun and moon illuminate the jade wall（日月照璧） ​

Sun and moon（太陽太陰） together in the property palace（田宅宮）, when that palace occupies an Earth position among the four storage palaces（四墓庫）, form Sun and Moon Illuminating the Wall（日月照壁格）. Classical texts rank it among patterns of great wealth. Before celebrating, however, let us examine what that claim means.

日月照璧 日月臨田宅宮是也，喜居墓庫。

Sun and moon（太陽太陰） share only chou palace（丑宮） or wei palace（未宮）. If that shared palace is the property palace（田宅宮）, the soul palace（命宮） necessarily contains rebel（破軍） at a Heavenly or Earthly Net position（天羅地網）. These positions have particular constraints: the Heavenly Net（天羅） lacks favorable external circumstances, while the Earthly Net（地網） lacks favorable internal conditions.

Rebel（破軍） has the courage to break through the constraints of the Heavenly and Earthly Nets（天羅地網）, but overcoming difficulties does not guarantee a good result. Its bold commitment and willingness to take risks, strengthened by external and internal trials, may produce larger gains. Yet survivorship bias matters: many people’s efforts may never yield such outcomes.

Below is the star arrangement for Sun and Moon Illuminating the Wall（日月照壁格）. Its mirror-image version is omitted.

Brilliant golden radiance（金燦光輝） ​

Also called The Sun at Its Zenith（日麗中天）, this pattern has sun（太陽） in Wu（午）, supported by auspicious stars（吉星） and the three favorable transformations（化祿、化權、化科）. The sun at its zenith is at its most radiant; symbolically, sun has the presence of a commanding leader. This is a well-known pattern of wealth and status in Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it as follows:

太陽居午，謂之日麗中天，有專權之貴，敵國之富。
金燦光輝 太陽單守，命在午宮是也。
太陽居午庚辛丁己人富貴雙全

This pattern values authority more than wealth, explaining its traditional classification as a pattern of high standing（貴格）. Yet seeking power or being forceful does not guarantee success; success itself can make a person’s behavior seem charismatic. Malefics（煞星） or D（化忌） in the trine palaces（三合） disrupt the favorable pattern. Character that does not match one’s position, or excessive domination, can alienate people. The Golden Brilliance（金燦光輝格） arrangement is shown below:

I have repeatedly advised against ranking people by pattern names. Every star, combination, and pattern has strengths and weaknesses; analyze them neutrally. Cars, boats, planes, and trains are all transport, each with different qualities. None is universally superior.

Hidden radiance of sun and moon（日月藏輝） ​

Sun and Moon with Hidden Radiance（日月藏輝格） intensifies Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格）: advocator（巨門） must also be present in the four related palaces（三方四正）. Other sources include night births with sun（太陽） in the soul palace（命宮） at You, Xu, Hai, or Zi（酉戌亥子）, or daytime births with moon（太陰） there at Mao, Chen, Si, or Wu（卯辰巳午）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書）, however, gives only the first definition:

日月藏輝 日月反背又逢巨暗是也。
日月最嫌反背乃為失輝，命身定要精求恐差分數。
日月陷宮逢惡殺勞碌奔波

The unfavorable classical rating assumes many malefics（煞星） and D（化忌） influences and few auspicious stars（吉星）. This pattern can involve more hardship than Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格）, explaining the old label of poverty and low standing. That outdated judgment should be discarded today. People with Sun and Moon with Hidden Radiance（日月藏輝格） are restrained and hardworking; achievements built step by step can have firmer foundations.

This pattern may be more likely to involve night work or higher-risk occupations. It does not determine ultimate achievement or wealth. Standing out can invite criticism; the understated approach of Sun and Moon with Hidden Radiance（日月藏輝格） can help avoid becoming a target of unwanted attention.

This pattern also has a clear weakness: a lack of confidence, at least outwardly. Yet some people may simply be keeping their strengths hidden until the right moment. The chart layout for the hidden radiance of sun and moon（日月藏輝） is shown below:

Do not lose confidence or motivation because someone labels your pattern “bad,” “laborious,” or “lowly.” The main value of studying Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） is understanding your chart’s strengths and weaknesses, using the former and managing the latter. One pattern cannot determine an entire life; examine your chart critically and in context.

The vermilion and laurel palace steps（丹墀桂墀） ​

This is a specific form of Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）, already introduced there. Sun（太陽） in the soul palace（命宮） at [+3]（廟） is called red palace steps（丹墀）, originally the red-painted steps or terrace before an ancient palace. Moon（太陰） in the soul palace at [+3] is called moonlit palace steps（桂墀）. This pattern therefore selects the bright sun–moon arrangements with one of the two occupying the soul palace.

The difference is that sun（太陽） in the soul palace（命宮） seeks reputation and authority, while moon（太陰） seeks tangible benefits more strongly. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） gives only one sentence on this pattern:

丹墀桂墀早遂青雲之志，合祿拱祿定為巨擘之臣。

For other qualities, see Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格）; they are not repeated here.

Sun and moon flank the soul palace（日月夾命） ​

The pattern is literal: sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） occupy the two palaces immediately beside the soul palace（命宮）—the siblings（兄弟宮） and parents（父母宮） palaces. Imagine growing up with light to guide you both day and night.

Sun and moon（太陽太陰） can flank the soul palace（命宮） only when it is in chou palace（丑宮） or wei palace（未宮）. The soul palace must then contain either empress（天府） or warrior–wolf（武曲貪狼）. To qualify as a favorable pattern, it must also have auspicious stars（吉星） sharing the palace and no bottomless（空亡）.

日月夾命 不坐空亡遇逢本宮有吉星是也。
日月夾命夾財加吉曜不權則富 加羊陀沖守，宜僧。

For this arrangement, empress（天府） in the soul palace（命宮） favors wei palace（未宮）, while warrior–wolf（武曲貪狼） favors chou palace（丑宮）. Readers can consider why.

Classical writers clearly associated this pattern with either wealth or high standing. In practice, many people with “wealth and status” patterns have neither, while others with poorly rated combinations attain great wealth or influence. That is why I discourage judging people by their patterns.

Elsewhere you may encounter sun and moon flank the travel palace（日月夾遷）. It is the same arrangement with the roles of the soul（命宮） and surface（遷移宮） palaces exchanged. Earlier writers generally saw sun and moon（太陽太陰） flanking any palace as favorable.

Sun and moon flank the wealth palace（日月夾財） ​

This pattern was partly introduced under Sun and Moon Flanking the Soul Palace（日月夾命格）. From ancient times to today, people have pursued wealth and power far more strongly than other goals, making wealth and status perennial subjects.

