TL;DR: Tuần Không is the two Earthly Branches that are not paired with a Heavenly Stem within a ten-day Giáp week; for example, in the Giáp Tý week, Tuất and Hợi are Tuần Không. In tử vi, Tuần is placed according to the year of birth's Can Chi and Triệt according to the year Stem, both together called Không Vong, which dims or reduces the intensity of the palaces they occupy. Không Vong should not be understood as an absolute bad omen: researchers of tử vi still disagree on placement and interpretation, so this is a convention of the discipline, not a conclusion about a real person's fate.
How Do Tuần Không and Không Vong Differ?
In tử vi, the two words Tuần and Không often go together as Tuần Không, while Không Vong is a broader term referring to any empty state of a palace or star. Beginners often confuse Tuần with Triệt, but these are two different things in both placement and meaning.
The origin of Tuần Không lies in the sexagenary cycle. Ten Heavenly Stems paired with twelve Earthly Branches have a least common multiple of sixty, so each cycle has six Giáp weeks, and each week always leaves two Earthly Branches unpaired. The book *Lục Nhâm, quyển 1: Nhập môn* explains that Tuần Không is precisely the two Branches absent from the ten days of the Giáp week being divined, and gives the example that in the Giáp Tý week, Tuất and Hợi are Tuần Không[1]. This understanding is repeated in Bát Tự materials when discussing Không Vong in a Four Pillars chart.
The key point is that Tuần Không is not a star, not a deity, but a positional attribute tied to the Can Chi of the year of birth. It indicates that those two Earthly Branches are in an "empty" state, lacking force, or suspended within the week under consideration.
How Is Tuần Placed in a Tử Vi Chart?
The placement of Tuần in tử vi relies on the Can Chi of the year of birth, not the day of birth as in Bát Tự. Specifically, one takes the Can Chi (Stem and Branch) of the year of birth to determine which Giáp week that year belongs to, then takes the two missing Earthly Branches of that week as Tuần Không. The two palaces in the chart carrying those two Earthly Branches will be occupied by Tuần.
For example, if the year of birth is Giáp Tý, then the Giáp Tý week has Tuất and Hợi as Tuần Không; the two palaces Tuất and Hợi in the chart will be overshadowed by Tuần. If the year of birth is Giáp Tuất, then Thân and Dậu are Tuần Không, and the two palaces Thân and Dậu are affected by Tuần. This lookup matches the Tuần Không table that Bát Tự materials use for the day pillar, except that tử vi takes the year's Can Chi instead of the day's.
An easily confused point: Tuần Không is not a fixed "two bad palaces". The same Tuất palace, for someone born in a Giáp Tý year, is affected by Tuần, but for someone born in a Giáp Thìn year it is not, because the Giáp Thìn week has Dần and Mão as Tuần Không. So one cannot say the Tuất or Hợi palace is a "useless" palace.
What Is Triệt Lộ Không Vong and How Is It Placed?
Besides Tuần, tử vi also has Triệt, whose full name is Triệt lộ Không vong. The book *Tử Vi kinh nghiệm quyển hạ* records the old view that Triệt lộ Không vong belongs to Kim, while Tuần trung Không vong belongs to Hỏa, and notes that with "Triệt đáo Kim cung" (Triệt in the Thân or Dậu palace) a person of Kim destiny is unharmed, and with "Tuần lâm Hỏa địa" (Tuần in the Ngọ or Mùi palace) a person of Hỏa destiny is unharmed[2].
The placement of Triệt in tử vi relies on the year Stem, and Triệt always occupies two adjacent palaces, often seen as the boundary between two groups of palaces. The important point is that Triệt does not use Earthly Branches as its basis, unlike Tuần which uses the missing Earthly Branches in the Giáp week. Therefore the two can overlap in one palace, creating a state that materials call Tam Không when Địa Không is added.
