Luo Lu Zi San Ming Xiao Xi Fu Zhu (珞琭子三命消息賦注)

臣等謹案《珞琭子三命消息賦注》二卷，宋徐子平撰。《珞碌子》書為言祿命者所自出。其法專以人生年月日時八字推衍吉凶禍福。李淑《邯鄲書目》謂：其取琭琭如玉，珞珞如石之意，而不知撰者為何人。朱弁《曲洧舊聞》云：世傳《珞琭子三命賦》不知何人所作，序而釋之者以為周世子晉所為。然考其賦所引，有秦河上公。又如：懸壺化仗之事，皆後漢末壺公、費長房之徒，則非周子晉明矣。是書前有楚頤序，又謂：珞琭子者，陶宏景所自稱。然祿命之說至唐李虛中尚僅以年月日起算，未有所謂八字者。宏景之時又安有是說乎？

We have carefully examined the text: The annotated "Commentary on the Three Lives and Fate Assignment of Luolu Zi" consists of two volumes and was written by Xu Ziping of the Song dynasty. The book "Luolu Zi" is the common source for the study of "lùmìng" (fate and destiny). Its method specializes in using the eight characters representing a person's birth year, month, day, and hour to predict one's fortune and misfortune throughout life. Li Shu of the Song dynasty, in his "Handan Book Catalogue," said that the title "Luolu Zi" refers to the meaning of "lu lu like jade, lu lu like stone." As for the author, he did not know who it was. Zhu Bian, in his "Old Stories from Quwei," said that the widely circulated "Three Lives and Fate Assignment of Luolu Zi" is unknown in authorship. Those who wrote prefaces and provided explanations for it believed it was written by Prince Jin, the son of King Ling of the Zhou dynasty. However, upon examining the people mentioned in the text, there were figures from the Qin dynasty, such as He Shanggong; also, stories like "suspended gourd" and "transformation of staff" belong to the legends of fangshi (herbalists or magicians) from the late Eastern Han dynasty, such as Hu Gong and Fei Changfang. Therefore, this text clearly cannot have been written by Prince Jin of the Zhou dynasty. The book has a preface written by Chu Yi at the beginning. The preface also says that "Luolu Zi" is the self-title of Tao Hongjing of the Southern Dynasties. However, the study of fate and destiny up to Li Xuzhong of the Tang dynasty only used the year, month, and day for calculation, without the concept of "eight characters." How could there be such a concept in Tao Hongjing's time?

考其書始見於《宋*藝文志》。而晁公武《讀書志》亦云：宣和建炎之間是書始行，則當為北宋人所作。舊稱某某，皆依託也。自宋以來，注此賦者有王廷光、李仝、釋曇瑩及子平四家。子平事蹟無可考，獨命學為世所宗，今稱推八字者為子平，蓋因其名。劉玉《已瘧編》曰：江湖談命者有子平，有五星。相傳宋有徐子平者，精於星學，後世術士宗之，故稱子平。又云，子平名居易，五季人。與麻衣道者、陳圖南、呂洞賓俱隱華山，蓋異人也。今之推子平者，宋末徐彥升，非子平也云云，其說不知何所本。然術家之言，百無一真，亦無從而究詰也。

This book was first recorded in the "Sung Shi · Yi Wen Zhi"; Zhao Gongwu's "Jun Zhai Du Shu Zhi" also states that this book began to circulate only during the Xuanhe and Jianyan periods, so it should be a work from the Northern Song dynasty. The names of the original authors are all later fabrications. Since the Song dynasty, there have been four commentators on this essay: Wang Tingguang, Li Tong, the monk Tanying, and Xu Ziping. There is no record of Xu Ziping's life, but his system of destiny calculation has been revered by later generations. Today, when we refer to the method of calculating the eight characters, we call it "Ziping," because of his name. A Ming dynasty scholar, Liu Yu, in his "Yi Mo Bian," said that in the Jianghu (literally, "river and lake," meaning the popular circles), there were two schools of divination: the "Ziping" school and the "Wuxing" school. It is said that during the Song dynasty, there was a Xu Ziping who was skilled in the study of celestial stems and earthly branches, and later diviners revered him as their master, hence the name "Ziping." It is also said that Ziping's real name was Ju Yi, a person from the Five Dynasties period, who once lived in seclusion on Mount Hua with the Hemp-Robed Daoist, Chen Tuan (whose courtesy name was Tunan), and Lü Dongbin. He was considered an extraordinary person. However, the method of Ziping today actually originated from Xu Yansheng of the late Song dynasty, not Xu Ziping. All these accounts are unclear in their sources; however, the words of diviners are rarely true, and thus it is impossible to verify them.

其注久無傳本，惟見於《永樂大典》中者尚為完帙。謹加裒輯，釐為上、下二卷，以符《宋志》之舊。其中論運氣之向背，金木剛柔之得失，青赤父子之相應，言皆近理。間有古法不合於今者，是則在後人之善於別擇耳。又考《三命通會》亦載有《珞琭子》寥寥數語，與此本絕不相合，蓋由原書散佚，談命者又依託為之。偽中之偽，益不足據，當以此本為正也。

Xu Ziping's commentary has long since ceased to be transmitted in printed editions, with only a version collected in the Yongle Daidian remaining relatively complete. Therefore, we have carefully compiled and reorganized it into upper and lower volumes to conform to the original form recorded in the Song History's Catalogue of Literature. The discussion in the text regarding the "direction" and "opposition" of a person's destiny, the gains and losses of the metal and wood elements in terms of hardness and softness, and the mutual generation between the green (wood) and red (fire) elements, all make sense and are reasonable. However, there are some ancient methods that differ from the current commonly used calculations, which require later generations to be good at distinguishing and choosing appropriately. In addition, we have also found that the Sanming Tonghui contains a few lines from Luolu Zi, which do not match this version at all. This is likely due to the original text having been lost, and later commentators having fabricated these lines. These fabricated lines are even more unreliable, and thus this version should be considered the correct one.

元一氣兮先天，稟清濁兮自然；著三才以成象，播四氣以為年。【元者，始也；一者，道生一沖氣也。有物混成，先天地生。以看命法論之，如人初受胎月在母腹中男女未分。以四柱言之，則知人本命也，尚未有生月日時，即貴賤壽夭未分，故云一氣。以大道言之，則混一氣而生育天地也，主祖宗之宮也。陰陽既分，清氣為天，濁氣為地。地法天，天法道，道法自然。以命術言之，則如在母胎中以是成形，男女已分也。以大道言之，天地分也。以四柱言之，則生月是也，主父母宮。】

The text says: At the beginning of all things, there was a primordial qi existing before heaven and earth. It naturally divided into clear and turbid qi. From this, the three categories of heaven, earth, and humanity were established, forming shapes, and the qi of the four seasons spread out to form a year. Xu Ziping explains: "Yuan" means the beginning, and "one" refers to the harmonious qi generated by the Dao. There was a chaotic form, existing before heaven and earth. In terms of fortune-telling, this is like a person just conceived and still in the mother's womb, with male and female not yet clearly distinguished. When it comes to the four pillars, at this stage we only know the year pillar as the person's destiny, without the month, day, and hour pillars, so the person's status, wealth, longevity, and death are not yet determined. Therefore, it is called "one qi." From the perspective of the Dao, it is a unified qi that gives birth to heaven and earth, and in terms of destiny, it represents the "ancestral palace." Once yin and yang have been separated, the clear qi rises to form heaven, and the turbid qi sinks to form earth. Earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature. In terms of fortune-telling, this is like the fetus already taking shape in the mother's womb, with male and female clearly distinguished. From the perspective of the Dao, this is when heaven and earth have been separated. When it comes to the four pillars, this corresponds to the "month of birth," representing the "parents' palace."

【天地人為三才。以命術言之，是人生日是也。乃人身自得之宮。看下臨何宮分也。四氣者，布木火水金以為四時，各旺七十二日，土旺四季，各旺十八日，故為一年。五行之休旺也。以看命論之，是人生時也。以四柱論之，本命生月生日生時四柱也。每一宮有三元，有天元、人元、支元。生時主子孫也，更看生時天元不居休敗，居於旺相，則佳矣，死囚則見多而晚成。】

Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are collectively known as the Three Powers. In terms of divination, this corresponds to a person's "birthday," which is the first palace they are born into. It is necessary to look at which palace is below it. The concept of "Four Energies" refers to the distribution of Wood, Fire, Water, and Metal across the four seasons. Each element is strong for seventy-two days, while Earth is considered to be strong in the last part of each season, with each season having eighteen days of strength. Together, they make up a full year, describing the prosperity, decline, strength, and weakness of the Five Phases. In terms of divination, this corresponds to a person's "birth time." In the context of the Four Pillars, it refers to the birth year, birth month, birth day, and birth time. Each pillar contains the "Three Elements," namely the Heaven Element (Heavenly Stem), the Human Element (the hidden Heavenly Stems within the Earthly Branch), and the Earth Element (Earthly Branch). The birth time relates to the palace of children and grandchildren. It is important to check whether the Heavenly Stem of the birth time does not fall into the positions of decline or failure, but rather into the positions of strength or prosperity. If it does, it is favorable; if it falls into the positions of death or weakness, it indicates that although there may be many children, their success will be delayed.

以干為祿，向背定其貧富；以支為命，詳順逆以循環。【干者，是生日天元也。看干下有何支，支內有何人元，而與生日天元為祿，或有祿印，或有財帛。假令六甲日生人，甲子生旺，甲寅建祿，甲辰為財庫，甲午為妻財，甲申為官印，甲戌為財官。其甲子，以水生木。如秋生，並十二月生，則有官貴命，官印無失。甲以庚辛為官印，為子，有癸，善制其丁。故曰：癸乃甲之印綬也。更須消息四柱內外，吉凶輕重，而配其休祥。其言，不可大疾，疾則不盡善矣。】

The essay says: Using the heavenly stems as "lu" (favorable position), determine whether it is facing or facing away from lu, thus determining wealth and poverty. Using the earthly branches as "ming" (destiny), examine the cycle of proceeding and reversing, thus predicting the course of fortune. Xu Ziping explains: Here, "ganzhi" refers to the heavenly stem of the birth day, that is, the day stem. One should look at what earthly branch is seated under the day stem, and what heavenly stems are hidden in the branch, and how they relate to the day stem—whether it is lu, lu combined with official seal, or wealth. For example, the six day pillars with Jia as the day stem: Jiazi sits on a prosperous position, Jiayin sits on a built-up lu, Jiachen sits on a wealth warehouse, Jiawu sits on wife wealth, Jiashen sits on official seal, and Jiaxu combines wealth and official seal. Among these, the Jiazi pillar, the zi branch contains the hidden癸 water, which generates the Jia wood; if born in autumn or the twelfth lunar month, it is a destiny with official and prestige, and the official seal is not lost. Jia uses Geng and Xin as official seal, and the zi branch of Jiazi day sits on zi water, which contains the hidden癸 water, which can control the Ding fire, preventing it from harming the Geng and Xin official seal stars. Therefore, the癸 is the "yinshou" (official seal) of Jia. In addition, one must consider the weight of internal and external auspicious and inauspicious factors to determine fortune and misfortune. These statements should not be made too hastily or too fully, for being too full lacks comprehensiveness.

【曏者，要生日天元向其祿馬也。如無祿馬，向其財帛，或有向其壽限，向其旺相也。假令六甲生日天元，若得夏至生，而居辰、戌、丑、未，並丑位之上，則有財帛，及有祖基。若是秋生，居巳、酉、丑、申、戌，四柱之內，別無丙丁，則甲之向祿也。甲以金為官印，秋生金旺，故曰向也。若運到西方者，亦向祿也。運行南方及四季亦向財也。若生月內，有官印於生日天元，則主官出祖宗。如生月及支內，有財於生日天元，則主有祖財。若生時支內，有財，別無刑沖剋破，則主自立財。其論官、論財，更須精其休旺輕重言之。財庫並旺相，為佳。官長生、官庫、官旺相為妙。】

The concept of "towards" refers to the day stem facing its own luck and horse. If the four pillars do not contain luck or horse, then it should face wealth and also face longevity or a prosperous and strong position. For example, if someone with Jia as the day stem is born after the summer solstice and their four pillars are in the positions of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, especially in Chou, they have wealth and also ancestral foundations. If born in autumn and their four pillars are in the positions of Si, You, Chou, Shen, or Xu, and there is no Bing or Ding fire to overcome metal in the four pillars, this is called "towards" for Jia. Jia takes metal as its official and seal, and in autumn metal is strong, the official star is in command, so it is called "towards." When the person's fortune moves to the western metal position, it is also "towards" luck. When the fortune moves to the southern fire position or the four earth months of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, it is towards wealth. If the birth month contains the official and seal of the day stem, it indicates that the official position comes from the ancestors. If the birth month's stem and branch contains the wealth star of the day stem, it indicates inheritance from ancestors. If the birth time's branch contains wealth and there is no conflict, overcoming, or destruction, it indicates starting from scratch and gaining wealth by oneself. Whether discussing officials or wealth, it is necessary to carefully distinguish the light and heavy aspects of their strength, weakness, prosperity, and confinement. The best situation is when the wealth warehouse also receives the prosperity and strength of the atmosphere. The best situation for the official star is when it is in the position of growth, in the official warehouse, or in a prosperous and strong position.

【支者，十二支也。支內有天元，十干甲祿在寅，乙祿在卯之類，宜生日天元取年、月、時中內天元配其吉凶，或有財帛，或有官印，或壽或夭。假令甲日天元屬木，取金為官印，取土為財帛，見丙為壽星，見乙並亥卯未為劫財，合用官印或財帛須精休旺言之。】

The term "branch" refers to the twelve Earthly Branches. Within the Earthly Branches, there are hidden Heavenly Stems. Each of the ten Heavenly Stems has its own position of strength, such as Jia's strength being in Yin, Yi's in Mao, and so on. One should take the Heavenly Stem of the birth day as the main reference, and use the Heavenly Stems hidden within the Earthly Branches of the year, month, and hour columns to determine fortune or misfortune: it may indicate wealth, official rank, longevity, or early death. For example, if the day stem is Jia, which belongs to wood, then metal is considered official rank, earth is considered wealth, seeing Bing fire indicates longevity, and seeing Yi wood or the wood trinity of亥,卯,未 indicates competition for wealth. Whether to use official rank or wealth must be carefully weighed according to their prosperity and strength before making a judgment.

運行則一辰十歲，折除乃三日為年。精休旺以為妙，窮通變以為玄。【行運則一辰十歲，折除乃三日為年。折除者，一年二十四氣，七十二侯。命有節氣淺深，用之而為妙。假令六甲日生人，以金為官印，得六月下旬生，則有官印者，有祖財。更若順行陽運，則為佳。逆行則運背矣。甲以金為官印，南方火能奪甲之貴。南方，火土之分，卻向財帛。若七八月尤佳。若六月上旬或中氣生，則無官。若年、月、時在申、巳、酉、丑位，更運行西方，則卻有官印，而亦榮顯也。若六月中氣或初氣下生，卻更看與時在寅午戌亥卯未之位，更天元有丙丁，只是商賈之命也。】

The essay states: Going through a big destiny period is governed by one earthly branch for ten years. Calculating the starting point of destiny is based on converting three days after birth into one year. Only those who can accurately distinguish the prosperity and strength, weakness and confinement of the Five Phases are considered skilled. Those who can thoroughly explore the principles of change and transformation are considered to have entered the profound. Xu Ziping explains: One destiny period corresponds to ten years, and the calculation is based on converting three days into one year. The term 'conversion' refers to the fact that a year has twenty-four solar terms and seventy-two climate divisions. Each person is born at different distances from the solar terms, some closer, some farther. By calculating according to these distances, the age of the starting destiny is determined, revealing its subtlety. For example, if someone has Jia as their day stem, Jia uses metal as its official seal. If born in the sixth lunar month, they have both official seal and ancestral wealth. If they proceed in the yang destiny direction, it is even better. If they go against the direction, it becomes 'opposite destiny'. Since Jia uses metal as its official seal, southern regions, where fire and earth meet, can take away Jia's noble status. However, southern regions are the boundary between fire and earth. Although fire takes away the official seal, earth is actually Jia's wealth. Therefore, it turns towards wealth. If born in the seventh or eighth lunar month, when metal is strong, it is even better. If born in the first half of the sixth lunar month or within the middle solar term, there is no official seal. However, as long as the year, month, and hour are in the positions of Shen, Si, You, or Chou, which are metal positions, and the destiny period moves towards the western metal direction, there will still be official seal and success. If born after the middle solar term or after the initial solar term of the sixth lunar month, one must further examine whether the year and hour fall in fire or wood groups such as Yin Wu Xu or Hai Mao Wei. If the heavenly stems also reveal Bing or Ding, then it is simply a destiny of commerce.

【其五行休旺，已具前述。凡看命見貴賤，未可便言，且精四柱內外，天元並三合有無克奪所有之貴。假令壬午日生，乃祿馬同鄉，切不可年、月、時、中有甲乙並寅卯，若春生則甲乙旺，土死則壬背祿也；若夏秋生雖見甲乙寅卯亦有官印；夏生土旺則官印旺也。秋生則甲乙絕而無害，餘仿此。假令壬子年，壬子月，丙申日，辛卯時。然，丙申、辛卯，天地六合。被太歲是壬子，更壬子月，二壬刑于卯位，此合而不合也。若丙取辛作妻，定因財致禍，而身災也。凡看命，切詳內外五行相合有無忌神，更看所用者內外天元得淺深向背而用之。】

The concepts of prosperity and strength, weakness and confinement in the Five Phases have already been discussed. When examining a birth chart and encountering signs of wealth or status, one should not hastily make a judgment. Instead, one must carefully examine the heavenly stems and earthly branches within and outside the four pillars, as well as the Triple Harmony, to see if anything is capable of overcoming or diminishing the existing wealth. For example, a person born on a Renwu day has the day stem Ren and the hidden stem Wu in the Wu position. The Wu position contains the stem Ding and Ji, which form a harmonious match with Ren, creating a favorable pattern known as "Lusha Tongxiang" (wealth and horse in the same native land). However, one must avoid the presence of Jia, Yi, or the branches Yin and Mao in the year, month, or hour. If born in spring, Jia and Yi wood are strong while earth is weak, and the official star Ji earth is overcome, leading to a reversal of fortune. If born in summer or autumn, even if Jia and Yi or Yin and Mao appear, there is still an official and minister relationship. In summer, earth is strong, so the official and minister are also strong; in autumn, Jia and Yi wood are weak and cannot overcome earth, so there is no harm. Other cases can be analyzed in a similar way. Another example is a birth chart with Renzi year, Renzi month, Bingshen day, and Xinmao hour. The heavenly stems Jia and Yi are in harmony, and the earthly branches Shen and Mao are in harmony, forming a favorable pattern of Six Harmony. However, the heavenly stem is Renzi, and the month is also Renzi, resulting in two Ren waters in the Mao position, which forms a conflict. This is called "he but not really he." If the fire is taken as the wife and wealth, it will certainly bring misfortune due to wealth, and the person themselves will also suffer calamity. Therefore, when examining a birth chart, one must carefully check whether there are any hostile gods within the harmonious relationships of the internal and external Five Phases. Then, one should examine the depth and direction of the qi of the used god in the heavenly stems of the internal and external pillars, and then make a judgment based on this.

其為氣也，將來者進，功成者退。如蛇在灰，如鱔在塵。【氣者，四時向背之氣也。假令，六甲六乙生日，春生，則無官；夏生，則有財；秋生則有官印重矣，若生時卻居寅午戌巳上，更有戊己丙丁在時中，則官減半言之。如本位犯丙丁南方火位亦奪甲之印也。五行當權者用之為福；不當權者用之，無慶。假令，金用火為官印，九夏生則向官，七月生則氣退，即官不遷進也。當用之神旺相，則有慶；死囚休敗則退也。又如，水命人以土為官印，卻得十月、正月、二月生，雖有土而不中用，以五行退則不當權，而休息，此論五行氣退罷權之道。如蛇鱔之在灰塵，則何可長久也？】

The essay says: When discussing the Five Phases' energy, the coming energy is called "incoming energy," and the energy after success is called "retreating energy." Things with retreating energy are like a snake trapped in ash or a eel buried in dust, unable to move. Xu Ziping explains: Here, "energy" refers to the energy of the four seasons, either supporting or opposing. For example, those born on Jia or Yi days, if born in spring, have no official position, because metal is dead and the official star is weak; if born in summer, they have wealth, because fire and earth are the wealth for Jia and Yi; if born in autumn, their official and minister stars are very strong. However, if their birth time is in寅, 午, 戌, or 巳, which are fire positions, and the time pillar also has Wu, Ji, Bing, or Ding, then the weight of the official star should be halved. If the original position is in Bing or Ding, southern fire, it will also take away the official and minister stars of Jia. For the Five Phases, if they are in charge and in season, using them brings fortune; if they are not in charge, using them brings no joy. For example, those with a metal destiny use fire as their official and minister star. If born in the height of summer, it is "favoring the official," but if born in July, when fire has retreated, the official cannot be promoted anymore. The god used for a purpose is fortunate if it is in a strong or flourishing state, but if it is in a dead, imprisoned, resting, or ruined state, it is retreating. Another example is those with a water destiny who use earth as their official and minister star. If born in the tenth lunar month, first lunar month, or second lunar month, even if there is earth in the pillar, it is of no use, because at this time, earth is not in charge and is resting. This is the reason for the Five Phases' energy retreating and losing power, just like a snake or eel falling into dust, how could they last long?

其為有也，是從無而立有；其為無也，天垂象以為文。【此五行論於絕地而建貴也，五行絕處有祿馬。假令，丁亥、丙子、庚寅、甲申、乙酉、戊寅、壬午、癸巳、己卯、己亥皆從無。天元受絕休囚之地，卻成貴強之位。鬼谷曰：干雖絕而建日。成鑑曰：受氣推尋胎月須深。亦當論生日天元破絶而貴也。賦言：五行窮絶處無也，絶中建祿則有也。凡此者，皆合大道，貴而清也。易曰：懸象著明，莫大乎日月。日月者，天之文也。陰陽之柄也。日往則月來，暑往則寒來，皆一生造化之文也。】

The essay states: what is called "having" is established from "non-having"; what is called "non-having" is the manifestation of heavenly signs that bring about brilliance. Xu Ziping explains: this passage refers to the Five Phases regaining noble energy in their dead places, and the dead places of the Five Phases actually conceal the presence of official power and horses. For example, the day pillars of Dinghai, Bingzi, Gengyin, Jiashen, Yiyou, Wuyin, Renwu, Guisi, Jimao, and Jihai all have the day stem sitting in a dead position, all belonging to "coming into being from non-being": although the heavenly stem is in a place of being cut off and weak, it becomes a position of nobility and strength. Guiguzi says "the stem is strong despite being in a dead position," and "The Complete Mirror" says "seeking the origin, the fetal month must be deep," both referring to the principle that the day stem overcoming its dead position can achieve nobility. The meaning of the essay is: when the Five Phases reach their extreme and dead positions, that is called "non-being," but when they can establish official power in the dead position, that is called "being." All such cases conform to the great way, indicating noble and clear destinies. The "Great Treatise" from the "Zhou Changes" says: the most visible and clear manifestations are none greater than the sun and moon. The sun and moon are the brilliance of heaven, the pivot of yin and yang's movement; when the sun sets, the moon rises, when summer heat departs, cold comes, all are the articles of life's transformations.

其為常也，立仁立義。其為事也，或見或聞。【五行者，在天為五星，在地為五嶽，在人為五臟。推而行之則為五常。常有可久之道則秉乎仁義者。易曰：立天之道曰陰與陽。立地之道曰柔與剛。立人之道曰仁與義。人之道非仁與義則不能立也。命遇金者必要木，有木者須要金，是謂有剛濟柔仁而尚勇。遇此格者多貴。賦曰：金木定其剛柔是也。】

The essay states: When discussing the constant principles, it is about establishing benevolence and righteousness; when discussing specific matters, some are clearly visible, while others are only known by name without form. Xu Ziping explains: The Five Phases manifest in the heavens as the five stars, on the earth as the five mountains, and in the human body as the five internal organs. Extending this concept to human relationships, it becomes the five constants: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness. "Constant" refers to something enduring, and enduring things rely on benevolence and righteousness to be maintained. The Zhou Changes (I Ching) says: Establishing the principle of heaven is yin and yang, establishing the principle of earth is soft and hard, and establishing the principle of humanity is benevolence and righteousness; if human conduct loses benevolence and righteousness, it cannot stand. In a person's destiny, if there is metal, there must be wood, and if there is wood, there must be metal. This is called balancing hardness with softness, having benevolence and also valuing courage. Those with such a configuration are often of high status. The essay later mentions "metal and wood determine hardness and softness," which means exactly this.

【其為也者，今術者將人生年月日時中支匹配吉凶作為也。或見者，年月日時上天元也。或聞者，支內人元也。甲在寅之類，又辰乃水土之庫，戌火庫，丑金庫，未木庫，辰中有乙是春木之餘氣，未中有丁是夏火之餘氣，戌內有辛是秋金之餘氣，丑中有癸是冬水之餘氣。有春分、秋分、夏至、冬至二十四氣七十二侯分陰陽所主之事以定貴賤。今術者看命而定吉凶，知見與不見之理，執法而善用之則為妙矣。】

The term "shi" refers to the practice of today's diviners who pair the heavenly stems and earthly branches of a person's birth year, month, day, and hour to determine auspiciousness or misfortune. The term "jian" refers to the heavenly stems of the four pillars, which are clearly visible. The term "wen" refers to the hidden heavenly stems within the earthly branches, which are known to exist but not seen, such as the hidden Jia within Yin. For example, Chen is the repository of water and earth, Xu is the repository of fire, Chou is the repository of metal, and Wei is the repository of wood. The hidden Jia in Chen represents the residual energy of spring wood, the hidden Ding in Wei represents the residual energy of summer fire, the hidden Xin in Xu represents the residual energy of autumn metal, and the hidden Gui in Chou represents the residual energy of winter water. In addition, the spring equinox, autumn equinox, summer solstice, winter solstice, the twenty-four solar terms, and the seventy-two climate divisions each govern specific matters under the influence of yin and yang. By using these to determine a person's status and fortune, today's diviners can judge auspiciousness or misfortune. If they understand the difference between what is visible and what is not, and can follow the rules skillfully, they can be considered truly skilled.

崇為寶也，奇為貴也，將星扶德，太乙加臨，本主休囚，行藏汩沒。【崇者，尊也。凡看命，主本元祿馬為奇，切忌別位歲月時中沖剋破本位，有損則或貴而輕也；損之重則貴而不貴也。生日厯貴地而日旺不可擊損也，故曰崇，為寶也。又如命中有掌壽、掌財、掌災福之辰，亦不可被別位制伏、刑剋、損奪，被損則有災禍。假令甲日生人，年月日時中庚來克身，有乙或卯巳午火，則能救之，也為福之地。不可被傷，禍聚之地不可無救。】

The text says: The one revered in one's destiny is considered precious; encountering the Three Marvels brings honor. If further aided by the General Star and the Virtuous Deity, with the Supreme Emperor and Nobleman influencing, one could achieve success. However, if the day master falls into a weak and confined position, his entire life's fortunes will remain hidden and unfulfilled. Xu Ziping explains: "Revered" means respect. When examining a person's destiny, the original strength of the day master's禄 and 马 are considered extraordinary. It is most undesirable for the year, month, or hour positions to conflict, harm, or disrupt the day master's position. If the damage is slight, although honor is present, its weight is reduced; if the damage is severe, then honor turns into nothing. If the day master is born in a favorable position and is strong, this must not be harmed, hence it is called "revered" and "precious." Similarly, the positions in the chart that govern longevity, wealth, and misfortune should not be controlled, harmed, or deprived by other positions. Once harmed, misfortune will follow. For example, if someone born on a Jia day has a Geng metal in the year, month, day, or hour that harms the day master, but the chart contains a Yi wood to harmonize with Geng, or卯, 巳, or 午 fire to control Geng, it can be resolved and becomes a place of fortune. In summary, places where fortune gathers must not be harmed, and places where misfortune gathers must have some remedy.

