Where do tieu han, nguyet han, dai han, and luu nien differ?
Van han in Tu Vi is a system of nested layers, each covering a different span of time. Dai han, also called dai van, is the ten year period that sets the tone of a whole stretch of life. Luu nien, also called tieu van, is the layer of a single year and shows the flavor of that year. Nguyet han, also called nguyet van, is the layer of a lunar month. Nhat han is the layer of a day.
Two easily confused terms need separating: tieu han and luu nien. In many texts the two are used interchangeably for the palace of the year. But in some interpretive systems they are two different palaces on the same chart. Tieu han is a palace fixed by mu age, while luu nien is usually tied to Luu Thai Tue, the palace holding the luu Thai Tue star of the year being read. Some call the palace counted from the dai han root luu dai han, not tieu han. This is the clearest point of difference among schools, and also where beginners slip most often.
The general reading rule: a smaller layer is always set inside the context of a larger one. A month that looks favorable inside a difficult year must still be read with care. Conversely, a slightly quiet month inside a good year is usually just a temporary slower rhythm.
How is tieu han commonly placed in books?
The placement recorded in many Tu Vi Dau So texts, for instance the tieu han section in Dau So Tinh Thanh, relies on the tam hop group of the birth year branch. Each tam hop group contains one of the four kho characters (Thin, Tuat, Suu, Mui), and the starting palace is the palace opposite that kho character. Specifically: people born in years Dan, Ngo, Tuat start tieu han at Thin; those born in Than, Ty, Thin start at Tuat; those born in Hoi, Mao, Mui start at Suu; those born in Ty, Dau, Suu start at Mui.
From that starting palace, mu age 1 is placed. Then one age moves one palace, males forward and females backward, regardless of whether the age is yin or yang. For example, someone born in a Dan year has Thin as the starting palace. Male chart: age 1 at Thin, age 2 at Ty, age 3 at Ngo, and so on clockwise around the earthly plate. Female chart: age 1 at Thin, age 2 at Mao, age 3 at Dan, age 4 at Suu, and so on counterclockwise.
| Tam hop group of birth year branch | Kho character in the group | Starting palace for tieu han (opposite the kho character) |
|---|---|---|
| Dan, Ngo, Tuat | Tuat | Thin |
| Than, Ty, Thin | Thin | Tuat |
| Hoi, Mao, Mui | Mui | Suu |
| Ty, Dau, Suu | Suu | Mui |
The notable point is that this rule does not separate male and female by the yin or yang of the birth year, only by males going forward and females going backward. This differs from dai han placement, which uses the yin or yang of the birth year and gender to choose the direction.
How is nguyet han placed?
Nguyet han is the palace taken as the palace of the month. To find it, you first need a root palace. The two most common starting points are the tieu han palace of the year, or the Luu Thai Tue palace of the year. From that root, count backward by birth month, then forward by birth hour to reach the nguyet han palace.
Because the method involves both birth month and birth hour, each person has a different nguyet han, even when they are reading the same calendar month. This is also why many people get the nguyet han palace wrong at the very first step without knowing, and end up reading the whole month off.
After placing nguyet han, a group of monthly luu stars is added to the chart. When these luu stars land on the nguyet han palace, or overlap with strong stars already on the original chart, the flavor of the month is activated more clearly. That is why some months pass quietly while others visibly carry events.
Three layers of dai han, luu nien, and tieu han on one chart
To picture it, take an example chart. Suppose a person born in a Nham Dan year, belonging to Hoa nhi Cuc. By the dai han placement based on the cuc number and direction, the first dai han from age 2 to 11 sits at the Dan palace. The second dai han from 12 to 21 sits at the Mao palace. The third dai han from 22 to 31 sits at the Thin palace.
For the same person, the tieu han palace is placed by the Dan Ngo Tuat tam hop group, starting at Thin. If male, mu age 1 at Thin, 2 at Ty, 3 at Ngo, and so on forward. If female, mu age 1 at Thin, 2 at Mao, 3 at Dan, and so on backward.
| Layer of van | Span | Palace of the year being read (example) |
|---|---|---|
| Dai han | 10 years | Thin palace (third dai han, age 22 to 31) |
| Luu nien | 1 year | The palace holding that year's Luu Thai Tue |
| Tieu han | 1 year | Palace counted by mu age, males forward and females backward |
| Nguyet han | 1 month | Palace starting from tieu han or Luu Thai Tue, counted by birth month and birth hour |
On the chart, these three layers may coincide or sit in three different palaces. When reading a year, practitioners usually examine the dai han palace, the luu nien palace, and the tieu han palace together, then combine them with the Menh palace, the Than palace, and tam hop palaces such as Tai, Quan, and Phuc. That is why in the same year two people with different charts get different results, even at the same age.
Why do schools place tieu han and nguyet han differently?
This is the clearest point of disagreement in Tu Vi. Some schools start tieu han from the Menh palace instead of the palace opposite the kho character. Some do not separate male and female, meaning both go in the same direction. Some confuse tieu han with luu dai han, treating the palace counted from the dai han root as tieu han. Some modern Chinese schools use Luu Thai Tue in place of tieu han, taking the palace holding the luu Thai Tue star as the palace of the year and no longer placing tieu han by mu age.
With nguyet han, disagreement runs even deeper. There are roughly six to seven different ways of placing nguyet han across schools. Besides the two starting points from the Tieu Van palace and the Luu Thai Tue palace, there is also a method starting from the fixed Dan palace. Each method yields a different nguyet han palace, and therefore a different reading.
So when consulting a text, identify clearly which method it uses, and avoid mixing methods in a single reading. Tam An uses the tieu han placement by the tam hop group of the birth year branch as presented above, that is, starting at the palace opposite the kho character, one age one palace, males forward and females backward regardless of yin or yang. For nguyet han, the site uses the method starting from the tieu han palace or the Luu Thai Tue palace, counting backward by birth month then forward by birth hour. Readers should know this to cross check with other sources, and to avoid comparing results from two different systems and concluding that one is wrong.
What to keep in mind when reading year han and month han?
One, do not detach from context. Nguyet han must sit inside the year van, and the year van must sit inside the dai han. Ignoring the larger context and looking only at a month or a year easily leads to a skewed conclusion.
Two, watch for luu stars overlapping palaces. When the monthly or yearly luu star lands on a palace that already holds a strong star on the original chart, that flavor is activated more clearly. This is where visibly eventful months and years come from.
Three, keep the spirit of tendency. Year han and month han show the leaning of that span of time, not a prediction of what will certainly happen. The purpose of reading is to prepare, to be more proactive, not to worry or to assert an outcome in advance. With the same han palace, people with different ways of living and handling things can produce very different results.
Four, remember that the more detailed the reading down to the hour and the day, the more factors come into play and the harder accurate interpretation becomes. That is why day han and hour han layers are usually only for extra reference, not as the sole basis.
