BaZi: Between Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch.

BaZi: Between Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch.

It had been a very hectic week and I could not update the blog as much as I wanted. I tried to write something but I could not think of anything because of exhaustion, most of my posts are left unfinished.

Anyway, in this post I'd like to translate a part of ZPZQ about the differences between HS and EB and how they function in a BaZi chart.

ZPZQ says:
原文：命中喜忌，虽支干俱有，而干主天，动而有为，支主地，静以待用，且干主一而支藏多，为福为祸，安不得殊？

Even though HS and EB have their own favorable and unfavorable (element, character), Stems primarily represent Heaven, it is moving and it acts, Branches primarily represent Earth, it is still and awaits use, and Stem is mainly one (element) while Branch hides many (elements), as fortune or misfortune, don't they have their own uniqueness? 

This paragraph tells some very important points, a BaZi chart is divided into Heaven and Earth, Heaven is occupied by the Stems, which belong to a certain single element and the Earth is occupied by the branches that are made of mixed elements. Also, Heaven moves and Earth is still, Heaven acts and Earth awaits, this sentence might be difficult to understand for non-classically trained practitioners so let me try to explain.

Heaven, the stems are the elements that 'acts' in a BaZi chart, that is because they moves, they engender and counter, support and exhausts. 

Earth, the branches are Gods that wait for instruction from Heaven, that is because they are 'still' (unmoving). The branches do not engender or counter, they punish, clash, break and harm (刑冲破害)

So when we choose a Useful God, we usually choose the one that protrudes to the Heaven, for example Jia born in Yin month with protruding Jia is regarded as JianLu structure, with the Useful God being Jia, a parallel. If Bing fire protrudes, then the chart is regarded as a Food God structure, with Bing Fire being the Useful God.

ZPZQ gives some examples here:

譬如甲用酉官，逢庚辛则官煞杂，而申酉不作此例。

For example Jia uses You Officer, meeting Geng and Xin, it becomes 'Officer and Devil mixed' (which is inauspicious), but Shen and You are not regarded as Such. 

If Jia wood is born in the month of You, metal takes command, if Geng protrudes, it's a 7K structure, if Xin protrudes, it's a Direct Officer structure, if both protrudes it's considered as DO mixed with 7K, a broken structure. However if we see Shen and You both existing in the earthly branches, we do not take them as DO mixed with 7K.

申亦辛之旺地，辛坐申酉，如府官又掌道印也。
Shen is also the prosperous place for Xin, Xin sits on Shen You is like the government officer who also has the seal of Tao. (I don't know what does the Seal of Tao mean)

逢二辛则官犯重，而二酉不作此例。
Meeting 2 Xins is regarded as double officer (which is not good), but seeing 2 You is not regarded as such.

辛坐二酉，如一府而摄二郡也，透丁则伤官，而逢午不作此例。
Xin sits on 2 You, is like a governor assimilating 2 regions, meeting Ding is regarded as Hurting Officer, but meeting Wu is not regarded as such.

丁动而午静，且丁己并藏，安知其为财也？
Ding moves and Wu is still, and Ding and Ji are both hidden, is it safe to know that it is wealth?

然亦有支而能作祸福者，何也？如甲用酉官，逢午酉未能伤，而又遇寅遇戌，不隔二位，二者合而火动，亦能伤矣。
Then there are branches that can be fortune and misfortune, why? such as Jia uses You Officer, meeting Wu, You still will not be injured, but also seeing Yin and Xu, they are not separated, 2 of them combine and fire moves, and that will cause injury (to the Officer).

即此反观，如甲生申月，午不制煞，会寅会戌，二者清局而火动，亦能伤矣。

And to look for the opposite perspective, Like Jia born in the month of Shen, Wu does not control 7K, seeing Yin and Xu, they clear the frame and fire moves, that also will injure (the 7K)

然必会有动，是正与干有别也。即此一端，余者可知。

That meeting will cause movement, that is the difference from the stems. From this one point, the others can be known.

Okay, the text says pretty much everything that we need to know about the difference between HS and EB and how they function in a BaZi chart. In summary, we analyze the interactions of Gods mainly from the Heavenly Stems, if there's a meeting or combination in the Earthly Branches, it will cause movement of the resultant elements, and that will influence of the interactions in the Heavenly Stems. 

Ciao