TL;DR: Tử Phù (Death Symbol) is one of the 12 minor stars of the Thái Tuế (Grand Duke) cycle, placed in the forward direction starting from the palace bearing the name of the birth-year branch, in the order Thái Tuế, Thiếu Dương (Young Yang), Tang Môn (Mourning), Thiếu Âm (Young Yin), Quan Phù (Official Symbol), Tử Phù. The book Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên by Vân Đằng Thái Thứ Lang and Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học by Việt Viêm Tử both record Tử Phù in the sixth position of the cycle. According to these Vietnamese Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology) books, Tử Phù is interpreted together with Trực Phù (Direct Symbol): Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên records it as belonging to Fire, described as gloomy and obstructive; Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học records it as governing illness; Thiên Lương (Celestial Beam) places Tử Phù in the triple harmony of Thiếu Dương, Tử Phù and Phúc Đức. These are the words of each book, not a conclusion about anyone's fate.
What Is Tử Phù in Tử Vi?
Tử Phù is an auxiliary star in the Thái Tuế circle, a group of 12 stars placed clockwise starting from the palace named after the earthly branch of the birth year. Tử Phù stands at the sixth position in the circle, right after Quan Phù and before Tuế Phá[1][2].
Tử Phù should be distinguished from Tử Vi, though the names are somewhat close. Tử Vi is the emperor star, one of the 14 principal stars, holding the leading role in the chart. Tử Phù is only an auxiliary star; it does not sit alone to determine fortune or misfortune but is usually read in relation to the principal star in the same palace and the stars converging from the three directions and four positions.
In Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên, Vân Đằng Thái Thứ Lang presents this circle under the name Thái Tuế tinh hệ, just before Lộc Tồn tinh hệ and Tràng Sinh tinh hệ. He records the sequence clearly: after placing Thái Tuế at the palace bearing the birth-year earthly branch, whether male or female, one places clockwise in turn Thiếu Dương, Tang Môn, Thiếu Âm, Quan Phù, Tử Phù, Tuế Phá, Long Đức, Bạch Hổ, Phúc Đức, Điếu Khách, Trực Phù[1].
Việt Viêm Tử in Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học also lists the Thái Tuế circle of 12 stars in that exact order, and gives an example: if Thái Tuế is in the Dần palace, then Thiếu Dương is in Mão, Tang Môn in Thìn, Thiếu Âm in Tỵ, Quan Phù in Ngọ, Tử Phù in Mùi, Tuế Phá in Thân, Long Đức in Dậu, Bạch Hổ in Tuất, Phúc Đức in Hợi, Điếu Khách in Tý, Trực Phù in Sửu[2].
How Is Tử Phù Placed in the Thái Tuế Circle?
The placement of Tử Phù does not stand alone but depends entirely on the position of Thái Tuế. The procedure has two steps.
Step 1: Place Thái Tuế at the birth-year palace
Take the earthly branch of the birth year and place Thái Tuế in the palace bearing that branch name. A person born in a Tý year places Thái Tuế in the Tý palace; one born in a Dần year places Thái Tuế in the Dần palace; one born in a Mão year places Thái Tuế in the Mão palace[1][2]. This is the only step depending on the birth year; the remaining stars in the circle shift accordingly.
Step 2: Count clockwise to the sixth position
From the Thái Tuế palace, count clockwise (the direction of the clock hands on the 12-palace board), one star per palace in the fixed order. Tử Phù falls in the sixth palace from Thái Tuế, that is, five palaces clockwise from Thái Tuế[1][2].
The table below illustrates the position of Tử Phù for several birth years, counted clockwise over the 12 Earthly Branch palaces:
| Birth-year branch | Thái Tuế palace | Tử Phù palace | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tý | Tý | Tỵ | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Tý |
| Sửu | Sửu | Ngọ | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Sửu |
| Dần | Dần | Mùi | Example given by Việt Viêm Tử[2] |
| Mão | Mão | Thân | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Mão |
| Thìn | Thìn | Dậu | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Thìn |
| Tỵ | Tỵ | Tuất | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Tỵ |
| Ngọ | Ngọ | Hợi | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Ngọ |
| Mùi | Mùi | Tý | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Mùi |
| Thân | Thân | Sửu | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Thân |
| Dậu | Dậu | Dần | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Dậu |
| Tuất | Tuất | Mão | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Tuất |
| Hợi | Hợi | Thìn | Count clockwise 5 palaces from Hợi |
This rule applies to both men and women, without distinguishing yin and yang by gender as with the Lộc Tồn circle. That difference is worth noting because the Lộc Tồn circle is placed clockwise for yang men and yin women and counter-clockwise for yin men and yang women[1], while the Thái Tuế circle is always placed clockwise.
Which Stars Are in the Thái Tuế Circle and Where Does Tử Phù Stand?
