Liu Ren Yi Zi Jue Yu Lian Huan (六壬一字訣玉連環)

老子云：“禍兮福所倚，福兮禍所伏，孰知其極，是何禍福？”聖人猶難，況兀兀之眾？豈能前期之得失，察品物之情狀者哉？此陰陽者流不闕於世也。

Laozi said: "Disaster contains the basis of good fortune, and good fortune also hides disaster. Who can investigate to the end and clearly distinguish which is disaster and which is good fortune? This principle of mutual dependence between misfortune and good fortune is even difficult for sages to determine in advance, let alone ordinary people who are so confused. How could they foresee the gains and losses of an affair or clearly understand the true nature of all things in the world? Because ordinary people cannot see through this, those who practice yin and yang and numerology, and predict good or bad fortune for others, have never ceased to exist in the world."

黃帝軒轅以中式開天下聾瞽，雖為其書，而得其妙用寡矣。近世徐次賓潛心斯道，為人稽吉征凶，委曲詳悉，遂將所得述成一書，題曰《一字訣》，十五門互相發揮，循環不止。又曰《玉連環》，寶之雲意。九逸仙人見其簡略，慨然詳註，覽之者尋源討流，不待《金匱》、《玉函》，已造會要。

It is said that the Yellow Emperor Huangdi invented the method of "Zhongshi" for casting a divination chart. This method involves placing the Month General on the given time and turning out the Heaven Plate, then combining it with the Earth Plate to form a chart. He used this method to enlighten the people who were as blind as the deaf. Although there are classical texts transmitting this knowledge, few people truly understand its subtle applications. In recent times, Xu Cibin from Luxi devoted himself to studying this discipline, using it to investigate auspiciousness and verify dangers, analyzing matters in a thorough and detailed manner. He then compiled his insights into a book titled "Yizijue" (One-Character诀). The book is divided into fifteen sections, each section using a single character to summarize the method of interpreting a particular type of chart. The sections complement each other, interconnect, and form a continuous cycle. He also named the book "Yulianhuan" (Jade Linked Rings), meaning that the book should be cherished like a precious jade, and its structure is tightly connected. However, the Nine Immortals found the text too concise and provided detailed annotations for each part, enabling readers to trace the source and follow the flow. Thus, readers no longer need to refer to complicated ancient texts such as the "Jingu" (Golden Chest) and "Yuhuan" (Jade Cabinet), but can directly enter the hall of the art and grasp the essential principles of the Six壬 (Rén) system.

金大定二十一年，歲次辛丑，孟冬朔日，翠微樵隱王順謹序

In the twenty-first year of King DING of the Jin dynasty, which corresponds to the Xinchou cycle (equivalent to 1181 AD, the eighth year of the Chunxi era of the Southern Song dynasty's Emperor Xiaozong), on the first day of the tenth lunar month in early winter, Wang Shun, who styled himself as "Cuiwei Qiaoyin," respectfully wrote this preface.

廬溪徐次賓述

The following text is written by Xu Cibin from Luxi. "Luxi" is his place of origin, and Xu Cibin is the author of this book. The person praised in the preface who devoted himself to the study of Liu Ren is none other than him.

中式大體有八門，一曰先鋒，二曰直事，三曰外事，四曰內事，五曰發端，六曰移易，七曰歸計，八曰變體，曰時、日、辰、年、命、三傳也。

To cast a lesson in Six Rats (Ling), one generally needs to examine it through eight categories: the first is called the "Vanguard Gate," the second the "Direct Affairs Gate," the third the "External Affairs Gate," the fourth the "Internal Affairs Gate," the fifth the "Origin Gate," the sixth the "Transformation Gate," the seventh the "Return Calculation Gate," and the eighth the "Variation Gate." These eight gates are positioned on the time of divination, the day stem, the day branch (called "Chen" in Six Rats), the current year's heavenly stem, the person's birth year's heavenly stem, and the three transmissions. When interpreting the lesson, one takes the images from these positions to determine fortune and misfortune.

先鋒門者，謂所占之正時也，為財、為合、為刑、為害，不待運式而先有所主，故曰先鋒門。

The so-called "Frontier Gate" refers to the "correct time" used in casting the divination chart, which is the current moment when the question is asked. For the day stem, this time may be exactly "wealth," "conjunction," "conflict," or "harm." One does not need to wait for the rotating disk to produce the four lessons and three transmissions; by simply looking at this relationship with the day stem, the main aspect of the matter being divined is already revealed. It is like the vanguard advancing before the main army, hence it is called the "Frontier Gate."

