Tai Yin, the Lunar Star
In a Nutshell
A lodge star of the central heavens, element Water, whose transformed breath is Wealth — lord of the Property palace.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Element | Water (Gui Water) |
| Transformed breath | Wealth (Fu) |
| Nature | A lodge of the central heavens |
| Office | Lord of the Property palace |
What is the Tai Yin star?
The Tai Yin star is one of the fourteen major stars of Zi Wei Dou Shu, a lodge star of the central heavens. As the name says, it takes the imagery of the Moon's essence — set against the Tai Yang star, the Sun's essence, the two form the famed "Sun and Moon" pair of the system. Elementally Tai Yin belongs to Water, and among the star groups it stands beside Tai Yang as a central lord, a special position; readings often set the two against each other, each the other's mirror.
The *Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu* (Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars") says: "Tai Yin is the essence of Water, lord of Property, transformed into Wealth, and paired with the Sun." Its transformation into Wealth links it to money and property; as the Sun's partner it is traditionally also read for female relatives such as mother, wife and daughter. The original passage is quoted below.
In a real chart, note which palace Tai Yin lands in and whether it shares a palace with Tai Yang or faces it — that is the key step in reading. Tai Yin 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. The old writings on Tai Yin run heavily on property and family and carry the coloring of their era; take the star's attributes, its element and transformed breath, and its structural ties.
Classical sources
"Tai Yin is the essence of Water, lord of Property, transformed into Wealth, and paired with the Sun."
Plain words: Tai Yin, the Moon, is the essence of Water, lord of the Property palace, transformed into Wealth, and the Sun's partner.
Source: *Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu* (Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars" · "What does Tai Yin govern?" — original: 太阴乃水之精，为田宅主，化富，与日为配。
*For entertainment purposes only.*