The Thái Tuế circle has exactly 12 stars, one per palace, in a fixed order starting from Thái Tuế[1][2]:
- Thái Tuế
- Thiếu Dương
- Tang Môn
- Thiếu Âm
- Quan Phù
- Tử Phù
- Tuế Phá
- Long Đức
- Bạch Hổ
- Phúc Đức
- Điếu Khách
- Trực Phù
Tử Phù stands sixth, between Quan Phù and Tuế Phá, that is, in the palace just before the one opposite Thái Tuế. In Thiên Lương's division in Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư, the twelve stars of the circle form four tam hợp sets, and Tử Phù belongs to the set Thiếu Dương, Tử Phù, Phúc Đức[3].
Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học places two extra stars in shared palaces while placing the circle: Thiên Không in the same palace as Thiếu Dương, and Quán Sách in the same palace as Trực Phù[2]. Those two stars are not among the twelve stars of the circle, so the order of the circle and the sixth position of Tử Phù are the same in both Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên and Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học[1][2].
Meaning of Tử Phù According to Vietnamese Tử Vi Books
Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên and Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học both treat Tử Phù in one entry together with Trực Phù, and both are very brief. Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên gives the two stars as Fire and describes them as "Buồn thảm. Chủ tang thương. Gây rắc rối, ngăn trở mọi việc" (sorrowful; ruling mourning; causing trouble and obstructing all matters)[1]. Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học also gives the two stars as Fire but says they rule illness[2]. The two books say two different things; these are the conventional qualities of the star according to each book, not a prediction for any particular chart and not a medical statement.
Thiên Lương in Tử Vi nghiệm lý toàn thư does not interpret Tử Phù as a separate star but sets it within the tam hợp set Thiếu Dương, Tử Phù, Phúc Đức, one of the four sets of the Thái Tuế circle. According to him, a person whose Mệnh falls in this set is described as "được tư chất thiên phú thông minh nhạy cảm hơn đời" (naturally gifted, intelligent and more perceptive than most), and the book regards this set as running against the yin-yang of the birth year, unlike the set Thái Tuế, Quan Phù, Bạch Hổ[3].
Nguyễn Phát Lộc in Tử Vi tổng hợp has no separate entry for Tử Phù. The book lists Tử Phù, Trực Phù, Thiếu Dương, Thiếu Âm and Quan Phù among the stars that, according to the author, Vietnamese Tử Vi added to those of the Chinese books, and places Tử Phù and Trực Phù in the group of ám tinh, the stars the book says cause obstacles and hitches[4].
How Does Tử Phù Differ from Quan Phù, Tuế Phá and Neighboring Stars?
The three stars Quan Phù, Tử Phù, Tuế Phá stand next to each other in the Thái Tuế circle. Their difference lies in their relative position to Thái Tuế.
- Quan Phù stands fifth, right before Tử Phù, one palace closer to Thái Tuế.
- Tử Phù stands sixth, in the middle of the cluster.
- Tuế Phá stands seventh, opposite Thái Tuế across the center of the board.
Quan Phù of the Thái Tuế circle should be distinguished from Quan Phủ of the Lộc Tồn circle. These two stars sound nearly alike when read but differ completely in position and meaning. Quan Phù belongs to the Thái Tuế circle, placed by birth year; Quan Phủ belongs to the Lộc Tồn circle, placed by birth-year stem. Nguyễn Phát Lộc's Tử Vi tổng hợp always names Quan Phù and Quan Phủ as two separate stars, usually together with Thái Tuế when discussing lawsuits[4].
Why Should Tử Phù Not Be Interpreted on Its Own?
Tử Phù is an auxiliary star. According to Tử Vi tổng hợp by Nguyễn Phát Lộc, the principal stars decide the nature of a matter, while auxiliary stars only add to, reduce or complement that nature[4].
The reasonable way to read it is to view Tử Phù in three layers:
- First layer: the principal star ruling the palace where Tử Phù sits. The principal star determines most of that palace's meaning.
- Second layer: the stars converging from the three directions and four positions; the two tam hợp palaces always hold Thiếu Dương and Phúc Đức.
- Third layer: the relation to other star circles such as the Lộc Tồn circle and the Tràng Sinh circle.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when checking a chart with Tử Phù, note its position and compare it first with the principal star in the same palace, then consider the converging stars. Do not rush to conclude fortune or misfortune from a single auxiliary star standing alone.
Points to Note When Looking Up Tử Phù
There are a few places where confusion easily arises when looking up the star Tử Phù in different sources.
First, 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 while placing the circle, so a chart may show 14 star names around the circle. The circle itself still has only 12 stars in both Tử Vi đẩu số tân biên and Tử Vi áo bí biện chứng học[1][2].
Second, Tử Phù differs from Trực Phù even though the two books treat them in one entry: Tử Phù is in the sixth position and Trực Phù in the twelfth, so the two stars always sit in opposite palaces.
Third, Tử Phù should not be confused with the star Tử Vi, with the Tử Tức palace, or with the star Tử of the Tràng Sinh circle, which is placed by Cục. These four concepts are entirely different in their role in the chart.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if you use star-placement software, check the position of Tử Phù by counting by hand clockwise five palaces from Thái Tuế. The hand count and the software result must match. If they differ, the software likely follows a Thái Tuế circle convention different from that of the book you are reading.
