Po Jun, the Breaker Star
In a Nutshell
The seventh star of the Northern Dipper, element Water, whose transformed breath is Expenditure.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Element | Water (Gui Water) |
| Transformed breath | Expenditure (Hao) |
| Group | 7th star of the Northern Dipper — the last of the Dipper's major stars |
| Office | In the Dipper governs the symbols of spouse, children, and servants; forms the "Sha Po Lang" trio with Qi Sha and Tan Lang |
What is the Po Jun star?
The Po Jun star is one of the fourteen major stars of Zi Wei Dou Shu, the seventh star of the Northern Dipper. Elementally it belongs to Gui Water, and within the Dipper group it stands seventh — the last major star of the Dipper line. The old books call it the great general's star, whose transformed breath is "Expenditure": the star of change, pioneering, and breaking the old — and one third of the famed "Sha Po Lang" combination with Qi Sha and Tan Lang.
The *Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu* (Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars") calls Po Jun a Water star, the seventh of the Northern Dipper, "the spirit governing spouse, children and servants", and, being the Consuming Star in the reckoning, "its transformed breath is called Consumption". "Consumption" is a technical image for spending and upheaval. The original passage is quoted below.
In a real chart, note which palace Po Jun lands in and which stars share or face it — that is the key step in reading. Po Jun takes on different traditional colorings in each of the twelve palaces, so study it palace by palace against what each palace governs. A full Zi Wei chart lays out the stars and palaces at a glance, and there are lookups for common star combinations. The old verdicts on Po Jun carry the coloring of their era and its values; take the star's yin-yang and element, its transformed breath, and its palace imagery — and make no value judgments.
Classical sources
"Po Jun belongs to Water and is the seventh star of the Northern Dipper, the spirit governing spouse, children and servants. It is bright in Zi and Wu; in heaven it is the killing breath, in the reckoning the Consuming Star, so its transformed breath is called Consumption."
Plain words: Po Jun is Water, the seventh star of the Northern Dipper, governing spouse, children and servants; its transformed breath is Consumption.
Source: *Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu* (Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars" · "What does Po Jun govern?" — original: 破军属水，北斗第七星也，司夫妻、子息、奴仆之神。居子午入庙，在天为杀气，在数为耗星，故化气曰耗。
*For entertainment purposes only.*