十二长生, The Twelve Qi Stages

十二长生, The Twelve Qi Stages (or Phases)

What is the 12 Qi phase? It's a continuous cycle of Life and Death that applies to the five elements. The elements are very much like human, they are born, they grow, they mature, fall sick, they die and they are buried. These processes happen in a continuous cycle. The earthly branches are the 'time' or 'age' for the 'life' of the elements.

Let's take an ancient Chinese man's life as an analogy (The theory was developed back in those days, so this is the most pertinent analogy I thought possible):

One begins to exist in the mother's womb as a zygote is formed. 胎 Tai - the stage of 'Womb' 

The zygote grows to become embryo and fetus, reared in the mother's womb. 养 Yang - the stage of 'Rear'
After sometime, a baby is born. 长生ChangSheng - the stage of 'Birth' 

The baby is bathed right after it is born and with time it grows to be a toddler. 沐浴 MuYu - the stage of 'Bath' 

The toddler grows fast and becomes a teenager, and he reaches adulthood 冠带 GuanDai - The stage of 'Wearing Hat'. 

 
The man studies and work, he becomes more capable and stronger, he is ready to become a government officer (back then everyone wanted to be government officers). 临官 LinGuan - the stage of 'Arriving Officer' 

The man rises to prominence, that is the pinnacle of achievement in his life. The time when he is strongest as he could be, he is appointed as the emperor's assistant. 帝旺 Di Wang - The stage of 'Imperial Prosperity' 

 
The man's health becomes weaker, his capability wanes. 衰 Shuai - the stage of 'Waning' 

 
As his health become weaker and weaker, he gets sick. 病 Bing - The stage of 'Sickness' 

 
Sickness overcomes him and he dies. 死 Si - the stage of 'death' 

The man is buried, there's a funeral held where everyone says remembrance. Friends and family mourns over his death. 墓 Mu - the stage of 'Grave' 

After some time, the man's existence is forgotten, or maybe very few will remember him. 绝 Jue - the stage of 'Extinct'

All the elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water go through the same life and death cycle as the ancient Chinese man in the analogy.


The 12 Qi phases are:


胎 Tai - the stage of 'Womb'

养 Yang - the stage of 'Rear'

长生 ChangSheng - the stage of 'Birth'

沐浴 MuYu - the stage of 'Bath'

冠带 GuanDai - the stage of 'Wearing Hat'.

临官 LinGuan - the stage of 'Arriving Officer'

帝旺 DiWang - the stage of 'Imperial Prosperity'

衰 Shuai - the stage of 'Waning'

病 Bing - The stage of 'Sickness'

死 Si - the stage of 'Death'

墓 Mu - the stage of 'Grave'

绝 Jue - the stage of 'Extinct'

Please take note that my translation for the names of the stages in English is quite literal to give the readers an idea of what the Chinese characters mean. I strongly recommend readers to use PinYin or better still the Chinese characters when discussing the 12 Qi phase to avoid confusion.


On this subject, ZPZQ writes:

原文：支有十二月，故每干长生至胎养，亦分十二位。
There's 12 EB, 12 months, thus for each HS, from ChangSheng to Tai and Yang, is separated into 12 places.


而长生沐浴等名，则假借形容之词也。
The terms (names) of ChangSheng MuYu etc, were borrowed for describing purpose.


长生者，犹人之初生也。
ChangSheng is the beginning of a person is when he's born


沐浴者，犹人既生之后，而沐浴以去垢；如果核既为苗，则前之青壳，洗而去之矣。
MuYu is like after a person is born, he's bathed to remove the dirt, it's like when a seed is sprouting, the green shell (kernel) is washed away.


冠带者，形气渐长，犹人之年长而冠带也。
GuanDai, describe Qi as gradually growing, it's like when a person is growing with age.


临官者，由长而壮，犹人之可以出仕也。
LinGuan, is because after one is grown, he's becoming strong, it's like when the person can join the government.


帝旺者，壮盛之极，犹人之可以辅帝而大有为也。.
Diwang, is the peak of prosperity and strength, it's like when a person can assist the emperor to achieve greatness.


衰者，盛极而衰，物之初变也。
Shuai, when the peak is reached, it starts to wane, the beginning of change for things (to decline)


病者，衰之甚也。
Bing, is quite waned (declined / aged)


死者，气之尽而无余也。
Si, Qi is completely finished without residue


墓者，造化收藏，犹人之埋于土者也。
Mu, the creator keeps and stores, it's like when a person is buried in the earth.


