San Ming (三命 — Three Fates) is the precursor to modern Zi Ping BaZi . Developed before the Song Dynasty, it emphasized the Year Pillar as the primary identity pillar and used the qualitative Na Yin element system rather than the quantitative Five Element stems. It offers a macrocosmic view of destiny: where Zi Ping dissects mechanism and timing, San Ming reads cosmic station, nobility, and life trajectory.
The San Ming methodology blends early structure-based logic with Zi Ping refinements and seasonal adjustment. It emphasizes clear diagnosis, usable remedies, and consistent case verification.
The Three Fates Framework (三命)
San Ming identifies three interlocking layers of destiny that together form a complete picture of a person's life trajectory:
祿命 Lu Ming — Salary Fate
Domain: Material fortune, career rank, and worldly prosperity.
Derived from: The Year Pillar.
In the pre-Song tradition, one's identity was entirely defined by the 60-year Jia Zi cycle of one's birth year. The Year Stem and Branch determined social station, ancestral support, and the baseline of worldly achievement.
身命 Shen Ming — Body Fate
Domain: Physical constitution, health, and longevity.
Derived from: The 12 Life Stages (長生十二宮) and Na Yin element.
The Na Yin element of the birth year determines the quality and resilience of the physical body. Favorable Life Stage positions (Chang Sheng, Di Wang) indicate vitality; unfavorable positions (Mu, Jue) indicate fragility or early vulnerability.
命 Ming — Core Destiny
Domain: The totality of the life trajectory and fundamental character.
This layer integrates the first two: it is the overarching pattern of what a person is born to accomplish, the obstacles they must face, and the quality of the life they are likely to live. It is less a "prediction" than a reading of the cosmic assignment carried in from birth.
Historical Evolution: Year Pillar → Day Master
The pivotal transformation in Chinese fate calculation occurred during the Song Dynasty, when Xu Ziping (徐子平) shifted the primary reference point from the Year Pillar to the Day Stem (Day Master) . This created the Ten Gods relational system used in all modern Zi Ping analysis.
| Feature | San Ming (Pre-Song) | Zi Ping (Modern) |
|---|
| Primary Pillar | Year Pillar | Day Pillar (Day Master) |
| Self Identity | Year Stem / Branch | Day Master (Heavenly Stem) |
| Element System | Na Yin (Poetic, qualitative) | 5 Elements — stems and branches (quantitative) |
| Primary Focus | Cosmic station · nobility · life class | Mechanism · relational dynamics · timing |
| Shen Sha (Stars) | Central — especially Gui Ren (Noble Stars) | Supplementary — not the core analysis |
The Na Yin Element System (納音五行)
In San Ming, Na Yin (納音) is the primary elemental identity . Unlike the quantitative stems which describe elemental strength by volume, Na Yin is qualitative — it describes the character, texture, and archetype of the element. Each of the 30 pairs in the 60 Jia Zi cycle receives a unique Na Yin name.
Key Principle
"Sea Gold" ( Hai Zhong Jin — 海中金) is hidden treasure: vast in potential but not yet manifested. "Sword-Edge Gold" ( Jian Feng Jin — 劍鋒金) is sharp and aggressive: a blade already forged. Same element (Metal), entirely different expression. Na Yin captures this distinction that the quantitative Five Element model cannot.
Na Yin informs interpretation of personality type, health vulnerabilities, and the style in which fortune arrives. A person born under "Thunder Fire" (霹靂火) carries a sudden, volatile quality to all events — breakthroughs and disasters alike tend to be abrupt. "Mountain-Head Fire" (山頭火) burns steadily and illuminates from a high vantage: a different life texture entirely.
