The Four Transformations (Si Hua) are four changes that stars go through in Zi Wei Dou Shu: Resource Transformation, Power Transformation, Reputation Transformation and Entanglement Transformation. They are triggered by the Heavenly Stem of your birth year (or of a decade or a year you want to read). Each Heavenly Stem makes four particular stars "transform" in four different directions. In plain terms, the Four Transformations are like four streams of energy painted over a chart: one of resources, one of power, one of reputation and one of obstacles. Once you understand them, you read a chart much more deeply than by looking at star positions alone.

For example, the same Builder (Wu Qu) carries Resource Transformation if you were born in a Ji year, but carries Entanglement Transformation if you were born in a Ren year. Same star, two very different expressions.

What Are the Four Transformations? The Core Definition

The Four Transformations are not four new stars. They are four "states of change" that stars already on the chart take on. Each Heavenly Stem makes four stars change in four directions. Those four are mostly major stars, and they also include the writing stars and the support stars.

The four changes carry these core meanings:

Transformation	Core meaning
Resource Transformation	Resources, luck, blessings, prosperity, opportunity, smooth connections
Power Transformation	Power, status, authority, control, drive to act
Reputation Transformation	Reputation, learning, exams, good standing, patrons, the ability to ease trouble
Entanglement Transformation	Obstacles, difficulty, friction, setbacks, complication, narrowing down and results

One thing few people notice is that Entanglement Transformation is not entirely bad. In some palaces and situations, it brings focus, persistence and deep study. At its core, though, it leans toward obstruction and strictness.

In short: The Four Transformations are four changes (Resource, Power, Reputation, Entanglement) of stars already on the chart, triggered by the Heavenly Stem of the birth year. They color a star's nature and are not new stars.

The Standard Table: What Each of the 10 Heavenly Stems Transforms

This is the most important part and the one most often written wrongly. Each Heavenly Stem transforms exactly four stars, no more and no fewer. Find the Heavenly Stem of your lunar birth year, then read across the matching row.

Heavenly Stem	Resource	Power	Reputation	Entanglement
Jia	the Perfectionist	the Disruptor	the Builder	the Visionary
Yi	the Strategist	the Sage	the Pillar	the Empath
Bing	the Eternal Child	the Strategist	Wen Chang	the Perfectionist
Ding	the Empath	the Eternal Child	the Strategist	the Skeptic
Wu	the Wolf	the Empath	You Bi	the Strategist
Ji	the Builder	the Wolf	the Sage	Wen Qu
Geng	the Visionary	the Builder	the Empath	the Eternal Child
Xin	the Skeptic	the Visionary	Wen Qu	Wen Chang
Ren	the Sage	the Pillar	Zuo Fu	the Builder
Gui	the Disruptor	the Skeptic	the Empath	the Wolf

A few spots in this table are easy to mix up. Many beginners ask why the Perfectionist carries Resource Transformation sometimes and Entanglement Transformation at other times. The reason is that the Jia stem gives the Perfectionist Resource Transformation, while the Bing stem gives it Entanglement Transformation. In the same way, the Builder carries Resource Transformation under Ji but Entanglement Transformation under Ren. The same star under two different stems gets two opposite results.

A few common mix-ups are worth remembering. Under Jia, it is the Perfectionist that carries Resource Transformation, not the Disruptor (the Disruptor carries Power Transformation). Under Yi, the Pillar carries Reputation Transformation, not Resource Transformation. Under Xin, the Skeptic carries Resource Transformation, while the Visionary carries Power Transformation. Also, under Wu a support star (You Bi) carries Reputation Transformation, while under Ren the other support star (Zuo Fu) does, and the two are very often swapped.

In short: Each of the 10 Heavenly Stems transforms exactly four stars. A star may carry Resource Transformation under one stem and Entanglement Transformation under another, so read the correct row and do not guess.

How the Transformations Work and How to Use Them

The mechanism fits in one sentence: the Heavenly Stem decides which stars transform. On your chart, the major stars already sit in the 12 palaces according to your birth date and time. The Four Transformations are a layer of energy laid on top, showing which palace gets extra resources, which gets more power, and which is more likely to meet setbacks.

Here is a concrete example. Say you were born in a Geng year (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, by the lunar year). By the table, the Geng stem gives the Visionary Resource Transformation, the Builder Power Transformation, the Empath Reputation Transformation and the Eternal Child Entanglement Transformation. Suppose the Visionary sits in your Career palace on the chart. Then Resource Transformation lands in the Career palace, which hints at a career with room to grow and a good chance of support from patrons. As for the palace where the Eternal Child carries Entanglement Transformation, that is the one that asks you to pay more attention and take the initiative.

The Four Transformations have three layers of use over time. They share one table, but the input Heavenly Stem changes.