日月夾財，不權則富。
日月夾財 武守命日月來夾是也，財帛宮亦然。
日月夾命 不坐空亡遇逢本宮有吉星是也。
日月夾命夾財加吉曜不權則富 加羊陀沖守，宜僧。
日月夾財加吉曜不貴則富 如財帛宮在未天府星守，日在午月在申夾財是也，余仿此。

Its effects resemble Sun and Moon Flanking the Soul Palace（日月夾命格）, with more emphasis on wealth. The arrangement is the same, replacing the soul palace（命宮） with the wealth palace（財帛宮）, so it is not repeated here.

Bright moon at the Heavenly Gate（月朗天門） ​

Also called Moon in the Hai Palace（月落亥宮）, this is moon（太陰） occupying the soul palace（命宮） at hai palace（亥宮）. Hai（亥） is known as the Heavenly Gate（天門）. The image is a brilliant moon lighting the night sky as if it were day. Moon’s qualities then resemble sun’s（太陽）, hence the saying that a highly radiant moon is like sun.

Like sun（太陽）, it seeks authority, but without the same dazzling intensity or forceful pressure. Moon’s（太陰） sensitivity combines with sun’s liveliness and warmth, creating an impression of alertness and reliability that can lead others to entrust it with important responsibilities.

月朗天門進爵封侯。
月落亥宮 月在亥守命是也，又名月朗天門。
月朗天門於亥地登雲職掌大權 子生人夜時生合局。不貴則大富。

Moon rises over the sea（月生滄海） ​

Also called clear water reflects the moon（水澄桂萼）, this pattern has moon（太陰） and fortunate（天同） sharing zi palace（子宮）, which serves as the soul（命宮） or property（田宅宮） palace. For details, see fortunate–moon（天同太陰）. Gentleness is this combination’s defining quality.

Gentleness does not mean weakness or being easily bullied. Fortunate–moon（天同太陰） deals with problems without head-on confrontation and expresses its concerns patiently rather than bluntly. That does not make it defenseless. Indirect pressure can sometimes be harder to anticipate than an open challenge.

Fortunate–moon（天同太陰） in Zi（子） as the property（田宅） palace also qualifies; the soul palace（命宮） then contains judge–rebel（廉貞破軍）. The two arrangements contrast intellectual with forceful qualities, gentleness with firmness. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） recognizes only moon（太陰） in the Zi property palace as Moon Rising over the Sea（月生滄海格）.

月生滄海 月在子宮守田宅是也。
太陰居子，號曰水澄桂萼，得清要之職，忠諫之材。

Bright pearl emerges from the sea（明珠出海） ​

This pattern requires the soul palace（命宮） at wei palace（未宮） to be an empty palace（空宮）, with fortunate（天同） and advocator（巨門） in the surface palace（遷移宮）. Only this arrangement qualifies, because it places sun（太陽） in the wealth palace（財帛宮） and moon（太陰） in the career palace（官祿宮）, both at brightness [+3]（廟）.

First, the soul palace（命宮） is empty. As explained earlier, that can suggest uncertainty and a lack of a firm inner direction. Parents also tend to be forceful, making childhood pressure considerable. For personality traits, see fortunate–advocator（天同巨門）.

The pattern first evokes a pearl, and then venturing beyond familiar surroundings: leaving the surroundings in which one grew up can bring more resources and opportunities. Sun（太陽） and moon（太陰） illuminate its path from the trine palaces（三方）. People with this pattern often follow a life path prepared by their parents.

That can leave personal dreams and ambitions unspoken, leading to regrets. Society and parents are becoming more open-minded, however. If you have your own plans, talk to your parents and show that you can carry them out. You are a shining pearl—pursue your dreams boldly.

明珠出海 命宮在未宮,太陽星坐卯宮,太陰星坐亥宮

Warrior and wolf together（武貪同行） ​

This pattern has warrior（武曲） and wolf（貪狼） sharing chou palace（丑宮） or wei palace（未宮）. It divides opinion: admirers praise it extravagantly, while critics dismiss it completely. Why such contrasting views? Let us examine them.

In individual ability, warrior–wolf（武貪） arguably has the strongest natural foundation: broad interests, quick learning, practical skills, and bold ideas put into action. Its major weakness is stubborn self-reliance and refusal to listen. These are tendencies of the combination, not traits shared by everyone who has it.

This combination benefits from early challenges that help it gain experience and develop its potential. Readers may know the saying 武貪不發少年人. Some take it to mean that warrior–wolf（武貪） will not succeed young; others read it as advice that success should not come too early. This article uses the latter reading: the emphasis is on emotional readiness before success, not a claim that young people cannot succeed.

If warrior–wolf（武貪） has a comfortable childhood with no setbacks, it may lack the experience needed to temper stubbornness and arrogance. Its naturally uncompromising character, with needs too easily met before emotional maturity, can produce some of the following tendencies:

• Overconfident and unable to listen to other people’s opinions,
• Lack of empathy and difficulty understanding others
• Pursuit of pleasure at the expense of responsibilities
• Weak ability to withstand stress and easily fall into despair when encountering setbacks
• Strained interpersonal relationships and difficulty integrating into the team

Warrior–wolf（武貪） is curious and acts to satisfy that curiosity. Strong practical and learning skills let it quickly understand how things work in almost any field that interests it. With a willingness to listen to advice, it has strong potential for achievement.

貪武同行威鎮邊夷。
先貧後富武貪同身命之宮，先富後貧只為運限逢劫殺。
貪武先貧而後富 利己損人。
貪狼武曲同守身無吉命反不長 命無吉曜，身有貪武，孤貧。
權星若遇武貪臨，作事求謀盡得成，士子名高添福祿，庶人得此積金銀。
貪武申宮為下格 化忌方論。
貪武四生四墓宮破軍忌殺百工通
貪武破軍無吉曜迷戀酒以忘身 或作手藝。

Spark, scholar, tangled, and warrior（鈴昌陀武） ​

This pattern brings warrior（武曲）, scholar（文昌）, spark（鈴星）, and tangled（陀羅） together in the soul palace’s（命宮） four related palaces（三方四正）. Traditionally it is rated as an unfavorable pattern（惡格）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） gives just one line:

鈴昌陀武限至投河

Does that line make you uneasy? It certainly left me with many questions. Drawing conclusions about someone from a fragment without context is rash. Let us examine the reasoning behind Master Chen Tuan’s（陳摶） conclusion.

Scholar–warrior（文昌武曲） would normally combine intellectual and practical strengths, a learned person’s integrity and a fighter’s boldness. Spark（鈴星） and tangled（陀羅） can hinder those strengths, leaving neither fully developed—a sense of talent without opportunity. Imagine warrior’s（武曲） firmness, scholar’s（文昌） aloofness, tangled’s（陀羅） fixation, and spark’s（鈴星） repeated inner rumination combined.

