Liu Ren Shen Ding Jing (六壬神定經)

《乾鑿度》曰：氣象未分，謂之太易（謂始生於玄牝）。元氣始萌，謂之太初（陰陽初生）。氣象之端，謂之太始（始有清濁之形）。形變有質，謂之太素（清濁己分）。形質已具，謂之太極（二儀初立）。

The "Qian Zao Du" says: When the vital energy and forms of heaven and earth have not yet been differentiated, it is called "Tai Yi" (referring to the beginning of all things from the profound source known as "Xuan Pen"). When the primordial energy begins to stir, it is called "Tai Chu" (yin and yang are born here). When the vital energy and forms begin to show their initial manifestations, it is called "Tai Shi" (the differentiation of clear and turbid forms begins). When forms change and possess substance, it is called "Tai Su" (clear and turbid have already been separated). When forms and substances are both complete, it is called "Tai Ji" (the two principles of heaven and earth are established here). This book places this cosmological theory at the beginning to establish a foundation for the Six Rats system: from "Tai Yi" to "Tai Ji," there are five stages of development, from formless to formed, from chaos to the differentiation of clear and turbid. The "Heaven Plate" on the Six Rats formula disk, which moves in a circle, and the "Earth Plate," which remains still and square, are based precisely on the image of "the initial establishment of the two principles."

《釋名》曰：天，坦也，坦然而高遠也。《物理論》曰：水土之氣，升而為天。《桓譚新論》曰：天以為蓋左旋，日月星辰，隨而東西。虞喜曰：天確乎在上，有常安之形，故天行健而不息也。《尚書考靈曜》曰：觀二儀之旋，昏明之時。《禮記》曰：天之道，高也，明也，悠也，久也。《易》曰：天垂象，見吉凶。故後世聖人造式，以楓子為天，圓其質，法天而動，以取其義也。

The Shiming says: "Tian" means "Tan," which is broad and lofty. The Wulunli says: the qi of water and soil rises and condenses into Tian. The Huan Tan Xin Lun says: Tian is like a car cover that rotates to the left, and the sun, moon, and stars follow it moving from east to west. Yu Xi says: Tian is indeed located above, with a constant and stable form, so its movement is strong and unceasing. The Shangshu Kaolingyao says: by observing the rotation of the two principles of heaven and earth, one can determine the times of dusk and dawn. The Liji says: the way of Tian is high, bright, distant, and enduring. The Zhouyi · Xici says: Tian shows the images of things, thereby revealing auspicious and inauspicious signs. Because of such understanding of Tian throughout the ages, later sages created the Liu Ren Shi Pan, using "Fengzi" wood for the "Tianpan," shaping it into a circle to imitate Tian and make it movable. When divining, one uses this circular disk by turning it with the hands. The meaning of "round and moving" is precisely this.

昔大禹觀於洛河而受錄，於寰瀛之內，可得而言也。地有四表四瀆，八紘之外，名為八極，地不足東南。其廣東西二億三萬二千里，其南北三億三萬一千三百里。南北為經，東西為緯。乃曰地有十二辰，王侯之所國也。昔黃帝旁行天下，方制萬里，得百里之國萬區。則《周易》所謂首出庶物，萬國咸寧者也。故後世聖人造式。以棗心為地，方其體。法地而靜，其義在茲爾。

In ancient times, Yu the Great observed the heavens and the terrain along the Luo River and Yellow River regions, and received a divine map and record from heaven. From then on, the scale of the world became something that could be described. The earth has four extremities (the farthest points in the four directions), four major rivers (the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River, and Ji River, which flow directly into the sea), and beyond the eight directions is called the eight extremes. The earth is said to be lacking in the southeast direction, hence the saying "the earth is insufficient in the southeast." The earth is 232,000 li in width from east to west and 331,300 li in length from north to south. The north-south direction is called "jing" (meridian), and the east-west direction is called "wei" (latitude). Thus, the earth is divided into twelve chen (divisions), which are the places where kings and princes received their fiefs and established their states. In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor traveled throughout the world, demarcated a territory of ten thousand li, and obtained a hundred-li square fief for a total of ten thousand regions. This is what the "Tao" section of the "Zhou Yi" (Book of Changes) "Qian Hexagram" says: "The first to emerge among all things, all the states are at peace." Therefore, later sages when making the "shi pan" (a divination tool), used "zaoxin" wood for the "di pan" (earth plate), shaping it into a square form, imitating the earth and keeping it still—this square plate remains fixed during divination. The sky is round and moves, the earth is square and still; one moves, one remains fixed, thus allowing for the presence of divine generals, and this is the meaning behind it.

《淮南子》曰：天地之道，襲精為陰陽，專精為四時。四時者，春夏秋冬也。

The Huainanzi says: The principle of the operation of heaven and earth is to combine and differentiate the vital energy into yin and yang, and to concentrate and differentiate the vital energy into the four seasons. The four seasons refer to spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The four seasons are the four phases in a year where yin and yang wax and wane. The Six Rats (Liuren) determine the strength or weakness of a divine general based on which season it falls into, thereby determining the five states of qi strength: "Wang" (prosperous), "Xiang" (auxiliary), "Xiu" (resting), "Qiu" (captured), and "Si" (dead). Therefore, discussing the four seasons is the prerequisite for divination.

春：班固曰：春為少陽也，主東方。東，動也，陽氣動物，於時為春。春，蠢也，萬物之生，蠢然而運動。夏：班固曰：夏為太陽也，主南方。南，任也。陽氣任養萬物，於時為夏。夏，假也，萬物假火乃宣平。

Spring: Ban Gu said that Spring belongs to "Less Yang," which governs the East. "East" means "movement," and Yang energy promotes all things; in the sequence of time, this is Spring. "Spring" means "stirring," and all things begin to sprout, stirring into action. Summer: Ban Gu said that Summer belongs to "Full Yang," which governs the South. "South" means "bearing," that is, carrying a burden, and Yang energy bears the responsibility of nurturing all things; in the sequence of time, this is Summer. "Summer" means "borrowing," that is, relying on, and all things rely on the heat of fire to become smooth and harmonious. Using characters with similar pronunciations to explain each other was a common practice in the Han dynasty for explaining the sequence of seasons and the heavenly stems and earthly branches. Here, the established principle that "the East belongs to Wood and is active, the South belongs to Fire and is nurturing" serves as the foundation for later discussions on the Five Phases and determining the Month General.

秋：班固曰：秋，為少陰也，主酉方。西，零也。陰氣零落，於時為秋。秋也（顏師古曰：□，子由切）。萬物收斂乃成熟。冬：班固曰：冬，為太陰也，主北方。北，伏也。陽氣伏於下，於時為冬。冬，終也。萬物終藏，乃不可稱。四季：班固曰：中央者，陰陽之內，四方之中。經緯通達，乃能端直。於四時為四季。土主稼穡蕃息也。

Autumn: Ban Gu said that autumn belongs to "Lesser Yin," which governs the western direction, i.e., You. "West" is equivalent to "ling," meaning the dispersion of yin energy. This dispersion corresponds to the seasonal timing of autumn. As for the character "qiu" (autumn), Yan Shigǔ only left a reverse-sound notation "zi you qie" — the original text here is missing the character being explained, leaving only a placeholder, and it is not conjectured from other sources. At this time, all things gather and converge, thus achieving maturity. Winter: Ban Gu said that winter belongs to "Great Yin," which governs the northern direction. "North" is equivalent to "fu," meaning the concealment of yang energy beneath. This concealment corresponds to the seasonal timing of winter. The character "dong" (winter) means "zhong," signifying the completion of all things, which then retreat and store away, no longer visible. The Four Seasons: Ban Gu said that the center is within yin and yang, and in the middle of the four directions. Only when the meridians and threads intersect here can things be upright and unbiased. When matched to the four seasons, it is called "Four Seasons," referring to the four months — Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei — when earth energy is strong. The eighteen days before each of the four solstices belong to earth, and these four periods of earth's strength in the Six Rats system serve as the basis for the four lessons in the Six Rats system. They are also the origin of the saying "earth is strong in the four seasons."

黃帝遣大撓造甲子，大撓以日之功能生萬物，故隨四時、因萬物而為名，故成陰陽之施化，萬物之始終，十干之象具焉。

The Yellow Emperor sent Da Nao to create the "Jiazi" system, which is the method of recording time using the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Da Nao believed that the function of "day" is to give birth to all things, so he named the ten Heavenly Stems according to the order of the four seasons and the forms of all things in each stage. Once the names were established, the operation of yin and yang, the beginning and end of all things were included, and the symbolic representations of the ten Heavenly Stems were complete. The following explanation of the meanings of the ten Heavenly Stems is based on the state of all things at each step. Readers should not treat it as etymology but rather as an explanation of the nature of each Heavenly Stem. When judging what a particular stem governs or what character it represents in divination, this symbolic meaning is used.

甲：《春秋元命包》曰：甲者，狎也，春即開，冬即合。鄭司農曰：甲者，拆也，萬物甲拆而後出。班固曰：萬物出於甲也。乙：《春秋元命包》曰：乙者，屈也，盤屈芒而欲伸。鄭司農曰：乙，軋也，萬物自軋而出。班固曰：萬物奮軋於乙。丙：《春秋元命包》曰：丙者，明也，言太陽明盛。鄭司農曰：丙，炳也，萬物盛茂，炳然而明。班固曰：萬物明炳於丙。

Heavenly Stem Jia is explained in the "Chunqiu Yuanmingbao" as "xia," meaning to open and close, symbolizing the opening in spring and closing in winter. Zheng SONGNONG (Zheng Zhong of the Eastern Han dynasty) says Jia is "che," meaning to split open, with all things breaking through their shells to emerge. Ban Gu says that all things begin to sprout from Jia. Heavenly Stem Yi is explained in the "Chunqiu Yuanmingbao" as "qu," meaning to bend, referring to the curled sprout of grass striving to extend. Zheng SONGNONG says Yi is "ya," meaning to press, with all things pressing against each other to push upwards. Ban Gu says that all things strive to press out in Yi. Heavenly Stem Bing is explained in the "Chunqiu Yuanmingbao" as "ming," meaning brightness, referring to the brightness and grandeur of the sun. Zheng SONGNONG says Bing is "bing," meaning flourishing and shining brightly, with all things flourishing densely and shining brightly. Ban Gu says that all things become bright and shining in Bing. Although the three scholars used different characters in their explanations, their meanings are consistent: Jia represents breaking out of the shell, Yi represents bending and stretching, and Bing represents brightness and flourishing, each step moving outward more.

丁：《春秋元命包》曰：丁者，強也，言萬物此時強盛。鄭司農曰：萬物長養，於此剛強。班固曰：萬物強盛於丁。戊：《春秋元命包》曰：戊者，勉也，土勉勵萬物所生。鄭司農曰：戊、茂也，言萬物於此盛茂。班固曰：萬物豐茂於戊。己：《春秋元命包》曰：己者，甘也，言萬物既生，人皆甘之。鄭司農曰：己者，紀也，言萬物皆有條貫成紀。□□□□□。班固曰：萬物出於甲，終於己也。

Ding: The "Chunqiu Yuanmengbao" says, "Ding" means "strong," indicating that at this stage, all things become vigorous and flourishing. Zheng Siniang says, the growth and nurturing of all things reach this point and become strong. Ban Gu says, all things reach their peak of strength at Ding. Wu: The "Chunqiu Yuanmengbao" says, "Wu" means "exert," referring to the earth exerting effort to promote the growth of all things. Zheng Siniang says, "Wu" means "prosperous," indicating that at this stage, all things become flourishing and dense. Ban Gu says, all things reach their peak of prosperity at Wu. Ji: The "Chunqiu Yuanmengbao" says, "Ji" means "sweet," indicating that after all things have grown, people find them sweet. Zheng Siniang says, "Ji" means "order," referring to the order and structure of all things, which are organized and formed. The original text here is missing five characters, and the original text is no longer available, only the shape of the missing text remains, without any supplementation. Ban Gu says, all things begin from Jia and reach Ji as a conclusion. Jia to Ji exactly covers the first half of the ten heavenly stems, and Ban Gu refers to Ji as "end," meaning that the process of growth ends here, and the following Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui shift to a phase of gathering and concealment.

庚：《春秋元命包》曰：庚者，更也，言萬物至秋秀實。鄭司農曰：庚，更也，萬物至秋更空也。班固曰：萬物欲斂更於庚也。辛：《春秋元命包》曰：辛者，新也，言萬物更前體而新。鄭司農曰：萬物秀而新。班固曰：萬物悉新於辛也。壬：《春秋元命包》曰：壬者，任也，萬物於此時而懷妊。鄭司農曰：言冬時閉藏，萬物懷妊於下。班固曰：萬物懷孕於壬。癸：《春秋元命包》曰：癸者，揆也，言萬物成熟，揆而藏之。鄭司農曰：物懷任，於此時揆然萌芽。班固曰：萬物陳揆於癸。

Geng: The "Spring and Autumn Original Mandate Bundle" says, "Geng" means "change," referring to the replacement of things as all things ripen and bear fruit in autumn. Zheng Siniang says, "Geng" means "change," as all things in autumn replace their old appearance and appear empty and sparse. Ban Gu says, all things are about to gather in, and at this step of Geng, they change their form. Xin: The "Spring and Autumn Original Mandate Bundle" says, "Xin" means "new," referring to all things replacing their former forms and appearing fresh and new. Zheng Siniang says, all things sprout and bear fruit, thus renewing themselves. Ban Gu says, all things at Xin are completely renewed. Ren: The "Spring and Autumn Original Mandate Bundle" says, "Ren" means "carry," referring to the carrying of embryos by all things at this time. Zheng Siniang says, this refers to the concealment of winter, as all things carry their embryos underground. Ban Gu says, all things at Ren are pregnant. Gui: The "Spring and Autumn Original Mandate Bundle" says, "Gui" means "measure," referring to the measurement of things after they have matured, and storing them accordingly. Zheng Siniang says, when all things have already carried their embryos, they measure and sprout new shoots at this time. Ban Gu says, all things at Gui display and measure. The meaning of the ten stems completes a full cycle: Jia begins with breaking out of the shell, and Gui ends with measuring and storing, which exactly corresponds to the entire cycle of growth, flourishing, harvesting, and storing in a year. When divining, one looks at the day stem to determine its position and nature within this cycle.

《易》曰：分陰分陽，為用柔剛。謂甲、丙、戊、庚、壬五干為陽日，為剛日。子、寅、辰、午、戌六支為陽辰，為剛辰。謂乙、丁、己、辛、癸五干為陰日，為柔日。丑、卯、已、未、酉、亥六支為陰辰，為柔辰。

The Zhou Changes (I Ching) says: distinguishing yin and yang, alternately using soft and strong. This serves as the basis for the system: the five heavenly stems Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren are considered yang days, also called 'strong days'; the six earthly branches Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Xu, and Wei are considered yang chens, also called 'strong chens'. The five heavenly stems Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, and Gui are considered yin days, also called 'soft days'; the six earthly branches Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai are considered yin chens, also called 'soft chens'. Note: originally, yang chens should include Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu, but the original text here lists only five and omits 'Shen'; it is still recorded as is. Similarly, the original text writes 'Si' for yin chens, but mistakenly uses a character resembling 'Yi', which is also retained as it was. The distinction between strong days and soft days is very important in the Six Rats system: when selecting the useful god, 'strong days use the heavenly stem's heavenly god, while soft days use the earthly branch's heavenly god'; when arranging the three transmissions, 'strong days first transmit the earthly branch then the heavenly stem, while soft days first transmit the heavenly stem then the earthly branch', all of which are determined by this distinction.

子：班固曰：萬物孳生萌於子。《樂志》曰：子者，孳也。謂陽氣至子，更孳生也。丑：班固曰：萬物紐芽於丑。《樂志》曰：丑者，紐也。言終始之際，故以紐結為名也。寅：班固曰：萬物引達於寅。《樂志》曰：寅者，津也。謂生萬物之津途也。卯：班固曰：萬物冒茆於卯。《樂志》曰：卯者，茆也。言陽氣生而孳茂。

The branch Zi signifies the beginning of growth, as Ban Gu said, where all things sprout and become active. The "Le Zhi" explains that "Zi" is equivalent to "zī," meaning the yang energy renews itself at the Zi position. The branch Chou signifies the formation and budding of all things, as Ban Gu said. The "Le Zhi" explains that "Chou" is equivalent to "niǔ," meaning the connection and knotting, because Chou is at the junction of the end and beginning of the year, so it is named "knotting." The branch Yin signifies the extension and communication of all things, as Ban Gu said. The "Le Zhi" explains that "Yin" is equivalent to "jīn," meaning it is the passage and channel for the birth of all things. The branch Mao signifies the breaking of the soil and emergence of all things, as Ban Gu said. The "Le Zhi" explains that "Mao" is equivalent to "mào," meaning flourishing, indicating the growth and proliferation of yang energy. The meanings of the twelve branches follow the same principles as the ten heavenly stems, placing the annual growth rhythm on twelve positions. In the Six Rén system, these twelve branches are fixed on the earth plate, while the twelve heavenly spirits on the heaven plate move over them. Therefore, it is essential to understand the nature of each branch first.

辰：班固曰：萬物振美於辰。《樂志》曰：辰者，震也。謂萬物震動而長也。巳：班固曰：萬物巳盛於巳。《樂志》曰：巳者，起也。萬物已盛，此時畢盡而起也。午：班固曰：萬物萼而佈於午。《樂志》曰：午者，長也，大也。言萬物皆長大也。未：班固曰：萬物昧蔓於未（蔓者，散也）。《樂志》曰：未者，味也。言萬物生成有滋味也。

Chen: Ban Gu said that all things flourish and become strong at Chen. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Chen" is the same as "Zhen," meaning that all things shake and grow. Si: Ban Gu said that all things have already become flourishing by Si. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Si" is the same as "Qi," meaning that all things have reached their peak, the previous stage has ended, and a new stage begins. Wu: Ban Gu said that all things form flowers and spread out at Wu. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Wu" is "Chang Sheng" and "Da," meaning that all things have already grown big. Wei: Ban Gu said that all things become dark and spread out at Wei ("Man" means to spread). The "Yue Zhi" said that "Wei" is "Wei," meaning that after all things are generated, they have taste. These four branches correspond to the end of spring to the end of summer, a period when yang energy shifts from flourishing to its peak, then gradually declines. In the Six Rén system, Chen and Wei belong to the four seasons' earth, and Wu is the main position of fire, Si is the birth position of fire, and their strength and decline are determined here.

申：班固曰：萬物申堅於申。《樂志》曰：申者，身也。言此時物身體皆成就也。酉：班固曰：萬物皆熟於酉。《樂志》曰：酉者，猶也。謂此時萬物皆猶縮也。戌：班固曰：萬物畢入行戌。《樂志》曰：戌者，滅也。謂此時萬物衰滅也。亥：班固曰：萬物該閡於亥。《樂志》曰：亥者，刻也。言此時陰陽刻殺萬物也。

Shen: Ban Gu said that all things extend and become firm during Shen. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Shen" means "shen," referring to the time when all things have fully grown. You: Ban Gu said that all things mature during You. The "Yue Zhi" said that "You" means "you," meaning contraction, referring to the time when all things begin to contract. Xu: Ban Gu said that all things are fully returned to Xu. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Xu" means "mie," meaning extinction, referring to the time when all things decline and perish. Hai: Ban Gu said that all things are closed and hidden during Hai. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Hai" means "ke," meaning cutting, referring to the time when yin and yang cut and destroy all things. Shen to Hai corresponds to autumn to winter, representing a phase of gathering in, maturity, decline, and concealment, which connects with the previous phase from Zi to Mao, which is about growth and sprouting. The twelve branches thus form a continuous cycle.

董鍾舒曰：王者欲有所為，宜求其端於天。天道大者在於陰陽，陽為德，陰為刑，刑主殺，德主生。陽常居大夏，以生育長養為事。使陰常居大冬，而積於空虛不用之處。此以見天之任德不任刑也。陽出佈施於上，而主歲功。陰入伏藏於下，而時出佐陽，陽不得陰之助，亦不能獨成歲功。王者承天意以後事，故務德教而省刑罰。刑罰不可任以治也，猶陰之不可任成歲也。

Dong Zhongshu said (the original text writes 'Zhong' instead of 'Zhong', which is a transmission error, but it is still recorded as the original character): A ruler who wishes to accomplish something should seek the outline from Heaven. The greatest aspect of the Heavenly Way is yin and yang: yang is 'de' (virtue), and yin is 'xing' (punishment); punishment oversees the severe and killing, while virtue oversees the nurturing and fostering. Yang always resides in the height of summer, taking the nurturing and fostering of life as its duty; while yin always resides in the depth of winter, accumulating in the empty and unused corners. From this arrangement, one can see that Heaven employs virtue rather than punishment. Yang appears and spreads above, overseeing the achievements of the year; yin retreats and hides below, only occasionally coming forth to assist yang. However, if yang does not receive the assistance of yin, it cannot alone accomplish the achievements of the year. A ruler, following the will of Heaven, governs affairs by focusing on virtue and reducing punishment—punishment cannot alone govern the country, just as yin cannot alone accomplish the year. This passage appears to discuss the governance of a ruler, but in reality, it establishes the general principle for determining fortune and misfortune in the Six Rats system: yin and yang depend on each other, with virtue preceding punishment, so in the transmission of the lessons, generating and supporting is auspicious, while overcoming and attacking is inauspicious, and if inauspiciousness has a remedy, it will not lead to disaster.

