# Da Liu Ren month general and how the plate turns

> The Da Liu Ren month general changes at each middle solar term. A twelve-row table, the day-of-term rule, and the example chart turned onto its hour.

Canonical page: https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/month-general
Language: English. Content reviewed: 2026-10-20.
Also available in: [中文](https://multifate.com/zh/guides/daliuren/month-general/index.md), [日本語](https://multifate.com/ja/guides/daliuren/month-general/index.md), [한국어](https://multifate.com/ko/guides/daliuren/month-general/index.md)

The Da Liu Ren month general is the branch you place on the hour of the question, and it changes at each middle solar term: after the Autumn Equinox it is 辰 Tian Gang, after Frost Descent 卯 Tai Chong. Put it on the hour's seat, let the other branches follow, and the heaven plate is set.

**Key points**

- The month general follows the twelve middle solar terms, stepping back one branch at each.
- On 21 October 2026, after the Autumn Equinox and before Frost Descent, the month general is 辰 Tian Gang.
- Casting puts the month general on the hour of the question; the heaven plate turns and the earth plate stays.
- The free calculator changes the month general at midnight on the day of the term, not at the minute it arrives.
- A month general equal to the hour gives Fu Yin; one that clashes with it gives Fan Yin.

## What is the Da Liu Ren month general?

The month general is the palace the sun is passing through. The classic Da Liu Ren Zhinan puts it in one line, 月将即日宿太阳也: the month general is where the sun lodges. Each time the sun crosses a middle solar term it moves into the next palace, and the month general moves with it to the next branch.

- **month general** (月将, yue jiang; monthly general): The branch placed on the hour of the question when a chart is cast. It changes at each middle solar term, twelve times a year, and each one has a name: 辰 is Tian Gang.
- **hour of the question** (占时, zhan shi): The two-hour period, named by an earthly branch, in which the question is cast.
- **earth plate** (地盘): The twelve branches in fixed seats around the board.
- **heaven plate** (天盘): The same twelve branches, turned by the month general so that one sits over each earth seat.
- **month branch** (月建): The branch of the calendar month, which changes at the start-of-month solar terms. From Cold Dew to the Start of Winter it is 戌. It is not the month general.

The month general depends on the date only. A chart cast at seven in the morning and one cast at ten at night on the same day share it; only the hour changes.

## How is the month general chosen? The twelve solar terms

Find the last middle solar term on or before the day of the question, then read the table. The old texts count by lunar month, for example "in the eighth month, after the Autumn Equinox, the sun enters the 辰 palace: this is the general Tian Gang". In the Gregorian calendar each term moves by a day or so from year to year.

*The twelve middle solar terms and their month generals (dates approximate)*

| From this term | Around | Month general | Name | Sun's station |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rain Water | 19 February | 亥 | Deng Ming | 娵訾 |
| Spring Equinox | 20 March | 戌 | He Kui | 降娄 |
| Grain Rain | 20 April | 酉 | Cong Kui | 大梁 |
| Grain Buds | 21 May | 申 | Chuan Song | 实沈 |
| Summer Solstice | 21 June | 未 | Xiao Ji | 鹑首 |
| Major Heat | 23 July | 午 | Sheng Guang | 鹑火 |
| End of Heat | 23 August | 巳 | Tai Yi | 鹑尾 |
| Autumn Equinox | 23 September | 辰 | Tian Gang | 寿星 |
| Frost Descent | 23 October | 卯 | Tai Chong | 大火 |
| Minor Snow | 22 November | 寅 | Gong Cao | 析木 |
| Winter Solstice | 22 December | 丑 | Da Ji | 星纪 |
| Major Cold | 20 January | 子 | Shen Hou | 玄枵 |

Read down the month general column and the branches run backwards: 亥, 戌, 酉, 申. Each middle solar term moves the general back one place, so a year walks through all twelve.

> **Tip** A quick check: the month general combines with the month branch of the month its term falls in. Frost Descent falls in the 戌 month and 戌 combines with 卯, so after Frost Descent the general is 卯; the Autumn Equinox falls in the 酉 month and 酉 combines with 辰.

## When does the month general change on the day of a solar term?

The old texts only say "after Frost Descent". The strict reading changes the general at the moment the term arrives: in 2026 Frost Descent arrives on the afternoon of 23 October, China time, so a chart cast before that moment still uses 辰 and one cast after it uses 卯.