【三奇為貴者，謂年月日時內外三為匹配者，三奇祿馬則貴命也，更看祿馬所乘輕重而言之。三奇歌云：甲己六辛頭，乙戊向庚求，丙辛遭癸美，丁壬辛更優，戊癸逢乙妙，己壬並甲遊，庚乙丁須聴，辛甲丙同周，壬丁己堪重，癸丙戊何愁。將星者，月將也。扶徳者，徳辰也；又曰，六合也。假令，壬寅年、庚戌月、癸卯日、乙卯時，九月將在卯，扶其生日，更得九月金土六合，卯戌合，乙庚合，戊癸合，如此五行各不居休敗，則貴命也，可作兩府之上貴格言。雖生日取合前面貴氣，若亦本主休囚，即不為貴命也，只可作虛名言之。故曰：本主休囚行藏汩沒也。】

The concept of "Three Marvels as Wealth" refers to the matching of the inner and outer trigrams of the year, month, day, and hour, forming the Three Marvels along with the presence of a禄 and 马, which indicates a noble destiny. The weight of the禄 and 马's energy determines the level of nobility. The Three Marvels rhyme is as follows: Jia and Ji dry branches begin on the six Xin branches, Yi and Wu dry branches seek the Geng metal, Bing and Xin are best with癸 water, Ding and Ren are superior with Xin metal, Wu and Gui are excellent with Yi wood, Ji and Ren are harmonious with Ji wood, Geng and Yi depend on Ding fire, Xin and Jia are in harmony with Bing fire, Ren and Ding are strong with Ji earth, and Gui and Bing are secure with Wu earth. The term "General Star" refers to the Month General. "Supporting Virtue" refers to the De辰, which is the Six Harmony. For example, in a birth chart with Renyin year, Gengxu month, Guimao day, and Yimao hour: the Month General is in the卯 position, supporting the day's birth stem. It also coincides with the September metal and earth energies and the Six Harmony, with卯 and戌 in harmony, Yi and Geng in harmony, and Wu and Gui in harmony. Thus, each of the Five Phases is not in a state of decline, indicating a noble destiny, which can be classified as a top-tier noble rank in the two government offices. However, even if the birth day can harmonize with the above noble energies, if the day's stem is in a state of weakness and confinement, it is still not considered a noble destiny, but rather a hollow title. Therefore, the text says, "If the main stem is in a state of weakness and confinement, its potential is obscured and hidden."

至若勾陳得位，不虧小信以成仁；真武當權，知是大才而分瑞。【勾陳，戊己土也；得位者，戊己日生，臨於寅卯並亥卯位下，有官印長生、帝旺、庫墓，乃祿馬之鄉，不虧小信，以成仁者。土厚，主信也。更得位，則能成仁矣。此三奇貴人，即君子也。故曰：以成人之美也。賦曰：約文而切理者也。又曰：真武當權者，壬癸生日也。以壬午、癸巳、壬辰、壬戌、癸丑、癸未日生也，或四季月亦是，下有官印、祿馬旺相墓庫而成慶，此乃作上格貴命言也。】

The essay states: As for those who have the "Gou Chen" in position, they do not lose small trust and can achieve benevolence; those who have the "Zhen Wu" in authority, are known to be great talents who receive auspicious signs. Xu Ziping comments: Gou Chen refers to the earth elements Wu and Ji.the so-called "getting into position" means that people born on Wu or Ji days have their day branch located in寅, 卯, or 亥, 卯, where there is the growth and prosperity of official and seal, and the storage and tomb of the official and seal, which is the land of禄 and 马. Therefore, they do not lose small trust and can achieve benevolence. The nature of earth is thick and solid, and in the five constants it represents "trust"; adding the condition of being in position, they can achieve benevolence. Such people are the Three Marvels Nobleman, that is, the gentleman, so they can complete the good deeds of others. The essay's phrase "brief words and precise reasoning" refers exactly to this method of concise and accurate judgment. As for "Zhen Wu in authority," it refers to those born on Ren or Gui days, such as Renwu, Guisi, Renchen, Renxu, Guichou, and Guiwei, or those born in the months of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei. If their day branch has official and seal,禄 and 马, and is in a prosperous and strong or storage and tomb position, achieving auspiciousness, this can be judged as a top-tier auspicious destiny.

不仁不義，庚辛與甲乙交差；或是或非，壬癸與丙丁相畏。【前二句是貴命，切忌五行交差，甲己、乙庚、丙辛、丁壬、戊癸是陰陽相合而成貴命也。若甲見庚，乙見辛之類皆是五行陰陽不合而交差也，乃無福之命。更有交差之論，且如甲以金為官印，見火而亦曰交差，則不成慶也。更有十二支交差，如午與未合，卻被戌刑、丑破、卯辰破於未位，此亦曰交差。卯與戌合而忌辰沖、丑刑、戌未三刑也；辰與酉合，而忌午之破為害，餘可例求焉。是者五行和合也，成慶而貴也。非者，五行內外陰陽不起，即不是貴命也。丁畏癸、丙壬相畏故也。若丁見壬即為合，丙見癸即為官，一陰一陽曰道，偏陰偏陽曰疾，正合則為貴命，偏合不為貴命也。宜消息而言之。】

The text says: What is meant by not benevolence and not righteousness is when庚 and 辛 interact with 甲 and 乙; what is meant by either being true or false is when 壬 and 癸 interact with 丙 and 丁 in mutual fear and avoidance. Xu Ziping explains: The previous two sentences refer to noble destiny, which most strongly avoids the situation of 'intersecting' in the Five Phases. 甲 and 己, 乙 and 庚, 丙 and 辛, 丁 and 壬, 戊 and 癸, these are combinations of yin and yang that form noble destiny; if 甲 meets 庚 or 乙 meets 辛, these are cases of yin and yang not harmonizing, which are considered unlucky destinies. 'Intersecting' also has another meaning: for example, if 甲 takes metal as official seal, but fire appears in the column to overcome metal, this is also called intersecting, and the official star cannot become a favorable element. The twelve earthly branches also have intersecting situations: for example, 午 and 未 originally harmonize, but are harmed by 戌 and 丑, and 卯 and 辰 damage 未; this is also called intersecting. If 卯 and 戌 harmonize, then it is undesirable to have 辰 conflicting, 丑 harming, or 戌 and 未 conflicting; if 辰 and 酉 harmonize, then it is undesirable to have 午 harming or damaging. Other cases can be inferred in the same way. What is meant by 'is' is when the Five Phases harmonize to bring good fortune and nobility; what is meant by 'is not' is when the internal and external yin and yang do not function, and thus it is not a noble destiny. 丁 fears 癸 water, and 丙 fears 壬 water, for this very reason: if 丁 meets 壬, they form a harmonious combination; if 丙 meets 癸, it becomes a proper official. One yin and one yang combining is called 'Dao'; an excess of yin or yang is called 'Ji'. Harmonious combinations bring noble destiny, while biased combinations do not. In such cases, one should carefully consider before making a judgment.

故有先賢謙己處俗求仙，崇釋則離宮修定，歸道乃水府求玄。【固有達賢之士自謙而處俗塵，降心火而進於水府，養丹砂而成妙道矣。以看命言之，五行中有水火既濟之命也。又如丙子生人得亥子時或申子辰水位亦曰既濟。假令丙申、丙辰、丙子、丁亥、丁丑、丁酉生人或火以水相濟成慶，皆為水火既濟之命也。】

The text says: Therefore, in ancient times, virtuous people were humble and cautious, living in the world but yearning for immortality. Those who revered Buddhism practiced meditation in the palace of the heart (heart fire); those who followed Daoism sought profound mysteries in the water palace (kidney water). Xu Ziping explains: Originally, there were wise men who were humble and mingled with the mundane world, lowering their inner fire into the kidney water, nurturing cinnabar to achieve the profound way. In terms of fortune-telling, this is the destiny of "water and fire in harmony" in the Five Phases. For example, a person born on a Bingzi day who is born at the Hai or Zi hour, or whose year, month, and hour form the water trinity of Shen, Zi, and Chen, is also called "water and fire in harmony." For instance, those born on days of Bingshen, Bingchen, Bingzi, Dinghai, Dingchou, or Dingyou, have fire assisted by water to bring good fortune, and all these belong to the destiny of "water and fire in harmony."

是知五行通道，取用多門。理於賢人，亂於不肖；成於妙用，敗於不能。【取用多門謂：人命生處各自不同，基本亦異。吉凶向背，行運用法，所主者異兆。故曰：取用多門，即非一途而取軌也。亦要人用心消息五行所歸，即知吉凶也。賢達之人深悉造化，愚者豈能曉了？易曰：苟非其人，道不虛行是也。】

The text says: From this we can see that the Five Phases are originally a great principle that is interconnected, but the ways to apply them are numerous. The same principle, when handled by the virtuous, becomes clear and orderly, but when handled by the unvirtuous, becomes chaotic. Those who can skillfully apply it will succeed, while those who cannot will fail. Xu Ziping explains: What is meant by 'many ways of application' is that each person has their own time and place of birth, and thus the foundation of their destiny varies. The direction of fortune and misfortune, the method of using one's destiny, and the signs they indicate are all different. Therefore, there are many ways to apply the Five Phases, and one cannot simply follow a single method. This also requires people to be willing to carefully consider the direction of the Five Phases in order to understand fortune and misfortune. The enlightened and wise deeply understand the principles of creation and transformation, while the ignorant cannot comprehend them. The Great Treatise of the Zhou Changes says 'If it is not the right person, the way will not be practiced in vain,' which means exactly this.

見不見之形，無時不有；抽不抽之緒，萬古聯綿。【不見之形者，內天元也，庫墓餘氣節令也，沖刑剋破也及五行休旺匹配生死也。三合貴地，祿馬妻財父母皆不見之形也。只聞其有形，而用之自然應驗矣。凡取用法，則比蠶婦抽絲之妙。善取者，能尋其頭緒，自然解之得絲也。不善者，不知頭緒，萬古聯綿也。凡言命中貴賤吉凶，先得頭緒則災祥自然應驗矣。生時坐祿，甲日見寅時，乙日見卯時之類，時坐本祿，更看歲月有無刑沖剋破本祿，祿旺用之云云。】

The essay says: One must see the invisible forms and traces, which are always present; one must draw out the endless threads, which have continued since ancient times. Xu Ziping explains: The so-called 'invisible forms' refer to the heavenly stems hidden in the earthly branches, the repositories, graves, residual energies, and seasonal changes, as well as the conflicts, punishments, and destructions. They also refer to the matching of the five phases' prosperity, strength, weakness, and decline with life and death. The triple harmony, the positions of official, horse, wife, wealth, and parents, all belong to these invisible forms—though one may only hear of their form, they naturally work when applied. In all methods of selection, it is like the skill of a silkworm farmer drawing silk: those who know how can find the thread's beginning, and with a single pull, the silk comes out smoothly; those who do not know how cannot find the thread, and thus remain entangled forever. In judging a person's fortune, rank, and fortune, one must first grasp the thread. Then calamities and auspicious events will naturally follow. For example, if a person is born at a time when their day stem is sitting on its own禄 (favorable position), such as a person born on a Jia day with a寅 (Tiger) hour, or a person born on a Yi day with a卯 (Rabbit) hour, the hour branch is exactly sitting on the day stem's own禄. One must also check the year and month for any conflicts, clashes, destructions, or damage to this禄. Only when the禄 is strong and prosperous can it be used effectively. Other cases can be similarly inferred.

是以河公懼其七殺，宣父畏其元辰。峨眉闡以三生，無全士庶；鬼谷播其九命，約以星觀。今集諸家之要，略其偏見之能，是以未解曲通，妙須神悟。【此令術者既要見年月時取其有克而為用者是何，作官印用之，作官鬼用之，假令甲見庚或見申位為官為鬼，須見金木輕重之用言之。假令丙日生人逢亥七煞，亥中有壬，丙見壬為七殺。丁到子位，甲到申，辛到午，壬到巳，戊到寅，己到卯，庚到巳皆為七殺之地，主有災。如當生元有七殺，運更相逢即重矣，不利求財，主有災。如當生歲月日時元無七殺，則災輕。】

The text says: Therefore, He Shanggong feared the seven killing stars in his destiny, and Confucius was wary of the Yuanchen in his fate; the Emei Master expounded the doctrine of three lives, believing that scholars and commoners alike rarely have all ten virtues; the Ghost Valley Master spread the doctrine of nine lives, using the stars and constellations to compose his writings. Now, compiling the essentials from various schools, removing their partial and biased views, there are still some aspects not fully explained, which depend on the learner to grasp intuitively and understand deeply. Xu Ziping explains: This refers to the art of divination, which first identifies in the year, month, and hour pillars which one is the one that restrains the day master. It is either used as an official or as a ghost. For example, if someone born on a Jia day meets a Geng or the position of Shen, it can be either an official or a ghost, depending on the strength of the metal and wood elements. Again, if someone born on a Bing day meets the position of Hai, it is the seven killing stars, because Hai contains Ren, and Bing meeting Ren is the seven killing stars. Similarly, when Ding meets Zi, Jia meets Shen, Xin meets Wu, Ren meets Si, Wu meets Yin, Ji meets Mao, and Geng meets Si, these are all positions of the seven killing stars, which indicate calamity. If the original destiny already contains the seven killing stars, and then the person encounters them again in their life journey, the effect is especially severe, which is unfavorable for seeking wealth and may bring disaster. If the original birth chart does not contain the seven killing stars, the disaster is less severe.

【故賦中引宣父畏以元辰者，即非前位辰也，是當生年月日時位有七殺，害生月生時者，乃名元有元辰也，即為災重矣。虛中云：當生元有則凶重，無則凶輕。所以宣父畏以元辰者，是宣父命中元有煞害之辰也。又，戊見甲，己見乙為七殺，戊己人在十月生，正月生，雖生時居巳午或更有庚辛，亦夭壽，為土死不能生弱金，金囚不能勝旺木。賦云：建祿而夭壽。餘仿此。昔者，峨眉先生精通三命，每言貴賤，少有全者；鬼谷先生以九命之術，約以星宮為賦，比前賢自謙而言之，與物難窮，理則同也。】

Therefore, the passage cites "Xuan Fu feared his Yuanchen" referring to the Yuanchen here not as the usual position of the year before or after, but as the presence of seven killers in the original birth year, month, day, and hour, which also harm the birth month and hour. This is called "Yuanchen" in the original birth, and the calamity is severe. Li Xuzhong said: if the original birth has it, the evil is heavy; if not, the evil is light. Therefore, Confucius feared Yuanchen because his original birth included a harmful star. For example, Wu meeting Jia and Ji meeting Yi are both seven killers. If someone born on Wu or Ji day is born in the tenth month or the first month, even if the birth hour is in Si or Wu fire, or there are other Geng or Xin in the column to control the wood, they still tend to have short lifespans. This is because at this time, the earth is dead and cannot produce weak metal; metal is in captivity and cannot overcome the strong wood. The passage later says "establishing official post but dying young," which refers to this situation. Other cases can be inferred similarly. In the past, the Emei Master was skilled in the three destinies, and whenever discussing people's fortune and misfortune, he always said few had all ten aspects complete. The Ghost Valley Master used the nine destinies method, and wrote the passage with the star palace as the framework. Xu Ziping here compared with previous sages and humbly stated that the changes of all things are hard to exhaust, but the principles are the same.

臣出自蘭野，幼慕真風，入肆無懸壺之妙，遊街無化仗之神。息一氣以凝神，消五行而通道。【臣者，太子自稱於君父前也。生於內庭，有芝蘭之野之稱。真風者，自幼樂於五行之真理者也。昔有懸壺先生貨卜於市，國君聞而召之，先生拒命而不往，君令執之，先生預知，以仗化龍乘而去。息一氣者，天元也。五行者，金木水火土也。凝聚也，消散也。通道者，符合也。陰陽不偏，上下符合，則能知造化，而貴賤吉凶壽夭定矣。猶然自謙無化仗乘龍之為也。】

The essay states: I was born in the wild of chrysanthemum fields, having from childhood admired the true way of the Five Phases; when I entered the market to set up my shop, I lacked the miraculous skills of the Master of the Suspended Pot; when I roamed the streets, I did not possess the supernatural power of transforming a staff into a dragon. I can only cultivate my spirit by gathering the vital energy of heaven and earth, and understand the Five Phases to reach the great way. Xu Ziping comments: The term 'I' is a humble address used by a prince before his sovereign and father; growing up in the palace, there is the saying of 'the wild of chrysanthemum fields.' 'True wind' refers to having from childhood a fondness for the truth of the Five Phases. Once there was a Master of the Suspended Pot who sold divination in the market, and when the king heard of him, he summoned him to court, but the master refused to go. The king sent men to seize him, but the master knew beforehand and transformed his staff into a dragon, riding it away. 'Resting the vital energy' refers to the vital energy of heaven; 'Five Phases' refers to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. 'Consolidating' means gathering, 'dispersing' means dispersing, and 'reaching the great way' means mutual correspondence. When yin and yang are balanced and the upper and lower correspond, one can comprehend the workings of nature, and thus determine a person's status, fortune, and lifespan. The author still modestly claims to lack the ability to transform a staff into a dragon and ride it away.

乾坤立其牝牡，金木定其剛柔；晝夜互為君臣，青赤時為父子。【干陽物也，坤陰物也。凡看命，見五行陰陽匹配，上下相合不偏者為貴命也。若偏陽偏陰者，則五行有疾矣。金木定其剛柔者，且如，木用金為官印，其金秋生或帶壬癸水而克木，即剛也，謂金旺時，水木無火則金剛矣。若金生於春夏，木帶天元，人元有火，則木剛金柔也。】

The essay states: Qian and Kun establish the male and female, yin and yang; metal and wood determine the distinctions of strength and softness; day and night are like sovereign and minister to each other; green (wood) and red (fire) constantly form father and son relationships. Xu Ziping explains: Qian is a yang substance, and Kun is a yin substance. When observing a person's destiny, if the Five Phases and yin and yang are properly matched, and the upper and lower elements harmonize without being excessive or deficient, it is a noble destiny; if it is biased towards yang or yin, the Five Phases will be diseased. The phrase "metal and wood determine strength and softness" means: for example, wood takes metal as official and seal. If this metal is born in autumn or accompanied by壬癸 water to release wood and assist metal, then the metal is strong — metal is in its prime season, water releases wood and the column has no fire to restrain metal, so metal naturally becomes strong. Conversely, if metal is born in spring or summer, and wood is strong in the heavenly stem, while fire is hidden in the earthly branches, then the wood is strong and the metal is soft.

【晝夜互為君臣也，青赤時為父子者，丁壬合，生甲己，壬生甲，壬乃甲之母，丁乃甲之父。丁生己，己以壬為父，丁乃己之母。甲己再合生辛，甲生丙，丙辛再合生戊，辛生癸，戊癸再合，戊生庚，癸生乙，乙庚再合，乙生丁，庚生壬，丁壬再合復生甲己，周而復始。人只知，木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水生木，即不知陰生陰，陽生陽，陽產陰為父，陰產陽為母，丁乃甲之父，壬是甲之母，故云青赤時為父子。】

As for the saying 「day and night are like sovereign and minister」 and 「green and red are like father and son」, it refers to the principle of mutual generation among the ten heavenly stems. When Ding and Ren combine, they give rise to Jia and Ji. Ren water nourishes Jia wood, so Ren is the mother of Jia, and Ding fire is the father of Jia. Ding also gives rise to Ji earth, so Ji takes Ren as its father and Ding as its mother. Jia and Ji combine to give rise to Xin, with Jia giving birth to Bing. Bing and Xin combine to give rise to Wu, with Xin giving birth to Gui. Wu and Gui combine, with Wu giving birth to Geng and Gui giving birth to Yi. Yi and Geng combine, with Yi giving birth to Ding and Geng giving birth to Ren. Ding and Ren combine again to give rise to Jia and Ji, and so the cycle continues. People only know the principle that wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood, but they do not know the other layer, where yin generates yin and yang generates yang. The yin produced by yang is considered the father, and the yang produced by yin is considered the mother. Thus, Ding is the father of Jia, and Ren is the mother of Jia, which is why it is said 「green and red are like father and son」.

不可一途而取軌，不可一理而推之。時有冬逢炎熱，夏草遭霜；類恐陰鼠棲水，神鬼宿火。【假令，庚辛人冬至後逢丙丁者，則為官印，謂一陽生也。金逢火之生氣，是冬逢火熱也。夏草遭霜者，言丙丁人夏至後，逢壬癸而得用也，謂之一陰生，是火逢官之生氣。故曰：夏草遭霜。又，丙丁人冬至後生，雖遇七殺之鄉，亦作官印之用。偏陰偏陽，則有官而不清也。又庚辛人，夏至雖遇巳午未寅戌，亦可作官印用，亦苦不清。夏至後，陰氣深則為妙矣。若夏至氣淺，官雖發早，而不益壽。更詳元辰並運言之。】

The text says: One should not rely solely on one method or one principle; sometimes one may encounter situations where winter is actually hot and summer grass is subjected to frost, and there are strange phenomena such as mice living in water and spirits residing in fire. Xu Ziping explains: For instance, people born on庚 or 辛 days who are born after the winter solstice and encounter 丙 or 丁 fire, this is considered official star and seal, because after the winter solstice, the first yang begins to arise, and metal meets the life energy of fire, which is called "winter meets heat." The phrase "summer grass meets frost" refers to people born on 丙 or 丁 days who encounter 壬 or 癸 water after the summer solstice and can use it, because after the summer solstice, the first yin begins to arise, and fire meets the life energy of official star, so it is called "summer grass meets frost." For example, people born on 丙 or 丁 days after the winter solstice, even if they encounter the land of seven killers, they can still use it as official star and seal, but it is biased towards yin or yang, and the official star is not pure. People born on 庚 or 辛 days after the summer solstice, even if they encounter巳, 午, 未, 寅, 戌 fire lands, they can still use it as official star and seal, and it is also not pure. After the summer solstice, the deeper the yin energy, the better; if just after the summer solstice and the yin energy is still shallow, the official star may appear early, but it is not beneficial for longevity. These matters should be considered together with Yuanchen and the course of life.

【陰鼠棲水，如癸祿在子，為地元。神鬼宿火，如戊祿在巳，為人元也。丙以癸為官印，戊與癸為匹配，子與支德六合，癸以戊為官印須識陰陽造化、尊卑、順逆。戊以癸為財，丙以癸為官印，此與水火既濟之道。如冬逢炎熱，夏草遭霜，在學人深求之也。】

The phrase "yin mouse resides in water" refers to the fact that the jing (wealth) of Gui water is in Zi, which is the rat, and Gui is yin water; this is speaking about the earthly branches. The phrase "spirit and ghost mansion fire" refers to the fact that the jing of Wu earth is in Si, which is fire, and fire contains Wu earth; this is speaking about the heavenly stems hidden within the earthly branches. Bing uses Gui as its official and minister, and Wu and Gui are a pair of five harmonies in the heavenly stems. Zi also forms a six harmony with Chou, and Gui also uses Wu as its official and minister. All of these must be clearly understood in terms of the transformation of yin and yang, hierarchy, and the direction of flow. Wu uses Gui as its wealth, and Bing uses Gui as its official and minister; these principles are all consistent with "water and fire in harmony." Phenomena such as "cold in winter meets heat" or "summer grass meets frost" are abnormal and require scholars to explore deeply on their own.

是以陰陽罕測，志物難窮。大抵三冬暑少，九夏陽多，禍福有若禎祥，術士希其八九。【禎祥者，為應。前賢比其五行吉凶應驗矣。如天子親耕曰禎祥，務天下民勤於耕種，田中種穀則生穀苗，時至七八月則穀熟，而為祥。元種豆苗，時至七八月豆熟，而成祥。其五穀下種各有時也，則收成也。地內曾種，則望成。更有良田萬傾，不曾耕種，則遇大熟之歲而亦無可收，不得禎祥也。此論人命八字內外元無官印，則運臨官印之地，亦不發官印，為年月日時中元無貴氣。論財亦論元有元無也。】

The text says: Therefore, the principles of yin and yang are hard to measure, and the circumstances of all things are difficult to exhaust. Generally speaking, in the three coldest months, the heat is scarce, while in the three hottest months, the yang energy is abundant; the fulfillment of fortune and misfortune is like the abundance or scarcity of crops, which have signs to follow. It is already difficult for a practitioner to predict eight or nine out of ten cases. Xu Ziping comments: "Zhenxiang" refers to the fulfillment of fate, and predecessors used it as a metaphor for the efficacy of the five phases' auspicious and inauspicious signs. For example, when the Son of Heaven personally plows the籍田, it is called zhenxiang, with the intention of encouraging the people to work hard in farming. When seeds of millet are planted in the field, they grow into millet sprouts, and by the seventh and eighth months, the millet matures, which is considered auspicious; if beans are planted instead, by the seventh and eighth months, the beans also mature, and this is also considered auspicious. Each of the five grains has its own appropriate time for sowing; only by sowing at the right time can there be a harvest. If the land has previously been cultivated, then one can expect a yield. Conversely, even if one has a hundred thousand acres of good land that has never been cultivated, even if there is a great year of abundance, there is nothing to harvest, and thus no zhenxiang. This is a metaphor for the original八字 of a person's birth, which may not have the official seal or the imperial seal. If one's fortune reaches the official seal or imperial seal in the course of life, it still cannot produce official positions, because there was no such noble quality originally in the year, month, day, and hour. The same principle applies to wealth; one must first check whether the original destiny contains it.

或若生逢休敗之地，早歲孤窮；老遇建旺之鄉，連年偃蹇。若乃初凶後吉，似源濁而流清；始吉終凶，狀根甘而裔苦。【假令，庚辛人秋七八月生者是也，金以木為財，木絕。以火為官印，火死。早歲孤窮謂生日為父母絕，則為無祖財，亦無官印，則早歷艱難也，準此。若或運臨祿馬貴官之鄉，亦多偃蹇而不成福。初凶者，生月凶逢於休敗也。後吉者，生時得地也，居財旺並官印旺地，運行向所臨之位，卻為有慶。止為初年之滯，中年晚年有福也。故曰：源濁、伏呤是也。】

The text says: Some people are born in places where the elements are weak and confined, and they suffer from loneliness and poverty in their early years; others only meet a prosperous and strong environment in their old age, yet still remain in continuous hardship. As for those who first experience misfortune and then good fortune, it is like a muddy stream that eventually becomes clear; those who first experience good fortune and then misfortune are like a sweet root that turns bitter at the tip. Xu Ziping explains: For example, people born on庚 or 辛 days, if they are born in the seventh or eighth months of autumn, metal is considered to have wood as its wealth, but at this time wood has already reached its end; metal is considered to have fire as its official and seal, but at this time fire has already died. The term 'early years of loneliness and poverty' refers to the birth day being in the place where parents' elements are weak and confined, so they have neither inherited wealth from ancestors nor official and seal positions, thus enduring hardship in their early years. Such people, even when their fortune reaches the place of wealth, noble officials and horses, are mostly still in hardship and cannot achieve blessings. The term 'initial misfortune' refers to the birth month being in a bad place and being in a state of weakness and confinement; the term 'later good fortune' refers to the birth time being in a favorable position, sitting on a place of wealth or official and seal strength, and when their fortune moves towards that direction, they will have good fortune—only the early years are obstructed, but middle and later years will have blessings. Therefore, this is called 'source turbid' and 'hidden rhyme' type of destiny.

【若生月為鬼克身，若生時有救是源濁之類，五行活法則度，如遇五行交錯，但消息勝負而言之。有命有祖財而生者，少年富貴，故云：始吉。如生時不得地，或祖敗官，或身災疾。更背于吉地，則為凶也。至於晚年祖財破盡，終身困苦。雖有富貴之家，生時失地，更不得運，故曰：終凶。裔者，苗也。如苦物而不堪也。此先富而後貧也。】

If the month of birth is a seven killer ghost that harms the self, but there is another saving element in the hour of birth, it also falls under the category of "source turbid but flow clear." The living method of the Five Phases is only a general standard; when the Five Phases are intertwined, one should judge based on the strength and weakness between them. Some people are born into families with ancestral property and achieve wealth and status in their youth, so it is called "initial good fortune." However, if they are not well positioned at birth, or lose the official position of their ancestors, or suffer many illnesses themselves, and then encounter bad luck in their later years, they become unfortunate. By old age, the ancestral property is completely lost, and they live a life of hardship. Even if one is born into a wealthy family, if they are not well positioned at birth and do not encounter good fortune in their life, it is called "final misfortune." "Yi" refers to the end or branches, like bitter things that are hard to taste. This describes a fate where one starts rich but ends poor.

