Zi Ping Zhen Quan Ping Zhu (子平真詮評註)

予自束髮就傳，即喜讀子史諸集，暇則子平《淵海》、《大全》略為流覽，亦頗曉其意。然無師授，而於五行生剋之理，終若有所未得者。後復購得《三命通會》、《星學大成》諸書，悉心參究，晝夜思維，乃恍然於命之不可不信，而知命之君子當有以順受其正。

From the time I tied my hair up and started school, following my teacher's instruction, I have always loved reading the works of the philosophers, historical texts, and collections of writings from various schools. In my spare time, I also roughly glanced through the works of Zi Ping, such as the "Ziping's Sea of Profundity" and the "Complete Compendium of the Three Fates," and I could understand their meanings to some extent. However, without a teacher's direct instruction, I could not fully grasp the principles of the Five Phases and their mutual generation and mutual control. Later, I bought books like the "Complete Compendium of the Three Fates" and "The Great Compendium of Star Studies," and devoted myself to studying and investigating them, thinking about them day and night. Only then did I suddenly understand: human destiny cannot be disbelieved; and a gentleman who understands heaven's mandate should follow it and accept the proper outcome it provides—that is exactly what is said in the "Mencius · The Upward Mind" under the section "Fully Exerting the Mind": "Accepting the proper outcome in accordance with heaven's mandate."

戊子歲予由副貢充補官學教習，館舍在阜城門右，得交同里章公君安，歡若生平，相得無間，每值館課暇，即詣君安寓談《三命》，彼此辯難，闡民無餘蘊。已而三年期滿，僦居宛平沈明府署，得山陰沈孝瞻先生所著子平手錄三十九篇，不覺爽然自失，悔前次之揣摩未至。遂攜其書示君安，君安慨然嘆曰：「此談子平家真詮也！」

In the year of Wuzi, I was selected as an assistant instructor at the official school, and my residence was set up on the right side of the Fucheng Gate in the capital. There I met Mr. Zhang Jian'an, a fellow native, and we became friends as if we had known each other for years, with complete understanding and no barriers between us. Whenever I had spare time from my duties at the school, I would visit Mr. Zhang's residence to discuss the Complete Compendium of the Three Fates. We would question and debate with each other, thoroughly explaining its principles with no remaining ambiguity (the original text says 'chan min', which should be a mistake for 'chan fa'). After completing my three-year term, I rented a residence in the official house of Mr. Shen, the county magistrate of Wansheng County, and there I obtained thirty-nine essays on the Zi Ping method written by Mr. Shen Xiaozhan from Shanyin. After reading them, I felt lost and bewildered, regretting that my previous understanding had not been thorough enough. I then took the book to show Mr. Zhang, who sighed and said, 'This is truly the authentic exposition of the Zi Ping method!'

先生諱燡燔，成乾隆己未進士，天資穎悟，學業淵邃，其於造化精微，固神而明之，變化從心者矣。觀其論用神之成敗得失，又用神之因成得敗、因敗得成，用神之必兼看於忌神，與用神先後生克之別，並用神之透與全、有情無情、無力無力之辨，疑似毫芒，至詳且悉。是先生一生心血，生注於是，是安可以淹沒哉！

Mr. Shen, whose name is Xianfan, passed the imperial examination in the Jiwei year of the Qianlong era. He was naturally intelligent and had profound knowledge. He could intuitively grasp the subtle aspects of destiny and manipulate them effortlessly. When discussing the concept of "useful god" (yongshen), he examined its success and failure, gain and loss, and how a useful god might be ruined due to forming a pattern, or conversely, gain success due to breaking a pattern. He also emphasized the necessity of considering the "hostile god" (jishen) together with the useful god, as well as the distinctions in the sequence of generation and overcoming among useful gods. He analyzed whether the useful god was revealed or complete, whether it was in harmony or not, and whether it was strong or weak (the original text mistakenly repeated the word "weak"). He explained every subtle and ambiguous point with great detail and thoroughness. This is the life's work of the master, entirely devoted to this book. How can we allow it to be buried and forgotten!

君安爰謀付剞劂，為天下談命者，立至當不易之準，而一切影響游移管窺蠡測之智，俱可以不惑。此亦談命家之幸也；且不談命家之幸，抑亦天下士君子之幸，何則？人能知命，則營競之可以息，非分之想可以屏，凡一切富貴窮通壽夭之遭，皆聽之於天，而循循焉各安於義命，以共勉於聖賢之路，豈非士君子厚幸哉！

Lord Juan intended to have it printed and circulated, establishing a most appropriate and unchangeable standard for those throughout the world who discuss destiny. This would ensure that all superficial, uncertain, and narrow-minded views, such as grasping at shadows or measuring the sea with a ladle, could no longer mislead people. This is naturally a blessing for those who discuss fate; and not only that, it is also a blessing for all scholars and gentlemen. Why? Because if people understand their own destiny, their ambitions and quarrels can be put aside, and their unrealistic desires can be eliminated. All experiences of wealth and poverty, smooth success or hardship, longevity or short life are left to Heaven. Thus, people can follow proper conduct and abide by righteousness and Heaven's will, striving together along the path of the sages. Is this not a great blessing for scholars and gentlemen?

觀於此而君安之不沒人善，公諸同好，其功不亦多乎哉？愛樂序其緣起。乾隆四十一年歲丙申初夏同後學胡焜倬空甫謹識。

From this matter, it appears that the gentleman does not obscure others' strengths, but instead shares good books with fellow enthusiasts. His contribution is surely great. Therefore, I am pleased to write this preface explaining the origin of the book's compilation. In the spring of the year Bingshen of the forty-first year of Qianlong, Hu Kunzhao, styled Kongpu, a fellow learner, respectfully inscribed this.

天地之間，一氣而已。惟有動靜，遂分陰陽。有老少，遂分四象。老者極動靜之時，是為太陽太陰；少者初動初靜之際，是為少陰少陽。有是四象，而五行具於其中矣。水者，太陰也；火者，太陽也；木者，少陽也；金者，少陰也；土者，陰陽老少、木火金水沖氣所結也。

Shen's original text begins by stating that between heaven and earth, there was originally just a mass of qi. This mass of qi has movement and stillness, thus giving rise to "yin" and "yang." Movement and stillness each have distinctions of old and young, thus leading to the four images.所谓 old refers to when movement reaches its extreme or stillness reaches its extreme, which are "Taiyang" (Great Yang) and "Taiyin" (Great Yin);所谓 young refers to when movement or stillness begins, which are "Shaoyin" (Lesser Yin) and "Shaoyang" (Lesser Yang). With these four images, the five phases are included: water belongs to Taiyin, fire belongs to Taiyang, wood belongs to Shaoyang, and metal belongs to Shaoyin; as for earth, it is formed by the mutual interaction and convergence of the qi of yin and yang, old and young, wood, fire, metal, and water.

有是五行，何以又有十干十二支乎？蓋有陰陽，因生五行，而五行之中，各有陰陽。即以木論，甲乙者，木之陰陽也。甲者，乙之氣；乙者，甲之質。在天為生氣，而流行於萬物者，甲也；在地為萬物，而承茲生氣者，乙也。又細分之，生氣之散佈者，甲之甲，而生氣之凝成者，甲之乙；萬木之所以有枝葉者，乙之甲，而萬木之枝枝葉葉者，乙之乙也。方其為甲，而乙之氣已備；及其為乙，而甲之質乃堅。有是甲乙，而木之陰陽具矣。

Shen's original text continues with the question: If there are the Five Phases, why are the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches established separately? This is because first there was yin and yang, from which the Five Phases arose. Within each of the Five Phases, each phase itself is divided into yin and yang. Take wood for example: Jia and Yi are the yin and yang of wood. Jia is the "qi" of Yi, and Yi is the "substance" of Jia. In the heavens, it is the qi that spreads and generates, circulating among all things, which is Jia; on the earth, it becomes the myriad things, receiving this life qi, which is Yi. Further dividing, the aspect of life qi spreading out is Jia within Jia; the aspect of life qi gathering and taking form is Jia within Yi. The reason that myriad woods can sprout branches and leaves is because of Yi within Jia; while the actual branches and leaves that have grown are Yi within Yi. When it is still Jia, the qi of Yi is already present; but when it becomes Yi, the substance of Jia is then solidified. With the pair of Jia and Yi, the yin and yang of wood are complete.

何以復有寅卯者，又與甲乙分陰陽天地而言之者也。以甲乙而分陰陽，則甲為陽，乙為陰，木之行於天而為陰陽者也。以寅卯而陰陽，則寅為陽，卯為陰，木之存乎地而為陰陽者也。以甲乙寅卯而統分陰陽，則甲乙為陽寅卯為陰，木之在天成象而在地成形者也。甲乙行乎天，而寅卯受之；寅卯存乎地，而甲乙施焉。是故甲乙如官長，寅卯如該管地方。甲祿於寅，乙祿於卯，如府官之在郡，縣官之在邑，而各司一月之令也。

Shen's original text continues to ask: Why is there also Yin and Mao for wood in addition to Jia and Yi? This is because Jia and Yi are paired with Yin and Mao, and then yin and yang are divided from the perspectives of "Heaven" and "Earth." If we consider Jia and Yi separately, Jia is yang and Yi is yin, which refers to the yin and yang of wood when it is in the heavens. If we consider Yin and Mao separately, Yin is yang and Mao is yin, which refers to the yin and yang of wood when it is in the earth. When Jia, Yi, Yin, and Mao are combined and divided into yin and yang, Jia and Yi belong to yang, while Yin and Mao belong to yin. This is the distinction between wood "manifesting as a pattern in the heavens and taking form in the earth." Jia and Yi move in the heavens, while Yin and Mao are below and receive their influence. Yin and Mao exist in the earth, while Jia and Yi exert their qi upon them. Therefore, Jia and Yi are like officials, while Yin and Mao are like the places they govern. Jia takes Yin as its "lu" (favorable position), and Yi takes Mao as its "lu," just as a prefectural governor sits in the prefectural capital and a county magistrate sits in the county town, each governing a month's command.

甲乙在天，故動而不居。建寅之月，豈必當甲？建卯之月，豈必當乙？寅卯在地，故止而不遷。甲雖遞易，月必建寅；乙雖遞易，月必建卯。以氣而論，甲旺於乙；以質而論，乙堅於甲。而俗書謬論，以甲為大林，盛而宜斬，乙為微苗，脆而莫傷，可為不知陰陽之理者矣。以木類推，餘者可知，惟土為木火金水沖氣，故寄旺於四時，而陰陽氣質之理，亦同此論。欲學命者，必須先知干支之說，然後可以入門。

Shen's original text says: Jia and Yi are in the heavens, so they are flowing and not fixed. In the first month, the month builder is Yin, but the heavenly stem is not necessarily Jia; in the second month, the month builder is Mao, but the heavenly stem is not necessarily Yi. Yin and Mao are on the earth, so they are fixed and not changing: regardless of the changing years or the replacement of Jia, the first month is always built on Yin; regardless of the replacement of Yi, the second month is always built on Mao. In terms of energy, Jia is stronger than Yi; in terms of quality, Yi is harder than Jia. However, common books make baseless arguments, saying that Jia is a tall great forest, growing lush and therefore should be cut down, and Yi is a delicate young seedling, fragile and tender, so it should not be harmed. This can truly be said to be the work of people who do not understand the principles of yin and yang. Using wood as an analogy, the other four elements can also be understood. Only earth is formed by the harmonious combination of the energies of wood, fire, metal, and water, so it is strong in the last parts of the four seasons, namely Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei. Its principles of yin and yang and quality are the same as discussed above. Those who wish to study destiny must first understand the principles of heavenly stems and earthly branches, and only then can they begin to enter the field.

四時之運，相生而成，故木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水復生木，即相生之序，循環迭運，而時行不匱。然而有生又必有克，生而不克，則四時亦不成矣。克者，所以節而止之，使之收斂，以為發洩之機，故曰「天地節而四時成」。即以木論，木盛於夏，殺於秋，殺者，使發洩於外者藏收內，是殺正所以為生，大易以收斂為性情之實，以兌為萬物所說，至哉言乎！譬如人之養生，固以飲食為生，然使時時飲食，而不使稍飢以待將來，人壽其能久乎？是以四時之運，生與克同用，克與生同功。

The original text by Shen says: The movement of the four seasons depends on the mutual generation of the Five Phases. Therefore, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water again generates wood; this is the order of mutual generation. Thus, the cycle continues without end, enabling the four seasons to proceed endlessly. However, if there is generation, there must also be overcoming. If there is only generation without overcoming, the four seasons would not be the four seasons. The function of overcoming is to restrain, stop, and gather the energy, so that it may become the opportunity for the next release. Therefore, the Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram of Restraint in the Zhou Yi says, "Heaven and Earth restrain and the four seasons are formed." Take wood as an example: wood is most vigorous in summer, but is cut back in autumn. This cutting back means collecting the outwardly expressed life qi into the interior (the original text says "collect and store internally," with the word order reversed). This cutting back is precisely for the growth of the next year. The Zhou Yi regards "collecting" as the essence of nature and the Hexagram of Joy as the place where all things are delighted ("say" is equivalent to "delight"). This statement is truly profound! Just as human health depends on food for life, but if one eats constantly without allowing the stomach to rest for a moment for the next meal, could one live long? Therefore, the operation of the four seasons relies on both generation and overcoming, and overcoming and generation have the same function.

然以五行而統論之，則水木相生，金木相剋。以五行之陰陽而分配之，則生克之中，又有異同。此所以水同生木，而印有偏正；金同克木，而局有官煞也。印綬之中，偏正相似，生克之殊，可置勿論；而相剋之內，一官一煞，淑慝判然，其理不可不細詳也。

Shen's original text continues to say: If we only discuss the Five Phases in a general way, then water generates wood and metal controls wood. But once the Five Phases are further divided into yin and yang, there is a distinction between same and different within generation and control. This is why, although it is the same water generating wood, it is divided into 'biased nourishing' and 'correct nourishing'; and although it is the same metal controlling wood, it is divided into 'correct official' and 'seven evil'. In the category of nourishing, biased nourishing and correct nourishing are similar in nature, and the difference in generation and control is not great, so they can be set aside. But in the category of control, one is 'correct official' and the other is 'seven evil', one good and one evil, clearly distinct, and the reason for this must be explained in detail.

即以甲乙庚辛言之。甲者，陽木也，木之生氣也；乙者，陰木也，木之形質也。庚者，陽金也，秋天肅殺之氣也；辛者，陰金也，人間五金之質也。木之生氣，寄於木而行於天，故逢秋天為官，而乙則反是，庚官而辛殺也。又以丙丁庚辛言之。丙者，陽火也，融和之氣也；丁者，陰火也，薪傳之火也。秋天肅殺之氣，逢陽和而克去，而人間之金，不畏陽和，此庚以丙為殺，而辛以丙為官也。人間金鐵之質，逢薪傳之火而立化，而肅殺之氣，不畏薪傳之火。此所以辛以丁為殺，而庚以丁為官也。即此以推，而餘者以相剋可知矣。

Shen's original text gives an example: take Jia, Yi, Geng, and Xin. Jia is yang wood, representing the growth and vitality of wood; Yi is yin wood, representing the form and substance of wood. Geng is yang metal, representing the autumnal cutting and clearing energy; Xin is yin metal, representing the physical forms of the five metals found on earth. The life energy of wood resides in the trees and flows through the heavens, so when Jia meets the autumnal cutting energy, it becomes its "official" - controlled and orderly. Yi is the opposite; for Yi, Geng is the official and Xin is the harmful force (the original text has a slight error here, it should be that yin and yang opposing forces are considered official, while same type forces are considered harmful). Now take Bing, Ding, Geng, and Xin: Bing is yang fire, representing warm and harmonious energy; Ding is yin fire, representing the fire of burning wood. The autumnal cutting energy is overcome by the warm and harmonious yang energy, while the physical forms of the five metals are not afraid of yang warmth, so Geng considers Bing as harmful and Xin considers Bing as official. The physical forms of the five metals are immediately melted by the fire of burning wood, while the autumnal cutting energy is not afraid of the fire of burning wood, so Xin considers Ding as harmful and Geng considers Ding as official. Following this line of reasoning, the distinctions between official and harmful forces in all other interactions of mutual control can also be understood.

五行干支之說，已詳論於干支篇。干動而不息，支靜而有常。以每干流行於十二支之月，而生旺墓絕繫焉。

The Shen氏 original says: The principles of the Five Phases and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches have already been explained in detail in the previous chapter "On the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches." The Heavenly Stems are active and never stop, while the Earthly Branches are static and constant. When each Heavenly Stem is placed among the twelve Earthly Branches, which correspond to the twelve months, it circulates through them. Thus, the states of growth, prosperity, entering the tomb, and dying are all attached to them.

陽主聚，以進為進，故主順；陰主散，以退為退，故主逆。長生沐浴等項，所以有陽順陰逆之殊也。四時之運，功成者去，等用者進，故每流行於十二支之月，而生旺墓絕，又有一定。陽之所生，即陰之所死，彼此互換，自然之運也。即以甲乙論，甲為木之陽，木之枝枝葉葉，受天生氣，已經收藏飽足，可以為來克發洩之機，此其所以生於亥也。木當午月，正枝葉繁盛之候，而甲何以死？卻不是外雖繁盛，而內之生氣發洩已盡，此其所以死於午也。乙木反是，午月枝葉繁盛，即為之生，亥月枝葉剝落，即為之死。以質而論，自與氣殊也。以甲乙為例，餘可知矣。

The Shen family's original text says: Yang has the nature of gathering and consolidating, and moves forward as it progresses, hence it follows the order. Yin has the nature of dispersing and spreading out, and moves backward as it retreats, hence it goes in reverse. The twelve positions of "long life," "bathing," and so on, have the distinction of "Yang moving forward and Yin moving backward" because of this. The cycle of the four seasons, the withdrawal of completed functions, and the entry of those waiting to be used (the original text says "those who are to be used enter," and "those who are to be used" should be "those waiting to be used"), so each heavenly stem circulates through the twelve earthly branches in order. "Long life," "prosperity," "entering the tomb," and "qi extinction" each have fixed positions. The place where a Yang stem is born is exactly where a Yin stem is in death and extinction, and they exchange with each other, which is a natural law. Take Jia and Yi as an example: Jia is the Yang of wood. By the month of Hai, the heavenly qi that nourishes the branches and leaves of trees has been collected and stored fully, serving as an opportunity for growth in the coming spring (the original text says "coming attack," which should be "coming spring"), which is why Jia wood is born in Hai. When wood reaches the month of Wu, it is at the peak of its flourishing branches and leaves, yet Jia is considered "dead." This is because although the appearance is flourishing, the internal vital qi has already been exhausted (the original text says "but it is not," which should be "but one does not know"), which is why Jia wood dies in Wu. Yi wood is exactly the opposite: when branches and leaves are flourishing in Wu, it is considered "long life" for Yi; when branches and leaves wither in Hai, it is considered "death" for Yi. This is because Yi is considered based on form and substance, while Jia is considered based on qi, and they are different. Taking Jia and Yi as examples, the other stems can be understood in the same way.

支有十二月，故每干長生至胎養，亦分十二位。氣之由盛而衰，衰而復盛，逐節細分，遂成十二。而長生沐浴等名，則假借形容之詞也。長生者，猶人之初生也。沐浴者，猶人既生之後，而沐浴以去垢；如果核既為苗，則前之青殼，洗而去之矣。冠帶者，形氣漸長，猶人之年長而冠帶也。臨官者，由長而壯，猶人之可以出仕也。帝旺者，壯盛之極，猶人之可以輔帝而大有為也。衰者，盛極而衰，物之初變也。病者，衰之甚也。死者，氣之盡而無餘也。墓者，造化收藏，猶人之埋於土者也。絕者，前之氣已絕，後之氣將續也。胎者，後之氣續而結聚成胎也。養者，如人養母腹也。自是而後，長生循環無端矣。

The Shenshi original text says: The Earthly Branches represent twelve months, so each Heavenly Stem, from "Changsheng" (Growth) to "Tai" (Conception) and "Yang" (Nurturing), is also divided into twelve positions. The energy first becomes strong, then weak, and then strong again, divided into twelve segments. The terms "Changsheng" and "Muyu" are all metaphors based on human experiences. "Changsheng" is like a person just being born. "Muyu" is like a person washing away filth after birth; just as the outer shell of a fruit seed is shed once the seed has sprouted into a sprout. "Guan dai" is when the body and strength gradually mature, like a person reaching adulthood and wearing a cap and tying a sash. "Lin guan" is when one grows from youth to strength, like being able to go out and hold an official position. "Diwang" is when one reaches the peak of strength, like being able to assist a ruler and achieve great things. "Shuai" is when the strong turns to decline, and things begin to change. "Bing" is when the decline becomes more pronounced. "Si" is when the energy is exhausted and there is nothing left. "Mu" is when the natural forces conceal it, like a person being buried after death. "Jue" is when the energy of the previous segment has already ended and the energy of the next segment is about to begin. "Tai" is when the energy of the next segment connects and forms a fetus. "Yang" is like a person being nurtured in the mother's womb. After "Yang", it connects back to "Changsheng", forming a cycle with no beginning or end.

人之日主，不必生逢祿旺，即月令休囚，而年日時中，得長祿旺，便不為弱，就使逢庫，亦為有根。時產謂投庫而必沖者，俗書之謬也，但陽長生有力，而陰長生不甚有力，然亦不弱。若是逢庫，則陽為有根，而陰為無用。蓋陽大陰小，陽得兼陰，陰不能兼陽，自然之理也。

Shen's original text says: A person's day stem does not necessarily have to be born in a month of its strength or prosperity. Even if the month is rest or captivity for it, as long as the year, day, and hour branches contain growth, strength, or prosperity (the original text reads 'long strength prosperity', missing one 'growth'), it is not considered weak; even if only one storage is encountered, it is considered rooted. Nowadays there is a saying that 'storage' must rely on punishment and clash to open (the original text reads 'when production is called', 'production' should be 'saying'), which is a false doctrine from vulgar books. However, the growth of a yang stem is strong, while the growth of a yin stem is not very strong, but it cannot be considered weak. If a storage is encountered, then a yang stem is considered rooted, while a yin stem is of no use. This is a natural principle, as yang is large and yin is small, yang can encompass yin, but yin cannot encompass yang.

合化之義，以十干陰陽相配而成。河圖之數，以一二三四五配六七八九十，先天之道也。故始於太陰之水，而終於沖氣之土，以氣而語其生之序也。蓋未有五行之先，必先有陰陽老少，而後沖氣，故生以土。終之既有五行，則萬物又生於土，而水火木金，亦寄質焉，故以土先之。是以甲己相合之始，則化為土；土則生金，故乙庚化金次之；金生水，故丙辛化水又次之；水生木，故丁壬化木又次之；木生火，故戊癸化火又次之，而五行遍焉。先之以土，相生之序，自然如此。此十干合化之義也。

The Shen family's original text says: The principle of "mutual generation" in the Heavenly Stems is formed by pairing the ten stems in pairs of yin and yang. The numbers in the River Chart use one, two, three, four, five to pair with six, seven, eight, nine, ten, which follows the principle of the earlier heaven. Therefore, the sequence of mutual generation begins with the water of Taiyin and ends with the earth formed by the harmonious qi, which is the order of "qi" in mutual generation. Because before the five phases were generated, there must first be yin and yang, old and young, and then there would be harmonious qi, so the generation and transformation end with earth. After the five phases have been formed, all things emerge from the earth, and water, fire, wood, and metal all rely on the earth for their form. Therefore, the earth leads the way. Hence, Jia and Ji combine first, transforming into earth; earth generates metal, so Yi and Geng combine to form metal, ranking second; metal generates water, so Bing and Xin combine to form water, ranking third; water generates wood, so Ding and Ren combine to form wood, ranking fourth; wood generates fire, so Wu and Gui combine to form fire, ranking fifth. In this way, the five phases are fully covered. The earth leading first is naturally the order of mutual generation. This is the principle of mutual generation among the ten stems.

其性情何也？蓋既有配合，必有向背。如甲用辛官，透丙作合，而官非其官；甲用癸印，透戊作合，而印非其印；甲用己財，己與別位之甲作合，而財非其財。如年己月甲，年上之財，被月合去，而日主之甲乙無分；年甲月己，月上之財，被年合去，而日主之甲乙不與是也。甲用丙食與辛作合，而非其食，此四喜神因合而無用者也。

The Shen氏 text continues discussing the "nature and disposition" of harmonious combinations: once there is a combination, there must be a bias or deviation. For example, if Jia wood uses Xin metal as its "official star," but in the birth chart, Bing fire appears and combines with Xin metal, then this official star is no longer mine; if Jia wood uses Gui water as its "nurturing star," but Wu earth appears and combines with Gui water, then this nurturing star is no longer mine; if Jia wood uses Ji earth as its "wealth," but Ji earth combines with another Jia wood elsewhere, then this wealth is no longer mine. For instance, if the heavenly stem of the year is Ji and the heavenly stem of the month is Jia, the wealth in the year is taken by the month's stem, and the Jia and Jia in the day stem cannot benefit; similarly, if the heavenly stem of the year is Jia and the heavenly stem of the month is Ji, the wealth in the month is taken by the year's stem, and the Jia and Jia in the day stem cannot benefit. Another example is when Jia wood uses Bing fire as its "food god," but Bing fire combines with Xin metal, then this food god is no longer a valid food god. The four auspicious elements—wealth, official star, nurturing star, and food god—may all become ineffective if they are combined away.

蓋有所合則有所忌，逢吉不為吉，逢凶不為凶。即以六親言之，如男以財為妻，而被別干合去，財妻豈能親其夫乎？女以官為夫，而被他干合去，官夫豈能愛其妻乎？此謂配合之性情，因向背而殊也。

Shen's original text concludes by saying: when there is a combination, there is also something to be avoided; encountering a good deity does not necessarily mean true good fortune, and encountering a bad deity does not necessarily mean true misfortune. Take the Six Relations for example. For a male's destiny, the wealth star represents the wife; if the wealth star is combined with another heavenly stem, can this wife star still be close to her husband? For a female's destiny, the official star represents the husband; if the official star is combined with another heavenly stem, can this husband star still love his wife? This is called the nature of combination, which varies depending on whether it favors one side or turns away from another.

十干化合之義，前篇既明之矣，然而亦有合而不合者，何也？蓋隔於有所間也，譬如人彼此相好，而有人從中間之，則交必不能成。譬如甲與己合，而甲己中間，以庚間隔之，則甲豈能越克我之庚而合己？此制於勢然也，合而不敢合也，有若無也。

The Shenshi original text says: The principle of the ten heavenly stems combining and transforming has already been explained in the previous passage; however, there are cases that seem capable of combining but actually cannot. Why is this? One situation is when another character interrupts between them. For example, two people may have been friendly, but if someone interferes, their friendship cannot be formed. For instance, Jia and Ji are naturally meant to combine, but if there is a Geng between them, Geng is the god that restrains Jia. How can Jia overcome the god that restrains it to combine with Ji? This is controlled by circumstances, belonging to the category of 'wanting to combine but not daring to combine,' which is the same as if there was no combination at all.

又有隔位太遠，如甲在年干，己在時上，心雖相契，地則相遠，如人天南地北，不能相合一般。然於有所制而不敢合者，亦稍有差，合而不能合也，半合也，其為禍福得十之二三而已。

The Shen氏 original says: Another situation is when the positions are too far apart. For example, if Jia is in the year stem and Ji is in the hour stem, although their intentions are in harmony, their positions are too distant, like two people one in the southern sky and the other in the northern earth, unable to come together. However, this is somewhat different from the previous case of "being restricted and unable to combine": that was being unable to combine due to restriction, while this is wanting to combine but unable to come close, thus only considered as half a combination; the resulting fortune or misfortune brought about by this is only about two or three tenths of that from a normal combination.

又有合而無傷於合者，何也？如甲生寅卯，月時兩透辛官，以年丙合月辛，是為合一留一，官星反輕。甲逢月刃，庚辛並透，丙與辛合，是為合官留煞，而煞刃依然成格，皆無傷於合也。

Shen's original text says: There is another case where although there is a combination, it does not harm the overall structure. Why is this? For example, if Jia wood is born in the寅month or卯month, and both the monthly dry branch and the hour dry branch show Xin metal, which is the official star, the official star is considered too heavy. Fortunately, the year dry branch has Bing fire that combines with the monthly Xin metal, which is called 'combining one and leaving one.' The weight of the official star is thus reduced to a perfect degree. Another example is when Jia wood is born in the卯month and sits on the Yangren (sheep's blade). If both the庚metal seven evils and the辛metal official star are revealed, the official and evils are mixed. If Bing fire combines with the辛official star, this is called 'combining the official and leaving the evil,' and the evil and the blade still form the 'evil-blade pattern.' In these two situations, the combination actually helps, and it is not considered as being harmed by the combination.

又有合而不以合論者，何也？本身之合也。蓋五陽逢財，五陰遇官，俱是作合，惟是本身十干合之，不為合去。假如乙用庚官，日干之乙，與庚作合，是我之官，是我合之。何為合去？若庚在年上，乙在月上，則月上之乙，先去合庚，而日干反不能合，是為合去也。又如女以官為夫，丁日逢壬，是我之夫，是我合之，正如夫妻相親，其情愈密。惟壬在月上，而年丁合之，日干之丁，反不能合，是以己之夫星，被姊妹合去，夫星透而不透矣。

The Shen氏 original says: There is another type of combination, although it is a combination, it should not be considered as 'being combined away'. This refers to the day stem itself combining with another. When five yang stems meet the proper wealth, and five yin stems meet the proper official, they form a combination; however, if it is the day stem itself that combines, it does not count as the combination taking away. For example, if the day stem is yi wood and the proper official is geng metal, the yi and geng combine. This official is originally mine, and since I myself combine with it, how can it be called 'being combined away'? Conversely, if geng is in the year stem and yi is in the month stem, the yi in the month stem combines with geng first, and the day stem cannot combine with it, which is called 'being combined away'. Another example is that for a woman's fortune, the official star represents her husband. If the day stem is ding and there is ren water, this is my husband, and I myself combine with him, just like a husband and wife being close, their affection becomes even more intimate. However, if ren is in the month stem and there is another ding in the year stem that combines with ren, then the day stem ding cannot combine with ren, which means the husband star is taken away by a sister. Even though the official star is revealed in the heavenly stem, it is as if it is not revealed at all.

用神之情，不向日主，或日主之情，不向用神，皆非美朕也。

Xu Lewu points out a general rule here: if the sentiment of the useful god does not turn towards the day master, or if the sentiment of the day master does not turn towards the useful god, and they look away from each other, it is not a good omen. The reason why we need to distinguish so carefully between harmony and disharmony is to clearly see the relationship of support or opposition between the useful god and the day master.

然又有爭合妒合之說，何也？如兩辛合丙，兩丁合壬之類，一夫不娶二妻，一女不配二夫，所以有爭合妒合之說。然到底終有合意，但情不專耳。若以兩合一而隔位，則全無爭妒。如庚午、乙酉、甲子、乙亥，兩乙合庚，甲日隔之，此高太尉命，仍作合煞留官，無減福也。

The Shen氏 original says: There is also the concept of "competing union" and "jealous union," so what does this mean? For example, when two Xin (辛) characters combine with one Bing (丙) or two Ding (丁) combine with one Ren (壬), this is similar to a husband not being able to marry two wives or a woman not being able to marry two husbands, hence the terms "competing union" and "jealous union." However, there is still the meaning of union, but the affection is not exclusive. If two characters combine with one but are separated by another in between, then there is no competition or jealousy at all. For instance, in a birth chart with Gengwu (庚午) year, Yiyou (乙酉) month, Jiazi (甲子) day, and Yihai (乙亥) hour, the two Yi (乙) characters in the month and hour both attempt to combine with the Geng (庚) in the year pillar, but the Jia (甲) day master is in between, separating them. This is the birth chart of Gao Taiwei, and it is still interpreted according to "combining with a harmful star to retain official status," without any reduction in fortune.

今人不知命理，動以本身之合，妄論得失；更有可笑者，書云「合官非為貴取」，本是至論，而或以本身之合為合，甚或以他支之合為合，如辰與酉合、卯與戌合之類，皆作合官。一謬至此子平之傳掃地矣！

The original text criticizes modern people for not understanding命理, yet frequently using the combination of the day master with another heavenly stem to arbitrarily discuss gains and losses; even more laughable is the statement in books that "combining with the official star does not necessarily lead to high status," which is actually a profound truth. However, some people mistakenly consider the combination of the day master with the official star as a form of combining with the official star, and even include the Six Harmony between branches, such as the combination of Chen and You, or Mao and Xu, as examples of combining with the official star. When things reach such absurdity, the transmission of the Zi Ping school of thought has been completely undermined!

書云，得時俱為旺論，失時便作衰看，雖是至理，亦死法也。然亦可活看。夫五行之氣，流行四時，雖日干各有專令，而其實專令之中，亦有並存者在。假若春木司令，甲乙雖旺，而此時休囚之戊己，亦未嘗絕於天地也。特時當退避，不能爭先，而其實春土何嘗不生萬物，冬日何嘗不照萬國乎？

The Shen氏 original says: The book states, "Those that are in their season should be considered strong, and those that are out of season should be considered weak." This is certainly a profound truth, but it is also a rigid method. One must also look at it flexibly. The Five Phases' energies flow through the four seasons. Although each heavenly stem has its own specific season, when one Phase is dominant, the other Phases are still present in the world. For example, in spring when wood is in command, Jia and Yi are naturally strong. However, the Wu and Ji earth, which are in decline, are not entirely absent from the world. They merely retreat in the season and cannot take the lead. In fact, earth in spring also nurtures all things, and the sun in winter also shines over all countries.

旺衰強弱四字，昔人論命，每籠統互用，不知須分別看也。大致得時為旺，失時為衰；黨眾為強，助寡為弱。故有雖旺而弱者，亦有雖衰而強者，分別觀之，其理自明。春木夏火秋金冬水為得時，比劫印綬通根扶助為黨眾。甲乙木生於寅卯月，為得時者旺；干庚辛而支酉丑，則金之黨眾，而木之助寡。干丙丁而支巳午，則火之黨眾，木洩氣太重，雖秉令而不強也。甲乙木生於申酉月，為失時則衰，若比印重疊，年日時支，又通根比印，即為黨眾，雖失時而不弱也。不特日主如此，喜用忌神皆同此論。

Xu Lewu's commentary adds the following correction: "Wang, Shuai, Qiang, Ruo" these four words, in the past, were often used vaguely and confusedly by people discussing destiny, without understanding that they must be considered separately. In general, those that receive the season's influence are called "Wang" (strong), and those that do not are called "Shuai" (weak); those with many same elements are called "Qiang" (strong), and those with few helpers are called "Ruo" (weak). Therefore, there are cases where something is strong but weak, and cases where something is weak but strong. When viewed separately, the reasoning becomes clear. Wood in spring, fire in summer, metal in autumn, and water in winter are all in season. If there are same elements or wealth and fortune signs to support, that is considered having many helpers. For example, Jia and Yi wood born in the寅month and卯month are in season and strong. However, if there is Geng and Xin metal in the heavenly stem and You and Chou metal in the earthly branches, then the metal has many helpers and the wood has few. If there is Bing and Ding fire in the heavenly stem and Si and Wu fire in the earthly branches, then the fire has many helpers, but the wood is overly drained, even though it is in season and in command, it is not considered strong. Jia and Yi wood born in the申month and酉month are out of season and weak. However, if there are many same elements and wealth and fortune signs, and the year, day, and hour branches all support the same elements and wealth and fortune, then there are many helpers, and even though it is out of season, it is not considered weak. Not only the day stem should be viewed this way, but also the favorable gods, useful gods, and hostile gods should be distinguished according to this principle.

