BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
Flanking Noble and Lu: Missing Centers versus Noble Branches around a Storehouse
Flanking Noble and Lu uses positions on either side of a center. Jia’s Lu is Yin, so Mao and Chou flank that Lu position. But the text also calls two noble branches surrounding a storehouse noble flanking; there, the noble branches are the endpoints. Identify what flanks what before interpreting the label.
Which Lu position lies between each of the eight branch pairs?
Endpoint order may be reversed; both branches must neighbor the appropriate Lu position. An absent middle branch remains invoked rather than natal.
| Reference stem | Visible endpoints | Lu in between |
|---|---|---|
| Jia | Mao / Chou | Yin |
| Yi | Yin / Chen | Mao |
| Bing / Wu | Chen / Wu | Si |
| Ding / Ji | Si / Wei | Wu |
| Geng | Wei / You | Shen |
| Xin | Shen / Xu | You |
| Ren | Xu / Zi | Hai |
| Gui | Hai / Chou | Zi |
Why does Lu Nest instead list stems with Earth branches?
The listed stems have Lu positions on either side of a storehouse branch. The table retains the given groups without claiming a universal rule for every position.
| Given stem group | Their Lu positions | Listed nest |
|---|---|---|
| Ding, Ji, Geng | Wu, Wu, Shen | Wei |
| Bing, Wu, Yi | Si, Si, Mao | Chen |
| Jia, Gui | Yin, Zi | Chou |
| Xin, Ren | You, Hai | Xu |
In noble flanking, is the noble position the center or the endpoints?
Both uses appear and should not be merged. For Bing/Ding, You and Hai are themselves noble branches surrounding Xu. For Xin, Mao/Chou are not noble branches; the invoked Yin between them is.
| Example | Noble reference | Center’s role |
|---|---|---|
| Bing/Ding with You/Hai | Both endpoints are noble | Xu is the storehouse, not their Tianyi |
| Ren/Gui with Mao/Si | Both endpoints are noble | Chen is the storehouse, not their Tianyi |
| Xin with Mao/Chou | Xin uses Yin/Wu | The middle Yin is a noble position |
Why do the two Ji-Wei examples require different explanations?
Ji-Wei, Ji-Si, Ji-Wei, Ji-Si is calendar-compatible. Its actual Si/Wei branches flank Ji’s Lu at Wu, but Wu is absent. Ji’s noble Shen is also absent, while the Year-derived Horse at Si is actually present.
Ji-Wei, Xin-Wei, Ji-Wei, Xin-Wei is also compatible, but all four branches are Wei, with no actual Si. The text instead invokes Lu at Wu and noble Shen on either side of Wei. That is a different surrounding-position image, not the first chart’s two actual endpoints.
How can you tell whether an invocation is being mistaken for actual data?
Ask for actual endpoints, the reference stem and the invoked center. If the center is absent, its hidden stems (the additional element symbols traditionally assigned inside each lower chart symbol) cannot enter natal strength, Ten-God counts or missing-element calculations. Actual and invoked forms should not be counted twice either.
Lu flanking, Lu nests and noble branches around a storehouse explain different historical constructions, not one fortune score. Their Nayin (a separate named element classification for a complete pair of chart symbols), Void and support qualifications still require the appropriate references.
Continue reading
- Special patterns overview
Distinguish local configurations, whole-chart methods and source cases.
- Noble Purity: a worked example of three invoked gaps
Continue separating actual characters from invoked positions.
- Officer and actual authority relations
Return the placement to the month and whole chart.