What Is Cutting Feet?
Cutting Feet (Jie Jiao) refers to a situation where the Five Element of the Earthly Branch controls the Five Element of the Heavenly Stem in the same pillar -- as if the Branch "cuts off" the Stem's foundation from below, causing the Stem to be restrained and unable to express itself stably. Opposite to Covering Head (Stem controls Branch), Cutting Feet is the Branch controlling the Stem.
Identifying Cutting Feet
| Earthly Branch (controller) | Heavenly Stem (controlled) | Cutting Feet Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Earth (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei) | Water (Ren / Gui) | Chen-Ren, Xu-Ren, etc. |
| Water (Hai, Zi) | Fire (Bing / Ding) | Hai-Bing, Zi-Ding, etc. |
| Fire (Si, Wu) | Metal (Geng / Xin) | Si-Geng, Wu-Xin, etc. |
| Metal (Shen, You) | Wood (Jia / Yi) | Shen-Jia, You-Yi, etc. |
| Wood (Yin, Mao) | Earth (Wu / Ji) | Yin-Wu, Mao-Ji, etc. |
Effects of Cutting Feet
- Stem's foundation damaged: The Stem is controlled by the Branch in the same pillar; not only can the Stem not connect root to that Branch, but it is actually controlled, and its force is greatly reduced.
- Internal energy dissipation in the pillar: The Stem and Branch within the pillar mutually control each other, causing internal energy dissipation, and the pillar's normal functions are obstructed.
- Cutting Feet on the Day Pillar: When the Day Branch controls the Day Stem, it manifests as the spouse (Day Branch) having a controlling force over the Day Master, or the spouse bringing considerable pressure in the marital relationship.
Comprehensive Judgment
In practical Destiny Analysis, a pillar may simultaneously exhibit characteristics of both Covering Head and Cutting Feet, requiring comprehensive judgment based on the chart's overall Five Element forces. Viewing Covering Head and Cutting Feet in isolation has limited significance; the key is to combine them with the Day Master's strength or weakness and Favorable/Unfavorable God analysis to determine whether the controlling relationship within the pillar benefits or harms the chart.