是故十干不論月令休囚，只要四柱有根，便能受財官食神而當傷官七煞。長生祿旺，根之重者也；墓庫餘氣，根之輕者也。天干得一比肩，不如得支中一墓庫，如甲逢未、丙逢戌之類。乙逢戌、丁逢丑、不作此論，以戌中無藏木，丑中無藏火也。得二比肩，不如得一餘氣，如乙逢辰、丁逢未之類。得三比肩，不如得一長生祿刃，如甲逢亥子寅卯之類。陰長生不作此論，如乙逢午、丁逢酉之類，然亦為明根，可比得一餘氣。蓋比劫如朋友之相扶，通根如室家之可住；干多不如根重，理固然也。

Shen's original text concludes that the ten heavenly stems, regardless of whether they are in a weak or confined state in the month's stem, can bear wealth, officialdom, and food god if they have roots in the four pillars. They can also bear the seven evils and harmful stars. The heavy roots are the growth, the official's fortune, and the prosperity. The light roots are the storage and the remaining qi. Having an additional same heavenly stem in the heavenly stem position is not as good as having a storage in the earthly branch, such as Jia meeting Wei or Bing meeting Xu. However, Yi meeting Xu and Ding meeting You cannot be calculated this way, because Xu contains Xin metal and Ding fire but no wood, and You contains Gui water and Xin metal but no fire. Having two same heavenly stems is not as good as having one remaining qi, such as Yi meeting Chen (Chen contains Yi) or Ding meeting Wei (Wei contains Ding). Having three same heavenly stems is not as good as having one growth, official's fortune, or Yangren, such as Jia meeting Hai (Hai is the growth of Jia), Jia meeting Yin (Yin is the official's fortune of Jia), or Jia meeting Mao (Mao is the Yangren of Jia). The growth of yin heavenly stems is not calculated this way, such as Yi meeting Wu or Ding meeting You. However, they are still considered clear roots, which can be equivalent to one remaining qi. Because same heavenly stems are like friends helping each other, while having roots in the earthly branches is like having one's own house to rest in. Even if there are many characters in the heavenly stem, they are not as solid as roots in the earthly branches. This is the natural principle.

刑者，三刑也，子卯巳申之類是也。沖者，六沖也，子午卯酉之類是也。會者，三會也，申子辰之類是也。合者，六合也，子與丑合之類是也。此皆以地支宮分而言，繫對射之意也。三方為會，朋友之意也。並對為合，比鄰之意也。至於三刑取廡，姑且闕疑，雖不知其所以然，於命理亦無害也。

Shen's original text first defines the terms under each heading:所谓 "xing" refers to the three types of punishments, such as Zi xing Mao and Si xing Shen.所谓 "chong" refers to the six types of clashes, such as Zi and Wu opposing each other, and Mao and You opposing each other.所谓 "hui" refers to the triple harmony, such as Shen, Zi, and Chen forming a water formation.所谓 "he" refers to the six harmonies, such as Zi and Chou combining with each other. All these are discussed in terms of the positions and divisions of the earthly branches. "Chong" implies a direct confrontation; three branches forming a formation imply friends gathering together; two branches combining face to face imply neighbors being close. As for the meaning of the three punishments, the original text says "qu wu" which is likely a mistake, so it is left in doubt. Even if the reason is unknown, it does not affect the process of divination.

八字支中，刑沖俱非美事，而三合六合，可以解之。假如甲生酉月，逢卯則沖，而或支中有戌，則卯與戌合而不沖；有辰，則酉與辰合而不沖；有亥與未，則卯與亥未會而不沖；有巳與丑，則酉與巳丑會而不沖。是會合可以解沖也。又如丙生子月，逢卯則刑，而或支中有戌，則與戌合而不刑；有丑，則子與丑合而不刑；有亥與未，則卯與亥未會而不刑；有申與辰，則子與申辰會而不刑。是會合可以解刑也。

The original text by Shen says: In the earthly branches of a birth chart, both刑 (conflict) and冲 (collision) are not favorable, but Triple Harmony (triple harmony) and Six Harmony (six harmony) can resolve them. For example, if Jia wood is born in the酉 (Metal) month, and there is also卯 (Wood) in the chart, then卯 and酉 conflict. However, if there is also戌 (Earth) in the branches, then卯 and戌 harmonize and the conflict is resolved. If there is辰 (Earth) instead, then酉 and辰 harmonize and the conflict is resolved. If there is亥 (Water) and未 (Earth), then卯,亥, and未 form a wood局 (wood formation), and the conflict is resolved. If there is巳 (Fire) and丑 (Earth), then酉,巳, and丑 form a metal局 (metal formation), and the conflict is resolved. This shows that 会 (formation) and 合 (harmony) can resolve 冲 (collision). Another example: if Bing fire is born in the子 (Water) month, and there is卯 (Wood), then子 and卯 conflict. However, if there is戌 (Earth), then卯 and戌 harmonize and the conflict is resolved. If there is丑 (Earth), then子 and丑 harmonize and the conflict is resolved. If there is亥 (Water) and未 (Earth), then卯,亥, and未 form a wood局 (wood formation), and the conflict is resolved. If there is申 (Metal) and辰 (Earth), then子,申, and辰 form a water局 (water formation), and the conflict is resolved. This shows that 会 (formation) and 合 (harmony) can also resolve 刑 (conflict).

又有因解而反得刑沖者，何也？假如甲生子月，支逢二卯相併，二卯不刑一子，而支又逢戌，戌與卯合，本為解刑，而合去其一，則一合而一刑，是因解而反得刑沖也。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where one intends to resolve a conflict but ends up causing punishment and clash instead. Why is this? Suppose the Jia wood is born in the month of Zi, and there are two Maos in the earthly branches. The two Maos compete to punish the Zi, but their strength is dispersed, so the punishment does not occur. At this point, another Xu appears in the branches. Xu and Mao combine, intending to resolve the punishment. However, it can only combine with one Mao, so one is restrained while the other is free to focus on punishing the Zi. This is why trying to resolve the issue ends up causing punishment and clash.

又有刑沖而會合不能解者，何也？假如子年午月，日坐丑位，丑與子合，可以解沖，而時逢巳酉，則丑與巳酉會，而子復沖午；子年卯月，日坐戌位，戌與卯合，可以解刑，而或時逢寅午，則戌與寅午會，而卯復刑子。是會合而不能解刑沖也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases where although there is a combination, the punishment and clash are not resolved, so why is this? For example, if the year branch is Zi and the month branch is Wu, Zi and Wu are in opposition, but the day branch is Chou, which combines with Zi, so it should be able to resolve the opposition. However, if the hour branch is Si or You, Chou is drawn into forming a metal formation with Si and You, and thus cannot combine with Zi, so Zi turns back to clash with Wu again. Another example is when the year branch is Zi and the month branch is Mao, Zi and Mao are in a conflict, and the day branch is Xu, which combines with Mao, so it should be able to resolve the conflict. However, if the hour branch is Yin or Wu, Xu is drawn into forming a fire formation with Yin and Wu, so Mao turns back to conflict with Zi again. This shows that even with a combination, the punishment and clash may not be resolved.

更有刑沖而可以解刑者，何也？蓋四柱之中，刑沖俱不為美，而刑沖用神，尤為破格，不如以另位之刑沖，解月令之刑沖矣。假如丙生子月，卯以刑子，而支又逢酉，則又與酉沖不刑月令之官。甲生酉月，卯日沖之，而時逢子立，則卯與子刑，而月令官星，沖之無力，雖於別宮刑沖，六親不無刑剋，而月官猶在，其格不破。是所謂以刑沖而解刑沖也。如此之類，在人之變化而己。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where punishment and clash are used to resolve punishment and clash, so why is this? In the four pillars, punishment and clash are inherently not good things, and when they fall on the useful god, they especially break the pattern. Therefore, it is better to let punishment and clash in other positions restrain the punishment and clash in the month's branch. For example, if a fire element is born in the month of Zi (the Water rat), the癸 water in Zi is the official star. If there is a卯 (the Wood rabbit) to punish Zi, then if there is another酉 (the Metal rooster) in the branch, the卯 is clashed by the酉, thus being restrained and no longer punishing the official star in the month's branch. Another example: if a wood element is born in the month of You (the Metal rooster), the day's branch is卯 (the Wood rabbit), which clashes with the official star in the month's branch (You). If the hour's branch has a子 (the Water rat), then卯 and子 clash, thus restraining the卯, which weakens its ability to clash with the official star in the month's branch. In this way, although there is still punishment and clash in other positions, and some punishment and clash among the six relations are inevitable, the official star in the month's branch remains, so the pattern is not broken. This is called using punishment and clash to resolve punishment and clash. Such cases all depend on the person's ability to flexibly adapt when looking at the chart (the original text '而己' should be '而已').

八字用神，專求月令，以日干配月令地支，而生克不同，格局分焉。財官印食，此用神之善而順用之者也；煞傷劫刃，用神之不善而逆用之者也。當順而順，當逆而逆，配合得宜，皆為貴格。

The fundamental principle of the entire book established by Shen's original text is to seek the "useful god" within the monthly branch. The day stem is matched with the monthly branch's earthly branch, and due to different relationships of generation and overcoming, various patterns are formed. The four categories of proper wealth, biased wealth, proper official, and proper teacher are considered beneficial useful gods, and they should be used in accordance with their nature. The four categories of seven evils, injurious officials, robbed wealth, and yang blade are considered harmful useful gods, and they should be restrained against their nature. By following the proper ones and restraining the improper ones appropriately, they can all become noble patterns.

取用之法不一，約略歸納，可分為下列五種： （一）扶抑。日元強者抑之，日元弱者扶之，此以扶抑為用神也。月令之神太強則抑之，月令之神太弱則扶之，此以扶抑月令為用神也。 （二）病藥。以扶為喜，則以傷其扶者為病；以抑為喜，則以去其抑者為病。除其病神，即謂之藥。此以病藥取用神也。 （三）調候。金水生於冬令，木火生於夏令，氣候太寒太燥，以調和氣候為急。此以調候為用神也。 （四）專旺。四柱之氣勢，偏於一方其勢不可逆，惟有順其氣勢為用，或從或化，及一方專旺等格局皆是也。 （五）通關。兩神對峙，強弱均平，各不相下，須調和之為美，此以通關為用也。

Xu Lewu summarizes the methods of determining the useful god as five categories. The first is "supporting and restraining" — if the day stem is strong, restrain it; if it is weak, support it. This determines the useful god by supporting or restraining the day stem. If the heavenly stem is too strong, restrain it; if it is too weak, support it. This determines the useful god by supporting or restraining the heavenly stem. The second is "disease and medicine" — if supporting is considered a favorable element, then the element that damages this supporting element is called "disease"; if restraining is considered a favorable element, then the element that removes this restraining element is called "disease." The element that removes the disease is called "medicine," and this method determines the useful god through disease and medicine. The third is "regulating the climate" — for a metal or water day stem born in winter, or a wood or fire day stem born in summer, if the climate is too cold or too dry, regulating the climate becomes the priority. This method determines the useful god by regulating the climate. The fourth is "special strength" — when the four pillars' momentum is entirely concentrated in one direction, it is unavoidable to follow this momentum. This includes forms such as from-the-form, transformed-qi, and special strength in straight or ascending forms. This method determines the useful god through special strength. The fifth is "passing through" — when two elements are in opposition, with equal strength and neither yielding, a third element must intervene to harmonize them. This method determines the useful god through passing through.

是以善而順用之，則財喜食神以相生，生官以護財；官喜透財以相生，生印以護官；印喜官煞以相生，劫財以護印；食喜身旺以相生，生財以護食。不善而逆用之，則七煞喜食神以制伏，忌財印以資扶；傷官喜佩印以制伏，生財以化傷；陽刃喜官煞以制伏，忌官煞之俱無；月劫喜透官以制伏，利用財而透食以化劫。此順逆之大路也。

The original text continues: If the useful god is of a good nature, it should be used in harmony. For a wealthy pattern, it is favorable to have the food god to generate it and also to have the official star to protect the wealth; for an official pattern, it is favorable to have wealth to generate it and also to have the seal to protect the official; for an imprint pattern, it is favorable to have the official or evil star to generate it and also to have the劫财 to protect the imprint; for a food god pattern, it is favorable for the day's main strength to generate it and also to have wealth to protect the food god. If the useful god is of a bad nature, it should be used in opposition. For the seven evil stars, it is favorable to have the food god to control them, and it is most忌 to have wealth and seal to support them; for the injurious star, it is favorable to have the seal to control it, or to have wealth to transform and release the injurious energy; for the yang blade, it is favorable to have the official or evil star to control it, and it is most feared to have neither official nor evil star; for the month's劫, it is favorable to have the official star to control it, and it can also use wealth and then have the food god to transform and release the劫 energy. This is the general principle of using in harmony and using in opposition.

今人不知專主提綱，然後將四柱干支，字字統歸月令，以觀喜忌，甚至見正官佩印，則以為官印雙全，與印綬用官者同論；見財透食神，不以為財逢食生，而以為食神生財，與食神生財同論；見偏印透食，不以為洩身之秀，而以為梟神奪食，宜用財制，與食神逢梟同論；見煞逢食制而露印者，不以為去食護煞，而以為煞印相生，與印綬逢煞者同論；更有煞格逢刃，不以為刃可幫身制煞，而以為七煞制刃，與陽刃露煞者同論。此皆由不知月令而妄論之故也。

The Shen family's original text criticizes the fact that modern people do not understand the need to take the month's stem as the main reference, and then examine each of the four pillars' stems and branches one by one in relation to the month's stem to determine what is favorable or unfavorable. This leads to errors such as: when seeing an official position with an auxiliary minister, they say it is "official and minister both complete," confusing it with the case where an auxiliary minister uses an official; when seeing a wealth position with a food god appearing, they do not say "wealth meets food god to be generated," but instead say "food god generates wealth," confusing it with the case where a food god generates wealth; when seeing a biased minister position with a food god appearing, they do not say it is leaking the refined quality of the day's ruler, but instead say "a minister takes away the food god," and suggest using wealth to control the minister, confusing it with the case where a food god meets a minister; when seeing a harmful star position with a food god controlling it and an auxiliary minister appearing, they do not say "remove the food god to protect the harmful star," but instead say "harmful star and auxiliary minister mutually generate," confusing it with the case where an auxiliary minister meets a harmful star; and even more so, when a harmful star meets a yang blade, they do not say the blade can help the ruler to bear the harmful star, but instead say "seven harmful stars control the blade," confusing it with the case where a yang blade appears with a harmful star. All of these are due to not understanding the main reference of the month's stem and making random comments.

然亦有月令無用神者，將若之何？如木生寅卯，日與月同，本身不可為用，必看四柱有無財官煞食透干會支，另取用神；然終以月令為主，然後尋用，是建祿月劫之格，非用而即用神也。

Shen's original text adds another layer: however, there are cases where a useful god cannot be found from the month's stem. Then what should be done? For example, if a day master of Jia or Yi wood is born in the寅month or卯month, the day master and the month's stem belong to the same element, so the brother or sister (Jia/Yi) itself cannot be the useful god. In such cases, one must look for wealth, official star, evil star, or food in the heavenly stems, or check if they form a branch combination in the earthy branches, and choose another useful god. But in the end, the month's stem is still the main focus, and then the useful god is sought. This is the 'Jian Lu' and 'Yue Jie' patterns: the month's stem itself is not the useful god, but it is the starting point for determining the useful god.

用神專尋月令，以四柱配之，必有成敗。何謂成？如官逢財印，又無刑沖破害，官格成也。財生官旺，或財逢食生而身強帶比，或財格透印而位置妥貼，兩不相剋，財格成也。印輕逢煞，或官印雙全，或身印兩旺而用食傷洩氣，或印多逢財而財透根輕，印格成也。食神生財，或食帶煞而無財，棄食就煞而透印，食格成也。身強七煞逢制，煞格成也。傷官生財，或傷官佩印而傷官旺，印有根，或傷官旺、身主弱而透煞印，或傷官帶煞而無財，傷官格成也。陽刃透官煞而露財印，不見傷官，陽刃格成也。建祿月劫，透官而逢財印，透財而逢食傷，透煞而遇制伏，建祿月劫之格成也。

The Shen family's original text says: The useful god is primarily sought within the month's stem. Then, the four pillars are matched with it, and there will be success and failure. What is called 'success'? For example, in an official position pattern, if there is wealth to nourish the official and seal to protect the official, and there is no punishment or clash, this is considered a successful official position pattern. In a wealth pattern, if wealth is strong enough to generate officials, or if wealth is generated by the food god and the day's ruler is strong with a companion, or if wealth is revealed with the seal and the position is properly arranged, and wealth and seal do not mutually control each other, this is considered a successful wealth pattern. In a seal pattern, if the seal is weak but meets the seven evils to nourish the seal, or if official and seal are both present, or if the day's ruler and the seal are both strong and the food and injury are used to release the brilliance, or if there is too much seal and wealth is used to reduce its excess, and wealth is revealed on the surface but has shallow roots, this is considered a successful seal pattern. The food and injury can generate wealth, or if the food and injury come with evil spirits but there is no wealth, it is better to give up the food and injury and choose the evil spirits, and reveal the seal to protect oneself, this is considered a successful food and injury pattern. If the day's ruler is strong and the seven evils are controlled, this is considered a successful seven evils pattern. The injury can generate wealth, or if the injury is accompanied by the seal and the injury is strong, and the seal has roots, or if the injury is strong and the day's ruler is weak, and the evil spirits and seal are mutually generated, or if the injury comes with evil spirits but there is no wealth to join the evil spirits, this is considered a successful injury pattern. In the yang blade pattern, if the official and evil spirits are revealed and wealth and seal are present, and there is no injury to harm the official star, this is considered a successful yang blade pattern. In the built official and month's injury pattern, if the official star is revealed and wealth and seal are present, or if wealth is revealed and food and injury are used to transform it, or if the seven evils are revealed and are controlled, this is considered a successful built official and month's injury pattern.

財旺生官者，月令星旺，四柱有官，則財旺自生官；或月令財星而透食神，身強則食神洩秀，轉而生財。財本忌比劫，有食神則不忌而喜，蓋有食神化之也。或透印而位置妥貼者，財印不相礙也（參觀財格佩印節）。如年干透印，時干透財，中隔比劫，則不相礙；隔官星則為財旺生官，亦不相礙，是為財格成也。

Xu Lewu explains the three situations mentioned above regarding the formation of a wealthy pattern: "wealth flourishing to generate official power" refers to the month's wealth star being strong, and the four pillars also having official stars, so the strong wealth naturally generates official power. "Wealth met by food god" refers to the month's star being wealth, and the food god appearing in the heavenly stem, with the day's main strength being strong, so the food god releases the day's main strength, which in turn generates wealth. Wealth is most afraid of rivals and thieves sharing it, but with the presence of the food god, rivals and thieves are not to be avoided but welcomed, because the food god can transform the energy of rivals and thieves to generate wealth. "Wealth pattern with a position suitable for the printing star" refers to wealth and printing stars being well arranged and not interfering with each other (see the section "On Wealth" regarding the combination of wealth and printing stars). For example, if the printing star appears in the year stem and the wealth star appears in the hour stem, with the middle being occupied by rivals or thieves, they do not interfere with each other; if the middle is occupied by an official star, then it becomes wealth generating official power and the printing star protecting the official, which also does not interfere. These situations are all considered as the formation of the wealth pattern.

何謂敗？官逢傷克刑沖，官格敗也；財輕比重，財透七煞，財格敗也；印輕逢財，或身強印重而透煞，印格敗也；食神逢梟，或生財露煞，食神格敗也；七煞逢財無制，七煞格敗也；傷官非金水而見官，或生財而帶煞，或佩印而傷輕身旺，傷官格敗也；陽刃無官煞，刃格敗也；建祿月劫，無財官，透煞印，建祿月劫之格敗也。

What is meant by "failure" (败)? If the official star is harmed by the harmful star or is injured by conflict or clash, this is a failure of the official star pattern. If the wealth star is weak and the same or similar elements strongly compete for it, or if the wealth star appears and supports the seven harmful stars, this is a failure of the wealth star pattern. If the seal star is weak and the wealth star harms the seal star, or if the day master is strong and the seal star is also strong, yet another harmful star appears to generate the seal star, this is a failure of the seal star pattern. If the food star is harmed by the opposite seal star, or if the food star generates the wealth star and the seven harmful stars appear, this is a failure of the food star pattern. If the seven harmful stars are supported by the wealth star without the food star to control them, this is a failure of the seven harmful stars pattern. For the harmful star pattern, if it is not a metal or water harmful star but the official star appears, or if the harmful star generates the wealth star and the seven harmful stars are present, or if the harmful star is accompanied by the seal star but the harmful star is weak and the day master is strong, this is a failure of the harmful star pattern. In the Yang Blade pattern, if there is no official or harmful star to control the blade, this is a failure of the Yang Blade pattern. In the built-up fortune or month's injury pattern, if there is neither wealth nor official star, yet the seven harmful stars and the seal star appear, this is a failure of the built-up fortune or month's injury pattern.

成中有敗，必是帶忌；敗中有成，全憑救應。何謂帶忌？如正官逢財而又逢傷；透官而又逢合；財旺生官而又逢傷逢合；印透食以洩氣，而又遇財露；透煞以生印，而又透財，以去印存煞；食神帶煞印而又逢財；七煞逢食制而又逢印；傷官生財而財又逢合；佩印而印又遭傷，透財而逢煞，是皆謂之帶忌也。

The original text says: In a formed pattern, there is also an hidden sign of failure, which must be due to the presence of the Hostile God; in a failed pattern, if it turns into a formed pattern again, it entirely depends on the saving response. What is called "carrying the Hostile God"? For example, in a pattern of the proper official, there is wealth to generate the official, but also the harmful official; the official star is revealed but is combined away by others; wealth is strong to generate the official, but also meets the harmful official and the official is combined away; in an official pattern, the food god is revealed to drain the day's strength, but also meets the wealth star appearing to damage the official; the seven harmful stars are revealed to generate the official, but also the wealth star is revealed, removing the official and leaving only the harmful star; the food god pattern carries the harmful star and the official, but also meets wealth to join the harmful star; the seven harmful stars meet the food god to control them, but also meet the official to take the food god and protect the harmful star; the harmful official generates wealth, but the wealth is combined away; the harmful official is accompanied by the official, but the official is damaged by wealth; in a wealth pattern, the seven harmful stars appear to steal away the wealth. All these are called carrying the Hostile God.

成中之敗，亦變化萬端，此不過其大概也。如財旺生官，美格也，身弱透官，即為破格。傷官見官，為格之忌，透財而地位配置合宜，則傷官生財來生官，反可以解，種種變化，非言說所能盡，在於熟習者之妙悟耳。

Xu Lewu's commentary adds that among formed patterns, there are hidden signs of failure, and the changes are complex and numerous. The examples given above are only general. For instance, "wealth flourishing to generate official position" is a good pattern, but if the day master is weak and the official star is revealed, it becomes a ruined pattern. Another example is "hurt official meeting official," which is a major taboo in patterns, but if the wealth star is also revealed and the positions of wealth, official, and hurt official in the four pillars are properly arranged, the hurt official can generate wealth, and wealth can generate official, thus turning the taboo into a beneficial situation. Such changes cannot be fully described in words; they rely on the intuitive understanding of those who are well-versed in this art.

何謂救應？如官逢傷而透印以解之，雜煞而合煞以清之，刑沖而會合以解之；財逢劫而透食以化之，生官以制之，逢煞而食神制煞以生財，或存財而合煞；印逢財而劫財以解之，或合財而存印；食逢梟而就煞以成格，或生財以護食；煞逢食制，印來護煞，而逢財以去印存食；傷官生財透煞而煞逢合；陽刃用官煞帶傷食，而重印以護之；建祿月劫用官，遇傷而傷被合，用財帶煞而煞被合，是謂之救應也。

What is called "rescue and response"? For example, in a pattern where the official star is harmed by the injurious star, if the minister star appears and controls the injurious star to rescue the official star; if the official star is mixed with the seven harmful stars, using a harmonizing method to make the pattern pure; if there is a punishment and clash in the earth branches, using a combination to resolve it. In a pattern where the wealth star is attacked by the same kind of stars, if the food star appears to transform the attacking energy or to produce the official star to control the same kind of stars; if the wealth star is mixed with the seven harmful stars, using the food star to control the harmful star and allowing the wealth star to nourish the self, or preserving the wealth star while harmonizing away the harmful star. In a pattern where the minister star is harmed by the wealth star, using the same kind of star to take away the wealth star and rescue the minister star, or combining the wealth star to preserve the minister star. In a pattern where the food star is taken by the hawk star, it is acceptable to turn it into a harmful star and form a different pattern, or to produce the wealth star to protect the food star. When the seven harmful star is controlled by the food star and the minister star protects the harmful star, the wealth star is used to remove the minister star and preserve the food star. When the injurious star generates wealth and the seven harmful star appears, the harmful star is exactly harmonized away. In the pattern of the yang blade, using the official and harmful stars to control the blade and bringing in the injurious and food stars to attack the official and harmful stars, then using multiple minister stars to protect the official and harmful stars. In the pattern of established fortune or month and fortune, using the official star and encountering the injurious star, the injurious star is exactly harmonized; using the wealth star and bringing in the harmful star, the harmful star is exactly harmonized. All these situations are called rescue and response.

八字妙用，全在成敗救應，其中權輕權重，甚是活潑。學者從此留心，能於萬變中融以一理，則於命之一道，其庶幾乎！

The original text concludes by saying: The subtlety of八字 divination lies entirely in the layers of success, failure, and rescue; among these, which is more important and how to balance them is extremely flexible and changeable. If scholars can pay attention and make efforts here, and in the myriad changes discern a consistent principle, then they can almost be said to have entered the hall and reached the room of this study of命理!

用神既主月令矣，然月令所藏不一，而用神遂有變化。如十二支中，除子午卯酉外，餘皆有藏，不必四庫也。即以寅論，甲為本主，如郡之有府，丙其長生，如郡之有同知，戊亦長生，如郡之有通判；假使寅月為提，不透甲而透丙，則如知府不臨郡，而同知得以作主。此變化之由也。故若丁生亥月，本為正官，支全卯未，則化為印。己生申月，本屬傷官。藏庚透壬，則化為財。凡此之類皆用神之變化也。

The Shen family's original text says: Since the useful god is primarily determined by the month, but the heavenly stems hidden in the earthly branches of the month often include more than one, the useful god thus changes accordingly. Among the twelve earthly branches, only Zi, Wu, Mao, and You contain a single heavenly stem. The other branches contain several heavenly stems, not limited to the four storage branches of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei. Take Yin for example. Ji wood is its main stem, like the governor of a prefecture. Bing fire is in its growth stage in Yin, like the deputy governor of the prefecture. Wu earth is also in its growth stage in Yin, like the assistant magistrate. If the month is Yin but the heavenly stem does not appear as Ji but instead appears as Bing, it is like the governor not taking office, and the deputy governor takes charge instead. This is the origin of the change in the useful god. Therefore, for instance, Ding fire born in the month of Hai, the壬 water in Hai is originally the official star. If the branches of Mao and Wei are complete and form a wood trinity, the official star changes into the seal star. For Ji earth born in the month of Shen, the庚 gold in Shen is originally the injurious star. If the庚 gold is hidden but the壬 water appears, the injurious star changes into the wealth star. All such cases are examples of the change in the useful god.

變之而善，其格愈美；變之不善，其格遂壞。何謂變之而善？如辛生寅月，逢丙而化財為官；壬生戌月逢辛而化煞為印。癸生寅月，不專以煞論。此二者以透出而變化者也。

The Shen family's original text says: if the situation improves, the structure becomes even more refined; if it deteriorates, the structure is ruined. What does it mean for the situation to improve? For example, if Xin metal is born in the寅 month, the 甲 wood in寅 is originally Xin's official wealth, but the 丙 fire in寅 is in its growth phase, and if 丙 fire appears on the heavenly stem, it becomes Xin's official position, thus transforming wealth into official position. Another example is if Ren water is born in the 戌 month, the 戊 earth in 戌 is originally Ren's seven evil stars, but if 辛 metal appears on the heavenly stem, the evil stars turn into a seal, thus transforming evil stars into a seal. Another case is if Gui water is born in the 寅 month, the 戊 earth in 寅 is originally Gui's official position, the 丙 fire is wealth, and the 甲 wood is a wound, so it cannot be solely judged by the evil stars (the original text has some missing characters here). All these cases are due to the heavenly stems being revealed from the earth branches, causing changes.

癸生寅月，月令傷官秉令，藏甲透丙，會午會戌，則寅午戌三合，傷化為財；加以丙火透出，完全作為財論，即使不透丙而透戊土，亦作財旺生官論。蓋寅午戌三合變化在前，不作傷官見官論也。乙生寅月，月劫秉令，會午會戌，則劫化為食傷，透戊則為食傷生財，不作比劫爭財論。此二者因會合而變化者。因變化而忌化為喜，為變之善者。

Commentary continues to explain the changes that arise from harmonious combinations:Gui water born in the Yin month, the Jia wood in Yin is the official's son (wounding official) in charge, with Jia hidden and Bing revealed, and the earthly branches also form a combination of Wu and Xu, creating a triple harmony of Yin-Wu-Xu (Fire triad) to form a fire formation, thus the wounding official transforms into wealth; adding the revelation of Bing fire, it is entirely considered as a wealth formation. Even if Bing is not revealed but Wu soil is, it is still regarded as 'wealth flourishing to generate official', because the triple harmony of Yin-Wu-Xu (Fire triad) comes first, so it is no longer considered as 'wounding official meeting official'. Another example is Yi wood born in the Yin month, the Jia wood in Yin is the month's robbery (competing official) in charge, and the earthly branches form a combination of Wu and Xu to create a fire formation, thus the robbery transforms into food and wounding official; if Wu soil is revealed, it becomes food and wounding official generating wealth, and it is no longer considered as 'competing officials competing for wealth'. These two examples are changes that arise from harmonious combinations. Due to such changes, the original Hostile God (hostile god) turns into a Joy God (favorable god), which is called 'good transformation'.

何謂變之而不善？如丙生寅月，本為印綬，甲不透干而會午會戌，則化為劫。丙生申月，本屬偏財，藏庚透壬，會子會辰，則化為煞。如此之類亦多，皆變之不善者也。

The Shen氏 text says: What is meant by something turning for the worse? For example, if Bing fire is born in the寅 month, the 甲 wood in寅 is originally the印 of Bing fire. However, if 甲 does not appear on the heavenly stem, and instead the earthly branches form a fire trinity with午 and戌, the印 turns into劫财, making the day master even stronger. Another example is when Bing fire is born in the申 month. The庚 metal in申 is originally the偏财 of Bing fire. But if庚 is hidden and the壬 water appears on the heavenly stem, and the earthly branches form a water trinity with子 and辰, the偏财 turns into七煞, which then attacks the day master. There are many such examples, all belonging to the category of turning for the worse.

又有變之而不失本格者。如辛生寅月，透丙化官，而又透甲，格成正財，正官乃其兼格也。乙生申月，透壬化印，而又透戊，則財能生官，印逢財而退位，雖通月令，格成傷官，戊官忌見。丙生寅月，午戌會劫，而又或透甲，或透壬，則仍為印而格不破。丙生申月，逢壬化煞，而又透戊，則食神能制煞生財，仍為財格，不失富貴。如此之類甚多，是皆變而不失本格者也。是故八字非用神不立，用神非變化不靈，善觀命者，必於此細詳之。

There is another type where although there is a change, the original pattern remains. For example, if a person with the heavenly stem 辛 (Xin) is born in the month of 寅 (Yin), and the stem 丙 (Bing) appears and transforms the wealth into official position, but if the stem 甲 (Jia) also appears, then the pattern remains as the original wealth. The official position is only a secondary pattern. Another example is when a person with the heavenly stem 乙 (Yi) is born in the month of 申 (Shen), and the stem 壬 (Ren) appears and transforms the official position into the nourishing element, but if the stem 戊 (Wu) also appears, then the 戊 (Wu) wealth can nourish the 申 (Shen) metal official, and the nourishing element meets the wealth, so the nourishing element becomes secondary. The 申 (Shen) metal is the official for 乙 (Yi), but if the 乙 (Yi) official 丙 (Bing) fire is strong, the pattern becomes the official. In this case, the official generated by 戊 (Wu) becomes something to be avoided. Another example is when a person with the heavenly stem 丙 (Bing) is born in the month of 寅 (Yin), and the branches 午 (Wu) and 戌 (Xu) form a fire trinity, transforming the nourishing element into the劫 (struggle). However, if 甲 (Jia) wood or 壬 (Ren) water also appears, it is still considered the nourishing element pattern, and the pattern is not broken. Another example is when a person with the heavenly stem 丙 (Bing) is born in the month of 申 (Shen), and 壬 (Ren) appears, transforming the wealth into a harmful element. However, if 戊 (Wu) also appears, the food element can control the harmful element and also nourish the wealth, so it is still considered the wealth pattern, and the wealth remains strong, leading to wealth and honor. There are many such examples, all of which show that although there is a change, the original pattern remains. Therefore, a birth chart without a useful god cannot be established, and without understanding the changes of the useful god, it is not flexible. Those who are good at looking at birth charts must carefully examine these details.

用神既有變化，則變化之中，遂分純、雜。純者吉，雜者凶。何謂純？互用而兩相得者是也。如辛生寅月，甲丙並透，財與官相生，兩相得也。戊生申月，庚壬並透，財與食相生，兩相得也。癸生未月，乙己並透，煞與食相剋，相剋而得其當，亦兩相得也。如此之類，皆用神之純者。

The original text by Shen says: Since the useful god changes, there is a distinction between 'pure' and 'mixed' among these changes: pure ones are auspicious, while mixed ones are inauspicious. What is pure? When two deities interact as useful gods and they support and complement each other, this is called pure. For example, if a person with辛 gold is born in the寅 month, both 甲 wood and 丙 fire appear on the heavenly stem, where 甲 is wealth and 丙 is official, and wealth can generate official, so they support each other. Another example is when a person with戊 earth is born in the申 month, both 庚 metal and 壬 water appear on the heavenly stem, where 壬 is wealth and 庚 is food god, and food god can generate wealth, so they support each other. Another example is when a person with癸 water is born in the未 month, both 乙 wood and 己 earth appear on the heavenly stem, where 己 is seven killer and 乙 is food god, and food god can control the killer, which is appropriate, so they also support each other. These kinds are all considered pure useful gods.

何謂雜？互用而兩不相謀者是也。如壬生未月，乙己並透，官與傷相剋，兩不相謀也。甲生辰月，戊壬並透，印與財相剋，亦兩不相謀也。如此之類，皆用之雜者也。純雜之理，不出變化，分而疏之，其理愈明，學命者不可不知也。

The Shen氏 original says: What is called "cha" (mixed)? It refers to two deities interacting as useful gods but each acting independently, not consulting with each other, which is called mixed. For example, if a person with Jia wood is born in the month of Chen, the Wu earth and Gui water (or Ren water) in Chen are both revealed. Water is the scholar-official and earth is the wealth, but the wealth tends to destroy the scholar-official, and the two do not consult with each other. Another example is when a person with Ren water is born in the month of Wei, the Yi wood and Ji earth in Wei are both revealed. Ji is the official and Yi is the official's son, but the official's son tends to destroy the official, and the two do not consult with each other. Such cases are all examples of mixed useful gods. The principles of purity and mixture ultimately come from "change." By separating them and explaining them clearly, the principles become more distinct. Those who study fate must not be ignorant of this.

