What does it mean that there is a virtual position before there is real power in the eight characters?

In the eight characters, there is a virtual position first, and then there is real power, suggesting that we should start with positions without real power.

The eight characters refer to the eight characters in the four-column life measurement method, and every two words are composed of a phrase by heavenly stems and earthly branches, representing the year, month, day and time respectively. Fortune tellers will infer a person's fate according to the relationship between the eight characters. In the eight characters, there is a virtual position before there is real power, which means that according to the eight-character reasoning, it implies that a person starts from a position without real power and then gradually grasps real power through hard work.