A Systematic Method for Selecting the Yongshen for the Eight Standard Patterns
Choosing the yongshen for the eight patterns — each pattern has its own law
The Eight Standard Patterns — Direct Officer, Seven Killings, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Direct Resource, Indirect Resource, Eating God, and Hurting Officer, plus Robwealth and Yang Blade — form the foundation of the Ziping pattern method. Each pattern has its own yongshen-selection rule; you cannot apply a one-size-fits-all template. This article systematically organizes the yongshen-selection method and core logic for all eight patterns.
The common principle of yongshen selection for the eight patterns: follow the direction of the pattern, protect its core Ten God, and subdue the factors that would destroy it. The selection rule for every pattern derives from this principle.
1. Yongshen Selection Rules for Officer and Killing Patterns
Direct Officer Pattern — pick Wealth or Resource as the yongshen. Wealth produces Officer (strengthening the Officer star); Resource protects Officer (Resource restrains Hurting Officer, shielding the Officer star). The Direct Officer Pattern most fears Hurting Officer — when Hurting Officer meets Officer, the pattern breaks. Favorable luck cycles: Wealth-Officer cycles (strengthen pattern power) and Resource cycles (protect Officer). Taboo: Hurting Officer cycles. Seven Killings Pattern — pick Eating God to control the Killing or Resource to transform it. Eating God is the nemesis of Seven Killings (Eating God controls Killing); Resource can absorb and redirect the ferocity of the Killing (Killing produces Resource). The key to the Seven Killings Pattern is 'control or transformation' — if the Killing is controlled or transformed, the pattern succeeds; without it, disaster follows. Favorable cycles: Output cycles (strengthen controlling force) and Resource cycles (transform the Killing beneficially). Taboo: Wealth cycles (Wealth produces Killing, making it even stronger).
2. Yongshen Selection Rules for Wealth and Resource Patterns
Wealth Pattern (Direct/Indirect Wealth) — pick Output to produce Wealth or Officer-Killing to protect Wealth. Output produces Wealth, ensuring a steady income stream; Officer-Killing protects Wealth, preventing it from being robbed by Companion. The Wealth Pattern most fears Companion robbing Wealth and Resource draining Wealth. Favorable cycles: Output cycles (strengthen wealth source), Officer-Killing cycles (protect Wealth), and Wealth cycles. Taboo: Companion cycles (rob Wealth). Attitude toward Resource cycles depends on the overall chart — Resource drains Wealth but supports the Day Master; when the DM is weak, Resource cycles can actually help. Resource Pattern (Direct/Indirect Resource) — pick Officer-Killing to produce Resource or Companion to vent Resource. Officer-Killing produces Resource, giving the Resource star stable footing; Companion vents Resource, giving its force a destination. The Resource Pattern most fears Wealth destroying Resource. Favorable cycles: Officer-Killing cycles (strengthen Resource's foundation) and Companion cycles (vent Resource for circulation). Taboo: Wealth cycles (Wealth destroys Resource). Note a key difference between Indirect and Direct Resource Patterns: the Indirect Resource Pattern is more prone to transforming into the inauspicious 'Owl God Seizing Food' pattern under certain conditions.
