The four transformations
Si hua are hua lu, hua quan, hua ke, and hua ji. They mark how a star is emphasised under a year stem. They are not four new major stars.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method
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Natal transformations
Natal four transformations
Natal transformations take the birth year’s stem, look up four stars, and hang lu, quan, ke, and ji on them. You then see which palaces those stars occupy. The transformation changes how the star acts. It does not swap the star for a different one.
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Limits of self and flying transformations
Where self-transformation and flying si hua stop
A self-transformation is a star carrying a further change inside its own palace. A flying transformation leaves one palace and lands in another. Both sit a step past the natal four. A flight the engine did not mark cannot be pencilled in.
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What this section is for
Si hua are easy to read as lucky-unlucky labels: lu as money, ji as disaster. This section puts them back as “which star, in which palace, emphasised in which way”.
Natal si hua come from the birth year stem. Self-transformation and flying transformations are further readings. What the engine did not mark is not added.
What to read first
Read natal si hua first, until you can say “this star carries ji in this palace”. Then read the limits of self-transformation and flying si hua, and settle that an unmarked flight is not a fact.
Do not start here before you can name palaces and major stars. A transformation has no subject without them.
When you have to leave for a chart
The year stem selects the four stars. A different year boundary can change the stem, and the transformations can change with it. Read the settings snapshot before you say where ji lands.
Personal si hua are what the chart tool prints. Do not paste in a table of unknown origin.
What this section does not say
Do not swap transformation tables without saying so.
Do not turn hua lu into guaranteed income.
Hua ji is not a disaster title.
Common mistakes
- Saying “there is a ji” without naming the star and the palace.
- Reporting an uncalculated flight as a fact.
- Chaining transformations into a specific event.
Use it in fateshow
Zi Wei chart
Cast a Zi Wei chart and read the palaces, stars, and transformations it prints.
Open tool →Frequently asked questions
What are lu, quan, ke, and ji?
They are the four names of si hua. They mark how a star is emphasised. Lu is not income, quan is not a job, ke is not a diploma, and ji is not disaster.
Are natal and annual transformations the same?
No. Natal si hua come from the birth year stem. The annual layer is separate, lives in the timing section, and is discussed only when the engine marks it.
Can a chart be read without flying transformations?
Yes. Natal si hua plus san fang si zheng already support a bounded reading.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. iztro Zi Wei Dou Shu engine
Supports only what the current fateshow configuration actually calculates: palace placement, major-star arrangements, and the recorded year-boundary, leap-month, and transformation settings. It does not prove that any traditional school is uniquely correct.
- 2. Ziwei Doushu Quanshu (received editions)
Used to cross-check palace names, star lists, and traditional wording. A received text can record a tradition; it cannot prove scientific validity or guarantee an event.
- 3. fateshow chart rule snapshot
Each generated report stores the engine settings that produced it. Compare those settings before treating two charts as the same calculation.