Extinction (絕) in the Twelve Life Stages
Learn every Extinction-stage pair and why 絕 means a transition point in a repeating qi cycle—not erased ability, family, health or future.
Overview
Extinction (絕) is stage ten of the Twelve Life Stages, after Tomb and before Embryo. OpenFate maps it to 甲申、乙酉、丙亥、丁子、戊亥、己子、庚寅、辛卯、壬巳、癸午 and assigns a weak secondary tag. Because Embryo, Nurture and Birth follow, 絕 marks a break before renewed formation rather than permanent nonexistence. It does not erase a stem, branch, element, Ten God, relationship, skill or future outcome.
At a glance
- Cycle position
- 10 of 12, between Tomb and Embryo
- Yang-stem positions
- 甲申、丙亥、戊亥、庚寅、壬巳
- Yin-stem positions
- 乙酉、丁子、己子、辛卯、癸午
- Sequence role
- Discontinuity before renewed formation
- OpenFate display class
- Weak secondary stage tag
- Boundary
- Does not erase chart symbols or real-life possibilities
Extinction is followed by Embryo, Nurture and Birth
The full sequence prevents 絕 from meaning an eternal ending. It names the lowest discontinuity in one turn before the metaphor begins to form again at 胎.
This stage is relational: a specified stem reaches 絕 at a specified branch. Neither character disappears from the chart.
- Read 絕 together with the stages that follow.
- Keep every actual chart symbol intact.
Extinction depends on ten precise stem–branch positions
OpenFate’s implemented pairs are 甲申、乙酉、丙亥、丁子、戊亥、己子、庚寅、辛卯、壬巳 and 癸午. Direction from each stem’s Birth point determines the match.
The result cannot be inferred from the branch alone or copied from one stem to its yin–yang counterpart. Each reference must be computed explicitly.
- Use the complete pair.
- Do not transfer one stem’s result to another.
Weak stage does not mean zero effective qi
The product’s weak tag is a broad stage category, not a zero multiplier. Roots, month command, hidden stems and interactions continue to be calculated normally.
Star Fortune and Sitting Stage remain distinct, and no relationship or ability is removed from a stored report when 絕 appears.
- Do not convert weak to zero.
- Preserve every independent source of support.
Extinction does not prove loss, infertility or hopelessness
絕 cannot prove estrangement, divorce, infertility, unemployment, bankruptcy, disability, terminal illness, suicide risk, death, lack of talent or permanent failure.
Medical, crisis, relationship and financial decisions require direct evidence and qualified help. Never use 絕 to tell a user that recovery or opportunity is impossible.
- No severance, fertility or mortality prediction.
- Never frame the future as hopeless from this stage.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《御定星曆考原》卷一《御定星曆考原》卷一「五行用事」列絕於墓後、胎前，顯示它是循環轉換點而非永久終止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：絕承墓而接胎，須在周而復始的十二宮順序內理解A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology產品以甲申、乙酉、丙戊亥、丁己子、庚寅、辛卯、壬巳、癸午為絕位，只作 weak 次級標記；不推斷不孕、家系斷絕、離婚、失業、破產或無法復原OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.