Void Branches (Kong Wang)
In a Nutshell
Ten Heavenly Stems pair with twelve Earthly Branches, so every ten-day cycle (*xun*) leaves two branches unpicked — those two absent branches are the Void Branches. Also called Xun Kong (Empty of the Cycle) or Tian Zhong (Heaven's Middle); collectively the Six Jia Void. A Void Branch is a *temporarily vacant seat*, not "nothing there."
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | 10 Heavenly Stems pair with 12 Earthly Branches; each ten-day cycle (*xun*) leaves 2 branches void |
| Lookup | The Day Pillar's Day Stem fixes the cycle; the cycle fixes the two void branches |
| Also called | Xun Kong (Empty of the Cycle), Tian Zhong (Heaven's Middle), the Six Jia Void |
| Key idea | A *temporarily vacant seat* — not "nothing there" — and a void branch can later be "filled" |
Why the Void Branches Exist
There are only ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. Pairing from Jia-Zi onward, the stems run out at Gui-You — leaving Xu and Hai with no partner. That cycle, the Jia-Zi *xun*, is "void of Xu and Hai." The next cycle starts over at Jia-Xu and leaves Shen and You vacant. Across the sixty Jia-Zi pairs there are six such cycles, each voiding two branches.
Void Branch Table (by Day Pillar)
| Day Stem's cycle | Void branches |
|---|---|
| Jia-Zi cycle (Jia-Zi to Gui-You) | Xu, Hai |
| Jia-Xu cycle (Jia-Xu to Gui-Wei) | Shen, You |
| Jia-Shen cycle (Jia-Shen to Gui-Si) | Wu, Wei |
| Jia-Wu cycle (Jia-Wu to Gui-Mao) | Chen, Si |
| Jia-Chen cycle (Jia-Chen to Gui-Chou) | Yin, Mao |
| Jia-Yin cycle (Jia-Yin to Gui-Hai) | Zi, Chou |
Lookup: first find which cycle the Day Pillar's Day Stem belongs to, then read off the two void branches of that cycle. Example: a Yi-Chou Day Pillar falls in the Jia-Zi cycle, so that chart's void branches are Xu and Hai.
Memory rhyme:
*Jia zi xun zhong wu xu hai, jia xu xun zhong wu shen you, jia shen xun zhong wu wu wei, jia wu xun zhong wu chen si, jia chen xun zhong wu yin mao, jia yin xun zhong wu zi chou.* "In the Jia-Zi cycle there is no Xu or Hai; in the Jia-Xu cycle no Shen or You; in the Jia-Shen cycle no Wu or Wei; in the Jia-Wu cycle no Chen or Si; in the Jia-Chen cycle no Yin or Mao; in the Jia-Yin cycle no Zi or Chou."
How Tradition Reads Them
Whatever person or matter a voided character represents is traditionally read as "fainter ties, help arriving late, a road with more twists" — a Wealth star sitting in the void, for instance, suggests money you can see but are slow to touch.
But there is another side: when a Luck Pillar or Annual Pillar arrives at a void branch, it is called "filling the void" (*tian shi*) — the empty seat gets taken, and whatever was left hanging may finally land. So the Void Branches are not a death sentence; they are more like "delayed delivery."
There is also the saying "a void branch met by a Clash turns solid instead," though the schools do not agree; and an old method that starts the cycle from the Year Pillar coexists with the mainstream Day-Pillar method — different starting points can give different answers, so it is enough to know the disagreement exists.
Classical sources
Yuan Hai Zi Ping (The Yuan Hai Compilation on Fate)
*Jia zi xun zhong wu xu hai, jia xu xun zhong wu shen you.* "In the Jia-Zi cycle there is no Xu or Hai; in the Jia-Xu cycle there is no Shen or You."
Source: Yuan Hai Zi Ping (quoted via Ming Li Tan Yuan · Vol. 3 · Shen Sha)
Paraphrase: The Jia-Zi cycle voids Xu and Hai; the Jia-Xu cycle voids Shen and You; the remaining four cycles follow the same pattern: Jia-Shen voids Wu and Wei, Jia-Wu voids Chen and Si, Jia-Chen voids Yin and Mao, Jia-Yin voids Zi and Chou.
San Ming Tong Hui (Comprehensive Compendium of the Three Fates)
*Gu yi jia xun jin chu yue kong wang.* "Therefore the branches left over where the Jia cycle runs out are called the Void Branches."
Source: San Ming Tong Hui · Vol. 3 · Lun Kong Wang (On the Void Branches)
Paraphrase: A branch with no Heavenly Stem left to pair with at the end of a cycle is called a Void Branch — this explains the name.
A Note
The Void Branches are a reference item within the traditional symbol system; they never decide fortune on their own, and there is no reason to panic at the sight of one. Chart analysis always reads the whole picture: a voided Wealth star, met by a strong Luck Pillar, can still accomplish things.
MoZhu Tip
Check the void against the Day Pillar — the most common beginner mistake. Not the Year Pillar, not the Luck Pillar: the Day Pillar fixes the cycle. Remember: "the Day Pillar fixes the cycle, the cycle fixes the void."
*For entertainment purposes only.*