Patterns
Patterns are particular combinations in a chart that tradition uses as quick signs of good or bad. Most look at the heaven stem sitting over the earth stem in the same palace, some add a door or spirit, and some cover the whole chart, such as hidden (fu yin) and reversed (fan yin) charts. These are the patterns our tool checks automatically.
Favourable patterns
- Green Dragon Turns Its Head
- Heaven Wu over earth Bing. Very favourable: plans go smoothly and patrons lend a hand.
- Bird Falls into the Nest
- Heaven Bing over earth Wu. Very favourable: results come easily, even unsought.
- Wonder Meets Its Envoy
- Yi over Ji or Xin, Bing over Wu or Geng, Ding over Ren or Gui. The wonder is matched, bringing help and support.
- Wonder Ascends the Hall
- Heaven Yi in Zhen 3, Bing in Li 9 or Ding in Dui 7. The wonder is in its own seat: strong momentum.
- Jade Maiden Guards the Gate
- The duty door lands on the palace of earth Ding. Celebrations, gatherings and harmony.
- Heaven Escape
- Heaven Bing, earth Ding and the Life door together. One of the nine escapes: bright help, good for petitions.
- Earth Escape
- Heaven Yi, earth Ji and the Open door together. Stability; good for property and concealment.
- Human Escape
- Heaven Ding, the Rest door and the Moon together. Help from people; good for recruiting and peace talks.
- Three Ruses
- A wonder with the Open, Rest or Life door, plus the Moon, Earth or Harmony spirit. Quiet advantage; plans can succeed.
Unfavourable patterns
- Green Dragon Flees
- Heaven Yi over earth Xin. Loss of money and support; people drift apart.
- White Tiger Runs Wild
- Heaven Xin over earth Yi. Pressure from a stronger party, damage and disputes.
- Vermilion Bird Plunges into the River
- Heaven Ding over earth Gui. Documents and news blocked; quarrels and legal trouble.
- Serpent Writhes
- Heaven Gui over earth Ding. False alarms, entanglement, errors in documents.
- Venus Enters Mars
- Heaven Geng over earth Bing. Intrusion and losses to rivals; stay on the defensive.
- Mars Enters Venus
- Heaven Bing over earth Geng. The other side withdraws; things go back and forth.
- Hidden Palace
- Heaven Geng over earth Wu. Obstruction pressing on the foundation; most things are blocked.
- Flying Palace
- Heaven Wu over earth Geng. The foundation is hit; money or position wavers.
- Great Obstruction
- Heaven Geng over earth Gui. Major obstruction; travel and plans go badly.
- Lesser Obstruction
- Heaven Geng over earth Ren. Minor obstruction and fruitless running around.
- Punishment Obstruction
- Heaven Geng over earth Ji. Injury, legal trouble and disputes.
- Day Obstruction
- Heaven Geng over the earth day stem. The person asking is obstructed; health or position suffers.
- Hour Obstruction
- Heaven Geng over the earth hour stem. The matter itself is obstructed.
- Instrument Strikes Punishment
- An instrument sits in the palace that punishes its hidden Jia: Wu in Zhen, Ji in Kun, Geng in Gen, Xin in Li, Ren or Gui in Xun. Injury, penalties and setbacks.
- Door Presses the Palace
- The door's element controls the palace. A good door loses half its good; a bad door grows worse.
- Stars in Place
- Every star is back in its home palace. Stagnation: hold steady, avoid new moves.
- Stars Reversed
- Every star sits in the opposite palace. Reversals and sharp swings.
- Doors in Place
- Every door is in its home palace. Things stall.
- Doors Reversed
- Every door is in the opposite palace. Plans change and things reverse.
- Five Misfortunes Hour
- The hour stem controls the day stem with the same polarity (e.g. a Geng hour on a Jia day). Traditionally an hour to avoid for most undertakings.
- Hour Stem in the Tomb
- The hour pillar is Bing-Xu, Ding-Chou, Wu-Xu, Ji-Chou, Ren-Chen or Gui-Wei. The matter is stuck.
Patterns are only part of a reading. A good pattern helps the question only when it falls on the use god; a bad pattern away from the use god, or softened by good doors and spirits, matters less. Books differ slightly on some definitions; this site follows the more common ones.
This is fixed text compiled from general convention, not a reading of any individual and not a prediction. For important decisions, please consult qualified professionals.