True vs. False Following: One Word Difference, Completely Different Chart Reading Direction
True following and false following — where does the difference lie?
Following patterns are among the most important special patterns in Bazi. True following patterns and false following patterns, while both belonging to the following pattern family, differ enormously in yongshen selection methods, wealth-honor hierarchy, and luck cycle stability. Many metaphysical disputes — 'does this Bazi follow or not' — get stuck precisely on the judgment between true and false following. This article thoroughly clarifies the essential differences between these two concepts from three angles: presence/absence of roots, pattern purity/turbidity, and luck cycle direction.
In a true following pattern, the Day Master has completely abandoned self — rootless and qi-less, thoroughly submitting. In a false following pattern, the Day Master still harbors a trace of attachment — a micro-root remains, unwilling at heart. The hard diagnostic criterion lies in the earthly branches, not the heavenly stems.
1. The Hard Diagnostic Criterion: Check Whether the Earthly Branches Have Roots
The distinction between true and false following has one hard indicator: whether the Day Master has roots in the earthly branches. True following pattern — the Day Master has absolutely no root qi in the earthly branches, not even residual qi in the hidden stems. For example, a Jia Wood Day Master with no Yin (Lu), Mao (Ren), Hai (Growth), Wei (Yi Wood in the tomb), or Chen (Yi Wood residual qi) in the earthly branches — no form of Wood root exists. The Day Master may also completely lack Companion or Resource stars on the heavenly stems to assist the body. At this point, the Day Master is like a person with absolutely no backing, who can only go with the flow — whichever force is strongest in the chart, it follows. False following pattern — the Day Master has a micro-root in the earthly branches. This root may be a Lu or Ren position that has been clashed/restrained but not yet completely extinguished, or residual qi in hidden stems (such as Yi Wood residual qi in Chen), or a Resource star surrounded by Wealth stars but still with a trace of qi. With this one point of root, the Day Master is 'unwilling at heart' — it wants independence but lacks the strength. This contradictory state makes false following patterns far more complex than true following patterns. A practical diagnostic trick: don't only look at the natal chart; integrate the first three luck cycle steps. If the luck cycle immediately pulls out the Day Master's micro-root (e.g., the cycle dashes/restrains the micro-root), false following trends toward true following; if the luck cycle lifts the micro-root, false following may break the pattern and return to standard.
2. Differences in Yongshen Strategy: True Following Has One Path; False Following Has Two Directions
The yongshen strategy for true following patterns is very clear — follow the momentum. If following strength, help it strengthen (take Resource/Companion); if following weakness, help it weaken (take Wealth/Officer/Output). Because the Day Master has already completely submitted, there's no possibility of 'resistance,' so the yongshen just follows the momentum. Once the yongshen of a true following pattern is chosen correctly, the pattern is very pure, and the wealth-honor hierarchy is often very high. False following patterns' yongshen strategy has two possible paths. First path: 'remove the false, support the true' — the yongshen must be able to pull out the Day Master's micro-root or restrain the non-submissive Ten God, making false following become true following. For example, if the Day Master has a micro-root in Chen, take an element that can clash Chen (Xu clashes Chen) to pull the root. Second path: 'support the false, break the pattern' — if the Day Master's micro-root has rescue (not clashed/restrained, and protected by other earthly branches), and luck cycles support the body, false following patterns can straightforwardly break and return to standard, reading per ordinary standard patterns. Which path to choose depends on the strength of the Day Master's micro-root and the direction of luck cycles. If the micro-root is somewhat strong and luck cycles support the body — take the second path, break and return to standard. If the micro-root is weak and luck cycles restrain the body — take the first path, remove false and follow true.