《白虎通》曰：五行者，謂水、火、木、金、土也。言五行相生，為天行氣之義也。地承天，猶妻之事夫，臣之事君也。

The White Tiger Classic says: The "Five Phases" refer to water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. Speaking of the mutual generation among the Five Phases, it refers to the way heaven circulates its energy. The earth supports heaven, just as a wife serves her husband or a subject serves his sovereign. The Five Phases form the framework of all calculations in the Six壬 system. Each of the ten heavenly stems, twelve earthly branches, and twelve heavenly generals has an affiliation with the Five Phases. By adding the upper and lower parts of the four lessons, one examines their relationships of generation and overcoming. Therefore, this section first clarifies the directions, numbers of generation, and inherent natures of each of the Five Phases.

水：天以一生水於北方。北方者，陰氣，在黃泉之下。任養萬物。水之為言準也。許慎曰：水準也，平也。火：天以二生火於南方。南方者，陽，在上，萬物垂枝。火之為言委隨也。化也。陽用事，萬物變化也。許鎮曰：火，熾也，炎而上也。木：天以三生木於東方。東方者，陽之氣始動，萬物始生。木之為言觸也，陽氣觸物而生也。許填曰：木冒也，冒地而生也。

Water: Heaven uses the number "one," the generating number, to produce water in the north. The north is where yin energy resides, located beneath the yellow springs, and it bears the responsibility of nurturing all things. The meaning of "water" is "standard." Xu Shen said: "Water is the standard, it is level (since the surface of water is naturally level, it is taken as a standard)." Fire: Heaven uses the number "two" to produce fire in the south. The south is where yang energy is dominant above, and all things here hang their branches downward. The meaning of "fire" is to bend and follow things, also change — when yang energy is in command, all things change accordingly. Xu Shen said: "Fire is intense, flames rise upward (the original text mistakenly writes 'Zhen' instead of 'Shen,' but it is recorded as is)." Wood: Heaven uses the number "three" to produce wood in the east. The east is where yang energy begins to move and all things begin to sprout. The meaning of "wood" is "touch," as yang energy touches all things and causes them to grow. Xu Shen said: "Wood is to rise, to emerge from the ground (the original text mistakenly writes 'Tian' instead of 'Shen,' but it is recorded as is)." Heaven produces water with one, earth produces fire with two, heaven produces wood with three; this is the order of the generating numbers of the Five Phases in the "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes," which will be referred to again in the section "Explaining Numbers."

金：天以四生金於西方。西方者，陰始起，萬物禁止。金之為言禁止也。許慎曰：金，禁也。為進退之禁也。土：天以五生土於中央。中央者，主吐含萬物。土之為言吐也。土者最大，包含萬物。將生者出，將死者歸，不嫌清濁。

Metal: Heaven uses the number four in the west to generate metal. The west is where the yin energy begins to rise and all things cease to grow. The meaning of "metal" is to prohibit. Xu Shen said: "Metal" means "to prohibit," which is a constraint on movement forward and backward. Earth: Heaven uses the number five in the center to generate earth. The center is in charge of expelling and containing all things. The meaning of "earth" is "to expel." Earth is the largest among the five phases, encompassing all things: what is about to be born goes out from here, and what is about to die returns here. It does not discriminate between clear and turbid. Each of the five phases has a generating number from one to five, each has a direction and a nature. Six Rén divination determines human nature, locates diseases, and identifies objects and their odors, all derived from these inherent qualities.

傳曰：章為五色。蔡邕曰：通於眼者為五色。《釋例》曰：五方正色有五，間色亦有五也。

Ancient legend says that what is evident externally is the five colors. Cai Yong said that the five colors that can reach the eyes are the five colors. The "Explanations" say that each of the five directions has one primary color, making five in total; and there are also five secondary colors formed by the mixture of two colors. When divining, by determining which of the Five Phases the Useful God belongs to, one can deduce the color of the thing being divined. This is directly applicable in divinations concerning lost items, searching for people, and identifying colors.

青：東方之正色也，象木葉青也。《釋例》曰：甲木畏庚金，故以乙妹嫁與庚為妻。春木旺，甲往召乙，乙懷金氣以應甲，故東方有間色綠也（甲青、乙碧）。赤：南方之正色也，象火光赤色也。《釋例》曰：丙火畏壬水，故以丁妹嫁與壬為妻。夏火旺，丙往召丁，丁懷水氣以應丙，故南方有間色紅也（丙赤、丁紫）。

Green is the true color of the East, symbolizing the green color of leaves. The "Explanations" says: Jia wood fears Geng metal, so the sister of Jia, Yi (wood), is married to Geng as a wife; when spring comes and wood is strong, Jia calls Yi back, and Yi comes with the metal energy from her husband's family to respond to Jia. Thus, green mixed with metal energy produces the intermediate color "green" (Jia is green, Yi is blue-green). Red is the true color of the South, symbolizing the red color of firelight. The "Explanations" says: Bing fire fears Ren water, so the sister of Bing, Ding (fire), is married to Ren as a wife; when summer comes and fire is strong, Bing calls Ding back, and Ding comes with the water energy from her husband's family to respond to Bing. Thus, red mixed with water energy produces the intermediate color "red" (Bing is red, Ding is purple). This theory of "yin drys marrying the dry they fear" is actually explaining the yin-yang combination and transformation among the ten heavenly stems. The idea of five harmonies and the concept of intermediate colors both come from the same principle.

白：西方之正色也，象霜露白也。《釋例》曰：庚金畏丙火，故以辛嫁與丙為妻。秋金旺，庚往召辛，辛懷火氣以應庚，故西方有間色縹也（庚白、辛栗）。黑：北方之正色也，象水黑色也。《釋例》曰：壬水畏戊土，故以癸妹嫁與戊為妻。冬水旺，壬往召癸，癸懷土氣以應壬，故北方有間色紫也（壬黑、癸綠）。黃：中央之正色也，象土黃中通理也。《釋例》曰：戊土畏甲木，故以己妹嫁與甲為妻。季夏土旺，戊往召己，己懷木氣以應戊，故中央有間色紺也（戊黃、己絳）。

White is the true color of the west, derived from the white color of frost and dew. The "Explanations" says:庚 metal fears 丙 fire, so 辛 is married to 丙 as a wife; when autumn comes and metal is strong, 庚 calls 辛, and 辛 brings the fire energy from her husband's family to respond to 庚, thus the western direction produces the intermediate color "缥," which is a pale blue-white color (庚 is white, 辛 is chestnut). Black is the true color of the north, derived from the black color of water. The "Explanations" says: 壬 water fears 戊 earth, so 癸 (the sister of 壬) is married to 戊 as a wife; when winter comes and water is strong, 壬 calls 癸, and 癸 brings the earth energy from her husband's family to respond to 壬, thus the northern direction produces the intermediate color "紫" (壬 is black, 癸 is green). Yellow is the true color of the center, derived from the yellow color of earth with its internal structure fully connected. The "Explanations" says: 戊 earth fears 甲 wood, so 己 (the sister of 戊) is married to 甲 as a wife; when late summer comes and earth is strong, 戊 calls 己, and 己 brings the wood energy from her husband's family to respond to 戊, thus the center produces the intermediate color "绀," which is a reddish-blue color (戊 is yellow, 己 is crimson). The five true colors correspond to the five directions and five phases, while the five intermediate colors arise from the energies of the yin stems from their husbands. In actual divination, yang stems take the true colors, and yin stems take the intermediate colors, based on this principle.

傳曰：發為五音。蔡邕曰：通於耳者為五音，乃宮、商、角、徵、羽也。

Ancient tradition says that the five tones originate from sound. Cai Yong said that the five tones are those that can reach the ears, namely Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu. The five tones are associated with the Five Phases and with rulers, ministers, people, and things, which is a established theory of the Han dynasty's laws and calendar studies; the Six Rats system incorporated them in order to have a symbolic reference when divining matters related to sound, names, and positions. For example, if the Useful God belongs to earth, then Gong tone is used, representing the ruler; if it belongs to metal, then Shang tone is used, representing the minister and assistant.

宮：班固曰：宮，中也。居中央，暢四方。唱始生，為四聲綱也。《律曆志》曰：宮屬土者，以其最濁，君之象也。季夏之氣和，則宮聲調，宮亂則荒，其君驕。《樂志》曰：宮為君，宮之為言躬也。中和之道，無往不理焉。

The "Gong" tone: Ban Gu said, "Gong" means "Zhong," which resides in the center and communicates smoothly in all directions. It is the origin of the other four tones, serving as their guiding principle. The "Book of Han · Records of Music and Calendar" states: The "Gong" tone belongs to the earth element because its sound is the heaviest and most mellow, symbolizing the sovereign. In the season of late summer, when the earth element is strongest, the "Gong" tone is harmonious. If the "Gong" tone becomes disordered, government affairs will be neglected, and the sovereign will become arrogant and indulgent. The "Records of Music" say: The "Gong" tone represents the sovereign, and the meaning of "Gong" is "Gong," meaning to practice personally and earnestly. It maintains the principle of moderation and harmony, and wherever it goes, it can bring order.

商：班固曰：商，章度也（度火名切）。《律曆志》曰：商屬金者，以其濁次宮，臣之象也。秋氣和，則商聲調，商亂則誠，其宮壞。《樂志》曰：商之為言強也，謂金性堅強也。角：班固曰：角，觸也，立也。為宮物觸也，而生載芒也。《律曆志》曰：角屬木者，以其清濁中次商，民之象也。春氣和，則角聲調，角亂則尤，其人哀。《樂志》曰：角為民，之為言觸也，謂象諸陽氣觸物而生也。

Shang: Ban Gu said, "Shang" means to make laws and regulations clear (the phrase in brackets "du du huo qie" is a reverse-sounding annotation for the character "du"). The "Lü Li Zhi" said: Shang belongs to metal because its tone is second only to Gong in thickness and weight, and it symbolizes ministers and officials; when the autumn atmosphere is harmonious, the Shang tone is harmonious; if the Shang tone becomes disordered, the officials' duties will be ruined (the original text's characters "cheng" and "gong" are suspected to be errors for "bie" and "guan", so they are retained as they are). The "Yue Zhi" said: "Shang" means "strength", referring to the nature of metal being hard and strong. Jue: Ban Gu said, "Jue" means "to touch" and "to stand up", as things under the Gong tone are touched, thus producing a sharp angle. The "Lü Li Zhi" said: Jue belongs to wood because its pitch is in the middle and second to Shang, and it symbolizes the common people; when the spring atmosphere is harmonious, the Jue tone is harmonious; if the Jue tone becomes disordered, mistakes will occur, and the people will be sorrowful. The "Yue Zhi" said: Jue represents the people, and its meaning is "to touch", taking the image of yang energy touching all things and causing them to sprout.

徵：班固曰：徵，扯也，物盛大繁祉也。《律曆志》曰：徵屬火者，徵事之象。夏氣和則徵聲調。徵亂則哀，其事傷。《樂志》曰：徵為事也，徵之為言止也，言萬物盛則止也。羽：班固曰：羽，宇也，萬物聚藏宇覆也。《律曆志》曰：羽屬水者，以其最清，物之象也。冬氣和，則羽聲調，羽亂則危，其財匱。《樂志》曰：羽為物，羽之為言舒也，言陽復萬物，孳育而舒生也。

The note on "Zheng" (徵): Ban Gu said that "Zheng" signifies the idea of pulling or initiating, although the original text may have been "che" (扯), and it is suspected that the original might have been "Zhi" (祉) or "Zhi" (止), and it is recorded as is. When all things are flourishing and abundant, blessings are numerous. The "Lü Li Zhi" (律历志) said that "Zheng" belongs to the element of fire, and it symbolizes "affairs" (事). When the summer season is harmonious, the sound of "Zheng" is harmonious; if the sound of "Zheng" becomes disordered, it brings sorrow, and the affairs will suffer. The "Yue Zhi" (乐志) said that "Zheng" represents "affairs" (事), and the meaning of "Zheng" is "to stop" (止), indicating that when all things reach their peak, they should come to a halt. The note on "Yu" (羽): Ban Gu said that "Yu" is the same as "Yu" (宇), meaning that all things gather and are stored, covered by the roof of the universe. The "Lü Li Zhi" said that "Yu" belongs to the element of water because its sound is the clearest, and it symbolizes "things" (物). When the winter season is harmonious, the sound of "Yu" is harmonious; if the sound of "Yu" becomes disordered, there will be danger, and the wealth will be insufficient. The "Yue Zhi" said that "Yu" represents "things" (物), and the meaning of "Yu" is "to spread out" (舒), indicating that when the yang energy returns, all things flourish and grow freely. The five tones correspond to each season. When the seasonal energy is harmonious, the tone is harmonious; when the tone becomes disordered, the affairs associated with that season suffer. This is the old method of using tones to observe the state of governance.

夫音聲者，中於宮，觸於角，神於徵，章於商，宇於羽。故四聲為宮紀。協之五行，則角為木，五常為仁，五事為貌。商為金，五常為義，五事為青。徵為火，五常為禮，五事為視。羽為水，五常為智，五事為聽。宮為土，五常為信，五事為思，以君臣民事物言之，宮為君，商為臣，角為民，徵為事，羽為物。

In general, the five tones correspond to different meanings: the tone of "宫" (Gong) represents the virtue of uprightness and correctness, "角" (Jue) represents the virtue of stimulation and initiation, "徵" (Zhi) represents the virtue of mystery and subtlety, "商" (Shang) represents the virtue of clarity and brightness, and "羽" (Yu) represents the virtue of covering and encompassing. Therefore, the other four tones are all governed by "宫" (Gong). When the five tones are associated with the Five Phases, "角" (Jue) corresponds to wood, and in the Five Constants it represents benevolence, and in the Five Affairs it corresponds to "貌" (appearance). "商" (Shang) corresponds to metal, and in the Five Constants it represents righteousness, and in the Five Affairs it corresponds to "言" (speech). "徵" (Zhi) corresponds to fire, and in the Five Constants it represents propriety, and in the Five Affairs it corresponds to "视" (vision). "羽" (Yu) corresponds to water, and in the Five Constants it represents wisdom, and in the Five Affairs it corresponds to "听" (hearing). "宫" (Gong) corresponds to earth, and in the Five Constants it represents trustworthiness, and in the Five Affairs it corresponds to "思" (thought). If we divide them according to the categories of king, minister, people, affairs, and objects, then "宫" (Gong) represents the king, "商" (Shang) represents the minister, "角" (Jue) represents the people, "徵" (Zhi) represents affairs, and "羽" (Yu) represents objects. The term "five affairs" comes from the "Book of Documents · The Mandate of Heaven," referring to the five aspects of human function: appearance, speech, vision, hearing, and thought. When divining and a particular Five Phase is used, one can follow this line of reasoning to determine a person's character, status, and the affairs they oversee.

五音唱和有相焉，故宮為君，君乃臣民事物之體也。是以聞宮聲，使人溫良而寬大。聞商聲，使大方廉而好義。聞角聲，使人惻隱而仁愛。聞徵聲，使人樂養而好施與。聞羽聲，使人恭謹而好禮節。

The five tones harmonize with each other and support one another, so the tone Gong holds the position of the sovereign, and the sovereign is the essence of ministers, people, affairs, and things. Therefore, hearing the sound of Gong makes one gentle, kind, and broad-minded; hearing the sound of Shang makes one upright, honest, and devoted to righteousness; hearing the sound of Jue makes one feel compassion and be benevolent and loving; hearing the sound of Zheng makes one enjoy nurturing and be generous; hearing the sound of Yu makes one be respectful, cautious, and attentive to propriety. This passage discusses how the five tones influence the human mind. When divining, one can reverse this: if the person being divined appears to be gentle, kind, and broad-minded, his useful god is mostly in earth; if he appears to be upright, honest, and devoted to righteousness, his useful god is mostly in metal.

傳曰：五性者，五常之性也，謂仁、義、禮、智、信也。

Ancient legend says that the "five natures" refer to the five constant virtues, namely benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness. The five natures correspond to the five phases and the five internal organs, forming the direct basis for divination in Six壬 (Liuren) to determine a person's character and the location of illness: if the useful god belongs to wood, it indicates benevolence and illness in the liver; if it belongs to fire, it indicates righteousness and illness in the heart; the rest can be similarly inferred.

仁：《詩緯》曰：木神主仁。言其葉可蔭，其子可啖，所以為仁。《黃帝》曰：木主於肝。《素問》曰：肝者，魂之所居也。義：《詩緯》曰：金神主義。言劍刀剛斷，所以為義。《黃帝》曰：金主於肺。《素問》曰：肺者，魄之所居也。禮：《詩緯》曰：火神主禮。言燭頭不亂，所以為禮。《黃帝》曰：火主於心。《素向》曰：心者，神之所居也。

Ren: The "Shi Wei" says that the wood deity governs "Ren" — its leaves can provide shade for people, and its fruits can fill people's hunger, hence it is Ren. The "Huangdi" says that wood in the human body governs the liver. The "Su Wen" says that the liver is the dwelling place of the "hun." Yi: The "Shi Wei" says that the metal deity governs "Yi" — swords and daggers are hard and can cut through, symbolizing decisive and unhesitating action, hence it is Yi. The "Huangdi" says that metal in the human body governs the lungs. The "Su Wen" says that the lungs are the dwelling place of the "po." Li: The "Shi Wei" says that the fire deity governs "Li" — the candle flame rises upward without scattering, symbolizing order and adherence to boundaries, hence it is Li. The "Huangdi" says that fire in the human body governs the heart. The "Su Wen" says that the heart is the dwelling place of the "shen" (note: the original text mistakenly writes "Su Xiang" instead of "Su Wen," and this is recorded as is).

智：《詩緯》曰：水神主智。言方園隨器，所以為智。《黃帝》曰：水主於腎。《素同》曰：腎者，精之所居也。信：《詩緯》曰：土神主信。言能生育萬物，所以為信。《黃帝》曰：土主於脾。《素問》曰：脾者，意之所居也。

Wisdom: The "Shi Wei" says that the water deity governs "wisdom" — it changes shape according to the roundness or squareness of the vessel, taking its ability to adapt freely, hence it is wisdom (the original text says "yuan" but it is recorded as "yuan"). The "Huang Di" says that water in the human body governs the kidney. The "Su Wen" says that the kidney is the dwelling place of "essence" (the original text says "Su Tong," which is a mistake for "Su Wen," and it is recorded as such). Trust: The "Shi Wei" says that the earth deity governs "trust" — it can give birth to all things without losing the right time, hence it is trust. The "Huang Di" says that earth in the human body governs the spleen. The "Su Wen" says that the spleen is the dwelling place of "intention." The five elements, five constants, five organs, and five deities correspond completely. When diagnosing illness, simply determining the five elements of the useful deity will reveal both the location of the illness and the deity that is harmed.

五行各正其性而相近也。孔子曰：性相近也。水性滿無不鑑，浸無不通，方圓應變。此信而近智也。火性至明而不亂，犯之者焚。此禮而近義也。木性主仁，秋落春榮，被雪而茂。此仁而近信也。金性誅怨反正，此義而近禮也。土性主厚而味甘，物無不載。此智而近仁也。

The Five Phases each have their own inherent nature, yet they are also interconnected and mutually influential. Confucius said, "Human nature is similar," which aligns with this idea. The nature of water is that when full it can illuminate all things, and when it moistens it can reach everywhere; it adapts to any shape and rounds itself accordingly, responding flexibly — this is keeping faith and close to wisdom. The nature of fire is that it is extremely bright yet not scattered, and those who provoke it will be burned — this is observing propriety and close to righteousness. The nature of wood is characterized by benevolence: it sheds leaves in autumn and revives in spring; after snowfall, it becomes even more vigorous — this is benevolence and close to faith. The nature of metal is to eliminate grievances and guide people back to the right path — this is righteousness and close to propriety. The nature of earth is thick and sweet, capable of bearing all things — this is wisdom and close to benevolence. Therefore, when discussing human nature, one should not fixate on a single Phase, but rather consider which aspect it leans toward.

凡用其神，皆主其事。假令正月甲子日寅時占事，用起勝光火神加酉一，上克下為用。若占人性，則執禮而不亂。若占人疾，其病在心。他皆準此例也。

Whenever a particular god is used, it governs the corresponding category of affairs. Here is an example to follow: On the first day of the first lunar month, at the hour of寅 (Tiger), divining an event, the Month General for the first month is 徵明 (Ze Ming) which corresponds to 亥 (Hai). Place 亥 on top of the hour of寅 and rotate the Heaven Plate. The Day Stem is 甲 (Jia), whose earthly branch's Lodging Palace is on 寅. The result obtained on 寅 is 「胜光」 (Sheng Guang) the fire god, which falls on 酉 (You) metal. Fire overcoming metal is 「上克下」 (upper overcoming lower), so this is taken as the Initiating Transmission. Since the Initiating Transmission is the fire god, when divining a person's temperament, it is concluded that the person adheres to rituals and discipline without disorder; when divining illness, it is concluded that the illness is in the heart (fire governs the heart). All other questions are similarly deduced according to this example. (The original text has an extra character 「一」 below 「加酉」, which is retained as is.)