The Noble Person System (貴人 Gui Ren)
San Ming relies heavily on Shen Sha (神煞 — Symbolic Stars). The most powerful is the Heavenly Nobleman ( Tian Yi Gui Ren — 天乙貴人): the star that brings external help, protection from disaster, and social elevation.
| Day Master Stem | Noble at Branch(es) | Quality |
|---|
| Jia 甲 / Wu 戊 | Chou 丑 · Wei 未 | Noble through wealth and official contacts |
| Yi 乙 / Ji 己 | Zi 子 · Shen 申 | Noble through intelligence and resource persons |
| Bing 丙 / Ding 丁 | Hai 亥 · You 酉 | Noble through fire refinement and social brilliance |
| Geng 庚 | Chou 丑 · Wei 未 | Noble through authority and military rank |
| Xin 辛 | Wu 午 · Yin 寅 | Noble through craft, prestige, and refined arts |
| Ren 壬 / Gui 癸 | Mao 卯 · Si 巳 | Noble through wisdom and scholarly recognition |
When Gui Ren appears in a key pillar — especially the Year or Month — and is unobstructed by clashes or harms, it indicates a person who will consistently receive timely help at crisis moments, benefit from unsolicited introductions, and recover faster from setbacks than ordinary charts suggest.
Analytical Workflow
- Identify the Year Pillar Na Yin — determine the qualitative elemental archetype and its implications for character and life quality.
- Locate Gui Ren and key Shen Sha — assess the presence and quality of Noble Stars, noting whether they are active, combined, clashed, or buried.
- Map the 12 Life Stages to the Day Branch — determine the physical constitution and longevity profile (Shen Ming layer).
- Establish the chart structure (格局) — move into Zi Ping mode to identify the primary structure derived from the Month Decree.
- Select the Useful God (Yong Shen) — based on season, structural need, and elemental balance. This is the primary balancing agent in luck pillar analysis.
- Audit luck pillars for activation timing — cross-check which periods support the Useful God and which undermine it.
- Verify against events — test decisions against known biographical data for consistency and calibration.
Chart Structure Categories (格局)
Structure determines which gods are favorable and unfavorable. All structures fall into two broad categories:
Common Structures (普通格)
Derived from the Month Decree (月令). The classic eight:
- Direct Officer (正官格)
- Seven Killings / Indirect Officer (七殺格)
- Direct Wealth (正財格)
- Indirect Wealth (偏財格)
- Food God (食神格)
- Hurting Officer (傷官格)
- Direct Seal (正印格)
- Indirect Seal (偏印格)
Classical rule: 提綱有用提綱重 — "When the keypoint (Month Decree) has Use, the keypoint is weightier."
Special Structures (特殊格)
When the Month Decree fails to produce a Useful God, or the chart inclines toward a special pattern:
- Follow Structures (從格) : Follow Wealth, Follow Officer/Killing, Follow Output
- Transformation (化象) : Stem Combination transforms the DM's element
- Yang Ren (陽刃格) : Yang Blade uses 7K, Officer, or Wealth
- Jian Lu (建祿格) : Month Prosperity — uses Officer, Wealth, or Killing
- Pure Element Patterns : Bent-Straight (曲直), Flaming-Above (炎上), etc.
Classical Sources & Further Reading
- San Ming Tong Hui (三命通會) — the encyclopedic classical compilation of San Ming traditions; covers Na Yin, Shen Sha, Life Stages, and historical case studies in depth.
- Yuan Hai Zi Ping (淵海子平) — the Song dynasty text that bridges San Ming and early Zi Ping; contains the original framework for chart structures and the Ten Gods.
- Zi Ping Zhen Quan (子平真詮) — Shen Xiaozhan's Qing dynasty refinement; establishes that the Useful God must be derived from the Month Decree as the primary analytical rule.
- Books: [META] Five Elements Bazi Analysis — SanMingMethodology.tex (Three Fates framework, Na Yin system, Noble Star tables), ChartCategories.tex (structure taxonomy from DTS, ZPZQ, SMTH, XPHH). [META] Four Pillars of Destiny — ChartCategories.tex (special structures list).