觀乎萌兆，察以其元，根在苗先，實從花後。【欲知運內吉凶，先看根元勝負。根元有貴則運臨貴地而發貴，根元有財，運臨財地而發財。根元有災則運臨災而有災也。貴賤吉凶自有根苗則無不結實而應驗矣。】

The essay states: To observe the initial signs of a destiny, one should start from its fundamental essence; the root is always before the sprout, and the fruit is always after the flower. Xu Ziping explains: To know the fortune or misfortune in great years, one should first examine the strength and weakness of the original destiny's root. If the root contains noble qualities, then when the destiny reaches a noble place, it will manifest nobility; if the root contains wealth, then when the destiny reaches a wealthy place, it will manifest wealth; if the root carries calamity, then when the destiny reaches a calamitous place, calamity will occur. Whether noble or humble, fortunate or unfortunate, as long as the original destiny has root and sprout, in the end, it will surely bear fruit and manifest clearly.

胎生元命，三獸定其門宗；律呂宮商，五虎論其成敗。【胎生元命者，乃人之年月日時所得天元、人元、支元也。三獸者，寅午戌之類是也。門宗者，一類也如寅午戌火之類。五虎者，支也，持大運逆順，生日向背數而行之。假令，甲寅生午逢庚戌也，亦曰鬼。庚戌見丙午之類，賦曰：五虎者，以寅為首也，此乃五陽相剋也。論其成敗者，有救而身旺則成；無救而身衰則敗也。好事者宜精詳之。】

The essay states: The layers of "womb," "birth," and "original destiny" are determined by the three earthly branches in the triple harmony to establish their lineage and category; the coordination of the five tones and musical scales is discussed using the "five tigers" to assess success or failure. Xu Ziping explains: The term "womb, birth, and original destiny" refers to the heavenly stem, human stem, and branch stem obtained from the four pillars of a person's year, month, day, and hour. The "three beasts" refer to three earthly branches in triple harmony, such as寅, 午, and 戌; the "lineage and category" means belonging to the same group, like 寅, 午, and 戌 all belonging to the fire group. The "five tigers" refer to the earthly branches, and their calculation depends on the direction and reversal of the big years and the prosperity or decline of the birth day. For example, a person born on 甲寅 encountering 戊午 with 庚戌 is called a ghost; similarly, 庚戌 encountering 丙午 is the same principle. The "five tigers" mentioned in the essay refer to the five yang stems starting with Jiayin, namely Jiayin, Bingyin, Wuyin, Gengyin, and Renyin, discussing the mutual control among the five yang stems. Regarding success or failure: if there is a saving force and the day stem is strong, it is considered successful; if there is no saving force and the day stem is weak, it is considered a failure. Those who are interested in this should carefully examine and analyze.

無合有合，後學難知；得一分三，前賢不載。【無合者，年月時中取財而無財，取貴而不貴，取合而不合，兼之以根在苗先，實從花後，此乃八字內有根而方發苗。又云禍福者，然八字內外無合而有合在別位之內，內外五行刑沖剋破於別位之祿，停住不得，至令飛走。三合就於本命生日相合或寅刑巳內丙戊，巳酉丑三合就走馬。】

The essay states: Clearly there is no harmony, yet there is harmony; this layer is the most difficult for later learners to grasp. From one position, it is divided into triple harmony, but the writings of earlier scholars do not mention this. Xu Ziping explains: The term 'no harmony' refers to the situation where in the year, month, and hour pillars, one attempts to find wealth but finds none, seeks nobility but does not find it, and tries to form harmony but fails to do so. When combined with the principle 'the root comes before the sprout, and the fruit follows after the flower,' it means that within the八字, there is first a root, and then the sprout emerges. As for good and bad fortune: sometimes the八字 itself does not have harmony, but harmony is hidden elsewhere. When the five elements inside and outside the八字 clash, conflict, or overcome each other, the hidden禄 in other positions is displaced. This禄, which was originally stationary, is then driven out by the clash, and turns back to form a harmonious combination with the day master. For example, if寅 clashes with巳, the hidden丙 and 戊 in巳 are driven out by the clash, and then are brought to the horse position through the triple harmony ofSi-You-Chou (Metal triad).

【假令甲子年丙寅月癸丑日辛酉時，若論官則背祿而不貧。以八字內外三元無戊，兼正月土死，其背祿明矣。卻被寅刑巳，丑破巳，甲子遙克於巳，而巳內有丙戊被刑破，破而飛走出巳，三合就馬，巳酉丑月三合，丙就辛酉，戊就癸丑而合癸，癸以戊為官印，此乃無合有合也。故後學難知，誠也，信也。】

For example, in a birth chart with Jiazi year, Bingyin month, Guichou day, and Xinyou hour: if we consider the official star, it is said to be in a position of back luck but not poverty. There is no Wu earth in the eight characters, both internal and external, and in the first month, earth is in the state of death, so the back luck is clear. However, Yin branch harms Si, Chou branch breaks Si, and Jiazi branch remotely and indirectly harms Si. The hidden Jing of Si, which includes Bing and Wu, is harmed and broken, and thus flies out of the Si position, following the triple harmony to the horse position. The Si, You, and Chou form a trinity, so the flying Bing fire goes to Xinyou, and the flying Wu earth goes to Guichou to combine with Gui. Gui uses Wu as its official star and minister. This is called 'no combination but there is a combination'. It is no wonder that later learners find it difficult to understand; this statement is indeed credible.

【古歌曰：虎生奔巳豬猴定，羊擊豬蛇自然榮。有合無合歌：飛祿飛來就馬騎，資財官職兩相宜，王中更得本家助，上格榮華寶貴奇。人歌：志節二八廉貞女，四面豬猴獰似虎，先看天元乘地馬，後邊集路教侵取。得一者，既見有寅刑巳，丑破巳，而丙戊被刑破而出，則便宜分三而行。既得巳位為用，便是三合巳酉丑也。須有酉丑，上有癸辛字則為有合之命。雖刑而祿出，無合則不佳也。前賢者，為賦以前賢人也。立此一訣之門。後作賦者，又指說得一合而三合見頭緒，則作三合取吉凶也。】

An old song says: "The tiger runs to Si, the pig and monkey are determined; the sheep strikes the pig and snake, naturally prosperous." There is also a song called "The Song of Union and Non-Union" which says: "Flying fortune comes to ride the horse, wealth and official position are both suitable. If the king also receives help from the native family, the highest level brings extraordinary prosperity and wealth." There is another song called "The Human Song" which says: "A woman of integrity and virtue, with the two virtues of廉贞, surrounded by four sides, the pig and monkey are fierce like tigers. First look at the heavenly stem riding the earthly horse, then the path behind is to take it by force." The term "getting one" refers to the situation where the寅 is seen to harm the巳, and the丑 is seen to break the巳. The丙 and 戊 within the巳 are harmed and broken, and thus fly out. In this case, one should proceed with the Triple Harmony. Since the巳 position is taken as the main element, it is the harmony of巳,酉, and丑. The column must contain both酉 and丑, and these must be revealed by the癸 and辛 respectively, in order to be considered a "harmonious" destiny. Although the fortune is flown out by the harm, if there is no place to harmonize with, it is still not good. The term "previous sages" refers to the sages who wrote this essay before, who established the method of this诀; later writers of essays then pointed out that by harmonizing "getting one" into the Triple Harmony, one can see the outline, and thus judge fortune and misfortune according to the Triple Harmony.

年雖逢於冠帶，尚有餘災；初至於衰鄉，猶披鮮福。【此言冠帶大運也。假令，庚辛日人初年無祖財，又自戊酉逆行，皆歷無財敗祿之運，喜逢未運是財旺之地，只可言方入祿運漸向泰也，只言從此運後所求遂意，後五年方有三五分福也。運氣淺深而言之，淺則福淺，深則福厚也。庚辛見未為冠帶，緣運自西方而來久閒於財祿。故有，尚有餘災也。言先歷貴旺之鄉或建財之地已成大器，而方交入敗宮失財之地，未可作大敗之運言之。只可言，自入此運不甚遂意，謂前運久歷貴強之地，根基極厚，雖臨敗運，未至大損，故初運入衰鄉，猶披鮮福也。】

The text says: Although the current year has already reached the place of "capping," there are still remaining calamities; just entering the land of decline, one still wears fresh blessings. Xu Ziping explains: This refers to the "capping" great destiny. For example, those born on庚 or 辛 days, in their early years have no ancestral wealth, and their fortune has been moving from戊酉 in reverse, experiencing only years of losing wealth and losing official rank; when they reach the year of 未, which is a wealthy storage place, it can only be said that they have just entered the official rank and are gradually turning towards prosperity, meaning that from this point onward, their wishes are still somewhat fulfilled, but it is not until the next five years that they will have a few parts of blessings. This depends on the depth of the fortune: shallow fortune brings shallow blessings, deep fortune brings thick blessings. For 庚 and 辛, 未 is considered the "capping" because the great fortune has been coming from the west, long idle in wealth and official rank, hence "still has remaining calamities." As for the next sentence, it refers to those who have previously passed through noble and prosperous places or built wealth areas, having already achieved great success. When they first enter the declining place where wealth is lost, it cannot be directly considered as a great defeat. It can only be said that since entering this phase, things are not very smooth; because the previous fortune has long been in noble and strong places, the foundation is very solid, so even though encountering a declining fortune, it does not cause great loss. Hence, entering the declining place, one still wears a few new blessings.

大段天元羸弱，宮吉不及以為榮；中下興隆，卦凶不能成其咎。【天元者，干也。雖臨祿馬之地，若天元被傷而本氣羸弱，則亦不能為榮。假令壬午人四月生，更別位戊己相剋，貴而不貴也，可作虛名及無祿言之。然，壬午宮吉，而天元無氣，更加重重戊己來克，故名不貴矣。又云，不及者，上下五行休旺不相負也。又如庚辛日人正月生，更別位有重重火相剋於金，其金見寅卯甲乙而亦無祖財，而木中旺火必害其金而成災，此亦是天元羸弱，而宮內有財不得而發矣。其餘五行仿此言之。】

The essay says: Generally, if the heavenly stem is weak, even if the palace position is favorable, it will not bring honor or success; conversely, if the middle and lower stems are strong and prosperous, even if the hexagram is unfavorable, it will not cause misfortune. Xu Ziping explains: "Heavenly stem" refers to the heavenly stem. Even if the day stem is in a favorable position such as the禄 or 马, if it is injured and weak in its own energy, it will not bring honor or success. For example, a person born on a Renwu day in the fourth month, with other positions having heavy戊 and 己 earth torestrain, will be honored but not truly prosperous, and can only be interpreted as having a false reputation or no official rank. The Renwu column is originally a favorable palace position, but because the heavenly stem has no energy, and is further oppressed by heavy戊 and 己 earth, it becomes famous but not prosperous. The term "not reaching" refers to the mutual inability of the five elements to support each other in terms of prosperity and weakness. Another example is a person born on a Geng or Xin day in the first month, with other positions having heavy fire torestrain metal. Even if the metal sees寅, 卯, 甲, or 乙, it will still not have ancestral wealth. The strong fire hidden in the wood will certainly injure the metal and cause disaster. This is because the heavenly stem is weak, and although there is wealth in the palace, it cannot be expressed. The rest of the five elements can be inferred in the same way.

【中者，人元也。下者，支元也。假令十月壬建其祿，亥乃水之旺鄉，此乃中下興隆也。若丁亥日人十月生，乃火絕於亥，其丁生絕地，乃為丁卦之凶也。不能成其咎者，謂丁以壬為官印，而中下祿馬建旺而成慶，雖火臨絕地尚為中下之貴。《成鑑》曰：祿雖絕而建貴。是也。《陶朱》云：絕祿旺財不為凶兆也。丙人十一月生，壬癸人十二月生並辰戌丑未，金人正月生，木人七八月生，土人亥卯未月生，皆臨貴旺之地謂消息也。】

The term "zhong" refers to the heavenly stem hidden within the earthly branch, also known as the person's original energy. The term "xia" refers to the branch itself, or the branch's inherent energy. For example, if someone is born in the tenth month with the heavenly stem Ren water, the branch Hai is the旺 place for water, which means both the hidden heavenly stem and the branch itself are flourishing. If someone is born on a Ding Hai day and is born in the tenth month, fire is in its绝 position in Hai, and the Ding fire is sitting on a绝 position, which makes the Ding "hexagram" inherently凶. However, it is said that "it cannot bring about misfortune," because the Ding relies on Ren as its official and seal, and the hidden heavenly stem and the branch itself are both in their旺 positions, thus bringing good fortune. Even though fire is in its绝 position, it still remains a noble and prosperous position. The "Cheng Jian" says "although the official is in its绝 position, it is still considered noble," which is exactly this meaning. The "Tao Zhu" also says "if the official is in its绝 position but the wealth is prosperous, it is not considered an ominous sign." In addition, cases such as a person born on a Bing day in the eleventh month, or a person born on a Ren or Gui day in the twelfth month, or a person born in the months of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei with a metal destiny, or a person born in the first month with a wood destiny, or a person born in the seventh or eighth month with a wood destiny, or a person born in the month of Hai, Mao, or Wei with a soil destiny, all fall into a position of prosperity and strength. These should all be considered according to this principle.

若遇尊凶卑吉，救療無功；尊吉卑凶，逢災自愈。祿有三會，災有五期。【尊者，年月日時內外三元有最得力者是也。賦云：崇為寶也，尊也。假令六甲生人以庚及申為七煞，若大運則庚及申為祿絕之鄉，致身災也，所為不能遂心。又如甲乙以庚辛為官，大運至巳午，又見寅午戌是也。神得氣定，甲乙失官也。若甲乙人秋生，甲以辛為官，乙以庚為官，或二木用申為官，此乃鬼旺之鄉，甲木全藉乙木或亥卯未為救。若遇行年太歲克木，或火運有害乙木之官，使甲被克，凶也。元本甲藉賴乙配於庚，次用庚為偏官，若乙被害，則甲亦凶也。所謂緊用之者，不可受害也。乙既被害，則甲天元醫療無功也。五行為主者，病重而不能救也。】

The essay states: If the side that is considered 'respectful' is凶 and the side that is considered 'humble' is吉, there is no way to save the situation; conversely, if the 'respectful' side is吉 and the 'humble' side is凶, even if disaster occurs, it will heal itself. The period of禄 has three phases, and the period of灾 has five phases. Xu Ziping explains: The 'respectful' refers to the most powerful among the three elements of year, month, day, and hour, which are internal and external. The essay earlier said 'reverence is valuable', where reverence means respect. For example, if the day stem is Jia, then Geng and Shen are the seven killers. If the big year moves to Geng or Shen, this is the place where the day stem loses its strength, leading to personal disaster, and the person's actions will not be as desired. Another example is that for Jia and Yi, Geng and Xin are the officials. If the big year moves to Si or Wu, and the column also has the fire trinity of Yin, Wu, and Xu, the fire god gains strength and becomes established, causing Jia and Yi to lose their officials. If a person born on Jia or Yi day is born in autumn, Jia takes Xin as its official, Yi takes Geng as its official, or both Jia and Yi take Shen as their official, this is the place where the ghost is strong. Jia wood relies entirely on Yi wood to harmonize with Geng, or on the wood trinity of Hai, Mao, and Wei to save itself. Once the heavenly stem of the year is strong enough to harm wood, or the fire cycle harms the official star of Yi wood, causing Jia wood to lose its protection and be harmed, disaster will occur. Originally, Jia relies on Yi to match with Geng, and only then does Geng serve as a secondary official. If Yi is harmed, Jia will also be in danger. This means that the key element used in the fortune must not be harmed. If Yi is harmed, Jia's heavenly stem has no way to be saved. When the five elements of a person's destiny reach this level of illness, there is no way to recover.

【若年月日時內外三元雖有克戰，但不損外尊者即逢自愈也。更切消息所損之神主何貴賤而言之。害命則身災，害妻則妻災，害官則失官。與行年不和則主上位不喜，不宜。干上位若沖擊行年歲君則主有不測官訟，小人橫事不足，或主身病。故曰：尊凶也。假令甲乙以巳酉丑申子辰為祿，甲以巳酉丑為祿，即三會也。乙為五期之災，乙以申子辰三會為祿之命，大運行於官鄉，更行年太歲是三會之年，與本命位主本相生，會於祿馬，則此年定遷官進祿也。若太歲本命八字及大運內外不合，更大運在鬼旺之鄉，五期之歲，定作災矣，更精所生向背言之。】

If the heavenly stems and earthly branches of year, month, day, and hour, both internal and external, have conflicts, but as long as the outer "respected" deity is not harmed, disasters can be self-healed. Additionally, one must carefully examine which deity is injured and which aspect of importance or status it represents: if the life is harmed, then the person himself will suffer disaster; if the wife star is harmed, then the wife will suffer disaster; if the official star is harmed, then there will be loss of position. If the day stem is in conflict with the current year's stem, it indicates that the superior does not like the person, and nothing auspicious will occur; if the heavenly stem impacts the current year's stem, it indicates there may be unexpected lawsuits or disputes, or interference from small people, or the person may fall ill. All these are called "respected malevolent forces." Furthermore, regarding the three combinations and five periods: Jia and Yi use Si, You, Chou and Shen, Zi, Chen as their禄 (favorable positions), Jia uses Si, You, Chou as its禄, which is called "three combinations." Yi, on the other hand, may face disasters related to the five periods—those whose destiny is based on Shen, Zi, Chen as their禄, if their big year (large destiny period) falls in the official's area, and the current year's stem happens to be a year of three combinations, and the stem of the destiny and the main stem of the person are mutually generating and combining with the禄 and horse, then that year will certainly bring promotion and gain in official position. Conversely, if the current year's stem does not harmonize with the destiny and the big year, and the big year falls in the area of the ghost's strength, and the current year happens to be a year of the five periods, disaster will certainly occur. Here, one must also carefully distinguish the direction of the generated energy before making a judgment.

凶多吉少，類大過之初爻；福淺禍深，喻同人之九五。【此兩卦卦爻，以此人命四柱之中，三元內外元無貴氣者，更運背祿馬則為凶，可知矣。】

The essay says: A fate with more misfortune than good fortune is like the First Line of the Great Excess hexagram; a fate with shallow blessings and deep misfortunes is like the Nine in the Fifth of the Fellowship hexagram. Xu Ziping explains: The essay uses these two hexagram lines as metaphors to indicate that in a person's four pillars, if the three elements inside and outside are originally devoid of noble qualities, and if one's fortune is also contrary to the benefits of official positions and horses, then it is a fate of misfortune, and the outcome is clear. The Great Excess hexagram originally has the image of a beam bending, and the First Line is located at the very bottom of the hexagram; the Nine in the Fifth of the Fellowship hexagram, although eventually able to meet with like-minded people, must first experience wailing sorrow and bitter warfare. Both hexagrams convey the meaning of difficulties coming first and meager blessings.

聞喜不喜，是六甲之虧盈；當憂不憂，賴五行之救助。【如甲乙用庚辛為官印，乃為喜也。卻正月二月五月十一月生，雖見金而無官印。謂正月庚絕，二月受氣，五月金囚，十月金病，十一月金死。故曰：聞喜不喜。當憂不憂者，如甲人見庚，或甲在七煞之地，如年月日時中有乙或卯字，或甲春生，或三位內有丙丁火多助，不憂也。乙為合庚夫，庚親，甲為妻之兄也。若無乙有卯亦得。若十月十一月生，雖有丙丁亦不能為用，謂火無氣不能克金。若無乙字卯字，即用為憂也。其餘準此。】

The text says: Hearing good news is not actually good news, this is the principle of the waxing and waning of the Six Heavenly Stems; when one should be worried, there is no need to worry, because of the assistance of the Five Phases. Xu Ziping explains: For example, Jia and Yi take Geng and Xin as official seals, which is normally a good thing; however, if born in January, February, May, or November, even if there is metal in the pillar, it cannot form an official seal. This is because in January, Geng is at its end; in February, it is just beginning to gain strength; in May, metal is in captivity; in October, metal is sick; in November, metal is dead. Therefore, it is called "hearing good news but not being happy." As for "when one should be worried, there is no need to worry," for example, if someone born on Jia day sees Geng, or if Jia is in the position of seven killing, as long as there is a Yi or a卯 in the year, month, day, or hour, or if Jia is born in spring, or if there are Bing or Ding fire in the three positions to control the killing, there is no need to worry. Yi can combine with Geng, which is Geng's spouse; thus, Geng becomes a relative of the family, and Jia to Yi is like an elder brother—so the brother-in-law does not harm the elder brother. If there is no Yi but there is a卯, it is also effective. However, if born in October or November, even with Bing or Ding fire, it is of no use, because fire has no strength and cannot overcome metal. If there is neither Yi nor卯, then one should truly worry. The rest can be judged by this principle.

【假令六甲生人，以辛為官，三春九夏，庚辛囚休。雖見申酉之位並庚辛，而不成慶也。謂金囚故也。春生甲日則克妻，無財無妻，一生少病。三月生，則為財庫，夏生則有父母財，歲時有亥子，則為甲之生旺，有辰戌丑未為財帛，有申酉位，則好學。有始無終，更看運行逆順向背，如向遇鬼克，則橫發官資，運背則逢財擊運而不發。逢金亦不發官，謂金土元居休敗，故不獲福。】

Suppose the day stem is Jia. For Jia, the official is Xin. If someone is born in spring or summer, the metal elements Xin and Geng are in a weak and confined state. Even if there are the positions of Shen and You or the elements Geng and Xin appearing in the sky, they will not bring good fortune, because metal is in a state of being confined. Those born in spring with Jia as the day stem tend to have difficulties in marriage, lacking both wealth and a wife, but they are likely to have few illnesses throughout their lives. Those born in the third month are sitting on the treasure house of wealth. Those born in summer can inherit wealth from their parents. If there are the positions of Hai or Zi in the year or hour, that is the growth and strength of Jia. If there are the positions of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, that indicates wealth. If there are the positions of Shen or You, it suggests a tendency to study, but it is unfortunate that the effort is not sustained. In addition, one must also consider the direction and nature of the fortune's flow. If the fortune flows in a favorable direction and encounters a harmful element that restrains, it can lead to sudden success in officialdom. If the fortune flows in an unfavorable direction, encountering wealth may not result in success, and even encountering metal will not bring official success, because metal and earth are originally in a state of decline, so they cannot bring good fortune.

【假令乙生人，以庚為官印，春夏生無官。正四月克庚最重。乙以土為財，春正二月，土死無財。三月為乙之財庫，有祖財。然申為學堂，亦有始無終，皆謂金休敗。又如乙見庚為官，雖歲時位內有庚金或有申酉之金，若見天元有丙則亦無官。此乃見庚而不用，乃聞喜不喜之謂也。乙若四月生，時居亥子或申子時水鄉，則卻有祿，謂四月是金之長生也。乃乙遇官之辰，生兼有水鄉，制其火而成慶，亦不清。如胡茂老，丁卯年，庚戌月，戊寅日，癸亥時。九月二十八生，八歲八個月退運，節氣極深。起運將年月日時節氣向背，乃上下三元匹配，有兩三奇，八字俱無一字閒，皆祿馬同鄉，不三臺而八座。以運臨乙巳，被當生癸亥沖擊，大運並刑，提綱罷權也。賦云：與生地之相逢，宜退身而避位。】

For example, a person born on an Ethereal Yin day takes Geng as their official star. If born in spring or summer, they lack official status, especially in January and April when Geng is most heavily restrained. Ethereal Yin takes Earth as wealth, but in the first and second months of spring, Earth is dead, so there is no wealth; in the third month, which is Ethereal Yin's wealth repository, there is ancestral wealth. Although Shen is Ethereal Yin's Xuetang, it still ends without beginning, because metal is in decline. Moreover, Ethereal Yin meeting Geng is originally the official star. Even if there is Geng metal or Shen or You metal in the year or hour positions, as long as the heavenly stem reveals Bing fire to overcome Geng, there is still no official status—this is the meaning of 'hearing of joy but not enjoying it.' If Ethereal Yin is born in April, and the hour is seated on Hai, Zi, or Shen, Zi water, there is a禄, because April is the long life of metal, Ethereal Yin meets the official star at this time, and with water controlling the fire in Si, it becomes auspicious. However, it is not pure enough. Take Hu Maolao's birth chart as an example: born on Dingmao year, Gengxu month, Wuyin day, Guihai hour, on the 28th of September. He started his fortune at the age of eight and eight months, moving backwards, with the solar terms very deep. When starting the fortune, the solar terms of the year, month, day, and hour were combined to see their alignment and opposition, with the upper and lower three yuan matching each other, carrying two instances of Sanqi, and there were no idle characters in the birth chart, all were禄 and Ma same hometown. Even without entering San Tai, he would hold a position of eight seats. However, when the big fortune reached Yisi, it was impacted by the original birth's Guihai, and the big fortune also conflicted with it, causing the month's main element to lose its authority. The essay later says 'meeting the birth place, it is suitable to retreat and avoid the position,' referring precisely to this situation.

八孤臨於五墓，戌未東行；六虛下於空亡，自干南首。【干在戌亥之間，假令甲子旬中，戌亥空亡也。戌未東行者，戌東行見丑，未東行見辰。如見生命內八字三元上下居於辰戌丑未內，人元被破而支虛，則一生孤立少骨肉，或為僧道，遊走入舍之命。其於福氣，可詳所稟之氣，察夫命向背言之為妙。】

The text says: The Eight Solitary Spirits appear at the Five Tombs, with戌 and 未 moving eastward; the Six Void positions fall beneath the Kongwang, starting from the Qian position and moving south. Xu Ziping explains: The Qian position is between戌 and亥; for example, in the Jiazi cycle, the Kongwang falls on戌 and亥. The phrase '戌未 eastward movement' means that戌 moves east to meet Chou, and 未 moves east to meet Chen. If in the original birth chart the three elements above and below all fall within the groups of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, and the hidden heavenly stems in the branches are broken by clashes, the branches become void positions, leading to a life of isolation, few relatives, or a monastic life, or a life of wandering and living with others. As for the thickness of fortune, it should be examined in detail according to the qi received, and the direction and orientation of the birth chart should be considered before making a judgment.

天元一氣，定侯伯之遷榮；支作人元，運商徒而得失。【天元者，十干也。支者，十二支也。定侯伯之遷榮者，將為主，天元配其人元而定其吉凶貴賤也。支作人元者，令好事者，八字內外五行作為也。運商徒而得失，看見支下有財無財，賦意令看命者，先看其有官印高低，有者次看財命如何，有財則得財，無財則失財。如得大運，即將為主，天元循環而推之。每交一運，先看運下有何吉凶，次看運命八字，無有何吉凶。元有官則發官，元有財則發財，有災則發災。若當生年氣深，則迎運前發其災福。中氣則主中停，如氣淺，則所居欲交前運而方發災福。更看逐年太歲如何。賦云：根在苗先，實從花後。宜消息之。】

The essay states: "The heavenly stems form a single energy, which can determine the promotion and honor of officials and nobles; the earthly branches, as the human elements, can predict the gains and losses of merchants." Xu Ziping explains: "Heavenly stem" refers to the ten heavenly stems, and "branch" refers to the twelve earthly branches. The phrase "determining the promotion and honor of officials" means using the day stem as the main element, matching the heavenly stems with the hidden heavenly stems within the earthly branches to determine fortune and status. The phrase "earthly branches as human elements" means one should carefully examine the five elements within and outside the birth chart for detailed analysis. The phrase "predicting the gains and losses of merchants" refers to checking whether there is wealth in the earthly branches. The essay's intention is for those who examine destinies to first check for the presence of official and seal elements and their strength; after confirming the presence of official and seal elements, they should then examine the wealth element: if there is wealth, it is gained; if not, it is lost. When examining large years, one still uses the day stem as the main element, proceeding according to the cycle of heavenly stems. Each step of the large year should first check what auspicious or inauspicious elements are present in the branch, then check the fortune resulting from the combination of this step with the original birth chart: if the original chart has official elements, official fortune is achieved; if it has wealth, wealth is achieved; if there is misfortune, misfortune occurs. If the birth time is close to the solar term, misfortune or fortune will occur before the large year begins; if it is at the middle solar term, it will occur in the middle of the large year; if it is far from the solar term, it will occur when the next large year is about to begin. In addition, one should also examine the annual heavenly stem. The essay says, "The root is before the sprout, and the fruit comes after the flower," which should be carefully considered in this way.