《禮》曰：六情者，好、惡、喜、怒、哀、樂之謂也。

The Li Ji says: the so-called "six emotions" are the six feelings of like, dislike, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. The following text uses the "qing xing" theory from the Western Han dynasty scholar Yi Feng: assigning the six emotions to the twelve earthly branches, with two branches governing one emotion. When casting a divination, one looks at which pair of branches the useful god falls on, thereby determining the emotion the person is feeling or the type of matter they are dealing with.

好：翼奉傳曰：北方之情好也。好行貪狼，申子主之。孟康曰：北方水，水生於申，盛於子。性觸地而行，觸物而潤，多所好。故好則貪而無厭，故為貪狼之號。

The "Good" (好) is said in the "Book of Han: Biography of Yi Feng" to be the emotion governed by the North. This emotion is characterized by greed and affection. When this emotion is expressed, it is called "Tian Wang" (贪狼), which is governed by the branches Shen and Zi. Meng Kang's commentary explains that the North belongs to water, which is born in Shen and reaches its peak in Zi. Water has the nature of flowing wherever it meets the ground and soaking whatever it touches. It desires many things, so when "Good" becomes excessive, it leads to insatiable greed, hence the name "Tian Wang." When the useful god falls in Shen or Zi during divination, the interpretation should focus on greed, desires, and inability to let go.

惡：翼奉傳曰：南方之情惡也。惡行廉正，寅午主之。孟康曰：南方火，火生於寅，盛於午。性炎猛無所容受，故為惡。其氣精專嚴整，故為廉貞也。

Evil: The "Yi Feng Zhuan" says that the emotion associated with the south is "evil," meaning aversion and rejection; however, the expression of this emotion is "l廉正" (uprightness and integrity), governed by the branches Yin and Wu. Meng Kang's commentary explains that the south belongs to fire, which is born in Yin and vigorous in Wu; fire is fierce and intense, unable to accommodate anything, hence called "evil"; yet its nature is pure and focused, hence it is also called "Lianzhen" (upright and incorruptible). This shows that the same term "evil" can be negative, indicating harshness and intolerance, or positive, indicating integrity and unbending righteousness. When the divination uses Yin and Wu as the main elements, one should consider both aspects.

喜：翼奉傳曰：西方之情喜也。喜行寬大，巳酉主之。孟康曰：西方曰金，金生於巳，盛於酉，金性喜以利刃加行萬物，故為喜。利刃所加，無不寬大，故曰寬大。怒：翼奉傳曰：東方之情怒也。怒行陰賊，亥卯主之。孟康曰：東方木，木生於亥，盛於卯。木性受水氣而生，貫地而出，故為怒。以陰賊害土，故為陰賊也。

Joy: The "Yi Feng Zhuan" says that the emotion associated with the west is "joy"; the expression of joy is "broad-mindedness," governed by the branches Si and You. Meng Kang's commentary explains: the west is associated with metal, which is born in Si and reaches its peak in You; metal's nature is to use its sharp edge to cut through all things, hence called "joy"; where the sharp edge reaches, everything is smooth and open, hence called "broad-mindedness." Anger: The "Yi Feng Zhuan" says that the emotion associated with the east is "anger"; the expression of anger is "secret malice," governed by the branches Hai and Mao. Meng Kang's commentary explains: the east is associated with wood, which is born in Hai and reaches its peak in Mao; wood absorbs water vapor and grows upward, breaking through the ground, which is the force of "anger"; yet it secretly consumes the earth's energy, hence called "secret malice." The six emotions each take the branches of birth and peak as their main influences, which is exactly the use of the triple harmony "birth, peak" positions.

哀：翼奉傳曰：下方之情哀也。哀行公正，戌丑主之。孟康曰：下方謂南方與北方也，陰陽互對，故為下方。戌竊火，丑竊金。《風角》曰：金剛火強，各歸其鄉。故火刑于午，金刑于酉。金火之盛時而受刑，至窮無所歸，故曰哀也，火強無所私，金性方風，故曰公正也。

The emotion associated with the southern and northern directions is sorrow. The expression of sorrow is fairness. The branches戌 and丑 govern this emotion. Meng Kang explained that the term 'southern and northern directions' refers to the south and the north, which are exactly opposite in yin and yang, hence called the southern and northern directions. The branch戌 contains hidden fire (fire is buried in戌), and the branch丑 contains hidden metal (metal is buried in丑). The book Fengjiao says: metal is hard and fire is strong, each returning to its native place. Therefore, fire is harmed at午 and metal is harmed at酉. Metal and fire are at their peak but are harmed, reaching the end with nowhere to go, hence called sorrow. Although fire is strong, it is impartial, and metal is upright, hence called fairness.

樂：翼奉傳曰：上方之情樂也。樂行奸邪，辰未主之。孟康曰：上方謂東方與西方也，陽氣所萌生，故為上。辰窮水，未窮木。《風角》曰：木落歸本，水流趨末，故木刑于亥，水刑于辰。盛衰各得其所，故樂也。水窮則無隙不入，木本上出，窮則傍行其枝，故為奸邪也。

Joy: The "Upper Direction" is said in the "Transmission of Yifeng" to be associated with the emotion of joy; the expression of joy is called "deceit," governed by the branches Chen and Wei. Meng Kang's commentary explains that the "Upper Direction" refers to the east and west, which are the places where yang energy begins to sprout, hence called "upper." Chen is the place where water reaches its end (water is buried in Chen), and Wei is the place where wood reaches its end (wood is buried in Wei). The "Wind Angle" says: when wood withers, it returns to its root, and when water flows, it flows to the end, so wood is harmed by Hai and water is harmed by Chen. Prosperity and decline each reach their proper places, hence called "joy"; however, when water reaches its end, it can penetrate everywhere, and when wood should grow upward but reaches its end, it branches out sideways, hence it is also called "deceit." Xu and Chou govern sorrow and fairness, while Chen and Wei govern joy and deceit. The four burial branches have dual natures, and when they appear in divination, they must be carefully discerned.

翼奉傳曰：夫占事皆以五行之情而斷之。假令用起火神則無私，用起木神無險詖，用起神后則貪淫慾。

The "Yi Feng Zhuan" says: In divination, one must judge based on the nature of the Five Phases. For example, if the useful god originates from the fire deity (寅,午), then it is concluded that the person or matter is impartial and unbiased; if the useful god originates from the wood deity (亥,卯), then it is concluded that the person does not harbor dangerous and perverse intentions ("xian bi" meaning sinister and biased); if the useful god originates from "Shen Hou," which is the water deity (子), then it is concluded that the person is greedy and has excessive desires. This is the direct application of the previous discussion on the six emotions in divination.

論曰：假令用起木神，寅為雜木而文明。寅生火，故曰雜木而明。卯為純木而為賊，根荄有榮瘁，故稱亥卯為陰賊。木性惠狎歡喜，人思息其下，烏思棲其上，惠狎也。王者德之，則連理生，歡喜也。信而受諫，秋落冬瘁，信也。曲直任物，鋸繩從諫也。占遇木者，以木性而解之。木主賊，凌上而虐下。生而必仰，凌上也。深林無草，虐下也。

Discussion: For example, if the Useful God is of the wood element, even though it is the same wood, it should be examined differently. The寅 (Yin) is called "mixed wood" and is associated with civilization, because it contains fire within it and can generate fire, so it is called mixed wood with brightness. The卯 (Mao) is called "pure wood" but is associated with harm, because the roots of plants have both flourishing and withering, which are uncertain, so the亥 (Hai) and卯 (Mao) are called "shadowy harm." The nature of wood is originally benevolent, kind, and harmonious, causing people to rest under it and birds to perch on it, which is called "benevolence and intimacy." A ruler who governs with virtue will see wood grow into intertwined branches as a sign of auspiciousness, which is called "joy." It is trustworthy and willing to accept advice, shedding leaves in autumn and withering in winter without missing the season, which is called "trustworthiness." It can be bent or straightened, taking the shape of whatever it is placed upon, like a saw and a measuring rope used by a carpenter, which is called "accepting advice." When divination encounters wood, these characteristics of wood should be used to interpret the meaning. However, wood can also indicate harm, as it can oppress those above and mistreat those below: trees always grow upward, which is called "overpowering above"; in deep forests, no grass can grow, which is called "oppressing below."

《洪範》曰：此法言天地之大法，通於口者為五味。五味者，酸、咸、苦、辛、甘之屬也。

The Shangshu · Hongfan discusses the great principles governing the heavens and the earth, among which the five flavors are those that can be expressed through speech. The so-called "five flavors" refer to sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and sweet. The Hongfan originally associated the five flavors with the Five Phases, stating "moistening and descending produces salt, fiery ascending produces bitterness, bending and straightening produces sour, yielding and changing produces pungent, and cultivation and reaping produce sweetness." The following text then proceeds to cite these associations, using them as symbolic references when divining about food, medicinal properties, and the flavors of things.

曲直作酸（木實之性）。《月令》曰：其味酸，其臭羶。通於口者曰味，通於鼻者曰臭。凡酸羶，屬於木也。《白虎通經》曰：木味酸，東方萬物達生也。酸者以達生也，猶五味得酸乃通達也。炎上作苦（焦氣之味）。《月令》曰：其味苦，其臭焦。凡焦味苦者，皆屬於火也。《白虎通經》曰：火味苦者，南方長養，猶五味須苦可以養也。

"The 'curved and straight' (曲直) represents the virtue of wood. Wood produces a sour taste (this is the inherent nature of the fruit of wood). The Book of Rites, Monthly Ordinances says: in the season of wood, the taste is sour and the qi is aromatic. What reaches the mouth and tongue is called 'taste,' and what reaches the nose is called 'smell,' which refers to odor; all sour taste and aromatic smell belong to wood. The White Tiger Classic says: the taste of wood is sour, because the East governs the flourishing of all things, and sour is used to promote growth and development, just as among the five tastes there must be sour, so that the flavors can be harmonious. 'Inflaming upward' (炎上) represents the virtue of fire. Fire produces a bitter taste (this is the flavor carried by the scorched and smoky air). The Monthly Ordinances say: in the season of fire, the taste is bitter and the qi is scorched; all scorched qi and bitter taste belong to fire. The White Tiger Classic says: the taste of fire is bitter, because the South governs growth, just as among the five tastes there must be bitter, so that it can nourish people."

從革作辛（金之氣味）。《月令》曰：其味辛，其臭腥。凡臭腥味辛者，皆屬於金也。《白虎通》曰：金味辛者，西方主殺。萬物辛者，所以傷殺之也。猶五味得辛乃萎殺也。潤下作鹹（水滷所生）。《月令》曰：其味鹹，其臭朽。凡臭朽味咸者，皆屬於水也。《白虎通》曰：水味鹹者，北方主咸，得咸所以堅也，猶萬物得咸而堅出。

"The quality of metal is 'from transformation,' and metal produces a pungent taste (this is the scent associated with metal). The 'Monthly Orders' say: the season of metal has the taste of pungency and the quality of a sharp, pungent smell; all pungent smells and sharp tastes belong to metal. The 'White Tiger Treatise' says: the taste of metal is pungent, because the west is associated with the severe and destructive; the reason why things have a pungent taste is to counteract the severe and destructive, just as among the five flavors, once there is pungency, the other flavors are subdued. The quality of water is 'moistening and descending,' and water produces a salty taste (this is the flavor produced by water and salt). The 'Monthly Orders' say: the season of water has the taste of salt and the quality of a stale, decaying smell; all stale and decaying smells and salty tastes belong to water. The 'White Tiger Treatise' says: the taste of water is salty, because the north is associated with salt, and only by having salt can it be firm, just as all things, when they have the salty taste, grow firmly and solidly."

稼穡作甘（甘味生於五穀）。《月令》曰：其味甘，其臭香。凡臭香味甘者，皆屬於土也。《白虎通》曰：土味甘，居中央，主中和也。故甘猶五味，以甘為主也。

"Jia se" represents the virtue of earth, as earth produces sweet flavors (sweetness comes from the five grains). The "Monthly Orders" states: the season associated with earth has the flavor of sweetness and the quality of fragrance; all fragrances and sweet flavors belong to earth. The "White Tiger Treatise" says: the taste of earth is sweet, and earth is in the center, governing the principle of harmony; thus, sweetness holds the primary position among the five flavors, just as earth holds the central position among the five elements. Now the five elements correspond with the five flavors and five qualities: wood is sour and aromatic, fire is bitter and scorched, metal is pungent and fishy, water is salty and decayed, and earth is sweet and fragrant.

釋例曰：五色以主五味，皆有象也。假令占人，用起木神，則其性仁而惻隱。在物而色青，在味則酸，在病則肝。他皆仿此例而推之。

The "Explanation of Examples" says: the five colors correspond to the five flavors, each having its own symbolic associations. For example, if the useful god in a divination is the wood element, then the person's nature is described as kind and compassionate. If the question is about an object, its color is green; if about a flavor, it is sour; if about a disease, it is in the liver. The other four elements are similarly derived in this way. In fact, this integrates the previous sections on the five colors, five sounds, five natures, and five flavors into a single reference table. When divining, one simply follows the five elements of the useful god through the table.

傳曰：四方者，東西南北之謂也。東：樂產曰：燧星見斗杓，指於左，萬物蠢然而生，故變動為東。東者，動也。南：樂產曰：燧星見斗杓，指於前，純陽用事，其氣覃敷，萬物懷妊，故變任為南。南者，任也。西：樂產曰：燧星見斗杓，指於右，萬物高齊，故變齊為西。西者，齊也。北：樂產曰：燧星見斗杓，指於後，而陽氣潛伏，故變伏為北。北者，伏也。

Ancient legend says that the "four directions" refer to east, west, south, and north. East: According to the theory of Yuechan, when the handle of the Big Dipper points to the left, all things begin to stir and sprout, so the character "dong" (east) is derived from the sound of "dong" (movement). East means movement. South: According to Yuechan, when the handle of the Big Dipper points forward, pure yang prevails, and yang energy spreads widely, with all things gestating and nurturing, so the character "nan" (south) is derived from the sound of "ren" (to bear or carry). South means to bear or carry. West: According to Yuechan, when the handle of the Big Dipper points to the right, all things grow tall and orderly, so the character "xi" (west) is derived from the sound of "qi" (orderly). West means orderly. North: According to Yuechan, when the handle of the Big Dipper points backward, yang energy retreats and does not emerge, so the character "bei" (north) is derived from the sound of "fu" (to hide). North means to hide. The names of the four directions come from the direction of the Big Dipper's handle and the corresponding seasonal phenomena. This also shows that the twelve earthly branches on the Earth Plate in the Six Rén system originate from observing the stars for direction, not from arbitrary arrangement.

《黃帝》曰：四門開張，時有括藏。昔大撓造甲子，執十二辰於地，開四門也。

The Yellow Emperor said: When the four gates are opened, the sequence of time has a way to converge and conceal. In ancient times, Da Nao created Jiazi, arranging the twelve earthly branches on the Earth Plate, and also opening four gates at the four corners. The so-called 'four gates' refer to the Heaven Gate, Earth Gate, Human Gate, and Ghost Gate, located respectively at Qian (Northwest), Xun (Southeast), Kun (Southwest), and Gen (Northeast). They are four additional gates outside the twelve earthly branches. When casting a divination, the nobleman's movement and the beginning and end of affairs must be considered based on these four gates.

天門：在西北。西北者，戌亥之間，秋冬相交之際，草木黃落，天門之內，故天門在西北也。地戶：在東南。東南者，辰巳之間，春夏相交之際，萬物已生，蟄蟲早出，故地戶在東南也。

The heavenly gate is located in the northwest. The northwest is between the earthly branches Xu and Hai, which corresponds to the transition between autumn and winter. At this time, grass and trees wither and turn yellow, and everything is gathered within the heavenly gate, hence the heavenly gate is fixed in the northwest. The earthly gate is located in the southeast. The southeast is between the earthly branches Chen and Si, which corresponds to the transition between spring and summer. At this time, all things have already begun to grow and flourish, and insects that were dormant emerge early, hence the earthly gate is fixed in the southeast. The previous section "Interpretation of Tianyi" states that Tianyi "constantly moves with its back to the heavenly gate and facing the earthly gate." This refers to the axis running from northwest to southeast: the boundary between the forward and reverse movement of the nobleman is determined by this line.

人門：在西南。西南者，申未之間，秋夏相交之際，萬物既成而後死，人之象也，故人門在西南。鬼門：在東北。東北者，丑寅之間，春冬相交之際，萬物死而得生，鬼之象也，故鬼門在東北。

The human gate is located in the southwest. The southwest is between the hours of Shen and Wei, which corresponds to the transition from summer to autumn. After all things have grown and matured, they soon begin to wither, just as human life moves from maturity to death. Therefore, the human gate is fixed in the southwest. The ghost gate is located in the northeast. The northeast is between the hours of Chou and Yin, which corresponds to the transition from winter to spring. Although all things seem to have died, they are about to revive again, just as ghosts appear to be defeated but eventually regain their strength. Therefore, the ghost gate is fixed in the northeast. Later, in the section 'Explanation of Usage and Form,' it says that when divining, one should 'hold the ghost gate with the left hand,' referring to this northeast corner. In the section 'Explanation of Common Examples,' it says 'the celestial stem is at the two gates,' indicating instability, which refers to the heavenly gate and earthly gate among these four gates.

傳：德者，得也，皆主救厄而濟溺。十干以陽德自處之，而陰德在陽也。十干德者，甲、丙、戊、庚、壬陽干，德自處。乙德在庚，丁德在壬，己德在甲，辛德在丙，癸德在戊。

Ancient legends say that "de" means "to obtain." Any deity associated with "de" is believed to rescue people from calamities and save them from drowning. Among the ten heavenly stems, the de of the yang stems lies within themselves, while the de of the yin stems is entrusted to the yang stem that pairs with them. Specifically, the five yang stems—Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren—have their de in their own positions and do not seek it elsewhere. The de of Yi is in Geng, the de of Ding is in Ren, the de of Ji is in Jia, the de of Xin is in Bing, and the de of Gui is in Wu. It can be seen that the de of the yin stems is entrusted to the yang stem that is five positions away and can harmonize with it—this is how the "de of the heavenly stems" is arranged. When the de of the day stem appears in the divination chart, it indicates a sign of rescue.

十二支德者，子在巳，丑在午，寅在未，卯在申，辰在酉，巳在戌，午在亥，未在子，申在丑，酉在寅，戌在卯，亥在辰。十二支德，歲月日時同用。

The virtues of the twelve Earthly Branches are: the virtue of Zi is in Si, of Chou in Wu, of Yin in Wei, of Mao in Shen, of Chen in You, of Si in Xu, of Wu in Hai, of Wei in Zi, of Shen in Chou, of You in Yin, of Xu in Mao, and of Hai in Chen. The pattern is to count five positions forward from the original branch (i.e., add five to the original branch) to find its virtue. This system of branch virtues is applicable to the heavenly stem of the year, the month builder, the day branch, and the time of day, and there is no need to establish a separate method.

假令正月乙酉日未時占戰爭，用傳送加乙，上克下，即申克乙。六乙之日，天乙乘神后加申，前四勾陳加乙，乙德在庚。雖有戰爭，遇德神相救，無所傷害也。他準此例占。

Take an example that can be followed: On the day of Yiyou in the first lunar month, at the hour of Wei, divining about warfare. The month general for the first lunar month is the sign of Hui (亥). Place Hui on the hour of Wei and turn the heaven plate. The lodging palace of Yi is in Chen, so Chen gets the transmission of 'Shentong' (申). This is the metal of Shen added to the wood of Yi, with the upper element overcoming the lower, meaning Shen overcomes Yi. Take this as the initiating transmission. For any of the six days of Yi, the heavenly virtue nobleman rides on 'Shenhou' (子) and is placed on Shen. Then, following the heavenly virtue from the fourth position, Gou Chen is placed on Yi. Gou Chen is the earth of Wu Chen, and the virtue of Yi is in Geng. Since the virtue god comes to save in the lesson, even though the divination is about warfare, it is concluded that there will be no harm. All other situations are judged in the same way: first check for any overcoming, then check for any virtue god saving, and combine both to reach a conclusion.

傳曰：刑者，刑戮之謂也。一曰衰謝之刑（謂金木水火土正刑），二曰制御之刑（謂十干之刑也），三曰不遜之刑（謂十二克刑）。翼奉傳曰：金剛火強，各在其方，木落歸根，水流趨未。

Ancient legend says: "Xing" refers to punishment and retribution. Xing is divided into three categories: the first is "Decay and punishment" (referring to the proper punishments of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), the second is "Control and punishment" (referring to punishments among the ten heavenly stems), and the third is "Disrespectful punishment" (referring to mutual control and punishment among the twelve earthly branches; the original text has a missing character "branch," which is retained as is). The "Transmission of Yi Feng" states: metal is hard, fire is strong and fierce, each staying in its own place; when wood withers, it returns to its root, and when water flows, it flows toward the end (the original text has "end" written as "not yet," which is retained as is). The following text proceeds according to these four sentences to determine the places where metal, fire, wood, and water are punished.

