BaZi Classical Series - Zi Ping

Zhen Quan (1): First Publication

On February 18, 2011, In BaZi Classics - Basic, Open, Zi Ping Zhen Quan, by Zoe
Foo
Zi Ping Zhen Quan (ZPZQ) is a cornerstone work on Zi Ping BaZi from Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911).
10-God Structures were discussed in scattered and unorganised manner in San
Ming Tong Hui, Shen Feng Tong Kao, and, Yuan Hai Zi Ping classics.
None has dwell in as much depth and clarity as Zi Ping Zhen Quan.
It is THE classics on 10-God Structures.
[Strictly speaking, works from Qing Dynasty are not considered as classics. However, given the influence Zi Ping Zhen Quan has
on defining todays BaZi studies, many contemporary researchers and BaZi masters have given ZPZQ the same weight as
SanMingTongHui YuanHaiZiPing, and ShenFengTongKao.]

Shen Xiao Zhan

Shen Xiao Zhan is the original author of Zi Ping Zhen Quan. He earned
the official title of JinShi in 1739 ()
Following the system from Tang Dynasty, Jin Shi was a title for people who passed the
metropolitan examinations. The title enabled them to become officials with high ranks after
making studies at the central Hanlin Academy . The metropolitan examinations
typically took three days in a closure where the candidates were asked to interprete Confucian
classics and to write essays in prescribed literary forms (Eight-foot-essay baguwen ).
All official posts were graded in a nine rank system ( JiuPin) that was also a heritage
from Tang Dynasty.
First Publication: 1779

ZPZQ was originally a 39-chapter personal manuscript. As an official, Shens peers were
mostly of gentry and court official background. Thus, his notes were mainly shared and
circulated within the higher social and academic circles of BaZi enthusiasts for 10 over years
until a fellow official Hu Kong Fu, a strategist for the Wan Ping country
administration published it in 1779 ().
It was Hu who gave Shens manuscript the title of Zi Ping Zhen Quan .
(Wan Ping county in Qing Dynasty is BeiJings modern day Feng Tai district).

In the foreword, Hu expressed his admiration for Shens work:

In 1768, I was posted as an exchange to FuChengs city gate (a county in

modern Hebei province, China). I was a trainer to the local junior officials there.
During this period, I met with a colleague whom I had many wonderful exchanges on
Bazi during our spare time. There were many occasions; we had engaging but
inconclusive debate on BaZi.
After 3 years, I was posted to Wan Ping country bureau. During my tenure, I
received a 39-chapter manuscript by Shen in circulation and finally realized my past
mistakes in BaZi. What an invigorating find!
My past BaZi understanding was lacking till I read Shens indigenous and brilliant
explanatory notes on Zi Ping. (Therefore, he gave the title ZhenQuan, which
literally means genuine and brilliant explanatory notes).
Shen was conferred the title of JinShi in 1739. He was a gifted and learned man,
whose brilliance and depth is shown in his understanding of destiny reading. It takes
a man of such caliber to read beyond the superficial appearance of structures and
forms (in BaZi) and deciphers the intricacy of BaZis dynamics.
His explanatory notes on the following was derived from an in-depth, detailed and
multi-facet research:

The Criteria and qualifying of 10-God Structure.

The criteria of Broken Structures
The salvage and transformation of a Broken Structure to a positive 10-God
Structure
The role of unfavourable 10-God in 10-God Structure analysis

The quality difference between Growth-Counter sequence, and,

Counter-Growth sequence to a 10-God Structure.
The consequence of a revealing 10-God Structure (meaning the difference of
the 10-God in question being revealed on the Heavenly Stem or not)
The consequence of a Three Harmony Combination of 10-God Structure

The qualification of whether a 10-God Structure is sentimental or

mercilessThe qualification of the strength of a 10-God Structure

It would be a great pity to let his wonderful work go undiscovered!

