TL;DR: The Wealth Spouse line (Hào Thê Tài) is the line whose element is overcome by the element of the palace, representing money, goods, merchandise, prices, employees, and serving as the useful god for the wife when a man asks. When asking about fortune, read whether Wealth holds the Self line, whether Offspring moves to generate Wealth, whether Siblings move to overcome Wealth, and whether Wealth falls into void, monthly destruction, or moves to transform into Siblings. When asking about marriage, the Wealth Spouse line is the useful god for the wife, not for the husband.
What is the Wealth Spouse line in the Six Relatives system?
The Wealth Spouse line is one of the six Lines of Lục Hào, alongside Father Mother, Siblings, Offspring, Officer Ghost, and the Self line (representing the querent). The core distinction lies here: the Wealth Spouse line is the line whose element is overcome by the element of the palace. If the palace is Wood, the Wealth Spouse is Earth (Wood overcomes Earth); if the palace is Metal, the Wealth Spouse is Wood (Metal overcomes Wood); if the palace is Earth, the Wealth Spouse is Water (Earth overcomes Water); if the palace is Water, the Wealth Spouse is Fire (Water overcomes Fire); if the palace is Fire, the Wealth Spouse is Metal (Fire overcomes Metal).
From the principle that what one overcomes is what one owns and controls, the Wealth Spouse carries the meaning of money, goods, merchandise, prices, and employees. In family relations, when a man asks, the Wealth Spouse is the useful god for the wife. Because the Wealth Spouse is overcome by the palace element, it also overcomes Father Mother (the Wealth Spouse overcomes Father Mother in the cycle of generation and overcoming among the Six Relatives), a point to remember when interpreting matters involving documents, papers, and elders.
Table of eight palaces: palace element, Wealth Spouse element, and branches carrying that element
The table below is built from the core rule that what is overcome by the palace element is the Wealth Spouse, then looks up the Earthly Branches carrying that element in the na jia rules. The branch column lists only the branches carrying the Wealth Spouse element, not asserting which branch will appear in a specific hexagram.
| Palace (element) | Wealth Spouse element | Branches carrying that element |
|---|---|---|
| Qian, Dui (Metal) | Wood | Yin, Mao |
| Zhen, Xun (Wood) | Earth | Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei |
| Kan (Water) | Fire | Si, Wu |
| Li (Fire) | Metal | Shen, You |
| Kun, Gen (Earth) | Water | Zi, Hai |
How to use the table: when casting a hexagram, identify which line carries the Wealth Spouse element of that palace, and that is the Wealth Spouse line. If the Wealth Spouse line does not appear in the hexagram, it may be hidden as a concealed spirit, and the reading of a concealed spirit differs from reading a visible line (see Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi, section on Flying and Concealed spirits).
When asking about fortune, how should the Wealth Spouse line be read?
What does Wealth holding the Self line mean?
Wealth holding the Self line is when the Wealth Spouse line sits right at the Self line position. This is considered a favorable sign for seeking wealth, because the querent is holding wealth in hand. Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi says: if the Wealth Star holds the Self line, or the day, month, or moving line is Offspring generating and combining with the Self line, then seeking wealth is as easy as an old person scratching an itch. But Wealth holding the Self line does not automatically guarantee money: if the Wealth Spouse line is weak and controlled, it may signal clinging to money rather than real fortune.
Offspring moving to generate Wealth and Siblings moving to overcome Wealth
Two opposite directions of influence must be clearly distinguished. Offspring is the line that generates the Wealth Spouse, so Offspring moving means the source of wealth is opened, resources are abundant and continuous. Conversely, Siblings is the line that overcomes the Wealth Spouse, so Siblings moving means wealth is scattered and lost. Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi states plainly: encountering Siblings holding the Self line, or a Siblings line moving in the hexagram, makes seeking wealth no different from climbing a tree to catch fish. A verse on hexagram interpretation also says: "Wealth line holding Self brings wealth and honor, weak Siblings crossing repeatedly must not be met," meaning that Wealth holding Self brings sufficient money, but one should not encounter moving Siblings overcoming it.
