What Tanlang stands for, and how to find it in your chart
The star stands for desire, talent, ease with people and change. Wherever it sits, you tend to want more from that area of life, and you are readier to try things.
A chart has twelve cells, called palaces, and each covers one area of life. Draw your chart with the free Ziwei Doushu calculator. The chart labels are in Chinese, so look for the cell showing 貪狼.
If it sits in your Life Palace, this is called Tanlang in the Life Palace (Tanlang Zuo Ming). Feng shui also has a star named Tanlang. It belongs to a separate system and has nothing to do with this one.
See your Ziwei Doushu chart
Generate your natal chart to discover which stars shape your destiny and how they interact across your twelve palaces.
Tanlang's element, and the first star of the Northern Dipper
Its element is Water. The Complete Book of Ziwei Doushu (Ziwei Doushu Quanshu) calls it the first star of the Northern Dipper, which is the Big Dipper. It also says the star's "energy is Wood, its body is Water."
The body is what a star is at heart, and the energy is how it shows. Tanlang is Water at heart but acts like Wood, so some books list it as Wood.
Tanlang's brightness in the twelve branches
Tanlang is strongest in Chou, Chen, Wei and Xu, where it is at Temple. It is weakest in Si and Hai, where it is Fallen. Brightness says how freely a star works in a cell. There are seven levels, from Temple at the top down to Fallen.
Each cell of the chart is marked with an Earthly Branch, and brightness depends only on the branch.
Personality with Tanlang in the Life Palace: charm, talent and desire
With this star in your Life Palace, you tend to be curious, with wide interests, and you are not shy about asking for what you want. When a room goes quiet, you are often the first to speak.
How this plays out also depends on the Three Directions and Four Squares (San Fang Si Zheng). That is the group of four palaces you read together, starting from the Life Palace.
Where you tend to shine
- You learn fast and often have several talents.
- You are good with people, even among strangers.
- You know what you want and will work for it.
Where you tend to get stuck
- With so many interests, you get distracted and rarely master one.
- You love novelty, so quiet stretches make you restless.
The six pairings of Tanlang in the Life Palace
There are six pairings, set by the branch of your Life Palace, and opposite branches count as one. Sharing the palace means sitting in the same cell. The opposite palace is the cell directly across.
| Branches | Brightness | Stars | Tendency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi and Wu | Prosperous | Alone, Ziwei opposite | You tend to show what you want directly, and you like to be in charge. |
| Chou and Wei | Temple | With Wuqu | You tend to aim your desires at real results and at earning money. |
| Yin and Shen | Neutral | Alone, Lianzhen opposite | You are socially nimble, and more easily swayed by the people around you. |
| Mao and You | Beneficial | With Ziwei | You are well liked and want to lead, but may chase too many goals at once. |
| Chen and Xu | Temple | Alone, Wuqu opposite | You want things strongly and stay practical, so you go and get them. |
| Si and Hai | Fallen | With Lianzhen | Both stars are Fallen. Feelings run strong, and desire may pull against principle. |
How the Fire–Tanlang and Bell–Tanlang patterns form
The Fire–Tanlang pattern (Huo Tan Ge) forms when the Fire Star (Huoxing) sits with Tanlang in your Life Palace, and both are bright enough. The Fire Star and the Bell Star (Lingxing) are two harmful stars in the chart, not planets in the sky. Swap in the Bell Star and it becomes the Bell–Tanlang pattern (Ling Tan Ge).
All three of these must hold:
- Tanlang is in your Life Palace, at Temple or Prosperous.
- The Fire or Bell Star is there too, just as bright.
- You were not born in a Gui year, the year the star takes Hua Ji (obstacle).
Old texts say this pairing tends to spread your name far. When it forms, you tend to seize sudden chances, though rises and falls may come fast too.
Which birth years give Tanlang its transformations
The star takes Hua Lu (wealth) in Wu years, Hua Quan (power) in Ji years and Hua Ji in Gui years. It never takes Hua Ke (fame). These are the Four Transformations (Si Hua), four ways a star can change.
A Wu year is one whose Western year ends in 8. Ji years end in 9, and Gui years end in 3. If you were born before Lunar New Year, count the previous year.
With the power one, you tend to push harder to lead in what you want. With the obstacle one, desire tends to get stuck, and what you want is harder to get in one go.
Each ten-year Decade Cycle (Da Xian) can also bring any of the three. So can each single year.
Tanlang in the Spouse, Travel and other palaces
In other palaces, the star still brings new interests and a wish to try things.
| Palace | With Tanlang here |
|---|---|
| Siblings Palace | Some peers may be talented and love a lively crowd, and you tend to stay in close touch. |
| Spouse Palace | Attraction matters to you in love. You tend to like a partner who is fun and enjoys life. |
| Children Palace | You tend to treat your children like friends and let them try many things. |
| Wealth Palace | Income tends to come through contacts or talents, and you spend freely. |
| Health Palace | Fun can throw off your routine, so tiredness may build up slowly. |
| Travel Palace | Away from home you are well liked, with many chances to go out and meet people. |
| Friends Palace | Your circle is wide and lively. Learn to tell who is a true friend. |
| Career Palace | Work that keeps you around people and uses your talents suits you. |
| Property Palace | You tend to make your home comfortable, and you care about how you live. |
| Fortune Palace | Even at rest you can't sit still, and you often look for something new to do. |
| Parents Palace | You tend to get along easily with elders, though you may each have your own views. |
