偏印
piān yìn · Indirect Seal
The Indirect Seal (偏印, piān yìn) is the Ten God that produces the Day Master with the SAME yin-yang polarity — for a 辛 (yin metal) Day Master, the yin earth 己. When it is discussed in relation to the Eating God it takes the names 枭神 and 倒食, both of which refer to one thing: it is the star that can strip the Eating God.
Two classical treatments of this star do not agree, and the disagreement is the substance of the entry. The Ziping Zhenquan declines to separate the two Seals at all, holding that both produce the Day Master and belong to one configuration. The San Ming Tong Hui keeps 枭 as a distinct adverse star, but only where the Eating God is concerned. The positions are compatible once the question is separated: for producing the Day Master the two Seals do the same work, and only the Indirect one can strip an Eating God.
Deep Oracle Editorial Team · 2026-08-08 · 3 min read
Lookup
| Day Master | Indirect Seal stem | Main-qi branch | Also hidden in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 | 壬 | 亥 | 申 |
| 乙 | 癸 | 子 | 丑, 辰 |
| 丙 | 甲 | 寅 | 亥 |
| 丁 | 乙 | 卯 | 辰, 未 |
| 戊 | 丙 | 巳 | 寅 |
| 己 | 丁 | 午 | 未, 戌 |
| 庚 | 戊 | 辰, 戌 | 寅, 巳, 申 |
| 辛 | 己 | 丑, 未 | 午 |
| 壬 | 庚 | 申 | 巳 |
| 癸 | 辛 | 酉 | 丑, 戌 |
Stripping the Eating God
The combination requires both stars present and the Seal able to control the Eating God. What it costs is specific: an Eating God is the instrument that restrains Seven Killings and produces Wealth, so stripping it leaves the Killings unrestrained and Wealth without a source. The San Ming Tong Hui carries the heaviest verdict on this shape, and also limits it — the book lists cases in which the Indirect Seal is bound by a stem combination and does not strip anything, and makes the whole outcome depend on how substantial the Eating God is. So the presence of both stars is not the finding; the ratio between them is.
Worked example
Worked example (solar 1990-01-06 10:00, male, computed by this site's engine):
Pattern: 偏印格 · Strength: 中和 (engine verdicts)
A 辛 Day Master born in the 丑 month: the month's main qi 己 is the Indirect Seal, revealed in the year stem, and the hour stem 癸 is an Eating God — both stars present, so this is the stripping shape. The month stem 丁 is Seven Killings, which is exactly the star an Eating God would otherwise restrain. The engine judges the Day Master balanced, so the Seal's support is not needed here, and its stripping side is the operative one.
Related terms
Classical sources cited
- 《三命通会·论食神》
- 《三命通会·论古人立印食官财名义》
- 《子平真诠·论四凶神能成格》
- 《子平真诠·论印绶》
- 《三命通会》
- 《子平真诠》
Lookup tables are generated from this site's chart engine; quotations are verified against the cited works.
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