但看財命有氣，逢背祿而不貧；若也財絕命衰，縱建祿而不富。【如壬癸人生在三春或見寅午戌，而八字內外或有甲乙二字，即為背祿矣。壬癸以戊己為官印，被甲乙寅卯克奪去官印，即無官也。唯有水克火為財，春生火旺，故曰：財命有氣也。十干背祿，甲乙日生見丙丁，丙丁見戊己，戊己見庚辛，庚辛見壬癸，壬癸見甲乙，見之背祿無疑。假令生日為甲，歲月時上有丙丁若居巳午，皆背祿。以辛為官，辛是丙之妻，丁之正財，自然奪辛金。甲祿既背於丙丁，卻有戊己，甲可取戊己為妻財，而為了福矣。賦云：背祿而不貧也。更須精五行休旺，居支干方位並休旺矣。】

The essay states: As long as wealth and destiny are strong, even if one is in a position of reversed officialdom, poverty will not occur; but if wealth is exhausted and destiny is weak, even with an official position established, wealth will not be achieved. Xu Ziping explains: For example, a person born on a壬 or癸 day in spring, with the column containing寅,午,戌 fire trinity, and with甲 and乙 present in the column or outside, this is considered reversed officialdom.壬 and癸 take戊 and己 as official and seal, but now these are being taken by甲 and乙 and寅 and卯, so the official and seal are lost, as if they do not exist. What remains is only the water overcoming fire, which is the wealth star. In spring, fire is strong, so the wealth star is strong, hence it is said "wealth and destiny are strong." The method of reversed officialdom for the ten heavenly stems is: 甲 and乙 see丙 and丁, 丙 and丁 see戊 and己, 戊 and己 see庚 and辛, 庚 and辛 see壬 and癸, 壬 and癸 see甲 and乙. When this occurs, it is definitely reversed officialdom without doubt. For example, if someone is born on甲 day, and the year, month, and hour contain丙 and丁, and they are located in巳 and午, this is considered reversed officialdom. 甲 takes辛 as official, but辛 is the wife wealth of丙 and the official wealth of丁. Therefore,丙 and丁 naturally take away the gold of辛. The official and wealth of甲 have been taken by丙 and丁, so if the column contains戊 and己, 甲 can take戊 and己 as wife wealth, thus becoming prosperous. The essay's statement "reversed officialdom without poverty" refers to this meaning. In addition, one must carefully distinguish the prosperity, strength, weakness, and confinement of the five phases, and see where they are located in the heavenly stems and earthly branches, and whether they are in season.

【建祿不富，六甲人正月生，逢丙寅，是生月建祿也，甲祿在寅，故曰建祿而不富也。正月土病，甲以戊己為財，寅卯乃土病之地，雖建甲之正祿旺，而無祖也。生月為父母，故無祖財也。死妻，多數而孤。若歲時位內有亥卯未或有乙干，故三妻之上，主一世貧窮。作事多虛詐，為人大樣。或論官，則名目而已，權印極輕。謂無金，只見甲之本祿。而春生，則一生少病。若當生歲時得辛未、癸未、癸酉、辛亥、戌丑則佳。然金土本主休囚，賴於金土分野，為官印為財，如得此歲扶，小慶之命。大運遇巳酉丑位，則官印財帛，奮發而亦不崇顯也。謂金土絕死。賦云：根在苗先，實從花後。故也。】

Now speaking of "built禄 but not rich": For someone with Jia as the day stem, if born in the first lunar month and the month pillar meets Bingyin, this is considered built禄 because Jia's禄 is in Yin. Therefore, built禄 leads to not being rich. In the first month, the earth is weak, and Jia relies on Wu and Ji as wealth. Yin and Mao are the weak places of earth; although Jia's禄 is built and the body is strong, there is no ancestral fortune. The month pillar represents parents, so there is no ancestral wealth. The wife star is dead or buried, and the wife's palace keeps changing but eventually ends in loneliness. If the year or hour pillar contains the wood trinity of Hai, Mao, and Chen or reveals the Yi stem, it will cause the death of three wives, indicating a life of poverty. One's actions are often empty and deceitful, yet one maintains a high posture. Regarding official positions, it is only a name, with very little authority and power—because there is no metal in the pillar, only Jia's original禄. Fortunately, those born in spring have strong wood and thus fewer illnesses in life. If the year or hour pillar contains Xinhai, Guiwei, Guiyou, Xinwei, or Xu, Chou, it is considered good; however, metal and earth are naturally weak and confined, relying on the areas of metal and earth to serve as official positions and wealth. If such years provide support, it is considered a minor fortune. When the big year reaches Si, You, and Chou, although official positions, wealth, and resources can flourish temporarily, one will never achieve high status, because metal and earth are dead here. The essay says, "the root comes before the sprout, and the fruit comes after the flower," which is exactly the meaning here.

【若當生歲時位內無金土之貴，則遇金土而不發官印財帛也。謂歲時月內外元無金土之貴，則遇吉運而亦不發福。謂主本元無也。故云：福星臨而禍發，以表凶人。謂運臨貴地，而不發福以表。當生歲時所稟富貴極厚，而運臨劫財七煞之地，雖敗財敗官亦自有喜。謂所乘福氣之厚也。】

If the original birth year and hour do not contain the noble qualities of metal and earth, then encountering metal and earth in one's fortune will not bring about official positions, seals, wealth, or riches. In other words, if the original birth year and month, as well as the hour, do not inherently possess the noble qualities of metal and earth, then even encountering a favorable fortune will not bring about blessings, because the original birth chart simply lacks such elements. Therefore, the text later says, "When the fortune star arrives, misfortune arises, indicating a wicked person," referring precisely to those who encounter favorable fortune locations but cannot produce blessings. Conversely, if the original birth year and hour contain extremely deep and abundant wealth and nobility, even if one's fortune encounters劫财 (robbery star) or七杀 (seven killers), although there may be loss of wealth and official positions, there will still be joy and good fortune, because the original fortune is already rich and abundant.

【六乙人，二月生是也。若歲時位內有申，並巳酉丑，則官印稍得為用，至輕也。如歲時位內天元有庚，則尤佳。歲時若居辰戌巳上，則為乙之財亦妙矣。丑為貴地，財官兩美，若月時位內有亥卯未，或更別位天元上見甲乙或寅位，則一生財帛不聚，克三妻以上，亦無祖財，為性好剛，亦平生少病。謂木春生而身旺鬼絕也。三月，金方受胎，雖破命而長年也。乙卯以辛或酉為七煞，以春生金絕，運逢金為財庫。巳為背祿而有財，午未見財多而不成。成鑑曰：絕破皆空，五行支枯也。逢申運則財發，官得權，凡事遂意。若當生歲時元有申位，則依前申寅篇內究之。其五行活法，未見歲時分野之氣，亦未可一途而取軌也。】

Now looking at the day stem of Yi: a person born on the day of Yi in the second lunar month is in this situation. If there is a Shen in the year or hour position, it forms the metal trinity of Si, You, and Chou, and the official and minister (official and minister in the context of the Five Phases) can be usedwith difficulty, but the strength is very weak. If the heavenly stems in the year or hour position reveal Geng, that would be even better. If the year or hour position is on Chen, Xu, or Si, that is Yi's wealth, which is also good. Chou is considered a noble position, where both wealth and official are harmonious. However, if there is a wood trinity of Hai, Mao, and Wei in the month or hour position, or if the heavenly stems in other positions reveal Ji or Yi, or the earth branches reveal Yin, then the person will not be able to retain wealth, will have to marry three or more wives, and will not have ancestral wealth. The person's character is strong and ambitious, but they will have few illnesses in their lifetime—because wood is born in spring, the day stem is strong, and the official and ghost (official and ghost in the context of the Five Phases) are weak. Gold is only born in the third lunar month, so even though the original pattern is broken, the person can still live a long life. The column of Yi and Mao takes Xin or You as the seven killer (seven killer in the context of the Five Phases). Born in spring, gold is weak, and when the fortune moves into metal, it becomes a treasure house. When the fortune moves into Si, it is against the official and has wealth. When the fortune moves into Wu or Wei, there is a lot of wealth, but it cannot be achieved. The "Cheng Jian" says: when something is broken or cut off, it is empty, and the five elements' earth branches become dry. When the fortune moves into Shen, wealth can be developed and official power is obtained, and everything goes smoothly. If the original birth year or hour already has the position of Shen, then refer to the previous section about Shen and Yin. The ways of the five elements are countless and change constantly. Without clearly understanding the positions of the year and hour and their corresponding elements, one should not follow a single method blindly.

【六丙人，四月生是也。四月水絕，若歲時得癸亥、壬子、壬戌、癸卯、甲子，則官稍得，此亦鬼絕，而用鬼為官印也，然不清。亦可作有用之命，然一生坎坷。若歲時內無壬癸亥子，則是建丙火本家祿主之命。論六甲乙之命言之，亦無祖財。若臨午未，則妻死三數，一生無財祿，出軍班吏人，名目極卑。六丁人五月生是也。謂丁祿在午，丁以庚辛為財，五月金休敗，無祖財，或因主克妻。若歲時有亥子申辰水，則為官用，然名目不清，亦且入仕，向武臣止大使臣，文官京朝而已。若歲時居巳戌或干頭有戊己土則名目而已。權印祿輕，情性動作亦同甲乙，皆是建旺本祿五行，別無造化而不君子也。】

Now consider the day stem丙 (Bing): a person with丙 as their day stem born in the fourth month is in this situation. In the fourth month, water is exhausted. If the year or hour stem has Guihai (Guihai), Renzi (Renzi), Renxu (Renxu), Guimao (Guimao), or Jiazi (Jiazi), the official star can still have some presence. This is a case where the official star, though exhausted, is used as a minister star, but it is not pure, and it can still be considered useful, though the person will have a difficult life. If the year or hour does not have壬 (Ren), 癸 (Gui), 亥 (Hai), or 子 (Zi), then it is simply a day stem with the fire of丙 building its own禄 (wealth). As discussed in the case of甲 (Jia) and 乙 (Yi), this also means there is no ancestral wealth. If the day branch is 午 (Wu) or 未 (Wei), then the person will lose three wives and have no wealth or official rank, mostly coming from a background of military or administrative officials, with very low status. Now consider the day stem丁 (Ding): a person with丁 as their day stem born in the fifth month is in this situation. The禄 (wealth) of丁 is in 午 (Wu), and丁 takes 庚 (Geng) and 辛 (Xin) as its wealth. In the fifth month, metal is in rest and decline, so there is no ancestral wealth, or the person's own strength is too strong and may harm the wife. If the year or hour has亥 (Hai), 子 (Zi), 申 (Shen), or 辰 (Chen) water, these can be taken as the official star, but the status is unclear. Such people can still enter officialdom, and if they follow the military path, they may reach the rank of a major official, but if they follow the civil path, they can only become a local official or a court official. If the year or hour has巳 (Si) or 戌 (Xu), or if the heavenly stem reveals 戊 (Wu) or 己 (Ji) earth, then it is only a name, with light authority and light wealth. The temperament and behavior of such people are the same as those of甲 and 乙, as they are all building a strong禄 (wealth) in their own element, with no other transformations, so they cannot be considered as the fate of a gentleman.

【六己人五月生是也。謂己祿在午，己以壬癸為財，五月以水囚無祖財也，克妻三數，子見而不立。運逢財而不聚，作事厚而有理，性好靜，可言語。若歲時內有甲有寅則為正官為福，亦妙。有亥卯未則為偏官，干頭有乙則為鬼而不克身，謂甲乙夏死身旺鬼絕也。以甲為官，亦嫌木死而官卑。如歲時辛亥、庚子、癸丑或申子辰，則財但得亦無大富也。六戊人四月生是也，謂戊祿在巳。戊以壬癸為財，四月水絕無財，克妻。見子多而不立，致有絕嗣。戊雖旺而鬼死，謂之偏易也。故賦云：眷屬憂其死絕。若歲時居申子辰水位，則子晚見而不絕也。止有一數，餘同上論。】

Now consider the day stem Ji. A person born on Ji day in the fifth month is in this situation. The Ji stem's strength is in the hour of Wu. Ji uses Ren and Gui as wealth. In the fifth month, water is in decline, so there is no ancestral wealth. The person will have three marriages, and the son will be difficult to establish. When encountering wealth in the fortune, it is hard to retain it. The person is loyal and orderly in work, has a quiet nature, and is good at speaking. If the year or hour contains Jia or Yin, then the official position is a blessing, which is good. If there is a wood triple combination of Hai, Mao, and Wei, it is considered a biased official. If the heavenly stem reveals Yi, although Yi is considered a ghost, it cannot harm the person, because Jia and Yi die in summer, and the day stem is strong while the official and ghost are in decline. Taking Jia as the official, it is also considered unfavorable because the wood is dead and the official position is low. If the year or hour is Xinhai, Gengzi, or Guichou, or the triple combination of Shen, Zi, and Chen, wealth may be obtained, but it will not lead to great wealth. Now consider the day stem Wu. A person born on Wu day in the fourth month is in this situation. The Wu stem's strength is in the hour of Si. Wu uses Ren and Gui as wealth. In the fourth month, water is in decline, so there is no wealth and the wife is harmed. Although many sons are seen, they are difficult to establish, and there is even a risk of no descendants. Wu is strong, but the official and ghost are in decline, which is called biased rather than proper, so the text says, "family members worry about the decline and extinction." If the year or hour is in the water position of Shen, Zi, and Chen, the son will be born later but not extinct, and only one will be obtained. Otherwise, it is the same as the previous discussion.

【六庚人七月生是也。謂庚祿在申，論官則建庚之干祿。金以木為財，七月木絕，若上旬生，則有祖財，謂有六月金餘氣，未為木庫，雖臨木絕之鄉以七月氣而尚有三五分庫財之福也。運至酉戌破盡也，酉戌乃庚之劫財。故賦云：小盈大虧，恐是劫財之地。加以戌刑未，祖財所以破盡也。若中旬末旬生，則無財也。或歲時居寅卯並亥未，則生財而亦不廣。若太歲臨於酉戌，又無財也。若歲時干有丙丁，居於東南方位，亦為官印。若歲時支並卻有壬癸，則無官也。若歲時居巳午更兩位干是戊己，則有官祿而不清不顯，以秋火無氣故也。陶朱云：若逢天元凶例遇鬼則父子不親。壬癸時，庚辛為母，以丙丁為妻，被水克去丙丁，所以庚辛背也。運行午火旺地亦發福，則只是暫得時而已，終不成大器也。】

Now looking at the day stem Geng: a person born on a Geng day in the seventh month is in this situation. The Geng stem's strength is in Shen, so when considering official positions, it is considered to have established its own stem strength. Metal takes Wood as wealth, but in the seventh month, Wood is at its end. If born in the first ten days of the seventh month, there is still ancestral wealth, because it still carries the residual energy of the previous month's Metal. Wei is the Wood storage place, so even though it is in the Wood's end, the energy of the beginning of the seventh month can still retain some of the stored wealth. However, when the fortune moves to You and Xu, all wealth is destroyed. You and Xu are exactly the places where Geng's wealth is robbed, so the text says "small gain, great loss, fearing the place of wealth robbery." Moreover, Xu harms Wei, thus the ancestral wealth is completely ruined. If born in the middle or last ten days of the seventh month, there is no wealth at all. Or if the year and hour are in Yin or Mao, or Hai or Wei, even though they can generate wealth, it is not abundant. If the heavenly stem of the year and hour is also You or Xu, there is still no wealth. If the heavenly stems of the year and hour are Bing or Ding, and they are in the Southeast direction, one can hold an official position. But if the earthly branches of the year and hour also have Ren or Gui, the official position is lost. If the year and hour are in Si or Wu, and the heavenly stems of these two are Wu or Ji, then there is official position but not clear or prominent, because fire in autumn has no strength. The "Tao Zhu" text says: if one encounters a case of heavenly stem being evil and meets the official ghost, there is no closeness between father and son. Taking the hour stem of Ren or Gui as an example, Geng and Xin are the mothers, and Bing and Ding are the wives. Water overcomes Bing and Ding, so Geng and Xin are separated from the official star. When the fortune moves to Wu, the fire's strong place, there can be a temporary fortune, but it is only a temporary advantage and cannot become great.

【六辛人八月生是也，建祿臨官，財印亦以六庚同論。若辛亥、辛卯、辛未，財則不缺，亦無大績。未為辛之財庫，卯為辛之財鄉，亥為辛之財長生，皆為支內支財也。以八月財絕命衰，縱建祿而不富也。此三辛，財且薄，其餘皆依庚論。如庚申、辛酉、辛丑，吉凶之論。如辛巳時有貴而有官印亦輕。六壬人十月生是也，壬以丙丁為財，十月火絕，以戊己上絕。賦云：己巳戊辰度乾宮而有厄。是也。常術以水土絕於四月，其水固絕土。非也，土絕在亥，故以十一月生人，運到亥為厄運也。其壬十月無土無火，乃財絕命衰也。壬亦以戊己為鬼，十月戊己絕，假令歲時位有戊己或戌丑未，可作官印用，亦不為鬼。賦云：若乃身旺鬼絕，雖破命而長年是也。六癸人十一月生是也，癸祿居子，論財，論官印，論鬼，亦依干祿仿言之。】

Now looking at the day of Xin: A person born on Xin day in the eighth month is in this situation. With the day stem being Xin, the person has both the establishment of fortune (建禄) and the officialdom (临官), and the wealth and official star are treated the same as on the day of Geng. If born on Xin Hai, Xin Mao, or Xin Wei, wealth is not lacking, but there is no great achievement. Wei is the wealth repository for Xin, Mao is the wealth land, and Hai is the growth of wealth for Xin, all belonging to hidden wealth in the earth branches. However, in the eighth month, wealth is at its end and the destiny is weak, so even though there is the establishment of fortune, wealth cannot be accumulated. On these three days of Xin, wealth is thin, and the rest are treated according to the day of Geng. For pillars such as Geng Shen, Xin You, and Xin Chou, the fortune and misfortune are also judged in the same way. If the time is Xin Si, although there is a noble atmosphere, the official star and the official star's helper are light. Now looking at the day of Ren: A person born on Ren day in the tenth month is in this situation. Ren takes丙 and丁 as wealth, but in the tenth month, fire is at its end. The official star戊 and己 are also at their end here. The text later says 「己巳戊辰度干宫而有厄」, referring exactly to this situation. Usually, diviners think that water and earth both reach their end in the fourth month, but actually, only water reaches its end in the fourth month; the end of earth is at Hai, so a person born in the eleventh month who reaches the year of Hai in their life journey will face misfortune. Since Ren has neither earth nor fire in the tenth month, it is both wealth at its end and destiny weak. Ren also takes戊 and己 as ghosts, and in the tenth month,戊 and己 are at their end. If there are戊 or己, or the branches戌,丑, or未 in the year or time position, they can be used as official star and official star's helper, and should not be considered as ghosts. The text later says 「若乃身旺鬼绝，虽破命而长年」, which means exactly this. Now looking at the day of Gui: A person born on Gui day in the eleventh month is in this situation. Gui's fortune is in Zi; when discussing wealth, official star, and ghosts, they are all compared according to the example of the day stem's fortune.

若乃身旺鬼絕，雖破命而長年；鬼旺身衰，逢建命而夭壽。【身旺者，甲人正月生，甲以金庚為鬼，即可為堂之用，不可作鬼。謂之庚鬼自然絕，而不能害其甲，雖破命而長年也。又經云：身衰者，如甲人秋生，秋金旺乃甲木絕，甲雖逢寅卯建祿之地，與庚金相逢，雖則重重之救必夭壽也。】

The text says: If the day master is strong and the official ghost is weak, even if the destiny is broken, one can enjoy a long life; if the official ghost is strong and the day master is weak, even if one has a prosperous destiny, it will result in a short life. Xu Ziping explains: When the day master is strong, for example, a person born on a Jia day in the first lunar month, Jia uses Geng metal as the official ghost. At this time, the official ghost can be considered as a useful element rather than a ghost, because in the first lunar month, the Geng ghost naturally resides in a dead position and cannot harm the Jia wood. Therefore, even if the destiny is broken, one can still live a long life. The classic also states: When the day master is weak, for example, a person born on a Jia day in autumn, autumn metal is strong and Jia wood is in a dead position. Even if Jia encounters寅 and卯, which are the places of prosperity, once it meets Geng metal, even with many rescues, it will ultimately result in a short life.

背祿逐馬，守窮途而悽惶；祿馬同鄉，不三臺而八座。【如六甲人生在三春九夏，天元更帶丙丁，則背祿也。逐馬者，甲逢乙或亥卯木克，逐馬也。甲以金為官印，春金絕，夏金囚，更歲月時中帶天元丙丁，則甲背祿。甲以己土為財為馬為妻，被乙並亥卯克逐去己土，則甲無財而無官，必克妻也。故云。餘皆仿此推之。】

The essay states: Those who have lost their luck and have their horse driven away can only be trapped in a desperate situation, feeling sorrowful and helpless; but if luck and horse are in the same place, they may not hold the position of San Tai, yet they are worthy of the honor of Ba Zuo. Xu Ziping explains: For example, if someone with Jia as their day stem is born in spring or summer, and the heavenly stem also carries Bing or Ding, this is called losing luck. The term 'driving away the horse' refers to Jia encountering Yi wood or meeting亥 or卯 wood, which will weaken the earth, thus driving away the horse. Jia takes metal as official seal; in spring, metal is weak, and in summer, metal is imprisoned. If in the year, month, or hour, the heavenly stem also carries Bing or Ding, Jia loses his luck. Jia also takes己 earth as wealth, horse, and wife. Now, if Yi wood and亥 or卯 wood weaken己 earth, Jia loses both wealth and official seal, and will certainly harm his wife. Therefore, the essay says so. Other cases can be analyzed in the same way.

【假令壬午生，下有丁己是三奇，祿馬同鄉，更要生時不在休敗，如得庚午時，則時中庚自坐祿，以庚制其甲，辛制其乙，使壬存己土即祿重也，無失而早發矣。若壬午日得壬寅月時，則背祿也。謂寅中有甲奪己土，即壬無官也。寅中卻有火生則依上論。如冬生則減半言之，秋生卻有祿，謂木絕不能奪土。秋土懷金，金生壬生癸，木絕火死，所以不能克土。若歲月時中有亥卯未，亦能破己土，卯亦破午。如歲月時中無爭奪沖刑墮壞，則貴可定兩府，更切精休旺言之為妙。賦云：祿馬同鄉，不三臺而八座是也。若有為害之位，更精為害之休旺，量力而言。】

For example, if someone is born on a Renwu day, the day branch 'wu' contains 'ding' and 'ji', which are the Three Marvels. Moreover, the day branch belongs to the same group as the heavenly stem, which is favorable. In addition, the birth time should not fall in a weak or declining position. If the time is Gengwu, the heavenly stem 'geng' sits on its own禄 (favorable position), and 'geng' can control 'jia', while 'xin' can control 'yi'. This allows the 'ji' earth official star of 'ren' to be protected, making the禄 (favorable position) strong and stable, thus enabling early success. However, if the day is Renwu and the month or time is Rennyin, it is considered a back禄 (reverse禄), because 'yin' contains 'jia' which will take away the 'ji' earth, leaving 'ren' without an official star. However, 'yin' also contains 'bing' fire, which can generate earth, so it should be considered according to the above. Those born in winter should be viewed with half the weight, while those born in autumn have a禄 (favorable position), because wood is exhausted and cannot move the earth. In autumn, the earth contains metal, which generates 'ren' and 'gui', and wood and fire are exhausted and dead, so they cannot overcome the earth. If there is a wood trinity (亥卯未) in the year, month, or time, it can also break the earth, and 'mao' can also break 'wu'. If there is no conflict, clash, or destruction in the year, month, or time, then the person can be considered of high status, and it is important to carefully distinguish between the prosperous and strong and the weak and confined. The passage says, 'Lù Mǎ Tóng Xiāng, Bù Sān Tái Ér Bā Zuò', which means this very idea. If there is a harmful position in the column, one must also carefully distinguish the strength of the harmful god, measure its power, and then make a judgment.

【成鑑云：更須四被無侵，多獲吉慶。雲無全士庶，為百全之命也。謂如太宰唐公命，丙午年，庚子月，壬午日，丙午時。何謂貴？謂壬午日，干起丙午上，丙字來克子上庚字，子上庚即被丙來克，則避丙卻於午位，壬字乃庚之子，再得丙午時，丙又不與壬位，又來子位，二丙在子，皆為丙口，兩丙皆歷貴地。賦云：歸道乃水府求元。皆是丙癸造化也。庚午居干又是三奇祿馬同鄉，此云飛天祿馬也。天元動作出入，惟十二支辰不動，為屬地也。】

The Chengjian says: It is also necessary that there be no infringement from any direction, in order to gain much auspicious fortune. The previous statement "wuquan shishu" refers precisely to this kind of perfect and complete destiny. For example, the destiny of the Grand Minister Tang Gong: born in the year Bingwu, in the month Gengzi, on the day Renwu, and at the hour Bingwu. Why is this considered noble? Because the day Renwu follows the day Bingwu, and the Bing (Jia) is able to overcome the month's branch Zi, which contains Geng. The Geng in Zi is overcome by Bing and thus retreats to Wu, and Ren is the son of Geng. Furthermore, the hour Bingwu comes again, and this Bing does not take the position of Ren, but returns to Zi, so both Bings are in Zi, both becoming the mouths of Bing. Both Bings are also in noble positions. The essay says "guidao nai shufu qiu xuan," which refers precisely to the transformation between Bing and Gui. Gengwu is in the heavenly stem, and also the three marvels, the noble horse, and the native land, which is called "fei tian lu ma." The heavenly stem is active and changes, while the twelve earthly branches remain still, because they belong to the earth.

官崇祿顯，定知夾祿之鄉。小盈大虧，恐是劫財之地。【謂夾祿，戊辰日戊午時，丁巳日丁未時，己未日己巳時，壬戌日壬子時，癸丑日癸亥時。凡見夾祿者，不可本祿上有歲月所占，佔了則官實也，實則不能容物也。官不崇顯也。其祿比盛物之器，空則容物，有祿占，非真夾祿也。假令宋景陽郎中命，庚午年，丁亥月，己未日，己巳時。兩己夾午中之祿也，卻不合庚午太歲，實了午位，又十月沖動，己巳夾祿不穩，即不至清顯也。如此之命，華而不實也。凡見夾祿不穩，徒有虛耳，不可作夾祿論之。假如王中命，甲寅日，甲子時，二甲夾丑，丑乃金庫之鄉，乃甲之貴地，公運行辛丑，除通判，丑運足而交庚子，被大運庚子克了子上甲字，乃夾祿不住，走了貴氣，一旦壞盡。所以福聚之地不可被傷，福聚之地不可無救，其餘夾祿夾貴仿此。】

The text says: Those who have high official positions and abundant official salaries mostly appear in the "夹禄" (enclosed禄) place; those who have a little surplus but great loss are likely to have fallen into the "劫财" (robbery wealth) place. Xu Ziping explained: "夹禄" refers to when the day and the hour bracket the middle禄. For example, if the day is Wuchen and the hour is Wuwu, or the day is Dingsi and the hour is Dingwei, or the day is Jiwei and the hour is Jisi, or the day is Renxu and the hour is Renzi, or the day is Guichou and the hour is Guihai, the day and the hour enclose the middle禄. Whenever there is "夹禄", the year and the month should not occupy the禄 that is enclosed. If they do, the禄 becomes "实" (filled), and once filled, it cannot hold anything else, so the official position will not be high and prominent. The禄 is like a container for holding things; it must be empty to hold something. If it is already filled by another禄, it is not a true "夹禄". For example, the destiny of Song Jingyang's official: born in the year of庚午, month of丁亥, day of己未, and hour of己巳, the two己s enclose the禄 in午. However, the year is庚午, which fills the午 position, and the month of亥 water also moves it, making the enclosed禄 unstable, so he could not achieve clear and noble status. Such a destiny is just showy but not substantial. Whenever the enclosed禄 is unstable, it is only a hollow name and cannot be considered as a true enclosed禄. Another example is Wang Zhong's destiny: born on the day of Jiayin and the hour of Jiazi, the two甲s enclose the丑. 丑 is the metal warehouse, which is the noble place for 甲. When he was in the year of Xinchou, he was appointed as Tongpan. After finishing the 丑 year, he entered the year of Gengzi, and the big year Gengzi destroyed the 甲 in the hour's子 branch, so the enclosed禄 could not be held, the noble status was lost, and everything collapsed quickly. Therefore, the place where good fortune gathers should not be harmed, and the place where good fortune gathers should also have a rescue. Other cases of enclosed禄 and enclosed nobility should be considered in the same way.