八字既有用神，必有格局，有格局必有高低，財官印食煞傷劫刃，何格無貴？何格無賤？由極貴而至極賤，萬有不齊，其變千狀，豈可言傳？然其理之大綱，亦在有情無情、有力無力之間而已。

Shen's original text says: Since the Eight Characters have a useful god, there must be a pattern; once there is a pattern, there must be distinctions between high and low. Among these eight patterns - wealth, officialdom, seal, food, evil spirit, injury, competition, and blade - which pattern does not have noblemen? Which pattern does not have low-born people? From the highest nobility to the lowest degradation, there are countless variations and complex changes, which cannot be fully described by words. However, the general principles are no more than the two phrases 'having affection or not' and 'having strength or not'.

如正官佩印，不如透財，而四柱帶傷，反推佩印。故甲透酉官，透丁合壬，是謂合傷存官，遂成貴格，以其有情也。財忌比劫，而與煞作合，劫反為用。故甲生辰月，透戊成格，遇乙為劫，逢庚為煞，二者相合，皆得其用，遂成貴格，亦以其有情也。

The Shen family's original text gives an example of "affectionate combination": generally, in a pattern with a proper official, wearing an official seal is not as good as revealing wealth, but if the four pillars contain a damaging official, it is better to wear an official seal. Therefore, for jia wood, the metal in you is the official, and if the pattern reveals ding fire as a damaging official, and there is ren water to combine with ding fire, this is called "combining the damaging official to preserve the official," thus forming a noble pattern—because this combination is affectionate. Another example is that in a wealth pattern, the most feared thing is the same kind of wealth or the thief of wealth, but the thief of wealth happens to combine with the seven harmful stars, so the thief of wealth becomes a useful element. Therefore, for jia wood born in chen month, if the pattern reveals wu earth as wealth, and encounters yi wood as the thief of wealth and geng metal as the seven harmful stars, and yi and geng combine, the Hostile God are mutually restrained, each finding its use, thus forming a noble pattern—this is also because the combination is affectionate.

身強煞露而食神又旺，如乙生酉月，辛金透，丁火剛，秋木盛，三者皆備，極等之貴，以其有力也。官強財透，身逢祿刃，如丙生子月，癸水透，庚金露，而坐寅午，三者皆均，遂成大貴，亦以其有力也。

The original text of Shen's example gives a case of "force": the day stem is strong, the seven deadly stars are revealed, and the food god is also strong. For example, if a person with the stem Yi wood is born in the酉 month, the seven deadly star Xin metal is revealed, and the food god Ding fire is strong. The Yi wood itself is also strong in autumn with the help of similar stems and the mother stem. Thus, the seven deadly star, food god, and the day stem are all strong, making this an excellent noble destiny, because all three elements are strong. Another example is when the official star is strong, the wealth star is revealed, and the day stem itself is sitting on a禄 or 刃. For example, if a person with the stem Bing fire is born in the 子 month, the official star Gui water is revealed, the wealth star Geng metal is present, and the day branch and hour branch are寅 wood and 午 fire, making the official star, wealth star, and the day stem balanced in strength, thus becoming a great noble destiny—again because all three elements are strong.

又有有情而兼有力，有力而兼有情者。如甲用酉官，壬合丁以清官，而壬水根深，是有情而兼有力者也。乙用酉煞，辛逢丁制，而辛之祿即丁之長生，同根月令，是有力而兼有情者也。是皆格之最高者也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are also cases where something is both emotional and powerful, and both powerful and emotional. For example, if Jia wood uses the辛 gold in You metal to represent an official star, and the壬 water combines with the丁 fire to restrain the official star, making it pure, while the壬 water itself has deep roots and strength, this is both emotional and powerful. Another example is when Yi wood uses the辛 gold in You metal as a harmful star, and the辛 harmful star is restrained by the丁 food god, while the辛 gold's禄 is in You and the丁 fire's growth is also in You, both rooted in the month's stem and branch, which is both powerful and emotional. All these cases belong to the highest level of the pattern.

如甲用酉官，透丁逢癸，癸克不如壬合，是有情而非情之至。乙逢酉逢煞，透丁以制，而或煞強而丁稍弱，丁旺而煞不昂，又或辛丁並旺而乙根不甚深，是有力而非力之全，格之高而次者也。

The Shen family's original text continues: For example, if Jia wood uses You metal as official, and Ding fire appears as a harmful official, then using Gui water to overcome it, using overcoming is not as clean as using Ren water to harmonize. This is called having affection but not the utmost affection. Another example is when Yi wood is born in You month and encounters seven harmful stars, and Ding fire appears to control the harmful stars. However, sometimes the harmful stars are strong while Ding fire is weak, or sometimes Ding fire is strong but the harmful stars are not vigorous enough, or sometimes both Xin harmful stars and Ding food are strong, but Yi wood's root is not deep enough. This is called having strength but not the full strength. These types are of high but secondary quality.

至如印用七煞，本為貴格，而身強印旺，透煞孤貧，蓋身旺不勞印生，印旺何勞煞助？偏之又偏，以其無情也。傷官佩印，本秀而貴，而身主甚旺，傷官甚淺，印又太重，不貴不秀，蓋欲助身則身強，制傷則傷淺，要此重印何用？是亦無情也。又如煞強食旺而身無根，身強比重而財無氣，或夭或貧，以其無力也。是皆格之低而無用者也。然其中高低之故，變化甚微，或一字而有千鈞之力，或半字而敗全局之美，隨時觀理，難以擬議，此特大略而已。

The Shen family's original text further provides examples of the opposite situation: in a pattern where the official (印) is supported by the seven harmful stars (七煞), this is usually a noble configuration; however, if the day stem is already strong and the official is already vigorous, and the seven harmful stars also appear, it can instead lead to loneliness and poverty. Because when the body is strong, there is no need for the official to support it, and when the official is already strong, why would one need the harmful stars to help? This is adding bias upon bias, hence called无情 (incongruous). Another example is when the injurious star (伤官) is paired with the official (佩印), which is usually both refined and noble; but if the day stem is extremely strong, the injurious star is weak, and the official is too heavy, then it is neither noble nor refined. If one wants the official to support the body, the body is already strong; if one wants the official to control the injurious star, the injurious star is already weak; so what use is such a heavy official? This is also无情 (incongruous). Another case is when the seven harmful stars are strong, the food god (食神) is vigorous, yet the day stem has no root; or when the day stem is strong, the same or similar elements (比劫) are also heavy, yet the wealth star (财星) has no strength. In such cases, it is either a short life or poverty, due to lack of strength. These all belong to low configurations that are of no use. However, the reasons for the differences in quality are extremely subtle: sometimes a single character can have the weight of a thousand catties, while sometimes half a character can ruin the entire configuration. One can only observe the situation as it is and understand the principles accordingly, and it is difficult to predict in advance. The above discussion is only a general overview.

八字之中，變化不一，遂分成敗；而成敗之中，又變化不測，遂有因成得敗，因敗得成之奇。是故化傷為財，格之成也，然辛生亥月，透丁為用，卯未會財，乃以黨煞，因成得敗矣。印用七煞，格之成也，然癸生申月，秋金重重，略帶財以損太過，逢煞則煞印忌財，因成得敗也。如此之類，不可勝數，皆因成得敗之例也。

The original text by Shen says: In the four pillars of destiny, changes are endless, so there are both success and failure; within success and failure, there are unpredictable changes, leading to strange situations such as "achieving success leading to failure" and "achieving failure leading to success." For example, transforming the official star into wealth is usually considered a successful configuration; however, if the metal is born in the month of Hai, the water in Hai is the official star, and the heavenly stem reveals Ding fire as the seven evil stars, and the earthly branches have Mao wood which does not form a wood group, then the wood wealth is formed, but it instead supports the Ding evil star to attack the self, which is a case of achieving success leading to failure. Another example is when the official star is used with the seven evil stars generating the official star, which is usually considered a successful configuration; however, if the water is born in the month of Shen, autumn metal is heavy and the official star is excessive, it should be slightly accompanied by wealth to reduce its excess. But if another seven evil star appears, the configuration of evil star generating official star is most忌 to have wealth damaging the official star, and wealth and evil star are incompatible, which is also a case of achieving success leading to failure. There are countless such examples, all illustrating the situation of achieving success leading to failure.

官印逢傷，格之敗也，然辛生戊月，年丙時壬，壬不能越戊克丙，而反能洩身為秀，是因敗得成矣。煞刃逢食，格之敗也，然庚生酉月，年丙月丁，時上逢壬，則食神合官留煞，而官煞不雜，煞刃局清，是因敗得成矣。如此之類，亦不可勝數，皆因敗得成之例也。

The original text says: Conversely, the official seal pattern encountering a harmful official is usually considered a ruined pattern; however, in the case of辛 gold born in the戌 month (the original text mistakenly says '戊 month' but should be '戌 month'), the heavenly stem at the year is丙 fire, which is the official, and the heavenly stem at the hour is壬 water, which is the harmful official. Between them is the heavenly stem at the month,戊 soil, which prevents the壬 water from overcoming the戊 soil to attack the丙 fire. Instead, the壬 water can release the body of辛 gold, resulting in a refined and elegant pattern, which is achieving success through failure. Another example is the evil spirit and sharp weapon pattern encountering the food god, which is usually considered a ruined pattern; however, in the case of庚 gold born in the酉 month, sitting on the sharp weapon, the heavenly stem at the year is丙 fire, which is the seven evil spirit, and the heavenly stem at the month is丁 fire, which is the official. The official and evil spirit are mixed, but at the hour, there is壬 water, the food god, which combines with the丁 fire, thus combining the official and leaving the evil spirit, so the official and evil spirit are no longer mixed. As a result, the evil spirit and sharp weapon pattern becomes clear and pure, which is also achieving success through failure. There are countless such examples, all of which are cases of achieving success through failure.

其間奇奇怪怪，變幼無窮，惟以理權衡之，隨在觀理，因時運化，由他奇奇怪怪，自有一種至當不易不論。觀命者毋眩而無主、執而不化也。

Shen's original text concludes by saying: here there are all sorts of strange and strange things, with endless changes. Only by using reason to weigh them can one examine the principles wherever they are and adapt according to the time and circumstances. No matter how strange and strange it may seem, there will naturally be a most appropriate and unchangeable conclusion. Those who read fate should not be confused by these tricks and lose their focus, nor should they rigidly adhere to one method without knowing how to adapt.

論命惟以月令用神為主，然亦須配氣候而互參之。譬如英雄豪傑，生得其時，自然事半功倍；遭時不順，雖有奇才，成功不易。是以印綬遇官，此謂官印雙全，無人不貴。而冬木逢水，雖透官星，亦難必貴，蓋金寒而水益凍，凍水不能生木，其理然也。身印兩旺，透食則貴，凡印格皆然。而用之冬木，尤為秀氣，以冬木逢火，不惟可以洩身，而即可以調候也。

Shen's original text says: Discussing a person's destiny naturally focuses on the heavenly stem of the month and the useful god, but it is also necessary to consider the climate together. Just like heroes and outstanding people, if they are born at the right time, they will achieve great success with less effort; if they encounter unfavorable circumstances, even with extraordinary talent, they may find it difficult to succeed. Therefore, when the official star and the seal star appear together in the印绶 pattern, it is called "official and seal both complete," and there is no failure in achieving high status; however, for wood in winter, water is the seal star, although if the metal official star is revealed, it does not necessarily mean high status, because metal is already cold in winter, which makes the water even more frozen, and frozen water cannot nourish wood. This is the reason. Another example is when the body and the seal star are both strong and the food god is revealed, it indicates high status, and this is generally true for all seal star patterns; and for wood in winter, it is especially refined, because winter wood encountering fire not only releases the refined quality of the day's ruler but also harmonizes the cold and warm conditions.

傷官見官，為禍百端，而金水見之，反為秀氣。非官之不畏夫傷，而調候為急，權而用之也。傷官帶煞，隨時可用，而用之冬金，其秀百倍。傷官佩印，隨時可用，而用之夏木，其秀百倍，火濟水，水濟火也。

The Shen family's original text says: When a wounded official meets an official star, it usually brings about many troubles; however, when a golden and water type wounded official meets an official star, it instead becomes refined and elegant. This does not mean that the official star is afraid of the wounded official, but rather because in the winter month, the golden and water elements are too cold, and the need for harmonizing the climate is more urgent, so we have to weigh the importance and use it. For example, when a wounded official is accompanied by a seven煞 (seven killer), it is useful at any time, but when used on winter gold, the elegance surpasses a hundredfold. Similarly, when a wounded official is accompanied by an official seal, it is also useful at any time, but when used on summer wood, the elegance is equally surpassing a hundredfold—this is precisely the principle of fire rescuing water and water rescuing fire.

傷官用財，本為貴格，而用之冬水，即使小富，亦多不貴，凍水不能生木也。傷官用財，即為秀氣，而用之夏木，貴而不甚秀，燥土不甚靈秀也。

The Shen family's original text says: When the official star is used with wealth, it is originally a noble pattern; however, when applied to a day ruler of water in winter, wood becomes the official star and fire becomes wealth. Even if there is some wealth, it is mostly not noble, because frozen water cannot produce wood, and the official star lacks strength, thus unable to generate wealth. Using the official star with wealth is inherently refined; but when applied to a day ruler of wood in summer, fire becomes the official star and earth becomes wealth. Although it is noble, it is not very refined, because in summer the fire is intense and the earth is dry, and the dry earth itself lacks refinement.

春木逢火，則為木為通明，而夏木不作此論；秋金遇水，則為金水相涵，而冬金不作此論。氣有衰旺，取用不同也。春木逢火，木火通明，不利見官；而秋金遇水，金水相涵，見官無礙。假如庚生申月，而支中或子或辰，會成水局，天干透丁，以為官星，只要壬癸不透露干頭，便為貴格，與食神傷官喜見官之說同論，亦調候之道也。

The Shen氏 original says: In spring, when wood meets fire, it is called "wood and fire communicate clearly" (the original text "then wood is clear" should be "then wood and fire communicate clearly"). In summer, wood cannot be discussed this way. In autumn, when metal meets water, it is called "metal and water complement each other," but in winter, metal cannot be discussed this way. Qi has periods of decline and strength, and its use naturally varies. In spring, when wood meets fire, it forms "wood and fire communicate clearly," and it is not suitable to see another official star that may harm the self. However, in autumn, when metal meets water, it forms "metal and water complement each other," and seeing an official star does not cause any harm. If庚 metal is born in the month of申, and there are Zi or Chen in the earthly branches, it forms a water trinity. If丁 fire appears in the heavenly stem as an official star, as long as 壬 water or 癸 water does not appear in the heavenly stem to harm 丁 fire, it is a noble pattern. This is consistent with the idea that "food god and official star are happy to see official star," and it also belongs to the method of adjusting the climate.

食神雖逢正印，亦謂奪食，而夏木火盛，輕用之亦秀而貴，與木火傷官喜見水同論，亦調候之謂也。此類甚多，不能悉述，在學者引伸觸類，神而明之而已。

The Shen family's original text says: Even if the food god meets the positive imprint, it is still considered as "stealing food"; however, in summer when the wood and fire energies are too strong, using a little imprint to moisten them can result in both elegance and high status. This is the same as the saying "wood and fire officials rejoice at seeing water," which also refers to adjusting the climate. There are many such cases, which cannot all be explained in detail. Scholars must rely on themselves to infer from one instance, connect similar cases, and integrate them fully to understand the meaning.

月令既得用神，則別位亦必有相，若君之有相，輔者是也。如官逢財生，則官為用，財為相；財旺生官，則財為用，官為相；煞逢食制，則煞為用，食為相。然此乃一定之法，非通變之妙。要而言之，凡全局之格，賴此一字而成者，均謂之相也。

The Shen family's original text says: Once the useful god has been determined according to the month's stem, there must certainly be a "helping god" in another position, just like a prime minister assisting the emperor, supporting the useful god. For example, if the official star is nourished by wealth, the official star is the useful god and wealth is the helping god; if wealth is strong enough to nourish the official star, then wealth is the useful god and the official star is the helping god; if the seven harmful stars are restrained by the food god, the seven harmful stars are the useful god and the food god is the helping god. However, these are only rigid examples and do not yet reflect the flexible and skillful aspects. In short, any pattern of the entire chart relies on a particular character to be established, and that character is called the helping god.

傷用神甚於傷身，傷相甚於傷用。如甲用酉官，透丁逢壬，則合傷存官以成格者，全賴壬之相；戊用子財，透甲並己，則合煞存財以成格者，全賴己之相；乙用酉煞，年丁月癸，時上逢戊，則合去癸印以使丁得制煞者，全賴戊之相。

The Shen family's original text says: harming the useful god is more serious than harming the day master, and harming the auxiliary god is more serious than harming the useful god. For example, if Jia wood uses the Yin metal hidden in You for official star, and the heavenly stem reveals Ding fire as a harmful official, and also meets Ren water, it is able to combine with and remove the harmful official, thus preserving the official star and forming a pattern, entirely relying on Ren water as the auxiliary god; if Wu earth uses the癸 water hidden in Zi for wealth, and the heavenly stem reveals Ji wood as a seven evil star, and also has Ji earth alongside, it is able to combine with and remove the seven evil star, thus preserving the wealth star and forming a pattern, entirely relying on Ji earth as the auxiliary god; if Yi wood uses the辛 metal hidden in You as an evil star, the heavenly stem of the year is Ding fire as a food god, and the heavenly stem of the month is Kui water as a biased scholar, Kui needs to overcome Ding so that the evil star has no control, and at the hour stem there is Wu earth, which combines with and removes the Kui scholar, allowing Ding fire to control the evil star, entirely relying on Wu earth as the auxiliary god.

癸生亥月，透丙為財，財逢月劫，而卯未來會，則化水為木而轉劫以生財者，全賴於卯未之相。庚生申月，透癸洩氣，不通月令而金氣不甚靈，子辰會局，則化金為水而成金水相涵者，全賴於子辰之相。如此之類，皆相神之緊要也。

The Shen family's original text gives two examples: In the case of癸 water born in the亥 month, the heavenly stem has丙 fire as wealth, but the壬 water in亥 is a劫, which competes for the wealth. If there is卯 and未 in the earth branches to form a wood局 with亥, the water turns into wood, and the劫 turns to nourish the wealth, relying entirely on the卯 and未 as auspicious elements. Another example is庚 metal born in the申 month, with癸 water appearing in the heavenly stem to show refinement, but since癸 water lacks a root in the month, the metal's refined quality is not evident. If there are子 and辰 in the earth branches to form a water局 with申, the metal turns into water, achieving the "metal and water intermingling," relying entirely on the子 and辰 as auspicious elements. Such examples clearly show the importance of auspicious elements.

相神無破，貴格已成；相神相傷，立敗其格。如甲用酉官，透丁逢癸印，制傷以護官矣，而又逢戊，癸合戊而不制丁，癸水之相傷矣；丁用酉財，透癸逢己，食制煞以生財矣，而又透甲，己合甲而不制癸，己土之相傷矣。是皆有情而化無情，有用而成無用之格也。凡八字排定，必有一種議論，一種作用，一種棄取，隨地換形，難以虛擬，學命者其可忽諸？

The original text by Shen says: If the auxiliary deity is not destroyed, the noble pattern is already established; once the auxiliary deity is harmed, the pattern immediately collapses. For example, if the Jia wood is using the You metal as official star, and the Ding fire official star is revealed along with the Gui water seal, this originally controls the official star and protects the official star; but if another Wu earth appears, the Gui water combines with Wu earth, and thus cannot control the Ding fire, which is the case where the Gui water auxiliary deity is harmed. Another example: if the Ding fire is using the Xin metal in You as wealth, and the Ji earth food god is revealed along with the Gui water seven evils, this originally controls the seven evils and generates wealth; but if another Jia wood appears, the Ji earth combines with Jia wood, and thus cannot control the Gui water, which is the case where the Ji earth auxiliary deity is harmed. These are all cases where something originally beneficial becomes harmful, and something originally useful becomes useless. Once a birth chart is fixed, there must be a certain discussion, a particular function, and a certain selection and rejection, varying according to the situation, and cannot be imagined arbitrarily; how can those who study destiny ignore the auxiliary deity?

四墓者，雜氣也，何以謂之雜氣？以其所藏者多，用神不一，故謂之雜氣也。如辰本藏戊，而又為水庫，為乙餘氣，三者俱有，於何取用？然而甚易也，透干會取其清者用之，雜而不雜也。何謂透干？如甲生辰月，透戊則用偏財，透癸則用正印，透乙則用月劫是也。何謂會支？如甲生辰月，逢申與子會局，則用水印是也。一透則一用，兼透則兼用，透而又會，則透與會並用。其合而有情者吉，其合而無情者則不吉。

The Shen family's original text says: the four earthly branches Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, known as "mùkù" or storage, are called "za qi" or miscellaneous qi. Why are they called miscellaneous qi? Because they contain many hidden heavenly stems, and there are multiple possible useful gods to choose from, hence they are called miscellaneous qi. For example, Chen contains the original stem Wu earth, but it is also the storage of water and the residual qi of Yi wood. All three are present, so which one should be chosen as the useful god? In fact, it is quite simple: look at what heavenly stems are revealed in the sky and what branch combinations are formed in the earth, and choose the clearest one. Although it seems miscellaneous, in reality it is not. What is "transmission through the heavenly stem"? For example, if Jia wood is born in the month of Chen, and the heavenly stem reveals Wu earth, then it is used as a biased wealth god; if it reveals Gui water, then it is used as a proper official star; if it reveals Yi wood, then it is used as a monthly劫. What is "branch combination"? For example, if Jia wood is born in the month of Chen, and the earthly branches meet Shen and Zi to form a water combination, then water is used as an official star. If one is revealed, use that one; if two are revealed, use both; if there is both transmission through the heavenly stem and branch combination, then use both the revealed and the combined ones. When they combine in a harmonious way, it is auspicious; when they combine in an inharmonious way, it is inauspicious.

何謂有情？順而相成者是也。如甲生辰月，透癸為印，而又會子會申以成局，印綬之格，清而不雜，是透干與會支，合而有情也。又如丙生辰月，透癸為官，而又逢乙以為印，官與印相生，而印又能去辰中暗土以清官，是兩干並透，合而情也。又如甲生丑月，辛透為官，或巳酉會成金局，而又透己財以生官，是兩干並透，與會支合而有情也。

The Shen氏 original says: What is called "having affection"? It refers to mutual support and complementing each other, which is called having affection. For example, if Jia wood is born in the Chen month and there is a癸 water appearing on the heavenly stem as the official star, and the earthly branches also form a water trinity by combining with Zi and Shen, resulting in a pure and uncluttered official star pattern, this is a harmonious combination between the heavenly stem and the earthly branches. Another example is when Bing fire is born in the Chen month, and there is a癸 water appearing as the official star, along with an Yi wood as the official's official, forming a cycle where the official generates the official's official, and the official's official generates the self. Moreover, the Yi wood as the official's official can also remove the hidden Wu earth in Chen, preventing the official star from being mixed with earth, which is a harmonious combination of two heavenly stems. Another example is when Jia wood is born in the Chou month, and the辛 gold appears in the heavenly stem as the official, or the earthly branches form a metal trinity with巳 and酉 along with Chou, while also having the Ji earth appearing as wealth to generate the official, which is a harmonious combination of two heavenly stems plus a trinity in the earthly branches.

何謂無情？逆而相背者是也。如壬生未月，透己為官，而地支會亥卯以成傷官之局，是透官與會支，合而無情者也。又如甲生辰月，透戊為財，又或透壬癸以為印，透癸則戊癸作合，財印兩失，透壬則財印兩傷，又以貪財壞印，是兩干並透，合而無情也。又如甲生戌月，透辛為官，而又透丁以傷官，月支又會寅會午以成傷官之局，是兩干並透，與會支合而無情也。

The Shenshi text says: What is meant by "incongruity"? When two elements are opposite and mutually repelling, that is called incongruity. For example, if the壬 water is born in the month of 未, and the 己 earth appears as the official star, but the branch of the earth also forms a wooden trinity with 亥 and 卯, creating a pattern of official star being harmed by the official's enemy, this is an example of the official star appearing and the branch forming a trinity combining in an incongruous way. Another example is when the 甲 wood is born in the month of 辰, and the 戊 earth appears as the wealth star, while also the 壬 or 癸 water appears as the seal star. If 癸 water appears, then 戊 and 癸 combine, causing both wealth and seal to be ineffective. If 壬 water appears, then wealth harms the seal, and the seal harms the fire and earth, causing both wealth and seal to be harmed, resulting in "greed for wealth and destruction of the seal," which is an example of two heavenly stems appearing together in an incongruous way. Another example is when the 甲 wood is born in the month of 戌, and the 辛 metal appears as the official star, while also the 丁 fire appears as the harmful official to harm the 辛 metal. The month's branch also combines with 寅 and 午 to form a fire trinity, reinforcing the harmful official. This is an example of two heavenly stems appearing together and the branch forming a trinity, combining in an incongruous way.

又有有情而卒成無情者，何也？如甲生辰月，逢壬為印，而又逢丙，印綬本喜洩身為秀，似成格矣，而火能生土，似又助辰中之戊，印格不清，是必壬干透而支又會申會子，則透丙亦無所礙。又有甲生辰月，透壬為印，雖不露丙而支逢戌位，戌與辰沖，二者為月沖而土動，干頭之壬難通月令，印格不成，是皆有情而卒無情，富而不貴者也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases where something originally has affection but ultimately becomes indifferent. Why is this so? For example, if Jia wood is born in the辰 month, and meets Ren water as the official, and also meets Bing fire as the food god. The official pattern usually prefers the release of the official by the food and injury, which seems to form a pattern. However, fire can generate earth, and Bing fire actually strengthens the Wu earth in the辰. When earth is strong, it will overcome water, making the official pattern impure. In such cases, if Ren water is revealed in the heavenly stem and the earthly branches also form a water group by meeting Shen and Zi, the official root becomes deep, and then the appearance of Bing fire would not be a problem. Another example is when Jia wood is born in the辰 month and Ren water is revealed as the official, even without Bing fire appearing, but if the earthly branches meet a Xu, which conflicts with the辰, the month branch is disturbed and earth moves, making the Ren water in the heavenly stem unable to connect with the root in the month, thus the official pattern cannot be established. These are cases where something originally has affection but ultimately becomes indifferent, leading to a life of wealth but not of high status.

又有無情而終有情者，何也？如癸生辰月，透戊為官，又有會申會子以成水局，透干與會支相剋矣。然所克者乃是劫財，譬如月劫用官，何傷之有？又如丙生辰月，透戊為食，而又透壬為煞，是兩干並透，而相剋也。然所克者乃是偏官，譬如食神帶煞，煞逢食制，二者皆是美格，其局愈貴。是皆無情而終為有情也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases where something is originally无情 (inconducive) but eventually becomes有情 (favorable), so why is this? For example,癸 water is born in the辰 month, and the戊 earth appears on the heavenly stem as the official star. The earth branch also forms a water trinity with申 and子, making a water group. The earth appearing on the heavenly stem and the water in the earth branch are in mutual control. However, the earth is controlling the water group's劫财 (enemies), which is like the month of劫 (a difficult situation) pattern using the official star to control the劫, so there is no harm. Another example is丙 fire born in the辰 month, with戊 earth appearing on the heavenly stem as the food god, and壬 water also appearing on the heavenly stem as the seven evil spirit. The two heavenly stems are both present, and water and fire are in mutual control. However, the food god is controlling the偏官 (biased evil spirit), which is like the food god accompanying the evil spirit, with the evil spirit being controlled by the food god, which is a good pattern, and the situation becomes even more valuable. These are all cases where something is originally无情 but eventually becomes有情.

辰戌丑未，最喜刑沖，財官入庫不沖不發——此說雖俗書盛稱之，然子平先生造命，無是說也。夫雜氣透干會支，豈不甚美？又何勞刑沖乎？假如甲生辰月，戊土透豈非偏財？申子會豈非印綬？若戊土不透，即辰戌相沖，財格猶不甚清也。至於透壬為印，辰戌相沖，將以累印，謂之沖開印庫可乎？

Shen's original text says: "Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei most favor punishment and clash, and if wealth and official stars enter the storage without clash, they will not manifest." This statement, although widely circulated in vulgar books, is not included in the system established by Zi Ping. For miscellaneous qi month rulers, if the heavenly stem is revealed and the earthly branches form a combination, is it not already very good? Why then do we need punishment and clash? If Jia wood is born in the Chen month and Wu earth is revealed, is it not already the pattern of partial wealth? If Shen and Zi combine, is it not already the pattern of official star? If Wu earth is not revealed, even if Chen and Xu clash and open the storage, the wealth pattern is still not pure. As for the revelation of Ren water as official star, once Chen and Xu clash and the earth moves, it would actually harm the official star, can this still be called "clash to open the official storage"?

況四庫之中，雖五行俱有，而終以土為主。土沖則靈，金木水火，豈取勝以四庫之沖而動乎？故財官屬土，沖則庫啟，如甲用戊財而辰戌沖，壬用己官而丑未沖之類是也。然終以戊己干頭為清用，干既透，即不沖而亦得也。至於財官為水，沖則反累，如己生辰月，壬透為財，戌沖則劫動，何益之有？丁生辰月，透壬為官，戌沖則傷官，豈能無害？其可謂之逢沖而壬水之財庫官庫開乎？

Shen's original text says: Moreover, although the four storage places contain all five phases, they ultimately take earth as their main essence. Only when earth is disturbed does it become active. Can metal, wood, water, and fire, which are merely stored within, also be activated by the conflict of the four storage places? Therefore, if the required wealth or official position is exactly earth, then a conflict can indeed open the storage. For example, if jia wood uses wu earth as wealth and chen and xu conflict, or if ren water uses ji earth as official and chou and wei conflict. However, in the end, it is still most pure to take wu and ji appearing in the heavenly stem; since the heavenly stem is already revealed, there is no need for conflict to use it. But if the required wealth or official position is water, a conflict would actually be harmful. For example, if ji earth is born in chen month and ren water is revealed as wealth, and xu conflicts with chen, the wu earth in chen, which is a rival wealth, is disturbed and goes on to harm the water wealth. How is that beneficial? Another example: if ding fire is born in chen month and ren water is revealed as official, and xu conflicts with chen, the yi wood in chen, which is a harmful official, is disturbed and goes on to harm the official. How can this be without harm? Can this still be considered as the conflict opening the wealth storage or official storage?

今人不知此理，甚有以出庫為投庫。如丁生辰月，壬官透干，不以為庫內之壬，干頭透出，而反為干頭之壬，逢辰入庫，求戌以沖土，不顧其官之傷。更有可笑者，月令本非四墓，別有用神，年月日時中一帶四墓，便求刑沖；日臨四庫不以為身坐庫根，而以為身主入庫，求沖以解。種種謬論，令人掩耳。

Shen's original text criticizes the fact that modern people do not understand this principle, and even mistakenly take "coming out of the storage" as "going into the storage." For example, if a person with Ding fire is born in the Chen month, and the Ren water official star is already visible in the heavenly stem, it should be considered that the Ren water in the storage has already emerged. Yet they insist that the Ren water in the heavenly stem meeting Chen means it has entered the storage, and thus they always look for a Xu to冲 (冲 means to clash or to break) the earth to open the storage, completely ignoring that this clash actually harms the official star. Even more laughable is that the month's stem is not one of the four storage branches, and there is another useful god, yet just because there is a storage branch among the year, month, day, and hour, they insist on seeking a clash or a冲; if the day branch is on one of the four storage branches, they do not say that the day's main stem is sitting on the root of the storage, but instead say that the main stem has entered the storage, and they insist on needing to clash it open to be saved. All these erroneous views are truly unbearable to hear.

然亦有逢沖而發者，何也？如官最忌沖，而癸生辰月，透戊為官，與戌相沖，不見破格，四庫喜沖，不為不足。卻不知子午卯酉之類，二者相仇，乃沖剋之沖，而四墓土自為沖，乃沖動之沖，非沖剋之沖也。然既以土為官，何害於事乎？是故四墓不忌刑沖，刑沖未必成格。其理甚明，人自不察耳。

Shen's original text says: However, there are indeed cases where encountering a clash leads to success, so why is that? The official star is most disliked when it is clashed, but if癸water is born in the辰month and the戊earth appears as the official star, when辰and戌clash, it does not break the pattern. Therefore, some people say that "the four earthy branches welcome clashes" is not entirely wrong. But they do not realize that clashes like 子and午, 卯and酉 are mutual enemies and belong to "clash and control." In contrast, the four earthy branches all belong to earth, and their mutual clash only stirs up the earth, which is called "clash of movement," not "clash and control." Since the official star is already earth, stirring up the earth does not harm the official star. Therefore, the four earthy branches do not fear clashes, but clashes do not necessarily form a pattern. This principle is quite clear, but people do not examine it carefully themselves.

財官印食，四吉神也，然用之不當，亦能破格。如食神帶煞，透財為害，財能破格也；春木火旺，見官則忌，官能破格也；煞逢食制，透印無功，印能破格也；財旺生官，露食則雜，食能破格也。

The Shen family's original text says: Wealth, official star, seal star, and food star are four auspicious deities, but if they are used improperly, they can all destroy the structure of the pattern. For example, in a pattern based on food star, if seven evils are present, the food star is originally supposed to control the seven evils. However, if wealth appears, it will support the seven evils instead, and wealth then becomes a destructive element. Another example is when wood in spring meets strong fire, forming a bright and clear pattern of wood and fire. This is most忌 to see the official star again, which will harm the body and take away the brilliance, making the official star a destructive element. Another example is when seven evils are already controlled by the food star, but if the official star appears again to take away the food and protect the seven evils, the function of controlling the seven evils is destroyed, and the official star becomes a destructive element. Another example is when wealth is strong and generates the official star, which is a good pattern. However, if the food star appears, it will harm the official star, making the pattern mixed and confused, and the food star becomes a destructive element.

煞傷梟刃，四凶神也，然施之得宜，亦能成格。如印綬根輕，透煞為助，煞能成格也。財逢比劫，傷官可解，傷能成格也。食神帶煞，靈梟得用，梟能成格也。財逢七煞，刃可解厄，刃能成格也。是故財不忌傷，官不忌梟，煞不忌刃，如治國長搶大戟，本非美具，而施之得宜，可以戡亂。

The Shen family's original text says: the seven deadly stars, the injurious official, the hawk god, and the yang blade are all凶神, but if arranged properly, they can also form a good pattern. For example, if the印绶 root is weak, and the seven deadly star appears and generates the印, then the seven deadly star becomes a useful element in forming the pattern. Again, if the wealth pattern meets the same zodiac and the same zodiac competes for the wealth, the presence of the injurious official can transform the same zodiac's energy into something that supports the wealth, making the injurious official a useful element. Again, if the food god pattern is accompanied by the seven deadly star, it is usually feared that the hawk god will take away the food god, but if the food god is too strong and the seven deadly star cannot control it, using the hawk god to slightly restrain it can make it more flexible and useful, turning the hawk god into a useful element. Again, if the wealth pattern meets the seven deadly star, and the seven deadly star joins forces to attack the body, the presence of the yang blade can help defend against the seven deadly star, thus resolving the danger, making the yang blade a useful element. Therefore, wealth does not fear the injurious official, the official does not fear the hawk god, and the seven deadly star does not fear the yang blade. This is like governing a country with long spears and halberds; weapons are not inherently peaceful things, but if used properly, they can be used to calm chaos and restore order.

月令用神，配以四柱，固有每字之生克以分吉凶，然有同此生克，而先後之間，遂分吉凶者，尤談命之奧也。如正官同是財傷並透，而先後有殊。假如甲用酉官，丁先戊後，則以財為解傷，即不能貴，後運必有結局。若戊先而丁後時，則為官遇財生，而後因傷破，即使上運稍順，終無結局，子嗣亦難矣。

The original text by Shen says: When the useful god of the month is combined with the four pillars, it is indeed necessary to rely on the generation and overcoming relationships of each character to determine fortune and misfortune. However, there is another aspect: even though it is the same characters involved in generation and overcoming, the difference in their order can lead to completely different outcomes of fortune and misfortune, which is a deeper aspect of studying fate. For example, in the case of the official star pattern, if both the wealth star and the injurious star are revealed, the difference in their order will result in different outcomes. Suppose the jia wood uses the yue metal in xiu to represent the official star; if the ding fire injurious star comes before the wu earth wealth star, then the wealth star behind can transform the injurious star's energy into something that supports the official star, so even if one does not achieve great status, the latter part of life will certainly have a good ending. However, if the wu earth wealth star comes first and the ding fire injurious star comes later in the hour pillar, then the official star is first supported by the wealth star, but later is destroyed by the injurious star. Although the first half of life may be somewhat smooth, ultimately there will be no conclusion, and even having children will be difficult.