绝者，前之气已绝，后之气将续也。
Jue, the Qi before is extinct, the Qi after will continue


胎者，后之气续而结聚成胎也。
Tai, the Qi after continues and materialized, gathered to become womb


养者，如人养母腹也。
Yang, is like a person is feeding inside mother's womb.


自是而后，长生循环无端矣。
And after this is ChangSheng and the cycle repeats without end.


Master Xu LeWu wrote:

生旺墓绝之说，由来甚古。
The saying of Born (ChangSheng), Prosperity (DiWang), Grave (Mu) and Extinct (Jue) has an ancient origin.


《准南子》曰：春令木壮，水老，火生，金囚，土死；
The book of Huai Nan Zi says:
In winter:
wood is strong,
water is old,
fire is born,
metal is imprisoned and
earth is dead.

《太平御览·五行休旺论》曰：立春艮旺，震相，巽胎，离没，坤死，兑囚，乾废，坎休云云。
The book of TaiPing YuLan, in the topic of the resting and prosperity of 5 elements says:

At the beginning of spring:
Gen is prosperous,
Zhen is ministerial (strong),
Xun is in womb,
Li is gone,
Kun is dead,
Dui is imprisoned,
Qian is barren,
Kan is at rest and so forth


名词虽有异同，而其意则不殊。
Even though the names and terms are different, but the meanings are almost similar.


后世以十二支配八卦，而定为长生沐浴十二位之次序，
The later generations uses 12 Earthly branches to match 8 Guas, and established the system of 12 stages of life,

虽为术家之说，
although it's the saying of the art practitioners,


而合于天地之自然，
it matches with the nature of heaven and earth,


语虽俚俗，
although the language is unrefined,


含义至精，
the meaning it contained is extremely profound,


究五行阴阳者，莫能外此也。
for those who research into the subject of Yin and Yang and 5 elements, cannot be away from this (is saying thatthe basic concept has to be adhered to).


SMTH states:


五行寄生十二宫：长生、沐浴、冠带、临官、帝旺、衰、病、死、墓、绝、胎、养，循环无端，周而复始，造物大体与人相似，循环十二宫亦若人世轮回也。
5 elements lodging at the 12 palaces: ChangSheng, MuYu, GuanDai, LinGuan, DiWang, Shuai, Bing, Si, Mu, Jue, Yang, Tai, the cycle is without end, after one complete cycle, another cycle beings again, creations are similar to humans, the cycle in the 12 palaces is like human reincarnation.


《三命提要》云：SanMing TiYao says:

五行寄生十二宫，Five elements lodging at 12 palaces:

一曰受气，又曰绝，曰脆，以万物在地中未有其象，如母腹空，未有物也；
One is named Receiving Qi, is also named Extinct, named brittle, is like ten thousand beings inside the earth that yet to have an image, like the mother's womb is empty, there's nothing inside.


二曰受胎，天地气交，氤氲造物，其物在地中萌芽，始有其气，如人受父母之气也；
Two is named Receiving Womb, Qi of heaven and earth interchanges, cloudy and forming creations, the creation is sprouting in the earth, its Qi begins to exist, like a person receives Qi from its parents.


三曰成形，万物在地中成形，如人在母腹成形也；
Three is named Taking Shape (Forming), it's like ten thousand beings taking their shapes in earth, like a person taking shape in the mother's womb.


四曰长生，万物发生向荣，如人始生而向长也；
Four is named Birth, ten thousand beings are born to glory, like a person is born and grow.


五曰沐浴，又曰败，以万物始生，形体柔脆，易为所损，如人生后三日以沐浴之，几至困绝也；
Five is named Bath, also named Failure, when beings are born, its body is soft and brittle, easily wounded, is like three days a person is born, is showered, is almost towards being bound and and extinct; (this phase seems to imply that Qi strength at MuYu is almost as weak as Jue)


六曰冠带，万物渐荣秀，如人具衣冠也；
Six is named Wearing of Hat, beings are gradually becoming glorious and refined, is like a man wearing dress and hat.


七曰临官，万物既秀实，如人之临官也；
Seven is named Arriving officer, beings are truly defined, like when one is ready to become and officer.