If this pattern appears in a horoscope period, how should you respond? Do not panic. Ask for help when difficulties arise rather than carrying burdens beyond your capacity alone. Avoid repeatedly dwelling on the same problem, and work on the personality weaknesses that are contributing to it. Regardless of the pattern, the author reminds readers to pay attention to traffic safety and avoid swimming in dangerous waters.

Punishment and confinement flank the seal（刑囚夾印） ​

This pattern has serious（天刑）, judge（廉貞）, and minister（天相） sharing a palace. Later variations allow driven（擎羊） instead of serious because its symbolic nature is punishment（刑）. Related variants include punishment and imprisonment flank obstruction（刑囚夾忌） and punishment and obstruction flank the seal（刑忌夾印）. The label punishment（刑） can refer to serious（天刑） or driven（擎羊）; the label D（忌） can mean either D（化忌） or tangled（陀羅）.

刑囚夾印，刑杖惟司。
刑囚夾印 天刑廉貞同臨身命主武勇之人。

The classical account associates this pattern with law and litigation. Assuming it inevitably brings legal trouble or imprisonment exaggerates that association. Minister（天相） normally has strong emotional intelligence and social tact, but the punishment–confinement combination（刑囚） restrains those qualities, making its usual diplomacy harder to express. Yet the legal profession also needs uncompromising integrity.

When a cycle reaches this pattern, those outside legal work should be especially careful about potentially unlawful conduct. The author jokes that even an improper road crossing could draw official attention. If you see this pattern ahead, reflect on whether your actions cross legal boundaries; if not, continue without needless worry.

Business owners may use this period to review taxes, staffing, contracts, and other company affairs. For people already working in law, it may instead mean a particularly busy period. This illustrates why a pattern cannot be reduced to “good” or “bad”: understand its nature. The same water can carry a boat or overturn it.

Born at an inopportune time（生不逢時） ​

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） gives one qualifying condition: judge（廉貞） and bottomless（空亡） together in the soul palace（命宮）. Other sources also accept bottomless together with rebel（破軍）; readers can investigate that variation.

生不逢時 命坐空亡逢廉貞是也。

Little material is available on this pattern, including in classical texts. Its name becomes clearer through the star qualities. Bottomless（空亡） can suggest being busy with little to show for it. Combined with judge’s（廉貞） repeated efforts, it can feel like working intensely only to receive rewards below expectations, causing frustration.

Why judge（廉貞） specifically? Other stars are more likely to give up after repeated failures, while judge tends to feel, “I cannot accept defeat.” If you have this pattern, you are welcome to contact me on WeChat and share your story.

Martial star attends the court（雄宿朝元） ​

Judge（廉貞） occupying the soul palace（命宮） in yin palace（寅宮） or shen palace（申宮） meets the basic condition for the Martial Star Attending the Court（雄宿朝元格）. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書）, however, names shen palace（申宮） or wei palace（未宮）. In Wei（未）, judge pairs with marshal（七殺）, as described under judge–marshal（廉貞七殺）. I am therefore unsure about this discrepancy and welcome corrections from knowledgeable readers.

廉貞申未宮無殺富貴聲揚播遠名 雄宿朝元格，加殺平常。

Favorably rated patterns usually require no malefics（煞星） and the presence of auspicious stars（吉星）. This one has a strong sense of self, a rebellious streak, reluctance to heed advice, and great concern for pride. martial star（雄宿） refers to judge（廉貞）. The name alone sounds like an imposing figure.

People with this pattern may be so sure of themselves, reluctant to listen and concerned with pride that they persist despite clear obstacles. Their attitude can be summed up as: “My judgment comes first, whatever you think.” They may also be fiercely protective of people close to them, so antagonizing those people can provoke a strong reaction. The author compares the temperament to Zixia（紫霞）, a character in the Chinese fantasy film series A Chinese Odyssey（大話西遊）.

Empress and minister attend the soul palace（府相朝垣） ​

This pattern has empress（天府） in the career palace（官祿宮） and minister（天相） in the wealth palace（財帛宮）, both supporting the soul palace（命宮）. Its broad conditions allow several arrangements. Like an Auxiliary ability in a game, it adds a favorable effect to whichever underlying pattern it accompanies.

府相朝垣命必榮
府相朝垣 命無主星，天府居官祿、天相居財帛
府相朝垣千鍾食祿 命寅申，府相在財帛宮，祿官朝者，上格別宮次之。

This is understandably popular—who would not want abundant official income? But having it does not guarantee riches. Empress（天府） and minister（天相） are highly stable stars, encouraging a steady, measured temperament. The Yin and Shen（寅申） placements are rated more highly because the underlying pattern is Martial Star Attending the Court（雄宿朝元格）.

In this arrangement, Empress and Minister Attend the Soul Palace（府相朝垣格） is not attached to another pattern. It is rated “ordinary” because warrior（武曲） in the soul palace（命宮） occupies a Heavenly and Earthly Nets（天羅地網） position.

Here, Empress and Minister Attend the Soul Palace（府相朝垣格） adds support to Martial Star Attending the Court（雄宿朝元格）.

Here, Empress and Minister Attend the Soul Palace（府相朝垣格） supports Emperor in Mao or You（極居卯酉格）, using stars borrowed from the opposite palace（借宮安星）.

Here, Empress and Minister Attend the Soul Palace（府相朝垣格） adds support to Emperor Faces the Southern Light（極向離明格）.

Impulsive–wolf and spark–wolf（火貪、鈴貪） ​

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） does not describe Spark–Wolf（鈴貪格）, probably identified by later practitioners, but often discusses Impulsive–Wolf（火貪格）. This combination is highly inclined to gamble and readily goes all in, believing taking a chance could bring a big gain. More often, however, taking a chance could also cost you what you already have.

貪狼火星居廟旺名鎮諸邦
貪狼居卯酉，遇火作公卿
貪狼卯酉宮利益，與紫微同度，見火星貴，乙辛己生人宜之，財官格
貪狼丑未宮入廟，與武曲同度，見火星，戊己庚生人貴格
貪狼四墓宮中福氣濃，提兵指日立邊功，火星拱會誠為貴，名震諸夷定有封
貪狼主限四墓臨，更喜人生四墓生，若見火星多橫發，自然富貴冠鄉鄰
文曲與貪狼火星同垣三合者，將相之命

Many focus on Impulsive–Wolf’s（火貪格） potential windfalls and dream of overnight riches. Read the account closely, though: career advancement is even more prominent than wealth. Focus on building a career as well as making money. Income grounded in career development is steadier and less prone to sudden gains followed by equally sudden losses.

