You Bi, the Right Assistant Star
In a Nutshell
An assisting star of the Southern Dipper, element Water — a supporting star.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Element | Gui Water |
| Type | Assisting star of the Southern Dipper |
| Nature | A supporting star; paired with Zuo Fu as "Fu Bi" |
What is You Bi?
You Bi is an auxiliary star of Zi Wei Dou Shu, paired with Zuo Fu as "Fu Bi." Elementally it belongs to Gui Water, an assisting star of the Southern Dipper group. Auxiliaries are the supporting cast beside the fourteen major stars: they back up and harmonize the majors in a chart, and Zuo Fu and You Bi are the most important auxiliary pair — read in nearly every chart.
In the *Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu* (Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars"), the entry on You Bi is answered by Master Xiyi: "You Bi is the governing star of the Imperial Pole; in the Life or Body palace it brings mastery of letters", and with Zi Wei, Tian Fu and other good stars "wealth and office are both fine". The old books discuss Zuo Fu and You Bi together as helpers of the major stars. The original passage is quoted below.
In a real chart, note which palace You Bi lands in and which major star shares it — an important detail in reading. You Bi takes on different traditional colorings in each of the twelve palaces, so study it together with the major star and the palace. A full Zi Wei chart lays out the stars and palaces at a glance. The old writings on You Bi are terse, arguing mostly from support and harmonizing with little elaboration. Read it against Zuo Fu and feel out the harmonizing role auxiliaries play in chart combinations.
Classical sources
"You Bi is the governing star of the Imperial Pole; guarding the Life or Body palace, it brings mastery of letters. Sharing a palace with Zi Wei, Tian Fu and other auspicious stars, both wealth and office are fine, and civil and military gifts are complete."
Plain words: You Bi is the governing star that serves the Imperial Pole (Zi Wei); in the Life palace it shows as skill with letters.
Source: *Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu* (Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu), Book 1, "Questions and Answers on the Stars" · "What does You Bi govern? (answered by Master Xiyi)" — original: 右弼帝极主宰之星，守身命文墨精通。紫府吉星同垣，财官双美，文武双全。
*For entertainment purposes only.*