印格同是貪財壞印，而先後有殊。如甲用子印，己先癸後，即使不富，稍順晚境；若癸先而己在時，晚景亦悴矣。食神同是財梟並透，而先後有殊。如壬用甲食，庚先丙後，晚運必亨，格亦富而望貴。若丙先而庚在時，晚運必淡，富貴兩空矣。

The Shen氏 original says: The "imprint" pattern is also "greedy for wealth and destroys the imprint." Although the order is different, there are distinctions. For example, if the Jia wood uses the癸 water in the Zi (rat) branch as the imprint, with the Ji earth wealth star coming first and the癸 water imprint coming later, then the thing that destroys the imprint has already passed, and the imprint is in charge later on. Even if one is not wealthy, the later years will still be somewhat smooth. However, if the癸 water imprint comes first and the Ji earth wealth star is in the hour column, the later years will be bleak. Similarly, in the "food god" pattern, when the wealth and the Owl Spirit (weaver) are both revealed, the difference also lies in the order. For example, if the Ren water uses the Jia wood as the food god, with the Geng metal Owl Spirit coming first and the Bing fire wealth star coming later, then the thing that takes away the food comes first, and the thing that generates wealth comes later, so the later years will certainly be prosperous, and the pattern will be wealthy with potential for high status. However, if the Bing fire wealth comes first and the Geng metal Owl Spirit is in the hour column, the later years will certainly be dull, and both wealth and high status will be lost.

七煞同是財食並透，而先後大殊。如己生卯月，癸先辛後，則為財以助用，而後煞用食制，不失大貴。若辛先而癸在時，則煞逢食制，而財轉食黨煞，非特不貴，後運蕭索，兼難永壽矣。

The Shen氏 original says: The Seven Killers pattern is also when wealth and food god are both revealed, but the order is different and the difference is greater. For example, if someone is born in the卯 month with己 soil, the乙 wood in卯 is the Seven Killer. If the癸 water wealth star is in front and the辛 metal food god is behind, then the wealth comes first to support the Seven Killer, and then the food god comes later to control the Seven Killer. The Seven Killer is strong but controlled, making it a great prosperous pattern. However, if the food god is in front and the wealth star is in the hour column, although the Seven Killer is controlled by the food god, the wealth behind turns the food god's energy to support the Seven Killer again. In this case, it is not only not prosperous, but the later years will be bleak and lonely, and even life span may be short.

丙生辛酉，年癸時己，傷因財間，傷之無力，間有小貴。假如癸己產並而中無辛隔，格盡破矣。辛生申月，年壬月戊，時上丙官，不愁隔戊之壬，格亦許貴。假使年丙月壬而時戊，或年戊月丙而時壬，則壬能克丙，無望其貴矣。

The Shen family's original text gives two examples. In the first case, a person with Bing fire born in the Xinyou month has Xinyou as the month, where Xinyou is the official wealth and the metal of the month is the wealth land. The heavenly stem of the year is Gui water, which is the official, and the heavenly stem of the hour is Ji earth, which is the injurious official. Normally, the injurious official would be able to overcome the official, but since there is Xinyou metal in between, the injurious official's energy is passed through the wealth and transformed, so the injurious official is not strong enough to overcome the official. Therefore, there may be some minor success. If Gui water and Ji earth are directly adjacent without Xinyou in between, the pattern would be completely ruined. In another example, a person with Xinyou metal born in the Shen month has the heavenly stem of the year as Ren water, which is the injurious official, the heavenly stem of the month as Wu earth, which is the official education, and the heavenly stem of the hour as Bing fire, which is the official. Normally, Ren water would overcome Bing fire, but since Wu earth is in between, it can control Ren water, so there is no worry about the separated Ren water. The pattern might lead to great success. However, if the arrangement is year Bing, month Ren, hour Wu, or year Wu, month Bing, hour Ren, then Ren water can directly overcome Bing fire, and there would be no hope of great success.

以上舉官星為例，餘如印畏財破，財懼比劫，食傷忌梟印，意義相同。救應之法，亦可例推矣。

The original text concludes by saying: All the above examples use the official star as a case; other situations are similar, such as the seal star fearing the wealth star to break it, the wealth star fearing the same zodiac to take it away, and the food and injury stars fearing the phoenix star to take it away. The principles are entirely the same, and one must also look at which comes first, the hostile god or the saving god. As for various methods of salvation and response, they can also be inferred in the same way.

八字格局，專以月令配四柱，至於星辰好歹，既不能為生克之用，又何以操成敗之權？況於局有礙，即財官美物，尚不能濟，何論吉星？於局有用，即七煞傷官，何謂凶神乎？是以格局既成，即使滿盤孤辰入煞，何損其貴？格局既破，即使満盤天德貴人，何以為功？今人不知輕重，見是吉星，遂致拋卻用神，不管四柱，妄論貴賤，謬談禍福，甚可笑也。

Shen's original text says: The structure of the four pillars depends entirely on the month pillar to match the other pillars. As for the deities, stars, and auspicious influences, since they do not participate in the generation and overcoming of the Five Phases, how can they influence the success or failure of the structure? Moreover, even if something beneficial like wealth or officialdom is harmful to the structure, it cannot save it. So why should good stars be considered important? If something is useful to the structure, even if it is seven calamities or injurious stars, how can they be called Inauspicious Spirit? Once the structure is established, even if the entire chart is filled with Guchen and harmful influences, it does not diminish its nobility. Once the structure is broken, even if the entire chart is filled with Heavenly Virtue and Nobleman, it can do nothing. Nowadays, people fail to distinguish between importance and triviality. Upon seeing a good star, they ignore the Useful God and neglect the coordination of the four pillars, making hasty judgments about wealth and poverty, and absurdly discussing misfortune and fortune. This is truly very laughable.

況書中所云祿貴，往往指正官而言，不是祿堂貴人。如正財得傷貴為奇，傷貴也，傷官乃生財之具，正財得之，所以為奇，若指貴人，則傷貴為何物乎？又若因得祿而避位，得祿者，得官也，運得官鄉，宜乎進爵，然如財用傷官食神，運透官則格條，正官運又遇官則重，凡此之類，只可避位也。若作祿堂，不獨無是理，抑且得祿避位，文法上下相顧。古人作書，何至不通若是！

The original text by Shen says: Moreover, in the books on destiny, the terms "Lü" (rank) and "Gui" (nobleman) often refer to the official position, not the Lütang or Gui Ren (nobleman) deities. For example, the phrase "the injured official and nobleman is a rare combination" refers to the "injured official" (Shangguan), which is the tool that produces wealth. When the official wealth is supported by the injured official, it is considered a rare and auspicious situation. If "Gui" is interpreted as the nobleman, then what does "Shanggui" refer to? Another example is the phrase "because of obtaining rank, one must step down." Here, "obtaining rank" means obtaining the official position. Logically, when one's fate is in the official position, one should be promoted and receive a higher rank. However, in cases where the wealth pattern relies on the injured official or the food deity, the appearance of the official in the destiny pattern will make the pattern complicated (the original text says "Ge tiao" which should be "Ge za"). In the official pattern, if the official appears again in the destiny, the official star becomes too strong, and in such cases, one should step down and avoid competition. If "Lü" is interpreted as the Lütang, it does not make sense, and the two sentences "obtaining rank" and "stepping down" should be logically connected. How could ancient scholars write in such an unclear way?

又若女命，有云「貴眾則舞裙歌扇」。貴眾者，官眾也，女以官為夫，正夫豈可疊出乎？一女眾夫，舞裙歌扇，理固然也。若作貴人，乃是天星，並非夫主，何礙於眾，而必為娼妓乎？

The original text says: For example, in the case of a woman's fortune, there is a saying called "When there are many noblemen, there is dancing and singing." What is meant by "many noblemen" is that there are too many official stars. For a woman, the official star represents her husband. How can there be multiple official stars, meaning multiple husbands? If a woman has many husbands, she would end up in a situation of entertaining guests with dancing and singing, which is logical. If "nobleman" is taken to mean a noble person, then it is merely the name of a star in the sky, not the actual husband. Having more of them would not be a problem, so why would it necessarily lead to becoming a prostitute?

然星辰命書，亦有談及，不善看書者執之也。如「貴人頭上帶財官，門充駟馬」，蓋財官如人美貌，貴人如人衣服，貌之美者，衣服美則現。其實財官成格，即非貴人頭上，怕不門充駟馬！又局清貴，又帶二德，必受榮封。若專主二德，則何不竟云帶二德受兩國之封，而必先曰無煞乎？若云命逢險格，柱有二德，逢凶有救，有免於危，則亦有之，然終無關於格局之貴賤也。

The original text by Shen says: However, the命书 also indeed discusses divine omens, but those who are not good at reading books cling to them blindly. For example, the phrase 「The nobleman's head carries wealth and officialdom, the gate is filled with four horses」: wealth and officialdom are like a person's beauty, while the nobleman is like the clothes. If one's appearance is already beautiful, wearing good clothes naturally makes it more evident. In reality, as long as wealth and officialdom form a pattern, even if they are not on the nobleman's head, can they not have four horses waiting at the gate? Another example is 「A clear and noble situation, accompanied by the heavenly and lunar virtues, will certainly receive honor and recognition」 (the original text is abridged). If truly taking the two virtues as the main point, why not simply say 「having the two virtues will receive recognition from two countries」, yet it is necessary to first mention a premise? If it is said that encountering a dangerous pattern in the destiny, but with the two virtues in the pillar, encountering misfortune can be saved and danger can be avoided, this is indeed a real thing; but ultimately, it has nothing to do with the nobility or lowliness of the pattern.

八字用神既專主月令，何以又有外格乎？外格者，蓋因月令無用，權而用之，故曰外格也。如春木冬水、土生四季之類，日與月同，難以作用，類象、屬象、沖財、會祿、刑合、遙迎、井欄、朝陽諸格，皆可用也。若月令自有用神，豈可另尋外格？又或春木冬水，干頭已有財官七煞，而棄之以就外格，亦太謬矣。是故干頭有財，何用沖財？干頭有官，何用合祿？書云「提綱有用提綱重」，又曰「有官莫尋格局」，不易之論也。

The original text by Shen says: Since the useful god in the four pillars is mainly determined by the month branch, why is there also the concept of 'external pattern'? The so-called external pattern is because there is no useful god to be found in the month branch, and thus an alternative approach is adopted, hence called the external pattern. For example, in spring when wood is strong, in winter when water is strong, or when earth is born in the seasons of辰, 戌, 丑, or 未, the day master shares the same nature as the month branch, and brothers and sisters cannot be used as the useful god. In such cases, patterns such as class analogy, belonging analogy,冲财 (conflict for wealth), 会禄 (converge for official position), 刑合 (imposition and union), 遥迎 (remote invitation), 井栏 (well frame), and 朝阳 (sun rising) can be adopted. If the month branch already has a useful god, how can one go looking for an external pattern? Or if it is spring wood or winter water, but there is already wealth, official position, or seven evils in the heavenly stem, and one ignores them to pursue an external pattern, that would be even more absurd. Therefore, if there is wealth in the heavenly stem, why go seeking wealth through conflict? If there is official position in the heavenly stem, why go seeking official position through union? The books say 'the main stem has a useful god, it is more important', and also say 'if there is official position, do not seek patterns', which are all fixed conclusions that cannot be changed.

然所謂月令無用者，原是月令本無用神，而今人不知，往往以財被劫官被傷之類。用神已破，皆以為月令無取，而棄之以就外格，則謬之又謬矣。

Shen's original text correction says: However, what is meant by "the month ruler has no use" is originally referring to the fact that the month ruler itself cannot produce the useful god. Modern people do not understand this, and often consider situations such as wealth being taken by rivals or officials being harmed by the official star as cases of the month ruler having no use. In reality, that is merely the useful god being destroyed, not the month ruler having no useful god at all. Yet because of this, they conclude that the month ruler has nothing to take, and abandon it to seek other patterns outside — that is truly a mistake on top of another mistake.

人有六親，配之八字，亦存於命。其由宮分配之者，則年月日時，自上而下，祖父妻子，亦自上而下。以地相配，適得其宜，不易之位也。

Shen's original text says: A person has six relations, namely parents, brothers, spouse, and children. These six relations are matched with the eight characters and exist in one's destiny. First, the method of matching according to 'positions' is explained: the four pillars of year, month, day, and hour are arranged from top to bottom. The relationships of ancestors, parents, spouse, and children are also arranged from top to bottom in sequence. By matching according to the hierarchy of status, each relation is appropriately placed, and this order is unchangeable.

其由用神配之者，則正印也母，身所自出，取其生我也。若偏財受我剋制，何反為父？偏財者，母之正夫也，正印為母，則偏財為父矣。正財為妻，受我剋制，夫為妻綱，妻則從夫。若官煞則剋制乎我，何以反為子女也？官煞者，財所生也，財為妻妾，則官煞為子女矣。至於比肩為兄弟，又理之顯然者。

The original text says: Furthermore, according to the ten heavenly stems and earthly branches paired with the "useful god," the proper mother is the official mother, because my body comes from her, and it is taken to mean that she gives birth to me. As for the biased wealth, it is what I control, so why is it considered the father? Because the biased wealth is the proper husband of the official mother—since the official mother is the mother, the biased wealth is naturally the father. The proper wealth is the wife, which I control, and it is taken to mean "the husband is the head of the wife, and the wife should follow the husband." As for the official and evil stars, which control me, why are they considered children? Because the official and evil stars are born from the wealth—the wealth being the wife, the official and evil stars are naturally the children. As for the same heavenly stem as myself, which is the brother, this is clearly understood.

其間有無得力，或吉或凶，則以四柱所存或年月或日時財官傷刃，繫是何物，然後以六親配之用神。局中作何喜忌，參而配之，可以瞭然矣。

The Shen氏 original says: As for whether the six relations are effective or not, and whether they are auspicious or ominous, one must look at the four pillars to see what kind of wealth, officialdom, injury, or sharpness is present, regardless of whether it is in the year, month, day, or hour. Then match the names and roles of the six relations with the ten heavenly stems and their useful gods, and refer to whether they are favorable or unfavorable in the entire chart. By combining these considerations, the situation of the six relations becomes clear.

大凡命中吉凶，於人愈近，其驗益靈。富貴貧賤，本身之事，無論矣，至於六親，妻以配身，子為後嗣，亦是切身之事。故看命者，妻財子提綱得力，或年干有用，皆主父母身所自出，亦自有驗。所以提綱得力，或年干有用，皆主父母雙全得力。至於祖宗兄弟，不甚驗矣。

Shen's original text says: Generally speaking, the fortune and misfortune in a person's destiny, the closer the relationship to the person himself, the more effective the prediction. Wealth, poverty, nobility, and lowliness are matters directly related to oneself, so there is no need to mention them. As for the Six Relations, the wife is compatible with oneself, and the son is one's own descendant, so they are all matters closely related to oneself. Therefore, those who interpret destinies place great importance on wife and son. If the monthly stem is strong and effective, or if the heavenly stem of the year is useful, then it indicates that both parents are present and effective, because parents are the origin from which one comes, and this aspect also has its own effectiveness. As for ancestors and brothers, which are more distant relations, they are not as effective.

以妻論之，坐下財官，妻當賢貴；然亦有坐財官而妻不利，逢傷刃而妻反吉者，何也？此蓋月令用神，配成喜忌。如妻宮坐財，吉也，而印格逢之，反為不美。妻坐官，吉也，而傷官逢之，豈能順意？妻坐傷官，凶也，而財格逢之，可以生財，煞格逢之，可以制煞，反主妻能內助。妻坐陽刃，凶也，而或財官煞傷等格，四柱已成格局，而日主無氣，全憑日刃幫身，則妻必能相關。其理不可執一。

The Shen family's original text says: First consider the wife. If the day branch is occupied by wealth or official power, the wife is naturally wise and of good status. However, there are cases where the wife's position is occupied by wealth or official power but the wife is actually not beneficial, or where the wife's position is occupied by a harmful official or the Yang Blade but the wife is actually beneficial. Why is this so? It depends on whether the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the month are in harmony with the fortune or in conflict. For example, if the wife's position is occupied by wealth, which is generally good, but in the case of an official pattern, the wealth will harm the official, which is not good. If the wife's position is occupied by an official, which is generally good, but in the case of a harmful official pattern, the harmful official meeting the official is not favorable. If the wife's position is occupied by a harmful official, which is generally bad, but in the case of a wealth pattern, the harmful official can generate wealth; or in the case of a harmful official pattern, the harmful official can control the harmful official, which actually leads to the wife being able to support the husband internally. If the wife's position is occupied by the Yang Blade, which is generally bad, but if the four pillars are already complete in the pattern of wealth, official, harmful official, or harmful official, and the day ruler itself has no strength, relying entirely on the Yang Blade in the day branch to support the ruler, then the wife will certainly be able to assist the husband. This principle cannot be fixed in one way.

既看妻宮，又看妻星。妻星者，干頭之財也。妻透而成局，若官格透財、印多逢財、食傷透財為用之類，即坐下無用，亦主內助。妻透而破格，若印輕財露、食神傷官、透煞逢財之類，即坐下有用，亦防刑剋。又有妻透成格，或妻宮有用而坐下刑沖，未免得美妻而難偕老。又若妻星兩透，偏正雜出，何一夫而多妻？亦防刑剋之道也。

The Shen family's original text says: one must look at both the wife's palace and the wife's star. The wife's star refers to the heavenly stem representing wealth. If the wife's star appears and helps to form a pattern, for example, in an official pattern with the wealth star appearing to nourish the official, or when there are many seals and the wealth star appears to reduce excess, or when the food and injury stars appear along with the wealth star, using wealth as a tool, then even if the day branch has little use, it indicates support from the wife. However, if the wife's star appears and disrupts the pattern, for example, when the seal is weak and the wealth star appears to destroy the seal, or in a food and injury pattern with the wealth star appearing along with seven evils, or when the evil star appears along with the wealth star to strengthen the evil star, then even if the day branch is useful, one should be cautious of conflicts and harm. There is also the case where the wife's star appears to form a pattern or the wife's palace is inherently useful, but the day branch is harmed by conflict or clash, which inevitably leads to marrying a good wife but not being able to live together until old age. Furthermore, if both the main and secondary wealth stars appear, with various wealth stars emerging, how can one husband have so many wives? This is also a way to be cautious of conflicts and harm.

至於子息，其看宮分與星所透喜忌，理與論妻略同。但看子息，長生沐浴之歌，亦當熟讀，如「長生四子中旬半，沐浴一雙保吉祥，冠帶臨官三子位，旺中五子自成行，衰中二子病中一，死中至老沒兒郞，除非養取他之子，入墓之時命夭亡，受氣為絕一個子，胎中頭產養姑娘，養中三子只留一，男子宮中子細詳」是也。

The Shen family's original text says: Regarding children, one should examine the position of the hour pillar and the favor or disadvantage of the son's star. The principle is similar to that used in assessing a wife. However, when considering children, one should also be familiar with this verse about the longevity and bathing of the son's star: if the son's star is in the position of long life, there will be four sons; if it is in the middle part of the month, the number will be halved; if it is in the bathing position, there will be a pair of sons, and it will be auspicious; if it is in the capping or official position, there will be three sons each; if it is in the prosperous position, there will be five sons, forming a line; if it is in the declining position, there will be two sons; if it is in the sick position, there will be only one son; if it is in the dying position, there will be no sons until old age, unless adopting a child from another family; if it is in the tomb position, there will be many sons who die young; if it is in the absolute position, it is the beginning of life, and there will be only one son; if it is in the fetal position, the first child will be a daughter; if it is in the nurturing position, although there will be three sons, in the end only one will remain. When examining the children's palace for a man's destiny, one should carefully consider this.

然長生論法，用陽而不用陰。如甲乙日只用庚金長生，巳酉丑順數之局，而不用辛金逆數之子申辰。雖書有官為女煞為男之說，然終不可以甲用庚男而用陽局，乙用辛男而陰局。蓋木為日主，不問甲乙，總以庚為男辛為女，其理為然，拘於官煞，其能驗乎？

The Shen family's original text says: When using the Long Life method to determine children, only the yang stems are used, not the yin stems. For example, on a Jia day or a Yi day, both are calculated according to the long life of Geng metal. Geng's long life is in Si, and it proceeds through You and Chou. The method of using Xin metal in reverse order, such as Zi, Shen, and Chen, is not used. Although there is a saying in the books that "official star represents a daughter and seven evils represent a son," it is ultimately not correct to use the yang stem's forward sequence for Jia day if it is considered to represent a son, or to use the yin stem's reverse sequence for Yi day if it is considered to represent a son. Since the day stem is wood, whether it is Jia or Yi, it is always Geng metal that represents a son and Xin metal that represents a daughter. This reasoning makes sense. To rigidly divide official stars and seven evils according to yin and yang is not practical.

所以八字到手，要看子息，先看時支。如甲乙生日，其時果係庚金何宮？或生旺，或死絕，其多寡已有定數，然後以時干子星配之。如財格而時干透食，官格而時干透財之類，皆謂時干有用，即使時逢死絕，亦主子貴，但不甚繁耳。若又逢生旺，則麟兒繞膝，豈可量乎？若時干不好，子透破局，即逢生旺，難為子息。若又死絕，無所望矣。此論妻子之大略也。

Once the four pillars of destiny are known, one should first look at the children's fortune by examining the hour branch. For example, if someone is born on a Jia or Yi day, one should determine where the hour branch falls in the twelve positions of the庚 metal: is it in a position of birth or growth, or in a position of death or decline? The number of children is already determined. Then one should match the child star on the hour stem with it. For instance, if the wealth pattern is present and the hour stem reveals the food god, or if the official pattern is present and the hour stem reveals wealth, these are considered useful for children; thus, even if the hour branch is in a position of death or decline, the children will be prosperous but in smaller numbers. If the hour branch is also in a position of birth or growth, then there will be many descendants and great achievements. Conversely, if the hour stem is not good and the revealed child star destroys the pattern, even if the hour branch is in a position of birth or growth, it will be difficult to have good children; if the hour branch is in a position of death or decline, there will be little hope. This is the general discussion on the fortune of wife and children.

論運與看命無二法也。看命以四柱干支，配月令之喜忌，而取運則又以運之干，配八字之喜忌。故運中每運行一字，即必以此一字，配命中干支而統觀之，為喜為忌，吉凶判然矣。

Shen's original text says: Calculating the big years and examining the original birth chart are not two separate methods. Examining the original birth chart involves matching the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the four pillars with the favorable and unfavorable elements determined by the month's stem. Calculating the big years involves taking the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the year and matching them again with the overall favorable and unfavorable elements of the original birth chart. Therefore, whenever a character appears in the big year, it must be combined with the heavenly stems and earthly branches in the original birth chart for a comprehensive observation: whether it is a favorable god or a hostile god, and the fortune will be clear.

何為喜？命中所喜之神，我得而助之者是也。如官用印以制傷，而運助印；財生官而身輕，而運助身；印帶財以為忌，而運劫財；食帶煞以成格，身輕而運逢印，煞重而運助食；傷官佩印，而運行官煞；陽刃用官，而運助財鄉；月劫用財，而運行傷食。如此之類，皆美運也。

What is considered a favorable (good) fortune? The god that is beneficial in one's destiny, when supported by the current year's fortune, is called a favorable (good) fortune. For example, in a pattern where the official (government) is the main element and the seal (supporting) element is used to control the official's offspring (harmful element), if the current year's fortune supports the seal element; or when wealth generates the official and the day's main element is weak, if the current year's fortune supports the main element; or in a pattern where the seal element is the main element and wealth is a harmful element, if the current year's fortune brings siblings (same element) to compete for the wealth; or when the food (assistant) element is accompanied by a harmful element and forms a pattern, if the main element is weak, then the current year's fortune brings the seal element to support the main element, or if the harmful element is strong, then the current year's fortune supports the food element to control the harmful element; or in a pattern where the official's offspring is accompanied by the seal element, if the current year's fortune brings the official or harmful element to support the seal element; or in a pattern where the yang blade is the main element and the official is used to control the blade, if the current year's fortune supports the wealth element to generate the official; or in a pattern where the month's main element is the main element and wealth is used, if the current year's fortune brings the food or harmful element to transform the main element and generate wealth. All these are considered good fortune.

何謂忌？命中所忌，我逆而施之者是也。如正官無印，而運行傷；財不透食，而運行煞；印綬用官，而運合官；食神帶煞，而運行財；七煞食制，而運逢梟；傷官佩印，而運行財；陽刃用煞，而運逢食；建祿用官，而運逢傷。如此之類，皆敗運也。

The Shen氏 original says: What is considered a忌? The aspect that is disliked in one's destiny, when the fate is exactly opposite and comes to afflict it, is called忌. For example, in a pattern of 正官, if there is no 印 to protect the official, and the fortune goes to 伤官; in a pattern of 财, if there is no 食神 to connect, and the fortune goes to 七煞; in a pattern of 印绶, if the official is used to generate the 印, but the fortune meets the official which is combined away; in a pattern of 食神, if 七煞 is relied upon by 食神 to control it, but the fortune goes to 财 which supports the 七煞; when 七煞 has already been controlled by 食神, but the fortune meets Owl Spirit to take away the 食神; in a pattern of 伤官 with 印, but the fortune goes to 财 to destroy the 印; in a pattern of The Yang Blade with 煞 to control the 刃, but the fortune meets 食神 to control away that 煞; in a pattern of 建禄 with 官, but the fortune meets 伤官 to destroy the 官. All these are considered bad fortune.

其有似喜而實忌者，何也？如官逢印運，而本命有合，印逢官運，而本命用煞之類是也。有似忌而實喜者，何也？如官逢傷運，而命透印，財行煞運，而命透食之類是也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases where something appears to be favorable but is actually unfavorable, and vice versa. For example, in a pattern where the official star is the main element, if the印 (nourishing element) is the fortunate element, it should be favorable. However, if there is another character in the birth chart that combines with the印, the印 will not be helpful. Similarly, in a pattern where the印 is the main element and the official star is the fortunate element, it should be favorable. But if the original birth chart uses the seven harmful stars to generate the印, the official star will instead mix with the harmful star, causing confusion. Conversely, there are cases where something appears to be unfavorable but is actually favorable. For example, in a pattern where the official star is the main element and the damaging element is the fortunate element, it should be unfavorable. However, if the birth chart reveals the印, the印 can control the damaging element and protect the official star. Similarly, in a pattern where the wealth element is the main element and the seven harmful star is the fortunate element, it should be unfavorable. However, if the birth chart reveals the food element, the food element can control the harmful star and generate wealth.

又有行干而不行支者，何也？如丙生子月亥年，逢丙丁則幫身，逢巳午則相沖是也。又有行支而不行干者，何也？如甲生酉月，辛金透而官猶弱，逢申酉則官植根，逢庚辛則混煞重官之類是也。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where only the Heavenly Stems are suitable and the Earthly Branches are not, and vice versa. Why is this so? For example, if a person has Bing fire born in the month of Zi (rat), and the year branch is Hai (pig), the water is strong and the body is weak. When the fortune comes to the Heavenly Stems of Bing or Ding, they can help the body. However, if the fortune comes to the Earthly Branches of Si (snake) or Wu (horse), they will clash with the existing Hai and Zi branches, causing conflict and bringing misfortune. There are also cases where only the Earthly Branches are suitable and the Heavenly Stems are not. For example, if a person has Ji wood born in the month of You (rooster), although the official star Xin metal is present, it is still considered weak. When the fortune comes to the Earthly Branches of Shen (monkey) or You (rooster), the official star can take root. However, if the fortune comes to the Heavenly Stems of Geng or Xin, Geng is a seven deadly star, and adding another Xin would make the official star too heavy, resulting in either confusion between the deadly star and the official star or an overabundance of the official star.

又有干同一類而不兩行者，何也？如丁生亥月，而年透壬官，逢丙則幫身，逢丁則合官之類是也。又有支同一類而不兩行者，何也？如戊生卯月，丑年，逢申則自坐長生，逢酉則會丑以傷官之類是也。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases where heavenly stems belong to the same category but cannot be treated the same way, and this is because of the specific circumstances. For example, if a person with a Ding fire stem is born in the亥 month, and the heavenly stem in the year column is壬 water, which is the official star; when encountering a丙 fire in the big fate, it can help the body. Although both are fire, when encountering Ding fire, it will go to combine with the壬 water, thus removing the official star. Similarly, there are cases where earthly branches belong to the same category but cannot be treated the same way. For example, if a person with a Wu earth stem is born in the卯 month, and the year column is丑, when encountering the申 in the big fate, the Wu earth stem sits on its long life and gains strength; although both are metal branches, when encountering酉, the酉 will combine with the丑 to form a metal formation, which instead harms the official star in the卯.

又有同是相沖而分緩急者，何也？沖年月則急，沖日時則緩也。又有同是相沖而分輕重者，何也？運本美而逢沖則輕，運既忌而又沖則重也。

The Shen氏 original says: There are also cases where the same conflict differs in urgency. This is because when the conflict occurs between the year and month pillars, it is urgent, while when it occurs between the day and hour pillars, it is less urgent, as the year and month pillars are the fundamental basis. There are also cases where the same conflict differs in severity: if the current year is a favorable period, even though there is a conflict, the harm is less severe; if the current year is already an unfavorable period, and there is an additional conflict, the harm becomes more severe.

又有逢沖而不沖，何也？如甲用酉官，行卯則沖，而本命巳酉相會，則沖無力；年支亥未，則卯逢年會而不沖月官之類是也。又有一沖而得兩沖者，何也？如乙用申官，兩申並而不沖一寅，運又逢寅，則運與本命，合成二寅，以沖二申之類是也。

The Shen氏 text says: There are cases where a clear conflict does not actually cause a conflict, so why is this? For example, if Jia wood uses the Yin metal in You as its official, then when the running year reaches Mao, it would normally conflict with You. However, if the native's earthly branch already contains Si and You, forming a metal assembly, then You has support, and the strength of the conflict is weakened. Another example is when the year's earthly branch contains Hai or Wei, and the running year's Mao is first drawn into an assembly with the year's branch to form a wood assembly, so it cannot conflict with the official star in the month. Conversely, there is also a case where one conflict becomes two conflicts: For example, if Yi wood uses the Geng metal in Shen as its official, and the native's chart has two Shen, the strength is dispersed, so it cannot conflict with one Yin. However, when the running year brings another Yin, the running year and the native's chart together form two Yin, which then conflict with the two Shen, doubling the strength of the conflict.

命之格局，成於八字，然配之以運，亦有成格變格之要權。其成格變格，較之喜忌禍福尤重。何為成格？本命用神，成而未全，從而就之者是也。如丁生辰月，透壬為官，而運逢申子以會之；乙生辰月，或申或子會印成局，而運逢壬癸以透之。如此之類，皆成格也。

Shen's original text says: A person's destiny pattern is determined by the eight characters, but once paired with the big years, there is an important consideration called "forming a pattern" and "changing a pattern." This consideration is more important than simply judging the good and bad fortune of the big years. What is forming a pattern? The useful god of the original birth chart has already taken shape but is not yet complete, and relies on the big years to complete it, which is called forming a pattern. For example, if a person has a fire destiny born in the辰 month and the壬 water appears in the sky as the official star, the official star is too weak. If the big year meets申 or 子 to form a water trinity with 辰, the official star becomes strong. Another example is if a person has a wood destiny born in the辰 month, and the ground branches already have申 or 子 to form a water trinity as the official star, and the big year happens to have the壬 or 癸 appearing in the sky, bringing the official star clearly to the sky. These are all examples of forming a pattern.

何為變格？如丁生辰月，透壬為官，而運逢戌，透出辰中傷官；壬生戌月，丁己並透，而支又會寅會午，作財旺生官矣，而運逢戊土，透出戌中七煞；壬生亥月，透己為用，作建祿用官矣，而運逢卯未，會亥成本，又化建祿為傷。如此之類，皆變格也。

The Shen氏 original says: What is a change in pattern? For example, if a person with Ding fire is born in the辰 month and has Ren water appearing, it is considered an official (官). However, if the destiny encounters Wu in the big year, it will clash with Chen, bringing out the hidden Yi wood official pattern from Chen, thus changing the official pattern. Another example is a person with Ren water born in the戌 month, with Ding fire and Ji earth both appearing, and the ground branches forming a fire pattern with Yin and Wu, which is originally considered as "wealth flourishing to generate official." However, if the destiny encounters Wu earth, it brings out the hidden seven evils (七煞) from戌, changing the official pattern into a seven evils pattern. Another example is a person with Ren water born in the亥 month, with Ji earth appearing as the useful element, originally considered as "establishing a禄 with official." However, if the destiny encounters Mao or Wei, it forms a wood pattern with亥, turning the禄 into a wound (伤官) that attacks the Ji official. These are all examples of change in pattern.

然亦有逢成格而不喜者，何也？如壬生午月，運透己官，而本命有甲乙之類是也。又有逢變格而不忌者，何也？如丁生辰月，透壬用官，逢戊而命有甲；壬生亥月，透己用官，運逢卯未，而命有庚辛之類是也。成格變格，關係甚大，取運者其細詳之。

The Shen family's original text says: However, there are cases where a person may appear to have a complete pattern but it is not actually favorable. Why is this so? For example, if the壬 water is born in the午 month, and the己 earth appears in the heavenly stem to act as an official star, it should form a complete pattern. But if there are甲 or乙 wood in the birth chart, the wood will overcome the己 official star, thus making the complete pattern ineffective. There are also cases where a change in pattern occurs but it is not necessarily harmful. For example, if the丁 fire is born in the辰 month and the壬 water appears in the heavenly stem to act as an official star, and in the later years the戊 earth comes to overcome the壬, but if there is甲 wood in the birth chart to control the戊, the official star remains unharmed. Another example is when the壬 water is born in the亥 month and the己 earth appears in the heavenly stem as an official star, and in the later years the卯 and未 form a wood tripod to harm the official star, but if there is庚 or辛 metal in the birth chart to control the wood, the official star remains secure. It is clear that the relationship between a complete pattern and a changed pattern is very significant. Those who select the right fortune must carefully examine and consider these matters.

命中喜忌，雖支干俱有，而干主天，動而有為，支主地，靜以待用，且干主一而支藏多，為福為禍，安不得殊？譬如甲用酉官，逢庚辛則官煞雜，而申酉不作此例。申亦辛之旺地，辛坐申酉，如府官又掌道印也。逢二辛則官犯重，而二酉不作此例。辛坐二酉，如一府而攝二郡也，透丁則傷官，而逢午不作此例。丁動而午靜，且丁己並藏，安知其為財也？

The Shen family's original text says: The beneficial and harmful gods in one's destiny are present in both the heavenly stems and earthly branches; however, the heavenly stems belong to heaven, are active and have actions, while the earthly branches belong to earth, remaining quiet and waiting to be used. Moreover, each heavenly stem represents only one element, while each earthly branch contains several hidden heavenly stems. If this is the case, how can the blessings and misfortunes they bring be indistinguishable? For example, if jia wood uses the xiu branch's xin metal as an official, when the heavenly stem meets geng and xin, geng is a harmful star and xin is an official, resulting in a mixture of harmful and official stars. However, when the earthly branch meets shen and xiu, it cannot be calculated in the same way, because shen is also a strong position for xin metal. When xin metal sits on shen and xiu, it is like a prefect who also holds the seal of a governor, indicating a strong official star, not a mixture of harmful stars. Another example is when two xin metals appear in the heavenly stem, it is considered excessive official stars; however, when two xiu branches appear in the earthly branch, it cannot be calculated in the same way, because when xin metal sits on two xiu branches, it is like a prefect managing two prefectures, still representing one official. Another example is when the heavenly stem reveals ding fire, it is considered a harmful star; however, when the earthly branch meets wu fire, it cannot be calculated in the same way, because ding in the heavenly stem is active, while wu in the earthly branch is passive. Moreover, the ding fire and ji earth are both hidden in wu, so how can it definitely be considered a harmful star, rather than a wealth star?

