Special Structures and Follow Patterns (Cong Ge)

In real Bazi work, most charts follow the strong/weak Day Master rule and use Fú-Yì (support/restrain) to pick useful gods. But when the Day Master is so extreme it cannot stand on its own, special structures appear—and the most typical is the “follow pattern” (cong ge).

A follow pattern is not ordinary strength scoring; it is the chart’s Five Elements going fully with the flow: the Day Master is either so weak it must follow an outside force, or so strong it dominates one direction. Classics like Di Tian Sui say “true follow—how few under heaven,” which shows how rare and precious it is—and how often it is misread.

Knowing real follow from fake follow not only clarifies ups and downs in Luck Pillars and annual luck; it shows whether life is riding borrowed force or stuck in inner tug-of-war.

What is a follow pattern? Core formation

The essence is: Day Master loses seasonal command and has no root, while another force dominates the chart. The Day Master must sit in a dead or weak month, with no strong branch root and no clear stem support (Resource or Friend stars); power clusters in one Ten-God or element type, so the Day Master gives up self and follows.

This is unlike regular charts’ “climate adjustment” gods; in a follow pattern, the useful gods are the very force you follow.

Two main families:

1) Follow-weak (Day Master very weak, follows outside)

Common subtypes:

• Follow Wealth: Wealth stars (Direct and Indirect) are extremely strong; the Day Master has no root or Resource; Output can feed Wealth but no Rob Wealth competes.
  Often forms when the month commands Wealth or branches meet a Wealth frame, with Wealth on stems. Life tends to lean on others’ resources, spouse, or investments; Luck Pillars favor Output feeding Wealth and Authority restraining Robs; Rob Wealth periods break the pattern.
• Follow Authority: Officer or Seven Killings is strong and on stems; no Output controlling SK, no Resource transforming SK.
  Month commands authority; branches are not broken. Often signals authority and nobility—politics or management—but Resource luck that strengthens the Day Master can bring “authority attacking self.”
• Follow Children (Follow Output): Food God or Hurting Officer dominates; the Day Master is drained with no Resource or Friend backup.
  Common in creative, technical, or performance fields; talent or children help; Luck Pillars favor Wealth to open the flow; Resource is feared (stealing food).

2) Follow-strong / dominant element (Day Master very strong, one side rules)

Also called the five “dominant” frames (e.g. Qu Zhi, Yan Shang, Jia Se, Cong Ge, Run Xia). Friend and Resource are very strong; the Day Master’s party holds the chart; Authority, Wealth, and Output are suppressed or weak.

Personality is strong—good for entrepreneurship or deep expertise; Luck Pillars favor Friend and Resource; Authority or Wealth luck may break the frame.

There is also follow momentum: when Wealth, Authority, and Output are all strong and the Day Master has no root and cannot follow one god alone, the chart follows the overall tide—versatile but volatile; Luck Pillars favor harmonizing flows.

True follow vs fake follow: a thin line, a huge gap

Many see a very weak Day Master and say “follow,” but it is often fake follow. The split is purity and hidden help.

True follow

Totally clean. No root, no support, and no hidden stem traces, faint arcs, or Resource/Friend anywhere. The followed god (Wealth, Authority, Output) sits in full formation with no opposing force.

Rare charts, extreme luck: useful Luck Pillars can soar; clashing prosperity can crash—life like a roller coaster. Di Tian Sui stresses how strict the conditions are.

Fake follow

Looks followable but is flawed. The Day Master is very weak, yet faint Friend or Resource remains (hidden, combined or clashed, or controlled by the followed force)—wanting to follow but not fully.

Typical cases:

• Following Wealth but Friend hides in branches, dimly controlled by Output;
• Following SK but Resource appears on stem, broken by Wealth.

Fake follow is more common and often more stable: the flaw adds flexibility. If a Luck Pillar “removes the disease” (neutralizes the opposition), the frame can flip to true follow; if luck supports the flaw, the chart may return to a regular frame and still stand on its own.

In practice I often see fake-follow people smooth in the first half of life; if later luck clashes prosperity, the pattern reverses—plan pivots or mitigation early.

Practice checks and common traps

Always combine true solar time, solar terms, and longitude (see earlier charting chapters). Focus on three points:

1. Does the Day Master have root (main branch, hidden stems, tomb storage—are they broken by clash or combine)?
2. Is the followed god dominant (month command, stem, meeting frames)?
3. Do opposing Ten Gods appear on stems or hide?

Common traps:

• Treating ordinary weak Day Master as follow;
• Ignoring hidden stems;
• Reading only stems, not branches.

Software is fast, but you still judge momentum and “relationship” by hand. Yin stems (Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, Gui) tend to follow more easily; Yang stems (Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, Ren) follow “qi” with difficulty—be extra careful.

Other special structures (brief)

Besides follow patterns:

• Jian Lu: Day branch is the Lu spirit, month branch same class—good for skills.
• Yang Ren: Blade rides SK—martial and civil, but impulsive.
• Kui Gang: Kui/Gang stems with arching branches—decisive, concentrated power.
• Jin Shen: Jin Shen on blade—military, police, or decisive trades.

All need “broken” vs “formed” before useful gods—like follow patterns, do not apply formulas blindly.

Case examples

Fake follow Wealth (anonymized):

Male: Xin-Hai, Yi-Wei, Bing-Shen, Ji-Chou

Bing Day Master in Wei month: Fire is weak, Earth strong; Bing has no strong root; Earth–Metal Wealth dominates with Output feeding Wealth—looks like follow Wealth. But Hai hides Jia Resource feeding secretly → fake follow.

Early life: investing and spouse support; mid-life Authority luck controls Resource and career rises; late life Rob luck may mean money in and out—watch health and relationships.

True follow SK (classical reference) (variant like Yue Fei, framed as follow SK): Day Master very weak, Seven Killings strong on stems with no control—command and achievement, but late-life turbulence from heavy SK.

Among modern entrepreneurs, fake follow Children is not rare—creativity and children luck turn things around, then Resource Luck Pillars bring a “talent suppressed” bottleneck.

Takeaway: special-structure natives are often vivid and extreme. True follow lives taut as a bowstring; fake follow needs mindset and timing to turn tension into help.