Contemporary Meaning for the Chapter of Woman Fate in 『Jeokcheonsucheonmi』 : Focusing on the Theory of Husband Star as the Yongshin

The author of 『Jeokcheonsucheonmi(滴天髓闡微)』, Im Cheol-cho (任鐵樵, 1773~unknown), presented a perspective on the theory of six-kinships (六親論) that differs a little from other oriental texts on Mingli Science. Alongside Jin So-am (陳素庵), he advocated the “Theory of Parents as the Seal Star”(父母印綬說), rooted in Confucian values. The same applies to his views on women's destiny. He proposed the “Husband Star as the Yongshin” theory (夫星用神論), which does not regard the husband solely as the Gwanseong (官星, Official Star) but also as the Yongshin (用神, Useful God). This perspective is evident even in the original annotations(原注) of 『Jeokcheonsucheonmi』, but it becomes more detailed in Im’s annotations(任注). During an era when women were largely restricted from engaging in social activities beyond marriage, the husband was an indispensable presence, to the extent that the Yongshin needed to be employed if the husband's Gwanseong in the natal-chart(原局) could not be effectively utilized. However, this perspective may serve as a new proposal in modern times, as women now participate in social activities on equal footing with men and the dynamics of marriage have evolved. Depended on changing relationships, the husband can be represented not only by the Gwanseong but also by other Sipseong (十星, Ten Stars) in various ways.