然亦有支而能作禍福者，何也？如甲用酉官，逢午酉未能傷，而又遇寅遇戌，不隔二位，二者合而火動，亦能傷矣。即此反觀，如甲生申月，午不制煞，會寅會戌，二者清局而火動，亦能傷矣。然必會有動，是正與干有別也。即此一端，餘者可知。

The Shen氏 original says: However, the Earthly Branches can also bring about both misfortune and blessings, so why is this? For example, if Jia wood uses You metal as its official star, encountering a single Wu fire will not harm You; but if it also meets Yin or Xu, and they are not far apart, Yin, Wu, and Xu can form a fire trinity, and once fire is activated, it can still harm the official star. Conversely, if Jia wood is born in the month of Shen, the庚 gold in Shen is the seven harmful star. A single Wu fire is still not enough to control the harmful star; but if it meets Yin or Xu, forming a fire trinity, once fire is activated, it can still control the harmful star. This shows that the Earthly Branches must rely on meeting and combining to become active, which is exactly where they differ from Heavenly Stems. By understanding this, one can infer the rest of the principles.

支中喜忌，固與干有別矣，而運逢透清，則靜而待用者，正得其用，而喜忌之驗，於此乃見。何謂透清？如甲用酉官，逢辰未即為財，而運透戊，逢午未即為傷，而運透丁之類是也。

The Shen氏 original says: Although the preferences and aversions of the Earthly Branches are different from those of the Heavenly Stems, once the great period of life brings out the hidden heavenly stems contained within the Earthly Branches, making them clear and distinct, those things that were quietly waiting to be used can then be put to good use, and the effects of the preferences and aversions become evident at this time. What does "transparency" mean? For example, if a Jia Wood destiny uses the酉 (You) official star, and in the birth chart there is a 辰 (Chen) or 未 (Wei), both of which contain the hidden Wu or Ji Earth, which are originally hidden and not visible, when the Wu Earth is revealed in the great period, the wealth becomes clearly visible; similarly, if in the birth chart there is a 午 (Wu) or 未 (Wei), both of which contain the hidden Ding Fire, which are originally hidden and not visible, when the Ding Fire is revealed in the great period, the official star becomes clearly visible.

故凡一八字到手，必須逐干逐支，上下統看。支為干之生地，干為支之發用。如命中有一甲字，則統觀四支，有寅亥卯未等字否，有一字，皆甲木之根也。有一亥字，則統觀四支，有壬甲二字否。有壬，則亥為壬祿，以壬水用；用甲，則亥為甲長生，以甲木用；用壬甲俱全，則一以祿為根，一以長生為根，二者並用。取運亦用此術，將本命八字，逐干支配之而已。

Therefore, when one receives a person's four pillars of destiny, one must examine each heavenly stem in relation to the earthly branches, and look at the whole chart as a whole. The earthly branches are the foundation for the heavenly stems, while the heavenly stems are the outlets through which the earthly branches exert their influence. For example, if a person's chart contains the character Jia (甲), one should examine the four earthly branches to see if they contain Yin (寅), Hai (亥), Mao (卯), or Wei (未). As long as one of these is present, it is considered the root of Jia wood. Similarly, if the chart contains the character Hai (亥), one should examine the four heavenly stems to see if they contain Ren (壬) or Jia (甲). If Ren is present, then Hai is the seat (禄) of Ren water, and Ren water can be used. If Jia is present, then Hai is the growth (长生) of Jia wood, and Jia wood can be used. If both Ren and Jia are present, then one is used as the seat and the other as the growth, both being utilized together. The same method is applied when considering the ten-thousand-year cycles (大运), by matching each character in the original four pillars with the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the cycle, and proceeding in this manner.

八字用神專憑月令，月無用神，徐尋格局。月令，本也；外格，末也。今人不知輕重，拘泥格局，執假失真。故戊生甲寅之月，時上庚甲，不以為明煞有制，而以為專食之格，逢甲減福。

Shen's original text says: The useful god of the four pillars is determined exclusively by the month branch. Only when the useful god cannot be found in the month branch should one look for the overall pattern. The month branch is the root, while external patterns are the branches; nowadays people cannot distinguish between the root and the branches, and are overly attached to the names of external patterns, losing the true essence. For example, if a person is born in the month of Jiayin with Wu earth as the day stem, the wood in Jiayin is the seven harmful star which is clearly visible in the heavenly stem of the month, and there is also Geng metal in the hour branch - Geng is the food god, which is exactly able to control the harmful star. This should be interpreted as a beautiful pattern of the seven harmful star being controlled, but he insists on calling it the pattern of the food god, and even says that encountering wood will reduce blessings.

丙生子月，時逢巳祿，不以為正官之格，歸祿幫身，而以為日祿歸時，逢官破局。辛日透丙，時遇戊子，不以為辛日得官逢印，而以為朝陽之格，因丙無成。

Shen's original text says: For example, if Bing fire is born in the month of Zi, the癸 water in Zi is the official star, and the hour branch meets Si, which is the禄 of Bing. It should be judged as the official star pattern with the禄 supporting the body, but he insists it is the 'day's禄 returning to the hour' and says that seeing the official star will break the pattern. Another example is when the day master is Xin metal and the heavenly stem shows Bing as the official star, and the hour pillar meets Wu Zi—Wu is the 正印 and Zi is the 食神. It should be judged as the day master getting the official star and meeting the minister star to support it, but he insists it is the 'six yin facing the sun' pattern, and says that because there is Bing fire, the pattern cannot be formed.

財逢時煞，不以為生煞攻身，而以為時上偏官。癸生巳月，時遇甲寅，不以為暗官受破，而以為刑合成格。

Shen's original text says: For example, in a wealth pattern, if the seventh deadly star appears in the hour column, one should recognize this as a凶兆 of wealth nourishing the deadly star, which in turn attacks the body. Yet he insists this is a noble pattern called 'biased official in the hour'. Another example is when癸 water is born in the month of巳, the戊 earth in巳 is the true official of癸, hidden and not revealed. If the hour column meets甲寅, 甲 wood is the injurious official, and寅 is in conflict with巳. This should be judged as the hidden official being destroyed. Yet he insists this is a pattern called 'criminal synthesis'.

癸生冬月，酉日亥時，透戊坐戌，不以為月劫建祿，用官通根，而以為拱戌之格，填實不利。辛日坐丑，寅年，亥月，卯時，不以為正財之格，而以為填實拱貴。乙逢寅月，時遇丙子，不以為木火通明，而以為格成鼠貴。

The Shen family's original text says: For example, if癸 water is born in winter, the day branch is酉, the hour branch is亥, and the heavenly stem reveals戊 earth as an official star, which is seated on戌 and has a root, it should be interpreted as the month's劫 and the day's禄 pattern with the official star, and the official star also has a root. Yet he insists it is the "arching戌" pattern, and even complains that the character戌 being filled in is actually unfavorable. Another example: if the day stem is辛 metal sitting on丑, the year branch is寅, the month branch is亥, and the hour branch is卯, with寅,亥, and卯 all being wood, which is the wealth for辛 metal, it should be interpreted as the 正财 pattern. Yet he insists it is the "filling in and arching to wealth" pattern. Another example: if the day stem is乙 wood born in the寅 month, and the time column meets丙子, with丙 fire being the official star that produces brilliance, it should be interpreted as the "wood and fire shining clearly" pattern. Yet he insists it is the "six 乙 rat wealth" pattern.

八字本有定理，理之不明，遂生異端，妄言妄聽，牢不可破。如論干支，則不知陰陽之理，而以俗書體象歌訣為確論；論格局，則不知專尋月令，而以拘泥外格為活變；論生克，則不察喜忌，而以傷旺扶弱為定法；論行運，則不問同中有導，而以干支相類為一例。

The original text by Shen says: The eight characters originally have a certain principle; when the principle is not clear, various heresies arise. Those who speak are confused, and those who listen are also confused, and these habits become firmly established. For example, when discussing the heavenly stems and earthly branches, if one does not understand the principles of yin and yang, one treats the body images and rhymes in vulgar books, such as "Jia is the Great Forest, Yi is the small sprout," as fixed conclusions. When discussing the structure, if one does not focus on the month's stem, one treats the fixed names of external patterns as flexible variations. When discussing generation and overcoming, if one does not carefully examine the overall favorable and unfavorable factors, one treats "the strong should be restrained, the weak should be supported" as a rigid method. When discussing the ten-year cycles, if one does not distinguish between different types within the same category (the original text says "the same with guidance," meaning there are further distinctions within the same category), one treats all heavenly stems and earthly branches of the same type as equal.

究其緣由，一則書中用字輕重，不知其意，而謬生偏見；一則以鵒書無知妄作，誤會其說，而深入迷途；一則論命取運，偶然湊合，而遂以己見為不易，一則以古人命式，亦有誤收，即收之不誤，又以己意入外格，尤為害人不淺。

Shen's original text investigates the origins of these errors: first, the use of characters in the book varies in weight, and readers fail to understand their meanings, thus forming biased views; second, the vulgar books in the market, written by those who do not understand, fabricate false statements, and readers misunderstand their meanings, thus getting deeper into confusion (the original text has an error in the character '鹆 book', which should refer to vulgar books); third, when one偶然 guesses correctly in discussing destiny and fortune, they take their own opinion as an unchangeable rule; fourth, the horoscopes recorded by ancients were originally incorrect, and even if they were correct, later people forced them into certain external patterns according to their own interpretations, which is especially harmful.

如壬申、癸丑、己丑、甲戌，本雜氣財旺生官也，而以為乙亥時，作時上偏官論，豈知旺財生煞，將救死之不暇，於何取貴？此類甚多，皆誤收格局也。如己未、壬申、戊子、庚申，本食神生財也，而欲棄月令，以為戊日庚申合祿之格，豈知本身自有財食，豈不甚美？又何勞以庚合乙，求局外之官乎，此類甚多，皆硬入外格也。

Shen's original text gives an example: For instance, in a birth chart with Renshen year, Guichou month, Ji-chou day, and Jiaxu hour, the day master is Ji earth, born in the Chou month, which is a mixed earth. Renshen water is wealth, Jia wood is official, and this is called 'mixed earth wealth prosperity generating official'. However, some people mistakenly record the hour pillar as Yihai, treating it as 'biased official' in the hour. They do not realize that strong wealth is generating the seven harmful stars, and there is not even time to save oneself, how can one talk about achieving honor? There are many such cases, all due to incorrect pattern recognition. Another example is a birth chart with Jiwei year, Renshen month, Wuzi day, and Gengshen hour. The day master is Wu earth, born in the Shen month, Geng metal is the food god in command, and Renshen water is wealth. This is called 'food god generating wealth'. However, some people ignore the month and say it is the 'combination and wealth pattern' of Wu day meeting Gengshen. They do not realize that the native already has both wealth and food god, which is already very good. Why bother to have Geng metal combine with Yi wood, seeking an official star outside the chart? There are many such cases, all due to forcing the pattern into an external structure.

人苟中無定見，察理不精，睹此謬論，豈能無惑？何況近日貴格不可解者，亦往往有之乎？豈知行術之人，必以貴命為指歸，或將風聞為實據，或探其生日，而即以己意加之生時，謬造貴格，其人之八字，時多未確，即彼本身，亦不自知。若看命者不究其本，而徒以彼既富貴遷就其說以相從，無惑乎終身無解日矣！

The original text says: If a person lacks firm convictions and does not examine principles with care, how can they not be confused upon encountering these false doctrines? Moreover, recently there have been many cases of noblemen whose destinies seem illogical according to principles. One must know that fortune-tellers in the streets and markets often use noble birth charts as their招牌. Some take hearsay as fact, while others merely hear a person's birthday and then fabricate a birth time according to their own assumptions, thus creating an artificial noble destiny. In most cases, the birth time of such people is not accurate, and even the person themselves may not know it. If those who interpret destinies do not investigate this fundamental issue, but instead conform to such claims simply because the person is already wealthy and powerful, it is no wonder they remain confused all their lives!

官以克身，雖與七煞有別，終受彼制，何以切忌刑沖破害，尊之若是乎？豈知人生天地間，必無矯焉自尊之理，雖貴極天子，亦有天祖臨之。正官者分所當尊，如在國有君，在家有親，刑沖破害，以下犯上，烏乎可乎？

Shen's original text says: Official star is something that controls me; although it differs from the seven evils, in the end I must be subject to it; so why is it most disliked when it comes to punishments and clashes, and why is it held in such high regard? One must know that a person exists between heaven and earth, and there is absolutely no reason for him to be arrogant and look down upon others: even if he is as noble as a king, there is still heaven and ancestors above his head. The proper official is something that should be respected in terms of rank and position: in a country there is a sovereign, and in a family there is a parent. To use punishments and clashes against it is like a subordinate rebelling against his superior, how can that be acceptable?

以刑沖破害為忌，則以生之護之為喜矣。存其喜而去其忌則貴，而貴之中又有高低者，何也？以財印並透者論之，兩不相礙，其貴也大。如薛相公命，甲申、壬申、乙巳、戊寅，壬印戊財，以乙隔之，水與土不相礙，故為大貴。若壬戌、丁未、戊甲、乙卯，雜氣正官，透干會支，最為貴格，而壬財丁印，二者相合，仍以孤官無輔論，所以不上七品。

Shen's original text says: Since punishment and clash are considered as evils, then generating official position and protecting official position are considered as good. Retaining what is good and removing what is evil leads to great fortune. However, within the category of great fortune, there are distinctions of high and low. Why is this so? Take the case of both wealth and official position being clearly visible: if they are well arranged and do not interfere with each other, the fortune is great. For example, the fate of Xue Xianggong: born in the year of Jiashen, month of Renshen, day of Yisi, and hour of Wuyin. The day ruler is wood, born in the month of Shen. In Shen, there is the metal庚, which is the official position. The month dry branch is the water壬, which is the official's seal. The hour dry branch is the soil戊, which is the wealth. The water and soil are separated by the day ruler wood, so the wealth does not harm the official's seal and the official's seal does not obscure the wealth, thus resulting in great fortune. Conversely, in the case of the person born in the year of Renxu, month of Dingwei, day of Wushen, and hour of Yimao, the day ruler is soil, born in the month of Wei, which is a mixed soil. The official position is the wood乙, which is clearly visible on the hour dry branch, and also forms a wood group with the hour branch卯, which is the best kind of noble fate. Unfortunately, the dry branch of the year is the water壬, which is the biased wealth, and the dry branch of the month is the fire丁, which is the official's seal. The water and fire are mutually combined, thus the wealth and official's seal are both destroyed, and it can only be considered as 'official position without support', so the official position cannot reach the seventh rank.

若財印不以兩用，則單用印不若單用財，以印能護官，亦能洩官，而財生官也。若化官為印而透財，則又為甚秀，大貴之格也。如金狀元命，乙卯、丁亥、丁未、庚戌，此並用財印，無傷官而不雜煞，所謂去其忌而存其喜者也。

The Shen氏 original says: If wealth and official star cannot be used together, then using the official star alone is not as good as using wealth alone; because although the official star can protect the official position, it also drains the energy of the official star. Wealth, on the other hand, is specifically used to generate the official star. If the official star can be transformed into the official star and wealth is also revealed, it will be exceptionally clear and refined, forming a great and noble pattern. For example, the fate of a gold状元 (top scholar in the imperial examination): born in the year of Yimao, month of Dinghai, day of Dingwei, and hour of Gengxu. The day master is Ding fire, born in the month of Hai. The water in Hai is the true official star. However, the triple harmony of the earth branches, Hai, Mao, and Wei, forms a wood trinity, transforming the official star into the official star. The Geng metal in the hour is the true wealth, which is revealed and can generate the water official star. This is the combined use of wealth and official star, without the harm of the official star being harmed by the wealth, nor the presence of seven evils to confuse the pattern. This is precisely removing what is disliked and retaining what is favored.

然而遇傷在於佩印，混煞貴乎取清。如宣參國命，己卯、辛未、壬寅、辛亥，未中己官透干用清，支會木局，兩辛解之，是遇傷而佩印也。李參政命，庚寅、乙酉、甲子、戊辰，甲用酉官，庚金混雜，乙以合之，合煞留官，是雜煞而取清也。

Shen's original text says: When an official pattern meets a harmful official, it entirely relies on a ministerial seal to control the harmful official; when an official pattern is mixed with a seven evil star, its value lies in achieving clarity. For example, the destiny of Xuan Cen Guo: Jiazi year, Xinwei month, Renyin day, Xinhai hour. The REN water day master is born in the Wei month, with the already present Ji earth in Wei being the official, appearing on the year stem, making the selection pure and clear; however, the branches of Hai, Mao, and Wei form a wood pattern, causing the harmful official to come and destroy the official. Fortunately, the two Xin gold official seals on the month stem and hour stem control the wood pattern, which is meeting the harmful official and having a ministerial seal to control it. Another example is the destiny of Li Canzheng: Gengyin year, Yiyou month, Jiazi day, Wuchen hour. The Jia wood day master uses the Xin gold in You month as the official, while the Geng gold on the year stem is a seven evil star that mixes in, the Yi wood on the month stem combines with the Geng gold, removing the evil star and leaving the official, which is mixing in an evil star but achieving clarity.

至於官格透傷用印者，又忌見財，以財能去印，未能生官，而適以護傷故也。然亦有逢財而反大貴者，如范太傅命，丁丑、壬寅、己巳、丙寅，支具巳丑，會金傷官，丙丁解之，透壬豈非破格？卻不知丙丁並透，用一而足，以丁合壬而財去，以丙制傷而官清，無情而愈有情。此正造化之妙，變幻無窮，焉得不貴？

The original text says: As for cases where the official star is revealed and the harmful official is present, and the official is supported by the minister star to control the harmful official, it is most undesirable to see wealth. Because wealth can remove the minister star, thus failing to produce the official star, and instead protecting the harmful official. However, there are cases where encountering wealth leads to great fortune. For example, the命 of Fan Tai Fu: born in the year Dingchou, month Renyin, day Jisi, and hour Bingyin. The day master is Ji earth, born in the Yin month. The Yin branch contains Jia wood, which is the official star. The earth branches Si and Chou form a metal group, which is the harmful official to attack the official. Fortunately, the official star is supported by the Ding fire in the year stem and the Bing fire in the hour stem. However, the month stem also reveals Ren water, which is wealth. Wealth can damage the minister star, so is this not breaking the pattern? But in fact, the two minister stars, Ding and Bing, are both revealed, but using one is sufficient. The Ding fire combines with the Ren water, thus neutralizing the wealth; the Bing fire remains to control the harmful official, and the official star becomes clear. It seems cold and unfeeling, but in fact it is more harmonious. This is the subtle and ingenious nature of the heavens, ever-changing and boundless. How could such a case not lead to great fortune?

取運之道，一八字則有一八字之論，其理甚精，其法甚活，只可大略言之。變化在人，不可泥也。如正官取運，即以正官所統之格分而配之。正官而用財印，身稍輕則取助身，官稍輕則助官。若官露而不可逢合，不可雜煞，不可重官。與地支刑沖，不問所就何局，皆不利也。

The original text says: The principle of selecting a fortunate period (yun) is unique to each set of four pillars (ba zi), its reasoning is extremely refined and its method extremely flexible. It can only be roughly explained; specific variations depend entirely on the person's understanding of the chart, and one must not be rigid. When selecting a fortunate period for the official position (zheng guan) pattern, it should be considered according to the different sub-patterns under the official position. For a pattern that combines official position with wealth and scholar (cai yin): if the day master is slightly weak, then a period that supports the body (helps the self) should be chosen; if the official star is slightly weak, then a period that strengthens the official star should be chosen. If the official star is clearly visible in the heavenly stem, then one should not encounter a period that combines the official star, should not meet the seven evils (qi sha) that confuse it, and should not meet the official star again, which would make it too heavy. As for thepunishment and clash (punishment and clash) in the earthly branches, regardless of which type of pattern it forms, it is generally unfavorable.

正官用財，運喜印綬身旺之地，切忌食傷。若身旺而財輕官弱，即仍取財官運可也。正官佩印，運喜財鄉，傷食反吉。若官重身輕而佩印，則身旺為宜，不必財運也。

The original text says: In the official position pattern, wealth is used to generate the official. Favorable fortune is the seal and a strong self, so that the day's main element can bear the wealth and official. It is most忌 to have the food and official elements in the fortune, which will harm the official. If the day's main element is already strong but the wealth is light and the official is weak, then it is still better to take the wealth and official fortune. For the official position pattern with the seal, favorable fortune is the wealth place, because wealth can generate the official, and the official can generate the seal; the food and official fortune is actually favorable, because the seal can control it, and it can also release the refined essence of the self. If the official is heavy and the self is weak with the seal, then it is better to take the strong self fortune, and there is no need to go through the wealth fortune to generate the official.

正官帶傷食而用印制，運喜官旺印旺之鄉，財運切忌。若印綬疊出，財運亦無害矣。正官而帶煞，傷食反為不礙。其命中用劫合煞，則財運可行，傷食可行，身旺，印綬亦可行，只不過復露七煞。若命用傷官合煞，則傷食與財俱可行，而不宜逢印矣。

The original text says: In a pattern with a proper official (正官) and accompanied by food and injury (食伤) elements, relying on the seal (印) to control, the favorable years are those where the official and seal are strong. Wealthy years should be avoided, because wealth will damage the seal. If the seal appears repeatedly in the birth chart, then wealth is not harmful. In a pattern with a proper official and accompanied by seven evils (七煞), the years of food and injury are not harmful, because food and injury can control the seven evils. If the birth chart uses劫财 to harmonize the seven evils, then years of wealth, food and injury, and strong body are all favorable, and years of seal are also acceptable, but one should avoid revealing the seven evils again. If the birth chart uses food and injury to harmonize the seven evils, then years of food and injury and wealth are acceptable, but one should avoid encountering seal, because seal will suppress the food and injury that harmonizes the seven evils.

此皆大略言之，其八字各有議論。運中每遇一字，各有研究，隨時取用，不可言形。凡格皆然，不獨正官也。

Shen's original text concludes by saying: The above are general remarks. When it comes to each individual birth chart, there are different interpretations. In the big years, each character encountered must be examined and studied individually, and the appropriate use should be determined according to the specific situation at the time, and there is no fixed pattern that can be predetermined. All kinds of patterns are like this, not only the official position pattern.

財為我克，使用之物也，以能生官，所以為美。為財帛，為妻妾，為才能，為驛馬，皆財類也。財喜根深，不宜太露，然透一位以清用，格所最喜，不為之露。即非月令用神，若寅透乙、卯透甲之類，一亦不為過，太多則露矣。然而財旺生官，露亦不忌，蓋露不忌，蓋露以防劫，生官則劫退，譬如府庫錢糧，有官守護，即使露白，誰敢劫之？如葛參政命，壬申、壬子、戊午、乙卯，豈非財露？唯其生官，所以不忌也。

Shen's original text says: Wealth is something I can control and use, as it can generate official status, so it is valuable. Wealth includes money, property, wives, concubines, talents, and the post-horse. Wealth prefers to have deep roots and should not be too exposed; however, if it is clearly shown in the heavenly stems, the structure is most favorable and is not considered as 'exposure'. Even if it is not the use god of the month, such as when the stem is revealed in the寅month with the Yi stem or in the卯month with the Ji stem, revealing one is acceptable, but revealing too much is considered exposure. However, if wealth is strong enough to generate official status, it is not considered bad to be exposed. The reason for fearing exposure is the fear of siblings and rivals taking it away; once wealth generates official status, the official can control the rivals, so siblings and rivals will naturally retreat. It is like the grain and money stored in the government granary, guarded by soldiers and officials. Even if it is clearly visible, who dares to take it? For example, the destiny of Ge the Minister of State: Renshen year, Renzi month, Wwu day, Yimao hour. The Wutu day master is born in the Zi month, with two Ren water and the Zi water as wealth, is it not very exposed? But because the official star at the hour stem is the Yi wood, which can generate wealth, it is not considered bad (the original text repeats the phrase 'cover not forbidden' four times).

財格之貴局不一，有財旺生官者，身強而不透傷官，不混七煞，貴格也。有財用食生者，身強而不露官，略帶一位比劫，益覺有情，如壬寅、壬寅、庚辰、辛巳，楊待郎之命是也。透官身弱，則格壞矣。

The original text by Shen says: The method of forming a wealthy destiny through wealth is not only one. The first method is "wealth flourishing to generate official power": if the day's main element is strong, and there is no revelation of the official's enemy to harm the official, nor is there confusion with the seven harmful stars to take away the official, then it is a noble destiny. The second method is "wealth being generated by food and spirit": if the day's main element is strong but the official star is not revealed, and the birth chart has a slight presence of a similar element or a thief element, it is actually more harmonious. This is because the similar element and thief element can generate the food and spirit, and the food and spirit can then generate the wealth. For example, a birth chart with the year of RENYIN, the month of RENYIN, the day of GENGCHEN, and the hour of XINSI, which is the birth chart of Yang Shilang: the GENG metal day's main element sits on CHEN with a root, the BIANCAI wood in YIN is the biased wealth, the two NENWATER in the year and month are the food and spirit, and the hour's XIN metal is the thief element. The food and spirit connect and communicate, and the thief element does not take away the wealth. If this pattern reveals the official star and the day's main element is weak, the pattern is ruined.

有財格佩印者，蓋孤財不貴，佩印幫身，即印取貴。如乙未、甲申、丙申、庚寅，曾參政之命是也，然財印宜相併，如乙未、己卯、庚寅、辛巳，乙與己兩不相能，即有好處，小富而已。

The third type is "wealth pattern with official star." A single wealth element cannot indicate nobility, but with the support of an official star, the body is strengthened and thus nobility is achieved. For example, the birth chart of Zeng the Minister is: the day stem is Bing fire, born in the month of Jiashen. In the hour stem, Geng metal is revealed, which is the biased wealth. The year stem is Yi wood, the month stem is Jia wood, both are official stars. The hour branch is Yin, which is the long life of Bing fire, so the body has support and wealth has its source. However, wealth and official star should be parallel and not conflicting. Conversely, looking at the birth chart of the second case: the day stem is Geng metal, born in the month of Yiwei. The year stem is Yi wood, the official star, the month stem is Ji wood, the wealth, the day branch is Yin, which is the long life of Geng metal, and the hour stem is Xin snake. The wealth and official star are conflicting, as the Yi wood is biased and will harm the Ji earth, and they are mutually incompatible. Even if there are some benefits, it is only a small amount of wealth.

有用食而兼用印者，食與印兩不相礙，或有暗官而去食護官，皆貴格也。如吳榜眼命，庚戌、戊子、戊子、丙辰，庚與丙隔兩戊而不相剋，是食與印不相礙也。如平江伯命，壬辰、乙巳、癸巳、辛酉，雖食印相剋，而欲存巳戊官，是去食護官也。反是則減福矣。

The fourth type is using both the food god and the seal. Either the food god and the seal are placed apart from each other and do not interfere with each other, or there is another hidden official star in the chart, and the seal is used to remove the food god to protect the official star. Both situations are considered noble patterns. For example, Wu Bangyan's fate: born in the year of Gengxu, the month of Wuzi, the day of Wuzi, and the hour of Bingchen. The day master is Wu earth, born in the month of Zi. The Zi contains Gui water as the official star, the year stem Geng metal is the food god that nourishes the official star, and the hour stem Bing fire is the biased seal. Between Geng and Bing, there are two Wu earths in the day and month, so the fire does not harm the metal, meaning the food god and the seal do not interfere with each other. Another example is Pingjiang Bo's fate: born in the year of Renchen, the month of Yisi, the day of Guisi, and the hour of Xinyou. The day master is Gui water, born in the month of Si. The Si contains Bing fire as the official star and Wu earth as the hidden official star; the month stem Yi wood is the food god, and the hour stem Xin metal is the biased seal. Although the seal and the food god usually control each other, here the Xin metal is used to remove the Yi wood to protect the hidden Wu official star in Si. If the arrangement is reversed, the fortune will be reduced.

有財用傷官者，財不甚旺而比強，輅露一位傷官以化之，如甲子、辛未、辛酉、壬辰，甲透未庫，逢辛為劫，壬以化劫生財，汪學士命是也，財旺無劫而透傷，反為不利，蓋傷官本非美物，財輕透劫，不得已而用之。旺而露傷，何苦用彼？徒使財遇傷而死生官之具，安望富貴乎？

The fifth type is "wealth and official star harmed by the official star." When wealth is not very strong but the rival stars are strong, one official star is revealed to transform the rival star's energy into something that can generate wealth. For example, in the case of Wang Xueshi's birth chart, the year is Jiazi, the month is Xinwei, the day is Xinyou, and the hour is Renchen. The day stem is Xin metal, born in the month of Wei (earth), the heavenly stem of the year is Jia wood, which is the official star, rooted in the Wei earth warehouse, and the heavenly stem of the month is Xin metal, which is the rival star trying to take away the official star. Fortunately, the heavenly stem of the hour is Ren water, which is the official star, transforming the rival star's energy to generate wealth (the original text "luo lu" has an error, it should be "lue lu"). Conversely, if wealth is already strong and there are no rival stars to take it away, but the official star is revealed, it would be detrimental. The official star is not a good thing; it is only used when wealth is weak and the rival star is revealed, and it is necessary to use it. When wealth is already strong and the official star is revealed, why use it? It would only cause wealth to be harmed by the official star, and also destroy the basis for generating officials, so how can one expect wealth and honor?

有財帶七煞者，或合煞存財，或制煞生財，皆貴格也，如毛狀元命，乙酉、庚辰、甲午、戊辰，合煞存財也；李御史命，庚辰、戊子、戊寅、甲寅，制煞生財也。

The sixth type is "wealth accompanied by seven evils," which can be handled either by combining the evil to retain the wealth or by controlling the evil so that the wealth can generate official power; both are considered noble patterns. For example, Mao the状元's destiny: born in the year of Yiyou, month of Gengchen, day of Jiawu, and hour of Wuchen. The day stem is Jia wood, born in the month of Chen, the hour stem is Wu earth, which is the biased wealth, the month stem is Geng metal, which is the seven evils, and the year stem is Yi wood, which is the劫财. Yi and Geng combine, thus the evil is combined away and the wealth is retained, which is called combining the evil to retain the wealth. Another example is Li the御史's destiny: born in the year of Gengchen, month of Wuzi, day of Wuyin, and hour of Jiayin. The day stem is Wu earth, born in the month of Zi, the month stem contains癸water, which is the proper wealth, the hour stem is Jia wood, which is the seven evils, and the year stem is Geng metal, which is the food god. Geng metal controls the Jia evil, allowing the wealth to safely generate official power, which is called controlling the evil to generate wealth.

有財用煞印者，黨煞為忌，印以化之，格成富局，若冬土逢之亦貴格。如趙侍郎命，乙丑、丁亥、乙亥，化煞而即以解凍，又不露財以雜其印，所以貴也。若財用煞印而印獨，財煞並透，非特不貴，亦不富也。

The seventh type is "wealth and use of the harmful star and the seal." Normally, wealth aiding the seven harmful stars is considered a bad combination, but if the seal star disperses the harmful star, the pattern becomes one of wealth. If a person with a soil day stem is born in winter and has this combination, it is considered a noble pattern. For example, the命 of a minister named Zhao: born in the year Yichou, month Dinghai, day Yihai (the original record lacks the hour stem, so we dare not make up). The day stem is Yimao wood, born in the month of Hai. The Xin metal in Chou is the seven harmful star, and the Ji soil is the wealth. Wealth supports the harmful star, which is a bad combination. However, two Ren water in Hai are the proper seal, which disperses the harmful energy to nourish the body. The Ding fire in the month also relieves the cold of winter. Moreover, the heavenly stems do not reveal the wealth star to disturb the seal star, so it indicates nobility. If the wealth and use of the harmful star and the seal is present, but the seal is only one, while the wealth and harmful star both appear, then not only is nobility not achieved, but even wealth is not possible.

至於壬生午月，癸生巳月，單透財而亦貴，又月令有暗官也。如丙寅、癸巳、癸未、壬戌，林尚書命是也。又壬生巳月，單透財而亦貴，以其透丙藏戊，棄煞就財，美者存在贈者棄也。如丙辰、癸巳、壬戌、壬寅，王太僕命是也。至於劫刃太重，棄財就煞，如一尚書命，丙辰、丙申、丙午、壬辰，此變之又變者也。

The original text says: When the water element is born in the month of Wu and the water element is born in the month of Si, if only one wealth element is revealed, it can still indicate a noble status, because there is an official star hidden in the month. For example, the birth chart of Lin Shusheng is: the year is Bingyin, the month is Guisi, the day is Guiwei, and the hour is Renxu. The water element is born in the month of Si, the heavenly stem of the year, Bing fire, is the official wealth, and the Si month contains Wu earth, which is the hidden official star. The wealth element can secretly generate the official star. Another example is when the water element is born in the month of Si, and only one wealth element is revealed, it can still be noble, because the revealed element is Bing fire, the biased wealth, and the hidden element is Wu earth, the seven evils. In this case, the person chooses to follow the wealth and discards the seven evils, keeping the good and abandoning the bad (the original text says 'zeng zhe' which is likely a typo for 'zeng zhe' meaning 'those who dislike'). For example, the birth chart of Wang TaPu is: the year is Bingchen, the month is Guisi, the day is Renxu, and the hour is RENYIN. As for cases where the competition elements and the Yangren are too strong, and the person chooses to abandon the wealth and follow the seven evils, for example, the birth chart of a certain Shusheng is: the year is Bingchen, the month is Bingshen, the day is Bingwu, and the hour is Renchen. The day stem is Bing fire, sitting on Wu, which is the Yangren. The year and month both have Bing fire, which are the same as the day stem, indicating competition. The metal in Shen is the wealth, but it is not strong enough, so the person takes the water in the hour, Ren, as the seven evils to control the body. This is a change beyond change.

財格取運，即以財格所就之局，分而配之。其財旺生官者，運喜身旺印綬，不利七煞傷官；若生官而後透印，傷官之地，不甚有害。至於生官而帶食破局，則運喜印綬，而逢煞反吉矣。

The original text says: When considering the fortune of a wealthy pattern, one should match it according to the specific pattern formed by the wealth. In the case of "wealth flourishing to generate official position," the favorable fortune is when the body is strong and the official position is supported, allowing the day stem to bear the wealth and official position; it is unfavorable to seven evils and injurious stars, as the seven evils confuse the official position and the injurious stars harm the official position. If the official position has already appeared and then the official position is protected by the supporting star, then encountering the injurious star is not very harmful. If wealth generates official position but also brings the food star to harm the official position, breaking the pattern, then the favorable fortune is when the supporting star is present to control the food star and protect the official position, and encountering the seven evils is actually favorable, because the food star is controlled by the seven evils, and does not harm the injurious star.

財用食生，財食重而身輕，則喜助身；財食輕而身重，則仍行財食。煞運不忌，官印反晦矣。財格佩印，運喜官鄉，身弱逢之，最喜印旺。

The original text says: "The path of 'wealth, use, food, and life': When both wealth and food are strong but the day stem is weak, it prefers a fortune that supports the body; when both wealth and food are weak but the day stem is strong, it still prefers wealth and food paths. Traveling through a path of seven evils need not be avoided, because the food god can control the evils; instead, official and scholar paths will dull the pattern—officials take away the use of the food god, and scholars take away the energy of the food god. 'Wealth pattern with scholar': The path prefers official paths, because officials can generate scholars; if the day stem is weak, encountering a strong scholar path is most suitable."

