Heavenly Virtue Noble (Tian De Gui Ren)
In a Nutshell
Checked against the Four Pillars' stems and branches using the Month Branch, from the old rhyme that begins "first month: Ding; second month: in Kun."
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rhyme | *Zheng ding er kun gong, san ren si xin tong, wu gui liu jia shang, qi gui ba yin feng, jiu bing shi ju yi, zi si chou geng zhong* |
| Base | The Month Branch (Month Pillar's branch) checks the Four Pillars' stems and branches |
| Note | Kun, Qian, Xun, and Gen are names of the four diagonal directions; Kun means Shen, Qian means Hai, Xun means Si, Gen means Yin |
What Is the Heavenly Virtue Noble
Symbolic Stars are computed markers in a Four Pillars chart — think of them a bit like "lucky stars" in Western folk belief: reference points for timing and flavor. The key difference is that a Symbolic Star is not a deity, a planet, or an object of worship; it is simply a named positional relationship among the stems and branches, derived by fixed rules.
The Heavenly Virtue Noble (Tian De Gui Ren), shortened to Tian De (Heavenly Virtue), is one of these stars. Its lookup uses the Month Branch (the Month Pillar's branch, i.e., the ruling month) to check the Four Pillars' Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. The old rhyme runs: "first month: Ding; second month: in Kun; third month: Ren; fourth month: Xin; fifth month: Gui; sixth month: Jia; seventh month: Gui; eighth month: Yin; ninth month: Bing; tenth month: Yi; Zi: Si; Chou: Geng" — that is: the Yin month sees Ding, the Mao month sees Kun, the Chen month sees Ren, the Si month sees Xin, the Wu month sees Hai, the Wei month sees Jia, the Shen month sees Gui, the You month sees Yin, the Xu month sees Bing, the Hai month sees Yi, the Zi month sees Si, the Chou month sees Geng. Kun, Qian, Xun, and Gen are names for the four diagonal directions; read in the *Yuan Hai Zi Ping* manner, Kun is Shen, Qian is Hai, Xun is Si, and Gen is Yin.
Converted to branches that reads: first month Ding, second month Shen, third month Ren, fourth month Xin, fifth month Hai, sixth month Jia, seventh month Gui, eighth month Yin, ninth month Bing, tenth month Yi, eleventh month Si, twelfth month Geng. Results that are stems are checked against the Four Pillars' stems; results that are branches against the branches. Two caveats: the *Kao Yuan* reading interprets Kun, Qian, Xun, and Gen differently (taking the storage branches of the Three Harmony combinations, e.g., Kun as Wei, Qian as Xu), and the *Xie Ji Bian Fang* reading takes nothing at all in Zi, Wu, Mao, and You months. The Symbolic Stars lookup tool on this site uses the *Yuan Hai Zi Ping* reading by default and notes the disagreement on the results page.
In traditional lore, Tian De belongs with Yue De (Monthly Virtue), symbolizing gentleness and tolerance, and an ease of finding support from elders. Such readings belong to the classical imagery and are for understanding only. This page covers the lookup and the school differences, and makes no predictions.
Classical sources
Ming Li Tan Yuan (Tracing the Origins of Fate Studies)
*Zheng ding, er kun zhong.* "First month: Ding; second month: in Kun."
Source: Ming Li Tan Yuan · Vol. 3 · Tian De (quoting the old rhyme)
Paraphrase: The first month sees Ding, the second month sees Kun (Kun read in the *Yuan Hai Zi Ping* manner as Shen). The rhyme runs twelve lines; the rest follow the same pattern.
*Wei kun ji shen, qian ji hai, xun ji si, gen ji yin.* "Kun means Shen, Qian means Hai, Xun means Si, Gen means Yin."
Source: Ming Li Tan Yuan · Vol. 3 · Tian De (editorial note citing the Yuan Hai Zi Ping)
Paraphrase: The four direction-names in the rhyme — Kun, Qian, Xun, Gen — correspond to the four branches Shen, Hai, Si, and Yin.
*For entertainment purposes only.*