Reference · 四化 · Lu, Quan, Ke, Ji
The Four Transformations in Zi Wei Dou Shu
The Four Transformations (四化, Si Hua) in Zi Wei Dou Shu are Hua Lu (化祿), Hua Quan (化權), Hua Ke (化科), and Hua Ji (化忌). They are modifiers, not extra stars: each Heavenly Stem assigns the four labels to four specific stars according to a transformation table, and the natal chart takes the row for the birth-year stem. Lu adds resources and flow, Quan adds authority and drive, Ke adds recognition and steadiness, and Ji adds obstruction or fixation to the star and palace it lands on.
- Chinese
- 四化 (sì huà); the four are 化祿 化權 化科 化忌
- What they are
- Four labels attached to four stars; every chart has exactly one of each in the natal layer
- Assigned by
- A Heavenly Stem: the birth-year stem for the natal chart, the decade stem for a decade, the year stem for a year
- Table used here
- iztro's default table, the widely used San He table shown below
- Rows that vary
- 庚 (Geng) and 壬 (Ren) are the rows where other schools differ
What each transformation does
- Hua Lu 化祿 (Lu)
- Resources, income, ease, things flowing toward the person. On a star it softens and enriches; on a palace it marks a domain that tends to provide.
- Hua Quan 化權 (Quan)
- Authority, drive, control, the will to take charge. On a star it hardens and pushes; on a palace it marks a domain where the person wants command.
- Hua Ke 化科 (Ke)
- Recognition, reputation, steadiness, help arriving at the right time. On a star it refines; on a palace it marks a domain where the person is seen.
- Hua Ji 化忌 (Ji)
- Obstruction, fixation, worry, the place attention keeps returning to. On a star it complicates; on a palace it marks the domain that costs the most effort. Every chart has one, and it is often the most informative of the four.
The transformation table by Heavenly Stem
| Stem | Lu 化祿 | Quan 化權 | Ke 化科 | Ji 化忌 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jia | Lian Zhen 廉貞 | Po Jun 破軍 | Wu Qu 武曲 | Tai Yang 太陽 |
| 乙 Yi | Tian Ji 天機 | Tian Liang 天梁 | Zi Wei 紫微 | Tai Yin 太陰 |
| 丙 Bing | Tian Tong 天同 | Tian Ji 天機 | Wen Chang 文昌 | Lian Zhen 廉貞 |
| 丁 Ding | Tai Yin 太陰 | Tian Tong 天同 | Tian Ji 天機 | Ju Men 巨門 |
| 戊 Wu | Tan Lang 貪狼 | Tai Yin 太陰 | You Bi 右弼 | Tian Ji 天機 |
| 己 Ji | Wu Qu 武曲 | Tan Lang 貪狼 | Tian Liang 天梁 | Wen Qu 文曲 |
| 庚 Geng | Tai Yang 太陽 | Wu Qu 武曲 | Tai Yin 太陰 | Tian Tong 天同 |
| 辛 Xin | Ju Men 巨門 | Tai Yang 太陽 | Wen Qu 文曲 | Wen Chang 文昌 |
| 壬 Ren | Tian Liang 天梁 | Zi Wei 紫微 | Zuo Fu 左輔 | Wu Qu 武曲 |
| 癸 Gui | Po Jun 破軍 | Ju Men 巨門 | Tai Yin 太陰 | Tan Lang 貪狼 |
Six of the forty seats fall on auxiliary stars (Wen Chang, Wen Qu, Zuo Fu, You Bi); the rest fall on major stars. To use the table, find the birth-year stem in the first column and attach the four labels to those four stars wherever they sit in the chart.
How transformations are assigned
- Natal (生年四化). Take the Heavenly Stem of the birth year. On kaucim.ai the year changes at Lunar New Year, so a birth between 1 January and Lunar New Year uses the previous year's stem. Read the row and attach the four labels.
- Decade (大限四化). Each ten-year decade sits in one palace, and that palace has its own stem. Read the row for that stem to get four temporary transformations that apply during the decade.
- Annual (流年四化). The stem of the current year gives another temporary set. Where a temporary Ji lands on a star that already carries the natal Ji, the domain is doubly marked for that year.
- Flying (飛化). Flying Star schools also read from each palace's stem outward, tracing which palace "sends" a transformation into which. This is a reading technique on the same table, not a different table.
The natal set is fixed for life. The decade and annual sets are what make the same chart read differently at 25 and at 45.
Worked example
Birth: 6 February 1995, 15:00 to 17:00 (Shen hour), male. The lunar year is 乙亥, so the stem is 乙 and the table row reads Tian Ji, Tian Liang, Zi Wei, Tai Yin. In this chart those stars sit as follows:
| Transformation | Star | Palace | Branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lu | Tian Ji 天機 | Siblings Palace | 巳 |
| Quan | Tian Liang 天梁 | Children Palace | 卯 |
| Ke | Zi Wei 紫微 | Life Palace | 午 |
| Ji | Tai Yin 太陰 | Friends Palace | 亥 |
Ke on Zi Wei in the Life Palace marks the person as someone who is noticed; Ji on Tai Yin in the Friends Palace marks the social circle, and by opposition the Siblings Palace, as the domain that absorbs the most worry. Lu on Tian Ji in Siblings and Quan on Tian Liang in Children complete the natal set.
Where schools differ
- 庚 (Geng) row. The table above gives Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tai Yin, Tian Tong. Other lineages give Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Fu, Tian Tong (Tian Fu takes Ke) or Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong, Tai Yin (Ke and Ji swapped). A person born in a 庚 year can get a different Ke or Ji star from a different calculator.
- 壬 (Ren) row. The table above gives Zuo Fu for Ke; some texts give Tian Fu. Same effect: a 壬-year birth may see Ke on a different star elsewhere.
- Weight. San He readings treat the natal four as one layer among several; Flying Star readings make the transformation paths the core of the method. Both use the same seats.
When two calculators disagree only on the Ke or Ji star for a 庚 or 壬 birth, the cause is almost always the table row, not an error.
Common mistakes
- Reading the transformations as four more stars. They are labels on existing stars; a star with Lu is still that star.
- Treating Ji as bad luck. It marks where attention and effort concentrate. Charts with Ji in the Career Palace often belong to people who work hardest at their work.
- Using the Gregorian year to pick the stem. The stem follows the lunar year, and for Zi Wei on kaucim.ai the boundary is Lunar New Year; BaZi uses Li Chun instead, so the two systems can assign different year stems to a birth in late January or early February.
- Stacking natal, decade, and annual sets without saying which is which. Each layer answers a different timescale.
Questions people ask
Are the Four Transformations stars?
No. They are four labels, Lu, Quan, Ke, and Ji, attached to four stars chosen by a Heavenly Stem. The star keeps its own nature and gains the transformation's emphasis.
Which transformation matters most?
Readers usually look at Ji first, because it names the domain that costs effort, then at Lu to see where resources flow. Quan and Ke refine the picture. None is ignored.
Why does another calculator give me a different Hua Ke star?
Most likely you were born in a 庚 or 壬 year and the two tools use different transformation rows for that stem. Compare the row, not the chart.
Do transformations change every year?
The natal set never changes. A temporary set is added for each decade and each year from that period's stem, and read on top of the natal set.
Related concepts
Sources and calculation version
- iztro source, data/heavenlyStems · the mutagen table copied above; a test re-derives it
- Calculation assumptions on kaucim.ai
Last checked against the chart engine on 2026-09-14.
The free chart marks Lu, Quan, Ke, and Ji on the stars they land on, using the table above.
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