【戊見己，庚見辛，壬見癸，皆為劫財，與甲見乙同，前五陽見五陰為劫財，克妻。後五陰見五陽，敗財不克妻，防陰賊或小人相侵。乙以甲為親兄，以戊己為財，甲能奪己壞戊。丁以丙為兄，丁以庚辛為財，丙能奪辛為妻破庚。己見戊為兄，己以壬癸為財，戊能奪癸為妻破壬。辛以甲乙為財，庚奪乙為妻破甲。癸見壬為兄，癸以丙丁為財，壬奪丁為妻破丙。假如甲奪乙財是也。】

Further, regarding the concept of劫财: when Wu meets Ji, Geng meets Xin, and Ren meets Gui, they are all considered劫财, following the same pattern as when Jia meets Yi. The first five yang heavenly stems encountering their corresponding yin heavenly stems are considered劫财, which indicates a tendency to harm the wife. The latter five yin heavenly stems encountering their corresponding yang heavenly stems are considered败财, which does not harm the wife, but one should be cautious of cunning people or villains causing trouble. For example, Yi considers Jia as a close elder brother, Yi considers Wu and Ji as wealth, but Jia can take away Ji and damage Wu. Ding considers Bing as an elder brother, Ding considers Geng and Xin as wealth, but Bing can take away Xin, which is the wife star, and destroy Geng. Ji considers Wu as an elder brother, Ji considers Ren and Gui as wealth, but Wu can take away Gui, which is the wife star, and destroy Ren. Xin considers Jia and Yi as wealth, but Geng can take away Yi, which is the wife star, and destroy Jia. Gui considers Ren as an elder brother, Gui considers Bing and Ding as wealth, but Ren can take away Ding, which is the wife star, and destroy Bing. This is similar to Jia taking away the wealth of Yi.

生月帶祿，入仕居赫奕之尊；重犯奇儀，蘊藉抱出群之器。【世術用六甲人正月生者，此名建祿不富，此非生月帶官祿也。生月帶官祿者，如甲乙人秋生，丙丁人冬生，戊己人春生，庚辛人夏生，壬癸人生於四季月是也。且如甲乙木用金為官祿也，庚金旺，是生月官祿也。遇之者是官祿超遷，功名特達也。或問曰：此生月祿而有福者尋常有之，而賦意言之何重也？答曰：如賦云，略之為定一端，究之翻成萬緒是也。】

The essay states: Those born in a month that carries official rank will, upon entering officialdom, attain a prominent and noble position; if they also encounter the Three Marvels, their talents will be exceptional and profound. Xu Ziping comments: Common practitioners of divination mistakenly include those born on the day of Jia (甲) in the first lunar month under this category. In reality, that is called "established official rank without wealth," not being born in a month that carries official rank. True birth in a month with official rank occurs when those born on Jia or Yi days are born in autumn, those born on Bing or Ding days in winter, those born on Wu or Ji days in spring, those born on Geng or Xin days in summer, and those born on Ren or Gui days in the months of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei. For example, Jia and Yi belong to wood, and metal is their official rank. In autumn, the metal of Geng is at its peak, thus those born in autumn have official rank in their birth month. Such people will achieve rapid promotion in official positions and outstanding achievements in their careers. Someone asks: People who are born in a month with official rank and attain fortune are common, so why does the essay emphasize this so greatly? The answer is: As the essay later states, "At first glance, it seems a single point, but upon deeper examination, it leads to countless complexities." At first, it appears as a single point, but upon further analysis, it gives rise to countless variations.

【如甲戌人八月生建酉，酉中建辛，辛為甲之旺官祿，若當生歲時居寅午戌火局，更別位有丙丁火，亦不能損甲之官祿，以八月火死故也。或當生歲時居亥卯未木局，更或別位有甲乙木，亦不能奪甲之財帛，以八月木絕故也。有火不能損官祿，有木不能劫財帛，是財官兩喜，為赫奕之尊，故其宜也。凡命中帶祿者，祿出祖上，又不如生月帶祿者，則父子之氣近，為祿相須也。更有生日支內，天元自旺，生時不居休敗者，復更行運在祿鄉，如此之命又何啻居赫奕之尊？是三臺八座之格就貴人之命，子又何疑焉？賦云：根在苗先，正此意也。】

For example, if someone is born on a Jiaxu day in the eighth lunar month, the month builder is You. In You, there is Xin metal, which is the strong official and fortune for Jia. Even if the year and hour form a fire trinity of寅, 午, 戌, and there are also Bing and Ding fire elsewhere, they cannot harm the official and fortune of Jia, because fire is dead in the eighth month. Similarly, even if the year and hour form a wood trinity of亥, 卯, 未, and there are also Jia and Yi wood elsewhere, they cannot take away Jia's wealth, because wood is extinct in the eighth month. Having fire that does not harm the official and fortune, and having wood that does not steal the wealth, this is called the harmony of wealth and official, which is worthy of "Hegyi Zhi Zun." This is the natural state. Any person with a fortune in their birth chart has that fortune from their ancestors, but it is still not as good as having a fortune in the month of birth. The month of birth is close in relation to the day's main element, and fortune and self are interdependent. If, in addition, the day's branch contains the heavenly stem that is strong, and the hour does not fall into decline, and the person's fortune travels to the place of fortune, then such a destiny is not only worthy of Hegyi Zhi Zun. It is a pattern of three platforms and eight seats, directly leading to a noble destiny. What is there to doubt? The passage says "the root comes before the sprout," which means exactly this.

【奇者，三奇官印也，遇之者有威儀之貴也。蘊藉者，三元內外歲月生時，藏蓄五行括囊造化，貴氣往還無諸刑戰，如此之命，出乎其顯為大器之貴命也。且如向公安撫命：戊寅年，甲子月，乙丑日，庚辰時。何以為貴？戊以乙為官印，乙丑自居官鄉，乙見戊為偏官戊居寅為祿位，又見庚辰時，乙丑見庚為官印，庚自居辰，辰中有乙為財帛，乙丑六合甲子月是乙見鼠貴，則知宗族貴家，是名乙戊向庚為三奇之貴也。不惟只此，而又金土之氣堅潤，十一月生五行藏蓄，唯忌自火，其時火死水旺，三任方面可應出群之器，餘可例求焉。此賦論貴命根基，此以後說運中會遇也，故下文云：】

The so-called "marvels" refer to the three marvels and official seal, and those who possess them naturally have the dignity and prestige of authority. The term "concealed grace" means that the three yuan, both internal and external, in conjunction with the year, month, and birth time, conceal the five phases and gather the transformations within, allowing noble energy to flow smoothly without various conflicts and struggles. When such a destiny is revealed, it is the destiny of a great and noble person. For example, the destiny of a former governor of Hubei Province: born in the year of Wuyin, in the month of Jiazi, on the day of Yichou, and at the hour of Gengchen. Why is this considered noble? Wuyin takes Yichou as its official seal, and Yichou sits on its official land. Yichou meets Wuyin as a biased official, and Wuyin sits on the position of its own fortune. It also receives Gengchen at the hour, and Yichou meets Geng as official seal, while Geng sits on Chen, which contains Yichou as wealth. Yichou and Jiazi month form the Six Harmony, which is the "Yichou meets the rat" pattern, indicating that he comes from a noble family. This is called the noble dignity of the three marvels, "Yichou facing Geng." Moreover, the destiny has both metal and earth elements that are strong and moist, and it is born in the eleventh month, allowing all five phases to be concealed. The only thing to be cautious about is fire; at that time, fire is dying and water is thriving, so he can hold three major positions, which matches the saying "a person of outstanding ability." The rest can be inferred in the same way. This passage concludes the discussion on the foundation of noble destiny. From here on, the following part will discuss the encounters during the course of one's life, so it continues:

陰男陽女，時觀出入之年；陰女陽男，更看元辰之歲。【假令陰命男三月下旬生，得節氣深，八歲運。乙酉年，庚辰月，乙丑日，辛巳時。乙木下取丑中金庫為官印，又三月氣深，時迎初夏，又得辛巳時，當生年乙酉，三合巳酉丑，丑位不背官印，三月氣深，木向衰病，金向長生。賦云：向背定其貧富是也。又曰：將來者進。三十八歲運行丁丑，則財官兩美。賦云：每見貴人食祿，無非祿馬之鄉是也。三十九歲交丙子運，是謂出入之年也。】

The text says: A male born in a yin year should pay attention to the "years of entry and exit," and a female born in a yin year and a male born in a yang year should pay more attention to the "year of Yuanchen." Xu Ziping explains: For example, a male born in a yin year, in the third lunar month, with deep seasonal influence, begins his destiny at the age of eight. His four pillars are Yiyou year, Gengchen month, Yichou day, and Xinsi hour. Under the Yi wood, the earth branch Yichou is taken as the official and seal, since the earth branch Yichou contains metal. In the third lunar month, the season is deep, and the time of birth is approaching early summer. With the Xinsi hour, it forms the Triple Harmony of Si, You, and Chou with the birth year Yiyou, so the position of Chou does not conflict with the official and seal. In the third lunar month, the wood gradually declines and becomes sick, while the metal gradually grows and reaches its growth. The text says "whether facing or facing away determines wealth or poverty," referring to this. It also says "those coming later advance," which is the same principle. At the age of thirty-eight, he enters the Dingchou destiny, which brings both wealth and official positions. The text says "every time one meets a nobleman and receives salary, it is not other than the land of official and horse," referring to this step. At the age of thirty-nine, he enters the Bingzi destiny, which is called the "year of entry and exit."

【且如乙用庚為官印，見丙乃庚之七煞，當生年月氣深，向丙不遠，又大運丙子，子與巳合，合起巳中丙，丙克妻，則乙損官。乙以庚為妻則災妻損財，更或值丙丁巳午年，則凶。此是出入之年為凶可知也。時觀者，是當生年中四時之時也。賦云：一旬之內於年中而問干，一歲之中於月中而問日是也。此年運交出入當時迎氣深，又辛巳時中有丙，初交丙子運則災損自應也。】

Let us see: Yi uses Geng as its official star, while Bing is actually the seven killing star of Geng. This fate occurs when the year and month are deep in their respective seasons, and the fire energy of Bing is already close at hand; the big destiny cycle is also Bingzi, and Zi combines with the hour branch Si, thus bringing out the Bing hidden within Si. Once Bing moves, it will overcome the wife star, causing damage to Yi's official star—since Yi uses Geng as its wife, the wife will suffer misfortune and property will be lost; if this is further combined with the years of Bing, Ding, or Si, Wu, the situation will be even worse. This is the reason why the 'year of entry and exit' is considered凶 (unfavorable). It is immediately clear. The term 'time observation' refers to the seasonal changes within the year of birth. The text says, 'within a ten-day period, one asks about the heavenly stem within the year; within a year, one asks about the day within the month,' which is exactly this meaning. For this fate, when the destiny cycle begins, it coincides with the arrival of the vital energy and the deep season. Originally, there was Bing hidden within Si at the time of the Xinsi (Xinsi) hour, so as soon as the Bingzi destiny cycle begins, the misfortune and loss naturally occur.

【賦云：陰男陽女便是。陰女陽男也，前云出入之年，此論元辰之歲，其理無二也。前論乙丑日，陽命男運出丁丑欲入丙子，此亦是五行來出入抵犯凶方之義。前說三月深向丙丁之氣不遠，運入丙子則失官、財損、妻災，況在四月三五日生作三歲運，是當生元有害官印之辰。賦云：宣父畏其元辰是也。其或更值寅午戌年，己未太歲是名元辰之歲，則救療無功也。便當生歲時中有壬癸，小運在申子辰亦不濟事。四月水絕故也。大率所犯有傷不可救也。】

The text says that "yin male yang female" and "yin female yang male" are the same: previously it discussed "entering and exiting years," here it refers to "yuanchen years," and the principle is the same. Previously, the case of the day of Yichou was discussed; if instead the person was born in a yang year, and the fortune moves from Dingchou to Bingzi, it is again about the five phases entering and exiting and offending the凶方. Previously it was said that in the third month, the qi is deep, and the qi of Bing and Ding is not far away; when the fortune enters Bingzi, it causes loss of official position, loss of wealth, and disaster for the wife. Moreover, if born between the third to fifth days of the fourth month, starting the fortune at the age of three, then the original destiny already carries the position of Chen, which harms the official and seal. The text says "Confucius feared the yuanchen," referring exactly to this. If further encountering the years of Yin, Wu, and Xu or the yuanchen year of Jiwei, it is called "yuanchen year," and there is no way to remedy it. At this time, even if the birth year and hour contain Ren and Gui, and the small fortune is in Shen, Zi, and Chen, it is of no help, because in the fourth month water is in its dead state. In general, once the afflicted area is injured, it is difficult to remedy.

與生地之相逢，宜退身而避位。凶會吉會，伏呤反呤，陰錯陽差，天沖地擊。【生者生旺也，凡五行皆不宜生旺，陰陽書云：金剛火強，自刑本方。木落歸本，水流趨末，則為自刑之刑也。且以庚辛言之，則金也。旺於西方，故庚祿在申，辛祿在酉。如庚辛生人，運到申酉，則宜退身避位也。夫何故？庚辛用丙丁為官印，火至申酉則病死，則庚辛無官也。庚辛克甲乙為財帛，木到申酉則死絕，則庚辛無財也。官財俱衰，雖建祿而不富。故云：與生地之相逢，宜退身避位。鬼谷曰：金降自干，東而震，西南遇坤鄉而敗祿衰官。正此意也。賦意幽妙，宜深識之。此說運中，造為引問發明之辭。如上文云：出入之年，皆吉凶兩存而不辨，在學人曉而合之，上下貫穿而得其辭悟矣。】

The essay states: When one's destiny path meets their birth and prosperity place, one should retreat and give way; within this there are both凶 and吉, there are hidden and reversed pronunciations, there are yin errors and yang differences, and there are heaven's attack and earth's impact. Xu Ziping explains: here, the term "生" refers to the birth and prosperity place. The Five Phases should not be overly prosperous or strong. The Yin and Yang book says: when the metal is strong and the fire is powerful, they will self-injure in their own place; when the wood falls, it returns to its origin, and when the water flows, it goes to its end, all of which are forms of self-injury. For instance, the metal elements of Geng and Xin are strong in the west, so Geng's strength is in Shen and Xin's strength is in You. When people born on Geng or Xin days meet the destiny path of Shen or You, they should retreat and give way. Why? Because Geng and Xin take Bing and Ding as their official and seal, and when fire reaches Shen and You, it becomes sick and dies, so Geng and Xin have no official; Geng and Xin also overcome Bing and Ding as their wealth, and when wood reaches Shen and You, it dies and is cut off, so Geng and Xin have no wealth. Both official and wealth are weak, even if they have a strong destiny, they cannot become wealthy. Therefore, it is said, "When meeting the birth place, one should retreat and give way." Guiguzi says: metal descends from the Qian position, moves east to Zhen, and meets the Kun place in the southwest, where its strength, official, and fortune decline. This is exactly the meaning. The essay's intention is subtle and profound, and should be deeply understood. This passage discusses the destiny path, using a question-and-answer format to explain the meaning. As mentioned above, the "years of entering and exiting" contain both good and bad, but they are not clearly distinguished, and scholars must understand and connect the text themselves to grasp the true meaning from the words.

【伏呤者，大運與元命相對者是也。以眾術言，則不佳。以賦意言之，其間亦有凶會吉會存焉。錯者，錯雜也。差者，交差也。人命有陰陽錯雜，人運亦有陰陽交差，多為災損。如元命與運在東南而遇太歲西者，謂之天沖。元命與運在西北，而太歲在東南者，謂之地擊。大概與陰陽差錯不殊，然不能無別焉。西北沖東南者，主動改出入，是內沖外也。東南沖西北者，雖沖而不動，是外沖內也。遇此者主不寧，其間吉凶兩存，詳而言之。】

The so-called "fu yin" refers to a situation where the big destiny year (dàyùn) and the original birth chart (yuánmìng) are the same or opposite. According to the general views of diviners, this is not favorable; however, according to the meaning of the text, there are distinctions between凶会 (unfavorable conjunctions) and吉会 (favorable conjunctions). "Cuò" means mixed or confused, and "chā" means crossing or intersecting. Human destiny may have yin and yang mixed together, and human destiny years may also have yin and yang crossing each other, often leading to misfortune. For example, if both the original birth chart and the big destiny year are in the southeast, but the year's ruler (tàisuì) is in the west, this is called "tiānchōng" (heavenly confrontation); if both the original birth chart and the big destiny year are in the northwest, but the year's ruler is in the southeast, this is called "dìjī" (earthly attack). In general, this is similar to yin and yang difference, but it is also necessary to make distinctions: when the northwest confronts the southeast, it indicates change and movement, retreat and advancement, which is internal confrontation with the outside; when the southeast confronts the northwest, although there is confrontation, there is no movement, which is external confrontation with the inside. When encountering these situations, the person's mind is restless, and both good and bad outcomes may exist, so it is necessary to make detailed distinctions before making a judgment.

或逢四煞五鬼，六害七傷，地網天羅，三元九宮，福臻成慶，禍並危疑，扶兮速速，抑乃遲遲。【如元命犯辰戌丑未在四柱中，或大運又行到或辰戌丑未之上者，謂之四煞。五鬼如大運干為鬼制財克官印，此五行之鬼也，與太歲同。六害者，且如丑未生人，四柱中復有丑未，更運在辰戌丑未之上，卻遇太歲在子午卯酉者，謂之六害。遇之者主骨肉分離。七傷者，運中逢七煞是也。如甲乙日生人，用庚辛為官印，運在南方或逢寅午戌巳與未太歲，是也。四煞輕，五鬼重。六害輕，七傷重。運逢之輕，歲遇之重。地網天羅者，戌人不得見亥，亥人不得見戌，謂之正天羅。辰人不得見巳，巳人不得見辰，謂之真地網。遇之者災病連綿。不獨歲運忌逢之，四柱中亦不宜也。】

The text says: Sometimes one encounters the four evils, five ghosts, six harms, and seven injuries, and meets the heavenly net and earthly trap, three yuan and nine palaces; when good fortune gathers, it becomes joy, but when misfortune comes together, it causes suspicion and danger; those who receive support will see results quickly, while those who are suppressed will see results slowly. Xu Ziping explains: If the original birth chart contains the years of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, and the big destiny year also moves into Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, this is called the four evils. The so-called five ghosts refer to the heavenly stem of the big destiny year becoming a ghost, which controls the wealth star and destroys the official and seal, this is the ghost of the five phases, and encountering it on the Tai Sui year is the same. The so-called six harms, for example, those born in the year of Chou or Wei, and their birth chart also contains Chou or Wei, and the big destiny year moves into Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei again, but the Tai Sui year is in Zi, Wu, Mao, or You, this is called six harms, and those who encounter it suffer from separation of family members. The so-called seven injuries refer to encountering the seven killers in the destiny year, for example, those born on Jia or Yi days take Geng and Xin as official and seal, and if the destiny year moves to the south, or encounters the Tai Sui year of Yin, Wu, Xu, Si, or Wei, they all fall into this category. The four evils are light, while the five ghosts are heavy; the six harms are light, while the seven injuries are heavy; encountering them in the big destiny year is lighter, but encountering them in the Tai Sui year is heavier. The so-called heavenly net and earthly trap: those born in the year of Xu should not meet the year of Hai, and those born in the year of Hai should not meet the year of Xu, this is called the correct heavenly net; those born in the year of Chen should not meet the year of Si, and those born in the year of Si should not meet the year of Chen, this is called the true earthly trap, and those who encounter them suffer from continuous misfortunes. Not only should one avoid encountering them in the age and destiny years, but they should also not appear in the original birth chart.

【三元者，日干為天元，支為地元，納音為人元，即三元九宮也。假令戊寅年，壬戌月，甲申日，己巳時，陽男命氣淺八歲運，甲以金為官印，九月生是生月帶祿也。二十六歲，小運辛丑，大運乙丑，二運並在官祿財庫之上。未可言凶，此名吉會，故曰：福臻則乃成慶也。】

The term "three yuan" refers to the day stem as the heavenly yuan, the earthly branch as the earthly yuan, and the nayin sound element as the human yuan, forming the three yuan and nine palaces. For example, in a birth chart with a Wuyin year, Renxu month, Jiashen day, and Jisi hour: it is a male birth in a yang year, with a shallow solar term, and the person starts their fortune at the age of eight. The day stem Jiashen takes metal as its official and seal, and is born in September, which is the month of its own strength. At the age of twenty-six, the small fortune Xinchou and the big fortune Yichou both fall on the official, official's seal, and wealth repository. It should not be considered as an ominous sign, this is called "good convergence," so when good fortune gathers, it becomes a joyful occasion.

【又如乙酉年，癸未月，庚戌日，甲申時，陰男命氣深，九歲運，逆行。以生日庚戌下取火庫為官印，又六月生，亦是生月帶祿也。三十九歲大運到庚辰，乙庚合，小運甲辰，並天地六合之上，未可言吉也。以當生六月氣深，運到庚辰，辰沖戌，辰乃水庫水克火，三合甲申水，長生兩辰沖戌，破官印則為凶會。又曰：禍並是乃危疑也。扶兮速速者，如前戊寅年，以甲申為主，運到乙丑者，或遇行年太歲三合，合上扶同相助，則為吉慶而速速也，扶助也。若太歲無刑或相沖相害，則是與氣運相抑，抑不順也，是乃發福遲遲也。大凡推運須看生年太歲與運生克，生克已定，則吉凶無不應驗矣。】

For example, in the case of a man born in the year Yiyou, in the month Guiwei, on the day Gengxu, and at the hour Jiashen: a male born in a yin year, with a deep solar term, starting his fortune at age nine, moving in reverse. Taking the day Gengxu, we use the earth branch Wu (戌) as the official and minister, since it is a fire repository. He was also born in June, which is the month of the birth of the earth branch Wu, so it is also a month with a strong presence of the earth branch. At the age of thirty-nine, his major destiny moves to Gengchen. The year stem Yi combines with the day stem Geng, forming a heavenly harmony. His minor destiny is Jiachen, which also falls on the heavenly and earthly six harmonies. However, this should not be considered a good sign. Because he was born in June, which has a strong qi, and when the destiny moves to Gengchen, the hour of Jiashen comes to conflict with Wu. Chen is a water repository, and water can overcome fire. Moreover, the combination of Shen, Chen, and Zi forms a triple harmony, and the water of Jiashen also has a growth. Two Chens together conflict with Wu, breaking the official and minister. This is called 'a凶会', meaning a meeting of misfortune, so calamities come together, leading to suspicion and danger. It is said '扶兮速速', meaning if the support comes quickly, then good fortune comes quickly. As in the case of the year Wuyin, where the day was Jiashen, when the destiny moved to Yichou, if the heavenly stem of the year also forms a triple harmony with it, then the support comes together, and good fortune comes quickly. '扶' means to support. If the heavenly stem of the year does not conflict but instead conflicts or harms, then it will be a mutual suppression between the heavenly stem and the destiny, leading to an unsmooth situation, and the good fortune will naturally come slowly. In general, when calculating destiny, one must observe the relationship between the heavenly stem of the birth year and the major destiny. Once the relationship of generation and overcoming is determined, the good or bad fortune will certainly manifest.

歷貴地而待時，遇比肩而爭競。至若人疲馬劣，猶托財旺之鄉。【生日臨官印之貴是歷貴權之地。且如，壬辰、癸巳日，用土為官印，用火為財帛。若生月不居九夏，不在四季，則是虛聲之命。雖歷貴地而猶待於四時，基本元有元無也。遇比肩而爭競者，如壬辰、癸巳人更生九夏、四季，得其官祿之時，大運又在火土分野，為吉會。或遇太歲是壬癸，或為沖刑，或為破害，是比肩而爭競也。如此者，防稱意中失意，主災禍也。如不是壬癸，歲是亥子亦同。如當生歲時中有戊己重者，為有救。】

The essay states: Although the person has already reached a place of prestige, they still need to wait for the right season; once there is a rival, there will be competition and struggle. As for those whose original energy is exhausted and whose wealth and horses are of poor quality, they can still rely on the place where wealth is strong. Xu Ziping explains: When the day of birth is in the position of official and seal (official star and seal star), it is considered to have reached a place of prestige and authority. For example, those born on Renchen or Guisi days, take earth as official and seal, and fire as wealth; if the month of birth is not in the height of summer or in the months of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, then it is a name without substance — although it has reached a place of prestige, it still needs to wait for the right season, and the fundamental issue is whether the original destiny actually possesses these qualities. The saying "meeting a rival leads to competition" refers to those born on Renchen or Guisi days who are born in summer or in the four seasonal months, which is the time when official and seal are in power. If their big luck is in the realm of fire and earth, it is a favorable situation. However, if they encounter the year ruler as Ren or Gui, or if there is conflict, punishment, destruction, or harm between them, this is considered competition from a rival. In such cases, one should be cautious of sudden misfortunes occurring amidst favorable circumstances, indicating potential calamity. Even if the year ruler is not Ren or Gui but Hai or Zi, the situation remains the same. If there is a repetition of Wu and Ji in the birth year and hour, then there is a way to save the situation.

【人疲者，人元疲乏也。馬劣者，所合之辰馬弱也。假令甲午生人，運行西方申酉戌者是也。午為人元屬火，到西方死絕之地，是人元疲乏也。甲以己為財，午內有己土，己土到西方亦自衰敗，是劣弱也。猶托財旺之鄉者，午雖疲乏，猶賴西方金旺，為財己雖劣弱，秋金懷壬癸，亦可與己破鬼生財也。】

The term "person's exhaustion" refers to the exhaustion of the person's original heavenly stem; "horse's weakness" refers to the decline of the horse star that is in harmony with the person's birth time. For example, a person born on a Jiawu day who enters a period of western movement involving Shen, You, and Xu will experience this situation: the person's original heavenly stem, which is Wu fire, is in a dead or declining state in the west, hence the person's exhaustion; the heavenly stem Jia uses Ji as its wealth, and the Ji earth is hidden within Wu fire. When Ji earth reaches the west, it naturally weakens, hence it is considered weak. As for "still relying on the prosperous land of wealth," it means that although the fire is exhausted, it still depends on the strong metal in the west—the wealth star Ji earth, though weak, contains Yin water within the autumn metal, which can together break away from ghosts and generate wealth.

