The Wolf (Tan Lang, 贪狼) star

Appetite and attraction — charm and cunning in the same person.

One of the fourteen main stars of Purple Star Astrology (Zi Wei Dou Shu, 紫微斗数). They are not stars in the sky: they are fourteen named markers that your birth date and hour place around a ring of twelve palaces, and each palace stands for one part of life. What this star means depends on which palace it lands in.

When this site works out a chart’s type, it counts this star with the Sha Po Lang family (杀破狼): The Disruptor, built for change — thrives in motion, restless when static.

How the translations are made

What the classic Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu (紫微斗数全书) says it is

The northern dipper's god that dissolves calamity, its first star. Water, transformed to peach blossom (桃花), the standard measure, and the god that governs fortune and misfortune. It receives good and ill and settles cunning and deceit, and it teaches the arts of the immortals. It is also fond of lofty chanting and drifting, and makes clumsy what it meant to make clever. Entering a strong palace it may be fortune or may be calamity. Meeting the Disruptor (破军) it loses itself in flowers and wine and loses its life with them; with the Hoard (禄存) it may be favourable. Meeting the Great Drain (大耗) it comes to empty show; meeting the Mystic (廉贞) it is not clean; meeting the General (七杀) it may be matched with punishment. Meeting the Blade (擎羊) and the Millstone (陀罗) it governs piles; meeting the Punisher (天刑) or the Trouble transformation (化忌) there are scars; and in either limit the trouble is not light. With the General holding the Self, a man has the frame of a housebreaker. Benefics pressing on it cannot make blessing of it; ill gathered, it hides its cunning deeper. It keeps its designs behind events — empty flowers without fruit. With those it is close to it is thin, and with those it is thin to it is close. Hence: The General holding the Body is short-lived in the end. If the Self shares with the Disruptor, and sits besides in a trine of living, strong ground, a man drinks, gambles and drifts. Meeting the Void (空亡) it is welcome, and turns upright instead. Sharing a degree with the Iron (武曲), the person is fawning, cunning and greedy, forever set on fattening himself with no thought of helping anyone. With the Mystic, punishment before the court is certain. With the four malefics, certainly a butcher. The Blade and the Millstone together, and it makes a ghost of dissipation. Sharing with the Scholar and the Artist (昌曲), much show and little substance. Winding round with the General, empty display. Contending with the Voice (巨门), quarrels and disputes without end. Offending the emperor's seat with nothing to check it, a person of no use. Held between the two Aides (左右), the Scholar and the Artist and their restraint, none of this applies. Badly placed but meeting production it turns to good fortune again, and though the household topples it makes money for a time. Only meeting the Flare (火星) or the Ember (铃星) can it be wealth and rank. It is fine in Wealth with the Iron and the Moon (太阴), but never what it makes for itself. In Siblings and Children it is badly placed. In Property it scatters the ancestral estate — rich first and poor after. In Servants well placed, it is certainly the servants who break it. In Spouse neither man nor woman gets the good of it. In Health with the Blade, the Millstone and hidden malefics together, an illness of drink and appetite. In Travel seated in the country of Fire, with the Disruptor and hidden malefics, and the year's malefics piling on, it means being set upon by soldiers, fire and thieves. In sum, it is not a star that gets its ground for either sex, and not seeing it is finer still. Master Xiyi (希夷先生) says: The Wolf (贪狼) is the northern dipper's god of dissolved calamity, the star that climbs into brightness; its qi is Wood and its body Water, hence its transformed nature is peach blossom. It is the god that governs fortune and misfortune, and in the reckoning it delights in loose and unbound things. Meeting benefics it means wealth and rank; meeting ill, empty show. It makes a person short in build, hard and fierce in nature, deep in scheme and far in plan, drifting with the waves, hard to fix as loving or hating. Well placed and meeting the Flare, a military post and honour — those born under Yang Earth (戊) or Yin Earth (己) fit the pattern. Meeting the Minister (天相) it lengthens life; meeting the Mystic and the Iron, a skilled craft; getting the Hoard, a religious life suits. With the Disruptor and the General clashing, days passed adrift.

