In Liu Yao every line gets a role. That role is not about the line's own element — it is about how that element relates to the palace. There are five relations, and knowing them is most of what you need to read a chart.
The five relations
Let the palace element stand for "me". Then any other element is one of five things:
| Relation | Relative | Represents |
|---|---|---|
| It generates me | Parent (父母) | Protection, documents, property, effort |
| Same as me | Sibling (兄弟) | Peers, competitors, cost |
| I generate it | Descendant (子孫) | Output, relief, children, creativity |
| It controls me | Officer (官鬼) | Pressure, authority, career, illness |
| I control it | Wealth (妻財) | Resources, money, what you can command |
Why the same role flips meaning
This is the part that surprises people. Officer represents career authority in one reading and illness in another — because in both cases it is the thing pressing on you. Wealth is money, but for a man it also traditionally represents a wife. The role describes a dynamic, and the question decides what the dynamic is about.
This is why a chart cannot be read by counting relatives. Three Wealth lines sounds prosperous until you notice the Day Master is too weak to command any of them.
The connection to BaZi
The same five relations underpin the Ten Gods in BaZi. The difference is the reference point: BaZi measures everything against your Day Master, Liu Yao against the palace element. If you already know one system, the other is mostly a change of anchor.
A worked example
Take a hexagram in the Qian palace, which belongs to Metal. A line carrying Water is generated by Metal — Metal produces Water — so that line is a Descendant. A line carrying Fire controls Metal, so it is an Officer. A line carrying Wood is controlled by Metal, making it Wealth. A line carrying Earth generates Metal, making it a Parent. And a second Metal line matches the palace, so it is a Sibling.
Once you can do that for one palace, you can do it for all eight — which is the whole point of the system.
How the roles are used
- Pick the line that represents the matter — the significator (用神).
- Check whether that line is strong, supported or obstructed.
- Look at which other lines act on it, and in what direction.
- Use the day and month to decide whether the support is real.
A chart does not produce a verdict so much as a description of pressure and support. That is usually more useful than an answer anyway.