Well, I did give a Chinese Zodiac Reading for an online event a few years ago and I felt it was bad.
And no, it is not because of I felt bad about the event that I do not give Chinese Zodiac Reading.
It is because I have known it for a long time that the Chinese Zodiac Reading that you often find during CNY period are not properly done. So why is the Chinese Zodiac Reading found in shopping mall boards, social media, TV programmes and even by your own masters not properly done?
Source of the Chinese Zodiac Reading
The information attached to the Chinese Zodiac came from a particular chart that is found in Cantonese Almanac. The follow is a screen grab of that chart for 2026 Year of the Fire Horse 丙午流年.
This chart belongs to a technique known as 七政四餘 Seven Luminaries and Four Residuals, an ancient astrology system in Chinese metaphysics besides the Three Techniques 三式. Like any astrology chart, it comes with 12 houses, which in Chinese, we call them 12 palaces. Each palace stands for an Earthly Branch that is associated with a zodiac sign. For illustration purpose, I have labelled the zodiac signs in English terms.
Every palace is splitted into 2 halves, with the characters in the upper half contains the helpful stars 吉神 and the lower half has the harmful stars 凶煞. The stars are categorised in different tiers due to difference in power and influence. However, this is often not discussed in the context of Chinese Zodiac Reading.
99% of the Chinese Zodiac Reading that you see in the market would simply take the information found in the palace and pass it off as appliable to everyone born under the same zodiac. For example, we see Tiger has no stars in the upper half, it will be read as everyone born in the Year of the Tiger do not have helpful stars.
This is very very very very very incorrect way to use this chart.
On top of your birth year, you need to know your birthday to decide which part of the month you were born in, and birth time.
Correct Way to Chinese Zodiac Reading
With the full details in hand, you can proceed to check the correct Chinese Zodiac Reading. The following is a screen grab of a chart for checking the correct Chinese Zodiac Reading for 2026 Year of the Fire Horse 丙午流年.
With the full details in hand, you can proceed to check the correct Chinese Zodiac Reading. The following is a screen grab of a chart for checking the correct Chinese Zodiac Reading.
For demonstration purposes, the following is a reverse-engineered version
Let use birth year Rabbit as an example. Looking at the lower half of the chart that I have underlined in green horizontally, the birth year Rabbit that corresponds to the Rabbit Palace is only 1 out of 12 combinations!
If you are born in the year of the Rabbit and want to rely on the Rabbit Palace, your birth month and birth time combination has to reach to the Horse Palace as the Annual Minor Cycle 小限局.
Now, looking at the upper half, there is only one specific hour-period 時辰 in each month to match to the Horse Palace as the Annual Minor Cycle 小限局.
I am not an expert in statistic but I think it will take at least 12 x 12 =144 for each half, and hence will be 144 x 144 probabilities for you to hit the same Palace meant for your birth year?
Do you think this is it?
Not yet!
Further Detailed Way to Chinese Zodiac Reading
Still using the year of the Rabbit as an example, and assuming the final landing is on the Rabbit Palace, you do not just read the Rabbit Palace!
Not yet!
You have to read the Four Key Positions 三方四正 related to the Rabbit Palace! Refer to the screen grab below.
So if you finally landed onto the Rabbit Palace, you have to consider the stars in Pig, Goat and Rooster Palaces as well! Therefore, although Tiger Palace is empty at the upper half, it has to consider the stars in Dog, Horse and Monkey Palaces which will not render Tiger Palace to be void of helpful stars 吉神 entirely!
In the Alamanac, this overall reading are summed up and provided divination lot-like slips.
The real expert in 七政四餘 Seven Luminaries and Four Residuals will also read how much of the constellation enters the Rabbit Palace and the attributes can affect the overall reading of the stars from four Palaces.
No matter the challenges found, the advice from Almanac will always be telling you to make prayers to specific Chinese/Taoist Deities.
Still using the above example, in certain practice, the mid-point that is the landing point in Annual Minor Cycle 小限局 , the Horse Palace is to be read as well. In this context, the Horse Palace will be read as a progress that you will go through before arriving what the Rabbit Palace forecasts.
And you think that’s the end?
Nope!
You have to consider the Luminaries affecting the Palaces!
Conclusion
It does take a number of steps to read the real Chinese Zodiac Reading. Most practitioners who do this Chinese Zodiac Reading publicly chose not to do the full process.
A common reason I was told is, they know the full process but it will not be possible to cater to the general masses’ consumption.
I just wish to steer clear and not overly simplify such complex technique though I was guilty of doing it once.
I find that not honouring the technique in its proper manner and can give advice what crystals or colours tow wear is nonsense.
And to be honest, I do not think this is even the most authentic 七政四餘 Seven Luminaries and Four Residuals even going through all the steps I have shared earlier. Other than making prayers, I do not know the system well enough to advice how to select helpful time/space to manage the challenges found within.
I prefer using Ba Zi or Divination because these methods allow me to select helpful months and days to manage challenging forecasts
Or maybe, I should start giving Chinese Zodiac Reading by requesting participants to give their birth details so that I can do the full process? And maybe I can set up temporary altar to help interested clients to make offerings to the Chinese/Taoist Deities mentioned in the Almanac! Teehee!
So, neither fret out if you read your birth year zodiac to be horrible nor elated when your birth year zodiac seems like champion.; because it is likely inaccurate.
Best regards,
Shifu SiMing 思明師傅
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