TL;DR: Thiếu Âm is the fourth star in the Thái Tuế ring, placed according to the earthly branch of the year of birth, and always sits in the fourth palace counting from the Grand Duke (Thái Tuế) palace in the forward direction (for someone born in the year of the Tiger: Grand Duke in Dần, Thiếu Âm in Tỵ). According to Vietnamese Tử Vi books: Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên records that Thiếu Âm belongs to Water and chiefly means kind-heartedness, charity and the removal of illness and minor misfortunes; Tử Vi tổng hợp ranks it among the dissolving stars but with weaker effect than the Four Virtues (Tứ Đức); Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư by Thiên Lương places Thiếu Âm together with Long Đức (Dragon Virtue) and Trực Phù (Direct Symbol) in the position of being honest and taking the losing end compared with Thiếu Dương. This is how the Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology) school understands it, not a scientific conclusion about people.
The Thái Tuế Ring and the Position of Thiếu Âm
The Thái Tuế ring is one of the three star rings of a Tử Vi chart, alongside the Lộc Tồn ring and the Tràng Sinh ring. This article presents the placement and the readings of the star Thiếu Âm in Vietnamese Tử Vi, based on four books: Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên by Vân Đằng Thái Thứ Lang, Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học by Việt Viêm Tử, Tử Vi tổng hợp by Nguyễn Phát Lộc, and Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư by Thiên Lương. Việt Viêm Tử's book states that this ring has 12 stars, placed forward one star per palace: Thái Tuế, Thiếu Dương, Tang Môn, Thiếu Âm, Quan Phù, Tử Phù, Tuế Phá, Long Đức, Bạch Hổ, Phúc Đức, Điếu Khách, Trực Phù[2]; Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên records the same order[1].
The placement is very simple. Take the birth year and place Thái Tuế in the palace bearing the earthly branch of that year. For example, someone born in a Dần year has Thái Tuế in the Dần palace. From there, count forward along the 12 earthly branches, one star per palace in the order above. Thus Thiếu Âm always sits in the fourth palace from Thái Tuế (counting the Thái Tuế palace as the first): if the Dần palace has Thái Tuế, Thiếu Âm is in the Tỵ palace.
Two easily confused points need distinguishing. First, Thiếu Âm is not a main star but a supplementary star; Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học places the Thái Tuế ring in the phi tinh group used for reading yearly periods[2]. Second, Quan Phù of the Thái Tuế ring differs from Quan Phủ of the Lộc Tồn ring; the two names are nearly alike but they belong to two different rings.
How Is Thiếu Âm Placed by Birth Year?
The general rule: place Thái Tuế in the palace whose earthly branch matches the birth year, then count forward. Below is a table matching the 12 birth-year groups with the position of Thiếu Âm, derived directly from the star order given above.
| Birth year (earthly branch) | Thái Tuế at | Thiếu Dương at | Tang Môn at | Thiếu Âm at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tý | Tý | Sửu | Dần | Mão |
| Sửu | Sửu | Dần | Mão | Thìn |
| Dần | Dần | Mão | Thìn | Tỵ |
| Mão | Mão | Thìn | Tỵ | Ngọ |
| Thìn | Thìn | Tỵ | Ngọ | Mùi |
| Tỵ | Tỵ | Ngọ | Mùi | Thân |
| Ngọ | Ngọ | Mùi | Thân | Dậu |
| Mùi | Mùi | Thân | Dậu | Tuất |
| Thân | Thân | Dậu | Tuất | Hợi |
| Dậu | Dậu | Tuất | Hợi | Tý |
| Tuất | Tuất | Hợi | Tý | Sửu |
| Hợi | Hợi | Tý | Sửu | Dần |
This table applies to both men and women, because the Thái Tuế ring is placed forward without regard to gender. This differs from the Lộc Tồn ring and the Tràng Sinh ring: according to Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên, those two rings go forward for yang men and yin women and backward for yin men and yang women[1].
Two further stars accompany the Thái Tuế ring: Thiên Không and Quán Sách. Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học places Thiên Không in the same palace as Thiếu Dương and Quán Sách in the same palace as Trực Phù[2]; Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên likewise places Thiên Không in the palace in front of Thái Tuế, that is, the palace of Thiếu Dương[1]. These two stars are not among the 12 stars of the ring, so the position of Thiếu Âm does not change.
What Does Thiếu Âm Mean According to Vietnamese Tử Vi Books?
Vietnamese Tử Vi books do not devote a separate chapter to Thiếu Âm but discuss it together with Thiếu Dương. Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên lists Thiếu Âm as Thủy and describes both stars as "Thông minh, vui vẻ, hòa nhã, nhân hậu, từ thiện. Giải trừ những bệnh tật, tai họa nhỏ." (intelligent, cheerful, gentle, kind, charitable; removing illness and minor misfortune)[1] Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học also lists Thiếu Âm as Thủy, miếu in Mão and Dậu, and treats it as the lesser yin qi of Nhật and Nguyệt: Nhật in Tý meeting Thiếu Âm is good[2]. Nguyễn Phát Lộc's Tử Vi tổng hợp groups Thiếu Âm and Thiếu Dương among giải tinh, stating that their meaning is like that of Tứ Đức but their effect is weaker and they carry no meaning of curing illness[3]. On the matter of illness the two books thus say different things.