或乃財旺祿衰，建馬何避沖掩？歲臨尚不為災，年登故宜獲福。【與前意同而理異也。如丙午人，運至西方，財雖旺而祿衰。下元建馬為助，言辛酉中有辛合丙也，則不畏沖掩也。掩者，伏滯也，如伏呤之類。沖者，沖擊也，如反呤之類。既是支元人元有財，財且旺而祿衰者，猶可扶持，縱歲運在掩伏沖擊者，亦無害事。此與中下興隆不殊。前說財運掩沖，此論歲臨運位，亦未可便言凶咎。太歲為造化之主，百煞之尊，來臨壓運，多凶少吉。若於三元內外，五行官印有用者，亦可以利見大人，而成吉會。若三元內外財帛有用者，亦可因貴人而發財帛也。且如生日是壬午，太歲是庚午，運是戊午，此年歲運之臨，亦為吉會也。次年交辛未，其氣不殊，官印財帛有用，則固宜獲福也。】

The text says: Sometimes wealth is strong but the official position is weak, having already established the horse star, why should one avoid conflict and concealment? Even when the sovereign year presses down, it does not necessarily cause disaster, and when the year and destiny progress, one naturally should gain blessings. Xu Ziping explains: This is similar in intention to the previous passage but differs in reasoning. For example, a person born on a Jia Wu day, when his destiny moves to the west, wealth is strong but the official position is weak; however, if the lower part establishes the horse star to assist - in Xin You, there is Xin, which can combine with Jia - then there is no fear of conflict or concealment. "Concealment" refers to being blocked or restrained, similar to a hidden attack; "conflict" refers to impact, similar to a reverse attack. Since there is wealth in both the branch and the person's original element, and wealth is strong while the official position is weak, it can still be supported. Even if the year and destiny fall into places of concealment or conflict, it will not cause harm, which is the same as the previous statement about "middle and lower parts flourishing." The previous passage discussed concealment and conflict in destiny movement, while this passage discusses the sovereign year pressing into the destiny position. It should not be immediately judged as a disaster. The sovereign year is the master of transformation and the supreme authority of all evils. When it presses into the destiny position, it is mostly unfavorable; but if the three elements and internal and external Five Phases have useful officials and seals, it can meet a great person and become favorable; if the three elements and internal and external wealth have use, it can gain wealth through a nobleman. For example, if one is born on a Ren Wu day, the sovereign year is Geng Wu, and the big destiny is Wu Wu, then the year and destiny being close is a favorable meeting. The next year, when it changes to Xin Wei, the situation is similar, with officials, seals, and wealth all being useful, naturally leading to blessings.

大吉生逢小吉，反壽長年；天剛運至天魁，寄生續壽。【丑為大吉，未為小吉。如癸未日生人行丑運，或丁丑日生人行未運，不得謂之反呤，皆謂之生氣。且癸水受氣於巳而成形於未，丁火受氣於亥而成形在丑。故曰：生逢如壬課發用，丁課在未，而癸在丑，亦此意也。丑未為陰陽之中會，天乙貴人所臨，主本與運逢之，則有長年之壽也。辰為天罡，如庚戌生人行辰運，或甲辰生人行戌運，不得謂之反呤也。且庚金受氣於寅，而成形於辰。甲木受氣於申而成形於戌，皆是生氣。鬼谷子曰：罡中有乙，鬼裡伏辛，是也。前云生逄，後曰寄生，義不殊也。】

The text says: The great auspicious deity meets the minor auspicious deity at birth, which instead brings longevity and a long life; the Heavenly Gang's movement reaching the Tiankui also allows for a continuation of life. Xu Ziping explains: The earthly branch Chou is called "Da Ji" (Great Auspicious), and Wei is called "Xiao Ji" (Minor Auspicious). For example, a person born on a Guiwei day encountering the Chou destiny or a person born on a Dingchou day encountering the Wei destiny, does not count as a reverse, but rather is called "Sheng Qi" (Life Qi). This is because the癸 water receives its qi in Si but takes form in Wei, and the丁 fire receives its qi in Hai but takes form in Chou, so it is called "Sheng Feng" (meeting at birth). Just as in the Six Rén system, the Ding lesson's initiating transmission occurs in Wei, and the Gui lesson's initiating transmission occurs in Chou, it is the same principle. Chou and Wei are the central points where yin and yang meet. When the Tianyi Nobleman is present, if the day's ruler meets it with the destiny, it indicates longevity. Chen is called "Tian Gang" (Heavenly Gang). For example, a person born on a Gengxu day encountering the Chen destiny or a person born on a Jiachen day encountering the Wu destiny, does not count as a reverse; instead, it is called "Sheng Qi" (Life Qi). Geng metal receives its qi in Yin but takes form in Chen, and Ji wood receives its qi in Shen but takes form in Wu, both being cases of Life Qi. Guiguzi says "the Heavenly Gang contains Yi, and the ghostly realm hides Xin," referring to this. Previously it was said "Sheng Feng" (meeting at birth), and later it was said "Ji Sheng" (continuation of life), meaning is the same.

從魁抵蒼龍之宿，財自天來；太沖臨昴胃之鄉，人元有害。【從魁酉也，蒼龍辰也。如酉日生人，運至辰者是也。酉中有辛金，辰中有乙木，金克木為財，故曰：財自天來。是用支內天元為財也。太沖者，卯也。昴胃者，酉也。胃土雉，昴日雞，有二宿在酉也。如卯日生人，運至酉者，是也。卯木也，酉金也，金克木而反相刑，支作人元，是也。故曰：有害。害者是七煞也，不獨沖刑剋制言之，亦是偏陰偏陽也。】

The text says: When "From Qiu" reaches the dwelling of "Cang Long," wealth comes from heaven; when "Tai Chong" reaches "Mao" and "Wei," the original person is harmed. Xu Ziping explains: "From Qiu" is You; "Cang Long" is Chen. For example, if someone born on a You day reaches a Chen position in their fortune, this is the case: You contains Xin metal, Chen contains Yi wood, and metal overcoming wood forms wealth, hence it is said "wealth comes from heaven" — this refers to taking the heavenly stems hidden within the earthly branches as wealth. "Tai Chong" is Mao; "Mao" and "Wei" are You, because among the twenty-eight mansions, "Wei" (the Earthly Cock) and "Mao" (the Heaven's Rooster) are both in the You position. For example, if someone born on a Mao day reaches a You position in their fortune, this is the case: Mao is wood, You is metal, and metal overcoming wood results in mutual harm, which is considered harmful. This harm refers to seven killing stars, not only including conflict, punishment, overcoming, and control, but also includes the concept of excessive yin and yang, and improper combination.

金祿窮於正首，庚重辛輕；木人困於金鄉，寅深卯淺。【金絕在寅，庚受氣在寅。假如庚日生寅時者，多貴。金以火為官，寅為火長生，是官長生也。又不克上，火在寅中，金生寅上。賦云：金祿窮於正首。成鑑云：受氣推尋，胎月須深。辛到卯位，二月節，是辛金之胎也。甲在申以金為官印，申乃金臨官，乙在酉乃帝王也。賦云：木人困於金鄉是也。】

The essay states: The metal's fortune is exhausted at the beginning of the first month, with庚 being strong and辛 weak; people with a wooden destiny are trapped in the land of metal, with a deep degree at寅 and a shallow one at卯. Xu Ziping comments: Metal is exhausted at寅, and庚 receives its qi at寅. For example, someone born on a庚 day who has寅 as their hour is likely to be prosperous and prominent: metal takes fire as its official, and寅 is the long birth of fire, so the official star is born here; moreover, fire is hidden in寅, and metal sits on寅, so fire does not directly harm the upper metal. The essay therefore says "the metal's fortune is exhausted at the beginning of the first month." The Chengjian says: The place where qi is received should be carefully examined, and the fetal month must be deeply considered. When辛 reaches卯, it is the beginning of the second month, which is exactly where辛 metal conceives.甲 takes metal as its official and seal, and when甲 reaches申,申 is the official position of metal; when乙 reaches酉,酉 is the prosperous position of metal. The essay's statement "wooden people are trapped in the land of metal" refers precisely to this.

妙在識其通變，拙說猶神；巫瞽昧於調絃，難希律呂。【凡人命中貴賤得失，妙處於四柱日時之中，要後人識其通變者言之，然其辭雖拙，而妙應如神。設若不遇明師，道聽途說，巧言偽詞，焉能中理？如無日者之調絃，又豈能明於律呂也？】

The essay says: The true essence lies in recognizing change and adaptability; although the words may be clumsy, they prove effective as if by divine power. Those who do not know how to tune the strings, cannot possibly understand the musical scales. Xu Ziping explains: The fortune and misfortune of a person's life depend on the interplay between the four pillars and the day and hour. Only those who can understand flexibility and adaptability can truly grasp this. Though the words may be simple and unrefined, their accuracy is remarkably profound. If one does not find a wise teacher and relies only on hearsay, using clever but false words to interpret, how can one truly understand the principles? Just as a musician who does not know how to tune the strings cannot possibly comprehend the musical scales.

庚辛臨於甲乙，君子可以求官；北人運行南方，貨易獲其厚利。【假令辛見甲，辛克甲，甲中生出丙火，丙與辛合，辛見官印。然不見火而見甲，甲乃丙之母，火之根也。須生日是辛日，歲月時內月木，以辛克甲，則甲中有火也。若年月時中，支干內有水，則辛無官也。壬寅或別位，將亥子辰水來，即木溼也，故木溼則無官。源濁伏呤是也。】

The essay states: When庚 and 辛 are above 甲 and 乙, gentlemen can obtain official positions through this; people from the north who move to the south can gain substantial profits in business. Xu Ziping explains: For example, when 辛 meets 甲, 辛 overcomes 甲, and from the 甲 wood, 丙 fire is generated. 丙 then combines with 辛, and 辛 thus obtains an official position. Here, fire is not directly seen, only 甲 is seen; 甲 is the mother of 丙, which is the root of fire, so fire is naturally contained within. This explanation requires that 辛 be the day of birth, and there be wood in the year, month, or hour. When 辛 overcomes 甲, fire can be hidden within 甲. However, if there is water in the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the year, month, or hour, 辛 will not have an official position. For example, if the pillar contains Renyin, or other positions that bring 亥, 子, or 辰 water, the wood will be soaked; once wood is wet, it cannot produce fire, and thus there is no official position. This is precisely what is called "source turbid and hidden cry."

【如見庚合，庚克木，乙木生丁火，丁乃庚之官印，若癸卯歲月時上有水，則乙木溼而克之，無煙也。只是金見木為財，有財而無官，金木皆不能成器。賦云：金木未能成器，聽哀樂以難名也。是火主禮，有禮則有君子，有君子則有官印也。無禮則小人也，無官則不貴也。賦云：源濁伏呤，惆悵於歇官之地。寅卯乃火生之地，是木而無火，故惆悵也。又與聞喜不喜，同矣。其餘五行仿此，亦用生日支干為主，此論庚辛日生人也。】

For example, if庚 (Geng) combines with乙 (Yi), Geng comes to control wood, and Yi wood produces Ding fire, which is exactly Geng's official seal. However, if it is like癸卯 (Guimao), with water present in the year, month, and hour, the Yi wood becomes wet, and the damp wood cannot produce fire, let alone smoke. Then there is only the aspect of metal meeting wood as wealth, but there is no official seal. Metal and wood cannot both be useful. The text later says, "Metal and wood cannot be shaped, listening to sorrow and joy is hard to name," referring precisely to this situation. Fire in the Five Phases represents propriety; with propriety there are gentlemen, and with gentlemen there is official seal. Without propriety there are petty people, and without official seal there is no prestige. The text also says, "The source is turbid and the sound is suppressed, feeling melancholy in the place of no official seal."寅 (Yin) and卯 (Mao) are the places of growth for fire, but now there is only wood and no fire, hence the melancholy. This is the same meaning as the previous statement "Hearing joy but not feeling joy." The rest of the Five Phases can be similarly inferred, all based on the birth stem and branch. The above discussion applies specifically to those born on庚 (Geng) and辛 (Xin) days.

聞朝歌而旋泣，為盛火之炎陽；克禍福之賒遙，則多因於水土。【自從魁抵蒼龍之宿，己下不獨運中災福，而又明相濟而為得失，在學人可深求之也。聞朝歌而旋泣者，言火星高明，而好炎上也。明萬物者，莫盛乎火，故云：為盛火之炎陽。鬼谷子曰：木火性本上。克禍福之賒遙。賒者，遠也。又遙者，遠之甚也。此言水土之性，沉伏而趨下也，故云：多因水土。鬼谷子曰：水土性本下。正此意也。】

The essay says: hearing joyful songs in the morning, yet crying shortly after, this is due to excessive fire which rises rapidly; when misfortune or fortune comes slowly and distantly, it is mostly because of water and earth. Xu Ziping explains: from the sentence "from 'From Qiu to the host of the celestial dragon'" onwards, it not only discusses misfortune and fortune in one's destiny, but also clarifies the gains and losses arising from the mutual generation among the Five Phases. Scholars should deeply contemplate this. The phrase "hearing morning songs and then crying" refers to the bright and swift nature of the fire star, which rises rapidly. Since nothing can illuminate all things more than fire, it is said "the blazing fire of the sun." Guiguzi says: the nature of wood and fire is upward. As for "overcoming misfortune and fortune that come distant and far," "赊" means distant, and "遥" means even more distant; this refers to the nature of water and earth being hidden and downward, thus their effects are delayed, hence "mostly due to water and earth." Guiguzi says: the nature of water and earth is downward. This is exactly the meaning.

金木未能成器，聽哀樂以難名；似木盛而花繁，狀密雲而不雨。【言金者則尚木，金得用而木乃成，是以剛柔相濟也。言木者能尚金，木成器而金得著，仁者必有勇也。若有金而無木，勇而無禮則亂。有木而無金，則庚辛虧而義寡。金者，西方之器也，主哀。木者，東方之物也，主樂。樂而不淫者，木遇金也。哀而不傷者，金得木也。凡此者，皆大人之命也。若明水火之歸中，用乎金木之間隔，由是哀樂不能動其心，乃方外難名之人也。人命有偏陰偏陽之命，似木盛而花繁者，偏陽之謂也。是五行逐末趨時，知進而不知退也。狀密雲而不雨者，偏陰之謂也。如此者，豈能有濟化之功哉？大率人命須要五行制克，陰陽兩停，財為應格之命，故下文云：】

The essay says: Gold and wood are still not yet shaped into objects, so sorrow and joy cannot be spoken of; it is like a tree that is flourishing but only has many flowers, or like thick clouds in the sky but no rain falls. Xu Ziping comments: When discussing gold, one must value wood, for gold can only show its use when wood is available; wood also needs gold to become useful, this is the mutual complement of hardness and softness. When discussing wood, one must also value gold, for when wood becomes an object, the function of gold becomes evident, just as a benevolent person must also be brave. If there is gold but no wood, it is bravery without propriety, which will lead to disorder; if there is wood but no gold, it is the deficiency of metal, and righteousness will be lacking. Gold is the instrument of the west, and in sound it represents sorrow; wood is the thing of the east, and in sound it represents joy. Joy without excess is when wood meets gold; sorrow without harm is when gold meets wood. All such cases are the fate of great men. If one can understand that water and fire return to harmony and use the separation between gold and wood properly, then sorrow and joy will not move his heart, and he will be a person beyond the worldly, hard to describe. Human fate is divided into those with excessive yin or excessive yang: those with flourishing trees but only flowers are excessive yang, with the five elements only pursuing superficial things and the momentary, knowing progress but not knowing retreat; those with thick clouds but no rain are excessive yin. Such fates cannot have the function of harmonizing and nurturing. In general, human fate must have the five elements in control and mutual restriction, and yin and yang in balance, only then can it be considered a proper fate. Therefore, the following text continues to say:

乘軒衣冕，金火何多？位劣班卑，陰陽不定。【前論水火，以相濟而成慶。次論金為木官鄉，是知水貴升，火貴降。火要濟柔為剛，金要損剛益柔，則互用而為慶。其間獨有金剛火強，不可不知也。故賦云：乘軒衣冕者，皆君子之器也。亦須要金火兩停者能之。金，至堅之物也，非盛火則不能變其質。火，至暴之物也，非銳金則無以顯諸用。金火兩存，則有鑄印之象，皆大人之事也。或火多而金少，或金多而火寡，皆為兇暴之命也。金旺於西方，火旺於南方，各恃其勢，則為自刑之刑。如此之命，雖日時有用，終歸於位劣班卑而已，非純和之氣也。是陰陽不能得定分故也。火陽也，金陰也，既陰陽兩偏，則貴賤高卑無所定著也。況有金而無火，有火而無金者，皆為兇徒之命。】

The essay says: Those who can ride in carriages and wear ceremonial caps have abundant gold and fire; those in low positions and low ranks are only because yin and yang are not properly balanced. Xu Ziping comments: Previously, the discussion was about water and fire, which complement each other to bring good fortune; then it discusses gold as the official place of wood, thus knowing that water is valuable when it rises and fire is valuable when it descends. Fire needs to temper softness into hardness, and gold needs to reduce hardness into softness; when they work together, they bring joy. Among these, the aspect of strong gold and strong fire must be known. Therefore, the essay says that those who ride in carriages and wear ceremonial caps are all noble instruments, but only those with balanced gold and fire can truly deserve it. Gold is the hardest substance, and without strong fire, its nature cannot be changed; fire is the most fierce, and without sharp gold, its function cannot be shown. When both gold and fire exist, there is an appearance of casting seals, which are the affairs of great people. If there is too much fire and not enough gold, or too much gold and not enough fire, these are all dangerous fates. Gold is strong in the west, fire is strong in the south, each relying on its own strength, leading to self-inflicted punishment; such a fate, even if the day and hour are useful, will ultimately be of low rank and not pure harmony, because yin and yang are not properly balanced. Fire belongs to yang, gold to yin; both yin and yang are biased, so there is no place for high or low status. Moreover, those with gold but no fire, or fire but no gold, are all fates of villains.

所以龍呤虎嘯，風雨助其休祥；火勢將興，故先煙而後焰。【易曰：雲從龍，風從虎。此自然之理也。亦是陰陽洽合，五行唱和之義。火勢將興，故先煙而後焰者，此亦明陰陽氣順，而有次序也，此與其為氣也不殊。】

The essay states: Therefore, when a dragon sings once and a tiger roars once, rain and wind come to assist in forming auspicious signs; when fire is about to rise, it always first produces smoke and then flame. Xu Ziping comments: The Zhou Changes, Qian Hexagram, Wenyan says "clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger," which is a natural principle, meaning the harmony of yin and yang and the mutual response of the Five Phases. As for "when fire is about to rise, it first produces smoke and then flame," this also explains the smooth flow of yin and yang energy with a natural sequence, which is no different from the previous statement "its nature is that what comes later advances, and what has achieved its purpose retreats."

每見凶中有吉，吉乃先凶；吉中有凶，凶為吉兆。【此復明氣順之理也，屈伸寒暑，莫不有道焉。且如前論從魁抵蒼龍之宿，言財自天來者，吉也。是酉中辛克辰中乙木為財也。辰乃水鄉，復能奪辛金之官，論財卻不缺，而失官也。故凶。太沖臨昴胃之鄉，人元有害者，凶也。卻木用金為官印，則不背官祿，凶中反吉也。賦意始於說運，次論五行。五行之後再論言之：每見凶中有吉，吉乃先凶；吉中有凶，凶為吉兆。又如火人行水運，則是七煞，凶也。或用水為官，吉也。水人行巳午運，南方獲利，為財，吉也。卻下有戊己，七煞，凶也。如此極多，要後人深造之，以根本取最重者言之為妙。】

The essay says: It is common to see that among misfortunes there are hidden blessings, and those blessings must first go through a period of misfortune; and among blessings there are hidden misfortunes, and those misfortunes are actually omens of blessings. Xu Ziping comments: This sentence again explains the principle of the smooth flow of qi — the stretching and contracting, the alternation of cold and heat, all follow their own principles. For example, the previous passage said, "From Qiu to the host of Changlong, wealth comes from heaven," which is a blessing, because the辛 (Xin) metal in酉 (You) overcomes the乙 (Yi) wood in辰 (Chen) to form wealth; but辰 (Chen) is a water region, which in turn can take away the official star of辛 (Xin) metal, so while wealth is not lacking, the official star is lost, thus turning into misfortune. Previously, it was said, "Tai Chong is at Maowei, the original person is harmed," which is a misfortune; but since wood takes metal as its official and seal, it does not contradict official status, thus turning misfortune into blessing. The essay first talks about the movement of destiny, then discusses the Five Phases, and only after discussing the Five Phases does it continue with the statement, "Often seeing misfortune containing blessings, and blessings first go through misfortune; blessings containing misfortune, and misfortune is actually a sign of blessing." For example, a person with a fire destiny who moves into a water destiny, water is the seven killer, which is a misfortune; but if water is taken as the official, it becomes a blessing. A person with a water destiny who moves into the巳 (Si) or午 (Wu) destiny, gains advantage in the south as wealth, which is a blessing; but if the branches under the destiny contain戊 (Wu) or己 (Ji) as seven killers, it becomes a misfortune. There are many such cases, and later generations should deeply understand them, and base their analysis on the original destiny, focusing on the most important aspect.

禍旬向末言福，可以迎推；才入衰鄉論災，宜其逆課。男迎女送，否泰交居；陰陽二氣，逆順折除。【如見在凶運十年終滿前，交吉運者，若當生年月氣深，或行年太歲扶助，向祿臨財者，更不須直待交吉運，只在此運便可發福之慶，是可迎祥而推之也。才入衰鄉，人命久歷福地，方交肯祿財絕之運，固難言其吉，然未可便言凶也，是論災宜逆課也。是知福深而禍淺也，更或行年太歲五行，三命別位有用而來朝，運與生日扶同者，宜其逆課也。更有當生節氣淺深之論，不可不知也。】

The text says: When the period of misfortune is about to end, one can predict the arrival of good fortune in advance; when entering a period of decline, the calculation should be done in reverse. For male destiny, the favorable aspect comes before; for female destiny, it comes after. The hexagrams of Fu (Prosperity) and Po (Obstruction) alternate. Yin and Yang energies are calculated according to their reverse and forward directions. Xu Ziping explains: For example, if the current period of misfortune is about to end in ten years, it will transition into a period of good fortune. If the birth year and month have deep seasonal influences, or if the current year's heavenly stem is supportive, and it is heading towards a fortunate position and approaching wealth, then one does not need to wait for the transition to a good period; good fortune can be realized in this period, which is called "inviting auspiciousness." As for "entering a period of decline," it refers to when the person has long been in a fortunate place and now enters a period of losing禄 (favorable position), losing wealth, and losing fortune. Although it is difficult to say it is good, it cannot be immediately considered as bad. Therefore, when discussing misfortune, one should calculate in reverse. This shows that the person has deep fortune and shallow misfortune. If there are also supportive elements from the Five Phases in the current year's heavenly stem, or other useful elements in the three life elements that support the main destiny, and they harmonize with the big destiny and the birth year, then even more so, one should calculate in reverse. In addition, there is also the consideration of the depth of the birth season, which is also important to know.

【故下文有云男迎女送者，陽男陰女，運順行也。然一運十年，更分前後五年之中，凡入吉運得節氣深，男迎者，前五年發福，是謂男迎也。女送者，後五年方吉也，故謂之女送。此與陰男陽女不殊。大運者，氣之所主也。謂如甲子日生人，九月下旬生，陽命男，四歲運，二十五歲交丑運，是甲祿庫之運，九月氣深，發福在五年也。否泰交居也，此論小運之氣也，寅為三陽，化起泰卦，故小運起丙寅。申為三陰，生處否卦，女小運起壬申，此陰陽否泰交居。各分逆順折除者，大運三日為一年，小運一年移一宮，積十三年並度一周天，此合閏餘之數也。】

Therefore, the following text mentions "men welcome and women send": in a yang year, a man's destiny combines with a woman's destiny in a yin year, and the great years progress in the order of the heavenly stems and earthly branches. Each step of the great year lasts ten years, which is further divided into the first five years and the last five years: whenever one enters a favorable great year and the solar term is deep, this is called "men welcome," meaning that blessings appear in the first five years; this is called "women send," meaning that blessings appear in the last five years. This is the same principle as previously explained with "yin man and yang woman." The great years are the main forces of the qi. For example, a person born on a Jiazi day in the ninth lunar month, a man born in a yang year, starts his great years at the age of four, and at the age of twenty-five enters the Chou great year, which is the禄库 (storehouse) of Jia. Since the ninth lunar month has a deep qi, the blessings appear within the first five years. As for "prosperity and adversity alternate," it refers to the small years' qi:寅 (Yin) is the three yang, which gives rise to the Tai卦 (Prosperity trigram), so the small years for a man start from Bingyin;申 (Shen) is the three yin, which gives rise to the Po卦 (Adversity trigram), so the small years for a woman start from Renshen. This is how yin and yang, prosperity and adversity, alternate. The division of inverse and direct calculations refers to the great years being calculated as three days equaling one year, while the small years move one palace per year, completing a full cycle of thirteen years, which exactly matches the number of leap years.

占其金木之內，顯於方所分野；標其南北之間，恐不利於往來。一旬之內，於年中而問干，一歲之中求月中而問日。向三避五，指方面以窮通；審吉量凶，述歲中之否泰。【又有占其金木之內，顯其方所分野。占音，占去聲，入著當生歲月日時，所占後運逢金木方所分野，則顯其發福也。且如木用金為官印，陽命男運，出未入申。陰命男運，出亥入戌，是向祿臨財，於金木分野之際也。又如金用木為財，陽男命運出丑入寅，陰男命，運出巳入辰，是向祿臨財，在木火方所之中也。更加之以太歲月令氣候扶同而言之，則尤妙。標對本，又有標準之義，則是命基本也。南者，顯明而往也。北者，歸向而來也。此言運氣出入動靜，或吉或凶不可輕言也。或遇交運之年，不可輕舉也。凡言命運動靜出處，當入神祥謹而言之，一失其源則無所利也。】

The text says: When divining, one should examine the internal nature of metal and wood, showing their respective directional regions; marking the north and south to determine the direction of movement, for this can be detrimental to coming and going. Within a ten-year cycle, one should inquire about the heavenly stem from the year of birth; within a single year, one should inquire about the day's ruler from the monthly command. Facing the three directions and avoiding the five ghosts, indicating the direction to determine fortune or misfortune; assessing good and weighing evil, stating whether the year is favorable or adverse. Xu Ziping comments: There is also the statement "divining the internal nature of metal and wood, showing their respective directional regions." The word "divining" here is pronounced in the falling tone, meaning to occupy or take hold of, referring to the positions occupied by the original birth year, month, day, and hour, and how these align with the directional regions of metal and wood encountered in later great years. For example, wood takes metal as official seal, and for a male born in a yang year, the great year moves from the hour of Wei to the hour of Shen; for a male born in a yin year, the great year moves from the hour of Hai to the hour of Xu, both being towards the禄 (favorable position) and near wealth, at the junction where metal and wood directional regions meet. Similarly, metal takes wood as wealth, and for a male born in a yang year, the great year moves from the hour of Chou to the hour of Yin; for a male born in a yin year, the great year moves from the hour of Si to the hour of Chen, also towards the禄 (favorable position) and near wealth, falling within the regions of wood and fire. If the sovereign year and the monthly command climate also support, it would be even better. "Marking" contrasts with "origin," and also implies standard, referring to the foundation of the destiny. "South" is moving toward the bright place, while "North" is returning to the original place. This means that the movement, stillness, coming and going of the destiny's energy, whether good or bad, should not be easily judged; especially in the year of transition, one must not act recklessly. Whenever discussing the movement and stillness of destiny, one should enter into a spiritual understanding and speak with caution and thoroughness. Once the source is lost, there is no benefit at all.

【自此以後，論歲中禍福，故下文云，一旬之內，於年中而問干者，是月中求日也。一歲之中，求月中而問日者，是年中求月也。向三背五者，是歲中求吉利方所也。凡坐作進退，向吉背凶，莫大於此矣。一旬十日也，年中者，生日也。凡在一月之中，一旬之內，將生日天元配合而言之，則知其日中休祥也。是立生日以為主也。】

From here on, the text discusses the fortune and misfortune within a year. Therefore, the next line says, "Within a ten-day period, the heavenly stem is sought within the year"—this refers to seeking the day within the month; "Within a year, the month is sought to determine the day"—this refers to seeking the month within the year. The phrase "facing three and avoiding five" means seeking auspicious directions within the year. All actions such as daily activities, movements, decisions, and choices to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune are nothing more important than this. A ten-day period is ten days, and "year" here refers to the birth day. Within a month and within a ten-day period, the heavenly stem of the birth day is used as the main reference for calculation, thereby determining the fortune or misfortune and auspiciousness or calamity of these days. This is the method of calculation based on the birth day.