財用食印，財輕則喜財食，身輕則喜比印，官運有礙，煞反不忌也。財帶傷官，財運則亨，煞運不利，運行官印，未見其美矣。

The Shen氏 original says: "A path where wealth is combined with food and official seal": When wealth is light, it prefers the fortune of wealth and food to enrich the source of wealth; when the day master is weak, it prefers the fortune of similar elements and official seal to support the self; official fortune is obstructive, because official position needs to control the self and also take away food; seven harmful stars fortune is actually not to be avoided, because food can control them. "A path where wealth is accompanied by injurious official": When wealth fortune comes, it will be smooth, because injurious official can generate wealth; harmful star fortune is unfavorable, because harmful stars will burden injurious official and wealth; as for official fortune and official seal fortune, there is no obvious benefit—official is controlled by injurious official, and official seal restrains the injurious official that generates wealth.

財帶七煞。不論合煞制煞，運喜食傷身旺之方。財用煞印，印旺最宜，逢財必忌。傷食之方，亦任意矣。

The Shen氏 original says: "When wealth is accompanied by the seven harmful stars," this type of situation: regardless of whether the fate combines with the harmful star or controls it, during the course of life, the person prefers to have the path of food and injury and a strong body. Food and injury can control the harmful star, and a strong body can bear wealth and the harmful star. "When wealth uses the harmful star and seal," this type of situation: the most suitable is when the seal is strong, because the seal can transform the harmful star and generate the body; once encountering the wealth path, it must be avoided, because wealth will damage the seal. As for the path of food and injury, it can be walked or not, it is not important.

印綬喜其生身，正偏同為美格，故財與印不分偏正，同為一格而論之。印綬之格局亦不一，有印而透官者，正官不獨取其生印，而即可以為用，與用煞者不同。故身旺印強，不愁太過，只要官星清純，如丙寅、戊戌、辛酉、戊子，張參政之命是也。

Shen's original text says: The official star is valuable because it can generate my own body. Both the official and the biased official are good patterns, so wealth and official star do not distinguish between the proper and the biased, each being considered as a single pattern. The pattern of the official star is not only one. The first is "official star and clear official star": here, the proper official is not only used to generate the official star, but itself can serve as the useful god. It is different from the case where the seven evil stars are used to generate the official star. Therefore, even if the day master is strong and the official star is also strong, there is no worry about being too much, as long as the official star is pure. For example, in the case of Bingyin year, Wuxu month, Xinyou day, and Wuzi hour, this is Zhang's official position: the day master is Xinyou, born in the month of Wuxu, with two Wu soils in the heavenly stem of the month and the hour, which are the proper official stars, and the heavenly stem of the year is Bing fire, which is the proper official star. The official star is clear and the official star is strong, and the day master sits on You metal and gets the禄.

然亦有帶傷食而貴者，則如朱尚書命，丙戌、戊戌、辛未、壬辰，壬為戊制，不傷官也。又如臨淮侯命，乙亥、己卯、丁酉、壬寅，己為乙制，己不礙官也。有印而用傷食者，身強印旺，恐其太過，洩身以為秀氣。如戊戌、乙卯、丙午、乙亥，李狀元命也，若印淺身輕，而用層層傷食，則寒貧之局矣。

The original text says: However, there are also cases where a person with an official star pattern also has food and injury stars and still achieves high status. For example, the命 of Zhu Shusheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites: born in the year of Bingxu, month of Wuxu, day of Xinwei, and hour of Renchen. The day stem is Xin metal. The monthly stem is Wu earth, which is the official star, and the annual stem is Bing fire, which is the official star. The hour stem is Ren water, which is the injurious star, originally meant to overcome Bing fire, but fortunately, Ren water is restrained by Wu earth, so it does not harm the official star. Another example is the命 of Linhuai Hou: born in the year of Yihai, month of Jimao, day of Dingyou, and hour of Rennyin. The day stem is Ding fire, born in the month of Miao, with the annual stem Yi wood as the official star, and the hour stem Ren water as the official star. The monthly stem Ji earth is the food star, which originally should overcome Ren water, but fortunately, Ji earth is restrained by Yi wood, so it does not interfere with the official star. The second type is 'using food and injury stars with the official star': when the day stem is strong and the official star is also strong, it is feared that the official star is too strong, so food and injury stars are used to release the strength of the day stem to create a refined and elegant pattern. For example, the命 of Li the状元: born in the year of Wuxu, month of Yimao, day of Bingwu, and hour of Yihai. The day stem is Bing fire, born in the month of Miao, with two Yi woods in the month and hour as the official star, and the annual stem Wu earth as the food star to release the refined essence. If the official star is weak and the body is light, but multiple layers of food and injury stars are used to release it, then it becomes a humble and poor pattern.

有用偏官者，偏官本非美物，藉其生印，不得已而用之。故必身重印輕，或身輕印重，有所不足，始為有性。如茅狀元命，己巳、癸酉、癸未、庚申，此身輕印重也。馬參政命，壬寅、戊申、壬辰、壬寅，此身重印輕也。若身印並重而用七煞，非孤則貧矣。有用煞而兼帶傷食者，則用煞而有制，生身而有洩，不論身旺印重，皆為貴格。

The third type is the印格 using a偏官. The seven煞 is inherently not a good element, but it is used to generate the印, and it is only used when necessary. Therefore, it must be that the body is heavy while the印 is light, or the body is light while the印 is heavy. In any case, one side must be insufficient in order to use the煞 in a meaningful way (the original text says '有性' which should be '有情'). For example, Mao Zuan Yuan's birth chart: Jisi year, Guiyou month, Guiwei day, Gengshen hour. The癸 water day master is born in the酉 month, with辛 gold in the酉 and庚 gold in the time stem, both being印, which is very heavy. The year stem己 soil is the seven煞. This is a case of a light body and heavy印, using the煞 to generate the印. Another example is Ma Canzheng's birth chart: Renyin year, Wushen month, Renchen day, Rennyin hour. The壬 water day master has water elements in the year, month, and hour, and the申 and辰 form a water group, making the body very heavy. The庚 gold in the申 is the印 but does not appear on the surface, while the month stem戊 soil is the seven煞. This is a case of a heavy body and light印, using the煞 to generate the印. If both the body and the印 are heavy and the seven煞 is still used, then it will either be lonely or poor. The fourth type is using the煞 along with the食伤. When using the煞, the食伤 is used to control it. The印 is used to generate the body, and the食伤 is used to release it. In this case, whether the day master is strong or the印 is heavy, it is considered a noble destiny.

有印多而用財者，印重身強，透財以抑太過，權而用之，只要根深，無防財破。如辛酉、丙申、壬申、辛亥，汪侍郎命是也。若印輕財重，又無劫財以救，則為貪財破印，貧賤之局也。

The fifth type is "many seals with the use of wealth." When the seal is too strong and the day master is also strong, wealth is revealed to restrain this excess, which is a temporary measure. As long as the root of the seal is deep, it is not afraid of wealth breaking it. For example, in the birth chart of Wang Shilang, the year is Xinyou, the month is Bingshen, the day is Renshen, and the hour is Xinhai. The day master is壬water, born in the month of Shen. The Shen contains庚metal and two辛metal in the year stem and hour stem, which are both seals. The seal is really too heavy; the month stem丙fire is the biased wealth, which can reduce the excess. The day master壬water sits on Shen and connects with Hai, so the day master and the seal both have deep roots, and the wealth cannot break them. Conversely, if the seal is light and the wealth is heavy, and there are no brothers or sisters to save the seal, it becomes "greedy for wealth and breaking the seal," which is a poor and lowly destiny.

即或印重財輕而兼露傷食，財與食相生，輕而不輕，即可就富，亦不貴矣。然亦有帶食而貴者，何也？如庚寅、乙酉、癸亥、丙辰，此牛監薄命，乙合庚而不生癸，所以為貴，若合財存食，又可類推矣。如己未、甲戌、辛未、癸巳，此合財存食之貴也。

The original text says: Even if there is heavy official star but light wealth, if at the same time the food and injury are revealed, the food and injury can generate wealth, thus turning light wealth into heavy wealth, which can lead to wealth but not to high status. However, there are cases where having the food god can result in high status, so why is that? For example, the birth chart of Niu Jianbo is: the day stem is癸 water, born in the酉 month, the year stem is庚 gold which is the official star, the month stem is乙 wood which is the food god, which should drain the day stem and also generate the hour stem丙 fire which is wealth to destroy the official star; fortunately, the乙 wood is combined with the庚 gold, so it neither drains the癸 water nor generates the丙 fire, thus the official star is preserved, and therefore it indicates high status. This is called 'combining the food god to preserve the official star'. If the situation is reversed, that is, combining wealth to preserve the food god, it can also be similarly analyzed. For example, the birth chart of the case is: the day stem is辛 gold, born in the未 year, the戌 month, the未 day, and the巳 hour. This is an example of 'combining wealth to preserve the food god' leading to high status: the day stem is辛 gold, the戊 and己 earth in the year and month are the official star, the month stem is甲 wood which is the official star, the year stem is己 earth which combines with the甲 wood to remove the official star, leaving the hour stem癸 water as the food god to manifest brilliance.

又有印而兼透官煞者，或合煞，或有制，皆為貴格。如辛亥、庚子、甲辰、乙亥，此合煞留官也；壬子、癸卯、丙子、己亥，此官煞有制也。至於化印為劫；棄之以就財官，如趙知府命，丙午、庚寅、丙午、癸已，則變之又變者矣。

The Shen family's original text says: There are cases of the official position and harmful stars both appearing, in which case either the harmful star is combined with another star or controlled, and both situations are considered auspicious. For example, a person born in the year of Xinhai, month of Gengzi, day of Jiachen, and hour of Yihai: the day master is Jia wood, born in the month of Zi (water), where the癸 water in Zi is the official position. The year stem is Xin metal, which is the official, and the month stem is Geng metal, which is the harmful star. The official and harmful star are mixed, but the hour stem Yi wood combines with the month stem Geng metal, thus combining the harmful star and retaining the official position. Another example is a person born in the year of Renzi, month of Guimao, day of Bingzi, and hour of Jihai: the day master is Bing fire, born in the month of Mao (wood), where the乙 wood in Mao is the official position. The year stem Ren water is the harmful star, the month stem Gui water is the official, and the hour stem Ji earth is the injurious star, which can control the harmful and official positions, thus the official and harmful are controlled. As for cases where the official position is transformed into the injurious star, and the person deliberately gives up the official position to take the wealth and official position, for example, the fate of Zhao the Magistrate: born in the year of Bingwu, month of Gengyin, day of Bingwu, and hour of Guisi (the original text says 'Guiyi' but should be 'Gui si'). Bing fire is born in the month of Yin (wood), which is the official position. However, Yin and the two Wus form a fire trinity, transforming the official into the injurious star. Thus, the person gives up the official position and instead takes the wealth from the month stem Geng metal and the official from the hour stem Gui water—this is a further transformation beyond the initial change.

更有印透七煞，而劫財以存煞印，亦有貴格，如庚戌、戊子、甲戌、乙亥是也。然此格畢竟難看，宜細詳之。

The Shen氏 original says: There are also cases where the印格 (print pattern) is revealed along with seven煞 (seven evils), and the劫财 (robbery wealth) is used to restrain them, thus preserving the mutual generation between the煞 and印. Such cases can also form a noble pattern. For example, someone born in the year of Jiaxu, month of Wuzi, day of Jiaxu, and hour of Yihai: the day master is Jia wood, born in the month of Zi (water), where the癸 water is the 正印 (proper印). The year stem is Geng metal, which is the seven煞. The hour stem is Yi wood, which is the劫财. The Yi and Geng combine, which prevents the seven煞 from attacking the day master directly, while also maintaining the path of the seven煞 generating the印, and the印 generating the day master. However, this pattern is difficult to judge accurately, and should be carefully examined.

印格取運，即以印格所成之局，分而配之。其印綬用官者，官露印重，財運反吉，傷食之方，亦為最利。若用官而帶傷食，運喜官旺印綬之鄉，傷食為害，逢煞不忌矣。

The original text says: When determining the fortune based on the印格 (nourishing pattern), one should match according to the specific pattern formed by the印格. For the "官星 is used with印绶" pattern: if the official star is clearly visible and the印 is strong, then a wealth fortune is actually favorable, because wealth can generate the official star and also reduce the excessive strength of the印; traveling through the food and injury pattern is most beneficial, as it can relieve the excessive strength of the self and the印. If the official star is used but the destiny already contains food and injury to restrain the official star, then the favorable fortune is when the official star and印 are strong. A strong official star means the official star is powerful, and a strong印 can restrain the food and injury; the food and injury fortune is harmful, while encountering the seven evil stars is not necessarily bad, because the food and injury can be restrained by the evil stars.

印綬而用傷食，財運反吉，傷食亦利，若行官運，反見其災，煞運則反能為福矣。印用七煞，運喜傷食，身旺之方，亦為美地，一見財鄉，其凶立至。

The Shen氏 original says: "When the印绶 is used with food and injury (food and injury refer to the food and injury elements in the heavenly stems and earthly branches), this path is favorable for wealth, because food and injury generate wealth, and wealth does not damage the already strong印; traveling through the food and injury path is also beneficial. If one travels through the official path, disaster is seen, because the official generates the印, making the印 even stronger and taking away the refined quality of food and injury; traveling through the evil path, however, can actually bring good fortune, because the evil is controlled by food and injury, which is exactly its use. When the印 is used with seven evils (seven evils refer to the seven evil elements in the heavenly stems and earthly branches), the path prefers food and injury to control the evils, and a place where the body is strong is also a good place; once one reaches the wealth area, wealth harms the印 and joins the evils, and immediate misfortune arrives."

若用煞而兼帶傷食，運喜身旺印綬之方，傷食亦美，逢官遇財，皆不吉也。印綬遇財，運喜劫地，官印亦亨，財鄉則忌。

The original text says: If a person uses a harmful star (煞) and also has a food and injury star (食伤), then the favorable luck is when the body is strong and the official star (印绶) is present; the food and injury star (食伤) luck is also good. But once the official star (官) luck appears, it will mix with the harmful star (官煞), and once the wealth star (财) luck appears, it will damage the official star (印) and the harmful star (煞), which are all inauspicious. "The path of wealth meeting the official star (印绶遇财)" means that the official star (印) is trapped by the wealth star (财): the favorable luck is when the same star (比劫) appears, allowing the劫财 to take the wealth and save the official star (印); the official star (官) luck and the official star (印) luck are both smooth, because the official star (官) generates the official star (印), and the official star (印) supports the body; but if the wealth star (财) path appears again, it should be avoided.

印格而官煞競透，運喜食神傷官，印旺身旺，行之亦利。若再透官煞，行財運，立見其災矣。印用食傷，印輕者亦不利見財也。

The original text says: In a pattern where the official star and malevolent stars both appear prominently, the favorable fortune comes from the food god and official star stars that can restrain them. If the official star is strong and the body is strong, the fortune is also favorable. However, if the fortune path again reveals the official or malevolent stars, or if it goes to the wealth star to support the official or malevolent stars, calamity will immediately appear. As for the pattern that uses food god and official star stars, if the official star is originally weak, then wealth should not appear—because the arrival of wealth will completely destroy the thin official star.

食神本屬洩氣，以其能生正財，所以喜之。故食神生財，美格也。財要有根，不必偏正疊出，如身強食旺而財透，大貴之格。若丁未、癸卯、癸亥、癸丑，梁丞相之命是也；己未、壬申、戊子、庚申，謝閣老之命是也。

The original text says: The food god is originally a type of element that drains the energy of the day's main element, but since it can generate the official wealth, people tend to like it. Therefore, the pattern of "food god generating wealth" is considered a favorable configuration. Wealth should have a root, but it is not necessary for both official and miscellaneous wealth to be present in abundance. If the day's main element is strong, the food god is also strong, and wealth appears in the heavenly stem, then it is a great and noble configuration. For example, in the case of Dingwei year, Guimao month, Guihai day, and Guichou hour, this is the birth chart of Liang Changxiang: the癸 water day's main element is born in the卯 month, where the乙 wood is the food god. Three癸 and the亥 and Chou form water, making the day's main element extremely strong. The heavenly stem of the year, Ding fire, is the miscellaneous wealth, which is generated by the food god. Another example is Jiwei year, Renshen month, Wuzi day, and Gengshen hour, which is the birth chart of Xie Gelaolao: the戊 earth day's main element is born in the申 month, where the庚 metal is the food god. The壬 water in the heavenly stem and the Zi water in the day's branch are both wealth, and the food god is strong enough to generate wealth.

藏食露傷，主人性剛，如丁亥、癸卯、癸卯、甲寅，沈路分命是也。偏正疊出，富貴不巨，職甲午、丁卯、癸丑、丙辰，龔知縣命是也。夏木用財，火炎土燥，貴多就武。如己未、已巳、甲寅、丙寅，黃都督之命是也。

The original text says: When the food god is hidden in the earthly branches and the injurious official is revealed in the heavenly stems, the person's character is strong and stubborn. For example, in the case of a person born in the year of Dinghai, month of Guimao, day of Guimao, and hour of Jiayin, this is the destiny according to Shen Lu Fen: the day stem is Gui water, with two Mao branches containing hidden Bing wood as the food god, while the hour stem Ji wood is the injurious official clearly revealed. When both wealth stars, both correct and biased, appear together, the person's wealth and status are not great. For example, in the case of a person born in the year of Jiawu, month of Dingmao, day of Guichou, and hour of Bingchen, this is the destiny according to Gong Zhi Xian: Gui water is born in the month of Mao, the year stem Ji wood is the injurious official, and the Mao branch contains hidden Bing wood as the food god, so both injurious official and food god are revealed; the two fire stems, Ding and Bing, are both correct and biased wealth stars mixed together (the original text says 'zhi' but should be 'ru'). As for the case of wood using wealth in summer, the fire is very strong and the earth is dry, so the person's high status is mostly through military positions. For example, in the case of a person born in the year of Jiwei, month of Jisi, day of Jiayin, and hour of Bingyin, this is the destiny according to Huang DuDu: Ji wood is born in the month of Si, the hour stem Bing fire is the food god, and the year and month both have Ji earth as the correct wealth star (the original text says 'yi si' but should be 'ji si').

若不用財而就煞印，最為威權顯赫。如辛卯、辛卯、癸酉、己未，常國公命是也。若無印綬而單露偏官，只要無財，亦為貴格，如戊戌、壬戌、丙子、戊戌，胡會元命是也。

The Shen family's original text says: If one does not use wealth but instead turns to the煞印, it is most powerful and illustrious. For example, in the year Xinmao, month Xinmao, day Guiyou, and hour Jiwei, this is the birth chart of a common noble: the癸 water day master is born in the卯 month, where the卯 contains 乙 wood as the food god. The hour stem己 earth is the seven煞, and the year and month both have辛 gold as the biased印. The day master sits on酉, which gives the印 its root. The煞 and印 mutually generate, and the food god manifests its brilliance. If there is no印 but only one biased official is revealed, as long as the chart does not have wealth to assist the煞, it is also a noble pattern. For example, in the year Wuxu, month Renxu, day Bingzi, and hour Wuxu, this is the birth chart of Hu Huiyuan: the丙 fire day master has three戊 earths as food gods, the month stem壬 water is the seven煞, and the food is heavy while the煞 is light, without wealth to assist the煞.

若金水食神而用煞，貴而且秀，如丁亥、壬子、辛巳、丁酉，舒尚書命是也。至於食神忌印，夏火太炎而木焦，透印不礙，如丙午、癸巳、甲子、丙寅，錢參政命是也。食神忌官，金水不忌，即金水傷官可見官之謂。

The original text says: If the person has a golden water food god and uses seven evils, then it is both noble and refined. For example, the birth chart of Shu Shusheng is: the day stem is Xin metal, born in the month of Zi water, water is strong and releases refinement. The heavenly stem of the year and the heavenly stem of the hour are both Ding fire, which are seven evils. In winter, water is cold and solid, and fire is needed to warm the chart, so it is both noble and refined. As for the usual case where food god is afraid of the seal, it is common; but in summer, fire is too fierce and wood is scorched, so when the seal appears, it can moisten and there is no harm. For example, the birth chart of Qian Cengzheng is: the day stem is Jia wood, born in the month of Si fire, the heavenly stem of the year and the heavenly stem of the hour are both Bing fire, which are food gods, and the heavenly stem of the month is Gui water, which is the proper seal, and it can relieve the intense heat. It is also usual that food god is afraid of official; but for a day stem of metal and water, it is not afraid, which is exactly the meaning of "golden and water official can see official."

至若單用食神，作食神有氣，有財運則富，無財運則貧。更有印來奪食，透財以解，亦有富貴，須就其全局之勢而斷之。至於食神而官煞競出，亦可成局，但不甚貴耳。更有食神合煞存財，最為貴格。

The Shen氏 original says: As for cases where only the food god is used, as long as the food god has strength, if the wealth star appears in the fortune, wealth will be achieved; if it does not appear, poverty will result. There is also a case where the food god is taken by the official star, but the wealth star appears to control the official star and save the food god, which can also lead to wealth and honor. This must be judged based on the overall momentum of the entire chart. As for the food god pattern where the official star and the malevolent star both appear prominently, it can also form a complete pattern, but it is not very prestigious. There is another case where the food god combines with the seven malevolent stars, protecting the wealth star, which is the highest level of prestigious pattern.

至若食神透煞。本忌見財，而財先煞後，食以間之，而財不能黨煞，亦可就貴。如劉提臺命，癸酉、辛酉、己卯、乙亥是也。其餘變化，不能盡述，類而推之可也。

The original text says: As for the pattern of the food god (shìshén) and the appearance of the seven evils (qīshā), it is originally most undesirable to see wealth (cái), for wealth would assist the seven evils; however, if wealth is in front and the seven evils are behind, with the food god in between, the wealth cannot reach the seven evils, and thus it can still be considered as a noble destiny. For example, the destiny of Liu Titi: born in the year of Guiyou, month of Xinyou, day of Jimao, and hour of Yihai. The day master is Ji earth, born in the month of You (metal). The heavenly stem of the month is Xin metal, which is the food god, and the heavenly stem of the year is Gui water, which is the biased wealth. The heavenly stem of the hour is Yi wood, which is the seven evils. Wealth is in the year, seven evils in the hour, with the food god in between, so the wealth cannot assist the seven evils, and the food god can control the seven evils. There are countless other variations, but they can all be inferred by following this pattern.

食神取運，即以食神所成之局，分而配之。食神生財，財食輕，則行財食，財食重則喜幫身。官煞之方，俱為不美。食用煞印，運喜印旺，切忌財鄉。身旺，食傷亦為福運，行官行煞，亦為吉也。

The Shen氏 original says: When considering the fortune for the food god pattern, one should match according to the specific configuration of the food god. In the case of "food god generating wealth": if both wealth and food god are light, one should go on wealth and food god paths to complete them; if both are heavy, one prefers to take paths that support the self, so that the day master can bear it. Official and evil paths are not favorable—officials take away the food god, and evils attack the self. In the case of "food god using evil and seal": one prefers paths that strengthen the seal, because the seal can transform evil and generate self; one must avoid paths of wealth, as wealth would ruin the seal and support the evil. If the day master is strong, paths of food and injury are also considered auspicious; taking official or evil paths is also favorable.

食傷帶煞，喜行印綬，身旺，食傷亦為美運，財則最忌。若食太重而煞輕，印運最利，逢財反吉矣。

The original text says: "For the path of 'food and injury combined with malevolent forces,' one prefers to go through a period of nourishing elements to transform the malevolent forces and protect oneself. A period of strong self also brings good fortune, and a period of food and injury is equally favorable. However, the wealth period is most to be avoided, because wealth will divert the energy of food and injury to strengthen the seven malevolent forces. If the food spirit is too strong and the seven malevolent forces are weak, and if they are over-controlled, then the most beneficial period is one of nourishing elements—nourishing elements can restrain food and preserve the malevolent forces; at this time, encountering a wealth period becomes auspicious, because wealth can release the food spirit and generate the malevolent forces, making up for the deficiency of the malevolent forces."

食神太旺而帶印，運最利財，食傷亦吉，印則最忌，官煞皆不吉也。若食神帶印，透財以解，運喜財旺，食傷亦吉，印與官煞皆忌也。

The original text says: When the food god is too strong and the destiny also has the seal, the most beneficial luck is wealth. Wealth can control the seal and protect the food god, and also release the food god for use. The luck of food and injury is also favorable. The seal luck is most to be avoided, because it adds another thing to take away the food. The official luck and evil luck are also not favorable. If the food god and seal are present and wealth has already emerged to rescue, the most favorable luck is strong wealth, to solidify this rescue. The luck of food and injury is also favorable. The luck of seal and official evil is to be entirely avoided.

煞以攻身，似非美物，而大貴之格，多存七煞。蓋控制得宜，煞為我用，如大英雄大豪傑，似難駕馭，而處之有方，則驚天動地之功，忽焉而就。此王侯將相所以多存七煞也。七煞之格局亦不一：煞用食制者，上也，煞旺食強而身健，極為貴格。如乙亥、乙酉、乙卯、丁丑，極等之貴也。

Shen's original text says: Seven evils are coming to attack the self, and they seem not to be good things; however, in the grand and noble patterns, most of them have seven evils. Because as long as they are controlled properly, the evils can be used for one's own benefit, just like great heroes and outstanding men, who seem difficult to control, but once properly placed, great achievements can be achieved in a short time. This is exactly why the destinies of kings, dukes, and generals often contain seven evils. The patterns of seven evils are not only one kind: using the food god to control the evils is the highest level. When the evils are strong, the food god is powerful, and the day's ruler is healthy, it is an extremely noble pattern. For example, in the year of Yihai, the month of Yiyou, the day of Yimao, and the hour of Dingchou: the day's ruler is the wood of Yi, born in the month of You, where the metal of Xin is the seven evil, and the evil is in its season. The heavenly stem of the hour, Ding fire, is the food god to control the evil. Three Yis are seated on Hai and Mao, and the day's ruler is strong. With all three factors present, it is an extremely noble destiny.

煞用食制，不要露財透印，以財能轉食生煞，而印能去食護煞也。然而財先食後，財生煞而食以制之，或印先食後，食太旺而印制，則格成大貴。如脫丞相命，壬辰、甲辰、丙戌、戊戌，辰中暗煞，壬以透之，戊坐四支，食太重而透甲印，以損太過，豈非貴格？若煞強食洩而印露，則破局矣。

The original text says: When using the food god to control the harmful influence, one should not reveal the wealth or the official seal; because wealth will divert the energy of the food god to generate the harmful influence, and the official seal will remove the food god and instead protect the harmful influence. However, if wealth comes first and the food god follows, the wealth will first generate the harmful influence, and the food god will then control it; or if the official seal comes first and the food god follows, the food god will be too strong, and the official seal will restrain it, thus forming a great and noble pattern. For example, the destiny of a minister named Tu: born in the year of Renchen, month of Jiachen, day of Bingxu, and hour of Wuxu. The day master is Bing fire, with two hidden Ren and Gui in the two Chens, which are the hidden harmful influences. The year stem Ren water is revealed, and the food god Wu earth is sitting on top of the four branches. The food god is too strong, but fortunately the month stem Ji wood is revealed to weaken it, is it not a noble pattern? Conversely, if the harmful influence is already strong, and the food god weakens the day master, and yet the official seal is revealed to take away the food god and protect the harmful influence, then the pattern is broken.

有七煞用印者，印能護煞，本非所宜，而印有情，便為貴格。如何參政命，丙寅、戊戌、壬戌、辛丑，戊與辛同通月令，是煞印有情也。亦有煞重身輕，用食則身不能當，不若轉而就印，雖不通根月令，亦為無情而有情。格亦許貴，但不大耳。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where seven poisons are used with a seal. A seal can protect the poison, but it is originally inappropriate; however, if the seal is used in a harmonious way, it becomes a noble pattern. For example, the fate of He Caizheng: Bingyin year, Wuxu month, Renxu day, Xinchou hour. The壬 water day master is born in the Wu month. The戊 earth in the heavenly stem of the month is the seven poison, and the辛 metal in the heavenly stem of the hour is the positive seal. The戊 and 辛 are both rooted in the Wu month stem, so the poison and seal come from the same source, which is the harmonious relationship between poison and seal. There are also cases where the poison is heavy and the day master is weak. If using the food god to control the poison, the day master would not be able to bear the burden himself. It would be better to use the seal instead, allowing the seal to transform the poison and generate the day master. Even if the seal does not have a root in the month stem, it can still transform from an inharmonious relationship to a harmonious one, and the pattern may lead to wealth and honor, though not to a very high level.

有煞而用財者，財以黨煞，本非所喜，而或食被制，不能伏煞，而財以去印存食，便為貴格。如周丞相命，戊戌、甲子、丁未、庚戌，戊被制不能伏煞，時透庚財，即以清食者，生不足之煞。生煞即以制煞，兩得其用，尤為大貴。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where seven poisons are used with wealth. Wealth assisting the seven poisons is not desirable; however, if food and injury are restrained by the scholar and cannot overcome the poisons, then wealth can remove the scholar and protect the food and injury, thus forming a noble pattern. For example, the命 of Zhou Chancellor: Wuxu year, Jiazi month, Dingwei day, Gengxu hour. The day master is Ding fire, born in the month of Zi, which contains癸 water as seven poisons. The year stem Wu earth could normally restrain the poisons, but it is restrained by the month stem Jia wood, the righteous scholar, and thus cannot function effectively. The hour stem Geng metal, the wealth star, appears clearly, on one hand removing the Jia scholar so that Wu earth can restrain the poisons, and on the other hand generating the originally insufficient poisons. Generating the poisons actually helps to restrain them, and both aspects are useful, thus leading to extraordinary wealth.

又有身重煞輕，煞又化印，用神不清，而借財以清格，亦為貴格。如甲申、乙亥、丙戌、庚寅，劉運使命是也。更有雜氣七煞，干頭不透財以清用，亦可取貴。

The original text says: There is also a case where the day's ruler is strong but the seven deadly stars are weak, and the deadly stars are further transformed by the ministerial element, causing the useful god to become unclear. In such cases, one can only rely on wealth to clarify the pattern, which is also considered a noble destiny. For example, someone born in the year of Jiashen, month of Yihai, day of Bingxu, and hour of Gengyin, which is the birth chart of Liu Yunshi. The day's ruler is Bing fire, born in the month of Hai, where the hidden壬water is the seven deadly stars. However, the heavenly stem of the year is Jia wood and the heavenly stem of the month is Yi wood, both being ministers, which completely transform the deadly stars. The heavenly stem of the hour is Geng metal, which is the biased wealth. It can both weaken the ministers and generate the deadly stars, thus clarifying the pattern. There is another case where the seven deadly stars hidden in the month's hidden elements are present, and if the heavenly stem does not reveal wealth to disrupt the pattern, and the selection of the useful god is pure, it can also lead to nobility.

有煞而雜官者，或去官，或去煞，取清則貴。如嶽統制命，癸卯、丁巳、庚寅、庚辰，去官留煞也。夫官為貴氣，去官何如去煞？豈知月令偏官，煞為用而官非用，各從其重。若官格雜煞而去官留煞，不能如是之清矣。如沈郎中命，丙子、甲午、辛亥、辛卯，子沖午而克煞，是去煞留官也。

The Shen氏 original says: There are cases where seven poisons are mixed with the proper official, and either the official or the poison is removed, choosing the pure one to achieve nobility. For example, the destiny of Yue Tongzhi:Guimao year, Dingsi month, Gengyin day, Gengchen hour. The day master is 庚 metal, born in the巳 month. The fire in巳 is 丙 fire, which is seven poison, while the heavenly stem of the month is 丁 fire, which is the proper official. The official and poison are mixed; the癸 water in the year stem is able to overcome the 丁 official, which is removing the official and keeping the poison. Someone may ask: The official is noble energy, how can removing the official be better than removing the poison? One must know that the month stem itself is a biased official, and the poison is the useful god, and the official is not the useful god. Each follows the side with greater weight. If in an official pattern the poison is mixed, and one removes the official to keep the poison, it cannot be as pure as before. Another example is the destiny of Shen Langzhong:Bingzi year, Jiawu month, Xinhai day, Xinmao hour. The day master is 辛 metal, born in the午 month. The fire in午 is 丁 fire, which is seven poison, while the heavenly stem of the year is 丙 fire, which is the proper official; the day branch 亥 and the year branch 子 clash with 午, thus overcoming the poison, which is removing the poison and keeping the official.

有煞無食制而用印當者，如戊辰、甲寅、戊寅、戊午，趙員外命是也。至書有制煞不可太過之說，雖亦有理，然運行財印，亦能發福，不可執一也，乃若棄命從煞，則於外格詳之。

The original text says: There are also cases where there is seven deadly stars but no food god to control them, and only the seal is used to bear the burden. For example, a person born in the year of Wu Chen, with the month of Jiayin, day of Wu Yin, and hour of Wu Wu, this is the destiny of Zhao Yuanwai. The Wu earth day master is born in the month of Yin, and the heavenly stem of the month, Ji wood, is the seven deadly stars. The Yin contains Bing fire, and the hour branch Wu also contains fire, both being seals. The deadly stars generate the seals, and the seals generate the body, thus the whole path is resolved. As for the saying in the book that 'controlling the deadly stars should not be excessive,' although it has some reason, if it is overdone, when the person's fortune reaches the wealth and seal branches, they can still gain blessings. One should not be rigid in this matter. As for cases where the day master has no root at all and simply surrenders to the deadly stars, that should be discussed in detail in the section on external patterns.

偏官取運，即以偏官所成之局分而配之。煞用食制，煞重食輕則助食，煞輕食重則助煞，煞食均而日主根輕則助身。忌正官之混雜，畏印綬之奪食。煞用印綬，不利財鄉，傷官為美，印綬身旺，俱為福地。

The Shen氏 original says: For the pattern of a biased official (偏官格), when choosing a year of destiny (运), it should be determined according to the specific configuration formed by the seven harmful stars (七煞). In the case of "harmful star (煞) is restrained by food (食)", if the harmful star is strong and the food is weak, one should choose a year that supports the food; if the harmful star is weak and the food is strong, one should choose a year that supports the harmful star; if the strength of the harmful star and the food are balanced but the day's ruler (日主) has shallow roots, one should choose a year that supports the body. The most dangerous is the presence of the official star (正官), which causes confusion, and also the fear of the official star's year (印绶) that takes away the food. In the case of "harmful star (煞) is supported by the official star (印绶)", it is not favorable to go to the wealth (财) year, because wealth will damage the official star and support the harmful star; going to the year of injury (伤官) is better, because the injury can restrain the harmful star and does not suffer from being completely taken away by the official star as the food does; the year of the official star (印绶) and the year that strengthens the body (身旺) are both favorable.

七煞用財，其以財而去印存食者，不利劫財，傷食皆吉，喜財怕印，透煞亦順。其以財而助煞不及者，財已足，則喜食印與幫身；財未足，則喜財旺而露煞。

The original text says: "Seven Killers using wealth" is divided into two types. The first type relies on wealth to remove the official star and protect the food god; this is not favorable during the劫财 (seizing wealth) period, as the劫财 would take away the wealth. The food and injury period is auspicious. It prefers wealth and fears the official star. If the seven killers are revealed in the destiny, it is considered smooth. The second type is when the killer itself is insufficient and relies on wealth to support it. If the wealth is already sufficient, it prefers the food god, official star, and supporting period. If the wealth is still insufficient, it prefers a period of strong wealth, and if the seven killers are revealed in the destiny, it is also favorable.