答曰:貪狼北斗解厄之神,第一星也。屬水,化氣為桃花,為標準,乃主禍福之神。受善惡定奸詐瞞人,授學神仙之術。又好高吟浮蕩,作巧成拙。入廟樂之宮,可為祥可為禍。會破軍迷花戀酒而喪命,同祿存可吉。遇耗因以虛花,遇廉貞也不潔,見七殺或配以遭刑。遇羊陀主痔疾,逢刑忌有斑痕,二限為禍非輕。與七殺同守身命,男有穿窬之體,女有偷香之態。諸吉壓不能為福,眾凶聚愈藏其奸。以事藏機,虛花無實。與人交厚者薄,而薄者又厚。故云:七殺守身終是夭,若身命與破軍同居,更居三合之鄉生旺之地,男好飲而賭博遊蕩,好女無媒而自嫁,輕則隨客奔馳,喜見空亡,返主端正。若與武曲同度,為人諂佞奸貪,每存肥己之心,並無濟人之意。與貞同,公庭必定遭刑。四殺同,定為屠宰。羊陀交並,必作風流之鬼。昌曲同度,必多虛而少實。與七殺同纏,男女淫邪虛花。巨門交戰,口舌是非常有。若犯帝座,無制便為無益之人。得輔弼昌曲夾制,則無此論。陷地逢生又生祥瑞,雖家顛也發一時之財。惟會火鈴能富貴,美在財帛與武曲太陰同,終非所自發,則為淫佚。在兄弟子息,俱為陷地。在田宅則破蕩祖業,先富後貧。奴僕居於廟旺,必因奴僕所破。夫妻宮男女俱不得美,疾厄與羊陀暗殺交並,酒色之病。遷移若坐火鄉,破軍暗殺並,流年歲殺迭並,則主遭兵火賊盜相侵。總而言之,男女非得地之星,不見尤妙。希夷先生曰:貪狼為北斗解厄之神,陟明之星,其氣屬木,體屬水,故化氣為桃花。乃主禍福之神,在數則樂為放蕩之事。遇吉則主富貴,遇凶則主虛浮。主人矮小,性剛猛威,機深謀遠,隨波逐浪,愛憎難定。居廟旺遇火星武職權貴,戊己生人合局。遇天相延壽,會廉武巧藝,得祿存僧道宜之。破殺相沖,飄蓬度日。

One further clause here fixes a woman’s outcome by her sex. It is left out, in the Chinese as well as the English, as everywhere on this site.

The Wolf in each of the twelve palaces

Volume two of the classic goes palace by palace and says what each star does there. Each line below is its sentence for this star, translated. “Well placed” and “badly placed” refer to the star’s brightness in that branch.

Self palace (Ming Gong, 命宫)

who you are at core

Well placed, tall and heavy-set; badly placed, small in build, high-voiced and large in appetite. The temper is not constant, the mind full of calculation, quick to act and impatient of sitting still — clever moves that turn clumsy; fond of gambling, wine and company. In the four Tomb (墓) palaces (辰戌丑未) blessing runs thick, and with the Flare (火星) in accord it is genuinely fortunate, a name heard at a distance. With the Blade (擎羊) in the seat of the self and the Millstone (陀罗) and malefics compounding, hard straits; with the Iron (武曲), the Disruptor (破军), the Mystic (廉贞), the General (七杀) or the Void and the Plunder (空劫), a trade learned to keep body and soul together. In a woman's chart in the four Tomb palaces, and with the two Aides (左右), honoured: means enough, good for her husband, firm in character and large in aim.

贪狼属木,化桃花杀。贪狼入庙长耸肥胖,陷宫形小声高而量大,性格不常,心多计较,作事急速不耐静,作巧反拙,好赌博花酒。贪狼入男命吉凶诀:四墓宫中福气浓,提兵指日立边功,火星拱会诚为贵,名震诸夷定有封。贪狼守命擎羊逢,陀杀交加必困穷,武破廉贞同杀劫,百艺防身度岁终。贪狼入女命吉凶诀:四墓宫中多吉利,更逢左右方为贵,禄财丰富旺夫君,性格刚强多志气。贪狼陷地女非祥,衣食虽丰也不良,贪狼入限吉凶诀:北斗贪狼入限来,若还入庙事和谐,科权仕路多成就,必主当年发横财。贪狼主限四墓临,更喜人生四墓生,若见火星多横发,自然富贵冠乡邻。贪狼破军居陷地,遇吉化忌终不利,加杀照命无眠睡。

Part of this clause fixes a woman’s outcome by her sex; it is left out here, as everywhere on this site.

Siblings palace (Xiong Di, 兄弟)

siblings, and the people alongside you

Well placed, two. Badly placed, half-siblings likely. With the Mystic (廉贞), discord; with the Emperor star (紫微), three. With the six malefics, solitary.