直事門者，謂天上正時也。假令甲日未時為日下之財。若小吉上乘天空，是虛妄干財也。謂天上正時將直事，故曰直事門。

The term "straight affairs gate" refers to the deities and generals on the Heaven Plate that are positioned above the palace corresponding to the exact hour. For example, on a Jia day, if the hour is Wei (which belongs to earth), earth is overcome by wood, making it the "wealth" of Jia day. However, if the small favorable deity (Wei) on the Heaven Plate is occupied by "Tian Kong," which signifies falsehood and deception, then this wealth is illusory and not genuine. Seeking wealth in such a case would result in fruitless efforts. Since this is the Heavenly General on the Heaven Plate that is in charge of affairs during the exact hour, it is called "straight affairs gate."

外事門者，以日干為外也。若時與日合為外合，若時與日害則主外憂。蓋日為陽、為尊、為外事，故曰外事門。

The "Outer Affairs Gate" refers to using the day stem to examine external matters. If the time of divination harmonizes with the day stem, it indicates that external affairs will be smooth and favorable. If the time of divination conflicts with the day stem, it suggests that there may be troubles or difficulties outside. Since the day stem is yang and holds a position of respect, it represents the outward aspect of a person. All matters related to the outside, distant places, and public dealings are governed by it, hence it is called the "Outer Affairs Gate."

內事門者，以辰為內也。若時與辰害則內憂，若與辰沖即主內動。蓋辰為陰、為卑、為宅、為內事，故曰內事門。

The "Inner Affairs Gate" refers to using the Day Branch (known as "Chen" in the Six Rats system) to examine matters within the household. If during a divination the branch is in conflict with the Day Branch, it indicates trouble within the family. If it is in opposition to the Day Branch, it suggests changes within the household. Since the Day Branch is yin and of low status, it represents the dwelling place and the people in the family. All matters concerning the household, nearby things, and close relatives are governed by it, hence it is called the "Inner Affairs Gate."

發端門者，初傳是也。假令正月占事，若用起大吉丑，即為過去事；用起功曹寅，即為目今事；用起太沖卯，即為未來事；以其為災福發用之端，故曰發端門。

The "Fāduān Mén" refers to the first transmission among the three transmissions. For example, if an event is divined in the first month, the month builder for the first month is寅. If the initiating transmission starts with Daji (Chou), which is before寅, the divination concerns something that has already passed; if it starts with Gongcao (Yin), which is the same as the month builder, the divination concerns something happening now; if it starts with Taichong (Mao), which is after寅, the divination concerns something yet to come. The first transmission marks the initial beginning of misfortune or good fortune, as the matter starts from here, hence it is called "Fāduān Mén."

移易門者，中傳是也。謂如初傳凶，中傳吉，即移易其凶象，變而為吉，故曰移易門。

The "Shift and Transformation Gate" refers to the Middle Transmission among the Three Transmissions. For example, if the First Transmission shows an ominous omen, but the Middle Transmission receives a favorable deity and general, then the ominous nature of the First Transmission is transformed and turned into a favorable outcome by the Middle Transmission. Conversely, if the First Transmission is favorable but the Middle Transmission is ominous, the original favorable outcome may be transformed into an ominous one. All turning points in a matter are determined by this position, hence it is called the "Shift and Transformation Gate."

歸計門者，末傳是也。如四月甲日占事，而用傳見申酉，末傳見午，即主五月內無事，故曰歸計門。

The "Guo Ji Men" refers to the final transmission among the three transmissions, which governs the final outcome and the month and day when an event is fulfilled. For example, if an event is divined on the fourth month and first day of the month, and the first and middle transmissions show the metal of Shen and You, which are the official ghosts of Jia wood and thus indicate harm, but the final transmission shows Wu fire, which can overcome the Shen and You metals. Moreover, Wu fire is the month builder of the fifth month, so it is concluded that the matter will naturally conclude and be safe within the fifth month. The final transmission is where the entire matter is settled and accounted for, hence it is called "Guo Ji Men."

變體門者，人命之事也。謂四課雖同時而人命不同，以人命所見神將各異，故變其卦體，所主災福亦不同，故曰變體門。

The so-called "Variation Gate" refers to the differences caused by one's birth year and destiny. Even when the same hour and the same Four Lessons are used for divination, people with different birth years and destinies will have different outcomes. The heavenly spirits and Heavenly Generals associated with the palace where their destiny falls vary, thus changing the overall pattern of the lesson and the nature of the fortune or misfortune it indicates. Because it can alter the lesson pattern, it is called the "Variation Gate."

