Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Yuanzhang
Founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty
1328-10-21（1st year of the Tianli reign (Yuan), 9th lunar month, day 18）～ 1398-06-24
Born in Fengyang, Anhui
Three-Pillar ChartBirth hour unknown — three pillars only
Year Pillar
戊辰
Element Earth · Earth
NaYin Great Forest Wood
Ten Gods Hurting Officer
Month Pillar
壬戌
Element Water · Earth
NaYin Great Sea Water
Ten Gods Direct Officer
Day Pillar
丁丑
Element Fire · Earth
NaYin Stream Water
Ten Gods Day Master
Hour Pillar
？？
Hour unknown
Not cast
Day Master
丁Fire
Element distribution (three-pillar count)
Earth 4, Fire 1, Water 1, Wood 0, Metal 0
Chart computed by the MoZhu engine (lunar-javascript); without the hour pillar, luck pillars and yearly cycles can't fully unfold.
Case Review
Original writing · hindsight review · anchored in known history, viewed through chart structure
A Ding (丁) Fire Day Master, with Earth appearing four times and Hurting Officer and Direct Officer revealed in the year and month. Looking back on Zhu Yuanzhang’s path from novice monk in Haozhou to founding emperor: Hurting Officer signifies refusing to be restrained and daring to lead the way, as seen in his strategy of “build high walls, store ample grain, be slow to claim the throne” and the boldness with which he drove out the Yuan and founded the Ming. Direct Officer signifies institution-building: the Great Ming Code, the eight-legged civil examinations and the lijia household system were all achievements of the “Officer.”
Heavy Earth signifies suspicion as well as weight: in his later years the Hu Weiyong and Lan Yu cases led to sweeping unjust purges. This “suspicious Fire-and-Earth” side can be observed in hindsight from the angle of “heavy Earth burying Fire, its light obscured.” Ding Fire is a lamp; rising from being “a commoner from west of the Huai” to illuminating the realm also fits the image of “a single spark.”
This is a cultural retrospective at the level of three pillars, not a fatalistic judgment.
Birth date source:Chinese Wikipedia: “Hongwu Emperor”(cross-checked with public records; bio is an original summary)
This case is for traditional-culture study only, not a judgment of any historical figure; schools of interpretation differ, and these conclusions claim no exclusive truth.