Jade hidden in stone（石中隱玉） ​

To me, Jade Hidden in Stone（石中隱玉格） has the most poetic name of any pattern. It forms when advocator（巨門） occupies zi palace（子宮） or woo palace（午宮）. With the soul palace（命宮） at Zi（子）, Sun and Moon Both Shine Brightly（日月並明格） makes the overall disposition more cheerful and active. At Wu（午）, Sun and Moon in Unfavorable Positions（日月反背格） makes it more withdrawn and passive.

This pattern usually gives a gentle, understated impression, with an active mind, strong intuition, and a strong desire to express oneself. If words can solve a problem, the person would rather talk than take hands-on action. In the author’s view, its main weakness is limited resilience under pressure: situations beyond one’s control can easily cause panic.

If you have this pattern, think of yourself as fine jade that needs shaping and polishing. Setbacks and failures early in life can help bring out your potential and make you stand out. An overly easy childhood, however, may leave you too trusting and unaware of others’ harmful intentions, drawing you into situations that are hard to escape.

People with this pattern are usually easygoing, considerate, and highly empathetic, which makes them well liked. Those same qualities can also make others see them as easy targets to bully or take advantage of.

子午巨門石中隱玉，明祿暗祿錦上添花
身命居子午宮為石中隱玉格，更會科權祿，終身福厚，會羊陀火鈴化忌，若不夭折，男盜女娼
巨門子午科權祿石中隱玉福興隆 富而子貴，辛癸人上格，丁己人次之，丙戊主男

Sage and horse wander（梁馬飄蕩） ​

This pattern occurs when sage（天梁） and horse（天馬） share a palace. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） judges it unfavorably, but such judgments need to be understood in their historical context. We should study and analyze them as neutrally as possible, rather than mechanically apply ancient verdicts to people today.

天梁天馬陷飄蕩無疑
天梁遇馬女命賤而且淫
天梁天馬為人飄蕩風流

Knowing sage’s（天梁） qualities helps explain these old judgments. In fact, this pattern suggests a generous, chivalrous spirit and a bold temperament. A fitting comparison is Linghu Chong, the freedom-loving swordsman in Jin Yong’s novels.

Today’s society is diverse, and social structures and lifestyles differ greatly from those of the past. Applying outdated standards to people today would therefore be a mistake. People with Sage and Horse Wander（梁馬飄蕩格） are indeed restless and active: they dislike an unchanging lifestyle and repetitive work day after day.

Constantly being on the move may exhaust others, but it is precisely what makes people with Sage and Horse Wander（梁馬飄蕩格） feel most at home. Following their heart and adapting wherever they go best describes them. If they are not harming others, there is no need to worry too much about outside judgment. Life is only a few decades long; earning more money need not be everyone’s goal.

Sun and sage meet literary talent and prosperity（陽梁昌祿） ​

This pattern brings together sun（太陽）, sage（天梁）, scholar（文昌）, and money（祿存） within a palace, its two trine palaces, and its opposite palace. Traditionally, it is associated with placing first in the imperial examinations.

天梁太陽昌祿會臚傳第一名
天梁星宿壽星逢，機日文昌左右同，子午寅申為入廟，官資清顯至三公。

Its temperament largely follows sun–sage（太陽天梁）. Many people have this sun–sage–scholar–money（陽梁昌祿） pattern, but they are not all top students; some struggle at school. What they share is a strong drive to investigate whatever interests them. If that interest is academic study, talent combined with effort naturally gives them a better chance of excelling.

Do not assume that someone with this pattern must be a top student or highly qualified. Look instead at their interests and strengths: they could be an excellent scholar or an outstanding surgeon. They usually value their reputation and aspire to positions of authority, so they tend not to remain in entry-level roles for long.

Every profession has people who excel, so do not limit this pattern’s potential to academic success. It is a promising pattern. If your child has it, your role is not to prescribe a fixed path, but to support them, observe their interests and strengths, and help those develop. That gives the pattern’s strengths the best chance to flourish.

Marshal, rebel, and wolf（殺破狼） ​

The best-known pattern in Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） is probably marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼格）: the combination of marshal（七殺）, rebel（破軍）, and wolf（貪狼）. These stars always occupy the three trine palaces, so any one of them in the soul palace（命宮） forms the pattern. Its imposing name gives a hint of the unfavorable judgments it received in classical texts.

武貞羊殺破狼，居陷地則喪命夭折， 若與同梁武曲會旺宮，聰明果決，如羊陀火鈴衝破，只宜空門。
紫微入限本為祥，只恐三方殺破狼，常庶逢之多不利，官員降謫有驚傷。
七殺破軍宜出外，機月同梁作吏人。
七殺破軍專依羊鈴之虐。
七殺破軍宜出外，機月同梁作吏人。
火陀相會不為良，七殺破軍壽不長，只可偏房方富足，聰明得寵過時光。
七殺破軍宜出外諸般手藝不能精
七殺破軍同身心不得靜守，加羊陀火鈴在外招是非。
破軍貪狼逢祿馬男多浪蕩女多淫

Even without studying Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數）, you may know these three stars through popular culture. There is a film titled SPL: Sha Po Lang（殺破狼）, and viewers of Chinese Paladin（仙劍奇俠傳） may recognize its theme song, “Sha Po Lang” by JS. In these works, wolf（貪狼）, rebel（破軍）, and marshal（七殺） are associated respectively with greed, anger, and delusion.

Why is marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼） said to do well away from home? Besides being active, these people often resist being told what to do and may frustrate their parents. Having a constant challenger around can be tiring. Calling them rebels is an exaggeration, but they do dislike an unchanging life. They seek novelty, refuse to give up easily, and are willing to endure hardship.

Marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼） is very common, so do not accept only the negative parts of classical descriptions. Historically, Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數） served the ruling class, which naturally found independent-minded, defiant people troublesome. Many texts describe dramatic ups and downs in this pattern’s life; these also reflect the person’s determination to pursue deeply held goals.

The short-video slogan “No retreat” fits them well. Once they decide to act, they push ahead and may deliberately leave themselves no way back. For marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼）, maintaining what has been achieved can therefore be harder than pursuing something new. Another trait is a tendency to lean against something while standing or recline while sitting, rather than hold an upright posture. This can appear whether the pattern forms in the soul palace（命宮） or the body palace（身宮）.

Marshal faces the Dipper（七殺朝斗） ​

Another reason the author cautions against selective, unquestioning trust in classical texts is that they often contradict themselves. Marshal Facing the Dipper（七殺朝斗格）, for example, is a special form of marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼格）: marshal（七殺） occupies the soul palace（命宮） in zi（子）, woo（午）, yin（寅）, or shen（申）.

