What is 'Kong Wang' (Empty Void) in Four-Pillar astrology?

'Kong Wang'—sometimes called 'Empty Void' or 'Xunkong'—is a concept derived from the cyclical stem-branch system. It marks a kind of energetic 'emptiness' or 'absence' for specific branches during a given ten-day period (xun).

Principle and calculation:
The Ten Heavenly Stems cycle against the Twelve Earthly Branches to form the 60-day cycle (Jia-Zi). In each ten-stem sequence there are two branches left without corresponding stems; those two branches are considered 'empty' for that xun. For example, within the Jia-Zi xun, the branches Xu and Hai may be empty.

Interpretive meanings:
• Family and palace effects: If a branch that represents a family palace is empty, that relationship may feel distant or weak. For example, an empty Year Branch can indicate a shallow ancestral connection; an empty Month Branch can show less sibling support; an empty Day Branch (spouse palace) may point to stalled or detached marital life; an empty Hour Branch may suggest delayed or distant relationships with children.
• Events and outcomes: When a Ten-God is 'in vacuum', the area it governs can be unstable—money may come and go, official status may be unsettled, support may be unreliable.
• Spiritual or special talents: Emptiness can also imply 'otherworldliness'—some people with empty branches alongside certain star configurations exhibit strong spiritual, philosophical or artistic tendencies.
• Practical use: Kong Wang can be 'real' or 'apparent'—it may be relieved by combinations, clashes, or by favorable luck cycles. Accurate judgment always requires reading the whole chart and the chart’s useful elements.