A shortcut used in some tables ties the month general to the month branch and changes it at the start-of-month term instead, so 卯 begins at Cold Dew on 8 October. For the half month between the two terms, that chart is one branch away from a chart that follows the middle solar term.

*Three conventions, the same two moments*

| Convention | 21 Oct, 10:30 | 23 Oct, 10:30 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| At the moment of the middle solar term | 辰 | 辰, Frost Descent not yet arrived |
| From the day of the middle solar term (the free calculator) | 辰 | 卯 |
| At the start-of-month term (Cold Dew) | 卯 | 卯 |

> **What the tool shows** The free calculator changes the month general on the calendar day of the middle solar term, from midnight, without waiting for the minute it arrives. A chart for 22 October 2026 at 23:59 shows 辰 天罡; one for 23 October at 00:00 already shows 卯 太冲.

The same rule holds at the other terms: the general turns to 辰 at 00:00 on 23 September and to 寅 at 00:00 on 22 November. If a chart cast on the day of a term differs from another site, compare the month general first.

## How does the heaven plate turn onto the hour?

1. **Find the hour of the question**: Each branch covers two hours: 23:00 to 01:00 is 子, 01:00 to 03:00 is 丑, and so on. 10:30 falls between 09:00 and 11:00, the 巳 hour.
2. **Put the month general on that seat**: The earth plate stays where it is. Place the month general 辰 over the earth seat 巳.
3. **Let the rest follow in order**: The heaven plate carries on in branch order: 巳 over 午, 午 over 未, 未 over 申, all the way round the twelve seats.

The Zhinan gives its own example: with the 亥 general on the 午 hour, 子 sits on 未, and the rest follow in order.

However many places the month general is from the hour, every heaven branch is that many places from the seat below it. 辰 is one place before 巳, so every seat carries the branch one place behind it.

![Da Liu Ren month general on the hour: 辰 placed on the question hour 巳, the heaven plate one place behind](https://multifate.com/images/guides/daliuren/figures/daliuren-plates-en-v1-1200x608.webp)

Large characters are the heaven plate, which turns; small ones in the corner are the earth plate, which stays\. With 辰 on 巳, 卯 sits on 辰 and 巳 sits on 午\.

*The heaven plate with 辰 on the 巳 hour, as the free calculator shows it*

| Earth seat | Heaven branch | Earth seat | Heaven branch |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 子 | 亥 | 午 | 巳 |
| 丑 | 子 | 未 | 午 |
| 寅 | 丑 | 申 | 未 |
| 卯 | 寅 | 酉 | 申 |
| 辰 | 卯 | 戌 | 酉 |
| 巳 | 辰 | 亥 | 戌 |

The free calculator reads the hour from the clock time you enter. It does not convert time zones or shift to true solar time by longitude. Schools that use true solar time can land on a different hour near the edge of a period.

## Worked example: 21 October 2026, 10:30 in Tokyo

> **The moment**
>
> Clock time: 2026-10-21 10:30, Asia/Tokyo
> Day: 戊辰, Wu Chen
> Hour: 巳, Si, 09:00 to 11:00
> Last middle solar term: Autumn Equinox, 23 September; Frost Descent is on 23 October
> Month general: 辰 天罡, Tian Gang
> Heaven plate: 辰 on 巳, an ordinary plate

The four lessons and transmissions are all read off the turned plate. This moment gives the four lessons 辰/戊, 卯/辰, 卯/辰 and 寅/卯, and the Zei Ke method takes 卯, 寅 and 丑 as the transmissions, a Yuan Shou chart. How those are built is in [Da Liu Ren four lessons](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/four-lessons) and [three transmissions](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/three-transmissions).

![The four lessons read off the plate with 辰 on 巳, right to left: 辰 over 戊, 卯 over 辰, 卯 over 辰, 寅 over 卯](https://multifate.com/images/guides/daliuren/figures/daliuren-four-lessons-en-v1-1200x608.webp)

Every lesson is read off the turned plate: the day stem 戊 lodges at 巳, 辰 over 巳 is lesson one and 卯 over 辰 is lesson two\. Change the month general and every seat changes, and these four pairs change with it\.

If the month general is one place off, every lesson is off too, so check it first.

