Decline (衰) in the Twelve Life Stages
Learn the ten Decline-stage positions, its place after 帝旺, and why 衰 is not evidence of aging, weakness, failure, illness or loss.
Overview
Decline (衰) is stage six of the Twelve Life Stages, immediately after Emperor and before Illness. The OpenFate mapping is 甲辰、乙丑、丙未、丁辰、戊未、己辰、庚戌、辛未、壬丑、癸戌, with a medium secondary tag. 衰 marks contraction after the cycle’s peak; it does not say the Day Master is automatically weak or that a person, relationship, career or fortune is deteriorating. Whole-chart strength and real-life timing remain separate calculations.
At a glance
- Cycle position
- 6 of 12, between Emperor and Illness
- Yang-stem positions
- 甲辰、丙未、戊未、庚戌、壬丑
- Yin-stem positions
- 乙丑、丁辰、己辰、辛未、癸戌
- Sequence role
- Contraction after the local peak
- OpenFate display class
- Medium secondary stage tag
- Boundary
- Not automatic Day-Master weakness or real-life decline
Decline names movement away from the cycle peak
The sequence places 衰 after 帝旺 to express the first contraction from maximal local qi. It is still followed by several distinct stages, so it should not absorb all later meanings into one word.
The label belongs to a stem at a branch. It does not describe a person’s age, social trend or unavoidable downward life trajectory.
- Keep 衰 tied to its cycle position.
- Do not translate the metaphor into a life verdict.
Decline requires one of ten exact stem–branch pairs
The complete implemented pairs are 甲辰、乙丑、丙未、丁辰、戊未、己辰、庚戌、辛未、壬丑 and 癸戌. The same branch can be 衰 for more than one stem while carrying another stage for others.
Select the reference stem first, then calculate direction and distance from its 長生 point. A branch name by itself is never a sufficient lookup.
- Use the exact stem–branch pair.
- Do not infer 衰 from an Earth branch alone.
Medium stage strength remains a secondary signal
OpenFate assigns 衰 a medium display class, not a whole-chart weak classification. Star Fortune and Sitting Stage can also return different results because they use different stem references.
Season, roots, hidden stems and effective interactions must retain their own values. The Wiki adds no loss score and does not alter saved reports.
- Distinguish medium stage from weak Day Master.
- Preserve every independent calculation.
Decline is not evidence of aging, failure or illness
衰 cannot prove frailty, depression, reduced intelligence, career failure, bankruptcy, fading relationships, family loss, chronic illness or shortened life. The character’s everyday meaning is not the calculation result.
Medical, employment, financial and relationship decisions must use current facts and qualified support. Never stigmatize a person because one pillar receives 衰.
- No health, aging or failure prediction.
- No high-stakes decision from 衰.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《御定星曆考原》卷一《御定星曆考原》卷一「五行用事」列衰承帝旺而接病，顯示盛極後收斂的循環次序A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
- 《三命通會》 (Sanming Tonghui)《三命通會》卷二論五行寄生十二宮：衰緊接帝旺，表示氣由極盛轉入收斂，仍在周而復始的十二宮次序內A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology產品由長生起支移動五位得衰，僅在十二階段工具標為 medium；不把衰轉成整體強弱權重，也不推斷老化、疾病、失業、破產、關係破裂或壽命OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.