Your life path number
Your life path number comes from numerology, and it only needs your birth date: add up every digit of it until a single digit is left. Among Chinese speakers in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore the same method is hugely popular as 生命灵数, the “life spirit number”, with a nine-square grid of its own.
How to calculate it
Take 15 June 1990:
- Write the date as digits: 1990 06 15.
- Add every digit: 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 + 0 + 6 + 1 + 5 = 31.
- Add the digits of 31: 3 + 1 = 4.
The life path number is 4, written in full as 31/4. The 31 is the talent number (天赋数), for the abilities you were born with.
If 11, 22 or 33 comes up on the way, it is a master number and is kept in the writing: 38 → 11 → 2 is written 38/11/2.
Many Western books first reduce the month, the day and the year separately, then add them. The final digit always comes out the same; only the master numbers can differ. riffos follows the 生命灵数 way and adds every digit at once.
Numbers 1 to 9
| Number | Key words |
|---|---|
| 1 | Independent, a starter, a leader |
| 2 | Cooperative, sensitive, considerate |
| 3 | Expressive, creative, optimistic |
| 4 | Practical, steady, organised |
| 5 | Free, adventurous, changeable |
| 6 | Responsible, caring, an eye for beauty |
| 7 | Thoughtful, searching, needs time alone |
| 8 | Driven, a manager, material achievement |
| 9 | Idealistic, accepting, helps others |
These are the usual readings, a way to think about yourself, not a label.
The nine-square grid and its lines
Put the digits of your birth date, your talent number and your life path number into a grid of 1 to 9:
| 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 1 | 4 | 7 |
When all three numbers of a line are present, the line is complete and points to a stronger trait; a number that never appears is a missing number (空缺数). There are eight lines:
| Line | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Artistic 艺术线 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Organisation 组织线 | 4, 5, 6 |
| Power 权力线 | 7, 8, 9 |
| Material 物质线 | 1, 4, 7 |
| Emotion 感情线 | 2, 5, 8 |
| Wisdom 智慧线 | 3, 6, 9 |
| Career 事业线 | 1, 5, 9 |
| Popularity 人缘线 | 3, 5, 7 |
Teachers differ a little on the line names and what they mean.
Your personal year
Each year also has a personal year number: your birth month and day plus the current year. Born on 15 June, in 2027 you have 6 + 1 + 5 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 7 = 23, and 2 + 3 = 5: a 5 year, for change and trying new things.
The free riffos chart shows your life path number (such as 31/4) and your personal year for 2027.