煞帶正官，不論去官留煞，去煞留官，身輕則喜助身，食輕則喜助食。莫去取清之物，無傷制煞之神。煞無食制而用刃當煞，煞輕刃重則喜助煞，刃輕煞重，則宜制伏，無食可奪，印運何傷？七煞既純，雜官不利。

Shen's original text says: When seven evils are accompanied by the proper official, whether the fate is to remove the official and retain the evil or to remove the evil and retain the official, if the day master is weak, it prefers a fortune that supports the body; if the food god is weak, it prefers a fortune that supports the food god. The key point is: do not let the fortune remove the character that makes the pattern pure, nor damage the god that controls the evil. As for seven evils without a food god to control them, and instead using Yangren to take responsibility: if the evil is light and the Yangren is heavy, it prefers a fortune that supports the evil; if the Yangren is light and the evil is heavy, it should go on a fortune that controls the seven evils. This path originally has no food god to be taken away, so going on an imprint fortune is not a problem. However, since the seven evils are already pure, mixing in the official star is not beneficial.

傷官雖非吉神，實為秀氣，故文人學士，多於傷官格內得之。而夏木見水，冬金見火，則又為秀之尤秀者也。其中格局比他格多，變化尤多，在查其氣候，量其強弱，審其喜忌，觀其純雜，微之又微，不可執也。

The Shen family's original text says: Although the official who harms the day master is not considered a favorable deity, it is actually the refined qi exhaled by the day master. Therefore, the destinies of scholars and literary men mostly come from the official who harms the day master pattern. When wood in summer meets water, or metal in winter meets fire, these are the most refined forms of qi. The patterns within the official who harms the day master category are more numerous than those of other patterns, and their changes are especially complex. One must examine its climate's coldness or warmth, assess its strength and weakness, discern its favorable and unfavorable elements, observe its purity and mixture, and be extremely meticulous, without sticking to a single perspective.

故有傷官用財者，蓋傷不利於民，所以為凶，傷官生財，則以傷官為生官之具，轉凶為吉，故最利。只要身強而有根，便為貴格，如壬午、己酉、戊午、庚申，史春芳命也。

The Shen氏 original says: The first type is "Wounding Official Using Wealth." The wounding official is considered凶 because it is unfavorable to the official star (the original text "unfavorable to the people" should be "unfavorable to the official"). Once the wounding official is used to generate wealth, the wounding official becomes a tool for generating the official, transforming from凶 to吉, thus being most beneficial. As long as the day master is strong and has a root, it forms a noble destiny. For example, the birth chart of Shi Chunfang is: the day master is Wu earth, born in the month of You metal, with Xin metal in the hour stem and Ji metal in the month branch, both being food and wounds; the year stem is Ren water, which is the biased wealth. The day master sits on Wu and the year branch is also Wu, indicating a strong and rooted day master. The food and wounds generate wealth, with a continuous source.

至於化傷為財，大為秀氣，如羅狀元命，甲子、乙亥、辛未、戊子，干頭之甲，通根於亥，然又會未成局，化水為木，化之生財，尤為有情，所以傷官生財，冬金不貴，以凍水不能生木。若乃化木，不待於生，安得不為殿元乎？至於財傷有情，與化傷為財者，其秀氣不相上下，如秦龍圖命，己卯、丁丑、丙寅、庚寅，己與庚同根月令是也。

The Shen family's original text says: As for completely transforming the official star into wealth, that is even more refined. For example, Luo the First-Class Scholar's destiny: Jiazi year, Yihai month, Xinwei day, Wuzi hour. The day stem is Xin metal, born in the亥 month. The壬 water in亥 is the official star; the heavenly stem 甲 wood is the official wealth, which is rooted in亥. The earth branches 亥 and 未 form a wood trine, thus transforming water into wood, and the official star directly becomes wealth, which is especially harmonious. Normally, the official star generating wealth is not valuable in winter, because frozen water cannot produce wood. Now it is directly transformed into wood, without needing water to generate it, so how could he not become the top scholar? As for the harmonious combination between wealth and the official star, its refinement is comparable to transforming the official star into wealth. For example, Qin the Dragon Diagram's destiny: Jimao year, Dingchou month, Bingyin day, Gengyin hour. The day stem is Bing fire, born in the丑 month. The heavenly stem 己 soil is the official star, and the heavenly stem 庚 metal is the biased wealth. 己 and 庚 both root in the丑 month, forming a continuous generation.

有傷官佩印者，印能制傷，所以為貴，反要傷官旺，身稍弱，始為秀氣。如孛羅平章命，壬申、丙午、甲午、壬申、傷官旺，印根深，身又弱，又是夏木逢潤，其秀百倍，所以一品之貴。然印旺極深，不必多見，偏正疊出，反為不秀，故傷輕身重而印綬多見，貧窮之格也。

The second type is "Wounding Official with Seal." The seal can control the wounding official, hence it is considered noble. This pattern requires the wounding official to be strong and the day master slightly weak in order to display elegance. For example, the fate of Boluo Pingzhang is: Renshen year, Bingwu month, Jiawu day, Renshen hour. The day master is Jia wood born in the Wu month, with the fire in Wu and the month stem Bing fire both being food and wounding officials, making the wounding official extremely strong. The two Ren water in the year and hour are biased seals, with roots in the two Shen, making the seal very strong. The day master itself is relatively weak. Moreover, in summer, wood benefits from water nourishment, and the elegance is a hundred times greater, hence he held a top official position. However, the seal only needs to be strong and have deep roots; it does not need to be excessive. If both the official seal and the biased seal are repeated, it becomes un-elegant. Therefore, if the wounding official is light, the day master is strong, and the seal is excessive, it is a pattern of poverty.

有傷官兼用財印者，財印相剋，本不併用，只要干頭兩清而不相礙；又必生財者，財太旺而帶印，佩印者印太重而帶財，調停中和，遂為貴格。如丁酉、己酉、戊子、壬子，財太重而帶印，而丁與壬隔以戊已，兩不礙，且金水多而覺寒，得火融和，都統制命也。又如壬戌、己酉、戊午、丁巳，印太重而隔戊已，而丁與壬不相礙，一丞相命也。反是則財印不併用而不秀矣。

The third type is when the official star is used together with both wealth and scholar. Wealth and scholar naturally mutually control each other, so in theory they cannot be used together. However, as long as the heavenly stems on both sides are clear and do not interfere with each other, it is acceptable. Moreover, it must be that the wealth side is too strong, so the scholar is brought in to balance it, or the scholar side is too heavy, so the wealth is brought in to balance it. By adjusting to achieve harmony, it becomes a noble destiny. For example, in the case of a person born in the year of Dingyou, month of Jiyou, day of Wuzi, and hour of Renzi: theWu Earth day master is born in the month of酉, which is the official star. The two Zi waters and the heavenly stem Ren water are wealth. Since the wealth is too heavy, the heavenly stem Ding fire, which is the scholar, is brought in to balance it. The Ding and Ren are separated by the Wu and Ji earth, so they do not interfere with each other. Moreover, since there is a lot of metal and water, it feels cold, and the fire is used to warm it up. This is the destiny of a person in a high position. Another example is a person born in the year of Renxu, month of Jiyou, day of Wuwu, and hour of Dingsi: the scholar is too heavy, so the heavenly stem Ren water, which is wealth, is brought in to balance it. The Ding and Ren are also separated by Wu and Ji, so they do not interfere with each other. This is the destiny of a prime minister. If the wealth and scholar are arranged in reverse, and they interfere with each other and cannot be used together, the person will not be outstanding.

有傷官用煞印者，傷多身弱，賴煞生印以幫身而制傷，如己未、丙子、庚子、丙子，蔡貴妃也。煞因傷而有制，兩得其宜，只要無財，便為貴格，如壬寅、丁未、丙寅，夏閣老命是也。有傷官用官者，他格不用，金水獨宜，然要財印為輔，不可傷官並透。如戊申、甲子、庚午、丁丑，藏癸露丁，戊甲為輔，官又得祿，所以為丞相之格。若孤官無輔，或官傷並透，則發福不大矣。

The fourth type is "Wounding Official with Malevolent Star and Seal." When there are too many wounding officials and the day master is weak, it relies on the seven malevolent stars to generate the seal, which in turn supports the day master and restrains the wounding official. For example, in the birth chart of Cai Guifei, with the year of Jiwei, month of Bingzi, day of Gengzi, and hour of Bingzi: the day master is Geng metal, and three Zi water are wounding officials, which is too strong. The month dry and hour dry have two Bing fire, which are seven malevolent stars, and the year dry has Ji earth, which is the positive seal. The malevolent stars generate the seal, the seal supports the day master and restrains the wounding official. The seven malevolent stars are also restrained by the wounding official, so both are in balance. As long as there is no wealth to support the malevolent stars, it becomes a noble destiny. For example, in the birth chart of Xia Geolao (the original text lacks the hour pillar, so I dare not make up), with the year of Renyin, month of Dingwei, and day of Chenyin: the day master is Chen fire, and the month dry has Ding fire, which is the positive official, and the year dry has Ren water, which is the wounding official. The official is supported by the month and the hour, and the wounding official is restrained by the official, so it becomes a noble destiny. The fifth type is "Wounding Official with Official." Other day masters do not use this pattern, but it is suitable only for metal and water day masters. However, there must be wealth and seal to support it, and the wounding official and official star should not both appear clearly. For example, in the birth chart of Wu Shen year, Ji Zi month, Geng Wu day, and Ding Chou hour: Geng metal is born in the Zi month, and the hidden癸 water in Zi is the wounding official, while the hour dry Ding fire is the positive official. The year dry Wu earth is the seal, and the month dry Ji wood is the wealth to support it. The official star is also in the Wu position, which is a favorable position, thus forming the destiny of a chancellor. If the official is isolated without support, or if the official and wounding official both appear clearly, then the fortune will not be great.

若冬金用官，而又化傷為財，則尤為極秀極貴。如丙申、己亥、辛未、己亥，鄭丞相命是也。然亦有非金水而見官，何也？化傷為財，傷非其傷，作財旺生官而不作傷官見官，如甲子、壬申、己亥、辛未，章丞相命也。至於傷官而官煞並透，只要干頭取清，金水得之亦清，不然則空結構而已。

The original text says: If in winter the metal is used with the official star, and the wounded official is transformed into wealth, then it is extremely refined and highly esteemed. For example, a person born in the year of Bingshen, month of Jihai, day of Xinwei, and hour of Jihai, which is the birth chart of a chancellor named Zheng: the metal is born in the month of Hai, where the water in Hai is the wounded official, but since Hai and Wei form a wooden structure, the wounded official is transformed into wealth; the heavenly stem of the year, Bing fire, is the official star, and the two Ji earths are the scholar-officials as assistants. Wealth generates the official, and the official is pure. However, there are also cases where the day stem is not metal or water, yet the official star is present. Why is this? Because the wounded official has already been transformed into wealth, so it is no longer considered a wounded official. Instead, it should be viewed according to 'wealth flourishing generates the official' rather than 'wounded official meeting the official'. For example, a person born in the year of Jiazi, month of Renshen, day of Jihai, and hour of Xinwei, which is the birth chart of a chancellor named Zhang: the earth is born in the month of Shen, where the metal in Shen is the wounded official, but since Shen and Zi form water, and Hai and Wei form wood, the wounded official is transformed into wealth, and the wealth flourishes to generate the heavenly stem of the year, Jia wood, which is the official star. As for the wounded official pattern where both the official and the evil spirit are revealed, it is sufficient to have clarity in the heavenly stems; if the metal and water day stem encounter it, it can also be clear. Otherwise, it is merely an empty structure without substance.

傷官取運，即以傷官所成之局，分而配之。傷官用財，財旺身輕，則利印比；身強財淺，則喜財運，傷官亦宜。傷官佩印，運行官煞為宜，印運亦吉，傷食不礙，財地則凶。

The Shen氏 original says: When determining the favorable years for the official injury pattern, one should consider the specific configuration of the official injury and match it accordingly. In the case of "official injury using wealth": if wealth is strong and the day master is weak, it is beneficial to have years of the scholar or same element to support the day master; if the day master is strong and wealth is weak, then wealth years are favorable, and official injury years are also suitable, as they can generate wealth. In the case of "official injury with scholar": it is appropriate to have years of official or evil official, as they can generate the scholar; scholar years are also favorable; years of food or official injury are not harmful, as the scholar can restrain them; however, encountering wealth years is unfavorable, as wealth will damage the scholar.

傷官而兼用財印，其財多而帶印者，運喜助印，印多而帶財者，運喜助財。傷官而用煞印，印運最利，傷食亦亨，雜官非吉，逢財即危。

The original text says: When the official star is weakened and both wealth and official star are used, one should look at which one is more prominent: if wealth is abundant and accompanied by official star, the favorable trends in the destiny favor supporting the official star, and it is good to balance both sides; if official star is abundant and accompanied by wealth, the favorable trends in the destiny favor supporting wealth, the reasoning is the same. Regarding the path of "weakened official star using harmful star and official star": the official star trend is most beneficial, and the trend of food and harmful stars is also smooth; if the official star is mixed in, it is not auspicious; once the wealth trend comes, the wealth will destroy the official star and the harmful star will join forces, which immediately becomes dangerous.

傷官帶煞，喜印忌財，然傷重煞輕，運喜印而財亦吉。惟七煞根重，則運喜傷食，印綬身旺亦吉，而逢財為凶矣。傷官用官，運喜財印，不利食傷，若局中官露而財印兩旺，則比劫傷官，未紿非吉矣。

The Shen氏 original says: "For the path of 'Wounding Official with Harmful Influence,' one prefers the Seal and fears Wealth. However, if the Wounding Official is heavy and the Seven Harmful Influences are light, and the Harmful Influences are over-controlled, even though the journey of the Seal is preferred, the journey of Wealth is also auspicious, because Wealth can supplement the insufficient Harmful Influence. Only when the root of the Seven Harmful Influences is deep and strong, does the journey of Food and Harmful Influence to control it become favorable, and the journey of the Seal and the strong body also bring good fortune, while encountering the journey of Wealth brings misfortune." "For the path of 'Using Official with Wounding Official,' the journey prefers Wealth and the Seal—Wealth generates the Official, and the Seal controls the Wounding Official; it is unfavorable to the journey of Food and Harmful Influence. If the Official star is already revealed and both Wealth and Seal are strong, and the pattern is stable, then even if the journey of the same kind or the journey of Wounding Official is encountered, it may not necessarily be inauspicious (the original text 'wei dai' should be 'wei shi')."

陽刃者，劫我正財之神，乃正財之七煞也。祿前一位，惟五陽有之，故為陽刃。不曰劫而曰刃，劫之甚也。刃宜伏制，官煞皆宜，財印相隨，尤為貴顯。夫正官而財印相隨美矣，七煞得之，夫乃甚乎？豈知他格以煞能傷身，故喜制伏，忌財印；陽刃用之，則賴以制刃，不怕傷身，故反喜財印，忌制伏也。

The Shen氏 original says: The so-called "Yang Blade" is the deity that competes for my official wealth, which is also the seven evil of official wealth. It is located one position before the day master's禄, and only five Yang heavenly stems have it, hence it is called the Yang Blade. It is not called "劫" but "刃", indicating that it competes with even greater intensity. The Blade should be subdued and controlled; official and evil forces are both useful. If there are wealth and official forces accompanying it, it becomes even more prestigious. Using official position with wealth and official forces accompanying is already good; using seven evils with wealth and official forces accompanying, is it not even more so? One must know that in other patterns, seven evils are harmful to the body, so they like to subdue and control them, and dislike wealth and official forces that assist them. However, in the Yang Blade pattern, we actually rely on this evil force to subdue the Blade, and do not fear it harming the body. Therefore, it is the opposite; we like wealth and official forces, and dislike subduing the evil force.

陽刃用官，透刃不慮；陽刃露煞，透刃無成。蓋官能制刃，透而不為害；刃能合煞，則有何功？如丙生午月，透壬制刃，而又露丁，丁與壬合，則七煞有貪合忘克之意，如何制刃？故無功也。

The Shen氏 original says: In the Yang Blade pattern, if the official star is used, even if the blade appears again in the heavenly stem, there is no need to worry; but if the Yang Blade pattern reveals the seven evils, and the blade appears again in the heavenly stem, the pattern is ruined. Because the official can control the blade, and if the blade appears, it does no harm; but the blade can combine with the seven evils, and if the seven evils are combined, then what is the use of them? For example, if the fire is born in the午 month and sits on the blade, and the heavenly stem reveals the壬 water seven evils to control the blade, but the丁 fire appears again, the丁 and壬 combine, making the seven evils have a sentimental attachment and forget to control, so how can they control the blade? Therefore, there is no effect.

然同是官煞制刃，而格亦有高低，如官煞露而根深，其貴也大；官煞藏而不露，或露而根淺，其貴也小。若己酉、丙子、壬寅、丙午，官透有力，旺財生之，丞相命也。又辛酉、甲午、丙申、壬辰，透煞根淺，財印助之，亦丞相命也。

The Shen family's original text says: Although both cases use official stars and harmful stars to control the Yang Ren, the patterns differ in quality: if the official or harmful star is clearly visible and has strong roots, the rank is high; if the official or harmful star is hidden or although visible but has weak roots, the rank is low. For example, a person born in the year of Jiyou, month of Bingzi, day of Renyin, and hour of Bingwu: the day ruler is water, born in the month of Zi, which is the Yang Ren of water; the heavenly stem of the year is Jiut, which is the official star, clearly visible and has roots in the hour branch Wu; the heavenly stem of the month and hour are both Binghuo, which are wealth, strong wealth comes to generate the official star - this is the fortune of a chancellor. Another example: a person born in the year of Xinyou, month of Jiawu, day of Bingshen, and hour of Renchen: Binghuo is born in the month of Wu, sitting on the Yang Ren, the heavenly stem of the hour is Renshui, which is the harmful star, rooted in Chen and born in Shen, but the roots are still shallow; fortunately, the heavenly stem of the year is Xinyin, which is wealth to generate the harmful star, and the heavenly stem of the month is Jimu, which is the scholar to protect the body, wealth and scholar help each other - this is also the fortune of a chancellor.

然亦有官煞制刃帶傷食而貴者，何也？或是印護，或是煞太重而裁損之，官煞輕而取清之，如穆同知命，甲午、癸酉、庚寅、戊寅，癸水傷寅午之官，而戊以合之，所謂印護也，如賈平章命，甲寅、庚午、戊申、甲寅，煞兩透而根太重，食以制之，所謂裁損也。如丙戌、丁酉、庚申、壬午，官煞競出，而壬合丁官，煞純而不雜。況陽刃之格，利於留煞，所謂取清也。

The original text says: However, there are also cases where the official star and harmful star are used to control the yang blade, and with the presence of food and injury stars, the person still achieves great success. Why is this so? The reasons are no more than three: first, there is an imprint star to protect the official and harmful stars; second, the harmful star is too strong and the food and injury stars are used to reduce its strength; third, the official and harmful stars are mixed, and the food and injury stars are used to remove one of them to achieve clarity. For example, the case of Mu Tongzhi: born in the year of Jiawu, month of Guiyou, day of Gengyin, and hour of Wuyin. The Geng metal day master is born in the month of You, sitting on the yang blade. The Bing and Ding fire in the year and month are the official and harmful stars that control the yang blade. However, the癸 water in the month is particularly trying to harm the official star. Fortunately, the Wu earth in the hour combines with the癸 water, restraining it—this is called the imprint protecting the official and harmful stars. Another example is the case of Jia Pingzhang: born in the year of Jiayin, month of Gengwu, day of Wushen, and hour of Jiayin. The Wu earth day master is born in the month of Wu, sitting on the yang blade. The two Jiā wood in the year and hour are the seven harmful stars, and they have roots in the two Yin, which are too strong. Therefore, the Geng metal in the month, as the food star, is used to control them—this is called reducing the strength. Another example is the case of someone born in the year of Bingxu, month of Dingyou, day of Gengshen, and hour of Renwu: the Geng metal day master is born in the month of You, sitting on the yang blade. The Bing fire in the year is the seven harmful star, and the Ding fire in the month is the official star. Both the official and harmful stars are clearly visible, but the Ren water in the hour combines with the Ding official, leaving only the harmful star, which is pure and not mixed. Moreover, the yang blade pattern is naturally suitable for retaining the harmful star—this is called achieving clarity.

其於丙生午月，內藏己土，可以克水，尤宜帶財佩印，若戊生午月，干透丙火，支會火局，則化刃為印，或官或煞，透則去刃存印其格愈清。倘或財煞並透露，則犯去印存煞之忌，不作生煞制煞之例，富貴兩空矣。更若陽刃用財，格所不喜，然財根深而用傷食，以轉刃生財，雖不比建祿月劫，可以取貴，亦可就富。不然，則刃與財相搏，不成局矣。

Shen's original text says: As for Bing fire born in the month of Wu, Wu also contains Ji earth, which can overcome water, thus hindering the official and sha of Ren and Gui to control the Yangren. Therefore, it is especially suitable to have wealth and the seal to mediate. If Wu earth is born in the month of Wu, and the heavenly stem reveals Bing fire, and the earthly branches form a fire pattern, then the Yangren turns into the seal. At this time, whether the official or sha is revealed, once it appears, the Yangren is removed and the seal remains, making the pattern even clearer. If both wealth and sha are revealed, it violates the taboo of 'removing the seal and keeping the sha', and it cannot be discussed as usual in terms of generating sha or controlling sha. In this case, both wealth and status are lost. Moreover, the pattern of using wealth for the Yangren is not favored in the pattern. However, if the root of wealth is deep and food and injury are used to transform the Yangren's energy to produce wealth, although it is not as good as the pattern of built-up wealth or month and劫 to achieve status, it can still achieve wealth. Otherwise, if the Yangren and wealth clash directly, the pattern will not be formed.

陽刃用官，則運喜助官，然命中官星根深，則印綬比劫之方，反為美運，但不喜傷食合官耳。陽刃用煞，煞不甚旺，則運喜助煞；煞若太重，則運喜身旺印綬，傷食亦不為忌。陽刃而官煞並出，不論去官去煞，運喜制伏，身旺亦利，財地官鄉反為不吉也。

The Shen氏 original says: For the Yang Blade pattern using the official star, the favorable luck is to support the official star; however, if the official star is already strong in the birth chart, then the luck of the seal star and the same kind of star becomes beneficial, but it is not favorable to have the food and injury stars to weaken the official star, nor to meet the character that combines with the official star. For the Yang Blade pattern using the seven harmful stars: if the harmful stars are not very strong, the favorable luck is to support the harmful stars; if the harmful stars are too strong, the favorable luck is to strengthen the self and the seal star, and the food and injury stars are not to be avoided, but rather to control the excessive harmful stars. For the Yang Blade pattern where both the official star and the harmful star are revealed: regardless of whether the birth chart is using the official or the harmful star, the favorable luck is to have a controlling element, and the luck of a strong self is also beneficial; conversely, the luck of the wealth star or the official star's native land is not favorable—because wealth star nourishes the official and harmful stars, and the official star will then become mixed again.

建祿者，月建逢祿堂也，祿即是劫。或以祿堂透出，即可依以用者，非也。故建祿與月劫，可同一格，不必加分，皆以透干支，別取財官煞食為用。祿格用官，干頭透出為奇，又要財印相隨，不可孤官無輔。有用官而印護者，如庚戌、戊子、癸酉、癸亥，金丞相命是也。有用官而財助者，如丁酉、丙午、丁巳、壬寅，李知府命是也。

The Shen family's original text says:所谓 "Jian Lu" means the month builder falls exactly on the day master's Lu position; Lu is actually the same as Bi Jie. Some people think that as long as Lu is revealed in the heavenly stem, it can be used directly, which is incorrect. Therefore, Jian Lu and month Jie can be considered as one category, without needing to be separated. Both should be judged based on what heavenly stems and earthly branches are revealed, and then select wealth, official, evil spirit, and food as the useful gods. For a Lu pattern that uses official stars, the official star revealed in the heavenly stem is most valuable, and it should also have wealth and seal to accompany it, not be alone without support. There are cases where official stars are used with seal to protect the official: for example, in the case of a person born in Geng Xu year, Wu Zi month, Gui You day, and Gui Hai hour, this is the fate of a golden minister - Gui water is born in Zi month as Jian Lu, Wu earth in the month stem is the official star, and Geng metal in the year stem is the seal, with the official star generating the seal and the seal generating the body, the official star is protected. There are also cases where official stars are used with wealth to assist the official: for example, in the case of a person born in Ding You year, Bing Wu month, Ding Si day, and Ren Yin hour, this is the fate of a county magistrate - Ding fire is born in Wu month as Jian Lu, Ren water in the hour stem is the official star, and You metal in the year branch is wealth that generates the official.

有官而兼帶財印者，所謂身強值三奇，尤為貴氣。三奇者，財官印也，只要以官隔之，使財印兩不相傷，其格便大，如庚午、戊子、癸卯、丁巳，王少師命是也。祿劫用財，須帶食傷，蓋月令為劫而以財作用，二物相剋，必以傷食化之，始可轉劫生財，如甲子、丙子、癸丑、壬辰，張都統命是也。

The original text says: Having an official position along with wealth and official seal, is called "strong body with the three marvels," which especially indicates great dignity. The three marvels refer to wealth, official position, and official seal. As long as the official star is placed in the middle, making wealth and official seal not harm each other, the pattern becomes grand. For example, the birth year is Gengwu, the month is Wuzi, the day is Guimao, and the hour is Dingsi, which is the birth chart of Wang Shaoshi. The癸water is born in the Zi month, which is the built-up wealth, the戊earth in the month's dry branch is the official, the庚metal in the year's dry branch is the official seal, and the丁fire in the hour's dry branch is the biased wealth. The official is in the middle, while the wealth and official seal are on both sides, not conflicting with each other. For the pattern of built-up wealth and struggle, if wealth is used as the useful god, it must be accompanied by food and injury. Since the month's branch is a rival, but wealth is used as the useful god, the conflict between rival and wealth must be transformed by food and injury in the middle, so that the rival's energy can be transformed into wealth. For example, the birth year is Jiazi, the month is Bingzi, the day is Guichou, and the hour is Renchen, which is the birth chart of Zhang Dushun. The癸water is born in the Zi month, which is the built-up wealth, the丙fire in the month's dry branch is the official wealth, and the甲wood in the year's dry branch is the injurious official, which connects and communicates between them.

至於化劫為財，與化劫為生，尤為秀氣。如己未、己巳、丁未、辛丑，丑與巳會，即以劫財之火為金局之財，安得不為大貴？所謂化劫為財也。如高尚書命，庚子、甲申、庚子、甲申，即以劫財之金，化為生財之水，所謂化劫為生也。

The Shen family's original text says: To simply transform a robbery into a wealth or transform a robbery into the god that generates wealth is even more refined. For example, in a birth chart with the year Jisi, month Jiwei, day Dingwei, and hour Xinchou: The Ding fire is born in the Si month, which is the original position of a Lu, but the hour branch Chou and the month branch Si form a metal trinity, thus the original Robbed Wealth Si fire is transformed into the wealth of the metal trinity, how could it not lead to great wealth? This is called "transforming劫 into财." Another example is the birth chart of a high-ranking official named Gao: Gengzi year, Jiashen month, Gengzi day, Jiashen hour. The Geng metal is born in the Shen month, which is the original position of a Lu, and the two Shen are originally robbery, but the two Shen and the two Zi form a water trinity, thus the Robbed Wealth metal is transformed into the water that generates wealth (water nourishes the two甲 wood财 in the year and month), this is called "transforming劫 into the generator of财."

祿劫用煞，必須制伏，如婁參政命，丁巳、壬子、癸卯、己未，壬合丁財以去其黨煞，卯未會局以制伏是也。至用煞而又逢財，本為不美，然能去煞存財，又成貴格。戊辰、癸亥、壬午、丙午，合煞存財，袁內閣命是也。

The original text says: In the禄劫 pattern that uses seven煞, there must be something to control the seven煞. For example, the命 of Lou Canzheng: Dingsi year, Renzi month, Guimao day, Jiwei hour. The癸water is born in the Zi month, which is the built-in禄; the己earth in the hour stem is the seven煞; the year stem丁fire is the偏财, which originally would support the seven煞, but fortunately the month stem壬water combines with丁fire, removing the supporting element for the seven煞; then the day branch卯and the hour branch未form a wood tripod to control the己earth—first removing and then controlling, so the seven煞 becomes subdued. As for using seven煞 and encountering财, it is generally not good; however, if the seven煞 can be removed while keeping the财, it becomes a noble pattern. For example, the命 of Yuan Neiguan: Wuchen year, Guihai month, Renwu day, Bingwu hour. The壬water is born in the Hai month, which is the built-in禄; the year stem戊earth is the seven煞; the month stem癸water combines with戊earth, removing the seven煞; the hour stem丙fire and the two午are all财, which are preserved, thus forming the pattern of combining the seven煞 to keep the财.

其祿劫之格，無財官而用傷食，洩其太過，亦為秀氣。唯春木秋金，用之則貴，蓋木逢火則明，金生水則靈。如張狀元命，甲子、丙寅、甲子、丙寅，木火通明也；又癸卯、庚申、庚子、庚辰，金水相涵也。更有祿劫而官煞競出，必取清方為貴格。如一平章命，辛丑、庚寅、甲辰、乙亥，合煞留這也；如辛亥、庚寅、甲申、丙寅，制煞留官也。

The original text says: In the禄劫 pattern, if there is neither wealth nor official position, then the food and injury (food and injury) should be used to release the excessive energy, which is also considered refined. However, only the wood in spring and the metal in autumn can achieve this and become noble. Because wood meets fire and becomes clear, and metal produces water and becomes refined. For example, the destiny of Zhang the状元: Jiazi year, Bingyin month, Jiazi day, Bingyin hour. The Jia wood is born in the寅 month, which is the built-in fortune, and two Bing fire are food and injury that produce refinement, which is exactly the clearness of wood and fire. Another example is the destiny of someone: Guimao year, Gengshen month, Gengzi day, Gengchen hour. The Geng metal is born in the申 month, which is the built-in fortune, and the申, Zi, and Chen form a water trinity, which is exactly the mutual nourishment of metal and water. For the禄劫 pattern where official position and maleficent stars both appear, it must be clear and pure to form a noble pattern. For example, the destiny of a certain official: Xinchou year, Gengyin month, Jiachen day, Yihai hour. The Jia wood is born in the寅 month, which is the built-in fortune, the辛 gold in the year stem is the official, and the庚 gold in the month stem is the seven harmful star. The乙 wood in the hour stem combines with the庚 gold, thus removing the harmful star and leaving the official (the original text says 'leave this' but should be 'leave the official'). Another example is the destiny of someone: Xinhai year, Gengyin month, Jiashen day, Bingyin hour. Again, both official and harmful stars are revealed, relying on the Bing fire in the hour stem to control the庚 harmful star, leaving the辛 official.

倘或兩官競出，亦須制伏，所謂爭正官不可無傷也。若夫用官而孤官無輔，格局更小，難於取貴，若透傷食便不破格。然亦有官傷並透而貴者，何也？如己酉、乙亥、壬戌、庚子，庚合乙而去傷存官，王總兵命也。

The original text says: If two official stars are both clearly visible, there also needs to be something to control them, which is called "when competing for official stars, there must be some damage" — when there are too many official stars, one of them needs to be reduced by the official star's damaging star. As for cases where the official star is used but there is no supporting star, the pattern is even smaller and difficult to achieve high status; in such cases, if the food or damaging stars appear, it is not considered a breaking of the pattern. However, there are also cases where both the official star and the damaging star are clearly visible yet the person still achieves high status. Why is this? For example, in the case of the year Jiyou, month Yihai, day Renxu, and hour Gengzi, which is the birth chart of General Wang: the壬water is born in the亥month, which is the built-in official position, the year dry stem己is the official star, the month dry stem乙is the damaging star which would normally harm the official star, but fortunately the hour dry stem庚forms a combination with乙, removing the damaging star and preserving the official star.

用財而不透傷食，便難於發端，然干頭透一位而不雜，地支根多，亦可取富，但不貴耳。用官煞重而無制伏，運行制伏，亦可發財，但不可官煞太重，致令身危也。

The Shen family's original text says: In the禄劫 pattern, if wealth is used but the food and injuries are not revealed, the struggle between the劫 and wealth directly conflicts, making it difficult to start off well; however, if only one wealth is revealed in the heavenly stem without being mixed up, and there are many roots of wealth in the earthly branches, it is still possible to become wealthy, though not to attain high status. In the case of using officials, if the officials and evils are too strong and the birth chart lacks something to restrain them, when the fortune moves to a path that restrains them, it can still lead to wealth; however, the officials and evils should not be too strong, for if they are too heavy, they will endanger the day master, which is not acceptable.

祿劫取運，即以祿劫所成之局，分而配之。祿劫用官，印護者喜財，怕官星之逢合，畏七煞之相乘。傷食不能為害，劫比未即為凶。財生喜印，宜官星之植根，畏傷食之相侮，逢財愈見其功，雜煞豈能無礙？

The Shen氏 original says: When dealing with the禄劫 pattern, one should follow the specific configuration to match the appropriate circumstances. In the case of "L禄劫 using official star with seal star protecting the official star," the favorable years are those with wealth, because wealth generates official star, and official star generates seal star; what is feared is the official star being combined away by another star in the year, or seven evils coming in to mix up the pattern. The year of food and injury does not harm it (because there is a seal star to control it), and the year of same zodiac or劫财 does not necessarily bring bad luck. In the case of "L禄劫 using official star with wealth generating official star," the favorable years are those with seal star, which helps the official star to take root; what is feared is food and injury coming to bully the official star; encountering a wealth year further highlights its function; as for the mixing in of seven evils, how could there be no harm?

祿劫用財而帶傷食，財食重則喜印綬，而不忌比肩；財食輕則宜助財，而不喜印比。逢煞無傷，遇官非福。祿劫用煞食制，食重煞輕，則運宜助煞；食輕煞重，則運喜助食。

The Shen氏 text says: "When the path is 'Lü Jie using wealth and carrying food and injury', if wealth and food are both strong, it prefers a journey of印绶 to moderate the excess; the journey of 比肩 is not to be avoided. If wealth and food are both weak, it should go with a journey that supports wealth, and does not like journeys of 印 or 比劫. When encountering a journey of 七煞, there is no harm (as there are food and injury to control it), but encountering an official star is not beneficial (as the official star will restrain the body and take away the use of food and injury). When the path is 'Lü Jie using evil spirit and controlling the evil spirit with food', if food is strong and evil spirit is weak, the journey should support the evil spirit; if food is weak and evil spirit is strong, the journey should support the food."

若用煞而帶財，命中合煞存財，則傷食為宜，財運不忌，透官無慮，身旺亦亨。若命中合財存煞，而用食制，煞輕則助煞，食輕則助食則已。

The Shen氏 original says: If a person uses a harmful star (煞) along with wealth (财), one must look at the specific arrangement in their destiny. If the destiny is set up to combine away the harmful star and retain the wealth, then years with food and injury (食伤) are favorable, and wealth does not need to be avoided. If the official star (官星) appears in the year, there is no need for concern. Similarly, years that strengthen the body (身旺) are also favorable. If the destiny is set up to combine away the wealth and retain the harmful star, using the food star (食神) to control it, then one should still adjust according to the relative strength of the harmful star and the food star. If the harmful star is weak, one should support it; if the food star is weak, one should support it. That is all.