BaZi Classical Series - Zi Ping

Zhen Quan (2): Xu Le Wus Version
On February 27, 2011, In BaZi Classics - Basic, Zi Ping Zhen Quan, by Zoe Foo
Following the first publication by Hu in 1779, a second version was published in 1788 by
Zhao Zhan Ru. A few versions of Zi Ping Zhen Quan followed throughout the rest of
Qing Dynasty.
In 1936, during the Republic era -the Nanjing Decade (1928-1937), Fang Zhong
Shen and Xu Le Wu published the version which is in mass circulation today.
Fang and Xus version was largely based on Zhaos version (1788). They expanded and
added other introductory chapters with annotations on BaZi principles, making it a version
that contains 54 chapters of text filled with many BaZi examples of Xus clients and famous
personalities from mainly Qing and early Republic.
Xus added these examples with his annotations. It is a highly disputable work amongst the
BaZi academia today. There are 2 main contentions:
1. Some of the texts are thought to be Xus addition. And at times, the sequence of the
examples he listed did not meet the context of the original text.
2. Shens work was based entirely on 10-God Structure = Useful God . He followed
the school of thoughts and applications of Ming Dynasty (13681644), which was the
mainstream up and until Qings Tongzhi era ((18621874). It is the same school of
thoughts on Useful God as San Ming Tong Hui, Shen Feng Tong
Kao, and, Yuan Hai Zi Ping, the other classics in circulation today.
According to these texts, 10-God Structure (i.e. Useful God in classical context) is the focal
point of a BaZi chart. It is the health of 10-God Structure which was the primary focus of
these classics rather than the Day Masters health. Two categorizations are considered:-Wealth, Eating God, Direct Officer and Resource structures are applied sentimentally.
These classics would look for the elemental stars which grow the 10-God Structure in
question and/or protect it. Example, Wealth Structures are best be grown by Eating God star
and protected by Direct Officer star.
-While, Goat Blade, Thriving, Seven-Killing and Hurting Officer Structures use
unsentimental application. Example, a Hurting Officer Structure needs Resource star to
control or Wealth star to exhaust.
Day Master strength was a secondary concern.
On the other hand, a number of examples given by Xu in his annotations were heavily
influenced by Day Masters strength application, similar to contemporary methods.
I.e. Day Master is the focal point and its health and balance is the priority. Hence, Day
Master strength is a concern and seasonal impact on the Day Master 10-Stem plays a part in
balancing the chart, and, thus the Day Master.. Example, when the Day Master is deemed
weak, it needs to be strengthen by Resource and aided by Rob Wealth and Friends. These
stars are considered favourable and of which one (sometimes, some would think all) is the

Useful God.

BaZi Classical Series - Zi Ping

Zhen Quan (3): Chapter on Useful God
Part 1
On March 11, 2011, In Zi Ping Zhen Quan, by Zoe Foo
On Useful God

Useful God (i.e. 10-God Structure) in BaZi is to be seek specifically from the Earthly Branch
of the Month;

using the interaction and relationship of the Day Stem and the Month Earthly Branch, (ones)
10-God Structure is determined.

Wealth (Structure), Direct Officer (Structure), Resource (Structures) and Eating God
(Structure) are sentimental structures, which require sentimental treatments;

Seven Killing (Structure), Hurting Officer (Structure), Thriving (Structure) and Goat Blade
(Structure) are non-sentimental structures, which require non-sentimental treatments.

When sentimental structures and non-sentimental structures are applied appropriately, they
may all be superior structures.

BaZi Classical Series - Zi Ping

Zhen Quan (4): Chapter on Useful God
Part 2
On March 14, 2011, In Open, Zi Ping Zhen Quan, by Zoe Foo
Original Text :

Sentimental Useful Gods are to be treated in a progressive manner (to be grown and
protected).

Wealth Structure favours EATING GOD to grow Wealth, and/or;

use DIRECT OFFICER to protect Wealth

Direct Officer Structure favours WEALTH to grow Direct Officer, and/or;

Use RESOURCE to protect Direct Officer.

Resource Structure use DIRECT OFFICER / SEVEN KILLING to grow Resource, and/or;

Use ROB WEALTH to protect Resource.

Eating God Structure favour Strong Day Master (meaning ROB WEALTH / FRIEND),
and/or;

use WEALTH to protect Eating God.

________________

Non-sentimental Structures (referring to Seven Killing, Hurting Officer, Goat Blade and
Thriving 10-God Structures) need to be limited through regressive treatments of:
exhausting (Grow-Out ) elemental relationship (example Hurting Officer Structure)
controlling (Counter-In ) elemental relationship (example Seven Killing Strucute)

Seven Killing Structure favours EATING GOD to control.

WEALTH is unfavourable as it grows and strengthens Seven Killing.

RESOURCE is unfavourable as it shields and thus protects Seven Killing.

Hurting Officer Structure favours using RESOURCE to limit it.

(Shen wrote in later chapters that there are 2 conditions with this treatment of controlling
Hurting Office Structure: 1. Resource must be rooted. 2.Hurting Officer must be strong.)

Hurting Officer grows WEALTH. Wealth is favourable as it exhausts Hurting Officer.

(In later chapter on Hurting Officer Shen elaborated that this is provided that Seven Killing is
not protruded.)

