Middle class? So I guess it isn't.

Bazi student here! Think hour pillar is Gui Chou with solar adjustment. Chou metal pot is financial industry. Super good bazi dry gang of Ji Ji controlling Gui and dry gang Wei Wei Si controlling wet gang Chou. My 2 cents. 🙏

That is good to know. I was just looking at the chart and was thinking what all water pillars with a all water decade would mean. I think it either means a high or a low for such an unbalanced chart.

And you are right, he felt that he was not rewarded as fairly for the amount of effort he has put in and did ask for more and was given most times he asked. His current work is full of changes and he seems to be in good position each time there is a big change. More responsibility for sure but not in precarious positions with the changes. And I see him as someone who can handle stress and work in such an environment too.

Currently in 2026, he is really unhappy as he is feeling unappreciated again for his work done last year. Since it is a fire fire year, if I understand you correctly, this is producing more earth and the authority is making feel unhappy at work. Authority = bosses.

Yes. This year his entire earthly branch row got set on fire due to combinations with the Wu horse and the Bing fire supports the transformation. He will see a lot of opportunities for wealth or advancement this year, but the question is whether he can handle them or manage his bosses. My advice is to carefully evaluate the risk of taking new opportunities on, both in terms of financial risk and the risk of burn out. I feel like telling him to chill a bit more this year is very hard lol.

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Thank you for your reading and explanation. So it is a very weak chart instead of a follower?

He had a career in military from the age of 23 to 27 before studying for another 2 years to make a career switch to the financial industry, which is no longer in the civil service.

How was the Jia Zi pillar for him? Was it better than the Ding Mao and Bing Yin pillars, or did he have a good career in his 20s/30s and now experiencing problems?
As for the above, in Ding Mao years, he was still a student so I can't compare career wise. In Bing Yin Pillar, he was doing well in military but I would say that it seems like he is doing even better in his late 30's until now. Currently, it is high stress but high returns kind of job comparing to the previous one. He is facing some challenges but is not in a bad spot. His job often requires problem solving so I wouldn't say the problem is big for now.

Is there anything specific that I can verify with? Over the course of the past 10 years or so, he has risen in ranks through promotions which I think is good in terms of career.

Based on those details, I would say should be weak. If he was a follower, the current luck pillar would be quite bad for his chart because the Zi gives his Gui dm roots, which breaks the follow structure. Then the Jia directly attacks the 7k earth in his chart. If he's doing even better than the previous luck pillars, then confirm the wood/water pillar is strengthening him to the point where it is easier for him to handle the pressure of the 7k earth.

He can do well in the fire/wood luck pillars because the wood was helping him, but the fire burns the wood and produces more earth. Can do well, but a bit of a vicious cycle like, he exert effort (wood output) which then feeds the fire (wealth result) which then creates more earth (authority that his wood has to fight off). Most likely he was rewarded for his efforts with promotions, but the new rank adds on more responsibility and stress. My guess is the fire/wood decade was a very high stress period where he felt like the rewards were not proportional to the effort he had to put in.

This kind of 7k-heavy chart structure tend to do well in high stakes, high stress jobs. "Martial Nobility" usually literally refers to military status, but if you think about the energies involved, anything that is high stakes, high conflict or involves resolving crises can qualify. Finance jobs definitely fall into this category.

The extreme imbalance of his chart is what makes him built for material success, but it's not a peaceful one. The constant stress and conflict is exactly what drives him to succeed. If you put him in a peaceful admin job, even if it pays him well he will likely get bored or become very frustrated. 

He will likely do even better in the Gui Hai pillar. The Gui gives him peer support while the Hai and Yin combine to form wood, which is the element that controls his 7 killings and simultaneously mitigates the Si-Hai clash with his chart.

Just want to add more insights about HO chart with strong DM vs weak DM, which will determine the career path.

Credit to @eveereads from another topic. I will quote her verbatim here:

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According to Ziping Mingli, the Hurting Officer structure is a reverse-use structure (逆用格). It takes Zheng Yin (正印) as the Xiangshen (Corresponding Spirit) and Rob Wealth (劫財) as the Gushen (구신, Supporting Spirit).

To function properly, this structure must have Zheng Yin to refine and control the Hurting Officer. That symbolizes obtaining an official qualification and entering the legitimate social order represented by the Direct Officer (正官).
If, instead of Zheng Yin, there is Pian Yin (偏印), then one grants legitimacy to oneself, developing personal talent and skill rather than formal credentials.

The Hurting Officer structure prefers a Day Master without roots, because when the Day Master is rooted, it desires Shishang (Wealth generation, 食傷生財) instead of following Zheng Yin to reach the Direct Officer.

In this chart, the Day Master is rooted and strong, so it wants to produce Wealth, meaning independence or self-employment.

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