巳、酉、丑，金之位在西方，言金恃其剛，物莫與對。陽氣八月從酉而入，因而挫之，故金刑在西方。寅、午、戌，火之位在南方，言炎恃其強，物莫與對，陽氣五月生於午，因而挫之，故火刑在於南方。

The branches Si, You, and Chou form a metal trinity, with metal's original position in the west. This means that metal relies on its hardness and has nothing to counter it; however, when the yang energy retreats from the You position in August, it is restrained at its peak, so metal's punishment occurs in the west (i.e., the You branch punishes itself). The branches Yin, Wu, and Xu form a fire trinity, with fire's original position in the south. This means that fire relies on its strength and has nothing to counter it; however, when the yang energy is born at Wu in May, it reaches its peak and then turns, so fire's punishment occurs in the south (i.e., the Wu branch punishes itself). The principle here is that the Five Phases are restrained at their strongest point, which is called 'excess leads to punishment'.

亥、卯、未，木之位。木落歸本，言葉落復根。亥卯未，木之根，刑在北方。言木恃其榮觀，故陰氣刑之，使凋傷也。申、子、辰，水之位。水流趨末，水性東流，逝而不返，其謂之末也，故水刑在東方。言水恃陰德，故陽刑使之不歸也。土位在中央，寄旺四季。以未為長生，丑為冠帶，墓在辰，天刑在戌。此言土力最大，天能刑之，故天刑在戌。

The trigrams亥, 卯, and 未 form a wood trinity, which is the root of wood. The phrase "wood falls back to its root" means that leaves fall back to the root. Since亥, 卯, and 未 are the roots of wood, the punishment of wood occurs in the north (i.e.,亥 self-punishment). This refers to wood relying on its flourishing branches and leaves, so Yin energy punishes it, causing it to wither and suffer. The trigrams申, 子, and 辰 form a water trinity, which is the root of water. The phrase "water flows to its end" means that water flows eastward and does not return, and the direction it flows to is called "end." Therefore, the punishment of water occurs in the east (i.e.,辰 self-punishment). This refers to water relying on its Yin virtue, so Yang energy punishes it, preventing it from returning. The root of earth is in the center, and it is distributed among the seasons of 辰, 戌, 丑, and 未, with strength in each season. 未 is the place of growth, 丑 is the place of capping, 墓 is in 辰, and heavenly punishment is in 戌. This means that earth has the greatest power, and human punishment cannot affect it; only heaven can punish it, hence it is called "heavenly punishment in 戌."

制御之刑者，謂十干也。辰來剋日為逆亂，故加刑以制御之。凡干刑所加，戰爭不出其下。甲刑在申，乙刑在酉，丙刑在子，丁刑在亥，戊刑在寅，己刑在卯，庚刑在午，辛刑在巳，壬刑在戌，癸刑在未。

The second category, "Control and Punishment," refers to the ten heavenly stems. When a earthly branch overcomes the day stem, it is considered an act of rebellion from below, so a punishment is added to control and subdue it. Any conflict involving heavenly stems is under the control of this punishment. The punishments for the ten heavenly stems are as follows: Jia is punished by Shen, Yi by You, Bing by Zi, Ding by Hai, Wu by Yin, Ji by Mao, Geng by Wu, Xin by Si, Ren by Xu, and Gui by Wei. Upon close examination, the branches that are punished by each stem are exactly those that overcome the stem, which is identical to the "ghosts" listed in the section "Explanation of Ghosts." Thus, the concept of "stem punishment" is actually the position of the day stem's official ghost.

不遜之刑者，謂十二支也。義有三段：第一寅刑巳，巳刑申，申刑寅，為無恩之刑。言寅中有雜火，不恤巳中雜金，故寅刑巳。巳生庚金，又效尤巳裡之雜土，不恤申中之雜水，故水往刑申。申立下巳，見所生巳裡之土被寅刑，故又往刑寅，此為無恩之刑也。

The third category, called "inconsiderate punishment" or "unbenevolent punishment," refers to the twelve earthly branches, and its meaning is divided into three parts. The first part:寅 is punished by巳,巳 is punished by申, and申 is punished by寅, which is called "unbenevolent punishment." This means that寅 contains mixed fire, but does not show compassion for the mixed metal contained in巳, so寅 goes to punish巳;巳 can produce庚 metal, yet imitates the previous action, not showing compassion for the mixed water contained in申, so it goes to punish申 (the original text says "so water punishes申," with an extra character "water," which is retained as is);申 and巳 originally are in harmony, but seeing the earth contained in巳, which it produced, being punished by寅, it then turns back to punish寅 (the original text's phrase "申立下巳, 见所生" has errors and omissions, making the meaning difficult to understand, so it is retained as is). The three mutually punish each other without remembering the grace of nurturing, hence it is called "unbenevolent punishment."

第二恃勢之刑者，言未土恃長生，而欺丑之始冠帶，故未刑丑。丑恃冠帶，而欺戌土之先被刑，故丑往刑戌，戌再遷其怒，自恃旬首甲戌，而往刑旬末癸未。此為恃勢之刑。

The second section is called "恃势之刑": the earth of the earthy branch 未 (Wei) takes advantage of being the long life place of earth, and bullies the earthy branch 丑 (Chou), which has just reached the capping position, so 未 injures 丑; 丑, relying on its position at the capping, bullies the earthy branch 戌 (Xu), which had already been injured before, so 丑 turns to injure 戌; after being bullied, 戌 transfers its anger, relying on being the first of the Jia Xu decade, to injure the last of the decade, Gui Wei. The three of them take advantage of their positions to bully one another in a cycle, hence it is called "恃势之刑".

第三無禮之刑者，言陽精自生日，陽氣在子，而卯為日門，子為卯父，鼎立無卑恭之禮，是以卯子為無禮之刑也。翼奉傳曰：子為貪狼，卯為陰賊，王者為忌失之辰。辰午酉亥自刑，義見上矣。

The third type is called "No Ritual Punishment": The essence of yang is born from the sun, and yang energy is stored in the Zi position, while Mao is the gate through which the sun rises and sets. In terms of辈分, Zi is the father of Mao (water nourishes wood). Now, the two are facing each other and standing in opposition, showing no respect or humility towards the elder, so Zi and Mao mutually harm each other, which is called "No Ritual Punishment." The "Yi Feng Zhuan" says: Zi is the greedy wolf, and Mao is the阴贼 (shadow thief), both are positions that the king should avoid, as they are prone to errors and mistakes. As for the four branches, Chen, Wu, You, and Hai, each harms itself, and the reasoning has already been explained in the previous section on "Excess leads to punishment." Thus, the punishments of the twelve branches are now complete: three types of mutual punishment in two groups (Yin, Si, Shen; Chou, Xu, Wei), one group of mutual punishment (Zi and Mao), and four branches that harm themselves.

傳曰：害者，妨也，在刑殺之間。酉戌相害者，謂戌以死火，害酉生金，此名為鬼害也。申亥相害者，各恃其臨官欲競強勢，嫉才爭進相害也。子未相害者，謂未以壬土，害子壬水，此為恃勢相害也。

Ancient legends say: "Hai" means obstruction, and its intensity is between "Xing" (punishment) and "Sha" (kill). You and Xu are in mutual harm: the weak and dying fire hidden in Xu harms the strong and flourishing metal of You, with fire overcoming metal in a way that death overcomes life, and this is called "Gui Hai" (ghostly harm). Shen and Hai are in mutual harm: each relies on their own official position (Shen is the official position of Geng, and Hai is the official position of Ren), and they both strive to be superior, jealous of each other's abilities, rushing forward to compete, thus causing mutual harm. Zi and Wei are in mutual harm: the strong earth in Wei harms the strong water in Zi, with earth overcoming water, and this is called "Shi Shi Xiang Hai" (overbearing mutual harm) (the original text writes "Wang" as a character similar to "Ren", so it is transcribed as is).

寅巳相害者，謂各恃其臨官，各炫能而爭進相害也。丑午相害者，謂午以壬火，而凌丑死金，此以少凌長相害也。卯辰相害者，謂卯以壬木，凌辰死土，此以少凌長相害也。凡占遇六害者，各以本意決之。

The trigram Yin (寅) and Si (巳) are mutually harmful because both are in their official positions (Yin is the official position of Jia, and Si is the official position of Bing), and they both show off their abilities and compete to move forward, thus causing harm. The trigram Chou (丑) and Wu (午) are mutually harmful because the strong fire in Wu oppresses the weak and dying metal in Chou, which is called "the young overpowering the old," meaning the younger generation surpassing the older. The trigram Mao (卯) and Chen (辰) are mutually harmful because the strong wood in Mao oppresses the weak and dying earth in Chen, which is also "the young overpowering the old." The six combinations are called "Six Harmful Relationships" (六害): Zi and Wei, Chou and Wu, Yin and Si, Mao and Chen, Shen and Hai, You and Xu. When a divination lesson encounters the Six Harmful Relationships, each should be judged according to its original meaning: if it is a ghostly harm, judge it based on the aspect of overcoming and attacking; if it is a case of relying on power, judge it based on the aspect of bullying the weak; if it is a case of competing for advancement, judge it based on the aspect of competition and jealousy.

傳曰：鬼者，五行之精氣也，謂支干皆有之。干鬼者：甲鬼在申，乙鬼在酉，丙鬼在子，丁鬼在亥，戊鬼在寅，己鬼在卯，庚鬼在午，辛鬼在巳，壬鬼在戌，癸鬼在未。

Ancient legend says that what is called "ghost" refers to the refined energy of the Five Phases. Both the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches each have their own ghosts. Here, "ghost" refers to the thing that overcomes me, which is later called official ghost. The ghosts of the Heavenly Stems are: Jia's ghost is in Shen, Yi's ghost is in You, Bing's ghost is in Zi, Ding's ghost is in Hai, Wu's ghost is in Yin, Ji's ghost is in Mao, Geng's ghost is in Wu, Xin's ghost is in Si, Ren's ghost is in Xu, and Gui's ghost is in Wei. Checking each one, it can be seen that all the listed branches are those that overcome the respective Heavenly Stems: Jia and Yi (wood) fear Shen and You (metal), Bing and Ding (fire) fear Zi and Hai (water), Wu and Ji (earth) fear Yin and Mao (wood), Geng and Xin (metal) fear Wu and Si (fire), and Ren and Gui (water) fear Xu and Wei (earth). This list is exactly the same as the ten Heavenly Stems' punishments mentioned in the previous section "Explanation of Punishments."

支鬼者：子鬼在辰，丑鬼在卯，寅鬼在申，卯鬼在酉，辰鬼在寅，巳鬼在亥，午鬼在子，未鬼在卯，申鬼在午，酉鬼在巳，戌鬼在寅，亥鬼在未。

The ghosts of the Earthly Branches are: the ghost of Zi is in Chen, the ghost of Chou is in Mao, the ghost of Yin is in Shen, the ghost of Mao is in You, the ghost of Chen is in Yin, the ghost of Si is in Hai, the ghost of Wu is in Zi, the ghost of Wei is in Mao, the ghost of Shen is in Wu, the ghost of You is in Si, the ghost of Xu is in Yin, and the ghost of Hai is in Wei. The ghost is determined by the branch that overcomes the original branch: water branches fear earth branches, earth branches fear wood branches, wood branches fear metal branches, metal branches fear fire branches, and fire branches fear water branches. When the upper god of the Day Stem or Day Branch is exactly its ghost during divination, it is called "ghost approaching the body," indicating illness, legal disputes, or theft. This situation requires checking whether there are any virtue gods or saving gods to resolve the issue.

傳曰：陰氣尤毒，謂之殺也。巳、酉、丑，劫殺在寅，寅中有陰氣生火也。災殺在卯，卯為日門，陰氣所入。天殺在辰，辰為四季陰氣，能遊天上也。

Ancient legend says that the particularly toxic part of yin energy is called "kill." Below, it is divided into four groups according to the Triple Harmony Formation, with three types of kill in each group:劫杀, 灾杀, and 天杀. For the metal Triple Harmony Formation of巳, 酉, and 丑:劫杀 is at 寅, because 寅 contains yin energy capable of generating fire (寅 is the long birth position of fire, which is exactly the terminal point of the metal Triple Harmony); 灾杀 is at 卯, because 卯 is the gate of the sun, through which yin energy enters; 天杀 is at 辰, because 辰 belongs to the earth of the four seasons, and its yin energy can move through the sky. The method is to take the first character of the Triple Harmony Formation (the long birth position) and count forward: the terminal point of the metal Triple Harmony Formation is 寅, so劫杀 is at 寅, and 灾杀 and 天杀 follow in order.

申、子、辰，劫殺在巳，巳中有陰氣生土也。災殺在午，言氣生於午也。天殺在於未，言四季陰氣，能遊天上也。亥、卯、未，劫殺在申，申中有陰金也。災殺在酉，酉為月門，陰氣所出也。天殺在戌，言四季陰氣能遊天上也。

The combination of Shen, Zi, and Chen forms a water trinity: the劫杀 (plundering killer) is in Si, because Si contains hidden yin energy that can generate earth (Si is the terminal point of the water trinity); the灾杀 (calamity killer) is in Wu, meaning yin energy originates in Wu; the天杀 (heavenly killer) is in Wei, because Wei belongs to the fourth season's earth, and its yin energy can move through the heavens. The combination of Hai, Mao, and Wei forms a wood trinity: the劫杀 is in Shen, because Shen contains hidden yin metal (Shen is the terminal point of the wood trinity); the灾杀 is in You, because You is the monthly gate, and yin energy emerges from here; the天杀 is in Xu, because Xu belongs to the fourth season's earth, and its yin energy can move through the heavens. We can see the pattern: the劫杀 is always at the terminal point of the trinity, the灾杀 is at the next position after the terminal point, and the天杀 is two positions later, inevitably falling on one of the four earths: Chen, Wei, Xu, or You.

寅、午、戌，劫殺在亥，亥中有陰水也。災殺在子，子為陰水，言陰氣生子也。天殺在丑，言四季陰氣能遊天上也。

The Triple Harmony of Yin, Wu, and Xu forms a fire trinity: the劫杀 (劫杀) is in Hai, because Hai contains hidden yin water (Hai is the terminal point for the fire trinity); the灾杀 (灾杀) is in Zi, as Zi itself is yin water, indicating the origin of yin energy in Zi; the天杀 (天杀) is in Chou, because Chou belongs to the seasonal earth, and its yin energy can move in the heavens. For the four combinations: the three killers of巳, You, and Chou are in Yin, Mao, and Chen; the three killers of Shen, Zi, and Chen are in Si, Wu, and Wei; the three killers of Hai, Mao, and Wei are in Shen, You, and Xu; and the three killers of Yin, Wu, and Xu are in Hai, Zi, and Chou—exactly the terminal points of each trinity, each occupying three consecutive earthly branches.

金神三殺者：寅申巳亥，三殺在酉；子午卯酉，三殺在巳；辰戌丑未，三殺在丑。若占病，白虎並官事，與朱雀並者，皆大凶也。

There is another type called 'Golden God Three Killers,' which are assigned based on the four beginning months, four middle months, and four end months: if the time or day branch belongs to寅,申, 巳, or 亥 (the four beginning months), the three killers are at酉; if it belongs to子, 午, 卯, or 酉 (the four middle months), the three killers are at巳; if it belongs to辰, 戌, 丑, or 未 (the four end months), the three killers are at丑. This type of killer god is named after the metal energy, hence called the Golden God. If divining about illness, whenever White Tiger and official litigation matters appear together, and Vermilion Bird is also present, it is judged as extremely凶. White Tiger signifies death, mourning, and illness, while Vermilion Bird signifies disputes and legal affairs. When these two are combined with the killer, illness is accompanied by legal troubles, which is most undesirable.

年月三殺者：申子辰，殺在未，謂水太陰之位，殺在太陽之上；亥卯未，殺在戌，謂木少陽之位，殺在少陰之上；寅午戌，殺在丑，謂火太陽之位，殺在太陰之上；巳酉丑，殺在辰，謂金少陰之位，殺在少陽之上。

There is another type called "Year-Month Triple Killer." The killer is determined by the Triple Harmony of the stem or the Month Builder: for years and months of Shen Zi Chen (申子辰), the killer is in Xu (戌) — Shen Zi Chen belongs to water, which is the Tai Yin position, so the killer falls on the side of the Sun (Southern fire and earth); for years and months of Hai Mao Wei (亥卯未), the killer is in Chou (丑) — Hai Mao Wei belongs to wood, which is the Shaoyang position, so the killer falls on the side of Shaoyin (Western metal); for years and months of Yin Wu Xu (寅午戌), the killer is in Zi (子) — Yin Wu Xu belongs to fire, which is the Sun position, so the killer falls on the side of Tai Yin (Northern water and earth); for years and months of Si You Chou (巳酉丑), the killer is in Yin (寅) — Si You Chou belongs to metal, which is the Shaoyin position, so the killer falls on the side of Shaoyang (Eastern wood). The killers of all four groups fall on the four storage positions of Chen (辰), Xu (戌), Zi (子), and Chou (丑), and they are precisely at the opposite positions of the storage of each group.

凡上三傳，吉將與殺並者，吉事速。凶將與殺並者，其凶尤重。金神三殺最惡，若乘三象氣來剋日辰人年者，大凶也。

Whenever any of these killing spirits fall into the three transmissions, one should examine which heavenly generals are accompanying them: if a favorable general (such as Qinglong, Tai Chang, or Liuhe) is present along with the killing spirit, favorable events will come quickly, because the killing spirit has a promoting effect. If an unfavorable general (such as Baihu, Xuanwu, or Tengshe) is present along with the killing spirit, the misfortune will be especially severe. Among all the killing spirits, the Jin Shen San Sha is the mostvicious. If it arrives with strong energy to overcome the day stem, the day branch, and the person's year pillar, it is considered a great凶. (The term 'three images' refers to the manifestations of the day, the earth branch, and the year pillar.)

傳曰：數者，謂五行、十干、十二支數也。五行數者：水，生數一，成數六；火，生數二，成數七；木，生數三，成數八；金，生數四，成數九；土，生數五，成數十。

Ancient tradition says that "numbers" include three sets: the numbers of the Five Phases, the ten Heavenly Stems, and the twelve Earthly Branches. The numbers of the Five Phases are: water has the generating number one and the completing number six; fire has the generating number two and the completing number seven; wood has the generating number three and the completing number eight; metal has the generating number four and the completing number nine; and earth has the generating number five and the completing number ten. This is the established explanation from the Great Treatise of the Zhou Changes: "Heaven produces water with one, and earth completes it with six." The numbers one to five are generating numbers, and adding five to each gives the completing numbers six to ten. When divining to determine the nearness or distance of time and the quantity of numbers, these numbers are used.

十二支數者：子午數九，丑未數八，寅申數七，卯酉數六，辰戌數五，巳亥數四。十干數者：甲己數九，乙庚數八，丙辛數七，丁壬數六，戊癸數五。

The numbers of the twelve Earthly Branches are: Zi and Wu are both nine, Chou and Wei are both eight, Yin and Shen are both seven, Mao and You are both six, Chen and Xu are both five, and Si and Hai are both four. The two conflicting branches have the same number, decreasing from nine to four. The numbers of the ten Heavenly Stems are: Jia and Ji are both nine, Yi and Geng are both eight, Bing and Xin are both seven, Ding and Ren are both six, Wu and Gui are both five. The two complementary stems have the same number, decreasing from nine to five. This set of numbers is directly used in the following section "Brief Explanation of Trigrams" to calculate the time of occurrence. For example, Heqi (Xu) is added to Wei. Wei's number is eight and Xu's number is five. Multiplying them gives forty, and the fortune is predicted to occur within forty days.

《金匱經》曰：二氣交會各五。五行，謂金木水火土，循環而無端。故金化而水生，水流木榮，木動而火炎，火炎而土平，積土而金成。此五行相生之情而相受也。故金生水，水生木，木生火，火生土，土生金，是為相生也。

The *Golden Chest Classic* says: After the yin and yang energies meet, they each divide into five, forming the Five Phases. The Five Phases are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, which cycle endlessly without beginning or end. Therefore, metal melts to produce water, water moistens to foster wood, wood moves to kindle fire, fire consumes to form earth, and earth accumulates to create metal. This is the pattern of mutual generation among the Five Phases, with each one receiving from the previous. Thus, metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal; this is called "mutual generation." Half of all the methods used in Six壬 divination rely on this principle: when the day branch and the upper god are mutually generating, and when the three transmissions are mutually generating from beginning to end, it often indicates smooth outcomes. Those who generate me are considered parents or helpers, while those I generate are considered children or things that consume or drain me.

《金匱經》曰：五行者，各有相惡也。故金入火而銷亡，火得水而滅光，水得土而不行，土得木而腫瘡，木逢金而折傷。此五行相剋之情，遞相惡也。故金克木，木克土，土克水，水克火，火克金，是謂遞相惡也。

The *Golden Chest Classic* says: Among the Five Phases, each one has an aversion to another, which is called mutual control. Therefore, metal put into fire melts and perishes, fire meets water and its flame is extinguished, water meets earth and cannot flow, earth is pierced by wood as if it has a swelling, and wood meets metal and is cut and damaged. This is the state of mutual control among the Five Phases, where each one successively dislikes the next. Thus, metal controls wood, wood controls earth, earth controls water, water controls fire, and fire controls metal, which is called "reciprocal aversion." In Six壬 divination, selecting the Useful God primarily focuses on mutual control—"first take the one that controls as the Useful God." Among the Four Lessons, if there is a controlling relationship, the first Transmission begins from that controlling relationship. This is based precisely on this passage.