Thiên Lương's Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư raises the issue on another level. The author compares Thiếu Dương with Thiếu Âm and argues that by the yin-yang law the two sides differ markedly; Thiếu Dương has risen above Thái Tuế and is therefore cleverer, while Thiếu Âm stands in the tam hợp behind Thái Tuế and is therefore somewhat honest and disadvantaged. In the same passage, Thiên Lương writes that Thiếu Dương always has Hồng Loan and Đào Hoa accompanying it while Thiếu Âm in many cases does not, and that Thiếu Dương gets three or four đức stars to counsel it, while "Thiếu âm bị bạc đãi nên chỉ một Long đức đứng lên khuyên nhủ" (Thiếu Âm is treated poorly, so only one Long Đức rises to counsel it)[4].
This is the particular interpretation of one school, tied to how the author reads the Thái Tuế ring as an axis of symmetry between two sides. The book does not say Thiếu Âm is a bad star; it says Thiếu Âm is in a position of receiving less support.
Thiên Lương groups Thiếu Âm with Long Đức and Trực Phù as one of the four tam hợp stances of the Thái Tuế ring; the three stars stand four palaces apart, so they are always in tam hợp with one another[4]. In his view this stance runs against the yin-yang of the birth year and loses out in every way, so Hồng Loan and Thiên Hỷ share the task of consolation: Hồng Loan stands in the Thiếu Âm position for yang birth years, and Thiên Hỷ, opposite Hồng Loan, for yin birth years[4].
How Is Thiếu Âm Read When Meeting Thiên Không and the Tứ Đức?
Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư devotes considerable space to the relationship between Thiên Không and the four đức stars. The author divides people into three ranks, tứ chính, tứ sinh, and tứ mộ, then writes that once Thiên Không has entered, all three ranks fall within a tam hợp containing Thiên Đức, Nguyệt Đức, and Phúc Đức, while Long Đức stands in opposition; he understands this as giving the three đức to Thiếu Dương and keeping Long Đức for Thiếu Âm[4].
That is, according to this book, the only đức star that goes with Thiếu Âm is Long Đức, the star in its own tam hợp. The author goes on to write that a person in the Thiên Không position has to think carefully at the fork between Tứ Đức and Thiên Không[4]. This is Thiên Lương's own vivid way of writing.
Nguyễn Phát Lộc's Tử Vi tổng hợp adds a condition of position: Thái Âm and Thiếu Âm are good only when placed in the night-time palaces, just as Thái Dương and Thiếu Dương are better in the daytime palaces. The book also states a general principle for interpreting stars: one must assess both the star's intrinsic function and its dynamic value, that is, the star's original meaning plus what is added by convergence and by yin-yang and five-element harmony or conflict with the hosting palace[3].
Is Thiếu Âm a Good Star?
This question should not be answered with one word. Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên describes Thiếu Âm in favorable words such as kind and charitable[1], and Tử Vi tổng hợp places it among giải tinh. But Tử Vi tổng hợp itself also records that the effect of the pair Thiếu Âm and Thiếu Dương is weaker than that of Tứ Đức and that they carry no meaning of curing illness[3].
In Thiên Lương's reading, Thiếu Âm is the position of the honest person who suffers losses and receives little support. This is a judgment about the star's standing in the ring, not a verdict on the character of a person with that star in Mệnh. To interpret a specific chart, one must still see which palace Thiếu Âm occupies, which stars it meets, and whether that palace is strong or weak.
Vân Đằng Thái Thứ Lang's Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên also records a combination involving Thiếu Âm: Thiếu Dương or Thiếu Âm meeting Hóa Khoa, in the same palace or in opposition, forms a set that the book says increases blessing and longevity[1]. So even in this book Thiếu Âm is read together with other stars rather than on its own.
Gợi ý của Nhật Nguyệt: when looking up Thiếu Âm on a chart, find the palace bearing the birth year branch to locate Thái Tuế, count forward to the fourth palace for Thiếu Âm, then see which palace that is and whether Long Đức, Trực Phù, Hồng Loan, or Thiên Hỷ sit in its tam hợp palaces. When reading an interpretation, note which book it follows, since the books differ as shown above.
Why Do Books Say Different Things About the Same Star?
Two main reasons. First, each author chooses an axis for reading: Việt Viêm Tử reads Thiếu Âm and Thiếu Dương as the two qi of Nhật and Nguyệt[2], Thiên Lương reads by the yin-yang law and the stances around Thái Tuế[4], and Nguyễn Phát Lộc sorts by the function of resolving[3]. Second, Tử Vi is a discipline of interpreting combinations, so a star is described by its relations with other stars, and that description changes when the focus of interpretation changes.
Practical Conclusion
To place Thiếu Âm, only three steps are needed: determine the earthly branch of the birth year, place Thái Tuế in that palace, and count forward to the fourth palace (counting the Thái Tuế palace as the first) to set Thiếu Âm. To interpret Thiếu Âm, at least three more pieces of information are needed: the hosting palace, the converging stars, and the yin-yang five-element relation between star and palace. The books cited all discuss Thiếu Âm together with Thiếu Dương and the other stars on the chart, and none treats it as a star that decides anything by itself.