## What if the month general matches the hour?

When the month general lands on the hour of its own name, the heaven plate sits exactly over the earth plate and does not move: this is Fu Yin. When the general and the hour clash, every heaven branch faces its opposite seat: this is Fan Yin. On the example day the general is 辰:

- Cast between 07:00 and 08:59 and the hour is 辰, the same as the general: the free result records Fu Yin.
- Cast between 19:00 and 20:59 and the hour is 戌, which clashes with 辰: the free result records Fan Yin.
- The other ten hours give an ordinary plate.

How to recognise and read those two charts is in [Da Liu Ren lesson patterns](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/lesson-patterns).

## Where do you see the month general on your own chart?

Open the [free Da Liu Ren calculator](https://multifate.com/tools/daliuren), enter the moment and choose "Chart only" if you have no question yet. The notes under the result include a line labelled "Monthly general", which is the month general, with the branch and its name, such as "辰 天罡". If it differs from another chart, check:

- Which middle solar term came last before the day you cast?
- Is it the day of a term? The free calculator changes the general from midnight.
- Was the hour taken from the clock time you entered?
- Does the month general sit exactly on the seat of the hour?

The chart is free; AI questions have separate limits. To read a whole chart from top to bottom, see [how to read a Da Liu Ren chart](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/how-to-read-a-daliuren-chart); the rest of the series is in the [Da Liu Ren guide](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren).

> **Where the reading stops** The month general is where a chart starts, and it says nothing good or bad on its own. Treat the chart as a prompt for reflection; it does not replace a doctor, a lawyer or a financial adviser.

## Month general: common questions

### Is the month general the same as the month branch?

No. The month branch changes at the start-of-month terms; from Cold Dew to the Start of Winter it is 戌. The month general changes at the middle solar terms and stands for the sun's palace. From the middle solar term to the next start-of-month term the two form a Six Harmony pair; before the middle solar term they do not (in the 戌 month, 辰 against 戌 is even a clash). Casting uses the month general.

### On the day of Frost Descent, is the general 辰 or 卯?

It depends on the convention. By the moment of the term it is 辰 until the term arrives. The free calculator goes by the date, so it uses 卯 from midnight that day.

### Does the month general change at night?

No. It changes only with the solar terms; within one day only the hour changes. What does change between day and night is the Noble One: the same day stem takes a different noble by day and by night, as [twelve heavenly generals](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/twelve-generals) explains.

### Why does another site show a different month general?

Check its convention first: some change at the start-of-month term, some at the exact moment, and the free calculator on the day of the middle solar term. Then check the time: it casts by the clock time you enter, without time zone conversion or true solar time.

## Sources and scope

- [Multifate Da Liu Ren tool](https://multifate.com/tools/daliuren): The month general, plates, lessons and transmissions in this guide, and the change-day checks, all come from the free calculator's own engine.
- [Da Liu Ren Zhinan, volume one (Chinese text with notes)](https://libokang.com/guji/liuren/%E5%A4%A7%E5%85%AD%E5%A3%AC%E6%8C%87%E5%8D%97/): The passage on placing the month general on the hour, with the twelve middle solar terms, the sun's stations and the example of 亥 on 午.

## Continue with Da Liu Ren

- [Try the Da Liu Ren tool](https://multifate.com/tools/daliuren)
- [Da Liu Ren timing: when will it happen?](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/timing/index.md)
- [Da Liu Ren lesson patterns and how to spot each](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/lesson-patterns/index.md)
- [How to read a Da Liu Ren chart, layer by layer](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/how-to-read-a-daliuren-chart/index.md)
- [Da Liu Ren class gods (lei shen) by question](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/category-spirits/index.md)
- [Twelve heavenly generals of Da Liu Ren: meanings](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/twelve-generals/index.md)
- [Three transmissions in Da Liu Ren: how they form](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren/three-transmissions/index.md)
- [All Da Liu Ren articles](https://multifate.com/guides/daliuren)
- [Fortune telling guides: BaZi, tarot and more](https://multifate.com/guides/index.md)

These guides describe traditional symbolic frameworks and the current Multifate tools, not verified predictions. The chart tools are free; optional AI questions have separate limits. Check the pricing page for current terms. Interpretations do not replace medical, legal, financial or safety advice.