Yang Tuo Jia Ming (Blades Flank the Life)
The Life Palace flanked by Qing Yang and Tuo Luo — open rivalry and hidden attack on both sides. A life of competition and friction, to be met with genuine ability.
🔑 How It Forms
Of the two palaces immediately before and after the Life Palace, one holds Qing Yang and the other Tuo Luo (in either order), the two malefics flanking the Life Palace between them. That forms the pattern.
📜 Classical Verse
Blades flanking the life: the beggar's road.
—— The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu
📖 In Depth
🔬 A Worked Example, Step by Step
The chart below is cast by our own engine, and the steps come from the pattern detector in that same pass — the explanation is the judgement, not a separate write-up.
- 1
Locate the Life Palace (branch Mao) as the basis for judgement.
- 2
Checking the two palaces flanking the Life Palace (Parents Palace and Siblings Palace): the flanking condition holds.
- 3
Finally the tier: Zuo Fu, Lu Cun and You Bi appears across the trinity of the Life Palace, tempering the pattern — the structure holds but its edge is blunted; see "When It Breaks" below.
◐ Result: the pattern forms, but benefics temper it
Zuo Fu, Lu Cun and You Bi
The positions of Qing Yang and Tuo Luo are locked on the chart: Qing Yang always sits one palace before Lu Cun and Tuo Luo one palace after, so once the Life Palace is flanked by the two, Lu Cun is usually sitting in the Life Palace itself. The detector checks only the two neighboring palaces, but when reading the chart you should glance at the Life Palace as well, because that Lu Cun decides whether this is money on your person with wolves on both sides, or simply being beset from every direction. Flanking counts only the immediately adjacent palaces; Qing Yang or Tuo Luo one palace further out does not count. Qing Yang governs open rivalry and confrontation, Tuo Luo hidden delay and entanglement, and having both present describes the density of the competitive environment, not a verdict on character or destiny. So what this pattern really tests is the ability to defend: real skill, clear boundaries, and care in choosing who to work with.
🎯 Readings by Topic
Competitive industries where hard ability speaks. This pattern does badly where rewards are shared out equally and surprisingly well on brutal tracks.
Money on the person attracts the covetous: guard against partnership disputes, unrepaid loans, and being set up. Not showing the money is the first house rule.
Guard against third parties stirring things and against interests entangling the affection. Settling property before marriage protects the relationship rather than injuring it.
⚠️ When It Breaks
With Lu Cun in the Life Palace supported by lucky stars the pattern is flanked without falling — prosperity with hard work in it. Do not stand surety and do not get drawn into feuds. Read as a course in protecting wealth, this adverse pattern is far more useful than read as fate.
🔗 Related Patterns
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