Zhi Fu and Zhi Shi: Chief Star and Duty Gate
Zhi Fu identifies the duty star or Chief Star for the hour, while Zhi Shi identifies the duty gate. They are universal chart anchors but belong to different…
Overview
Zhi Fu identifies the duty star or Chief Star for the hour, while Zhi Shi identifies the duty gate. They are universal chart anchors but belong to different layers: star and gate. The hour Xun head and its hidden instrument locate the original Chief star and gate. In the declared rotating method, the Chief star moves to the hour-stem palace, while the duty gate advances by the hour sequence with Yin or Yang direction.
At a glance
- Page role
- Foundation concept
- Terms covered
- Chief Star · Duty Gate · Lead Star · Envoy
- Verification focus
- The hour Xun head and its hidden instrument locate the original Chief star and gate. In the declared rotating method, the Chief star moves to the hour-stem palace, while the duty gate advances by the hour sequence with Yin or Yang direction.
- Stop rule
- Do not confuse the Chief Star with the Chief Deity because both may be translated as Zhi Fu. Store the layer and palace explicitly, and do not use either as a certainty score.
Direct answer and scope
Zhi Fu identifies the duty star or Chief Star for the hour, while Zhi Shi identifies the duty gate. They are universal chart anchors but belong to different layers: star and gate.
- Names and related terms: Chief Star
- Names and related terms: Duty Gate
- Names and related terms: Lead Star
- Names and related terms: Envoy
How the rule is formed or checked
The hour Xun head and its hidden instrument locate the original Chief star and gate. In the declared rotating method, the Chief star moves to the hour-stem palace, while the duty gate advances by the hour sequence with Yin or Yang direction.
Keep the cast moment, UTC offset, method version, palace, and interacting symbols visible before adopting an interpretation.
How to use this in a reading
Use the Chief to describe the board’s leading structural condition and the duty gate to describe how the matter can move. Then compare both with the asker and topic-specific anchors rather than declaring a result from either alone.
- Name the visible chart fact before assigning symbolic meaning.
- Compare the asker and matter anchors with every layer in their palaces.
- Record at least one supporting condition and one counter-signal.
- End with a reversible action and an observable review point.
Worked contrast
A supportive Chief with a strained duty gate can show good high-level resources but a blocked execution path. A weak Chief with a usable duty gate can show limited backing but a practical next step.
Common mistake and limit
Do not confuse the Chief Star with the Chief Deity because both may be translated as Zhi Fu. Store the layer and palace explicitly, and do not use either as a certainty score.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《煙波釣叟歌》Wikisource lines 112–220: nine palaces, 陰陽遁, 三元, 值符/值使, 三奇六儀, 伏吟/反吟, gates, stars, vigor, 擊刑, 入墓, and selected patterns.A public-domain classical verse used only for the rule passages it actually states, including nine palaces, Yin and Yang Dun, Three Wonders and Six Instruments, Chief Star and Gate, gate and star sequences, vigor, and selected conditions. Legendary origin verses are not presented as verified history.
- 《奇門遁甲統宗》卷一《奇門遁甲統宗》卷一 cited chapter: 值符/值使 sequence, star-layer 伏吟/反吟, and same-polarity 時干剋日干 rule.Classical text used for the stated Chief Star and Gate sequence, star-layer Fu Yin and Fan Yin, and the bounded Five Not Meet rule. The cited page may require direct browser access.
- OpenFate Qimen hour-chart methodOpenFate docs/QIMEN_SYSTEM.md, “Professional calculation contract,” “Interpretation and evidence contract,” and “Rule-source map,” source-reviewed 2026-09-12.Product-specific reference for OpenFate’s fixed-offset civil-time, hour-Qimen, rotating-plate, Chaibu implementation and its deterministic chart fields. A source review on 2026-09-12 does not prove live deployment, other schools, or predictive validity.