The book *Tử Vi kinh nghiệm quyển hạ* cites the phrase "Mệnh vô chính diệu, đắc Tam Không, nhi phú quý khả kỳ", meaning that if the Mệnh palace has no main star but meets all three Không, one may interpret it toward wealth and honor, but that wealth and honor is not lasting[2]. Note that this is a line from a Chinese book that the author cites along with advice to experiment oneself, so it should be read as a school's convention, not a theorem.
Table Distinguishing Tuần, Triệt, and Địa Không
| Factor | Basis for placement | Number of palaces occupied | Commonly interpreted meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuần (Tuần Không) | Year Can Chi, the two missing Earthly Branches in the Giáp week | 2 adjacent palaces | Dims, suspends, reduces intensity of the occupied palace |
| Triệt (Triệt lộ Không vong) | Year Stem | 2 adjacent palaces | Blocks in front, separates, causes a shortfall in the early segment |
| Địa Không | Placed by birth hour | 1 palace | Disperses, wastes, pairs with Địa Kiếp |
Is Tuần Không an Absolute Bad Omen?
No. This is where most people misunderstand. The book *Lục Nhâm, quyển 1: Nhập môn* states clearly: Tuần Không has the power to make things empty, so when a bad hexagram or inauspicious deity meets Tuần Không, the disaster is not strong enough to harm the person; conversely, when a good hexagram or auspicious deity meets Tuần Không, the good fortune is reduced, sometimes losing all good and becoming bad[1]. In other words, Tuần Không is neutral in nature, it only reduces the intensity of whatever it touches.
Applied to tử vi, this means Tuần in a palace with inauspicious stars can soften the bad, while Tuần in a palace with auspicious stars can dim the good. So two charts with the same main stars but different birth years, one person with Tuần in the Tài palace and one without, will yield different interpretations even if the stars are the same.
Bát Tự materials also note the reverse direction: Không Vong meeting auspicious deities such as Thiên Ất Quý Nhân, Thiên Nguyệt Đức Quý Nhân, Long Đức can be neutralized, but part of the blessing is diminished; while Không Vong meeting Tử Tuyệt, Kiếp Sát, Hàm Trì, Lục Hại has even greater negative impact. This is a rule of the Bát Tự school, but the spirit that "Không Vong is not one-directional" is shared across disciplines.
How to Interpret Tiệt Không and Tuần Không Entering Mệnh?
This is the most debated question in tử vi. Some materials hold that Tiệt Không and Tuần Không entering Mệnh cause the native to drift without direction, with little support and many sudden turns in life. Others hold that precisely because Tuần and Triệt dim the Mệnh palace, they can neutralize disasters, especially when the Mệnh palace has no main star or has many inauspicious stars.
The book *Tử Vi kinh nghiệm quyển hạ*, when discussing the phrase "Mệnh vô chính diệu, đắc Tam Không, nhi phú quý khả kỳ", raises the issue that the wealth and honor here is limited, meaning not lasting, and the author advises readers to experiment to see which approach is more correct, especially between Tam Không and Thiên Không[2]. This shows that even among tử vi researchers, there is no consensus on interpreting Tuần entering Mệnh.
A cautious approach is to treat Tuần entering Mệnh as a filter, not a verdict. If the Mệnh palace has many auspicious stars, Tuần can make the good come late or incompletely. If the Mệnh palace has many inauspicious stars, Tuần can make the bad lighter. Both directions require reading the entire chart, not just one palace.
How Does Tuần Không Differ Between Bát Tự and Tử Vi?
The same concept of Tuần Không, but the two disciplines use two different placement methods, so the lookup results also differ. This is where many people become confused after checking and seeing two different results.
