On Goujiao (Hook and Strangle)
Original Text
勾者，牵连之义；绞者，羁绊之名，二煞尝相对冲，亦犹亡劫。阳男阴女，命前三辰为勾；命后一三辰为绞；阴男阳女，命前三辰为绞，命后三辰为勾。假令甲子阳命人，卯为勾，酉为绞；乙丑阴命人，辰为绞，戌为勾之例。古歌云：「爪牙煞去命三辰，大忌金神羊刃临；夹煞克身无福救，必遭蛇虎伤其身。」此煞大忌金神白虎并，则凶。牛马犬畜等伤亦是，不独虎狼也。不克身与福同宫者不用。大抵此煞，凡命遇之，身若克煞，多心路计巧，主掌刑法之任；或为将帅，专地诛戮。煞若克身，主非命而终；小人逢之，非横灾祸；行年至此，亦主口舌刑狱等事。又云：值两位全者，灾重，一位者轻。又云：有鬼则灾重，无鬼则灾轻。
Interpretation
"Gou" implies the meaning of entanglement, and "Jiao" refers to the concept of hindrance. These two inauspicious stars often oppose each other, similar to the "Wang Jie" stars. For males born in Yang years and females born in Yin years, the star three positions ahead of one's birth year in the zodiac cycle is "Gou", and the star three positions behind is "Jiao". For males born in Yin years and females born in Yang years, the star three positions ahead is "Jiao", and the star three positions behind is "Gou". For example, for a person with a Yang - life born in the Year of the Rat (Jia Zi), Mao is "Gou" and You is "Jiao"; for a person with a Yin - life born in the Year of the Ox (Yi Chou), Chen is "Jiao" and Xu is "Gou". An ancient poem says: "The 'Zhaoya' star is three positions away from one's birth year. One should greatly avoid the presence of the 'Jin Shen' and 'Yang Ren' stars. When the inauspicious stars on both sides suppress one's life and there is no good fortune to rescue, one will surely be injured by snakes and tigers." This inauspicious star is extremely dangerous when combined with the "Jin Shen" and "Bai Hu" stars, which is an omen of misfortune. Injuries from cattle, horses, dogs and other livestock are also included, not just those from tigers and wolves. If it does not suppress one's life and is in the same position as good fortune, it can be ignored. Generally speaking, when this inauspicious star appears in one's fate, if one's life can suppress the star, the person is often shrewd and resourceful, and may be in charge of law - enforcement duties; or may become a general with the power to execute people in a specific area. If the star suppresses one's life, it indicates an untimely death. When a common person encounters it, it brings unexpected disasters. When it appears in one's current year, it also indicates disputes and legal troubles. It is also said that when both "Gou" and "Jiao" are present, the disaster is more serious; when only one is present, the disaster is less severe. It is also said that if there is an "evil spirit", the disaster is more serious; if there is no "evil spirit", the disaster is less severe.