3. Pattern Stability: True Following Fears Breakage; False Following Fears Oscillation
The soft spot of true following patterns is 'fearing breakage.' Once luck cycles reach body-lifting cycles — for example, a Jia Wood Day Master in a weak-following pattern, suddenly the luck cycle enters Yin Mao Chen Eastern Wood cycles, and the Day Master obtains powerful root qi — the pattern may break from true following and return to standard. The consequences of true following pattern breakage are serious. It's grown accustomed to the 'submissive' survival mode; suddenly having strength, it wants independence, but the overall chart's structure is still 'others in charge.' This contradiction causes the chart owner extreme discomfort during that luck cycle — wanting to do things independently but the environment won't allow it. What true following patterns fear most is this kind of 'body-lifting, pattern-breaking' luck cycle. The soft spot of false following patterns is 'fearing oscillation.' Because the pattern is inherently in the ambiguous state of half-following, half-not-following, any slight bias from luck cycles makes the pattern sway accordingly. One body-restraining cycle → trends toward true following; one body-supporting cycle → trends toward pattern breakage; one mixed cycle → stuck in the middle, unable to move. A false following pattern may experience multiple pattern transitions in a lifetime, each transition meaning the yongshen needs re-evaluation. The biggest taboo in reading false following patterns is giving a static conclusion — 'you are a false following pattern, your yongshen is X' — this statement may be outdated after three luck cycle steps.
4. Differences in Wealth-Honor Hierarchy and Life Experience
People with true following patterns, if the pattern doesn't break, usually have very high wealth-honor hierarchy — because they 'recognized the direction and walked it all the way to the end.' The life curve of true following patterns is often a relatively smooth ascending line (during unbroken luck cycles), or a cliff-like falling line (during pattern-breaking luck cycles). People with false following patterns have slightly lower wealth-honor hierarchy than true following patterns (under equal conditions), but their life experience is richer. Because they've experienced the inner tug-of-war of 'to follow or not to follow,' their understanding of life is more multi-dimensional. The life curve of false following patterns is more wave-like — rising and falling across different luck phases, constantly adjusting direction. Many successful entrepreneurs and politicians are false following patterns — they weren't born knowing they should 'follow,' but learned step by step through practice to go with the flow. This 'acquired wisdom' is precisely the gift of false following patterns.
Three Differentiation Dimensions
Career & Wealth
Love & Relationship
Personality
Health
Classical Support
Practical Key Points
- Check whether earthly branches have roots — the first hard criterion : Day Master has absolutely no root qi in earthly branches (including residual qi in hidden stems) = true following pattern. Day Master has micro-root in earthly branches (even just residual qi) = false following pattern. This criterion directly determines the yongshen direction.
- Check whether luck cycles pull roots or lift roots — determines false following's direction : False following pattern encountering root-pulling cycles → trends toward true following; choose yongshen per following pattern. Encountering root-lifting cycles → may break and return to standard; choose yongshen per standard pattern. The actual performance of the first two luck cycle steps is the best diagnostic basis.
- True following patterns: key is preventing pattern-breaking luck cycles : True following patterns most fear luck cycles that lift the body. Once luck cycles support the body, the pattern faces breakage risk. Identify pattern-breaking cycles in advance and prepare contingency plans for luck transitions.
Common Follow-up Questions
Q: If the Day Master has one Companion on the heavenly stem, does that count as false following?
A:
Having a Companion assisting the body on the heavenly stem is a reference signal for false following, but must be combined with the earthly branches. If there's a Companion on the heavenly stem but absolutely no roots in the earthly branches, this Companion is floating — very weak in strength and may be combined/transformed or restrained by other heavenly stems. The key is still whether the earthly branches have roots. Heavenly stem Companion + earthly branch micro-root = definitively false following. Heavenly stem Companion + earthly branch no roots = biased toward true following (Companion is floating and powerless).
Q: When a false following pattern reaches body-supporting luck cycles, does it definitely break?
A:
Not necessarily. It depends on the strength of the body-supporting luck cycle and the overall chart's body-restraining force. If the body-supporting luck cycle only adds a trace of strength to the Day Master (e.g., going through a Growth cycle rather than Lu/Ren cycles), while the overall chart's body-restraining force remains powerful, the pattern may only go from false following to more false following (wanting independence more but still powerless), without completely breaking. True breakage requires the body-supporting luck cycle's strength to exceed the body-restraining force.