【一歲之中者，取月令以生元配合而言之，則知其月中休咎也。且如人生得地，而須太歲為尊，是一歲之中求生月帶祿，或官印元有元無，是月中而問日也。此看命總法也。又以行年歲運言之。且如壬寅日生人，遇辛未歲，是謂宅墓，壬用己為官印，歲位未中有己，此年宜利見大人，壬用丁為財帛，未中有丁，此年因貴人獲財利。或問曰：財官在歲中，甚月日得之？答曰：自巳至戌，吉無不利，此亦是歲中問日，他準此。或動或靜者，即向行年天醫、福德、生氣三方為言，其餘五鬼不可往也。】

The concept of "within one year" refers to determining the fortune or misfortune of a particular month by matching the heavenly stem of the month with the original heavenly stem of the person's birth. This method allows one to know the auspicious or inauspicious nature of the month. For example, even if a person is born in a favorable position, the Tai Su (Great Year) is still the most important. This is about checking whether the birth month carries a禄 (favorable position) or official seal (官印) originally, which is the method of asking about the day based on the month. This is the general method of examining a person's destiny. When considering the flow of the year and the influence of the year, for instance, a person born on a Renyin day encountering a Xinwei year, Wei is considered the "ancestral tomb." Ren takes Ji as its official seal, and Ji is hidden within Wei, so this year is favorable for meeting a nobleman. Ren also takes Ding as its wealth, and Ding is hidden within Wei, so this year will bring wealth through the help of a nobleman. Someone may ask: since both wealth and official positions are present in this year, which month or day will bring them? The answer is: from the巳 month to the戌 month, it is auspicious and beneficial in all aspects—this is the method of asking about the day within the year. The rest follows the same principle. As for the concept of movement or stillness, one should move towards the three directions of Tianyi (Heavenly Doctor), Fortune Virtue, and Life Qi according to the flow of the year, while avoiding the other five ghostly directions.

壬癸乃秋生而冬旺，亥子同途；甲乙乃夏死而春榮，寅卯一類。【乍舉求勝，無非祿馬同鄉。始論壬癸亥子，次論甲乙寅卯，卑辱尊榮。故貴居強坐實，此言水數一，水生木，木生火，故受之於丙寅丁卯，以言其序也。】

The text says: Nengui water is born in autumn and thrives in winter, with Hai and Zi belonging to the same category; Jiayi wood dies in summer but flourishes in spring, with Yin and Mao belonging to the same category. Xu Ziping explains: by giving examples on the spot, he aims to clarify the point, which is essentially about "Lushima Tongxiang" (a term referring to auspicious combinations in divination). First discussing Nengui and Hai Zi, then Jiayi and Yin Mao, there is a distinction between lowly and exalted status; thus, it is important to be in a strong and solid position. This refers to water being one of the Five Phases, with water generating wood and wood generating fire, so the following text continues with Bingyin and Dingmao, following this order.

丙寅丁卯，秋天宜以保扶；己巳戊辰度乾宮而脫厄。【火者南方之氣也，萬物亨會之方，物盛且極，不可不戒。故云：秋天宜以保持也。金者，西方之氣也，乃藏萬物之辰，太上曰：萬物芸芸，各歸其根。是也。保持者，土也。能持載萬物，藉之以為生者也。四象不可無土，故下文云：己巳戊辰，度乾宮而脫厄也。】

The text says: The fire of Bingyin and Dingmao must have something to support and protect it by autumn; the earth of Jisi and Wuchen can remove calamity by passing through the Qian trigram. Xu Ziping explains: Fire is the energy of the south, the direction where all things meet and flourish; when things reach their peak, they must be cautious, hence the need for support by autumn. Metal is the energy of the west, the position where all things are stored away; the Tao Te Ching says "all things flourish and return to their roots," which is exactly this meaning. The thing that provides support is earth—earth can carry all things, and all things depend on it for growth. Among the four elements, earth cannot be missing, so the text says "Jisi and Wuchen, passing through the Qian trigram to escape calamity."

值病憂病，逢生得生；旺相崢嶸，休囚滅絕；論其眷屬，憂其死絕。【如壬寅人要丙丁為妻財，戊己為官印，庚為壬之母，乙為壬之子。又如大運到火旺處，父旺。庚旺處，母旺。若運在衰病處，逐類而言之。若運到墓絕之上，更逢七煞並者，是乃危疑而凶也。】

The text says: When encountering a sickly land, one should worry about illness; when encountering a nurturing land, one can expect to survive. In times of prosperity and strength, the situation is grand and flourishing; in times of weakness and confinement, it leads to decline and extinction. As for discussing the Six Relations, the most dangerous is when they fall into death or extinction. Xu Ziping explains: For example, a person born on a Renyin day, takes Bing and Ding as wife and wealth, Wu and Ji as official and seal, Geng as the mother of Ren, and Yi as the children of Ren. If the big destiny moves to a place where fire is strong, the father star is strong; if it moves to a place where Geng is strong, the mother star is strong; if the destiny falls into decline or sickness, then each of the Six Relations should be analyzed one by one. If the destiny reaches the grave or extinction, and at the same time the seven killers arrive, it is dangerous and ominous.

墓在鬼中，危疑者甚；足下臨喪，面前可見。【庫絕位逢鬼，或流年歲命前後一辰也。若人生時辰生日犯之，則主早克父母也。乃有生離遠地。或生日生時之干來克太歲下者，尤凶。面前可見者，言其為凶運。】

The text says: When the Storage position falls within the official ghost position, the danger and suspicion are most severe; there is death nearby, and it can be seen immediately. Xu Ziping explains: This refers to the Storage and Absolute positions encountering the official ghost, or falling within one hour before or after the current year and birth year. If a person's birth time or birth day is afflicted by this, it indicates early loss of parents or separation from them far away. If the heavenly stem of the birth time or birth day also attacks the character under the current year's stem, it becomes even more dangerous. The phrase 'can be seen immediately' means that this is a calamity that will be realized soon.

憑陰察其陽禍，歲星莫犯於孤辰；恃陽鑑以陰災，天年忌逢於寡宿。【陰以陽為對，陽以陰為耦。如說陽卦多陰，陰卦多陽，其理一也。既知其陰，則陽亦可知也。陰既得時而有立，則陽禍可知矣。故曰：憑陰察其陽禍也。歲星者，太歲也，不可在孤神之上。假令寅卯辰人，遇太歲在巳上是也。寅人勾絞，卯人喪吊，辰人謂之控神殺，又謂之邀神煞，主阻礙抑塞。天年者，亦太歲也，不可在寡宿之上。又如寅卯辰人，遇太歲在丑是也，辰人勾絞，卯人喪吊，寅人謂之窺神煞，又謂迫神煞，主人窺竊逼迫陷害。其或三元刑戰，歲運不和，或是五行財祿為害之年，則尤為凶甚。】

The text says: By using the yin aspect to observe the calamities of the yang, the Tai Sui (sovereign star) should not fall upon Guchen; by using the yang aspect to discern the disasters of the yin, the Tai Sui should not fall upon Guasu. Xu Ziping explains: Yin relies on yang for its counterpart, and yang relies on yin for its pair, just as the Zhou Changes say that yang hexagrams contain more yin and yin hexagrams contain more yang. Once the yin aspect is understood, the yang aspect can be inferred. When yin is in its proper time and position, the calamities of yang can be predicted. Therefore, it is said, "By using the yin to observe the calamities of the yang." The "Tai Sui" refers to the sovereign star, which should not fall upon Gushen. For example, those born in the years of Yin, Mao, and Chen, when the Tai Sui is in Si, this is an example: for those born in Yin year, it is Goujiao; for those born in Mao year, it is Sangdiao; for those born in Chen year, it is Kongshashai, also called Yaoshashai, which indicates obstacles and blockages in all affairs. The "Tian Nian" also refers to the Tai Sui, which should not fall upon Guasu. For those born in the years of Yin, Mao, and Chen, when the Tai Sui is in Chou, this is another example: for those born in Chen year, it is Goujiao; for those born in Mao year, it is Sangdiao; for those born in Yin year, it is Koushanshai, also called Poshanshai, which indicates being watched and robbed, and being forced into harm. If this is further combined with mutual conflicts between the three yuan, inharmony between the years and the destiny, or a year when the Five Phases' wealth and fortune are harmed, it becomes especially dangerous.

先論二氣，次課延生。父病推其子祿，妻災課以夫年。【二氣者，陰陽也。延生者，命運也。分別陰陽，既分命運，自然響應。父病推其子祿，妻災課以夫年。亦是明陰陽進退之象也。假令，庚辰人十月生，庚金病在亥，是父母病也。庚生壬為子，壬祿在亥，是子有祿也。妻災課以夫年者，庚以乙為妻，大運到巳，乙木敗於巳，是妻災也。而庚金復得延年，是妻災課以夫年，此大概之論也。假令丙戌日生人，下取辛為妻年，辛生癸為子，卻行亥子運，丙到亥子則衰病，而癸祿厚也。如壬癸日生人，行亥子運，則父母災病，或丁憂也。又丙以辛為妻，運行寅卯，辛金絕於寅卯，則妻災也。卻丙火逢生，是夫卻得延年也。如丙丁日生，運行寅卯者，則災或喪偶也，其餘準此。】

The text says: First discuss the two energies of yin and yang, then calculate the continuation of destiny; if the father is sick, it can be inferred from the son's official position; if the wife has misfortune, it can be calculated from the husband's year. Xu Ziping explains: "The two energies" refer to yin and yang, "continuation of life" refers to destiny; first distinguish yin and yang, then distinguish destiny, and they naturally correspond to each other. "If the father is sick, infer from the son's official position; if the wife has misfortune, calculate from the husband's year" is also explaining the principle of yin and yang advancing and retreating. For example, a person born on a Gengchen day in the tenth lunar month, Geng metal is in decline in亥, which indicates the parents are sick; while the son of Geng, which is Ren, is the son, and Ren's official position is in亥, which indicates the son has an official position. So, "if the wife has misfortune, calculate from the husband's year": Geng takes Yi as its wife, when the big destiny reaches Si, Yi wood is in decline in Si, which indicates the wife has misfortune; while Geng metal reaches Si and meets the growth stage, thus gaining longevity, so the wife's misfortune is calculated from the husband's year - this is a general explanation. Another example is a person born on a Bingxu day, taking Xin as the wife from the day branch, and the son of Xin is Gui; if the destiny moves to Hai and Zi, Bing reaches Hai and Zi and becomes weak and sick, while Gui's official position is strong. Again, if a person born on Ren or Gui day moves to Hai and Zi, it indicates the parents have illness or suffer from the loss of parents. Another example is that丙 takes辛 as its wife, when the destiny moves to Yin and Mao, Xin metal is in decline in Yin and Mao, which indicates the wife has misfortune; while 丙 fire meets the growth stage in Yin, thus the husband gains longevity. Therefore, people born on 丙 or 丁 day who move to Yin and Mao often suffer misfortune or lose their spouses. The rest follows the same principle.

三宮元吉，禍遲可以延推；始末皆凶，災忽來而迅速。【前論陰陽之始終，此說人命有吉凶。如命內天元、人元、支元，內外歲月時中值貴祿，不居休敗，或值行年太歲運同乖危之地，雖是凶運，然亦可推禍以遲延也。夫何故？以根基主本，三元元吉。故也。若三元內外，雖有祿馬貴陽市氣，卻八字中沖刑破害，不唯有貴而不貴，又終為凶人之命也。如遇吉運，則防因福生禍，則災忽來而迅速，故也。】

The essay states: The three fundamental elements of a person's destiny are originally auspicious, and misfortune comes slowly, allowing for a delay. If the entire chart is full of misfortune, calamity comes suddenly and swiftly. Xu Ziping explains: The previous discussion concerned the beginning and end of yin and yang, while this part discusses the auspiciousness and misfortune of human destiny. If the heavenly stem, human stem, and branch stem, as well as the internal and external years, months, and hours, all encounter noble and prosperous elements, and do not fall into the places of rest or decline, then even if the current year's master and the great destiny are in a conflicting and dangerous position, although it is an inauspicious period, the calamity can be postponed. Why? Because the three fundamental elements are originally auspicious. Conversely, if the three fundamental elements, both internal and external, have noble and prosperous elements, but the four pillars of the birth chart conflict, injure, break, or harm each other, then even if there are noble elements, they are not truly noble, and the person will ultimately be a misfortunate one. Such a person, even when encountering a favorable period, must beware of fortune leading to misfortune, and calamity will come suddenly and swiftly, catching them off guard.

宅墓受煞，落梁塵以呻吟；喪吊臨人，變宮商為薤露。【歲命前後五辰為宅墓，人生日時與歲運不宜，逢之受煞也。如見丙丁是騰蛇，見戊己是勾陳，見庚辛是白虎，見壬癸即是玄武，見甲乙即是青龍。看類而言之。故云：受煞。凡遇此者，皆主家宅陰小財畜不和。歲命前後二辰為喪吊，如人歲運日時犯之，主孝服哭泣，輕者外服遠親，不利家宅，骨肉離異。】

The text says: If a dwelling or tomb is affected by Inauspicious Sha, there will be dust falling from the beams and the sick person will groan in bed; if the spirits of mourning and visiting are present, the joyful tones of the palace and music will turn into the mournful song of "Xie Lu" at a funeral. Xu Ziping explains: The "residence tomb" refers to the fifth position before and after the birth stem. One's birth year, time, and age should not meet this position, for if they do, it is considered to be affected by a凶煞. If one sees 丙 or 丁, it is the 腾蛇; if 戊 or 己, it is the 勾陈; if 庚 or 辛, it is the 白虎; if 壬 or 癸, it is the 玄武; if 甲 or 乙, it is the 青龙. Each should be identified according to its category, hence it is called "affected by an Inauspicious Sha." Whenever these occur, it indicates that within the household, women and children are not at peace, and property and livestock are not in harmony. The "mourning and visiting" refers to the second position before and after the birth stem. If one's age, fortune, day, or time coincides with this, it indicates wearing mourning clothes and experiencing crying; the lighter case is mourning for distant relatives, and it also indicates household misfortune and family members being separated.

干推兩重，防災於元首之間；支折三輕，慎禍於股肱之內。下元一氣，周居去住之期。【假令壬寅人逢戊為太歲，戊為月建者，兩戊克壬，則為干推兩重。遇之者為元首頭目之災，輕者為股肱之患也，此論未祥。此賦意論三元動靜之理，物我輕重之別，四時變通之義。如壬寅人，壬為天元，為首，為尊長，見戊謂之七煞。如遇戊為太歲，為尊長，太歲則大人尊長之事，是以太歲為尊，月建為卑也。此謂支干推也，推則有剛柔相推之義。兩重者，視壬與戊兩干勢孰重，戊重則克壬，防有尊長不喜，不利見大人。壬重見戊，不我克，唯人事而已，或頭目作疾，此太歲之事也。與月建相剋者輕，戊重則僚友不和，壬重則小人為害，或腰膝作疾，更月支下三合，如或有救，則為災輕也。】

The text says: The Heavenly Stems interact in two layers, and one should beware of diseases on the head and face; the Earthly Branches interact in three directions, and one should be cautious of misfortunes within the limbs; the lower yuan forms a single force, circulating and repeating, each keeping to its own period of presence or absence. Xu Ziping explains: For example, a person born on a Renyin day, encountering Wu as the Tai Su and also Wu as the month builder, two Wus attacking Ren at the same time, this is called "two layers of interaction among the Heavenly Stems." Those affected suffer from calamities on the head and face, and if it is mild, they suffer from troubles in the limbs. This layer was not previously discussed in detail. The purpose of this text is to explain the dynamics of the three yuan, the distinction between self and others in terms of weight, and the meaning of the four seasons' changes. Taking the case of a person born on a Renyin day, Ren is the heavenly stem, representing the head and the superior, and encountering Wu is considered a seven killer. If Wu appears in the Tai Su, the Tai Su is related to matters of superiors and elders, so the Tai Su is considered superior and the month builder inferior. This is called the interaction between the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches—"pushing" implies mutual soft and hard interactions. The term "two layers" refers to comparing the strength of the two Heavenly Stems, Ren and Wu: if Wu is strong, it will overcome Ren, and one should beware of not being liked by superiors and avoiding meeting with elders; if Ren is strong, Wu cannot overcome Ren, and the issue is merely a matter of interpersonal conflict or illness on the head and face, which is a matter of the Tai Su. If it is the month builder that interacts, the weight is lighter: if Wu is strong, there will be conflicts with colleagues and friends; if Ren is strong, there will be harm from petty people or illness in the waist and knees. Then look at whether there is a triple harmony in the Earthly Branches below; if there is another rescue, the disaster will be lighter.

【折有變義，故云：支折三輕，慎禍於股肱之內。此月建之事也。上文論干祿支命，天元十干常動，地元十二支常靜。復言下元一氣者，支也。以壬為天元，如四柱別有丁，或有己，則壬應而合之，或為官印，或為財帛，是干未常不動也。支者雖遇巳時，周流往還變易，而支未常不靜也。周者，循環也。居者，安居也。期者，如限之期。去住者，氣也。此言四時周流循環，無有始終，無有窮極，而下元之辰，未嘗不善守其限也。只可以三合取之，或干克太歲者，看兩干勢力輕重而言之，或為尊長頭目之災，或在僚友左右之嫉，此與輕重較量不殊。】

The character "zhé" contains the meaning of change, so it is said "branch folds three light, be cautious of calamity within the limbs," which refers to the matter of the month builder. The previous text explained that the heavenly stems are considered as禄 (favor) and the earthly branches as 命 (destiny): the heavenly stems are usually active, while the earthly branches are usually still. Here it says "the lower element is unified in one breath," which refers precisely to the earthly branches. Taking Ren as the heavenly stem, if there is another Ding or another Ji in the four pillars, Ren will respond and combine with them, forming either official seal or wealth, showing that the heavenly stems are not always static; even the earthly branches, although they may encounter times like Si, flow and change continuously, yet the earthly branches themselves are not without stillness. "Zhou" means circulation, "ju" means to reside, "qi" means a period like a deadline, and "qu zhu" refers to the movement of qi. This means that the four seasons circulate continuously, having no beginning or end, no limit, while these earthly branches all remain within their proper limits. When making deductions, one should only use the triple harmony; if a heavenly stem overcomes the year stem, then one should compare the strength of the two heavenly stems to determine the outcome, which may indicate calamity from superiors or prominent people, or enmity from colleagues and subordinates. This is no different from the principle of comparing lightness and weight mentioned earlier.

仁而不仁，慮傷伐於戊己。至於寢食侍衛，物有鬼物，人有鬼人，逢之為災，去之為福。【仁者是甲乙木也，在五常為仁。今反言不仁者，以其克伐乎土也。如甲見己則為仁，乙見戊則為仁，以其陰陽造化，萬物代之以為生也。若甲見戊，乙見己，偏陰偏陽，萬物危脆，則五行為不仁也。賦中引甲乙戊己為例，其餘五行則可以例求焉。侍衛者，是人養生之至近也。又云，寢食者，則又近。侍衛者至親也，寢食奉養也，此二者慎不可輕忽也。】

The essay states: It is originally benevolent yet not benevolent; one must consider its harm to Wu and Ji. As for food, drink, daily living, and attendants, there are things that cause trouble in objects and people that cause trouble in people. When encountered, it brings disaster; when removed, it brings blessings. Xu Ziping comments: The term 'benevolence' refers to Jia and Yi wood, which in the Five Phases represent benevolence. Now it is said to be not benevolent because it overcomes earth. For example, Jia overcoming Ji is benevolence, and Yi overcoming Wu is also benevolence, because yin and yang interact and generate change, allowing all things to renew. If Jia meets Wu or Yi meets Ji, it is excessive yin or excessive yang, making all things vulnerable and weak, thus the Five Phases are considered not benevolent. The essay uses Jia and Yi with Wu and Ji as examples, and the other Five Phases can be inferred similarly. As for 'attendants,' they are the closest people in one's life; as for 'food and sleep,' they are even more intimate. Attendants are the most intimate people, and food and sleep are daily sustenance. Both should be treated with care and must not be neglected.

【夫物中有鬼物，人中有鬼人者，言吉凶之變遷，及遠近速之甚也。以看命言之，且如六戊日生人，用乙為官印，六己日生人，用甲為官印，木與土比和，陰與陽唱和，則為仁也。如戊見甲，己見乙，則仁而不仁也。又如戊見甲為不仁，或歲月時中見庚辛，則為仁矣，或見己亦為仁矣。且戊見甲亦為仁者，謂甲己合，己侍衛甲也。見庚則為仁者，謂戊食庚者，逢之為災，則是戊不逢庚，己被甲來剋制，與七煞同論。去之為福者，如戊見甲，則歲月時中有庚，戊己求救助，則為福也，餘仿此。】

The idea that there are things that cause trouble in the material world and people who cause trouble in the human world means that good and bad fortune often change very quickly and are close at hand. Using the method of divination by birth day: for example, those born on a Wu day take Yi as their official and seal, while those born on a Ji day take Jia as their official and seal. Wood and earth being harmonious, yin and yang in harmony, this is called benevolence. But if Wu meets Jia or Ji meets Yi, that is benevolence without true benevolence. For instance, Wu meeting Jia is naturally not benevolent, but if there is a Geng or Xin in the year, month, or hour that controls Jia, it becomes benevolent. If Ji comes to harmonize with Jia, it also becomes benevolent. Therefore, Wu meeting Jia can also be considered benevolent because Jia and Ji harmonize, and Ji is nearby to protect Jia. Similarly, meeting Geng is considered benevolent because Wu can generate Geng, and Geng can control Jia. As for 'meeting causes disaster,' it refers to Wu not meeting Geng, and Ji being controlled by Jia, which is treated the same as seven killing stars. 'Removing brings good fortune' means that when Wu meets Jia, if there is a Geng in the year, month, or hour, Wu and Ji receive help, which is considered good fortune. Other cases can be understood in the same way.

就中裸形夾煞，魄往豐都；所犯有傷，魂歸岱嶺。【裸形者，五行淋浴也。如人本音淋浴，大運逢之者災，水土人運在酉，木人運在子，火人運在卯，金人運在午。鬼谷子謂之波浪限也。夾煞者，元辰七煞也。如人運在淋浴之上，與太歲並者災重，可當生歲時，元有傷犯之辰，則魂歸岱嶺，魄往豐都，此至凶名也。】

The text says: If there is a naked form accompanied by Inauspicious Sha, the soul will go to Fengdu; if the person has already been injured at the place of offense, the spirit will return to Daoling. Xu Ziping explains: "Naked form" refers to the place of bathing in the Five Phases. If a person's original nayin is in the bathing position, and the big destiny meets it again, there will be disaster: for water and earth destiny people, the destiny year is in You; for wood destiny people, it is in Zi; for fire destiny people, it is in Mao; for metal destiny people, it is in Wu. Guiguzi calls this "Wave Limit." "Accompanied by Inauspicious Sha" refers to Yuanchen and Qishash. If a person's big destiny is in the bathing position and also meets the year of the sovereign, the disaster will be severe; if the person was born with an injured destiny, then the spirit returns to Daoling and the soul goes to Fengdu. Daoling refers to Taishan, and Fengdu refers to Fengdu. Ancient people believed these were the places where the underworld was ruled, so this is the most凶 name.

或乃行來出入，抵犯凶方，嫁娶修營，路登黃黑。【出入者，言運出運入之異也。如壬癸日生人，運行在戌，為土火之聚，則為吉運。運交亥，亥為火之絕，此為凶運，乃是行來出入，抵犯凶方。我克者為之妻財，妻財在旺鄉，則為之娶。克我者為官鬼，又為天官，吉在長生財旺之地。賦意總說，要扶同五行，體用陰陽，或運來克命，而為官貴之鄉，日克運宮乃是發財之地。皆以生月起建，陽男陰女，則順。陰男，陽女，則逆。如運到黃道，凡百皆利；運至黑道，凡百抑塞。凡人行為動作，進退向背，莫不本乎陰陽，體合運氣吉凶，俱不能逃也。故云：嫁娶修營，路登黃黑。】

The essay says: Sometimes, coming and going and moving into certain directions may involve encountering凶方, so for marriage and building, the path taken is divided into the Yellow Path and the Black Path. Xu Ziping explains: The term 'coming and going' refers to moving from one stage of destiny to another. For example, those born on壬 or癸 days, when they are in the戌 period, which is where earth and fire meet, it is a favorable period; but when they move into亥, which is the terminal point of fire, it becomes an unfavorable period. This is coming and going and encountering凶方. What I overcome is wife and wealth, which is favorable for marriage when it is in a strong position. What overcomes me is official ghosts, which are the heavenly officials, and their favorable positions are where they are born and where wealth is strong. The general meaning of the essay is that the five elements should support each other, and the body and function should be in harmony with yin and yang. Sometimes when the great destiny overcomes the birth destiny, it becomes a place of officials and nobility; when the day ruler overcomes the destiny of the period, it becomes a place of wealth. All of this starts from the birth month and follows the month builder. For male born in a yang year and female born in a yin year, the order is forward; for male born in a yin year and female born in a yang year, the order is backward. When the destiny moves along the Yellow Path, all things are favorable; when it moves along the Black Path, all things are blocked. All human actions, movements, and decisions are based on yin and yang, and are in harmony with the auspicious and inauspicious of the destiny, and no one can escape this, so it is said 'marriage and building, the path is on the Yellow and Black Paths'.

災福在歲年之位內，發覺由日時之擊揚。五神相剋，三生定命。每見貴人食祿，無非祿馬之鄉。源濁伏呤，惆悵歇宮之地。【凡說歲中休祥，專責日時與太歲相剋、刑害、沖破言之。生日為妻，時為子。日時與太歲和合及財官有用無諸壞者，依事類而言之。如太歲與日時相刑，或六合、三合中有元辰七煞者，凶。亦會類而言之。故下文云：不過是五神相剋，三生定命也。每見貴人食祿，無非祿馬之鄉。源濁伏呤，惆悵歇宮之地。上卷有例。】

The essay states: calamity and fortune are hidden within the position of the current year's heavenly stem and earthly branch, and their manifestation is revealed through the interaction between the day pillar and the hour pillar. The five spirits mutually control each other, and the triple harmony determines one's destiny. Those who commonly receive the favor of noblemen and enjoy official salaries never come from the land of official rank and horse; those whose origins are turbid and encounter a hidden situation can only wander in the place of retirement, feeling melancholy. Xu Ziping explains: when discussing the good or bad fortune of a year, it is specifically based on the mutual control, punishment and harm, and breaking between the year's heavenly stem and earthly branch, the day pillar, and the hour pillar. The day pillar represents the wife, and the hour pillar represents the child. If the day pillar, hour pillar, and the year's heavenly stem and earthly branch are harmonious, and if wealth and official rank are useful without various disruptions, then each matter is analyzed separately. If the year's heavenly stem and earthly branch are in conflict with the day pillar or the hour pillar, or if the six harmony and triple harmony contain Yuanchen and seven killers, then it is considered ominous, and it should still be categorized. Therefore, the following text says that it is ultimately only about the mutual control of the five spirits and the determination of destiny by the triple harmony. As for the lines "often seeing noblemen enjoying official salaries, they are never from the land of official rank and horse; origins turbid and encountering a hidden situation, only wandering in the place of retirement, feeling melancholy," these have already been illustrated in the previous volume.