正月將徵明：《金匱經》曰：建寅之月，陽氣始達，徵召萬物而明理之，故曰徵明。二月將天魁：《金匱經》曰：建卯之月，萬物皆生，各求根本，以類合聚，故曰天魁。三月將從魁：《金匱經》曰：建辰之月，萬物皆長，枝蕊花葉，從根本而出，故曰從魁。

The "month general" is the name of the twelve heavenly spirits on the heaven plate. It is essentially the zodiac sign where the sun resides each month. When casting a divination, this is added to the time of the divination and the heaven plate is rotated, thus starting the entire divination process. In the first month, the month general is Zhēngmíng, which corresponds to the亥 (Hai) sign. The "Golden Chest Classic" states that in the month of Yin (the first lunar month), yang energy begins to flow, summoning all things and making them clear and orderly, hence it is called "Zhēngmíng." In the second month, the month general is Tiānkuí, which corresponds to the戌 (Xu) sign. The "Golden Chest Classic" says that in the month of Mao (the second lunar month), all things sprout together, each seeking its root and gathering with similar ones, hence it is called "Tiānkuí." In the third month, the month general is Cóngkuí, which corresponds to the酉 (You) sign. The "Golden Chest Classic" states that in the month of Chen (the third lunar month), all things grow vigorously, with branches, buds, flowers, and leaves growing in order from the roots, hence it is called "Cóngkuí." Note the relationship between the month builder and the month general: the first month uses Hai, the second month uses Xu, and the third month uses You. This is exactly the Liu He (Liu He) relationship between the month builder and the month general, which is the method for determining the month general.

四月將傳送：《金匱經》曰：建巳之月，萬物盛茂，陽氣所傳而通送之，故曰傳送。五月將小吉：《金匱經》曰：建午之月，萬物小盛，陰氣始生，奉陽之功，故曰小吉。六月將勝光：《金匱經》曰：建未之月，萬物壯大，逾本而生，故曰勝光。

In the fourth month, the month general is "Chuan Song" (Transmission), which corresponds to Shen: The "Golden Chest Classic" says that in the month of Si (the fourth month), all things are flourishing and vigorous, and the yang energy flows continuously and is transmitted outward, hence it is called "Chuan Song" (Transmission). In the fifth month, the month general is "Xiao Ji" (Minor Auspiciousness), which corresponds to Wei: The "Golden Chest Classic" says that in the month of Wu (the fifth month), all things are slightly flourishing and vigorous, and the yin energy begins to arise here, assisting the yang in completing its deeds, hence it is called "Xiao Ji" (Minor Auspiciousness). In the sixth month, the month general is "Sheng Guang" (Victorious Radiance), which corresponds to Wu: The "Golden Chest Classic" says that in the month of Wei (the sixth month), all things are fully developed and surpass their original forms, growing outward, hence it is called "Sheng Guang" (Victorious Radiance). The fourth month pairs with Shen, the fifth with Wei, and the sixth with Wu, which still maintains the harmony between the month builder and the month general.

七月將太乙：《金匱經》曰：建申之月，萬物畢秀，吐穗含實，孔穴自任，故曰太乙。八月將天罡：《金匱經》曰：建酉之月，萬物強固，柯條已定，核實堅剛，故曰天罡。九月將太沖：《金匱經》曰：建戌之月，萬物成熟，收穫聚之，枝條剝毀，故曰太沖。

In the seventh month, the Month General is Taiyi, which corresponds to Si: The Golden Chest Classic says, in the month of Shen, all things are fully mature and bear grain, each hole and passage fulfilling its function, hence it is called "Taiyi." In the eighth month, the Month General is Tian Gang, which corresponds to Chen: The Golden Chest Classic says, in the month of You, all things are strong and firm, the branches and trunks have already taken shape, the fruit kernels are hard and solid, hence it is called "Tian Gang." In the ninth month, the Month General is Tai Chong, which corresponds to Mao: The Golden Chest Classic says, in the month of Xu, all things are ripe, harvested and gathered together, the branches are stripped and damaged, hence it is called "Tai Chong." The seventh month pairs with Si, the eighth with Chen, and the ninth with Mao, all being harmonious pairings.

十月將功曹：《金匱經》曰：建亥之月，萬物大聚，功事成就，計定於功，故曰功曹。十一月將大吉：《金匱經》曰：建子之月，陽氣復始，君得其位，惠化日施，故曰大吉。十二月將神后：《金匱經》曰：建丑之月，歲功畢定，酒醴蜡祭百神，故曰神后。

In the tenth month, the Month General is Gongcao, which corresponds to the Earthly Branch Yin: The Golden Chest Classic says that in the month of Ji Hai, all things gather together, and the achievements of the year are completed, with merits determined at this time, hence it is called "Gongcao." In the eleventh month, the Month General is Daji, which corresponds to the Earthly Branch Chou: The Golden Chest Classic says that in the month of Ji Zi, the yang energy begins anew (one yang returns), the sovereign attains his proper position, and benevolence and education are practiced daily, hence it is called "Daji." In the twelfth month, the Month General is Shenhou, which corresponds to the Earthly Branch Zi: The Golden Chest Classic says that in the month of Ji Chou, the agricultural work of the year is fully completed, and people offer wine and rice to perform the wax sacrifice, honoring all deities, hence it is called "Shenhou." The Month Generals for the twelve months are thus complete: Hai Zhengming, Xu Tiankui (also called Hekui), You Congkui, Shen Chuan Song, Wei Xiaojí, Wu Shengguang, Si Taiyi, Chen Tiangang, Mao Taichong, Yin Gongcao, Chou Daji, and Zi Shenhou.

天之運轉，合宿之所至，以立神名。天之十二神，動移無窮。地之十二辰，以靜而待之。或有相生，或有相剋，吉凶之本，不可不知。

The movement of heaven corresponds to the positions of the star mansions, and people established names for the twelve deities based on this. The twelve heavenly deities move with the Heaven Plate, constantly shifting; the twelve earthly branches remain still, waiting for the deities to come upon them. When heavenly deities descend onto earthly branches, they either mutually generate or mutually control each other, which is the fundamental basis of fortune and misfortune, something that must be clearly understood. These two sentences reveal the basic structure of the Six Rats divination: the moving Heaven Plate twelve deities are placed over the stationary Earth Plate twelve branches. Each compartment forms a pair of 'upper and lower' elements. Observing the generation and control relationship between these pairs serves as the starting point for divination.

上克下憂他人，下克上憂己身。上克下憂婦人，下克上憂男子。旺氣所勝，憂縣官。相氣所勝，憂財物。死氣所勝，憂死喪。囚氣所勝，憂囚繫。休氣所勝，憂疾病。餘皆仿引例。

The specific interpretation is: if the upper god overcomes the lower term, the worry arises from others; if the lower term overcomes the upper god, the worry falls upon oneself. Another view says: if the upper overcomes the lower, the worry is with the woman; if the lower overcomes the upper, the worry is with the man. Going further, one must consider the nature of the element that is overcoming: if it overcomes by a strong force, the worry is about government affairs; if by a moderate force, the worry is about wealth; if by a dead force, the worry is about death or mourning; if by a restrained force, the worry is about imprisonment; if by a resting force, the worry is about illness. Other situations are inferred by analogy with these examples. The terms of strength, prosperity, rest, restraint, and death refer to the five levels of the Five Phases' strength determined according to the season in the divination. The one in season is strong, the one I generate is prosperous, the one generating me is resting, the one overcoming me is restrained, and the one I overcome is dead.

太史楊維德曰：臣等謹案：十二次取《三統曆》，配十二分野，其旨最詳。又有費真說《周易》、蔡邕《月令章句》，並後魏太史陳卓言人宿度，各有先後，令依《三統曆》入次度，與見行曆書同，所定並同。

Taishi Yang Weide said: We have carefully examined that the division of the twelve times is taken from the San Tong Li, and combined with the twelve regions, this system is the most complete. In addition, there are Fei Zhi's interpretation of the Zhou Yi, Cai Yong's commentary on the Yueling, and Chen Zhuo of the Northern Wei dynasty's discussion on the degrees of entering the constellations. Each school has its own defined boundaries, which differ in order. Now we adopt entirely the degrees of entering the times as defined in the San Tong Li, which is consistent with the current calendar. Therefore, the definitions in this book are also consistent with it. The term "Bide" refers to dividing the 28 constellations of the sky into twelve segments, each segment corresponding to a month general, to determine where the sun is currently located in terms of the month general. If the month general is incorrect, then the entire lesson will be wrong.

自軫宿十二度，至氐四度，為天罡，於辰在辰。自氐宿五度，至尾宿九度，為太沖，於辰在卯。自尾宿十度，至斗宿十一度，為功曹，於辰在寅。自斗宿十二度，至女宿七度，為大吉，於辰在丑。自女宿八度，至危宿十五度，為神后，於辰在子。自危宿十六度，至奎宿四度，為登明，於辰在亥。

The following lists the range of mansions each month general oversees, read as "start-end mansion degree—month general name—assigned earthly branch": The sun passes through the twelve degrees of the Chariot mansion to the four degrees of the Root mansion, which is Heavenly Gang, assigned to the Dragon position; the five degrees of the Root mansion to the nine degrees of the Tail mansion, which is Tai Chong, assigned to the Rabbit position; the ten degrees of the Tail mansion to the eleven degrees of the Dipper mansion, which is Gong Cao, assigned to the Tiger position; the twelve degrees of the Dipper mansion to the seven degrees of the Girl mansion, which is Da Ji, assigned to the Ox position; the eight degrees of the Girl mansion to the fifteen degrees of the Rooftop mansion, which is Shen Hou, assigned to the Rat position; the sixteen degrees of the Rooftop mansion to the four degrees of the Legs mansion, which is Deng Ming, assigned to the Pig position. Here, the Pig general is called "Deng Ming," which is the same general as "Zheng Ming" mentioned in the previous section. Each segment follows the order of Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, Rat, Pig in reverse, which matches the sun's annual apparent motion along the Yellow Path moving backward through the twelve earthly branches.

自奎宿五度，至胃宿六度，為河魁，於辰在戌。自胃宿七度，至畢宿十一度，為從魁，於辰在酉。自畢宿十二度，至東井十五度，為傳送，於辰在申。自井宿十六度，至柳宿八度，為小吉，於辰在未。自柳宿九度，至張宿十六度，為勝光，於辰在午。自張宿十七度，至軫宿十一度，為太乙，於辰在巳。

Following the previous six sections: from the five degrees of the Legs mansion to the six degrees of the Stomach mansion is River Chief, matching the戌 position (River Chief is also the Heavenly Chief mentioned in the previous chapter); from the seven degrees of the Stomach mansion to the eleven degrees of the Net mansion is From Chief, matching the酉 position; from the twelve degrees of the Net mansion to the fifteen degrees of the Well mansion is Transmission, matching the申 position; from the sixteen degrees of the Well mansion to the eight degrees of the Willow mansion is Small Favor, matching the未 position; from the nine degrees of the Willow mansion to the sixteen degrees of the Extended Net mansion is Victory Light, matching the午 position; from the seventeen degrees of the Extended Net mansion to the eleven degrees of the Chariot mansion is Taiyi, matching the巳 position. At this point, the twelve sections connect head to tail, completing one full circle around the sky: the last section ends at the eleven degrees of the Chariot mansion, exactly connecting to the starting point of the first section at the twelve degrees of the Chariot mansion. In practical use, one only needs to check the degree of the Sun in the host mansion on the day of the divination, and use the general corresponding general according to which section it falls into, without being bound by the crude method of "using a certain general in a certain month."

太史楊惟德曰：臣等謹案：曆法日周天三百六十五度四分度之一，太陽一日行一度，八十五歲則行不及一度。臣等今依大宋《祟天曆》，起自景甲戌歲，二十四氣、日宿次合、分璧度數，以定月將，故得用式無差，占事有準，禍福符應，時變以周，悔吝凶吉與神道而合契。

The historian Yang WeiDe said: We have carefully examined according to the calendar that the sun travels around the sky once in 365 and 1/4 days, moving one degree each day. After accumulating 85 years, it will differ by one degree—this refers to the precession of the equinoxes. Now, based on the Great Song Dynasty's "Chong Tian Li" calendar, we start from the year Jing De Jia Xu (1004), and compile the positions of the solar terms in the constellations, calculating the degrees of each solar term in the constellations. Using this, we can determine the month general. Thus, when using the divination board for calculations, there will be no error, and divination will have a standard, with fortune and misfortune being verified. It will adapt to seasonal changes and comprehensively cover all situations, allowing悔吝 and fortune and misfortune to align with the divine. (The original text mistakenly writes "Chong Tian Li" as "Sui Tian Li" and omits one character in "Jing De," but we retain the original text as is.) The following lists the calculated solar degrees for each solar term.

冬至，斗宿六度二十六分。小寒，斗宿二十二度二十二分。大寒，女宿六度七十七分。立春，危宿初度九十七分。雨水，危宿十六度五十三分。驚蟄，室宿十四度二十分。春分，奎宿二度五十分。清明，婁宿初度四十分。穀雨，胃宿二度四十分。立夏，昴宿二度五十二分。小滿，畢宿六度二十八分。芒種，參宿三度八十九分。

The following lists the position of the sun in the mansions and degrees according to the solar terms, each read as "At a certain term: the sun is in a certain mansion at a certain degree and minute." Winter Solstice, the sun is in the Dipper mansion at six degrees and twenty-six minutes; Lesser Cold, the sun is in the Dipper mansion at twenty-two degrees and twenty-two minutes; Greater Cold, the sun is in the Girl mansion at six degrees and seventy-seven minutes; Start of Spring, the sun is in the Rooftop mansion at zero degrees and ninety-seven minutes ("zero degree" refers to the starting degree of the mansion); Rain Water, the sun is in the Rooftop mansion at sixteen degrees and fifty-three minutes; Awakening of Insects, the sun is in the Encampment mansion at fourteen degrees and twenty minutes; Vernal Equinox, the sun is in the Legs mansion at two degrees and fifty minutes; Clear and Bright, the sun is in the Bond mansion at zero degrees and forty minutes; Grain Rain, the sun is in the Stomach mansion at two degrees and forty minutes; Start of Summer, the sun is in the Hairy Head mansion at two degrees and fifty-two minutes; Lesser Fullness, the sun is in the Net mansion at six degrees and twenty-eight minutes; Grain in Ear, the sun is in the Three Stars mansion at three degrees and eighty-nine minutes. Here, "minute" refers to a hundredth part of a degree, a decimal fraction, which is different from the current degree and minute system. By looking up the sun's position in the mansions and degrees, and then comparing it with the boundaries of the twelve sections in the previous section "Explanation of the璧度," one can determine which month general to use.

夏至，井宿九度十三分。小暑，井宿二十三度六十六分。大暑，柳宿五度四十分。立秋，星宿五度九十八分。處暑，張宿十三度八十六分。白露，翼宿十度十二分。秋分，軫宿六度一分。寒露，角宿二度五十四分。霜降，亢宿四度九十八分。立冬，氐宿十一度五分。小雪，尾宿一度四十八分。大雪，尾宿一度四十八分。大雪，箕宿初度三十分。

Following the second half of the year: At the Summer Solstice, the sun is at 9 degrees and 13 minutes of the Well mansion; at the Minor Heat, it is at 23 degrees and 66 minutes of the Well mansion; at the Major Heat, it is at 5 degrees and 40 minutes of the Willow mansion; at the Beginning of Autumn, it is at 5 degrees and 98 minutes of the Star mansion; at the Limit of Heat, it is at 13 degrees and 86 minutes of the Extended Net mansion; at the White Dew, it is at 10 degrees and 12 minutes of the Wings mansion; at the Autumn Equinox, it is at 6 degrees and 1 minute of the Chariot mansion; at the Cold Dew, it is at 2 degrees and 54 minutes of the Horn mansion; at the Frost Descent, it is at 4 degrees and 98 minutes of the Neck mansion; at the Beginning of Winter, it is at 11 degrees and 5 minutes of the Root mansion; at the Minor Snow, it is at 1 degree and 48 minutes of the Tail mansion; at the Major Snow, it is at 0 degrees and 30 minutes of the Winnowing Basket mansion. The original text repeats the entry for 'Major Snow' after 'Minor Snow' with the same degree measurement, clearly an error from copying, so the correct entry for 'Major Snow' should be '0 degrees and 30 minutes of the Winnowing Basket mansion'. Here, both entries are included as they appear in the original text without merging. The solar degrees for all twenty-four solar terms are now fully listed, starting from the Winter Solstice at the Dipper mansion, completing a full cycle and returning to between the Dipper and the Winnowing Basket mansions.

假令十一月十五日冬至，在南斗六度。至二十一日，在南斗十二度。於辰在丑方，用大吉為月將。若二十日以前用式占事，猶用功曹為月將。餘皆仿此。

Here is an example that can be followed: Suppose on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, the winter solstice occurs, and the sun is at the sixth degree of Nandou. By the twenty-first day, the sun has moved to the twelfth degree of Nandou. According to the previous section "Explanation of the璧度," the section from the twelfth degree of Doushu to the seventh degree of Nvshu is considered great auspiciousness, and it corresponds to the position of Chou. Therefore, starting from the twenty-first day, the Great Auspiciousness (Chou) is used as the Month General. If divination is done before the twentieth day, the sun is still within the eleventh degree of Doushu, which belongs to Gongcao, so Gongcao (Yin) is still used as the Month General. The same principle applies to other periods. The key point is that the change of the Month General is based on the actual position of the sun crossing the boundary, not on a fixed date. Therefore, before setting up the divination, one must first check the sun's position in the mansions.

古法曰：一晝夜有二十時，總一百刻，逐時更分，各有長短，謂辰戌丑未四時，各十三刻，其餘八時各六刻，共成一百刻也。殊不知天道運行，歲時差忒，銀漏著短長之限，實咎分盈縮之期。臣等今依《祟天曆》，算定遲疾，四時無差於昏曉。《月令》云：日出前二刻半為曉，日入後二刻半為昏也。

Ancient methods state that one day and night consists of twelve hours and one hundred parts, with each hour further divided into smaller segments, but their lengths are not equal. The four hours of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei each contain thirteen parts, while the remaining eight hours each contain six parts. Four times thirteen plus eight times six exactly make up one hundred parts (the original text mistakenly says 'twenty hours' instead of 'twelve hours', and this is recorded as is). However, this method does not take into account that the heavenly way operates with variations throughout the year; the fixed divisions of the water clock do not match the changing lengths of day and night. The problem lies precisely here. Now, we have calculated the speed and slowness of day and night according to the "Chong Tian Li" calendar, ensuring that the times of dawn and dusk in all four seasons are no longer inaccurate. The "Liji · Yue Ling" states that two and a half parts before sunrise is called "dawn," and two and a half parts after sunset is called "dusk." By accurately determining dawn and dusk, we can distinguish between the nobleman of the day and the nobleman of the night. The use of the heavenly nobleman entirely depends on this.

冬至，日出卯正五刻空，入申正三刻二十分。小寒，日出卯正四刻五十分，入申正三刻三十分。大寒，日出卯正四刻二十分，入申正四刻空。立春，日出卯正三刻三十二分，入申正四刻四十八分。雨水，日出卯正二刻三十分，入申正五刻五十分。驚蟄，日出卯正一刻十七分，入申正十刻三分。春分，日出卯正初刻空，入酉正初刻空。清明，日出寅正七刻三分，入酉正一刻十七分。穀雨，日出寅正五刻五十分，入酉正二刻三十分。立夏，日出寅正四刻四十分，入酉正三刻三十二分。小滿，日出寅正四刻四十八分，入酉正四刻二十分。芒種，日出寅正三刻三十分，入酉正四刻五十分。

The following are the times of sunrise and sunset for each solar term, each read as "At a certain term: sunrise occurs at a certain hour and a certain number of minutes after the hour, and sunset occurs at a certain hour and a certain number of minutes after the hour." "Empty" means that there are no remaining minutes. On the winter solstice, sunrise occurs at 5 minutes after the卯 (Mao) hour, and sunset occurs at 3 minutes and 20 seconds after the申 (Shen) hour. On the minor cold, sunrise occurs at 50 minutes after the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at 3 minutes and 30 seconds after the申 hour. On the major cold, sunrise occurs at 20 minutes after the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at 4 minutes after the申 hour. On the beginning of spring, sunrise occurs at 32 minutes after the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at 4 minutes and 48 seconds after the申 hour. On the rain water, sunrise occurs at 30 minutes after the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at 5 minutes and 50 seconds after the酉 (You) hour. On the awakening of insects, sunrise occurs at 17 minutes after the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at 3 minutes after the酉 hour (the original text says "10 minutes and 3 seconds after the申 hour," but a single hour cannot have 10 divisions, so this is a copying error, and the original text is recorded as is). On the spring equinox, sunrise occurs at exactly the beginning of the卯 hour, and sunset occurs at exactly the beginning of the酉 hour, with day and night exactly equal. On the clear and bright, sunrise occurs at 7 minutes and 3 seconds after the寅 (Yin) hour, and sunset occurs at 17 minutes after the酉 hour. On the grain rain, sunrise occurs at 50 minutes after the寅 hour, and sunset occurs at 30 minutes after the酉 hour. On the beginning of summer, sunrise occurs at 40 minutes after the寅 hour, and sunset occurs at 3 minutes and 32 seconds after the酉 hour. On the minor full, sunrise occurs at 48 minutes after the寅 hour, and sunset occurs at 20 minutes after the酉 hour. On the wheat summer, sunrise occurs at 30 minutes after the寅 hour, and sunset occurs at 50 minutes after the酉 hour. It can be seen that from the winter solstice to the wheat summer, sunrise gradually occurs earlier and sunset gradually occurs later, with the day becoming longer and the night becoming shorter.