七殺朝斗爵祿榮昌，紫府同宮終身福厚。
朝斗仰斗爵祿榮昌，文桂文華九重貴顯。
七殺朝斗 寅申子午一生爵祿榮昌
紫微居子午科權祿照最為奇 科權祿三方照是也為仰面朝斗格。

When marshal（七殺） is in yin palace（寅宮） or shen palace（申宮）, the surface palace（遷移宮） contains emperor–empress（紫微天府）. In zi palace（子宮） or woo palace（午宮）, it contains warrior–empress（武曲天府）. Marshal in yin palace（寅宮） or zi palace（子宮） is called marshal looks up to the Dipper（七殺仰斗）. Another convention uses “Looking Up to the Dipper”（仰斗） for zi and woo（子午） and “Facing the Dipper”（朝斗） for yin and shen（寅申）. The author considers the distinction in names secondary and is comfortable calling all of these Marshal Facing the Dipper（七殺朝斗）.

This pattern combines stubbornness with confidence and strong pride, and it does not give up until its goal is reached. When backed by the ability to match, it can be highly charismatic. Without the skills to realize those ambitions, however, the person may depend on a partner’s financial support while still behaving as if entitled to control the relationship.

Prosperity weakens and the horse is hindered（祿衰馬困） ​

This pattern has relatively complex requirements and belongs to the miscellaneous patterns. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it in just one sentence.

祿衰馬困 限逢七殺祿馬空亡是也。

The description shows that this pattern takes effect during a fortune period. Both money（祿存） and horse（天馬） are in an unfavorable state within a palace, its two trine palaces, and its opposite palace. It can be viewed as the reverse of Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳）.

Typically, within the trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）, money（祿存） shares a palace with emptiness stars—utopian（天空）, ideologue（地空）, interrupted（截空）, or fancied（旬空）—or depletion stars—wastrel（大耗）, consumer（小耗）, or fickle（地劫）. At the same time, horse（天馬） shares a palace with adverse influences such as D（化忌）, driven（擎羊）, tangled（陀羅）, serious（天刑）, or gloomy（陰煞）. Money represents the capital from which wealth can grow, and putting capital into circulation creates opportunities. This pattern describes investing money and effort without receiving a corresponding return.

When a wealth star shares a palace with emptiness stars（空曜）, money is often not the person’s first priority, or they are less sensitive to financial considerations. Life has more to it than earning money, and money need not be its sole purpose. If this pattern appears during a fortune period, be more cautious about investments and question offers that seem too good to be true.

Martial star reaches exalted brightness（英星入廟） ​

The “martial star”（英星） means rebel（破軍）, and [+3]（廟） denotes its brightness level. This is another special form of marshal–rebel–wolf（殺破狼格）, occurring when rebel occupies zi palace（子宮） or woo palace（午宮）.

子午破軍加官進祿
破軍在子午宮，多有金銀寶貝蓄積
破軍在子午宮守祖業榮昌，但見有進退，加羊陀火鈴退祖田少
破軍子午宮無殺官資清顯至三公 甲癸生人合格，丁巳生人次之，丙戌生人主困。

The author could not find this pattern’s name anywhere in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書）, so it was probably coined by later practitioners. Rebel（破軍） is highly creative, daring to say and do what others will not. Its outcomes can therefore range from remarkable success to severe failure.

In practice, differences between star temperaments are not always dramatic. Modern social life can soften even a very unconventional person’s behavior and teach them to hold back, so these traits are relative. Everyday details may reveal the differences more clearly: fortunate（天同） and rebel（破軍）, for example, have very different approaches to playing mahjong.

In mahjong, rebel（破軍） will seize even a small chance to build a high-scoring hand. Fortunate（天同）, by contrast, is happy simply to win a hand. This only compares one aspect of the two stars. Different star combinations and the four transformations（四化） can make the same star behave differently.

Rebel at Exalted Brightness（英星入廟格） tends to find achievement in business. In politics, the possibilities depend on the social system and the role held, which can greatly affect outcomes. Growing up without any adversity is not necessarily helpful for someone with this pattern.

Many waters flow east（眾水朝東） ​

Also called great waters flow east（大水朝東）, this pattern has rebel（破軍） and artist（文曲） in Yin（寅） or Mao（卯）. Both stars belong to Water in the five elements（五行）, while Yin and Mao correspond to the east, which explains the name.

文耗居寅卯，謂之眾水朝東。

Classical texts say little about All Waters Flowing East（眾水朝東格）. Current accounts differ: some associate it with wealth and status, others with lifelong toil. Both can fit its different forms. In the quoted passage, literary stars（文星） means artist（文曲）, while the “depletion star”（耗星） means rebel（破軍）. The configuration described above has two forms.

Judge–rebel（廉貞破軍） can be short-tempered and inconsiderate in speech and action, which can work against it. The configuration in Yin（寅） is somewhat milder but more active. Both forms often overlap with Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳格）, so many people with them work in business. Judge–rebel leans more toward specialized technical work; rebel alone in Yin is more inclined toward foreign trade and import–export business.

The image of waters ultimately reaching the sea also suggests a need to preserve what you have achieved. Do not take so many risks that someone else ends up enjoying the fruits of your effort. Many accounts warn of water-related danger, but road safety, water and fire safety, and health matter regardless of the pattern. Having this pattern is no reason in itself to feel anxious.

Three auspicious transformations meet（三奇加會） ​

The three auspicious transformations（三奇） are A（化祿）, B（化權）, and C（化科）. Their gathering（三奇加會） means all three appear within the soul palace（命宮）, its two trine palaces, and its opposite palace. The author found no description of this pattern in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書）, so it was probably formulated by later practitioners.

There are too many configurations to list, and the transformations attach to different stars, so Three Auspicious Transformations Gathering（三奇加會） must be analyzed in context. The most favored arrangement has C（化科） in the soul palace（命宮）, A（化祿） in the wealth palace（財帛宮）, and B（化權） in the career palace（官祿宮）; readers can likely see why.

What might this pattern look like in everyday life? It mainly offers more opportunities; whether you take them still depends on you. For illustration, imagine 20% more invitations, a 20% better chance of a job offer, or 20% higher profit. The 20% figures are arbitrary examples, not measured probabilities or rules to use in chart interpretation.

Prosperity and mobility（祿馬交馳） ​

Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳） is one of the best-known wealth patterns. It occurs when money（祿存） and horse（天馬） share a palace. Some accounts also count their meeting within the trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）, but the definition attributed to Master Xiyi（希夷先生） requires the same palace. Money is a well-known wealth star, yet it represents the initial capital. Capital needs to circulate to grow, and horse represents that circulation.