3. Yongshen Selection Rules for Output and Robwealth/Yang Blade Patterns
Eating God Pattern — pick Wealth as the yongshen (Eating God produces Wealth), or pick Companion as the yongshen (Eating God vents excellence + Companion supports the body). The Eating God Pattern is relatively gentle, unlike the intense Hurting Officer Pattern. Favorable cycles: Wealth cycles (Eating God produces Wealth) and Companion cycles (support body and vent excellence). Taboo: Indirect Resource cycles (Owl God Seizes Food — the greatest taboo of the Eating God Pattern). Hurting Officer Pattern — pick Resource (Hurting Officer matched with Resource) or Wealth (Hurting Officer produces Wealth) as the yongshen. The Hurting Officer Pattern has the most variations of all eight patterns — its destructive force is powerful and must find a constructive outlet. Favorable cycles: Wealth cycles (Hurting Officer produces Wealth) and Resource cycles (Hurting Officer matched with Resource). Taboo: Officer cycles (Hurting Officer meets Officer). Robwealth Pattern (month branch is the DM's own Robwealth) — pick Wealth-Officer as the yongshen. In the Robwealth Pattern, the DM is naturally powerful and needs Wealth-Officer to realize its potential. Favorable cycles: Wealth cycles (Robwealth uses Wealth) and Officer cycles (Robwealth uses Officer). Taboo: Companion cycles (Robwealth plus more Companions makes the DM too strong). Yang Blade Pattern (month branch is the DM's blade) — pick Officer-Killing as the yongshen to restrain the blade. The Yang Blade is too strong and needs Officer-Killing to constrain it. Favorable cycles: Officer-Killing cycles (restrain the blade). Taboo: Companion cycles (strengthen the blade's ferocity).
4. Three Universal Principles for Selecting Yongshen Across the Eight Patterns
Although each of the eight patterns has its own yongshen-selection rule, three universal principles run through all of them. First: follow the pattern's direction — do not pick a yongshen that works against it. If the pattern wants Wealth, don't pick Companion to restrain Wealth; if the pattern wants Resource, don't pick Wealth to destroy it. Following the pattern's direction is the most fundamental principle. Second: protect the pattern's core Ten God — the core Ten God of the pattern (e.g., the Officer star in the Officer Pattern, the Wealth star in the Wealth Pattern) must not be restrained or combined away. Your job is to use the yongshen to protect it from harm. Third: luck cycles push the pattern toward completion or collapse — even if the natal chart's yongshen is chosen correctly, luck cycles can still upset the balance. Yongshen selection is not a one-time task; it must be dynamically adjusted with the luck cycles. The natal-chart yongshen conclusion is only the starting point — as luck cycles shift, the yongshen may need fine-tuning or re-evaluation.
Three-Step Yongshen Selection
Career & Wealth
Love & Relationship
Personality
Health
Classical Support
Practical Application Points
- Follow the pattern direction; don't work against it : Officer Pattern → Wealth-Resource; Killing Pattern → Output-Resource; Wealth Pattern → Output-Officer; Resource Pattern → Officer-Companion; Eating God → Wealth; Hurting Officer → Wealth-Resource — follow the pattern's logic; don't use Five Elements in the opposite direction.
- Every pattern has clear 'taboos' : Officer fears Hurting Officer; Killing fears no control; Wealth fears Companion; Resource fears Wealth; Eating God fears Owl; Hurting Officer fears Officer. Memorize each pattern's taboo, and you'll know what to 'protect' when selecting the yongshen.
- Luck cycles can change the yongshen direction : The natal-chart yongshen conclusion is not set in stone. When a specific luck cycle arrives, the yongshen may need to shift from A to B. Dynamic yongshen selection is an advanced skill in pattern-based fate analysis.
Common Follow-up Questions
Q: What if pattern yongshen and strength-based yongshen conflict?
A:
The pattern yongshen takes priority — it represents the structural direction of the pattern. The strength-based yongshen is an adjustment factor — it fine-tunes balance within what the pattern direction allows. When the conflict is severe, refer to the three-layer selection method in the article 'Pattern Yongshen vs. Strength Yongshen: Which to Choose When They Conflict.'
Q: When both Direct Officer and Seven Killings appear, how do I select the yongshen?
A:
This is Officer-Killing mixing — first distinguish primary from secondary (which has stronger force, which occupies the month branch). If the month branch is Seven Killings, treat it primarily as a Seven Killings Pattern and pick Eating God to control the Killing. If the month branch is Direct Officer, treat it primarily as a Direct Officer Pattern and pick Wealth-Resource coordination, while simultaneously dealing with the Seven Killings disturbance (combine away or control the Killing).