凡占一課，八門之內須要消息詳審，擇其精要而斷之。若習之不正，擇之不當，則毫釐之差，千里之失。當首立此章以明課體之要，次標假令以明課式之用，故學者於此當盡心焉。

When divining a single lesson, one must repeatedly consider and carefully examine it within these eight gates, selecting the most important aspect to make a judgment. If one's foundation of learning is not correct and one's decision-making in practical situations is improper, then even a slight error at the beginning will lead to a vast difference in the outcome. Therefore, this book first establishes a chapter called "Lesson Pattern Essentials" to clearly explain the principles of lesson patterns; then it proceeds to list "Suppose" examples to demonstrate the actual application of lesson patterns. Students reading this section should pay particular attention and deeply understand it.

凡時為日干之財，更乘旺氣，得吉神良將，上下相生，定主干財之事。若式中得斬關、遊子發用，子干白虎，必是出入干財。若式中見兄弟爻，上得吉將，便言同人干財。若日落空亡，或上見天空，便言財為等輩取也。或失財，或被等輩收也。若上得朱雀、勾陳、白虎為鬼，便言爭財之人。若見天空、空亡得，必是空手求財也。

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "wealth":所谓 "time is the day stem's wealth" means that the hour's earthly branch is exactly overcome by the day stem, forming the wealth hexagram. Whenever such a situation occurs, if the god of that hour is riding on the current strong and flourishing energy, and is supported by auspicious deities and good generals, with the heaven plate and earth plate mutually generating, it is certain that the matter in question relates to seeking wealth and profit. If the lesson produces "cutting the gate" or "wandering son" types of hexagrams that indicate movement, and the water element above is accompanied by the White Tiger, then it is certain that one is going out to seek wealth. If the hexagram shows the brother hexagram, and the deity above is a good general, it is said that one is collaborating with companions to seek wealth. If the day stem falls into the ten-day void or if the deity above the day stem is the Tian Kong (sky), which signifies loss, it is said that the wealth has been taken by peers; or it has been lost; or it has been taken away by peers. If the wealth hexagram is supported by the Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, or White Tiger, and these deities transform into the official ghosts that overcome the day stem, it is said that someone is coming to compete for this wealth. If the Tian Kong is combined with the ten-day void, it is certain that one goes to seek wealth with empty hands, ultimately ending up with nothing.

若財在日上，乃手內之財，名為出門見財。若太陰乘財與日三合六合，主得陰人財。若見玄武臨財，防盜；更見鬼賊，定是失財。凡財乘旺氣，是目下之財；相氣，是將來之財；休氣，是過去之財，或為舊財，或於有疾病人處求財；囚氣，繫無力之財；死氣，是關死人之財。

If the wealth sign falls directly on the day stem, it indicates wealth already in hand, and the diviner calls this "seeing wealth upon leaving home," meaning that upon going out, there will be income. If Tai Yin is riding on the wealth sign and forms a triple harmony or a six harmony with the day stem, this wealth is obtained from a woman or someone from the yin and soft path. If the Black Tortoise is on the wealth sign, one should be cautious of theft; if the chart also shows the image of ghosts or thieves, then it is certain that the wealth will be lost. Additionally, one should examine the five phases of the qi accompanying the wealth sign: if it rides on a strong phase, it is current wealth; if it rides on a prosperous phase, it is wealth to be obtained in the future; if it rides on a resting phase, it is old wealth from a sick person; if it rides on a restrained phase, it is weak and ineffective wealth; if it rides on a dead phase, it is connected with the dead, indicating wealth from funerals or inheritance.

欲知財數，以神將上下相乘，不用他人之干也。亦量旺相休囚、相生相剋加減言之。

To calculate the amount of wealth, take the fixed number of the heavenly stem on the Heaven Plate where the wealth爻 is located, and multiply it by the fixed number of the heavenly general above it. Only consider these two numbers, without involving other heavenly stems and earthly branches. Then, adjust the result according to whether the heavenly stem is in a旺, 相, 休, or 囚 state, and whether there is mutual generation or mutual control between the upper and lower elements. Adjust the number accordingly and determine the final amount.

假令乙亥日申將未時。

Take an example: On a Yihai day, using Shen as the Month General, the time is Wei hour. Place the Shen General on top of the Wei hour and turn out the Heaven Plate, then observe how it covers the Earth Plate's various palaces, resulting in the following divination chart.