八曰帝旺，万物成熟，如人之兴旺也；
Eight is named Imperial prosperity, beings are mature, like a man prospers.


九曰衰，万物形衰，如人之气衰也；
Nine is named Waning, beings are waning, like a man's Qi is waning.


十曰病，万物病，如人之病也；
Ten is named Sickness, beings are sick, like a man is sick.


十一曰死，万物死，如人之死也；
Eleven is named death, beings are dead, like a man is dead.


十二曰墓，又曰库，以万物成功而藏之库，如人之终而归墓也。归墓则又受气，胞胎而生。
Twelve is named grave, or storage, is when beings had complete their work and store the in storage, is like a man eventually return to the grave, after returning to grave, it starts to receive Qi, forming in womb and born again.


凡推造化，见生旺者未必便作吉论，见休囚死绝未必便作凶言。
When analyzing birth charts, seeing ChangSheng, or Wang does not necessarily means auspicious, seeing resting, imprisonment, death and extinction does not necessarily means inauspicious.


如生旺太过，宜乎制伏，死绝不及，宜乎生扶，妙在识其通变。
Like when it is overly prosperous, it should be controlled and overcome, if it is dead and extinct, it should be engendered and supported, it is wonderful is one has the knowledge of the changes.


古以胎生旺库为四贵，死绝病败为四忌，余为四平，亦大概言之。
The ancient takes Tai (Womb), Sheng (Born), Wang (Prosperity) and Ku (storage) as 4 nobles, Dead, Extinct, Sickness and Failure s 4 taboos, the rest are four flats, is a generalized saying.

Elemental Qi strength based on the 12 Stages

Qi is strongest when the elements are in the stage of ChangSheng, LinGuan (or sometimes called JianLu 建禄) and DiWang. The next strongest Qi are the stages of Mu (grave) and GuanDai.


Qi is weakest when the elements are in the stages of Si (dead) and Jue (extinct)


ZPZQ says:


原文：人之日主，不必生逢禄旺，即月令休囚，而年日时中, 得长禄旺，便不为弱，就使逢库，亦为有根。

DM of a person does not neccesarily has to be birth meeting Lu and Wang (LinGuan and DiWang), even if the month's command makes it rest or trapped, but on Year, Day and Hour see ChangSheng, JianLu and DiWang, is not regarded as weak, and if it meets storage (Mu), it still is rooted.


时产谓投库而必冲者，俗书之谬也，但阳长生有力，而阴长生不甚有力，然亦不弱。

The trendy saying that things stored in storage must be clash is an absurd saying from rustic books, but Yang ChangSheng is powerful, Yin ChangSheng is not powerful, but is not weak.


若是逢库，则阳为有根，而阴为无用。盖阳大阴小，阳得兼阴，阴不能兼阳，自然之理也。


If meeting storage, Yang is considered to be rooted, and Yin storage is useless. That is because Yang is great and Yin is little, Yin cannot be on par with Yang, that is the law of nature.

So now we know what the 12 stages are, but how do the elements pass through the stages? 

The element pass through the stages as they pass through the months, let's take Jia wood (Yang wood) as an example, Jia wood is born at Hai, dies at Wu. 

Hai - Born (ChangSheng)
Zi  - MuYu
Chou - GuanDai
Yin - LinGuan
Mao - DiWang
Chen - Shuai
Si - Bing
Wu - Dead (Si)
Wei - Mu
Shen - Jue
You - Tai
Xu - Yang
Hai - Born again.. 

When Yang is born, Yin is dead, when Yin is born Yang is dead. Yang follows the cycle of months and Yin goes against the cycle of months.

So for Yi wood (Yin wood), the months would be in reversed order.

Wu - Yi is born (ChangSheng) at Wu because Jia is dead at Wu
Si - MuYu
Chen - GuanDai
Mao - LinGuan
Yin - DiWang
Chou - Shuai
Zi - Bing
Hai - Dead (Si), <---When Yi is dead, Jia is born
Xu - Mu
You - Jue
Shen - Tai
Wei - Yang
Wu - born again... (ChangSheng) 

From the exercise above, we can do the same for other Stems, all we need to remember is:

Jia is born in Hai
Bing is born in Yin
Wu is born in Yin
Geng is born in Si
Ren is born in Shen

Or just refer to this table