武曲祿馬交馳發財遠郡
祿馬最喜交馳 忌見殺羊火截路空亡，多主勞苦。
天馬如與祿存同宮，謂之祿馬交馳，又曰折鞭馬。

Under the strict same-palace definition, Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳） can form only at the four horse positions（四馬地）. Its palace often suggests constant activity and a busy life. Whether that effort pays off depends on the other stars. With this combination, the author sees more opportunities than usual: seize a suitable moment and your effort may achieve more.

Prosperity forms a mandarin-duck pair（祿合鴛鴦） ​

This pattern has A（化祿） and money（祿存） in the same palace or facing one another from opposite palaces. Its meaning is straightforward: money（祿存） represents capital, and A（化祿） represents an increase. Together they suggest growth of capital, or profit, so this is a wealth-related pattern. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） describes it in one sentence.

合祿鴛鴦一世榮。

Could this suggest that people with Paired Prosperity（祿合鴛鴦格） have a good instinct for managing money and running a business? Even if absent from the natal chart（本命盤）, the pattern can appear during a fortune period. If it does, make the most of suitable opportunities, while also considering the other star combinations. Treat it as supporting context, rather than a basis for decisions.

And now, a quick plug:

Visible and hidden prosperity（明祿暗祿） ​

Here, “visible”（明） means the palace itself, and “hidden”（暗） means its hidden partner palace（暗合宮）. The two prosperity influences are money（祿存） and A（化祿）. Think of this as a special form of Paired Prosperity（祿合鴛鴦格）, with one of the two influences “hidden” in the partner palace.

明祿暗祿錦上添花。
明祿暗祿位至公卿。
明祿暗祿 命宮中有化祿（或祿存）坐守，而暗合宮中有祿存（或化祿）是也

Income arriving from both obvious and less visible sources sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Whether it leads to high office is another question, but it certainly suggests an added advantage. As someone who never wins a prize, the author can only envy that kind of luck.

Prosperity and mobility with a seal（祿馬佩印） ​

This is a special form of Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳格）: money（祿存）, horse（天馬）, and minister（天相） share a palace.

祿馬佩印 馬前有祿印星同宮是也。
天相祿馬交馳，不落空亡，更坐生鄉，可為貴論。

If Prosperity and Mobility（祿馬交馳） concerns wealth, adding the Seal（祿馬佩印） adds authority to it. This is therefore a prized pattern associated with wealth and status. Still, having such a pattern in a chart and actually achieving wealth and status are two different things.

Two layers of canopy（兩重華蓋） ​

This is a special form of Paired Prosperity（祿合鴛鴦格）: A（化祿） and money（祿存） share a palace and also meet either ideologue（地空） or fickle（地劫）. Some accounts extend the definition to any of the emptiness stars（空曜）. That is also understandable, although the manifestations may differ slightly.

兩重華蓋 謂祿存化祿坐命遇空劫是也。

Fickle（地劫） suggests gaining and then losing; ideologue（地空） suggests something imagined but hard to retain. Together with the two wealth influences, the exaggerated image is money passing through your hands without staying. The word canopy（華蓋） in the pattern’s name points to priorities beyond money. Placing too much importance on wealth can therefore lead to continual frustration and distress.

This also reinforces Do not rely too heavily on patterns. Traditional judgments can contradict one another, and a single chart often meets several pattern definitions at once. Their predictions may even be opposite. Using a pattern’s traits as one piece of context for interpretation gives a more balanced assessment.

Wind and clouds converge（風雲際會） ​

Wind and Clouds Meeting（風雲際會） is a pattern of fortune periods, rather than a fixed combination visible in a natal chart（本命盤）. It requires a relatively weak natal body palace（身宮） or soul palace（命宮）, while both the decadal period（大限） and the annual age period（小限）—some schools use the annual period（流年） instead—reach favorable positions containing money（祿存）, A（化祿）, or horse（天馬）. The focus is on a previously constrained chart entering a phase where resources and opportunities for action arrive together, rather than on high status at birth.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） classifies it among the miscellaneous patterns. The original passage reads:

風雲際會，身命雖弱二限逢祿馬是也。

The name evokes wind meeting clouds and bringing change. In modern terms, someone with ordinary starting conditions may gain mobility, funding, a useful platform, or outside opportunities during a particular fortune period. Whether they can rise with that support still depends on the natal chart’s capacity to use it. Chasing speed without preparation may turn the money and horse influences（祿馬） into nothing more than a busier, more tiring life.

Driven and tangled flank the soul palace（羊陀夾命） ​

Driven and Tangled Flanking the Soul Palace（羊陀夾命） forms when driven（擎羊） and tangled（陀羅） occupy the two palaces immediately before and after the soul palace（命宮）. Since these stars always flank money（祿存）, money（祿存） must also occupy the soul palace. It does not mean both flanking stars are inside the soul palace, nor is meeting them in the trine palaces equivalent to flanking.

Automatically calling this an unfavorable pattern is too simplistic. Money（祿存） brings resources, practicality, and a wish to preserve what has been built; driven and tangled（羊陀） turn that persistence into pressure, obstacles, and reluctance to yield. If the soul palace’s（命宮） main stars are well placed and not disrupted by D（化忌）, ideologue, or fickle（空劫）, it can mean resilience, staying power, and sensitivity to risk. Further adverse influences may instead turn the pressure into repeated setbacks, tense relationships, or losses caused by stubbornness.

Do not pass judgment on yourself just because this pattern appears. Treat it as a reminder to leave room for adjustment in important decisions. The tighter your resources, the more important it is not to force your way ahead out of pride or resentment.

Horse carries an arrow at its head（馬頭帶箭） ​

Horse Head Bearing an Arrow（馬頭帶箭） is also called Horse Head Bearing a Sword（馬頭帶劍）. The strict definition places the soul palace（命宮） in woo palace（午宮）, with driven（擎羊） sharing it with fortunate–moon（天同太陰）. It can also be read through borrowed stars when the soul palace is empty, driven is in Wu（午）, and fortunate–moon is opposite. Birth years with Bing（丙） or Wu（戊） stems are considered more favorable when fortunate or wolf（貪狼） receives A（化祿）. Wolf receiving A alongside driven in Wu is usually treated as a variant. The “horse” here refers to the Wu palace（午宮）: horse（天馬） alone does not establish the pattern.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） records it in its section on patterns associated with high status:

馬頭帶劍，謂馬有刃是也。

The book also includes this verse about fortunate（天同） in the soul palace（命宮）:

天同貪羊陀居午位，丙戊鎮御邊疆，為馬頭帶箭富且貴。

Fortunate（天同） favors comfort, while driven（擎羊） adds initiative and competitive pressure. Together in Wu（午）, they resemble a gentle person pushed into a role that demands action. The classical phrase is “鎮御邊疆”; today, this can mean developing in demanding roles that require follow-through and responsibility. The point is to turn pressure into discipline, skills, and action, rather than impulsiveness, and thereby achieve results.