Layer	Heavenly Stem taken from	Used to read
Birth-year (natal)	The lunar birth year	Tendencies across a lifetime
Decade	The stem of the 10-year decade	Events during those 10 years
Annual	The stem of the year being read	Events during that year

To read a decade or a year, take the Heavenly Stem of that stretch, go back to the table to get four new transformed stars, then see which palaces they land in. One reading principle to keep in mind: for the annual layer, the 12 palaces turn with the year's Grand Duke, so do not judge by the natal palace. First work out which annual palace a given palace becomes in that year, and only then talk about favorable or difficult signs.

In short: The Heavenly Stem decides which stars transform. With the same table, use the birth-year stem for the natal chart, and the decade or annual stem to read each stretch of time.

Resource Transformation vs. the Reserve

This is the most common misunderstanding among beginners: treating Resource Transformation and the reserve (Lu Cun) as the same thing. They are completely different in nature and in how they are placed.

Resource Transformation is one of the Four Transformations. It attaches to a major star and is triggered by the Heavenly Stem of the birth year. It stands for resources in motion, lucky connections and earning that comes naturally without forcing. Its nature is active and spreading. The reserve is a separate star. It is also placed by Heavenly Stem, but it sits alone in a palace and points to steady resources, holding on to what you have and saving over the long run. Its nature is still and conservative.

Point of comparison	Resource Transformation	The reserve
Type	One of the Four Transformations	A separate star
Attached to another star	Yes, to a major star	No, sits on its own in a palace
Flavor of wealth	Active wealth, connections in motion	Still wealth, holding and saving
Special trait	Flexible, spreading	Often flanked by the edge and the drag, so it can feel lonely

Interestingly, when Resource Transformation and the reserve meet in one palace, the pattern is very favorable for money: there is cash flowing in and also the ability to keep it. One side earns, the other saves, and they back each other up. If the reserve stands alone, remember it often comes with the edge and the drag on both sides, so it may bring steady wealth but also a touch of loneliness.

In short: Resource Transformation is a change attached to a major star, with active, spreading wealth. The reserve is a separate star with still wealth that holds. When they meet, the pattern is very favorable for money.

Using the Four Transformations in Practice

Treat the Four Transformations as a tool for understanding your own tendencies, not for pronouncing fate or promising to change your luck. The four give you a map: where you tend to do well, and where you need to pay attention and train more. That map is only useful when you use it to act on purpose.

A few practical uses are worth remembering. For Resource, Power and Reputation Transformation, look at which palaces they land in to learn where you have a natural advantage. For example, Reputation Transformation in the Career palace hints that investing in your professional name and structured learning may pay off, since that is where you tend to shine. As for Entanglement Transformation, do not read it as "a hard life." It points to the palace where you are more likely to get tangled up and need more care and patience. Sometimes the pressure in that palace is exactly what pushes you to go deep and rise.

One important principle when reading: never judge a single palace alone. Look at the trine and the palace across, meaning the main palace, the two palaces of its trine and the palace opposite. A lovely Resource Transformation in the Wealth palace still needs a look at the Ego palace, the Career palace and the Inner Life palace for the full picture. In the same way, Entanglement Transformation in the palace across from the Ego palace affects it indirectly and cannot be ignored.

Remember too that the transformations do not decide good or bad by themselves. Power Transformation with many helpful stars may give leadership ability, but if too many power stars such as the Pillar and the Blade pull the same way, it may tip into overbearing behavior and call for some restraint. A better way to read is "a leaning plus what to train," together with one proactive step, rather than empty praise or scare tactics.

In short: Use the Four Transformations to find your areas of advantage (Resource, Power, Reputation) and your areas to watch (Entanglement), always read the trine and the palace across, and turn the information into action.

Conclusion

The Four Transformations are one of the most important keys to reading a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart more deeply. A few core points to keep in mind:

• The Four Transformations are four changes: Resource (wealth), Power (authority), Reputation (standing) and Entanglement (setbacks), triggered by the Heavenly Stem of the birth year.
• Each Heavenly Stem transforms exactly four stars. Use the standard table and do not guess, because a star may carry Resource Transformation under one stem and Entanglement Transformation under another.
• With the same table, change the input stem to read three layers: birth year (natal), decade (10 years) and annual (each year).
• Resource Transformation is not the reserve: one is a change attached to a major star, the other is a separate star that holds on to resources.
• Always read the trine and the palace across, and treat the Four Transformations as a map of tendencies for acting on purpose, not as a verdict on fate.

If you want to see which palaces your own Four Transformations land in without looking up the table yourself, you can try HOROS. It works out your Heavenly Stem, places the transformations and suggests how to read them as tendencies, so you can understand yourself better.