Comparing Target and Obstacle Strength
Last updated 5/21/2026
Every line now has a strength tier and a set of flags. That is analysis. It is not yet a judgment.
Judgment begins when we compare two forces: the target line and the obstacle line. The target line tells us whether the thing asked about can stand. The obstacle line tells us whether the opposing force can break it, block it, drain it, or delay it.
Look at the composed strength tier after void, break, day action, month force, movement, and transformation have all been applied.
A weak obstacle is background pressure. A strong obstacle is active resistance. A hidden active obstacle still counts.
The core rule
The comparison is qualitative. We do not add scores or average tiers. We ask whether one side clearly dominates.
Support and complication lines matter, but they do not replace the comparison. Support explains whether the target can be helped. Complication explains whether the obstacle has reinforcement. The verdict still begins with target against obstacle.
The desired thing has force and the opposing force cannot do much. This is the clean yes pattern.
The desired thing cannot hold against the opposing force. This is the clean no pattern.
Mixed does not mean mildly favorable. It means conflict. The next question is whether the chart shows a resolution mechanism.
Think of the comparison as a small record:
- Target tier: very strong, strong, weak, very weak, or absent.
- Obstacle tier: very strong, strong, weak, very weak, or absent.
- Outcome rule: the named rule fired by the pair.
Moderate line strength is not treated as a separate verdict category here. For judgment, the question is whether the target is in the strong family, the weak family, or absent, and whether the obstacle is in the strong family, the weak family, or absent. The nuance stays in the mechanism and confidence.
Use the composed tier
The comparison uses the final tier from the full strength process, not the raw seasonal baseline.
A line can look weak by season and still become active through a day clash. A line can look strong by month and still be unusable if it is void, broken, bound, or blocked. The comparison only starts after those rules have done their work.
That discipline matters because judgment is downstream. If the target and obstacle tiers are wrong, the verdict will sound polished and still be wrong.
Case 1
Case 1 is useful because the simple surface read and the real read are different.
A powerful obstacle is not merely an obstacle label. It has force when calendar support, motion, hidden activation, transformation, or complication gives it a way to act.
The father is represented by the Parent line. It sits on the month branch, so it has real structural strength.
The Wood obstacle is hidden and void by one rule, but day-clashed into action by another. It still attacks the target.
The support line moves and should feed the target, but it is bound by combination. The rescue exists but cannot yet deliver.
The target is strong, the obstacle is active, and support is temporarily locked. Timing will tell us when that lock breaks.
Source basis: Yehe Laoren, Zengshan Buyi, Case 1: Father's Recent Illness.
This is why the comparison cannot be a quick glance at the target line. A strong target under an active hidden attack is not the same thing as a clean strong target. A support line that cannot yet act is not the same thing as an available rescue.
The honest Act 7 judgment for Case 1 is not “everything is fine.” It is: the case is contested now, but the chart shows a specific release mechanism.
Support and blocker lines travel with the comparison as context. They do not get averaged into the target or obstacle, but they tell us whether the comparison is durable. A strong target with usable support is very different from a strong target whose support is locked. A strong obstacle with an active blocker behind it is more dangerous than the same obstacle acting alone.
What to keep separate
Season is only one input. Use the finished tier after all overrides and interactions are applied.
Support can improve confidence or explain resolution, but the comparison is still target against obstacle.
Mixed means competing active forces. It becomes useful only when the mechanism is explained.
Where this lands
We now have the comparison: target strength against obstacle strength. The next module turns that comparison into a named outcome rule.