Officer and helper in the same palace（左右同宮） ​

Officer and Helper Sharing a Palace（左右同宮） means officer（左輔） and helper（右弼） both occupy the soul palace（命宮） or the body palace（身宮）. If they only meet from the trine or opposite palaces（三方四正）, that is supportive aspecting, not sharing a palace. Officer concerns support and planning, helper coordination and cooperation; their complementary effect is clearest when they share a palace.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

左右同宮披羅衣紫。

This verse need not be read literally as wearing a purple official’s robe and attaining high office. In modern terms, it suggests someone who organizes well and handles relationships considerately, earning trust and support within a team. If the main stars lack direction, or adverse influences are strong, this coordination can instead mean excessive hesitation and difficulty taking a clear position. Judge it alongside the soul palace’s（命宮） main stars.

Officer and helper flank the soul palace（左右夾命） ​

Officer and Helper Flanking the Soul Palace（左右夾命） forms when officer（左輔） and helper（右弼） occupy the two palaces immediately before and after the soul palace（命宮）. Sharing a palace emphasizes personal ability to support and coordinate; flanking suggests support from upbringing, family and friends, colleagues, or institutional resources on either side. Both stars must be immediately adjacent: meeting from the trine palaces does not meet the condition.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） states this explicitly:

左右夾命為貴格，如安命在丑宮，左輔在子宮，右弼在寅宮。四七十一月生者是也，若不貴則大富。

Classical authors associated it with wealth and status because officer and helper（左右） suggest people who support you and help carry things through. Today, this need not mean an influential family background: it may be someone offering an opportunity, covering a weakness at a crucial moment, or a collaborative organization. Without communication and a willingness to take responsibility, however, outside support is hard to turn into results.

Officer and helper support the ruler（輔弼拱主） ​

Officer and Helper Supporting the Ruler（輔弼拱主） requires emperor（紫微） in the soul palace（命宮）, with officer（左輔） and helper（右弼） supporting it from the trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）. The two stars may also flank emperor’s soul palace. Without emperor in the soul palace, or with only one of the two supporting stars, the complete pattern does not form.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

輔弼拱主，紫微守命二星來拱是也，夾之亦然。

Emperor（紫微） represents oversight and independent judgment; officer and helper（輔弼） represent execution and cooperation. The pattern is therefore associated with leadership: someone willing to take charge who can gather support, rather than someone guaranteed to be a leader from birth. Strong adverse influences on emperor, or a wish to control without delegating, can weaken the benefits of the supporting stars.

Assistant and aide flank the soul palace（魁鉞夾命） ​

Assistant and Aide Flanking the Soul Palace（魁鉞夾命） means assistant（天魁） and aide（天鉞） occupy the palaces immediately before and after the soul palace（命宮）. Sharing a palace or meeting from the trines may also suggest helpful people, but does not meet this flanking definition. Their placement depends on the birth year’s heavenly stem（年干）, so check the actual palace positions against both the birth year and the soul palace.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） records:

魁鉞夾命為奇格，如命安在辰宮，魁在卯，鉞在巳宮是也。

Assistant and aide（魁鉞） are often called benefactor stars, but a benefactor does not do everything for you. This pattern suggests access to demanding people or environments that can offer guidance. Skills and trustworthiness help turn that access into support. Strong malefic and adverse influences in the natal chart may instead bring high expectations, pressure, or a persistent need for recognition.

Benefactors in the soul and opposite palaces（坐貴向貴） ​

Benefactors in the Soul and Opposite Palaces（坐貴向貴） has one of assistant（天魁） and aide（天鉞） in the soul palace（命宮） and the other opposite in the surface palace（遷移宮）. Either arrangement qualifies. Both stars in the soul palace means they share a palace; both meeting from trines outside the fate line（命遷線） does not form this pattern.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） gives a concise definition:

坐貴向貴，謂魁鉞在命迭相坐拱是也。

This pattern emphasizes support both personally and in the wider world: people may recognize your strengths, and new contacts may help open doors. Today, it suggests using support well and gaining access to capable, well-connected groups. Keeping your place in them still depends on your ability, work, and reliability over time.

Fickle and ideologue flank the soul palace（劫空夾命） ​

Fickle and Ideologue Flanking the Soul Palace（劫空夾命） forms when fickle（地劫） and ideologue（地空） occupy the palaces immediately before and after the soul palace（命宮）. Their presence in the soul palace, the opposite palace, or the trines still matters, but is not flanking. Distinguish the natal chart（本命盤） from fortune periods（運限）: natal flanking suggests a continuing concern, while encountering it during a period suggests a temporary fluctuation.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

劫空夾命為敗局，假如命安在亥宮，劫在子宮，空在戌宮是也。歲限行到亦凶，夾忌亦凶孤貧刑傷。

Ideologue（地空） and fickle（地劫） can suggest disappointment, failed plans, or lost resources. Classical verdicts are severe and need not be accepted wholesale today, but the pattern does call for checking funds, promises, partnerships, and risks, while keeping fallback options. Steady main stars in the soul palace（命宮） and plentiful auspicious stars may turn this sensitivity into awareness of trouble and an ability to limit losses.

Prosperity meets two malefic stars（祿逢兩殺） ​

Money Meeting Two Malefics（祿逢兩殺） does not form merely because money（祿存） appears with two malefic stars. The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） requires money（祿存） in the soul palace（命宮）, affected by emptiness（空亡） and further met or opposed by emptiness and depletion stars such as ideologue（地空） and fickle（地劫）. The key is the disruption of the wealth influence by emptiness. Ordinary malefics alongside money, without those emptiness influences, do not justify applying the pattern.

祿逢兩殺，祿坐空亡又逢空劫殺星是也。

Money（祿存） represents resources that can accumulate; ideologue and fickle（空劫） suggest disappointment and depletion. The question is therefore whether income, savings, and opportunities can be retained, rather than simply whether money is present. Check highly leveraged arrangements, verbal promises, and opaque partnerships carefully. Clear accounts, contracts, and ways to withdraw are practical ways to reduce risk.