夏至，日出寅正三刻三十分，入酉正五刻空。小暑，日出寅正三刻三十一分，入酉正四刻五十分。大暑，日出寅正四刻空，入酉正四刻二十分。立秋，日出寅正四刻四十八分，入酉正三刻三十三分。處暑，日出寅正五刻五十分，入酉正二刻三十分。白露，日出寅正七刻三分，入酉正七刻十七分。秋分，日出卯正初刻空，入酉正初刻空。寒露，日出卯正一刻十七分，入酉正七刻三分。霜降，日出卯正二刻三十分，入申正五刻五十分。立冬，日出卯正三刻二十二分，入申正四刻四十八分。小雪，日出卯正四刻二十分，入申正四刻空。大雪，日出卯正四刻五十分，入申正三刻三十分。

From the second half of the year: On the summer solstice, the sun rises at 3:30 in the third hour of the寅 (Tiger) and sets at 5:00 in the fifth hour of the酉 (Rooster), making the day the longest; on the minor heat, the sun rises at 3:31 in the third hour of the寅 and sets at 4:50 in the fourth hour of the酉; on the major heat, the sun rises at 4:00 in the fourth hour of the寅 and sets at 4:20 in the fourth hour of the酉; on the beginning of autumn, the sun rises at 4:48 in the fourth hour of the寅 and sets at 3:33 in the third hour of the酉; on the heat cessation, the sun rises at 5:50 in the fifth hour of the寅 and sets at 2:30 in the second hour of the酉; on the white dew, the sun rises at 7:03 in the seventh hour of the寅 and sets at 1:17 in the first hour of the酉 (the original text says 'seven moments and seventeen parts', which does not match the corresponding number in the Qingming entry, so it should be a mistake for 'one moment', and the original text is recorded as is); on the autumn equinox, the sun rises at 1:00 in the first hour of the卯 (Horse) and sets at 1:00 in the first hour of the酉, marking another equal division of day and night; on the cold dew, the sun rises at 1:17 in the first hour of the卯 and sets at 7:03 in the fifth hour of the申 (Monkey) (the original text says '酉', but according to the decreasing trend, it should be '申', and the original text is recorded as is); on the frost's descent, the sun rises at 2:30 in the second hour of the卯 and sets at 5:50 in the fifth hour of the申; on the beginning of winter, the sun rises at 3:22 in the third hour of the卯 and sets at 4:48 in the fourth hour of the申; on the minor snow, the sun rises at 4:20 in the fourth hour of the卯 and sets at 4:00 in the fourth hour of the申; on the major snow, the sun rises at 4:50 in the fourth hour of the卯 and sets at 3:30 in the third hour of the申. From the summer solstice to the major snow, the sun rises later and sets earlier with each solar term, the day gradually shortens and the night gradually lengthens, which is opposite to the first half of the year. When casting a divination, one looks up the sunrise and sunset times for the day's solar term, then subtracts and adds two and a half hours respectively, to determine the times of dawn and dusk. The boundary between day and night is thus marked by the Nobleman.

《黃帝》曰：曉昏之法，以星沒為曉，星出為昏。雖諸說之紛紜，奈法式而猶闕。臣等今依《祟天曆》，算定昏曉，中星定貴神經歷之方，分天官向背之所，庶占驗無失，善惡有準矣。

The Yellow Emperor said: The method to determine dawn and dusk is that when the stars disappear, it is called 'dawn,' and when the stars appear, it is called 'dusk.' Although various schools have different opinions, the specific rules for applying them on the divination plate have always been missing. Now we have calculated the times of dusk and dawn according to the Chong Tian Li, and determined the 'central star' that was exactly in the due south meridian at that time. Using this, we can determine the direction the noble spirits' paths reach, and distinguish the facing and backing directions of the heavenly generals (Twelve Heavenly Generals). We hope this will ensure accurate divination and clear criteria for distinguishing good and evil. The term 'central star' refers to the constellation that appears exactly on the due south meridian at dusk or dawn. Knowing the central star is equivalent to knowing the actual direction of the heaven plate at that time.

節氣，曉中星，昏中星。冬至，角初度，壁四度。小寒，亢二度，奎六度。大寒，氐七度，婁八度。立春，房四度，昴初度。雨水，尾五度，畢八度。驚蟄，尾十六度，參九度。春分，箕九度，井十九度。清明，斗八度，柳三度。穀雨，斗十九度，張一度。立夏，牛四度，翼三度。小滿，女九度，軫二度。芒種，危初度，角二度。

The following table has three columns, in order: the solar term, the star at due south at dawn, and the star at due south at dusk. Each entry is read as "During the term of [X], at dawn due south is [Y] degree of [Z], and at dusk due south is [A] degree of [B]." On the winter solstice, the star at dawn is at the first degree of the Horn mansion, and at dusk it is at the fourth degree of the Wall mansion; on the beginning of winter, it is at the second degree of the Neck mansion and the sixth degree of the Legs mansion; on the great cold, it is at the seventh degree of the Root mansion and the eighth degree of the Bond mansion; on the start of spring, it is at the fourth degree of the Room mansion and the first degree of the Hairy Head mansion; on the rain water, it is at the fifth degree of the Tail mansion and the eighth degree of the Net mansion; on the awakening of insects, it is at the sixteenth degree of the Tail mansion and the ninth degree of the Three Stars mansion; on the vernal equinox, it is at the ninth degree of the Winnowing Basket mansion and the nineteenth degree of the Well mansion; on the clear and bright, it is at the eighth degree of the Dipper mansion and the third degree of the Willow mansion; on the grain rain, it is at the nineteenth degree of the Dipper mansion and the first degree of the Extended Net mansion; on the start of summer, it is at the fourth degree of the Ox mansion and the third degree of the Wings mansion; on the beginning of fullness, it is at the ninth degree of the Girl mansion and the second degree of the Chariot mansion; on the wheat grain, it is at the first degree of the Rooftop mansion and the second degree of the Horn mansion. The first number refers to the star at dawn, and the second number refers to the star at dusk. Both move in sequence through the twenty-eight mansions according to the solar terms.

夏至，危十四度，亢六度。小暑，室十三度，氐十一度。大暑，奎五度，尾初度。立秋，婁七度，尾十二度。處暑，昴初度，箕六度。白露，畢九度，斗五度。秋分，井一度，斗十六度。寒露，井二十一度，牛初度。霜降，柳五度，女三度。立冬，張二度，虛三度。小雪，翼二度，危五度。大雪，軫一度，室一度。

After the second half of the year, the two columns 'Morning Star' and 'Evening Star' continue: On the Summer Solstice, the star is at 14 degrees of the mansion of Wei and 6 degrees of the mansion of Kang; on the Minor Heat, at 13 degrees of the mansion of Shi and 11 degrees of the mansion of Di; on the Major Heat, at 5 degrees of the mansion of Kui and the beginning of the mansion of Wei; on the Beginning of Autumn, at 7 degrees of the mansion of Lou and 12 degrees of the mansion of Wei; on the Limit of Heat, at the beginning of the mansion of Mao and 6 degrees of the mansion of Ji; on the White Dew, at 9 degrees of the mansion of Bi and 5 degrees of the mansion of Dou; on the Autumn Equinox, at 1 degree of the mansion of Jing and 16 degrees of the mansion of Dou; on the Cold Dew, at 21 degrees of the mansion of Liu and the beginning of the mansion of Nü; on the Frost Descent, at 5 degrees of the mansion of Liu and 3 degrees of the mansion of Nu; on the Beginning of Winter, at 2 degrees of the mansion of Zhang and 3 degrees of the mansion of Xu; on the Minor Snow, at 2 degrees of the mansion of Yi and 5 degrees of the mansion of Wei; on the Major Snow, at 1 degree of the mansion of Chen and 1 degree of the mansion of Shi. After twenty-four entries are completed, the morning star moves from the mansion of Jiao through all twenty-eight mansions and returns to the mansion of Chen. The evening star does the same, but is about half a celestial circle behind. When casting a divination, if one needs to check whether it is already morning or evening, one can simply look at the star in the middle of the southern sky. It is not necessary to rely entirely on the water clock.

司馬遷《天官書》曰：天乙在紫徽宮門右星南，天帝之神也，主鬥戰，知人之吉凶者也。天乙常背天門向地戶而行。天官十有二，天乙常以甲戊庚日，旦治大吉，暮治小吉。乙己之日，旦治神后，暮治傳送。丙丁之日，旦治徵明，暮治從魁。壬癸之日，旦治太乙，暮治太沖。六辛之日，旦治勝光，暮治功曹也。

Sima Qian's "Tian Gao Shu" in the "Shiji" says: The star Tian Yi is located to the south of the door of the Purple Micro Palace, and it is the divine spirit of the heavenly emperor, in charge of warfare and able to know the fortune and misfortune of people (the original text says "Zi Hui" instead of "Zi Wei," and this is recorded as is). When Tian Yi moves, it always faces away from the heavenly gate (the northwest position of Qian) and towards the earthly gate (the southeast position of Xun). Among the twelve heavenly officials (i.e., the twelve heavenly generals), Tian Yi is the first. Its principle is: on the days of Jia, Wu, and Geng, during the day, the nobleman is at Da Ji (Chou), and at night, the nobleman is at Xiao Ji (Wei); on the days of Yi and Ji, during the day, the nobleman is at Shen Hou (Zi), and at night, the nobleman is at Song Song (Shen); on the days of Bing and Ding, during the day, the nobleman is at Zheng Ming (Hai), and at night, the nobleman is at Cong Kuai (You); on the days of Ren and Gui, during the day, the nobleman is at Tai Yi (Si), and at night, the nobleman is at Tai Chong (Mao); on the six days of Xin, during the day, the nobleman is at Sheng Guang (Wu), and at night, the nobleman is at Gong Cao (Yin). This is the oral formula for starting the nobleman in the Six Rén system: first look at the day stem to determine which group it belongs to, then according to whether the time is in the morning or evening, determine whether to use the day nobleman or the night nobleman. Once Tian Yi is fixed, the remaining eleven generals are arranged in order.

天乙居中貴神主，帝王之象，家在己丑，土神。臨行年日辰利，主上書見人有財錢慶賀誥命之事。在旺有貴人召命印信事，在相上有貴人賞賜財物事，在死上有貴人外喪事，在囚上有貴人囚繫事，在休上有貴人憂疾病之事。

Heavenly Ethical Official resides at the center of the twelve generals, is the master of all noble spirits, and is symbolized as a king. Its native stem-branch is Jichou, belonging to the Earth element. When it appears on the person's year, day, or hour stem, it indicates good fortune, and it governs matters such as submitting petitions, visiting important officials, and matters concerning wealth, celebrations, and official appointments. Then, according to the five levels of the atmosphere of the place where it resides, the fortune is interpreted as follows: if it is in a strong position, there will be a nobleman summoned for an audience and receiving an official seal; if it is in a flourishing position, there will be a nobleman rewarded with wealth; if it is in a dead position, there will be a nobleman suffering loss abroad; if it is in a captive position, there will be a nobleman imprisoned; if it is in a resting position, there will be a nobleman worrying or suffering illness. The following eleven generals are explained in the same format: first, state its position relative to Heavenly Ethical Official among the twelve generals, its official position, its native stem-branch and element, and the matters it governs, then explain the fortune according to the five levels of strength, flourishing, death, captivity, and rest.

前一螣蛇，天乙奉車都尉，家在丁巳，火神，驚恐怪異。在旺上有縣官鬥訟，在相上有土賊爭訟，在死上有死喪驚恐，在囚上有囚繫恐飾，在休上有疾病怪異事。

The first position before Tianyi is Teng Snake, which is equivalent to the rank of Fu Che Du Wei in the military. Its native branch is Dingsi, belonging to the fire deity, governing fear and strange occurrences. If it falls in a strong position, there will be disputes with government authorities; if in a moderate position, there will be conflicts caused by bandits and thieves; if in a dead position, there will be death and fear; if in a captive position, there will be imprisonment and fear; if in a resting position, there will be illness and strange occurrences. Teng Snake is an Inauspicious General of fiery nature; whenever it appears in the course of a divination, it often indicates false alarms, nightmares, and strange phenomena.

前二朱雀，天乙羽林軍，家在丙午，火神，主刑獄口舌。在旺上有縣官口舌，在相上有錢財婚姻，在死上有死喪口舌，在囚上有囚錮囚繫，在休上有疾病，心腹口腹口竅不利。

The second one counted forward is the Vermilion Bird, equivalent to the imperial bodyguard of Tianyi. Its native branch is Bingwu, belonging to the fire deity, governing legal punishments and disputes. When it falls in a strong position, there are official disputes; in a prosperous position, it instead indicates good fortune such as wealth and marriage; in a dead position, there are deaths and disputes; in a captive position, there is imprisonment; and in a resting position, there are illnesses, with further troubles in the heart, abdomen, and mouth (the original text has the words 'mouth and abdomen' which may be a later addition, but they are recorded as such). The Vermilion Bird belongs to fire and governs documents, words, and communication, so it is often used in divination related to documents, lawsuits, and the transmission of messages.

前三六合，天乙光祿大夫，家在乙卯，木神，主婚姻和合。在旺上有賞賜遷位，在相上有嫁娶財物，在死上有死葬事，在囚上有婚姻繫囚，陰私謀事，在休上有疾病陰私之事。

Counting three positions forward, it is Liu He, equivalent to the official Guanglu Da Fu of Tian Yi. The native branch is Yimao, belonging to the Wood deity, governing marriage and harmony. If it falls in a flourishing position, there will be rewards and promotion; if in a prosperous position, there will be marriage and wealth; if in a dying position, there will be funeral matters; if in a confined position, there will be imprisonment due to marriage-related issues and secret plots; if in a resting position, there will be illness and private affairs. Liu He is a favorable general. In divination, if it appears in matters of marriage, partnership, trade, or reconciliation, success is likely.

前四勾陳，天乙大將軍，家在戊辰，土神，主戰鬥刑革。在旺上有貴人戰鬥，在相上有貴人爭訟，在死上有死喪人財物，在囚上有爭田囚繫禁錮，在休上有爭訟病人田宅事。

Counting forward four positions, we reach Gou Chen, which is equivalent to the Grand General of the Heavenly Ethereal. Its native branch is Wuchen, belonging to the earth deity, governing combat, punishment, and transformation. When it falls in a strong position, there will be military affairs involving a nobleman; in a balanced position, there will be disputes involving a nobleman; in a dead position, there will be deaths, loss of people, and damage to property; in a captive position, there will be disputes over land leading to imprisonment; in a resting position, there will be disputes, illness, and matters concerning property. Gou Chen belongs to the earth and governs conflicts, land, and imprisonment. It is commonly used in divination for land disputes and determining the outcome of conflicts.

前五青龍，天乙丞相，家在甲寅，木神，主錢財慶賀、酒禮婚姻。在旺上有貴人遷官遠使財物，在相上有貴人婚姻慶賀之事，在死上有死人財物，在囚上有囚繫人財物事，在休上有故吏酒食錢物之事。

The fifth position counted forward is the Azure Dragon, equivalent to the prime minister of Tianyi. Its native branch is Jiayin, belonging to the Wood deity, governing wealth, celebrations, banquets, and marriage. If it falls in a prosperous place, there will be promotion by a nobleman, long journeys on official business, and gain of wealth. If it falls in a favorable place, there will be celebrations and weddings related to noblemen. If it falls in a dead place, the wealth obtained is connected to the deceased (such as inheritance or funeral gifts). If it falls in a captive place, there will be matters of being detained due to people or property. If it falls in a resting place, there will be old subordinates bringing food, drink, and money. The Azure Dragon is the first of the twelve generals and is the most auspicious among them. It is most favorable for seeking wealth, seeking official positions, and matters of joy and celebration.

後一天后，天乙後官采女也。家在壬子，水神，主婦女陰私蔽匿之事。在旺上有嫁娶酒食之事，在相上有婦女陰私之事，在死上有死喪財帛之事，在囚上有奸邪囚繫，在休上有陰私疾病之事。

The Heavenly Empress comes immediately after Tianyi when counted from Tianyi onwards, equivalent to the concubine in the palace of Tianyi (the original text says "palace" but is transcribed as "officials", so it is recorded as such). The native is in Renzi, belonging to the water deity, governing women, private matters, and hidden affairs. If it falls in a prosperous place, there will be matters of marriage and feasting; if it falls in a flourishing place, there will be private matters concerning women; if it falls in a declining place, there will be matters of death and property; if it falls in a captive place, there will be matters of wickedness and being detained because of them; if it falls in a resting place, there will be private matters and illness. The Heavenly Empress belongs to water and governs women, so it is often used in divination concerning marriage, women, and obscure matters. The following five generals are all after Tianyi, and their directions are opposite to the previous five generals.

後二太陰，天乙御史中丞也。家在辛酉，金神，主陰私金帛。在旺上有嫁娶陰私事，在相上有財物蔽匿事，在死上有死喪陰私事。在囚上有陰私囚繫事，在休上有巫繫蔽匿事。

The second one counted from the end is Tai Yin, equivalent to the Imperial Inspector of the Heavenly Ethereal, and the family is in Xinyou, belonging to the Metal God, governing private matters and gold and silver. If it falls in a prosperous place, there will be marriage and private affairs; if it falls in a favorable place, there will be hidden property; if it falls in a dead place, there will be death and private affairs; if it falls in a captive place, there will be being detained due to private matters; if it falls in a resting place, there will be witchcraft and hidden matters (the original text says 'witch detention', which is recorded as such). Tai Yin governs secret, private, and concealed matters, and is often used in divination for matters of concealment, private relationships, and hidden affairs.

後三玄武，天乙後將軍也。家在癸亥，水神，主遺亡盜賊離別事。在旺上有貴人亡遺失去財物事，在相上有縣官亡失財物事，在死上有死人賊盜財物事，在囚上有賊盜囚繫事，在休上有亡失病人財物事。

The third one counted from the back is Xuanwu, equivalent to the rear general of Tianyi. Its native branch is Guihai, belonging to the water deity, governing matters of loss, theft, and separation. If it falls in a strong position, there will be loss of property by a nobleman; if it falls in a moderate position, there will be loss of property by the government; if it falls in a dead position, there will be theft of property from the deceased; if it falls in a captive position, there will be capture of thieves; if it falls in a resting position, there will be loss of property, illness, and theft. Xuanwu is the deity of thieves, and for divination regarding lost items, escape, and pursuit, the key clue is where it falls and which deity it rides.

後四太常，天乙卿也。家在己未，土神，主財物田宅衣服賞賜事。在旺上有貴人財物酒禮喜事，在相上有祠祭祀衣食媒婚吉事，在死上有諡贈財物事，在囚上有縣官召命，在休上有病人衣服錢財事。

The fourth one counted from the end is Tai Chang, equivalent to the Nine Ministers of Tian Yi. The native's branch is Jiwei, belonging to the earth deity, governing matters of wealth, property, clothing, and rewards. If it falls in a flourishing place, there will be nobleman's wealth, wine offerings, and joyful events; if it falls in a secondary place, there will be worship, food and clothing, and matters of matchmaking and marriage. If it falls in a dead place, there will be posthumous titles and funeral gifts; if it falls in a captive place, there will be official summonses; if it falls in a resting place, there will be matters concerning a sick person's clothing and money. Tai Chang is a favorable general, governing food, clothing, official rank, worship, and feasting. It is favorable for seeking food, receiving rewards, and marriage proposals.

後五白虎，天乙遷尉也。家在庚申，金神，主錢財誣咒重囚繫疾病死喪骸骨之事。在旺上有哭泣遭官，在相上有怨仇相爭，在死上有死喪疾病，在囚上有囚繫沉淪，在休上有疾病災禍事。

The fifth position counted from the beginning is the White Tiger, equivalent to the Minister of Justice (the original text says "Minister of Migration," which is recorded as such). The family is at Gengshen, which belongs to the Metal God, governing matters related to false accusations and curses concerning wealth, serious crimes leading to imprisonment, illness, death, and bones. If it falls in a strong position, there will be crying and being pursued by the authorities; if it falls in a balanced position, there will be disputes and enmity; if it falls in a dead position, there will be death and illness; if it falls in a captive position, there will be imprisonment leading to downfall; if it falls in a resting position, there will be illness and misfortune. The White Tiger is the most凶 of the twelve generals. It is most undesirable to see it in divination concerning illness, lawsuits, or the whereabouts of a traveler. However, if it is assisted by the virtue god or the rescue god, the凶 can be reduced.

