What the Four Transformations Are
The Four Transformations are four tags a star can carry: Hua Lu (wealth), Hua Quan (power), Hua Ke (fame) and Hua Ji (obstacle). A Heavenly Stem decides which four stars carry them.
There are ten stems, from Jia to Gui, and each year falls under one of them. Each stem always tags the same four stars, so there are ten sets in all.
The set for your birth-year stem is your natal set. It sets the tone for the whole chart.
Enter your birth date and hour in the free Ziwei Doushu calculator. The four stars marked 祿, 權, 科 or 忌 are your natal set. The chart is labelled in Chinese, and those marks stand for Lu, Quan, Ke and Ji.
The same star reads differently when it carries wealth than when it carries obstacle. Tianfu, Tianxiang and Qisha are the major stars that never transform.
See your Ziwei Doushu chart
Generate your natal chart to discover which stars shape your destiny and how they interact across your twelve palaces.
The Ten-Stem Four Transformations Table
Find a stem's row and read across. Those are its four stars.
| Year stem | Hua Lu | Hua Quan | Hua Ke | Hua Ji |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jia 甲 | Lianzhen | Pojun | Wuqu | Taiyang |
| Yi 乙 | Tianji | Tianliang | Ziwei | Taiyin |
| Bing 丙 | Tiantong | Tianji | Wenchang | Lianzhen |
| Ding 丁 | Taiyin | Tiantong | Tianji | Jumen |
| Wu 戊 | Tanlang | Taiyin | Youbi | Tianji |
| Ji 己 | Wuqu | Tanlang | Tianliang | Wenqu |
| Geng 庚 | Taiyang | Wuqu | Taiyin | Tiantong |
| Xin 辛 | Jumen | Taiyang | Wenqu | Wenchang |
| Ren 壬 | Tianliang | Ziwei | Zuofu | Wuqu |
| Gui 癸 | Pojun | Jumen | Taiyin | Tanlang |
This table differs from one old classic in just one spot. The Complete Book of Ziwei Doushu (Ziwei Doushu Quanshu) gives the Ren stem's fame tag to Tianfu. This table gives it to Zuofu.
You can also look up a single star. Taiyin appears five times, more than any other star. It gains wealth in Ding years and power in Wu years. It gains fame in Geng and Gui years, and obstacle in Yi years.
The Mnemonic: Ten Lines for the Whole Table
Each line is a stem plus four characters, in the order Lu, Quan, Ke, Ji. Take the first line, 甲廉破武陽 (Jia, Lian, Po, Wu, Yang). It says that in Jia years, Lianzhen gains wealth, Pojun power, Wuqu fame and Taiyang obstacle. This modern five-character version matches the table.
- Jia甲廉破武陽, Lianzhen, Pojun, Wuqu, Taiyang
- Yi乙機梁紫陰, Tianji, Tianliang, Ziwei, Taiyin
- Bing丙同機昌廉, Tiantong, Tianji, Wenchang, Lianzhen
- Ding丁陰同機巨, Taiyin, Tiantong, Tianji, Jumen
- Wu戊貪陰右機, Tanlang, Taiyin, Youbi, Tianji
- Ji己武貪梁曲, Wuqu, Tanlang, Tianliang, Wenqu
- Geng庚陽武陰同, Taiyang, Wuqu, Taiyin, Tiantong
- Xin辛巨陽曲昌, Jumen, Taiyang, Wenqu, Wenchang
- Ren壬梁紫左武, Tianliang, Ziwei, Zuofu, Wuqu
- Gui癸破巨陰貪, Pojun, Jumen, Taiyin, Tanlang
Tianji is a good place to start. It sits in lines two to five, and moves one place to the right each time. So it takes the four tags in order.
What Hua Lu, Hua Quan, Hua Ke and Hua Ji Mean
Hua Lu brings ease, and Hua Quan brings control. Hua Ke brings reputation, and Hua Ji marks sticking points.
A Ziwei chart has twelve cells called the twelve palaces. Each one covers an area of life. How a transformation shows depends on its star and the palace it lands in.
The Life Palace is about you, so it makes a good example.
| Transformation | Common meaning | In the Life Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Hua Lu | Ease, resources, goodwill | Easygoing with people; chances tend to find you |
| Hua Quan | Control, action, duty and pressure | Tends to set the direction and take on duty |
| Hua Ke | Reputation, order, helpful people | Cares about image and order; more likely to be noticed and helped |
| Hua Ji | Concern, sticking points, extra effort | Hard on yourself and prone to overthinking; things often take an extra step |
Always read a transformation with its star. Hua Lu on Wuqu leans toward money and practical gains. On Tiantong, the same tag leans toward a settled, comfortable life.
Hua Ji works the same way. What gets stuck is whatever that star governs.
Natal, Decade and Annual: How the Layers Stack
The natal set lasts a lifetime. Decade and annual sets stack on top of it.
The Decade Cycles (Da Xian) are ten-year stretches of luck. Every ten years, a different palace serves as the Life Palace. That palace's stem produces the decade set.
| Layer | Where the stem comes from | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Natal | The birth year | A lifetime |
| Decade | The decade's Life Palace | Ten years |
| Annual | The current year | One year |
| Monthly | The lunar month | One month (monthly readings only) |
The annual fortune page lists the four stars for each year. Read from the bottom up: natal first, then decade, then annual.
When several layers land in one palace, that area stands out for the period. Say your natal and annual wealth tags both sit in the Wealth Palace. That year, money is more likely to come in.
One star can also transform differently in two layers. Someone born in a Ding year has Taiyin with Hua Lu from birth. In a Yi year, the same star also takes Hua Ji. Things that usually come easily may take more effort that year.
Reading the Palace a Transformation Lands In
A transformation affects the area of life its palace covers. But don't read that palace alone. Read its Three Directions and Four Squares (San Fang Si Zheng) too. That is the palace itself, the one directly opposite, and the two that form a triangle with it, read as a group.
Three examples with natal transformations:
- Hua Lu in Wealthearning and spending flow more easily, and income may come from more than one source.
- Hua Quan in Careeryou tend to lead at work and are often handed decisions, along with heavier duty.
- Hua Ji in Spouseyou care a great deal about your relationship, and it asks for more talking and patience.
For the Life Palace, the group adds the Travel, Wealth and Career palaces. If your natal wealth, power and fame tags all land among these four, the pattern is called the Three Wonders Meeting (San Qi Jia Hui). The Complete Book puts it this way: "when Ke, Quan and Lu gather, renown shines."
Fortune Cloud adds one condition when judging it. None of the four palaces may hold the obstacle tag or any of the six malefic stars. These six are Qingyang, Tuoluo, Huoxing, Lingxing, Dikong and Dijie, long seen as stars that bring resistance.
A chart that meets this tends to build a name in whatever field the person commits to.