Goat Blade Structure favours DIRECT OFFICER and SEVEN KILLING to control;

detrimental when Direct Officer and Seven Killing are not present.

Thriving Structure favours DIRECT OFFICER to control,

use WEALTH with EATING GOD revealing to exhaust Self Elements.

The 10 Gods/10 Stars

I was just clarifying what all the 10 main gods/stars were and realised there isn't a general
thread for this subject. I think for a beginner this would be the next stage before going any
further into more complicated aspects of chinese astrology.
So! These are the 10 Gods/Stars and how you would recognise it in your chart:
Bi Jian - Friendly Parallel or Compare Shoulders - same element and same gender as DM
e.g.yin fire looking for yin fire
Jie Cai - Rob Wealth, Unfriendly Parallel, Opposite Parallel - same element and opposite
gender as DM e.g. YIN fire looking for YANG fire
Zheng Yin - Direct Resource,Correct Seal,Proper Seal - the element that produces the DM
and opposite gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YANG wood
Pian Yin - Indirect Resource,Slanted Seal - the element that produces the DM but is same
gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YIN wood
Zheng Guan - Direct Officer,Direct Power - the element controlling the DM and opposite
gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YANG water
Pian Guan - Indirect Officer,Indirect Power(or Qi Sha - 7 Killings) - the element controlling
the DM whilst being same gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YIN WATER
Zheng Cai - Direct Wealth,Proper Wealth - the element controlled by the DM and opposite
gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YANG metal
Pian Cai - Indirect Wealth - the element controlled by the DM and is same gender e.g. YIN
fire looking for YIN metal
Shi Shen - Eating God,Gracious Output - the element that is produced by the DM and is the
same gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YIN Earth
Shang Guan - Hurting Officer, Drastic Output - the element that is produced by the DM but is
the opposite gender e.g. YIN fire looking for YANG Earth.
Although it's 10 gods/stars, just think of it as 5 important aspects to people and each has a yin
and yang version.
Hurting Officer and Eating God is about a persons output.
Indirect and Direct Wealth is obviously about a persons way of achieving wealth
Direct and Indirect Officer is about a persons mode of obtaining power.
Direct and Indirect Resource is about a persons mode of obtaining the correct resources.
Finally Rob Wealth and Friendly Parallel is about friendship and how you make relations to
others.
All five of these have a yin and yang version of the same thing. The easiest two to explain
would be friendly parrallel (the yin version) and wob wealth (the yang version). Yin version

is making friends easily and Yang version is more about making rivals and competitors,
The only problem I am still facing is the actual difference between getting resources and
getting wealth.
Also, getting power has to mean something more specific than getting to the top of a
company because that really is the same as getting welath and resources (which comes
naturally to being up the chain or in a management position).
Also, I'm sure that each of the five is related to the five elements.
Water is intelligence which is probably the resources (resources may be to do with learning
skills)
Wood is about relationships which is likely the rob wealth and friendly star
Fire is about Fame which is likely the output stars eating god and hurting officer
Metal is about money which is likely the wealth stars
Earth is about balance and control which may be the Officer stars.
I may be wrong but hopefully It'll all come together soon.

What is Shen-Sha method used for?

Shen-Sha / comprises of two Chinese words meaning God and Evil in literal
translation. It is a short form for the good and the bad stars. This method calculates the
positioning of the stars with reference to the year, month, day and hour. Many practitioners
used it for BaZi destiny reading . It becomes generic. This is because those with the
same birth dates would share the same Shen Sha. Yet their experiences reflect that their luck
are so different. Unfortunately, I came across BaZi charts with good noble stars yet they do
not behave in any way like the characteristics of the noble star.
Practitioners have to be aware that some Shen Sha are based on year pillar, others are based
on month or day pillar. The mistake is to use them interchangeably. For example, the
nobleman star is calculated based on the day stem/day master; the General Star is based on
the Year Branch and the Virtue Stars are based on the month branch. In some cases, like the
Virtue Stars, it has to be located only in the Day Pillar and not Year or Hour Pillar. Some I.T.
applications reflect the nobleman star based on year, month, day and hour stems. You would
have nobleman stars all over the chart.
This method is best suited for Date Selection . It confirms the real existence of
the elements in strength. It is not useful that a favourable element is present but weak in
strength. For example, using the Sky Map on Android platform, it tells you the locations of
the stars. You can see whether the actual stars or planets are above you or way below you
on the other side of the globe. Above us means that it is unblocked and receipt of energy is
strong.
The Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics are meant to be used appropriately. It was never
created to be generic in nature. It is an art in balance.