Earthly Branch Penalties (地支相刑) involve transforming multiple Five Elements within the Earthly Branches and their hidden Stems, through the method of penalties, into a single Five Element. This process causes the original Qi of the penalized Five Element to become excessively strong (犯旺) and multiply exponentially. Its effect is to change the strength (flourishing or declining) and magnitude of the Five Elements manifested in the Projecting Stems.
Penalties (相刑) refer to acts of punishment, chastisement, or coercion. Their inherent meaning can be fully understood as injury, eradication, violence, or actions against one’s will. Penalties must impose coercive measures on the next Five Element, disrupting a normal order and pushing it into an extreme state. Penalties and Combinations (相合) are completely different concepts and should not be confused. Similarly, the power of three Earthly Branches forming a penalty is many times greater than three Earthly Branches forming a combination.
When the harmonizing Five Elements (通关五行) are strong, a penalty cannot effectively restrain the next Five Element, and thus it cannot be considered a true penalty. Therefore, penalties differ significantly from the general concept of Five Element generation and control (五行生克). In the general sense, Five Element generation and control are fundamental modes of material movement and inherent attributes, and they will always act upon the next Five Element regardless of their strength.
The penalty itself is a transformation of Five Element generation and control among the Earthly Branches. It is neither inherently auspicious nor inauspicious; it only becomes so when the phenomena and events it reflects become relevant to human experience. Regardless of the type of penalty, if it acts as a favorable element (用神), it is considered auspicious; if it acts as an unfavorable element (忌神), it is deemed inauspicious. In practical application, one must consider the flourishing or declining state, and the favorable or unfavorable nature of the Bazi’s Five Elements. Sometimes, if a favorable element is penalized excessively or “over-penalized” to become overly strong, it can also lead to inauspiciousness. Therefore, for a true penalty to exist, it must not only meet the conditions for its formation but also achieve its intended purpose. Consequently, one cannot automatically deem it a penalty simply upon seeing related Earthly Branches.
If a penalty is already formed within the Natal Chart (原命局), or between the Natal Chart and the Grand Cycle (大运), and then any one of the Earthly Branches involved in that penalty reappears in the Annual Flow (流年), this phenomenon is referred to as ‘triggered by annual and grand cycles’ (岁运引发).
Earthly Branch Penalties include Zi-Mao Penalties, Chou-Wei-Xu Triple Penalties, Yin-Si-Shen Triple Penalties, and Chen-Wu-You-Hai Self-Penalties. Every penalty has specific conditions, purposes, effects, and meanings.
Yi Hun’s Four Pillars: Chapter 3, Section 3 – Earthly Branch Penalties: Zi-Mao Penalties
Yi Hun’s Four Pillars: Chapter 3, Section 3 – Earthly Branch Penalties: Chou-Wei-Xu Triple Penalties
Yi Hun’s Four Pillars: Chapter 3, Section 3 – Earthly Branch Penalties: Yin-Si-Shen Triple Penalties
Yi Hun’s Four Pillars: Chapter 3, Section 4 – On Earthly Branch Harms