In Bát Tự, Không Vong in the Four Pillars is usually determined from the Can Chi of the day of birth, sometimes from the year pillar. The six Giáp weeks give six pairs: Giáp Tý week has Không Vong at Tuất, Hợi; Giáp Tuất week at Thân, Dậu; Giáp Thân week at Ngọ, Mùi; Giáp Ngọ week at Thìn, Tỵ; Giáp Thìn week at Dần, Mão; Giáp Dần week at Tý, Sửu. Bát Tự materials usually take the day pillar as primary, and also mention "hỗ hoán Không Vong" between year and day, or day and hour.
In tử vi, as stated above, Tuần takes the Can Chi of the birth year. Therefore for the same person, checking by day of birth in Bát Tự and by year of birth in tử vi can yield two different pairs of Tuần Không Earthly Branches. This is not a contradiction, but two disciplines using two different conventions for two different purposes.
Common Misunderstandings About Tuần Không
First misunderstanding: thinking Tuần Không is a bad star, like Địa Không or Địa Kiếp. In fact Tuần Không is not a star, but a positional attribute tied to the year Can Chi. It has no "personality" of its own, only a dimming effect.
Second misunderstanding: thinking that any palace affected by Tuần is useless and need not be examined. The book *Lục Nhâm, quyển 1: Nhập môn* says Tuần Không "has the power to make things empty": an inauspicious deity meeting it lacks the strength to harm, an auspicious deity meeting it brings less good fortune[1]. So a palace affected by Tuần must still be examined, because Tuần changes the palace's intensity rather than making the palace disappear.
Third misunderstanding: thinking Tuần and Triệt are the same. The book *Tử Vi kinh nghiệm quyển hạ* distinguishes Triệt lộ Không vong as Kim and Tuần trung Không vong as Hỏa[2], and the two are also placed from different bases. Triệt blocks in the early segment, Tuần dims throughout the palace, so the two cannot substitute for each other in interpretation.
Fourth misunderstanding: thinking Tuần Không can "neutralize" all inauspicious stars. This is an overstatement. Bát Tự materials only say Không Vong meeting auspicious deities can be neutralized but blessings are diminished, not that Không Vong eliminates all inauspicious stars. In tử vi likewise, Tuần only lightens, does not erase.
Practical Conclusion: How Should One Read Tuần Không?
The safest way to read Tuần Không is to place it within the entire chart, not read it in isolation. Three suggested steps from Nhật Nguyệt:
- Step one: determine the year Can Chi, look up the two Tuần Không Earthly Branches according to the six Giáp week table.
- Step two: see what main stars, auspicious or inauspicious, are in the two palaces carrying those two Earthly Branches. From there, interpret whether Tuần dims the good or softens the bad.
- Step three: cross-check with Triệt and Địa Không if present, because the three can overlap and change the interpretation.
It should be repeated that this is the understanding of the tử vi discipline, not a scientific conclusion about human fate. The reference books used in this article all present Tuần Không as a technical convention of the discipline, and even among the books there remain points of disagreement. Readers should view this as a tool for self-reflection, not a predetermined verdict for anyone's life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Tuần Không in Tử Vi Placed According To?
According to the year of birth Can Chi. Take the year's Can Chi to determine the Giáp week, then take the two missing Earthly Branches in that week as Tuần Không. For example, in a Giáp Tý year, Tuất and Hợi are Tuần Không, and the two palaces Tuất and Hợi in the chart are occupied by Tuần.
How Do Tuần Không and Triệt Differ?
Tuần uses the missing Earthly Branches in the Giáp week as its basis, while Triệt uses the year Stem and always occupies two adjacent palaces. The book *Tử Vi kinh nghiệm quyển hạ* classifies Triệt lộ Không vong as Kim, Tuần trung Không vong as Hỏa[2].
Is a Palace Affected by Tuần Không a Bad Palace?
Not necessarily. The book *Lục Nhâm, quyển 1: Nhập môn* says Tuần Không reduces intensity: inauspicious deities meeting Tuần Không have lighter disasters, auspicious deities meeting Tuần Không also have reduced good fortune[1]. So a palace affected by Tuần Không is not inherently bad, it is just read in a lighter mode.