Wealth meeting void, monthly destruction, Wealth moving to transform into Siblings
These are three commonly encountered unfavorable situations. Void is when a line falls into the two empty branches of the decade cycle, symbolizing having but not truly having. Monthly destruction is when a line is clashed and broken by the month of casting, symbolizing being struck down. Wealth moving to transform into Siblings is when the Wealth Spouse line moves and then changes into a Siblings line, symbolizing money initially present but ultimately depleted, "gathering first and scattering later." Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi states clearly: if Wealth moves to transform into Siblings or into Officer, all matters are inauspicious. A verse also says "Moving and changing into Siblings or Officer, all matters are inauspicious" for the case where Wealth holds the Self line and moves to transform into Siblings or Officer.
Wealth moving to overcome Father Mother: heavy and light readings differ
This is where schools disagree. A heavy reading: Wealth moving to overcome Father Mother can correspond to troubles with documents, papers, contracts, or matters involving elders. A light reading: if Father Mother is strong and prosperous, or supported by the day and month, then Wealth overcoming Father Mother is only a mild effect, not worrisome. Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi in the section on divining fortunes also notes: one should not have Wealth moving to transform into Father, Father moving to transform into Wealth, or Ghost moving to transform into Father Mother, as these may correspond to accidents for parents, elders, or serious illness. This is the heavy reading. The light reading holds that as long as Father Mother has enough strength, Wealth overcoming Father Mother is only a minor fluctuation in paperwork matters.
When asking about marriage, whose useful god is the Wealth Spouse?
When a man asks about his wife or a female partner, the Wealth Spouse is the useful god for the wife. This is consistent with the meaning of "what one controls, what one owns" in the Six Relatives system. When a woman asks about her husband, the useful god is Officer Ghost, not the Wealth Spouse. If a woman asks about herself in the role of wife, the Self line is herself, while the Wealth Spouse is the role, not the person.
There are differences among schools: the wife of a brother, or the sister of one's wife, also take Wealth. Bu Shi Zheng Zong explains that because the Wealth Spouse is the line representing women in marital relations, by extension, the wife of a brother or the sister of one's wife also fall within the scope of the Wealth Spouse. Some other schools hold that only the querent's own wife takes the Wealth Spouse, while a brother's wife takes Siblings (representing the brother) and is inferred from there, or takes another line. This is where it must be clearly stated which convention the article follows: this article follows the convention of Bu Shi Zheng Zong, meaning the wife of a brother and the sister of one's wife also take Wealth.
Example illustrating how to cast a hexagram
The example below is cast with LapQueLucHao, not copied from any source. Suppose a man asks about fortune on the day of Mậu Thìn, in the month of Ty, and casts the hexagram Lei Shui Jie changing to Lei Di Yu. In this hexagram, the Self line is the Wealth Spouse Chen earth, while line 6 is the Wealth Spouse Xu earth hidden and moving. The Wealth Spouse Chen earth moves to transform into Offspring Si fire, which is transformation into Extinction rather than returning generation. Reading: Wealth holding the Self line is an initial favorable point, but Wealth moving to transform into Extinction is a sign that wealth is not lasting, possibly seeming gained at one point but ultimately not retained. If asking about a wife, the Wealth Spouse line appearing twice (double manifestation) often corresponds to having two relationships, or one main relationship and one secret relationship.
Points to note when interpreting the Wealth Spouse line
First, Wealth holding the Self line is not everything. Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi emphasizes examining the day, month, moving lines, and the strength or weakness of all factors in the hexagram. A hexagram with a prosperous Wealth Spouse, a prosperous Self, supported by the day and month, even without Wealth holding the Self line, can still bring fortune. Conversely, if the Wealth Spouse sits on the Self but is weak and controlled, this sign may reflect anxiety obsessed with money rather than real fortune.
Second, the Wealth Spouse overcoming Father Mother is a fixed rule in the Six Relatives, but the heavy or light reading depends on the school. When asking about career, documents, Wealth moving to overcome Father Mother is usually read as unfavorable. When asking about pure fortune, Wealth overcoming Father Mother may be only a minor matter in administrative procedures.
Third, one should not assert absolute fortune or misfortune. The same Wealth Spouse line, the same hexagram, but the interpretation result also depends on the specific question, the time of asking, and other lines in the hexagram. Zeng Shan Bu Shi Yi teaches that one must see "for whom one divines, about what matter" before taking a line as the useful god, and cannot mechanically apply one formula to all cases.
Fourth, in application, hexagram results should only be considered reference information. One should not use hexagrams to make investment, loan, purchase, or any important financial decisions. The hexagram is a tool for reflection, not a verdict on the future.
