What Are the Six Calamities (六厄) in BaZi?
See all four Liu E branch groups, how the marker corresponds to an element’s Death phase and the Travel Horse position, and why it cannot predict hardship.
Overview
Liu E uses the Death phase of a Three Harmony element: Shen-Zi-Chen finds Mao, Yin-Wu-Xu finds You, Hai-Mao-Wei finds Wu, and Si-You-Chou finds Zi. Classical texts also place it one branch before the Travel Horse and two after Jie Sha. It does not guarantee obstruction or career failure.
At a glance
- 申子辰 Shen-Zi-Chen
- Finds 卯 Mao
- 寅午戌 Yin-Wu-Xu
- Finds 酉 You
- 亥卯未 Hai-Mao-Wei
- Finds 午 Wu
- 巳酉丑 Si-You-Chou
- Finds 子 Zi
- Position relation
- One branch before the Travel Horse
- Element relation
- Death phase of the Three Harmony element
The four Liu E lookup groups
Identify the Three Harmony group of the year or day branch, then take the Death phase of that group’s element. The water, fire, wood, and metal groups produce Mao, You, Wu, and Zi respectively.
Classical sources also describe the same place as one branch before the Travel Horse and two after Jie Sha. These are cross-checks of one location, not separate stars to score twice.
- All four targets derive from the element’s Death phase.
- The position formula and group table must agree.
“Death” is a phase name, not a life outcome
Death in the Twelve Life Stages describes a phase of elemental qi. It does not describe a person’s death or medical condition, and Liu E merely maps that phase onto a Three Harmony group.
San Ming Tong Hui also considers protection, support, strength, and favorable conditions, so a lookup result never exhausts the classical analysis.
- An elemental phase is not a mortality statement.
- Do not omit support and whole-chart strength.
Use Liu E to locate a relation, not to fix a fate
A modern reader can use Liu E to inspect whether a branch also participates in Travel Horse, Jie Sha, or other meaningful interactions, then test that relation against the chart.
Delays, career setbacks, financial pressure, and daily difficulties have real causes. Without structural and factual support, Liu E should not be made into an outcome.
- Locate the relation before interpreting it.
- Do not attribute ordinary setbacks to one auxiliary marker.
Health, career, and risk boundary
Liu E cannot predict illness, death, job loss, demotion, litigation, or accidents, and it cannot show that a person is destined to be blocked.
Career, health, and financial decisions require verifiable information and qualified advice. This entry explains only the historical rule and its limits.
- Do not convert “adversity” into an event forecast.
- Do not use a Fate Star for high-stakes decisions.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《三命通會》 (Sanming Tonghui)卷三「論六厄」：三合局五行死位、馬前一辰與劫後二辰A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology十二長生死位不得轉譯為生命終止或現代風險預測OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.