贪狼庙旺二人,陷地宜各胞,廉贞同不和,紫微同有三人,加羊陀火铃空劫孤单。

Spouse palace (Fu Qi, 夫妻)

marriage and close partnership

Neither partner does well by it; a bridegroom three times over. Well placed, marry late. With the Mystic (廉贞), harm. With the Blade, Millstone, Flare and Ember (羊陀火铃), parting while both live. With the Emperor star (紫微), an older partner is workable.

贪狼男女不得美,三次作新郎,入庙宜迟娶,廉贞同主克,加羊陀火铃主生离,紫微同年长方可对。

Children palace (Zi Nü, the Children palace (子女))

children, and what you create

Well placed, two, with harm early. With the Emperor star (紫微), two; with the Mystic (廉贞), few; with the Iron (武曲), three, hard at first and easier after.

贪狼庙旺二人,早有刑克,紫微同二人,廉贞同子少,如占星二人,武曲同三人,先难后易。

Wealth palace (Cai Bo, 财帛)

money coming in and going out

Well placed, sudden gain; badly placed, poverty. With the Emperor star (紫微), what is already there is held, and grows richer after. With the Flare (火星), gains and losses before thirty and sudden fortune after.

贪狼庙旺横发,陷地贫穷,紫微同守现成,家计自后更丰盈,见火星三十年前成败,三十年后横发。

Health palace (Ji E, the Health palace (疾厄))

the body, and what wears it down

The classic has no line for this star in this palace.

Travel palace (Qian Yi, 迁移)

going out — travel, moving, elsewhere

Alone, toil abroad; sudden gains in busy places. With the Mystic (廉贞) and the four malefics, hardship abroad. With the Iron (武曲), a merchant on a large scale. With the six malefics and drain (化耗), robbery in a year of soldiers.

贪狼独守在外劳碌,闹中横进财,廉贞同加四杀,在外艰难,武曲同作巨商,加羊陀火铃空劫耗杀流年遭兵劫掠。

Friends palace (Pu Yi, 仆役)

friends and the people you work with

Hard at first, and servants who bring the household down. Badly placed, none at all; with the Mystic (廉贞), few. With the Emperor star (紫微), servants — but with the six malefics, hard to keep.

贪狼初难招败主之奴,陷地全无,廉贞同亦少,紫微同之奴婢加羊陀火铃空劫虽有难育。

Career palace (Guan Lu, 官禄)

work and standing

Well placed and meeting Fire (火) or the Ember (铃), great authority in military office. With the Emperor star (紫微), authority in civil or military, and no small standing. Badly placed, a corrupt official. With the Blade and the Millstone (羊陀) or the Void and the Plunder (空劫), ordinary.

贪狼入庙遇火铃武职掌大权,紫微同文武之职权贵非小,陷宫贪污之官,加羊陀空劫平常。

Property palace (Tian Zhai, 田宅)

home, property, what you keep

Badly placed, the inheritance recedes and land is scarce lifelong. Well placed, an inheritance — though it goes, and is not replaced by your own. With the Mystic (廉贞), no share; with the Emperor star (紫微), an inheritance; with the Iron (武曲), acquired late. Meeting Fire (火) or the Ember (铃), the inheritance is kept and more built — but beware fire in the house.

贪狼陷宫退祖一世田少,庙旺有祖业,也去中未自有置,廉贞同无分,紫微同有祖业,武曲同晚置,见火铃星守祖业,有自创,但恐火焚屋宅。

Wellbeing palace (Fu De, 福德)

peace of mind, and what you enjoy

Worry and no peace. With the Mystic (廉贞), blessing is thin; with the Emperor star (紫微), gladness in later years.

贪狼劳心不安,廉贞同福薄,紫微同晚年快乐。

Parents palace (Fu Mu, 父母)

parents, and anyone with authority over you

Badly placed, the ancestral line left early, a second set of parents, adopted out or married in. With the Mystic (廉贞), harm early and solitary. With the Emperor star (紫微) and no malefics, both parents live.

贪狼狼陷地早弃祖,重拜过房,入赘,廉贞同早刑主孤单,紫微同无杀加双全。

Which star is in your Self palace?

That needs your birth hour and place. The chart corrects the hour to true solar time, using the timezone actually in force in your birth year.

Get your Purple Star chart

The other thirteen: The Emperor · The Strategist · The Sun · The Iron · The Blessing · The Mystic · The Treasury · The Moon · The Voice · The Minister · The Elder · The General · The Disruptor.