On Stems That Combine Without Combining (Shi Gan He Er Bu He)

When Combining Does Not Combine

The previous chapter said what combination means; this one asks when it fails. Shen lists the ways: another stem stands in the way so the two dare not join; the parties sit too far apart to reach each other and join only by halves; one star is combined away and another kept, leaving the structure intact; and the day master's own combining is intimacy, not loss. He then examines two stems contending over one partner, and closes by rebuking readers who treat any pairing — even between branches — as a combined-away officer.