狂橫起於勾絞，禍幾發於元亡。宅墓同處，恐少樂而多憂。萬里回還，乃是三歸之地。【歲命前三辰為勾，後三辰為絞，不可在元命日時二運之上，遇之者主非災橫禍，更或與元辰七煞並者，尤凶。歲命前後五辰為宅墓，如戊子生，遇辛未太歲者，是也。亦須未字，日上及時上本有，或大運同宮者，則重。凡遇此者不利，陰小家宅也。此言大運在十二辰之間，順逆迴環在三元本祿本財終須之地，遇此者則為憂，安之福厚，更晚年遇財祿歸聚之處，則尤有所長也，根本元無者，無所長也。】

The text says: calamities of arrogance and rebellion arise from Goujiao; the signs of misfortune begin with Yuanchen and Kongwang. The dwelling and tomb are in the same place, but one should fear more sorrow than joy. After traveling a thousand miles and returning, that is precisely the place of three returns. Xu Ziping explains: the three preceding chens of the birth stem are called "Gou," and the three following chens are called "Jiao." They should not fall on the original birth day or hour, or on the big or small years, for they bring unexpected disasters and sudden misfortunes. If they also coincide with Yuanchen and Seven Killers, the situation becomes even more dangerous. The fifth chens before and after the birth stem are called "residence and tomb." For example, a person born in the year of Wuzi encountering the year of Xinwei as the Tai Sui (great age) is an instance. However, it is also necessary that the original day or hour contains the character Wei, or that the big year is exactly in the same palace, then the influence is stronger. Whenever these occur, it is not auspicious, indicating instability within the family, especially among women and children, and the house itself. What is said here refers to the big years moving forward and backward among the twelve chens, cycling repeatedly, and eventually returning to the place where the three origins of the native's fortune and wealth converge. Encountering this brings worry; if one can remain calm within it, the fortune becomes deep. If in old age one again meets the convergence of wealth and fortune, then greater achievements are possible. As for those whose original birth does not contain these elements, there can be no talk of achievement.

四煞之父，多生五鬼之男；六害之徒，命有七傷之事。【辰戌丑未為四方之末季，為五行之庫墓。言辰戌丑未中，藏納五行死墓之氣，如人運限逢之，生幽憂之疾，淹延之厄。如父子之相承，卒難不能救解。破命者謂之害，如人運限逢之，皆主眷屬難合，人情反覆，或更六害中逢七煞克我者凶。】

The essay says: The four evils are like fathers, who often give birth to sons like the five ghosts; those who suffer from the six harms will have calamities of seven injuries in their fate. Xu Ziping explains: Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei are the last months of each season, representing the repositories of the Five Phases; these four characters contain the stagnant and buried energies of the Five Phases. When a person's destiny meets them, it causes chronic illnesses that are hard to cure and continuous misfortunes, like a hereditary condition passed down from father to son, which cannot be quickly resolved. Any destruction of the original destiny is called 'harm'; when a person's destiny meets it, it indicates that family members will not get along well and human relationships will be unpredictable. If among the six harms, the seven killers also come to attack, it will be even more dangerous.

眷屬情同水火，相逢於淋浴之鄉；骨肉中道分離，孤宿尤嫌隔角。【水陰火陽，相合而為既濟，相資而為仇讎，言其反覆多變。或情通自乖而反合，或情變自合而反乖，故曰：情同水火也。義欲和而同、久而遠者，必須在五行淋浴之時。五行休敗，如人情處患難之時，未有不情同者也。以看命言之，如丙寅丁卯，貴在豬雞，壬戌癸亥，貴於兔蛇。此無它，大率五行貴在於衰敗之中，人情要處乎淡泊之際也。凡命運隔角者，主中道骨肉離異之事。隔者，如卯日丑時，丑日卯時。鬼谷子曰：枉多隔角。餘可例求焉。丑者北方之氣也，卯者東方之氣也，其趣不同，遇之者中道分離也。嫌疑孤神者，煞也。遇多孤立而未嫌，甚言隔角之重也。】

The essay says: The affection between family members is like water and fire; when they meet in a place of bathing, the truth will be revealed; if there is separation between flesh and blood along the way, especially when encountering isolated stars and lonely dwellings, it is particularly ominous to have a conflicting angle. Xu Ziping explains: Water belongs to yin, fire to yang; when they combine, they form a state of completion, but when they contend, they become enemies. This shows how changeable things are: sometimes what seems to be discordant actually becomes harmonious, and sometimes what seems harmonious turns discordant. Therefore, it is said "affection is like water and fire." To achieve harmony and lasting affection, one must see the truth during the time of the five phases' bathing. When the five phases are in decline, it is like a person in hardship; only those who remain united through hardship can be considered true affection. In terms of destiny, the nobleman for Bingyin and Dingmao is found in Hai (Pig) and You (Rooster), and the nobleman for Renxu and Guihai is found in Mao (Rabbit) and Si (Snake). There is no other reason; generally, the noble energy of the five phases is hidden within decline, and human affection is only revealed when it becomes simple and unassuming. Whenever a person's fate and fortune encounter "conflicting angles," it indicates separation among family members along the way.the so-called conflicting angles, for example, a day of Mao paired with an hour of Chou, or a day of Chou paired with an hour of Mao. Guiguzi says "many conflicting angles lead to misfortune," and the rest can be inferred similarly. Chou represents the qi of the north, and Mao represents the qi of the east; since their directions differ, meeting them leads to separation along the way. As for isolated stars, they are originally harmful; encountering them often leads to isolation, but it is not too bad, as it is emphasizing how serious conflicting angles are.

須要明其神煞，較重較量。身克煞而尚輕，煞克身而尤重。【神煞者，官印祿馬貴賤之別名也。如前說，上克下則不貴，下克上即貴，意義不殊。煞克身者，是官來克我者，是下克上者也。如身克煞，是我克官，即不貴也。故賦曰：須要明其神煞。神譬官印，煞比財帛。但官財是克我，則為之煞克身，我克官財，則為之身克煞。此明貴賤之本也，更祥其輕重量而言之。】

The essay states: It is necessary to distinguish between the spiritual forces and malevolent influences in a person's destiny, and carefully compare their relative strengths: the strength of the day stem overcoming the malevolent influences is still weak, while the malevolent influences overcoming the day stem is even stronger. Xu Ziping explains:the so-called spirits and sha, are actually the terms for official star, seal, fortune, and horse, which are used to determine a person's status. As mentioned earlier, when the superior overcomes the inferior, it is not prestigious; when the inferior overcomes the superior, it is prestigious. The meaning is the same. "Sah ke shen" refers to the official star overcoming me, which is the inferior overcoming the superior; "shen ke sah" refers to me overcoming the official star, which is not prestigious. Therefore, the essay says that it is necessary to distinguish between spiritual forces and malevolent influences—"shen" is compared to official star and seal, and "sah" is compared to wealth. Whenever the official star and wealth overcome me, it is called "sah ke shen"; when I overcome the official star and wealth, it is called "shen ke sah." This is the fundamental way to distinguish between prestige and common status, and it is also necessary to further carefully compare the relative strengths of both sides before making a judgment.

至於循環八卦，因河洛以遺文。略之定為一端，究之翻成萬緒。【易曰：河出圖，洛出書，聖人則之以教後世。循環於四時之中，布八卦於四維之內，而成一歲之功。亙古窮今，無有終窮者，道也。道分為陰陽，而人處乎其中，則吉凶悔吝存焉。是以動靜屈伸，體天法地，莫不由乎命也。故下文云一端者，道降而為一也，二三數六，又三而成九，又九九而成八十一數，自此以後，繞繞萬緒，莫能紀極。以看命言之，不過五神相剋，三生定命，一也。其氣有淺深者，運有向背，福有厚薄，壽有長短，要後人深求之，則得古人之妙也。】

The text says: As for the cycle of the Eight Trigrams, it is based on the writings left by the River Chart and the Lake Book; briefly speaking, it is only one aspect, but when deeply explored, it gives rise to countless complexities. Xu Ziping explains: The "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes" says, "The River produced the Chart, the Lake produced the Book, and the sage took them as a model," meaning the sage used them to teach future generations. The Eight Trigrams cycle through the four seasons and are arranged within the four directions, combining to fulfill the functions of a year; from ancient times to the present, there is no end to the Dao. The Dao divides into yin and yang, and people exist within yin and yang, thus leading to the presence of good fortune, misfortune, regret, and hardship. Therefore, human actions and movements, flexing and extending, follow the pattern of heaven and earth, all determined by fate. The following mention of "one aspect" refers to the Dao descending to become one; one divides into two, two into three, three multiplied by two gives six, then multiplied by three gives nine, and nine multiplied by nine becomes eighty-one numbers, from which countless complexities arise, beyond measure. In terms of divination, it is no more than the mutual control among the five spirits and the determination of fate by the three generations. As for the depth of qi, the direction of the great cycle, the thickness of fortune, and the length of life, these must be deeply explored by later generations to grasp the subtle insights of the ancients.

若值攀鞍踐祿者，自之則佩印乘軒。馬劣財微，遇之則流而不返。【攀鞍踐祿者，乃貴人之美稱也。馬劣財微者，乃眾人所惡也。凡人鎡基歲月帶祿者，日時得地，運順祿而向官鄉，則佩印乘軒，固不難矣。此言根本元有官祿，運更向而不背者也。馬劣財微者，其財必微，言人命歲月本無祖財及無父母財，雖日時得地，後運遇財絕之鄉，即財帛散，如水東流，往而不返，此明根本元無者也。】

The text says: If one encounters the pattern of "climbing the saddle and stepping on official rank," naturally one can wear the jade seal and ride in a carriage; but if the horse is poor and wealth is slight, once encountered, it will flow eastward like water, never to return. Xu Ziping explains: "Climbing the saddle and stepping on official rank" is a term of praise for the nobleman, while "poor horse and slight wealth" refers to what the common people detest. For a person, if his foundation in the year and month carries official rank, and his day and hour also have proper support, and his fortune flows in harmony with the official rank toward the official territory, then wearing the jade seal and riding in a carriage is naturally not difficult; this refers to those whose original destiny already has official rank and whose fortune moves in harmony rather than against. As for the case of poor horse and slight wealth, his wealth is certainly meager: this refers to those whose original destiny in the year and month has neither ancestral wealth nor parental wealth, and even if their day and hour have proper support, once their later fortune meets the place where wealth is exhausted, their wealth will scatter away, like water flowing eastward, going away without returning; this refers to those whose original destiny has none of these.

占除望拜，甲午以四八為期；口舌文書，己亥慎三十有二。【前文說有祿者吉，無財者凶。此說元無祿者，遇有財祿運，則崇遷而榮。無官者，遇鬼則退職也。如甲午人，下有丁己。甲以己為財，而無官印。占除望拜，四八為期者，四月為金長生，甲以金為官印，四月是官長生，八月是金帝旺。如甲乙日生人，或問食祿在幾時，須言在四月、八月為食祿之期也。口舌文書，己亥慎三十有二者，言己亥日生人，亥中有甲木長生，元有官祿也，或運行巳或到酉者，則為口舌文書。口舌見訟事，文書則口章。己用甲為官印，巳上木病，酉上木絕。三十二者，亦四八之數也。此言戊己日生人，如遇巳或到酉運，則宜退身而避位也。】

The text says: Those hoping to be appointed to official positions should look to the fourth and eighth months if born on a Jiawu day; those concerned about troubles from disputes and official documents should be cautious if born on a Jihai day, especially at the age of thirty-two. Xu Ziping explains: The previous passage mentions that having a post is auspicious, while lacking wealth is inauspicious; here it says that those originally without a post can also achieve promotion and honor if they encounter a period with both wealth and post; those without an official position should retire when encountering an official ghost. For example, those born on a Jiawu day, with the hidden characters Ding and Ji in the Wu position: Jia takes Ji as wealth, but lacks an official seal. The phrase "expecting appointment, the fourth and eighth months are the time" is because the fourth month is the growth of metal, and Jia takes metal as an official seal, so the fourth month is the birth of the official star; the eighth month is the prosperity of metal. Therefore, those born on Jia or Yi days, if asking when they can receive a salary, should say the fourth and eighth months are the time for receiving salary. The phrase "caution at thirty-two for disputes and documents" refers to those born on Jihai day, with the hidden character Jia wood in the Hai position, originally having an official post; once they encounter the巳 or酉 period in their destiny, they will face disputes and official documents—disputes refer to lawsuits, documents refer to official documents. Jihai takes Jia as an official seal, and wood in巳 is in the state of illness, and in酉 is in the state of extinction. As for "thirty-two," it is the product of four and eight. This means that those born on Wu or Ji days, if they encounter the巳 or酉 period, should withdraw and avoid positions.

善惡相伴，搖動遷移。夾煞持邱，親姻哭送。兼須詳其操執，觀厥秉持。厚薄論其骨狀，成器藉於心源。木氣盛而仁昌，庚辛虧而義寡。【善惡者，吉凶也。相伴者，不偏也。如人運行至此，吉凶爭勝之年，皆主身心不寧動搖遷改，在陰陽則有所忌。易曰：吉凶悔吝生乎動也。動則多凶，宜守慎詳，約以處之，乃吉。夾煞持邱者，如人運命遇太歲月建大運與元辰七煞並臨於五行墓絕之位者，此年慎不可弔喪問病也。如賦云：物有鬼物，人有鬼人，逢之為凶，去之為福。是也。如遇此年，尤宜慎處，向吉背凶，則無不利矣。】

The essay says: Good and evil come together, causing people to be unsettled and to change their ways; when Inauspicious Sha are present at the burial mound, relatives and kin will weep and mourn. In addition, one must carefully examine a person's character and steadfastness, observing what he holds fast to by nature. From the thickness or thinness of his physical form, one may judge his weight or potential. Whether he can become a useful person depends on his inner source. When the wood element is strong, benevolence and virtue flourish; when the metal elements of Geng and Xin are weak, righteousness diminishes. Xu Ziping explains: "Good and evil" refer to auspicious and inauspicious influences, and "coming together" means they are balanced and not one-sided. When a person's destiny meets a year of conflicting auspicious and inauspicious influences, it leads to inner unrest and change, which is unfavorable in terms of yin and yang. The Zhou Changes (I Ching) Great Treatise says, "Auspiciousness, misfortune, regret, and hardship arise from action." Once there is movement, there is more danger, so one should be cautious and careful in dealing with matters to achieve auspicious results. The phrase "夹煞持邱" refers to when a person's destiny and fate meet the Tai Sui, the Month Builder, the Great Destiny, and the Yuanchen Seven Killers all at the墓绝 position in the Five Elements. In such a year, one must absolutely avoid visiting the sick or attending funerals. The essay's statement, "Things have ghosts, people have ghostly people; encountering them brings disaster, avoiding them brings blessings," expresses this meaning. When encountering such years, one should be especially cautious, seeking good and avoiding bad, and thus nothing will go wrong.

【前說歲運休祥，復明根本作用也。且如木人秋生，木被金克，則為性有操執也。甲申、乙酉、乙巳、乙丑、甲戌生人，不背官祿也。或生於三春九夏，季木氣盛時，秉受旺氣，有所執持也。故云：觀厥秉持。又須生時在西北方金土之中，或大運到金土分野，則有官印長遠。若或甲申、乙酉、乙巳、乙丑、甲戌日生人，生於秋三月或三春夏季，不背官祿，有所執持，才能操執。卻歲月時居火木盛時，火木旺地，或行運在東南有丙丁火旺，早年雖發福，晚年蕭條也。】

The previous discussion dealt with the fortune and misfortune of the year and its influence, but here we return to clarify the fundamental principles. For example, a person with a wood destiny born in autumn, when wood is weakened by metal, would exhibit a character marked by integrity and firmness. Those born on the day pillars of Jiashen, Yiyou, Yisi, Yichou, or Jiaxu do not suffer from official positions or authority; or if they are born in the spring or summer months when the wood energy is strong, they receive a powerful destiny and thus maintain firmness, hence the saying "observe their firmness." In addition, their birth time should fall in the northwest where metal and earth are located, or their big destiny should move towards the regions of metal and earth, so that official positions and seals can last long. However, if those born on the day pillars of Jiashen, Yiyou, Yisi, Yichou, or Jiaxu are born in the third month of autumn or in spring and summer, they do not suffer from official positions, have firmness, and possess talent. Yet, if their year, month, and hour fall in the time when fire and wood are strong, or if their destiny moves towards the southeast where fire is strong, they may enjoy prosperity early in life but eventually decline in old age.

【賦意之要言，令後人觀五行造化向背，而詳言之。如前論甲申、乙酉、乙巳、乙丑、甲戌者，雖居官印之位，然物有厚薄之不齊，則吉凶修短之有異。何以言之？木旺則天元厚，天元厚則有操持，有操持則權重也。金旺則祿厚，祿厚則官重，官重則有秉持也。若金木之氣俱薄，則官祿何可長也？故曰：厚薄論其骨狀。是也。】

The essence of these lines is to instruct later generations to observe the direction and opposition of the Five Phases, and to carefully distinguish them. For example, the previous examples of the pillars Jia Shen, Yi You, Yi Si, Yi Chou, and Jia Xu, although all occupying the official and ministerial positions, have varying degrees of strength. Therefore, their fortune, misfortune, longevity, and short life differ accordingly. How so? If wood is strong, the heavenly stem is thick, and a thick heavenly stem indicates integrity. Integrity leads to authority. If metal is strong, the official position is thick, and a thick official position means a high rank. A high rank implies firmness. If both metal and wood are weak, how can the official position and rank be enduring? Therefore, it is said, "the thickness and thinness determine the nature of the bone."

【成器藉於心源者，謂如金若不遇木，須用火為官印也。且如庚辛日生人，要在三春九夏，則財官兩美也。所云：乘軒衣冕。金火何多是也。心源者，離宮也，屬火。金得火乃成器也。前說木遇金為操持，次論金遇火而成器，皆因五行相剋而成造化。更看金火之器不偏，運向祿而不背，則為福長久也。又下文云木仁也，金義也，木盛而逢金，則剛柔得中，如由豫之盍簪，有以利天下，則仁而昌。庚辛履而逢火，似井泥之而不食，不能廣濟，則寡於義，此又何疑焉？賦云：兼須詳其操執，觀厥秉持者，以言其金木之體厚薄，論其骨狀成器，藉於心源者，以言其金火之才，各得其宜，則為好命。至於金木氣偏，木氣盛而仁昌，庚辛虧而義寡者，是財用不相宜，金木各不仁，則凶悔吝從之。】

As for the saying "the formed vessel depends on the heart's source," it means that metal requires wood to be present, but if wood is not available, then fire is needed as the official seal. For example, those born on the day of Geng or Xin need to be born in spring or summer to have both wealth and official status, which is what was previously mentioned as "riding in a carriage and wearing ceremonial robes, how much gold and fire there is." The "heart's source" refers to the Li trigram, which belongs to fire; metal can only become a vessel with the aid of fire. Earlier it was said that wood meets metal and thus has control, and now it is said that metal meets fire and thus can become a vessel, both relying on the mutual control of the Five Phases to achieve transformation. One must also look at the vessel made from metal and fire being balanced, and the fortune being directed towards the official position rather than away from it, so that the blessing can last. The text then says: wood represents benevolence, and metal represents righteousness. When wood is strong and meets metal, the firm and the flexible are in harmony, just like the line nine four of the Yu hexagram "friends gather like hairpins" which can gather people and benefit the world, thus benevolence flourishes. However, when Geng and Xin meet fire which controls them, it is like the line six at the beginning of the Jing hexagram "the well is muddied and not drinkable," which cannot widely benefit others, and righteousness becomes thin. What is there to doubt? The text says "one must also carefully examine their handling and observe their bearing," referring to the thickness or thinness of the body of metal and wood. It says "the thickness and thinness are discussed in terms of the shape of the bones, and the formed vessel depends on the heart's source," referring to the talent of metal and fire. When both are in harmony, it is a good fate. However, if the qi of metal and wood is imbalanced, when the wood qi is strong and benevolence flourishes, but when Geng and Xin are lacking and righteousness is scarce, this is when wealth and use are not in harmony, and both metal and wood lose benevolence, thus misfortune and regret follow.

惡曜加而有喜，疑其大器；福星臨而禍發，以表凶人。【詳註見上卷，初至衰鄉猶披鮮福內，更不重載。】

The essay states: When malevolent stars appear to bring misfortune, it often indicates a person of great potential; when auspicious stars appear but bring calamity, it shows that the person is inherently evil. Xu Ziping comments: A detailed explanation can be found in the previous section under "From initial to decline, still enjoying blessings," and is not repeated here.

處定求動，克未進而難遷；居安問危，可凶中而卜吉。【此卷末，總言其妙旨也。處定者，凡言人命，用法處者，欲定其貴賤也。貴賤既明，故曰：處定也。求動者，人命雖見官印財帛，而不貴富者，宜於處定之中復求其變動也。既見其貴中未貴，財中未財，則當克未進而難遷也。未進者，未當升進。難遷者，難為遷移也。此與上文云：息一氣以凝神，消五行而通道。之義不殊。居安者，如是貴命，見行官祿所向集福之運以為安也。問危者，未可便宜言終吉，況前云吉中有凶，當於歲月時中，扶合行年太歲，三合三會，問危疑神煞，參詳而言之。如見有危疑之神，則必有危疑之事，則當懲戒，積善以禳之，則凶中復吉矣。如易說：憂悔吝者存乎介者是也。】

The essay says: When examining a fixed position, further consider its movement, and thus understand why it is being overcome and unable to rise; when in a secure situation, first inquire about potential dangers, and thus predict good from bad. Xu Ziping comments: This is the conclusion of the entire text, summarizing the profound meaning of the essay.the so-called "处定" refers to the fact that when discussing a person's destiny, one must first determine their status of high or low before applying methods. Once the status of high or low is clearly established, it is called "处定."所谓 "求动" refers to the fact that although a person's destiny may show official positions, wealth, and resources, they may not be wealthy or prosperous. Therefore, within the fixed position, further consider its movement. Once it is seen that within the high status there is still not fully high, and within the wealth there is still not fully wealthy, then one should judge that it is being overcome and unable to rise, and difficult to change positions. "未进" means not advancing, and "难迁" means difficult to change positions. This is the same meaning as what was mentioned earlier, "stabilizing one breath to gather spirit, eliminating the Five Phases to understand the way."the so-called "居安" refers to the fact that if one's destiny is already noble, and one is in a period of official fortune and gathering of good fortune, it can be considered secure.所谓 "问危" refers to the fact that one should not immediately conclude that it is entirely good, especially since it was previously mentioned that "good contains danger." Therefore, within the years, months, and hours, one should consider the harmony and combination with the current year's heavenly stem and earthly branch, as well as the Triple Harmony and Triple Convergence, and then inquire whether there are dangerous or doubtful divine stars. Only after careful consideration can one make a judgment. If dangerous or doubtful divine stars are seen, there must be corresponding dangerous or doubtful matters, and one should be cautious and accumulate good deeds to eliminate the bad, thus transforming bad into good. The "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes" says, "Those who are worried, regretful, and resentful exist in the smallest things," which is exactly this meaning.

貴而忘賤，災自奢生；迷而不返，禍從惑起。【貴而忘賤，是後人不明賤意。引大道之妙，而執方守隅。見貴命而言貴，不知貴中有賤，或始貴而終賤者，則災自奢生。與賒同一其源則妙，理賒自遠也。此說見貴忘賤之誤也，其或有不遇至人，不明道理者，執迷而見，寡陋偏學，滋蔓偏求，理無所出者，則是禍從惑起者是也。】

The essay says: One sees only the noble and forgets the humble, calamity arises from arrogance and extravagance; clinging to one's own views without knowing when to turn back, calamity arises from confusion. Xu Ziping comments: What is meant by 'noble yet forgetting the humble' is that later generations do not understand the meaning of 'humble'. They cite the subtle essence of the great Dao, but fixate on a single aspect and cling to a narrow view. They see a noble destiny and speak only of its nobility, unaware that within nobility there is also humility. There are cases where one begins noble but ends humble, so calamity naturally arises from arrogance and extravagance. This 'extravagance' comes from the same source as the 'distance' in 'the remoteness of fortune and misfortune', and its subtlety lies in the fact that the principle becomes more distant as it is pursued. This sentence is precisely about the error of seeing only the noble and forgetting the humble. As for those who cannot meet with enlightened persons and do not understand principles, clinging to their own views, their learning is shallow and one-sided, their inquiries become more tangled and they cannot arrive at the correct principle, this is what is called 'calamity arising from confusion'.

殊常易舊，變處為萌。福善禍淫，吉凶異兆。【殊常者，知變也。易舊者，善通也。或處為萌者，知其幽微也。曾遇明師，必通道理者，誠有如易所謂：苟非其人，道不虛行是也。古人為道者，皓首窮經，專心致志，惟恐失於妙道。雖行坐服食，未嘗心不在五行之中，則能知幽妙。有殊常易舊，變處為萌，是知大道福善而禍淫，故君子修身以俟命。】

The text says: Those who can go beyond the conventional and change old methods can perceive the initial signs in the changing circumstances; Heaven blesses the virtuous and brings calamity upon the wicked, with good and bad fortune each having their own omens. Xu Ziping explains: "Going beyond the conventional" means understanding flexibility, "changing old methods" means being adept at comprehending, and "perceiving the initial signs in the changing circumstances" means being able to discern the subtle. Those who have encountered a wise teacher and surely understand the principles, indeed fulfill the saying from the "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes" that "If there is no such person, the way will not be practiced in vain." Ancient people sought the Dao, spent their whole lives studying the classics, focused entirely, fearing to辜负 this profound teaching; even in their daily activities, eating and sleeping, their minds never left the Five Phases, thus enabling them to know the subtle and observe the hidden. Being able to go beyond the conventional and change old methods, perceiving the initial signs in the changing circumstances, one understands that the great Dao blesses the virtuous and brings calamity upon the wicked, so the gentleman cultivates himself to await the mandate of Heaven.

至於公明季主，尚無變識之文，景純仲舒，不載比形之妙。【易曰：知變化之道者，其知神之所為乎。知進退存亡之道者，其唯聖人乎。以此究之，難終又難窮也。故賦云：管公明，董仲舒，郭景純，司馬季主者，皆王佐之才，博通經史，洞達陰陽，遺文教於後世，可謂賢矣。】

The essay states: As for Guan Gongming and Sima Jizhu, they did not leave behind writings on understanding change and discerning subtle matters; Guo Jingchun and Dong Zhongshu also did not record the ingenious methods of analogy and imagery. Xu Ziping explains: The "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes" says: Those who understand the way of change generally comprehend the workings of the divine; those who understand the principles of advancement and retreat, survival and demise, are probably only the sages. Following this line of reasoning, this principle is both difficult to exhaust and hard to conclude. Therefore, the essay cites Guan Lu (whose name is Gongming), Dong Zhongshu, Guo Pu (whose name is Jingchun), and Sima Jizhu: they were all men of talent who assisted emperors, well-versed in classics and history, thoroughly understanding yin and yang, and left behind teachings through written words for future generations, thus qualifying as virtuous men.

詳其往聖，鑑以前賢，或指事以陳謀，或約文而切理。多或少剩，二義難精。今者參詳得失，補綴遺蹤，窺為心鑑，永掛清臺，引列終編，千希得一。【然則致君澤民，於當時則不能全身遠害也。或指事以陳謀，約文而切理者，有之矣。珞碌子萃眾妙之說，將少者補其詳博，剩者遺其繁蕪。故云：補綴遺蹤。窺者，所見者小也。心鑑，言自謙心，有所見甚少也。引列終編者，是探索前賢往聖，盡善於美之至道也。得之於心，則永掛清臺，善用者，千希得一也。】

The essay says: Carefully examining the sages of old and drawing on the wisdom of previous virtuous scholars, some of them presented their strategies based on specific matters, while others expressed profound truths in concise words. Their statements were either too much or too little, making it difficult to achieve precision. Now, by examining their merits and shortcomings, we have attempted to restore what has been lost, only glimpsing a small part and forming our own understanding, hoping it may hang permanently on the clear platform. By listing and citing these, we have only managed to find one in a thousand. Xu Ziping comments: These earlier scholars, although capable of serving the ruler and benefiting the people, might not have been able to preserve their own safety or avoid calamities in their time. However, their strategies based on specific matters and concise expressions of truth were indeed commendable. Luolu Zi gathered the finest insights from various sources, supplementing what was too brief with detailed explanations and removing the redundant parts from what was overly elaborate, hence the term "completing the traces left behind." "Kui" means a limited view, and "xin jian" is a modest self-description of having gained very little. "Yin lie zhong bian" refers to exploring the ultimate principles of the virtuous sages of old; once one has a true understanding, it can serve as a standard on the clear platform. However, truly skilled individuals who can apply this knowledge are rare, only one in a thousand.