祿劫而用傷食，財運最宜，煞亦不忌，行印非吉，透官不美。若命中傷食太重，則財運固利，而印亦不忌矣。祿劫而官煞並出，不論合煞留官，存官制煞，運喜傷食，比肩亦宜，印綬未為良圖，財官亦非福運。

The Shen氏 original says: "When the path of official star and seven deadly stars are present, the fortune of wealth is most suitable, as it can transform refined qi into tangible results; even if the path of deadly stars is encountered, there is no need to be cautious, as food and injury stars can control them; if the path of academic stars is encountered, it is not auspicious, as the academic stars will take away the food stars; if the official star is revealed in the destiny, it is not good. If the original destiny already has too much food and injury stars, then the fortune of wealth is indeed beneficial, and the path of academic stars is not something to avoid, but rather suitable for restraining excess. When the path of official star and deadly stars are both present, regardless of whether the destiny combines deadly stars with official stars or retains official stars to control deadly stars, the path of food and injury stars is preferred, as they can control the official and deadly stars; the path of similar stars is also suitable; the path of academic stars is not favorable, and the paths of wealth and official stars are not auspicious, as they will only strengthen the official and deadly stars.

雜格者，月令無用，以外格而用之，其格甚多，故謂之雜。大約要干頭無官無煞，方成格，如有官煞，則自有官煞為用，列外格矣。若透財尚可取格，然財根深，或財透兩位，則亦以財為重，不取外格也。

The Shen氏 original says:the so-called "miscellaneous patterns" are those where the useful god cannot be derived from the month's stem, so one has to resort to external patterns; since there are many types of such patterns, they are called miscellaneous. Generally speaking, only when there is neither official nor malevolent star in the heavenly stems can a pattern be formed; if there are official or malevolent stars present, they naturally become the useful gods, and there is no need to refer to external patterns. If only wealth is revealed, one may still take an external pattern; however, if the root of wealth is very strong or if wealth appears in the heavenly stem twice, then wealth should be given priority, and external patterns should not be used.

試以諸格論之，有取五行一方秀氣者，取甲乙全亥卯未、寅卯辰，又生春月之類，本是一派劫財，以五行各得其全體，所以成格，喜印露而體純。如癸亥、乙卯、乙未、壬午，吳相公命是也。運亦喜印綬比劫之鄉，財食亦吉，官煞則忌矣。

Shen's original text explains each section in turn. The first type is taking the refined qi of the Five Phases concentrated in one area: for example, if the day master is Jia or Yi wood, and the branches gather together to form the Triple Harmony of Hai, Mao, and Wei or the triple combination of Yin, Mao, and Chen, and the person is born in spring, this is naturally a full set of劫财. However, because the Five Phases have the complete form of wood, it can form a pattern. It is favorable for the heavenly stems to reveal the印 to nourish the wood, making the essence pure. For example, the birth year is Guihai, the month is Yimao, the day is Yiwei, and the hour is Renwu, which is the birth chart of Wu Xianggong. Yi wood is born in the month of Mao, the branches have Hai, Mao, and Wei fully present, and the heavenly stems of the year and hour are both water, which are印, making the wood qi pure and unified. The favorable directions are those of印 and similar elements, while the directions of wealth and food are also auspicious. The directions of official and harmful stars should be avoided, as they either harm the strong element or contradict the overall momentum.

有從化取格者，要化出之物，得時乘令，四支局全。如丁壬化木，地支全亥卯未、寅卯辰，而又生於春月，方為大貴。否則，亥未之月亦是木地，次等之貴，如甲戌、丁卯、壬寅、甲辰，一品貴格命也。運喜所化之物，與所化之印綬，財傷亦可，不利官煞。

The second type is the pattern of transformation. The key is that the thing transformed must be in season and the earthly branches must be complete. For example, if Ding and Ren combine to form wood, the earthly branches should be complete with Hai, Mao, and Wei or Yin, Mao, and Chen, and the person should be born in spring, which is considered great fortune. If not, being born in the month of Hai or Wei, which are also wood months, can still bring secondary high status. For instance, a birth chart with Jia Xu year, Ding Mao month, Ren Yin day, and Jia Chen hour is a top-ranking pattern of transformation. The Ren water day master combines with the Ding fire in the month stem, and the person is born in the month of Mao. The earthly branches contain Yin, Mao, and Chen, and the original god of wood, Jia, appears twice. This truly transforms into wood. Favorable fortune comes from the transformed thing (wood), and the nourishing water, which produces wood. Wealth and injurious influences can also be acceptable, but the official and harmful influences (metal) are unfavorable, as they harm the transformed god (wood).

有倒沖成格者，以四柱列財官而對面以沖之，要支中字多，方沖得動。譬如以弱主邀強官，主不眾則賓不從。如戊午、戊午、戊午、戊午，是沖子財也；甲寅、庚午、丙午、甲午，是沖子官也。運忌填實，餘俱可行。

The third type is called reversing the conflict to form a pattern. If the native's chart originally lacks wealth and official positions, he uses the triplets in the four pillars to conflict with the opposite triplet, thereby bringing out the wealth and official positions. The conflict can only be effective if the same character appears multiple times in the triplets. It is like a weak host inviting a strong guest; if the host's side is not strong enough, the guest will not come. For example, if the year, month, day, and hour are all Wuwu (戊午), four Wus conflict with Zi (子), and the癸water in Zi is the wealth of Wu earth. Another example is Jiayin (甲寅) year, Gengwu (庚午) month, Bingwu (丙午) day, and Jiawu (甲午) hour, with three Wus conflicting with Zi, and the癸water in Zi is the official position of Bing fire. This pattern is most忌 when the conflicting character is actually present in the bigram (运上真见子). Other types of bigrams can be acceptable.

有朝陽成格者，戊去朝丙，辛日得官，以丙戊同祿於巳，即以引汲之意。要干頭無木火，方成其格，蓋有火則無待於朝，有木財觸戊之怒，而不為我朝。如戊辰、辛酉、戊子，張知縣命是也。運喜土金水，木運平平，火則忌矣。

The fourth type is called the "Morning Sun Form." It uses the earthy戊 (Wu) to welcome and support the fire of丙 (Bing), so that the day master of metal 辛 (Xin) can receive an official star. Since both 丙 and 戊 are in the巳 (Si) position and gain official status there, the 戊 earth has the function of drawing the 丙 fire towards it. To form this pattern, there should be no wood or fire in the heavenly stems. If there is fire, there is no need to welcome it; if there is wood, which is the wealth of 戊 earth, it would disturb 戊 earth's desire to welcome and instead make it greedy for wealth, thus refusing to welcome. For example, a birth with Wuchen (Wuchen) year, Xinyou (Xinyou) month, Wuzi (Wuzi) hour, this is the birth of a county magistrate (the original text lacks one pillar, according to later text it should be 辛酉 (Xinyou) day, but it is not directly added). The favorable luck is earth, metal, and water, while wood is mediocre and fire is to be avoided.

有合祿成格者，命無官星，借干支以合之。戊日庚申，以庚合乙，因其主而得其偶。如己未、戊辰、戊辰、庚申，蜀王命是也。癸日庚申，以申合巳，因其主而得其朋，如己酉、癸未、癸未、庚申，趙丞相命是也。運亦忌填實，不利官煞，理會不宜以火克金，使彼受制而不能合，餘則吉矣。

The fifth type is called "harmonizing with official star to form a pattern." When there is no official star in the birth chart, it is borrowed through the combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches. For a person with the day master of Wu earth, encountering the time of Geng Shen, Geng metal is used to combine with Yi wood—Yi is the proper official of Wu earth, which is called attracting its spouse from its own master. For example, a person born in the year of Gui Wei, month of Ji Wei, day of Ji Wei, and time of Geng Shen, this is the birth chart of the Shu King. For a person with the day master of Gui water, encountering the time of Geng Shen, Shen is used to combine with Si—Si contains Wu earth, which is the proper official of Gui water, which is called attracting its companion from its own master. For example, a person born in the year of Ji You, month of Gui Wei, day of Gui Wei, and time of Geng Shen, this is the birth chart of the Prime Minister Zhao. This pattern is also unfavorable when the fortune moves towards filling the branches, and it is not beneficial for official stars or harmful stars. According to principle, it is even more inappropriate to travel through fire fortune to overcome metal, because once metal is overcome, it will be restricted and the combination will not be formed. Other fortunes are generally favorable.

有棄命保財者，四柱皆財而身無氣，舍而從之，格成大貴。若透印則身賴印生而不從，有官煞則亦無從財兼從煞之理，其格不成。如庚申、乙酉、丙申、乙丑，王十萬命造也。運喜傷食財鄉，不宜身旺。

The original text says: The sixth type is to abandon one's destiny and follow wealth (the original text says "to protect wealth"). If all four pillars are filled with wealth and the day master has no strength, it is appropriate to give up oneself and follow the wealth, forming a grand and noble destiny. If the heavenly stem reveals the print (yin), the day master has the print to rely on and will not follow the wealth; if there is official star or harmful star, there is no way to follow both wealth and harmful star, and the pattern is not formed. For example, the birth chart of Wang Shiyiwan is: the year is Gengshen, the month is Yiyou, the day is Bingshen, and the hour is Yichou. The day master is Bing fire, born in the month of You (metal), the entire chart is filled with metal wealth, and the Bing fire has no root. The two Yi wood are transformed into metal by Geng, so it is necessary to abandon the destiny and follow wealth. Favorable luck is food and injury, and wealth land, but not the place where the day master is strong.

有棄命從煞者，四柱皆煞，而日主無根，舍而從之，格成大貴。若有傷食，則煞受制而不從，有印則印以化煞而不從。如乙酉、乙酉、乙酉、甲申，李侍郎命是也。運喜財官，不宜身旺，食傷則尤忌矣。

The seventh type is abandoning the destiny to follow the harmful stars. If all four pillars are harmful stars and the day master has no root, then one simply gives up the self and follows the harmful stars, forming a grand and noble destiny. However, if there are food or injury stars present, the harmful stars are restrained, and the day master will not follow. If there is an official star, it can transform the harmful stars, and the day master will also not follow. For example, a person born in the year Yiyou, month Yiyou, day Yiyou, and hour Jiashen, which is the fate of Li Shilang: three Yi wood are all sitting on You, and the hour branch is Shen, so the entire chart is filled with metal harmful stars. The Yi wood has no root at all, so it must abandon its own destiny and follow the harmful stars. Favorable luck is wealth and official positions (wealth generates the harmful stars, official positions assist the harmful stars), but one should avoid paths where the self is strong, especially the paths of food and injury stars which should be particularly avoided.

有井欄成格者，庚金生三七月，方用此格。以申子辰沖寅午戌，財官印綬，合而沖之，若透丙丁，有巳午，以現有財官，而無待於沖，乃非井攔之格矣。如戊子、庚申、庚申、庚申，郭統制命也。運喜財，不利填實，餘亦吉也。

The eighth type is the well frame pattern. This pattern is applicable only when the day stem is Geng metal and the birth month is either the third or seventh month. It uses the earthly branches of Shen, Zi, and Chen to clash with Yin, Wu, and Xu, bringing out the wealth from Yin, the official from Wu, and the scholar from Xu all at once. If the heavenly stem already reveals Bing or Ding, or if the earthly branch already contains Si or Wu, then wealth and official are already present, and there is no need for clashing, so it is not the well frame pattern. For example, a birth with Wuzi year, Gengshen month, Gengshen day, and Gengshen hour, which is the birth of Guo Tongzhi, has three Shens and one Zi, forming a water group with strong clashing power. Favorable fortune comes from wealth, while it is unfavorable to fill in the clashed characters. Other fortunes are also favorable.

有刑合成格者，癸日甲寅時，寅刑巳而得財官，格與合祿相似，但合祿則喜以合之，而刑合則硬以致之也。命有庚申，則木被沖剋而不能刑；有戊己字，則現透官煞而無待於刑，非此格矣。如乙未、癸卯、癸卯、甲寅，十二節度使命是也。運忌填實，不利金鄉，餘則吉矣。

The original text says: The ninth type is the "刑合成格" (forceful combination and formation). For a day stem of癸 water, when encountering the hour stem of Jiayin, the寅 wood is used to刑 the巳 fire, thereby bringing out the丙 fire (wealth) and戊 earth (official position) contained within the巳. This pattern is similar to the "合禄格" (combination for official position), but in the case of "合禄格," the combination is voluntary, whereas in "刑合成格," the combination is forced. If there is a Gengshen in the chart, the寅 wood will be冲 (conflicted) and克 (overcome), and thus the刑 will not take effect. If there is a戊 or己, that means the official position or harmful official position is already present and revealed, so there is no need to刑 it again, and thus it is not this pattern. For example, a birth chart with Yiwei year, Guimao month, Guimao day, and Jiayin hour is the birth chart of the twelve military governors. This chart dislikes the filling of the chart (filling the branches), and it is unfavorable to travel through the metal region (because metal will克 the寅 wood, thus preventing the刑 from taking effect). All other types of journeys are favorable.

有遙合成格者，巳與丑會，本同一局，丑多則會巳而辛丑處官，亦合祿之意也。如辛丑、辛丑、辛丑、庚寅，章統制命是也。若命是有子字，則丑與子合而不遙，有丙丁戊己，則辛癸之官煞已透，而無待於遙，另有取用，非此格矣。至於甲子遙已，轉輾求俁，似覺無情，此格可廢，因羅御史命，聊復存之。為甲申、甲戌、甲子、甲子，羅御史命是也。

The eleventh type is called remote synthesis. The branches Si and Chou originally belong to the same trine of Si, You, and Chou. If there is an extra Chou, it can bring Si into the trine, allowing the Jia Wood day master to obtain the fire of Bing in Si as official. (The original text has some errors in this sentence.) This is also the meaning of combining for official status. For example, if the year, month, day, and hour are all Xinchou, this is the fate of a general. If the chart contains Zi, then Chou will combine with Zi, and the remote synthesis will not occur. If there are Bing, Ding, Wu, or Ji, then the official or harmful stars of Xin Metal are already clearly present, and there is no need for remote synthesis, as there is another use, and thus it is not this pattern. As for the claim of remote synthesis with Si for Jia Wood day master, the reasoning is convoluted and forced, and this pattern should be discarded. However, due to the case of Luo Yu Shi, it is retained. That case is Jia Shen year, Jia Xu month, Jia Zi day, and Jia Zi hour, which is Luo Yu Shi's fate.

若夫拱祿、拱貴、趨乾、歸祿、夾戌、鼠貴、騎龍、日貴、日德、富祿、魁罡、金神、時墓、兩干不雜、干支一氣、五行俱足之類，一切無理之格，既置勿取。即古人格內，亦有成式，總之意為牽就，硬填入格，百無一是，徒誤後學而已。乃若天地雙飛，雖富貴亦有自有格，不全賴此。而亦能增重基格，即用神不甚有用，偶有依以為用，亦成美格。然而有用神不吉，即以為凶，不可執也。

Shen's original text says: As for patterns such as supporting virtue, supporting dignity, approaching Heaven, returning virtue, flanking Xu, rat virtue, riding a dragon, day virtue, day virtue, wealth virtue, grand momentum, metal god, hour tomb, two dry branches not mixed, single dry and branch, five phases complete, all these are entirely without reason and should be set aside. Even if ancient pattern books established fixed forms, they are all arbitrary adjustments, forcing the eight characters into a pattern, and among a hundred there is not one that makes sense, only wasting the learning of later generations. As for the pattern called "heaven and earth flying together," although a person may be wealthy and noble, that wealth and nobility originally come from its own pattern, not entirely relying on this name; however, it can indeed add weight to the original pattern. Even if the useful god is not very useful, occasionally following it to select the useful god can form a beautiful pattern. However, if the useful god itself is not auspicious, and one determines it to be凶, being rigid in this way is also not acceptable.

其於傷官傷盡，謂是傷盡，不宜一見官，必盡力以傷之，使之無地容身，現行傷運，便能富貴，不知官有何罪，而惡之如此？況見官而傷，則以官非美物，而傷以制之，又何傷官之謂凶神，而見官之為禍百端乎？予用是術以歷試，但有貧賤，並無富貴，未輕信也，近亦見有大貴者，不知何故。然要之極賤者多，不得不觀其人物以衡之。

The Shen family's original text says: As for the idea of "injuring the official star completely," it means that if one is to injure the official star, it must be injured thoroughly, with no official star allowed to appear at all; it must be injured to the point where there is no place for it to hide. When one reaches the period of the official star's influence, one can become wealthy and noble. I really don't understand: what crime has the official star committed that it should be so despised? Moreover, if one is to injure the official star whenever it appears, that would imply that the official star is not a good thing and needs to be controlled by the injurious star; then why is the injurious star called a malevolent spirit, and seeing the official star said to bring about countless misfortunes? I have tested this idea one by one, and I have only seen poverty and low status, not wealth and nobility, so I dare not believe it lightly; recently, however, I have also seen a few very important and noble people, but I don't know what the reason is. In conclusion, most people are of low status, so I can only refer to the person's appearance, demeanor, and temperament for further judgment.

徐注：用傷官之忌見官星，亦猶用官之忌傷，用印之忌財，用財之忌劫也。何格無喜忌，豈獨傷官？況官星有喜見不喜見之別乎？至於格局之不可解者甚多。我人學識不足，未窮奧妙，知之為知之，不知為不知，正不必曲為諱飾也。

Xu Lewu explains that the aversion of official stars in the case of a wounded official is the same as the aversion of a wounded official in the case of an official, or the aversion of wealth in the case of a seal, or the aversion of siblings in the case of wealth. All these are based on the same principle. Which pattern does not have its likes and dislikes? How can it be said that only the wounded official pattern has them? Moreover, the official star itself can be either desirable or undesirable depending on the situation. As for examples that do not fit the pattern, there are indeed many, which result from our insufficient knowledge and failure to explore their subtleties. Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing; there is no need to force an explanation.

徐注：雜格不一，大都氣勢偏旺，出於五行常理之外。昔人評命，泥於財官之說，四柱無財可取，則不惜遙合倒沖，牽強附會，以期合於財官，未免可嗤。命理不外乎五行，氣勢雖為偏旺，而偏旺之中，仍有正理可取，詳《滴天髓徵義》。偏旺之格，取運大都須順其氣勢，雖干支喜忌，須察四柱之配合，而順勢取運，大致有定。茲就本篇所引各造，約略言之。

Xu Lewu commented: Miscellaneous patterns have various names, but they are mostly cases where the qi is strongly emphasized in one direction, going beyond the usual principles of the Five Phases. In the past, people evaluated destinies by sticking rigidly to the concepts of wealth and official positions. If they could not find wealth or official positions in the four pillars, they would resort to forced methods such as remote combination and reverse conflict to artificially create a wealth or official position, which was rather laughable. Ultimately, destiny calculation does not go beyond the scope of the Five Phases: although the qi may be strongly emphasized, within this strong emphasis there is still a proper principle to follow. This point is elaborately discussed in the "Ditianmei Zhengyi." For all patterns of strong emphasis, the general trend in choosing the right fortune should follow the direction of the qi. Although the specific preferences and aversions of the heavenly stems and earthly branches still need to be examined based on how the four pillars are combined, the general principle of "following the trend when choosing fortune" is definite. Below, I will briefly discuss the examples cited in this section.

癸亥 乙卯 乙未 壬午 甲寅 癸丑 壬子 辛亥 庚戌 己酉 甲乙日主，支全亥卯未或寅卯辰，乃曲直仁壽格也。氣勢偏旺於木，宜行水木火運，官煞運最忌，財運亦不宜。丙丁日主，支全寅午戌、或巳午未，為炎上格。戊已日主，支全辰戌丑未為稼穡格。庚辛日主，支全巳酉丑或申酉戌，為從革格。壬癸日主支全甲子辰或亥子丑，為潤下格。五種意義相同。

Xu Lewu cited the case of a gentleman named Wu, whose birth chart consists of the year Guihai, the month Yimao, the day Yiwei, and the hour Renwu. His big years are Jiayin, Guichou, Renzi, Xinhai, Gengxu, and Jiyou. He said: For a day master of Jia and Yi wood, if the branches form the triple harmony of Hai, Mao, and Wei or the triple combination of Yin, Mao, and Chen, it is called the "Qu Zhi Ren Shou Pattern." This chart has a strong wood element. The favorable years should be water, wood, and fire, since water nourishes wood, wood supports wood, and fire releases the brilliance of wood. The years of official and seven deadly stars are most unfavorable, as metal will weaken wood, which goes against the strong element. The wealth years are also not suitable, as wood will weaken earth and disrupt the entire chart. The same principle applies: For a day master of Bing and Ding fire, if the branches form the triple harmony of Yin, Wu, and Xu or Si, Wu, and Wei, it is called the "Yan Shang Pattern." For a day master of Wu and Ji earth, if the branches form the triple harmony of Chen, Xu, and Chou or Chou, Chou, and Wei, it is called the "Jia Se Pattern." For a day master of Geng and Xin metal, if the branches form the triple harmony of Si, You, and Chou or Shen, You, and Xu, it is called the "Cong Ge Pattern." For a day master of Ren and Gui water, if the branches form the triple harmony of Shen, Zi, and Chen or Hai, Zi, and Chou, it is called the "Run Xia Pattern." The meaning of the years for these five patterns is exactly the same.

甲戌 丁卯 壬寅 甲辰 戊辰 己巳 庚午 辛未 壬申 癸酉 丁壬化木，生於春月，時逢甲辰，木之元神透出，乃化木格。氣勢偏於木也。化神喜行旺地，最宜東方寅卯辰比劫鄉，而忌官煞，日主還原之地亦忌，其中略分別，如丁壬化木，日元壬水，行亥子丑印地，生起化神亦吉；若甲已化土，而行寅卯辰，克我化神，為大忌也。化氣格有甲己化土、乙庚化金、丙辛化水、丁壬化木、戊癸化火五種，意義略同。

Xu Lewu cited the case of Hua Mu, whose four pillars are Jia Xu year, Ding Mao month, Ren Yin day, and Jia Chen hour; the big years are Wu Chen, Ji Si, Geng Wu, Xin Wei, Ren Shen, and Gui You. He said: the day stem Ren water combines with the month stem Ding to form wood, and the person was born in the Mao month of spring, with the hour pillar Jia Chen, so the origin god of wood appears, which is the Hua Mu pattern. The whole energy is inclined towards wood. All "huan shen" (transformed deities) prefer to travel through their strongest positions, so the best is to go to the eastern area of Yin, Mao, and Chen, which is the land of same kind. However, the official and evil stars that restrain the transformed deity are to be avoided. Also, the land where the day stem returns to its original form should also be avoided. There are some differences: for instance, in the case of Ding Ren Hua Mu, the day stem is originally Ren water, and if the person travels through the Hai, Zi, and Chou areas, which are the land of the mother, the water can nourish the transformed deity wood, which is considered auspicious. However, if it is the case of Jia Xi Hua Tu, and the person travels through Yin, Mao, and Chen, which are the land of wood, the wood will restrain the transformed deity Tu, which is a great忌. There are five types of Hua Qi patterns: Jia Xi Hua Tu, Yi Geng Hua Jin, Bing Xin Hua Shui, Ding Ren Hua Mu, and Wu Gui Hua Huo. The meaning of the big years is generally similar.

戊午 戊午 戊午 戊午 己未 庚申 辛酉 壬戌 癸亥 甲子 兩神成象，而氣勢偏於火土，為從旺格。最宜金運，洩土之氣，但火炎土燥，究嫌偏枯，宜帶水之土以護之。如庚辰辛丑等運為最佳，若見水運，如以一杯水救車薪之火。立見其災。所謂倒沖最忌填實，即此意也。木運逆土之性，增火之焰，亦不相宜。

Xu Lewu cited an example of a birth chart with all four pillars being the same: Wuwu year, Wuwu month, Wuwu day, and Wuwu hour; the big years in sequence are Jiwei, Gengshen, Xinyou, Renxu, Guihai, and Jiazi. He said: this is a case of 'two deities forming an image' between fire and earth, with the whole energy leaning towards fire and earth, so it should be considered according to the 'from strength' pattern, not a case of 'reverse conflict'. The best fortune comes from traveling through metal, which can release the strong energy of earth; however, since fire is intense and earth is dry, it is still considered imbalanced. The best is to have earth with some water to protect it, so the best big years are those with dry metal and wet branches, such as Gengchen and Xinchou. If only water is present, it is like trying to put out a cartload of burning fire with a single cup of water, disaster will arrive immediately. The old saying 'reverse conflict most dislikes being filled' refers exactly to this meaning. As for wood fortune, it not only goes against the nature of earth but also enhances the fire, so it is not suitable.

甲寅 庚午 丙午 甲午 辛未 壬申 癸酉 甲戌 乙亥 丙子 庚金無根，置之不論，氣偏木火，格成炎上，最宜土運洩火之氣。說見前仁壽格。以上兩造皆俗所謂倒沖格也。

Xu Lewu comments on another case: Jiayin year, Gengwu month, Bingwu day, Jiawu hour; the big years are in sequence Xinwei, Renshen, Guiyou, Jiaxu, Yihai, Bingzi. He says: the heavenly stem Gengjin has no root in the earth, so it can be ignored; the whole chart's momentum is inclined towards wood and fire, so the pattern is "Inflaming Ascendancy." The best fortune is to go through earth, using earth to release the excess fire energy, the reasoning has already been explained in the previous "Qu Zhi Ren Shou Pattern." The above two cases are what ordinary people call "Reverse Pouring Pattern" — in reality, they should be viewed according to the "Following the Strength Pattern."

戊辰 辛酉 辛酉 戊子 壬戌 癸亥 甲子 乙丑 丙寅 丁卯 此金水傷官，原無官星，氣勢偏於金水，以順其性。行土金水運為美，火運為忌。帶水之木尚可行，而帶火之木則不宜見。此俗所謂朝陽格也。

Xu Lewu cites the case of Zhang County Magistrate, born in the year of Wu Chen, month of Xin You, day of Xin You, and hour of Wu Zi. His successive big years are Ren Xu, Gui Hai, Jia Zi, Yi Chou, Bing Yin, and Ding Mao. He says: This is a case of "Jin Shui Shang Gan" (Gold and Water Official). The native's chart originally lacks the official star, and the momentum is inclined towards gold and water. Therefore, the big years should follow its nature. Traveling through earth, metal, and water big years is favorable, as earth generates metal, metal supports metal, and water releases the brilliance. Fire big years should be avoided, as fire overcomes metal and goes against the strong metal. Big years with water and wood (such as Ren Yin and Gui Mao) can still be acceptable, but big years with fire and wood (such as Bing Yin and Ding Mao) should be avoided. This is what common people call the "Chao Yang Ge" (Sunrise Pattern).

己未 戊辰 戊辰 庚申 丁卯 丙寅 乙丑 甲子 癸亥 壬戌 此土金食神也。比劫重重，氣勢偏於土金，以金運洩土之秀為最吉，水運亦美，火運為忌，木亦不美，所謂土盛木折也。俗以庚合乙為官星，稱為合祿格，又不要明見，喜財以生之。取運略同。

Xu Lewu points out an example called Shu Wang Yi Zao: born in Jiwei year, Wuchen month, Wuchen day, and Gengshen hour; the big years are in Dingmao, Bingyin, Yichou, Jiazi, Guihai, and Renxu in order. He says: this is actually the 'Earth Metal Food God' pattern. In the birth chart, there are many jiaqian and jiecai, and the momentum is mainly in earth and metal. Therefore, the most auspicious big years are those that release the essence of earth through metal, and water years are also good (as metal can generate water, and water is wealth). Fire years are unfavorable (as fire generates earth, making earth even more blocked), and wood years are also not good - although wood can overcome earth, since earth is too strong, it actually breaks the wood, which is called 'earth being too strong, wood is broken'. Common people take the heavenly stem Geng metal to combine with the earthly branch Yi wood, and regard Yi wood as the official star of Wu earth, calling it the 'combination and wealth pattern'. They also say that this official star does not need to be clearly present, but prefers wealth to generate it. In fact, according to this pattern, the conclusion is roughly the same as above.

己酉 辛未 癸未 庚申 庚午 己巳 戊辰 丁卯 丙寅 乙丑 俗亦名之為合祿格，以申合巳中戊土為官星也。月令偏官，年上透出，時上庚印化煞為用（見論偏官篇），格正局清，有何不美？若取巳中戊土官星，豈非官煞混雜耶？

Xu Lewu cited the case of a minister Zhao, whose birth chart is: Jiyou year, Xinwei month, Guimi day, Gengshen hour; the big years are in sequence Gengwu, Jisi, Wuchen, Dingmao, Bingyin, Yichou. He said: Common people also call this chart the 'Harmony and Wealth Pattern', saying that the hour branch Shen combines with the Si branch's Wu earth, which is considered as the official star for the癸water. In reality, the癸water is born in the Wei month, where the Wei branch's Ji earth is a biased official, and it is also revealed in the year stem; the hour stem Geng metal is the proper seal, which can transform the evil and nourish the self, and this is the true useful god. The pattern is correct and the structure is pure, so what is not beautiful? If one does not take the Wu earth in Si as the official star, then the Ji evil and Wu official come together, would they not become a mixture of official and evil?

庚申 乙酉 丙申 己丑 丙戌 丁亥 戊子 己丑 庚寅 辛卯 乙從庚化，不作印論，丙火臨申，坐於病地，四柱無根，時上己丑又來生金，氣勢偏於金旺，為棄命從財格也。運宜行土金水，南方火鄉最忌，木亦不利。

Xu Lewu cited Wang Shiwan's case: born in the year of Gengshen, month of Yiyou, day of Bingshen, and hour of Jichou. His big years are in order Bingxu, Dinghai, Wuzi, Jichou, Gengyin, and Xinmao. He said: the heavenly stem Yi wood is originally the true official of the heavenly stem Bing fire, but it is combined with the heavenly stem Geng metal in the year column, turning into metal, so it can no longer be considered as an official. The heavenly stem Bing fire is sitting on the branch Shen, which is the "sick" position in the twelve branches, and there is no root of fire in the four pillars. The hour column Jichou is also earth that nourishes metal. The whole chart is inclined towards strong metal, so it is the "abandoning the destiny to follow the wealth" pattern. The best years are those of earth, metal, and water, because earth nourishes metal, metal supports metal, and water is generated by metal, following its trend. The southern fire land is most undesirable, because fire would revive the root of Bing fire, opposing the wealth trend. The wood years are also unfavorable, because wood is attacked by the many metals, causing unnecessary disturbance.

乙酉 乙酉 乙酉 甲申 甲申 癸未 壬午 辛巳 庚辰 己卯 乙木無根，氣勢偏於金，為棄命從煞格。金運最美，水土亦吉。木運為乙木逢根，火運逆其旺勢，皆忌見。與上從財格大致相同。

Xu Lewu cited the case of Li Shilang, whose birth chart is: Yiyou year, Yiyou month, Yiyou day, Jiashen hour. His big years are in sequence: Jiashen, Guiwei, Renwu, Xinsi, Gengchen, Jimao. He said: Three Yi wood are all sitting on You, and the hour branch is also Shen. Therefore, the Yi wood has no root at all, and the momentum is biased towards metal, so it is the 'abandoning destiny and following the evil' pattern. The best fortune is the metal big year, and water and earth big years are also favorable - earth can generate metal, and water although drains metal is still in line with the trend. The wood big year is not suitable, because if wood comes, the Yi wood will have a root, and it will compete with the evil it follows; fire big year is even more against the trend, as it will attack metal, which is undesirable. This is similar to the previous 'following the wealth' pattern.

戊子 庚申 庚申 庚辰 辛酉 壬戌 癸亥 甲子 乙丑 丙寅 此俗所謂井欄叉格。庚金乘旺洩秀，支全申子辰水局。氣勢偏於金水，當順其勢以取運。土金水運均美，木運亦可，行火運逆其旺勢不利。

Xu Lewu cited a case of Guo Tongzhi: born in the year of Wuzi, month of Gengshen, day of Gengshen, and hour of Gengchen; his successive big years were Xinyou, Renxu, Guihai, Jiazi, Yichou, and Bingyin. He said: this is what common people call the "well rim cross pattern." In reality, the庚gold is flourishing in the autumn season, and water is used to release its brilliance. The earthly branches Shen, Zi, and Chen form a water trinity. The momentum leans toward gold and water, so the big years should follow this trend: earth, gold, and water are favorable; wood is also acceptable, since the strong water can generate wood, and wood can also release water; only fire is contrary to this strong momentum, and is most unfavorable.

辛丑 辛丑 辛丑 庚寅 庚子 己亥 戊戌 丁酉 丙申 乙未 此俗所謂丑遙巳格。土金成局，生於十二月，時上寅木無氣，不能為用。勢象偏於土金，宜土金水運，木火逆其旺勢為不宜。與遙巳格取運相同也。

Xu Lemu pointed out an example of a single formation called "Xin Chou year, Xin Chou month, Xin Chou day, Geng Yin hour; the big years are in sequence Geng Zi, Ji Hai, Wu Xu, Ding You, Bing Shen, Yi Wei." He said: This is what common people call the "Chou remote Si pattern." In reality, the earth and metal form a single group, and the person is born in the twelfth month, when the earth is in command. The hour branch, which is the wood branch Yin, has no strength in the severe winter, and cannot be used as the useful god. The overall trend of the situation is biased towards earth and metal, so it is suitable to go through the earth, metal, and water years. The wood and fire years are against the strong trend and are not suitable. It is exactly the same as the previous pattern of taking the remote combination and choosing the years.

乙未 癸卯 癸卯 甲寅 壬寅 辛丑 庚子 己亥 戊戌 丁酉 《喜忌篇》云，「癸日進逢寅位，歲月怕戊已二方」，以寅刑出巳中戊土為格，其實乃從兒格也。氣勢偏於木，行運最喜木火。從格忌見比劫，而從兒有食傷引化，不忌比劫，此為不同之點。官煞大忌，印運亦忌。

Xu Lewu points out a case of twelve officials, with the birth year being Yiwei, the month Guimao, the day Guimao, and the hour Jiayin. The big years follow in order: Renyin, Xinchou, Gengzi, Jihai, Wuxu, and Dingyou. He says: "The "Xiji篇" states that when the day is Gui water and the position is Yin, the years and months should avoid Wu and Ji." The old interpretation used Yin to刑 out Si and take Wu earth as the basis. In fact, this case should be considered as the "Cong Er Ge" - the day master Gui water is supported by wood throughout its life, following the path of what it generates. The momentum is inclined towards wood, and the best fortune is wood and fire: wood is the child it follows, and fire is what wood generates. Usually, from patterns dislike to see siblings or thieves, but in the case of Cong Er Ge, the food and injury are in the middle to transform the momentum, so the siblings' momentum also flows into wood, thus it is not disliked. This is the difference between this pattern and other from patterns. Officials and evils are greatly disliked, and the印运 is also disliked - they all come to harm this wood momentum.

甲申 甲戌 甲子 甲子 乙亥 丙子 丁丑 戊寅 己卯 庚辰 《喜忌篇》云，「甲子日再遇子時，畏庚辛申酉丑午，以子遙合巳為格」，其實月令偏財，用財損印，何必另取格局？戌藏丁火，生起財星，遇運透清為美，庚辛申酉官煞生印為忌，午沖子、丑刑戌均為忌也。

Xu Lewu cited the case of Luo Yu Shi, whose birth chart is Jia Shen year, Jia Xu month, Jia Zi day, and Jia Zi hour. His big運 are Yihai, Bingzi, Dingchou, Wuyin, Jimao, and Gengchen in sequence. He said that the "Xiji篇" states, "When Jia Zi day meets Zi hour again, it fears Geng and Xin, as well as Shen, You, Chou, and Wu, because Zi combines with Si from a distance to form a pattern." In reality, in this case, the month of Xu contains Wu earth, which is the biased wealth, and the two Zi waters are the official. Using wealth to reduce the excessive official is sufficient, so why establish another pattern? The month also contains Ding fire, which can generate the wealth star. Therefore, if the running fortune brings out Ding fire and clearly uses it, it would be a good fortune. Geng and Xin, as well as Shen and You, are officials and evils, which would instead generate the official, making it more extreme, thus they are considered bad. As for Wu conflicting with Zi and Chou conflicting with Xu, they shake the roots of the official and wealth, which are also considered bad.