後六天空，天乙司直。家在戊戌，土神，主欺詒無信，奸諶詐偽。在旺上有貴人欺誕之事，在相上有財物欺詒之事，在死上有欺詐死人事，在囚上有冊獄欺詒之事，在休上有被人欺詒之事。

The sixth one counted from the back is Tian Kong, equivalent to the official in charge of the Heavenly Ethical Officer. Its native branch is Wuxu, belonging to the earth deity, governing deceit, broken promises, cunning, and fraud. When it falls in a strong position, there are matters of deception by a nobleman; when it falls in a balanced position, there are matters of being deceived in financial affairs; when it falls in a dead position, there are matters of deceiving the dead; when it falls in a captive position, there are matters of deception in legal cases; when it falls in a resting position, there are matters of being deceived by oneself. Since Tian Kong is the sixth after Tian Yi, it is exactly in the opposing position of Tian Yi. Whenever this element appears in the calculation, the matters in question are mostly false and not genuine, with promises not being fulfilled. The twelve heavenly generals are now fully listed: Tian Yi is in the center, with Teng Snake, Vermilion Bird, Liu He, Gou Chen, and Azure Dragon in front, and Heavenly Empress, Tai Yin, Black Tortoise, Tai Chang, White Tiger, and Tian Kong behind.

《玄女》曰：造式之法，以楓子為天。楓子者，楓樹之別株。自生大枝傍，遠望與母齊，近視高下異也。又以棗心為地，以象天地陰之象。楓者，眾木之精。棗者，群木之使。物之靈者，莫過於此。

The *Xuannü* says: The method of making the *shi pan* is to use the "feng zi" as the Heaven Plate. The "feng zi" refers to a branch that grows beside the main trunk of the *feng tree*, growing separately from the main trunk. It appears to be of the same height as the main tree when viewed from afar, but upon closer inspection, it is found to be different in height. The "zaoxin" is used as the Earth Plate, to symbolize the yin and yang of heaven and earth (the original text lacks one character "yang," and reads "the image of heaven and earth yin," which is recorded without supplementation). The *feng* tree is the essence of all trees, and the *zao* tree is the messenger of all trees. Among all things, none are more spiritually endowed than these two. The *shi pan* is composed of two parts: the upper part is round and movable, representing the Heaven Plate; the lower part is square and fixed, representing the Earth Plate—this precisely corresponds with the earlier discussions in the chapters "Shi Tian" and "Shi Di" regarding the circular movement and square stillness of heaven and earth.

注《雷公殺律》云：式局有三，木之道，以霹靂棗心為上，檀木為中，以柿木為下。無霹靂棗心，取舊車軸，亦為次也，須擇良者為之。

The annotations of the "Leigong ShaLv" say: the materials used for the divination board are divided into three grades. In terms of wood, the best is the heartwood of jujube trees that have been struck by lightning, followed by sandalwood, and then persimmon wood. If lightning-struck jujube wood is unavailable, the wood from an old carriage axle may be used as a substitute, but in any case, only good quality materials should be selected. The use of lightning-struck wood is because ancient people believed it had been infused with heavenly power and was most capable of communicating with spirits. This passage discusses material selection, while the next passage deals with carving the form, and the one after that discusses the size and grade. Together, these three form the complete process of making the divination board.

造式：天中作斗杓，指天罡。次作十二辰，中列二十八宿，四維局。地列十二辰、八干、五行、三十六禽、天門地戶人門鬼路四隅訖。

The layout of the divination board is as follows: at the center of the Heaven Plate, the handle of the Big Dipper is drawn, with its tip pointing to the Heavenly Gang (Chen); next, outward from the center, the twelve earthly branches are arranged in a circle, followed by the twenty-eight constellations in the middle circle, and the four cardinal directions are placed at the four corners. On the Earth Plate, the twelve earthly branches, eight heavenly stems (the fifth and sixth stems, Wu and Ji, are placed in the center, so only the first, second, third, fourth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth stems, Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui, are listed on the board), the Five Phases, thirty-six animals, and the four corner positions, Heaven Gate, Earth Gate, Human Gate, and Ghost Path, are arranged. Once the Earth Plate is completed, when divining, one turns the Heaven Plate so that the Month General is positioned on the corresponding section. The twelve heavenly spirits on the Heaven Plate then align one by one with the twelve earthly branches on the Earth Plate, forming the entire relationship of the divination.

天子式，天廣六寸象六律，地廣一尺二寸象十二辰。王公侯伯式，天廣四寸象四時，地廣九寸象九宮。卿大夫式，天廣三寸象三才，地廣七寸象七曜。士庶人式，天廣二寸四分象二十四氣，地廣六寸象六律。

The size of the Shì pán varies according to the rank of the user, with each number representing a symbolic meaning. The Shì pán used by the Son of Heaven has a Heaven Plate with a diameter of six inches, symbolizing the six tones; the Earth Plate has a side length of one foot two inches, symbolizing the twelve earthly branches. The Shì pán used by the King, Duke, Marquis, and Count has a Heaven Plate of four inches, symbolizing the four seasons; the Earth Plate is nine inches, symbolizing the nine palaces. The Shì pán used by the Minister and the Gentleman has a Heaven Plate of three inches, symbolizing the three principles (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity); the Earth Plate is seven inches, symbolizing the seven luminaries (Sun, Moon, and the five planets). The Shì pán used by the scholar and commoner has a Heaven Plate of two inches and four parts, symbolizing the twenty-four solar terms; the Earth Plate is six inches, symbolizing the six tones. Clearly, the Shì pán is not merely a tool but also a ritual object. The larger the size, the higher the rank, and each symbolic representation is complete in itself.

次局，天廣八分，象八卦，地廣三寸法三才也。刻式之法用十一月壬子日，神在內時，起手刻之，至甲子日，醮而盛以縫囊，依法加臨而佩之。

A second-rate smaller scale, the Heaven Plate is divided into eight parts, representing the Eight Trigrams; the Earth Plate is divided into three parts, corresponding to the Three Principles. As for the time and date of carving: it should be done on the Renzi day of the eleventh month, when the noble spirit is within, and continue until the Jiazi day is completed. Then, a ritual offering should be performed, with the finished object placed in a sewn cloth bag. Afterwards, it should be used according to the method of rotating the plate for divination, and worn daily on the body. The eleventh month is the month of Zi, and Renzi is a water day, which is in harmony with the principle of the Six壬 system that takes water as its foundation. Starting from Renzi and ending at Jiazi signifies the continuous cycle of the sixty Jiazi.

《金匱經》曰：用式之法，朝向南，暮向北。當以左手執鬼門，右手轉月將以加正時。視日辰上下陰陽，以立四課。日上神為日之陽神，日上本位所得之神為日之陰神。辰上神為辰之陽神，辰上神本位所得之神為辰之陰神。

The Golden Chest Classic says: The steps for casting a divination chart using the formula board are as follows. First, set the direction correctly: face south in the morning and face north in the evening. Second, hold the earth plate with the left hand, supporting the northeast corner which corresponds to the mountain position (Gen), and rotate the heaven plate with the right hand, placing the month general of the current month on the grid corresponding to the time of divination—this is called "the month general combines with the correct time," and the heaven plate is then fixed. Third, observe the yin and yang of the day stem and day branch in the upper and lower layers, and establish the four lessons: the heavenly spirit above the day stem's palace is called "the yang spirit of the day," which is the first lesson; then take this yang spirit as the position on the earth plate, and look at what heavenly spirit is above it, which is called "the yin spirit of the day," the second lesson; the heavenly spirit above the day branch is called "the yang spirit of the hour," which is the third lesson; then take this yang spirit of the hour as the position, and look at what heavenly spirit is above it, which is called "the yin spirit of the hour," the fourth lesson. Once the four lessons are established, each lesson consists of a pair of "upper spirit pressing down spirit." Then, among these four pairs, find the initiating transmission.

四課之中，察其五行，先取相剋者為用，先以下克上為用，若無下克上，即以上克下為用。若三上克下，一下克上，當以一下克上為用。若四上克下，四下克上，即以與今日比者為用。俱比俱不比，以涉害深者為用。涉害復等，先日後辰為用，剛日用日上神為用，柔日用辰上神為用。

After the four lessons are established, examine the five elements of the heavenly and earthly gods in each lesson. First, select the initiating transmission from the lesson where there is mutual control, following this order: first, choose the lesson where the earthly god controls the heavenly god (i.e., the god on the earth plate controls the god on the heaven plate), which is called "thief control" and represents the most urgent situation. Second, if there is no earthly god controlling the heavenly god, choose the lesson where the heavenly god controls the earthly god. Third, if there are three lessons where the heavenly god controls the earthly god and only one where the earthly god controls the heavenly god, still choose the one where the earthly god controls the heavenly god—because the fewer instances are more valuable, and the isolated one is more urgent. Fourth, if all four lessons are cases of heavenly god controlling earthly god, or all four are cases of earthly god controlling heavenly god, and there are multiple instances of control, choose the one that is in "comparison" with the day stem; "comparison" refers to the god having the same yin and yang attribute as the day stem, with a yang day choosing a yang god and a yin day choosing a yin god. Fifth, if several instances are in comparison with the day stem or none are, and it is impossible to distinguish, choose the one with the deeper "involvement in harm"; "involvement in harm" refers to counting the number of controls encountered as the god moves from its position on the heaven plate back to its original position. The one that is controlled more is considered deeper. Sixth, if the depth of involvement in harm is equal, first take the day stem and then the hour stem: on a yang day, the god above the day stem is used as the initiating transmission; on a yin day, the god above the day branch is used as the initiating transmission. This entire process is the correct method for determining the first transmission in Six壬 divination, later known as the three levels of selection: thief control, comparison, and involvement in harm.

四課陰陽不相剋者，以遙相剋為用。若日遙克神，神遙剋日，始取神遙剋日為用。如無神遙剋日，便用日遙克神。若有日克兩神，兩神剋日，並取今日比者為用。四課陰陽上下，並不相剋，又無遙相剋，當以昴星為用。剛日仰視，以酉上所得之神為用。柔日俯視，以從魁所臨之辰為用。當以日辰上神重之為中，末傳不得傳於中。剛日先傳辰，後傳日。柔日先傳日，後傳辰。

When the four lessons do not show mutual control between upper and lower, the "remote control" method is used to determine the initiating transmission. Instead of looking at upper and lower, one should look at the mutual control between the heavenly stems of the four lessons and the day stem. If both the day stem controls a heavenly stem and that heavenly stem controls the day stem, the heavenly stem that controls the day stem is chosen first (as it comes from outside and is urgent). If there is no heavenly stem controlling the day stem, then the day stem that controls a heavenly stem is chosen. If the day stem controls two heavenly stems or two heavenly stems control the day stem, and it is difficult to choose, the one that is compared with the day stem is chosen. If neither mutual control nor remote control exists among the four lessons, the "昴星" method is used. On a yang day, "looking up" is used, taking the heavenly stem at the酉 position on the earth plate as the initiating transmission. On a yin day, "looking down" is used, taking the earthy stem under the Heaven Plate from 魁 (酉) as the initiating transmission. For the middle and final transmissions of the three transmissions, the heavenly stem on the day and the earthy stem on the hour are used repeatedly, but the final transmission must not be the same as the middle one. As for the order, on a yang day, the transmission starts with the heavenly stem on the hour and then the heavenly stem on the day. On a yin day, the transmission starts with the heavenly stem on the day and then the heavenly stem on the hour.

若四課無遙相剋，乃陰陽不備之時，當以別責為用。別責之課，其數有九。剛日有三，謂戊辰、戊午、丙辰，日各有一課。柔日有六，謂辛未、辛丑日各有二課，丁酉、辛酉日各二課，辛酉曰有一課。剛日別貴取干合上神為卦首，次傳日上與終傳同。柔日別責取支合上神本位所得之神為卦首，次日上與終傳同，各以神將言其吉凶。

If the four lessons contain neither mutual overcoming nor remote overcoming, and only three different gods appear among the four lessons—known as "yin and yang are not complete"—then the method of "bie zhe" (alternative responsibility) is used to determine the divination. There are nine types of bie zhe lessons: three on even days, namely Wu Chen, Wu Wu, and Bing Chen, each occupying one lesson; and six on odd days, namely Xin Wei, Xin Chou, Ding You, Xin You, and others (the original text here has repeated and disordered enumeration, with "Xin You" mentioned as having one lesson, conflicting with the previous text, so it is retained as is). The method is as follows: for even days, the bie zhe is determined by taking the god located on the position corresponding to the heavenly stem that combines with the day stem, which serves as the first transmission, while the middle and final transmissions all use the god on the day stem, which are the same. For odd days, the bie zhe is determined by taking the god located on the position related to the triple harmony and the six harmonies of the day branch, which serves as the first transmission, while the middle and final transmissions also use the god on the day stem. After the first, middle, and final transmissions are determined, each is then evaluated for auspiciousness or inauspiciousness based on the heavenly god they ride and the twelve heavenly generals.

天地伏吟返吟課有相剋者，並有比及涉害深者為用。伏吟課，己癸子二柔日課有相剋。癸丑一日，猶屬八專伏吟。六乙日有克自刑者，當以克處為課首。次傳其辰，沖動所刑為中、未傳，謂六乙日也。伏吟，六癸日有克者，當以克處為課首，盡刑為三傳。

As for the 'Hidden Chant' divination when the Heaven and Earth plates overlap, and the 'Return Chant' when the Heaven and Earth plates conflict, if there is mutual control within the divination, the method remains the same, using the place of control as the starting point. The 'Comparison' and 'Deep Harm' methods are still used to determine the order. In the case of 'Hidden Chant', among the soft days, those with mutual control (the original text here reads 'Ji Gui Zi two soft days', which is likely an error, and should refer to the groups of Yi and Gui) are considered. On the day of Gui Chou, it also belongs to the eight specialized 'Hidden Chant'. For the six days of Yi, if there is mutual control and self-infliction, the place of mutual control is used as the first transmission. The middle and final transmissions are taken from the position that the hour conflicts with and is inflicted upon (the original text writes 'final transmission' as 'untransmitted', which is recorded as is). For the six days of Gui in 'Hidden Chant', if there is mutual control, the place of mutual control is used as the first transmission, and then the three transmissions are arranged in order according to the relationship of self-infliction.

伏吟無克者，剛日以日上神為用，柔日以辰上神為用，為課首，皆盡其三刑為中、末傳。若得自刑者，剛日則先傳日，次傳辰，辰所刑為末傳。柔則先傳辰，次傳日，日所刑為終傳。更若次傳自刑者，即以沖為末傳也。

When there is a hidden chant without any mutual control, the method of using the elements is: on a strong day, take the heavenly stem above the day stem as the initiating element; on a weak day, take the heavenly stem above the day branch as the initiating element. Use this as the first element of the hexagram. The middle transmission and final transmission are arranged in the order of the three punishments (such as寅 is punished by巳, and巳 is punished by申, etc.). If the initiating element happens to be a self-punishing branch such as辰, 午, 酉, or 亥, there is no one to punish, then follow the order: on a strong day, first transmit the heavenly stem above the day, then the heavenly stem above 辰, and finally use the position punished by the heavenly stem above 辰 as the final transmission; on a weak day, first transmit the heavenly stem above 辰, then the heavenly stem above the day, and finally use the position punished by the heavenly stem above the day as the final transmission. If during the middle transmission another self-punishing element is encountered and there is still no one to punish, then take the opposing branch of it as the final transmission. In hidden chant, the elements remain still and the matter does not occur, so it is necessary to use punishment and clash to drive the matter forward. This is the general rule for determining the transmissions in a hidden chant.

返吟課多相剋，惟丁丑、己丑、辛丑、丁未、己未、辛未無克，丁未、己未猶為八專。餘四柔日當以辰沖為用。辰沖者，丑沖巳、巳沖丑、未沖亥、亥沖未。丑日沖巳，巳上見徵明為初傳。皆以辰上為次傳，日上為末傳。未沖亥，亥上見太乙為初傳，皆以辰上為次傳，日上為末傳。

Reverse repetition divination occurs when the Heaven and Earth plates are entirely in opposition, and the divination often involves many instances of conflict. Normally, one can follow standard methods to determine the transmission; however, only six days, namely Dingchou, Jichou, Xinchou, Dingwei, Jiwei, and Xingwei, are free from conflict. Among these, Dingwei and Jiwei also belong to the category of eight special days. For the remaining four soft days (Dingchou, Jichou, Xinchou, Xingwei), the method of "Chen Chong" should be used to determine the initiating transmission. "Chen Chong" refers to the mutual opposition between the pairs of Chou and Si, and Wei and Hai. On a Chou day, the opposing position is Si, and the heavenly god seen on Si is Zhengming (Hai), which becomes the first transmission. Then, the god on the day branch is used as the middle transmission, and the god on the day stem is used as the final transmission. On a Wei day, the opposing position is Hai, and the heavenly god seen on Hai is Taiyi (Si), which becomes the first transmission. Similarly, the god on the day branch is used as the middle transmission, and the god on the day stem is used as the final transmission. Reverse repetition divination indicates that matters will be repeated and return again, so it specifically uses the opposing positions to determine the transmissions.

八專之日惟有兩課，見有克者，亦以比及涉害深者為用。若無克，剛日從日上陽神順數三辰為用，柔日從辰上陰神逆數三神為用，中傳末傳當以日辰上神重之。又云末傳與初傳同，八專之日惟有兩課也。

The "Eight Special Days" refer to those days when the day stem and day branch are in the same palace, causing the four lessons to merge into two. In such cases, if there is a conflict, the initiating transmission is determined according to the principles of "comparison" and "deep involvement." If there is no conflict, on a yang day, the initiating transmission is taken by counting three steps from the yang god on the day stem in a forward direction, while on a yin day, it is taken by counting three steps backward from the yin god on the day branch. Both the middle and final transmissions use the god on the day and the god on the hour repeatedly. Another view suggests that the final transmission is the same as the initial one. The reason why the "Eight Special Days" only have two lessons is because the stem and branch are in the same palace, making it impossible to distinguish the four lessons. Thus, the nine major methods of starting and transmitting the course in the Six Rats system—stealing the conflict, comparison, involvement, remote conflict,昴star, separate responsibility, hidden chant, reverse chant, and the Eight Special Days—have now been fully explained.

《啟明式例》曰：用式法當避太歲、月建及月忌、日忌。正五九月忌卯時，二六十月忌子時，三七十一月忌酉時，四八十二月忌午時。又忌法云：甲乙日忌酉時，丙日忌子時，戊己日忌卯時，庚辛日忌午時，壬癸日忌未時。

The "Qiming Shi Li" says: When setting up a divination formula, one should avoid the time of the Tai Su, the Month Builder, and the forbidden hours according to the month and the day. The forbidden hours by month are: in the first, fifth, and ninth months, the卯 hour is forbidden; in the second, sixth, and tenth months, the子 hour is forbidden; in the third, seventh, and eleventh months, the酉 hour is forbidden; in the fourth, eighth, and twelfth months, the午 hour is forbidden. These four groups each cover three months, and the forbidden hours rotate through the four central branches:卯,子,酉,午. There is also a separate system based on the day stem: on days of Jia and Yi, the酉 hour is forbidden; on days of Bing, the子 hour is forbidden; on days of Wu and Ji, the卯 hour is forbidden; on days of Geng and Xin, the午 hour is forbidden; on days of Ren and Gui, the未 hour is forbidden. Upon close examination, it can be seen that the forbidden hours for the day stem are mostly those that are overcome by the branch of the stem, which is exactly the position mentioned in the previous chapters "Shi Gui" and "Shi Xing" as the position of the stem's ghost and the stem's crime.

右忌日時不可占事，誤用者當損用式之人也。

The above-mentioned forbidden days and times should not be used for divination. If one mistakenly uses these hours to cast a horoscope, the person performing the divination will suffer the consequences. The ancients regarded the divination disk as a tool to communicate with spirits, so they established this prohibition, which is consistent with the previous rule of selecting a favorable day for carving the disk and performing a ritual after completing the instrument. The idea is that without respect, the divination will not be effective, and improper use will lead to misfortune.

《玄女》曰：陽將臨正時，先用後三，次用前五。陰將加正時，先用前五，次用後三。假令十二月占事，第一人用月將神后，第二人用月將後三從魁，第三人用前五功曹。餘皆仿此例。

The *Xuannü* says: If the month general falls on a yang branch (yang general) and is added to the time of divination, then for the second person, start the lesson by retreating three stems backward; for the third person, advance five stems forward. If the month general falls on a yin branch (yin general) and is added to the time of divination, then for the second person, start the lesson by advancing five stems forward; for the third person, retreat three stems backward. This passage discusses "ci ke," which refers to when several people ask for divination at the same time, and how to determine the month general for the second and third persons. For example, if divination is done in the twelfth month and the month general is Shenhou (Zi), the first person directly uses Shenhou. The second person starts from Zi and retreats three stems backward to You, which is Kuai. The third person starts from You and advances five stems forward to Yin, which is Gongcao. Afterwards, continue alternating between retreating three stems and advancing five stems, following the same pattern for the rest of the people.

