Directions and Combinations (Fang Ju)

Do not confuse the square with the ring

A 'square' (fang) is three branches of one season, whose force is blunt and total; a 'ring' (ju) is a San He combination, which is subtler and can be directed. Mixing the two muddies the reading, and the text warns that once a square is formed, adding another root of the same element to the stem does not make it better — the structure is already saturated. The practical instruction: identify which of the two you actually have, then read the luck cycle's direction (south or north) as the release valve.