Literary distinction（文貴文華） ​

Literary Distinction（文貴文華） means scholar（文昌） and artist（文曲） share a palace, usually the soul palace（命宮）, body palace（身宮）, or one of the soul palace’s trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）. Scholar emphasizes order, learning, and expression; artist emphasizes feeling, aesthetics, and presentation. Their combination gives the pattern its association with literary distinction and brilliance.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） does not list Literary Distinction（文貴文華） as a separate pattern, but discusses scholar and artist sharing a palace（昌曲同度） in several places, for example:

昌曲祿存猶為奇特。

This does not guarantee qualifications, fame, or career success, but suggests strengths in reading, writing, research, design, creating content, and language-based communication. With adverse influences, scholar and artist（昌曲） can express sensitivity and talent as vanity, hesitation, or disputes. Regular practice of the fundamentals is what turns ability into results.

Literary stars aspect the soul palace（文星朝命） ​

Literary Stars Aspecting the Soul Palace（文星朝命）, also called Supporting the Soul Palace（文星拱命）, means scholar（文昌） and artist（文曲） aspect it from its trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）. Both occupying the soul palace（命宮） has a stronger effect. Usually the soul and trine palaces must also be free of disruption by strong malefics or D（化忌）. Otherwise, literary stars are present, but an auspicious pattern cannot simply be assumed.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） has a related passage:

文科拱照，賈誼年少登科。

Passing the imperial examinations was highly valued in the past. Today, the pattern can suggest opportunities to develop learning, writing, professional qualifications, and public presentation. It suits work requiring accumulated knowledge and clear explanations of complex issues. Effort is still essential: literary stars（文星） can fall short when aspirations exceed practical ability, or when words are not followed by action.

Scholar and artist flank the soul palace（昌曲夾命） ​

Scholar and Artist Flanking the Soul Palace（昌曲夾命） requires scholar（文昌） and artist（文曲） in the palaces immediately before and after the soul palace（命宮）. The soul palace should contain auspicious influences or well-placed main stars, without strong malefic disruption. If the flanked palace instead has ideologue and fickle（空劫）, D（化忌）, or similar influences, refinement and expression may become unstable. Meeting from the trines is Literary Stars Aspecting the Soul Palace（文星朝命）, not this flanking pattern.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

昌曲夾命最為奇，假若命在丑宮，文昌在寅，文曲在子是也。不貴即富，吉多方論此為貴。

Scholar and artist（昌曲） flanking the soul palace usually suggest an environment that values education, communication, and aesthetics, along with an aptitude for writing, expression, or organizing specialist information. They do not automatically make someone top of the class. Applying these strengths to writing, research, product development, design, or teaching is more practical than treating the pattern as a guaranteed examination pass.

Literary stars support from adjacent palaces（文星暗拱） ​

Literary Stars Supporting from Nearby（文星暗拱） usually means scholar（文昌） and artist（文曲） flank the soul palace（命宮）, the same configuration as Scholar and Artist Flanking the Soul Palace（昌曲夾命）. Some schools also use the name when the stars directly oppose it from the surface palace（遷移宮）, or aspect it from the trines. Because definitions vary, state the actual positions—flanking, opposing, or meeting from trines—before giving the pattern’s name.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） gives this verdict:

文星暗拱，賈誼允矣登科。

The focus remains on knowledge, expression, and opportunities to gain recognition. Today, that may mean recognition through work, qualifications, talks, papers, or specialist content. Without sustained output, literary stars（文星） alone do not create professional achievements to put on a résumé.

Power and prosperity together（權祿生逢） ​

Power and Prosperity Together（權祿生逢） requires B（化權） and A（化祿） in the soul palace（命宮）, attached to main stars in strong brightness states such as exalted（廟） or prosperous（旺）. Dim main stars, or the transformations only aspecting from the trines, do not meet the strict definition. The pattern brings resources and the ability to drive and direct action into the same place.

The original passage in the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） reads:

權祿生逢，二星守命廟旺是也，陷不是。

Today, this can suggest ambition to grow an undertaking and willingness to answer for its results. Strengths include clear goals and the ability to organize resources; the weakness is tying efficiency and profit too closely to a need for control. With adverse influences on power and prosperity（權祿）, watch for unclear responsibilities, rushing for results, or sacrificing trust for short-term gain.

Visible recognition and hidden prosperity（科明暗祿） ​

Visible Recognition and Hidden Prosperity（科明暗祿） is also called bright pearl and hidden prosperity（明珠暗祿）. Strictly, C（化科） occupies the soul palace（命宮） and money（祿存） its hidden partner palace（暗合宮）, paired through the six earthly-branch combinations（六合位）. Some schools accept A（化祿） in the partner palace instead; state which definition you use. C（化科） only meeting from the trines, or the prosperity influence outside the partner palace, does not form the pattern.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） defines it as follows:

科明暗祿，科明祿暗格，即化科守命宮，命宮之暗合宮有祿存是也。

C（化科） concerns reputation, expertise, and visible recognition; hidden prosperity（暗祿） suggests quieter support. The pattern can mean opportunities gained through professional credibility, or help through less visible channels. It does not guarantee a secret windfall: any gain still needs a legitimate basis and factual verification.

Recognition, power, and prosperity flank the soul palace（科權祿夾） ​

Recognition, Power, and Prosperity Flank the Soul Palace（科權祿夾） requires at least two of A（化祿）, B（化權）, and C（化科） on opposite sides of the soul palace（命宮）, in its immediately adjacent palaces. Any two suffice. All three gathered nearby without flanking from both sides do not qualify. Strong main-star brightness and few adverse influences in the soul palace make the positive effects easier to express.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） provides an explicit example:

科權祿夾為貴格，如命安在子宮，祿在亥宮，權在丑宮，為夾貴，餘作此論。

It is associated with high status because both sides support the soul palace（命宮） with resources, execution, and recognition. Today, that may mean support from institutions, teams, or family. Flanking mainly describes surrounding conditions and relationships, however; the person’s willingness to take responsibility and ability to act remain decisive.

High examination rank and appointment to office（甲第登庸） ​

High Examination Rank and Appointment to Office（甲第登庸） requires C（化科） in the soul palace（命宮）, with B（化權） aspecting it from the surface palace（遷移宮） or its trine and opposite palaces（三方四正）. Meeting A（化祿） or money（祿存） makes it more complete in traditional interpretation. A single C or B is not enough: recognition in the soul palace and power supporting it must work together, combining ability, reputation, and opportunities to put them into practice.

The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu（紫微斗數全書） says:

科命權朝登庸甲第，或權或祿全更佳，為權祿逢迎格。

“甲第” refers to a high rank in the imperial examinations, and “登庸” to appointment to office. Today, the idea is that recognized expertise may lead to a position with greater responsibility. The pattern encourages turning knowledge into practice. Qualifications without execution, or ambition without accumulated expertise, make the favorable classical verdict hard to realize.