Guides
The classics summed up unbalanced structures as a set of failure modes. This chapter lists what goes wrong when one link in the chain is too strong or too weak.
Jin Wang De Huo, Fang Cheng Qi Min
over-strong Metal needs Fire to become a vessel
Jin Lai Tu Sheng, Tu Duo Jin Mai
Metal leans on Earth, but too much Earth buries it
Jin Neng Sheng Shui, Shui Duo Jin Chen
Metal feeds Water, but too much Water sinks it
Jin Neng Ke Mu, Mu Jian Jin Que
Metal controls Wood, but hard Wood blunts it
Jin Shuai Yu Huo, Bi Jian Xiao Rong
weak Metal meeting Fire melts
Qiang Jin De Shui, Fang Cuo Qi Feng
strong Metal needs Water to blunt its edge
Tu Duo Jin Mai
buried by resource: too much support, momentum lost
Shui Duo Mu Piao
adrift on resource: heavy support without roots
Huo Duo Tu Jiao
scorched by heat: resource burned too hot
Tu Duo Huo Hui
dimmed by Earth: output buried
Mu Jian Jin Que
hard Wood blunts Metal: many goals, weak capacity
Jin Duo Shui Zhuo
muddy Water: peers overfeed output
Shui Duo Jin Chen
sunken Metal: output drains the self
Mu Sheng Shui Suo
shrinking Water: output drains it
Huo Duo Mu Fen
Wood burns up feeding Fire beyond limit
Tu Duo Huo Mai
Fire buried feeding Earth beyond limit
Jin Duo Tu Bian
Earth exhausted feeding Metal beyond limit
How should I read this chapter?
Each row gives the pinyin, the plain-English name, and what it points to in real life. The terms are labels for structure, not verdicts: read them as a way of describing a chart, then look at the behaviour they suggest. This chapter holds 17 terms in 2 sections.
Where do these terms appear in the product?
In the chart read-out, the advice layer, the comparison conclusions and the period notes. When a word on a result page is unfamiliar, come back here for the row that explains it.
Can a term be used as a conclusion?
No. Terms describe structure; the scores come from a separate model whose formulas are published. We make no claim about outcomes, in either direction.