Ten Evils Great Defeat: A frightening name for ten day pillars whose Prosperity falls in the Void

The classics say people born on these days handle money poorly and tend to lose the family inheritance; date selection also treats these days as unfit for travel, weddings or opening a business. This page lays out how to find it, what the old books say and a reading closer to modern life, with a lookup so you can check your own chart.

How to find Ten Evils Great Defeat

Day pillarDay stem’s ProsperityVoid of the day pillar’s cycleRead about this pillar
Jia-Chen 甲辰Yin 寅Yin 寅, Mao 卯Jia-Chen 甲辰
Yi-Si 乙巳Mao 卯Yin 寅, Mao 卯Yi-Si 乙巳
Bing-Shen 丙申Si 巳Chen 辰, Si 巳Bing-Shen 丙申
Ding-Hai 丁亥Wu 午Wu 午, Wei 未Ding-Hai 丁亥
Wu-Xu 戊戌Si 巳Chen 辰, Si 巳Wu-Xu 戊戌
Ji-Chou 己丑Wu 午Wu 午, Wei 未Ji-Chou 己丑
Geng-Chen 庚辰Shen 申Shen 申, You 酉Geng-Chen 庚辰
Xin-Si 辛巳You 酉Shen 申, You 酉Xin-Si 辛巳
Ren-Shen 壬申Hai 亥Xu 戌, Hai 亥Ren-Shen 壬申
Gui-Hai 癸亥Zi 子Zi 子, Chou 丑Gui-Hai 癸亥

In every row, the day stem’s Prosperity Star falls in the Void: that is “Prosperity in the Void”. We derived it afresh from the Prosperity table and the Void formula, and got exactly these ten day pillars.

16.7%of people have one of these ten day pillars
7.57stars per chart on average (of our 22)

How we counted: our engine cast one chart for every day from 1960 to 2005, with the birth hour drawn by a fixed-seed random sample, 16,802 charts in all, and checked each star by the formal method on this page.

What the classics say, and a closer modern reading

Traditional view: The classics say people born on these days handle money poorly and tend to lose the family inheritance; date selection also treats these days as unfit for travel, weddings or opening a business.

Modern reading: With Prosperity in the Void, a closer reading is that your own footing is harder to pin down: income rises and falls with circumstances, and spending runs a little loose. It looks only at the day pillar, and a chart’s wealth depends mainly on the Wealth stars and what is favorable, not on one day pillar.

Where it sits and how to read it

Always read a star back through the Five Elements and the Ten Gods. On a favorable element, helper stars get better and even ominous stars can become assets; on an unfavorable one, helper stars lose value and an ominous star’s reminder deserves more attention. For what each pillar stands for, see the four pillar palaces; for how to tell favorable from unfavorable, see favorable elements.

Is your day pillar one of the ten?

Enter your birth date (Gregorian calendar) to check all 22 common stars at once: whether you have each one, which pillar it sits on, and how it was found. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Uses your Gregorian birth date; the day changes at 11 p.m. with the late Zi hour. Without a birth hour, the hour pillar cannot be read.

Two common misunderstandings

Ten Evils Great Defeat means you did ten evil things.

The name has nothing to do with morals. It only labels the ten day pillars whose Prosperity falls in the Void; the ancients gave them a frightening name.

People born on these days will be poor.

Ten of the sixty day pillars belong to it, and by our count about 16.7% of people have one. Wealth depends on the Wealth stars, Day Master strength and what is favorable; see wealth luck.

Other symbolic stars

Nobleman (Tianyi)First of the stars: when you are stuck, someone reaches out a hand Academic Star (Wenchang)Bright and studious, good for exams and paperwork, but study takes more than a star Heavenly & Monthly VirtueA kind heart and quiet protection: the stars that soften trouble Peach Blossom (Xianchi)Found from the year or day branch group, not from any Zi, Wu, Mao or You Red Phoenix & HappinessStars of weddings and celebration; the years they return often bring good news Traveling Horse (Yima)The more you move, the more opens up: travel, relocation, life away from home Canopy (Huagai)Talent beyond the ordinary, often with a touch of solitude Yang Blade (Yangren)Fierce and decisive: a bold general when well placed, otherwise a lesson in steadiness Kui GangFour day pillars of sharp minds and strong characters The Void (Kongwang)Present yet absent: helper stars weaken, ominous stars are defused Prosperity Star (Lushen)The day stem’s root: where livelihood and inner footing come from Golden Carriage (Jinyu)The “golden carriage” two steps past Prosperity: comfort and good living Taiji NoblemanDigging to the root of things, with a pull toward philosophy, religion and metaphysics Seal of State (Guoyin)The keeper of the seal: reliable, rule-abiding, the one others trust with things Three Marvels (Sanqi)Stems running in order: Yi-Bing-Ding, Jia-Wu-Geng or Ren-Gui-Xin General Star (Jiangxing)The heart of the three-harmony group: the one people follow Red Passion (Hongyan)More about personal flair and emotional expression than Peach Blossom Robbery & Void SpiritOne outer, one inner: change from outside, and calculation within Lonely & Widow StarsAn independent nature that needs its own space Yin-Yang MismatchThe classics warn of a bumpy marriage; it reads better as mismatched expectations Heavenly Pardon (Tianshe)One day pillar per season: a star in the chart, and one of the best days in the almanac

A straight word: symbolic stars are footnotes, not fate

Symbolic stars are labels the ancients pinned onto a chart, some auspicious and some ominous, but what really decides a chart is the strength of the Five Elements and how the Ten Gods combine. A helper star on an unfavorable element loses value; an ominous star on a favorable element can become an asset. Whatever stars you find, treat them as a reminder or a small bonus. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment only.

Beyond Ten Evils Great Defeat, which other stars does your chart carry?

Symbolic stars are only footnotes. The in-depth reading starts from the Five Elements, the Ten Gods and what is favorable for you, and covers personality, career, love and money together.

Ten Evils Great Defeat FAQ

Which ten day pillars are Ten Evils Great Defeat?

Jia-Chen, Yi-Si, Bing-Shen, Ding-Hai, Wu-Xu, Ji-Chou, Geng-Chen, Xin-Si, Ren-Shen and Gui-Hai.

Why is it called Ten Evils Great Defeat?

In each of these ten day pillars the Prosperity Star falls in the pillar’s own Void, which the classics call “Prosperity in the Void” and link to money being hard to hold; hence the name “great defeat”. It has nothing to do with character.