《靈轄經》曰：用次客法，第一客月將加正時，第二客用月建加太歲，第三客用太歲加月建，第四客用月建加日干，第五客用歲干加正時，第六客用月將加日干，第七客用月將加太歲，第八客用太歲加月將，第九客用月將加本命，第十客用月將加行年，十一客用太歲加本命，第十二客用太歲加行年。

The Lingxia Jing describes another method called "secondary guests," which assigns each of the twelve guests a specific way of overlaying. When turning the Heaven Plate, each guest's method is used to cast the divination: the first guest is the Month General added to the time of the day; the second is the Month Builder added to the Year God; the third is the Year God added to the Month Builder; the fourth is the Month Builder added to the Day Stem; the fifth is the Heavenly Stem of the Year God added to the time of the day; the sixth is the Month General added to the Day Stem; the seventh is the Month General added to the Year God; the eighth is the Year God added to the Month General; the ninth is the Month General added to the person's birth branch; the tenth is the Month General added to the current age branch; the eleventh is the Year God added to the person's birth branch; the twelfth is the Year God added to the current age branch. The phrase "Jia added to Yi" means placing the heavenly god from the Jia position onto the earth position of Yi, fixing the Heaven Plate, and then proceeding to establish the four lessons and three transmissions as usual. Each of the twelve methods is different, so even though twelve people ask at the same time, each receives a distinct divination, without confusion.

《靈轄經》日：次籌之法，皆以第一籌用月將。若用陽將，則先用後三而前五。若用陰將，則用前五而後三。逆順更籌，終而復始。一法，以太歲上神三傳以知三事，以月建上神三傳以知三事，以日上神三傳以知三事，以正時上神三傳以知三事。則十二籌次客備焉。

The Lingxia Jing says: The method of "secondary divination" involves using the month general for the first divination. If the general is yang, first retreat three trines and then advance five trines; if the general is yin, first advance five trines and then retreat three trines. Thus, alternating between reverse and forward movements, changing the divination stick each time, until a full circle is completed, then starting again from the beginning (the original text writes "day" instead of "says," which is recorded as is). A "divination stick" is a counting stick used for divination. When one person asks about multiple matters, each matter uses one stick, and the general is changed with each stick, so it follows the same method as the previous section "secondary guest" but with different application. Another method: take the three transmissions from the heavenly stem above the year stem to know three matters, take the three transmissions from the heavenly stem above the month builder to know three matters, take the three transmissions from the heavenly stem above the day stem to know three matters, and take the three transmissions from the heavenly stem above the time of divination to know three matters. Thus, four places each provide three matters, totaling twelve sticks, which correspond exactly to the twelve questions of the "secondary guest."

《靈轄經》曰：男一歲從丙寅順行，從一歲移一辰，十一歲丙子，二十一歲丙戌。餘皆仿此。終而復始，順行而數。女一歲，從壬申逆行，一歲移一辰，一歲壬申，十一歲壬午。餘皆仿此。終而復始，逆行而數。

The *Lingxia Jing* says: For a man's age, starting from the age of one at Bingyin, he progresses through the branches in order, moving one branch each year. Thus, at age eleven he reaches Bingzi, at twenty-one Bingxu, and the rest of the years follow this progression. After completing the sixty Jiazi cycles, the cycle begins again. For a woman's age, starting from the age of one at Renshen, she regresses through the branches, moving one branch each year. Thus, at age one she is at Renshen, at age eleven she would be at Renxu (the original text says "Renwu," which is likely a copying error, but it is recorded as is). The rest of the years follow this regression. After completing the sixty Jiazi cycles, the cycle begins again. "Xingnian" refers to the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the year one is in, and it is listed alongside "Benming," which is the heavenly stem and earthly branch of one's birth year. These two are the two key points used in the Six Rats divination method to determine personal fortune and misfortune. As mentioned in "Shitan Guan," the twelve generals "govern the xingnian day branch" in a certain way. Similarly, in "Shigu Lue," determining the time of an event also involves the deities and generals added onto the xingnian. All of these use the xingnian derived here.

《玄女》曰：六壬之道，皆取三傳。相生則吉，相剋則凶。傳見天乙，貴人詔命。朱雀，文書口舌。六合，嫁娶婚姻。勾陳，鬥訟田土。青龍，貞觀君子。天后，婦女貴人。太陰，所處娶婦。玄武，陰私奸宄。太常，冠帶仕宦。白虎，死喪折傷。天空，萬事欺詒。滕蛇，驚恐怪異。

The "Xuanyu" says: The essence of Liu Ning lies entirely in the three transmissions. If the three transmissions mutually generate, it is auspicious; if they mutually control, it is inauspicious. As for the heavenly generals seen in the three transmissions, each presides over specific matters: seeing Tianyi indicates assistance from a nobleman and imperial edicts; seeing Zhuque indicates official documents and disputes; seeing Liuhex indicates marriage; seeing Gouchen indicates conflicts and land disputes; seeing Qinglong indicates upright and virtuous gentlemen ("Zhen Guan" refers to those who uphold righteousness and are commendable); seeing Tianhou indicates women and female noblemen; seeing Taiyin indicates the presence of a marriage; seeing Xuanwu indicates secret matters, deceit, and theft; seeing Taichang indicates wearing a cap and entering officialdom; seeing Baihu indicates death and loss; seeing Tiankong indicates falsehood and deception; seeing Tengshe indicates fear and strange occurrences (the original text reads "Teng" instead of "Teng," which is recorded as is). When judging a divination, one should match each of the three transmissions with the corresponding heavenly generals according to this list, thereby determining the category of the matter. Then, combining this with the mutual generation and control among the three transmissions, the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness can be decided.

《集神經》云：王氣所勝，法憂縣官。相氣所勝，法憂財物。死氣所勝，法憂死喪。囚氣所勝，法憂刑獄。休氣所勝，法憂疾病。《神匱經》曰：子傳母而失禮，母傳子為順道。失禮則所作違礙，順道則慶無不疑。此用式之常例。

The *Ji Jing Xing* says: When a side is victorious with a prosperous qi, one should worry about official matters; with a mutual generation qi, one should worry about property; with a death qi, one should worry about death and mourning; with a captive qi, one should worry about legal troubles; and with a resting qi, one should worry about illness. This is the same principle as the five qi worries listed at the end of the "Xie Yueshang" section, and they can be cross-referenced. The *Shen Gui Jing* says: The three transmissions go from "Zi" to "mother," meaning from what I generate to what generates me, which is called "losing propriety"; from "mother" to "son," meaning from what generates me to what I generate, which is called "following the way." Losing propriety causes obstacles in all affairs, while following the way brings joy and everything is appropriate (the original text says "yi," which is recorded as is). This is the standard principle for using the formula disk to determine the course: the direction of the three transmissions is considered proper when it follows the direction of mutual generation, and improper when it goes against the direction of mutual generation.

《金匱經》曰：傳得其體而無憂。假令功曹為用，傳得神后，又與吉將並者，故曰傳得其體而無憂。《集靈經》曰：人年上見水神，用起金神臨火，水能救金，火見水則減。此為有救無咎。

The *Golden Chest Classic* says: If the three transmissions each obtain their essential nature, there will be no worries. For example, if the *Gongcao* (寅 wood) is the initiating transmission, and among the three transmissions there is also the *Shenhou* (子 water), water nourishes wood, which means the spirit of the initiating transmission has obtained its life qi; if furthermore it is accompanied by a favorable general, this is called "the transmission obtains its essence and there is no worry." The *Jiling Classic* says: If the person's age is seen above and encounters the water spirit, while the initiating transmission starts from the metal spirit but is located on the fire—metal originally fears fire, and it seems about to be harmed, but fortunately the water of the person's age can save the metal; when fire meets water, the fire's strength weakens; this situation is called "there is a rescue and no calamity," even though there is danger, it ultimately does not become a disaster. These two examples demonstrate the same method of reading: one cannot only look at the individual generation and overcoming, but should combine the initiating transmission, the three transmissions, the person's age, and the heavenly general to see if there is a rescue.

《玄女》曰：占萬事大要視支干上下相生。相生有氣，前後吉將，三傳終來克始。當此之時，遠行萬里，入水不溺，入兵不傷，入病不死，惡寇不逢，所求必得，所作必成，出幽入冥，所為神靈。以此秘法，示之昭明。

The book "Xuannü" says: When divining about any matter, the key lies in examining whether the day stem, day branch, and the superior god above them are in mutual generation. If they are in mutual generation and each has strength, and the three transmissions follow one after another with auspicious generals, and the final transmission comes back to overcome the first one (forming a complete cycle), then this is an excellent omen: traveling thousands of miles will be safe, entering water will not lead to drowning, entering battle will not result in injury, getting sick will not lead to death, encountering thieves will not happen, and whatever is sought will be obtained, whatever is done will succeed, and entering and exiting even the underworld will be protected by divine beings. This secret method is clearly passed down so that people can understand it at a glance. This section is the summary of the entire method of interpretation: mutual generation, having strength, auspicious generals, and the three transmissions forming a complete cycle from beginning to end. When all four elements are present, it is an excellent divination.

《靈轄經》曰：木神加木，主文書木器以至縣官。火神加火，憂婦女口舌，或因田宅以至官司。土神加土，或爭田園，家宅離散移動。金神加金，主遷移或分財異居。水神加水，主爭財帛鰥寡之象。

The Lingxia Jing says: This section discusses the situation where the heavenly stem deity is added to the earthly branch hour, and when the five elements of the two are the same (like and harmonious), the matters they presage. When the wood deity is added to the wood hour, it presages disputes with officials due to documents or wooden objects. When the fire deity is added to the fire hour, it presages worries about women's disputes or litigation over land and property. When the earth deity is added to the earth hour, it presages disputes over farmland, family discord, or the whole family moving. When the metal deity is added to the metal hour, it presages migration, division of property, or establishing a new household. When the water deity is added to the water hour, it presages disputes over wealth and the appearance of widowers and widows. When the same type of deity is added to the same type of hour, there is no conflict, but when similar types are combined, they tend to compete. Therefore, these five cases, though not mentioning conflict, often presage disputes.

說云：金入木主縣官鬥訟，土入水主亡遺財物室有病人，木入土主牢獄口舌相傷，水入火主驚恐六畜亡失，火入金主囚繫有罪女人爭競之事。

There is another explanation which discusses the situation when the upper god controls the lower term, and the Five Phases mutually control each other, leading to certain events: when metal is added to wood, it indicates disputes with the authorities; when earth is added to water, it signifies loss of property and illness within the family; when wood is added to earth, it indicates imprisonment and verbal conflicts; when water is added to fire, it suggests being startled and the loss of livestock; when fire is added to metal, it indicates being detained and punished, along with disputes between women. Comparing this with the previous explanation of like and harmonious combinations, it can be known that for the same pair of upper and lower gods, a harmonious combination indicates disputes and unrest, while a controlling combination indicates actual misfortunes and calamities, with the severity varying accordingly.

《靈轄經》曰：上克下，事起男子。下克上，事起女人。下克上憂輕，或屬他人。下克上憂重，或至己身。辰剋日為用，或時克辰，皆禍從外來。日克辰，辰克將，皆禍從內起。伏吟事近，返吟事遠。

The Lingxia Jing says: If the upper deity overcomes the lower term, the matter in question is initiated by a man; if the lower term overcomes the upper deity, the matter is initiated by a woman. The severity of the worry should also be distinguished: one situation involves lighter worries, mostly unrelated to oneself and belonging to others; another situation involves heavier worries, which will affect oneself. (The original text states both sentences as "lower overcomes upper," but the first should be "upper overcomes lower," a mistake from copying, and is recorded as is.) Taking the day branch to overcome the day stem or the time term to overcome the day branch indicates that the calamity comes from outside; conversely, if the day stem overcomes the day branch or the day branch overcomes the riding heavenly general, the calamity originates internally. In a Hidden Chant (hidden chant) lesson, the heavenly and earthly plates remain still, indicating that the matter is nearby and will occur soon; in a返吟 (return chant) lesson, the heavenly and earthly plates are fully opposite, indicating that the matter is far away and will occur later.

比用，主比鄰親近，仰視俯視。剛日遠行，稽留關梁。柔日伏藏，不出邑里。八專逆順，皆淫亂搖動，事起婦人，四上克下，客勝主人，皆為賊害臣下之象，室家之孤獨。四下克上，主人勝客，皆為悖逆之道，妨害二親滅亡之象。天乙臨二門，皆主動搖不寧其居。日辰陰陽，在天一前主事速，在天一後主事遲也。

The "Biyong" lesson uses harmony and balance as its principle, dealing with matters concerning neighbors and close relatives. Similarly, the "Mao Xing" lesson, which uses upward and downward observation, also relates to such matters. In the "Mao Xing" lesson, if the day is strong and upward observation is used, it indicates a person traveling far away, delayed at borders and bridges. If the day is weak and downward observation is used, it indicates concealment and staying within the local area. The "Ba Zuan" lesson, regardless of counting forward or backward, indicates disorder and instability, with matters originating from women. If all four lessons show upper overcoming lower, it signifies the guest overpowering the host, indicating harm to subordinates and family isolation. If all four lessons show lower overcoming upper, it signifies the host overpowering the guest, indicating rebellion and harm to parents, with a possibility of destruction. When the Heavenly General (Tianyi Guiren) is present at the Heavenly Gate (Northwest) or the Earthly Gate (Southeast), it indicates instability and restlessness in residence. The speed of the matter depends on where the Yin and Yang deities of the day branch fall: if they are before Tianyi, the matter will respond quickly; if they are after Tianyi, the matter will respond slowly (Tianyi is also known as Tianyi).

《黃帝》曰：幾其始至為方來。《集靈經》曰：欲知吉凶期者（看遲速），假令春占功曹太沖為用，則喜事旦至，為春木王故也。

The Yellow Emperor said: When a matter is about to begin and is just about to arrive, it is called "fang lai" (about to come). The Classic of Gathering Spirits said: To know the time when good or bad fortune will occur, one should look at how quickly the matter is coming. For example, when divining matters in spring, if the initiating transmission is Gongcao (寅) or Taichong (卯), then one can predict that good fortune will arrive soon—because in spring, wood is at its peak, and the useful god is riding the strong energy, so the response will be quick. This passage discusses the timing of responses: by combining the three temporal states of "fang lai" (about to come), "yi zhi" (already arrived), and "yi qu" (already gone), with the strength, prosperity, and decline of the useful god's energy, one can determine whether the matter is in the future, present, or past.

《黃帝》曰：在其中為已至。占事，孟夏用起傳送。金生巳，故云已至。又曰：幾其時。晚為已去。謂季夏土王金相之時，火神休氣，所以始謝為晚，故曰已去。又曰：凡占吉凶，未來已去之期，視神將來為來事，去為去事也。

The Yellow Emperor said: When a matter is in the middle, it is called "already arrived." For example, when divining in the first month of summer (April), the initiating transmission starts from the transmission trigram (Shen metal), and metal is born in Si. Since the month of April is also the month of Si, the useful god is exactly in the place of birth, so it is called "already arrived," meaning the matter is right before us. It also says: When approaching the time but slightly late, it is called "already gone." For example, in the last month of summer (June), when earth is strong and metal is in decline, the fire god has already retreated into rest, and when the fire energy begins to wane, it is considered "late," so it is called "already gone," meaning the matter has already passed. In general, when divining good or bad fortune, to determine whether it is future or past, one should look at the coming and going of the divine general. If the divine general is coming towards me, it is a matter of the future; if the divine general is turning away from me, it is a matter of the past.

吉凶期者，假令正月占事，其人年立寅，太乙為朱雀加年，則本年四月丙丁日，當有縣官失火事。若徵明，為玄武臨年，則去歲十月壬癸日，有亡遺盜賊逃叛之事。

Now regarding the method of determining the time of occurrence. For example, if an event is divined in the first lunar month and the person's age stem falls on寅, and the god in the lesson is Taiyi (Si) (巳) riding on Vermilion Bird and resting on the age stem:巳 belongs to the fourth lunar month, Vermilion Bird belongs to fire and signifies official affairs and fire-related disasters, and 丙丁 are fire stems, so it is predicted that there will be official matters or fire disasters on the 丙 or 丁 days of the fourth lunar month this year. Conversely, if 徵明 (亥) rides on Black Tortoise and rests on the age stem:亥 belongs to the tenth lunar month, Black Tortoise signifies theft and loss, and 壬癸 are water stems that share the same energy as 亥, so it is predicted that there was an incident involving lost property, theft, or escape and rebellion on the 壬 or 癸 days of the tenth lunar month last year. It is evident that the key to determining the time of occurrence lies in considering three aspects together—the month associated with the god, the type of event it signifies, and the day stem and branch.

《金匱經》曰：歲月日時為期，得歲不出歲，得月不出月，得日不出日，得時不出時也。假令歲在亥，用起徵明，為事在今歲二月。用太沖為事，在今月中。寅日用起功曹，為事在今日。用起神后，事在旬中。午時占事，用起勝光，事在須臾。

The *Golden Chest Classic* says: The timing of events should be determined by the four levels of year, month, day, and hour. If the initiating transmission corresponds with the heavenly stem, the matter will occur within the current year; if it corresponds with the month builder, it will occur within the current month; if it corresponds with the day branch, it will occur within the current day; if it corresponds with the time of divination, it will occur within the current hour. For example, if the heavenly stem is in亥, and the initiating transmission starts at 徵明 (亥), which is the same as the heavenly stem, the matter will occur within this year. If the month builder is in卯, and the initiating transmission takes Taichong (Mao) (卯), which is the same as the month builder, the matter will occur within this month. If the divination is on a 寅 day, and the initiating transmission starts at Gongcao (Yin) (寅), which is the same as the day branch, the matter will occur today. If the initiating transmission starts at Shenhou (Zi) (子), which is the first day of the ten-day period, the matter will occur within this ten-day period. If the divination is at 午 time, and the initiating transmission starts at Shengguang (Wu) (午), which is the same as the time of divination, the matter will occur immediately. The smaller the level, the closer the timing, which is a very convenient rule.

《黃帝》曰：數之一魁離日。假令占事，河魁加未，未數八，河魁數五，五八四十，為吉凶之事在四十日之內也。餘準此。

The Yellow Emperor said: There is another method of calculating the period using numbers, which involves multiplying the River Chief with the corresponding branch of the day. For example, when divining an event, if the River Chief (戌) is placed on 未, refer to the previous section "Explanation of Numbers" to find that the branch number of 未 is eight and the branch number of 戌 is five. Multiplying five by eight gives forty, so the outcome of the event is predicted to occur within forty days. Other cases are calculated in the same way: first check the branch numbers of the upper god and the lower day, multiply them to get the number of days (the original text has an error or omission in the six characters "数之一魁离日," so it is recorded as is). This method is used alongside the previous method of determining the period according to years, months, days, and hours. One method discusses levels, while the other discusses specific numbers of days.

《黃帝》曰：將得所勝，禍從外來。假令年上見功曹，將得太陰，金將克木，故禍從外來。《黃帝》曰：將得所畏，禍從內出。假令傳送臨午，將得青龍，木畏金神，故禍從內出。審其內出，終傳以知事之情偽也。陽之憂事發他人，言日辰上賊神將也。陰之憂事發於已身，言神將下剋日辰也。

The Yellow Emperor said: When the Heavenly General is able to overcome the god it is riding upon (the god being overcome by the general), calamity comes from outside. For example: If the year pillar shows Gongcao (寅 wood), and the Heavenly General riding upon it is Tai Yin (酉 metal), metal will overcome wood, so the calamity is from outside. The Yellow Emperor also said: When the Heavenly General meets the god it fears (the god overcoming the general), calamity comes from within. For example: If the transmission (申 metal) is on the position of Wu, and the Heavenly General riding upon it is Qinglong (寅 wood), wood fears metal, so the general is overcome by the god, and the calamity is from within. To examine this 'calamity coming from within,' one should look at the final transmission, which reveals whether the matter is true or false. For yang calamities, the event affects others, indicated by the presence of harmful gods and generals on the day and branch. For yin calamities, the event affects oneself, indicated by the gods and generals being in a lower position and counter-overcoming the day and branch.

《黃帝》曰：神將內戰，禍害難解。神將外戰，禍微易解。神克將為內戰，將克神為外戰也

The Yellow Emperor said: When the spirit and the general fight internally, calamities are difficult to resolve; when the spirit and the general fight externally, calamities are minor and easy to resolve. What is internal and external fighting? When the lower spirit overcomes the upper general, it is called internal fighting; when the upper general overcomes the lower spirit, it is called external fighting. The spirit refers to the heavenly plate deity, and the general refers to the heavenly general. These two should be in harmony, but when they overcome each other, it is a battle. A battle that originates internally is deep-rooted, hence difficult to resolve; a battle that comes from outside is shallow, hence easy to resolve. The entire text ends here—starting from the upper volume explaining the principles of heaven and earth, the four seasons, heavenly stems and earthly branches, and the five phases, to the lower volume explaining the moon general, the measurement of the jade scale, the creation and use of the formula, and the examples of spirit and general judgment, this book completes the entire systematic process of six rhymes from its foundational theory to practical divination. (The original text has no punctuation at the end of the sentence, so it is transcribed as is.)