空 虎 常 玄 午 未 申 酉　　蛇 貴 空 龍　　財 丁丑 蛇 龍巳　　戌陰　　丑 子 午 巳　　兄 戊寅 朱 勾辰　　亥后　　子 亥 巳 乙　　兄 己卯 合 卯 寅 丑 子 合 朱 蛇 貴

The method of reading this chart is as follows. The month general is Shen, added to the time of the day Wei, so the heaven plate moves one step ahead of the earth plate. On the earth plate Si, the heaven plate is Wu, accompanied by Tian Kong; on Wu, it is Wei, accompanied by Bai Hu; on Wei, it is Shen, accompanied by Tai Chang; on Shen, it is You, accompanied by Xuan Wu; on You, it is Xu, accompanied by Tai Yin; on Xu, it is Hai, accompanied by Tian Hou; on Hai, it is Zi, accompanied by Gui Ren; on Zi, it is Chou, accompanied by Teng Snake; on Chou, it is Yin, accompanied by Zhu Qiao; on Yin, it is Mao, accompanied by Liu He; on Mao, it is Chen, accompanied by Gou Chen; on Chen, it is Si, accompanied by Qing Long. The four lessons are counted from right to left: the first lesson, Yi wood lodges in Chen, with Si on Chen, accompanied by Qing Long; the second lesson, Wu on Si, accompanied by Tian Kong; the third lesson, the day branch Hai has Zi on it, accompanied by Gui Ren; the fourth lesson, Zi has Chou on it, accompanied by Teng Snake. The three transmissions are the first transmission Chou (Dun Gan Dingchou, accompanied by Teng Snake, Chou earth is overcome by Yi wood, which is the day stem's wealth yao), the middle transmission Yin (Wu Yin, accompanied by Zhu Qiao, Yin wood is of the same type as Yi wood, which is the brother yao), and the final transmission Mao (Ji Mao, accompanied by Liu He, which is also a brother yao). The day Yi Hai belongs to the Jia Xu decade, and in this decade, the positions Shen and You are empty.

三傳丑寅卯，將螣蛇、朱雀、六合，來意主出外取索舊財兩重，繫丑年交易，其錢三百二十貫，至六月得錢五十六貫，至十二月再索，乃有口舌相爭，卻得一姓董人和勸，其財盡得。

The Three Transmissions are Chou, Yin, and Mao, in sequence, with Teng Snake, Vermilion Bird, and Liu He respectively. Based on this, the intention of the person coming is determined: he intends to go out to collect an old debt, and it is two debts combined into one; this transaction takes place in the year Chou, with a total principal of three hundred twenty units. In June, he recovers fifty-six units; in December, he goes again to collect, during which there is a verbal dispute, fortunately a man surnamed Dong intervenes and mediates, and finally he retrieves the entire principal and interest.

何以知出外取索舊財？緣時為日干財，直事門見白虎，主道路。又發用大吉，亦為日干之財，大吉土無氣，故言出外取索舊財兩重。繫丑年交易者，發用大吉為丑年也。言三百二十貫者，蓋大吉八數，螣蛇四數，相乘得三百二十貫也。

By what means do we know it is about going out to collect an old debt? Because at the time of divination, the earth branch of the hour was "wu" (earth), which was overcome by "yi" wood. This is the wealth of the day stem. The "straight matter gate" on the heaven plate at the correct hour is occupied by the "white tiger," which governs travel and toil, so it indicates going out to collect. Furthermore, the initial transmission of the divination is "da ji chou" (great good yin), which is also the wealth of "yi" wood. However, "chou" earth is not in its season and lacks vitality, so the matter is old, hence it is said to be going out to collect "old wealth." Since the wealth yao and "chou" earth do not appear together, it is said to be "two layers," meaning collecting two debts. It is said that this matter will be completed in the year of "chou" because the initial transmission is "da ji chou," and "chou" is paired with the year of "chou." The amount is said to be three hundred twenty units because the fixed number of "da ji chou" is eight, and the fixed number of "teng snake" is four. Eight multiplied by four gives thirty-two, and adding one more place makes three hundred twenty units.

六月中得數五十六貫，何也？蓋時為日干財，小吉八數，白虎七數，相乘得五十六也。緣白虎無氣，又未為六月建，故於六月中先得五十六貫也。至十二月再索有口舌相爭，得姓董人和勸，盡得之，何也？蓋發用大吉為財，應十二月；中傳功曹為等輩，上得朱雀，主口舌爭競；末傳卯主千里，六合為草頭，配成董字；六合主和，故得姓董人勸和。

In June, one first receives fifty-six taels, which is calculated as follows: At the time of the divination, the day stem is the wealth sign, and the small auspicious sign of the hexagram is the hexagram of the earth, which has a fixed number of eight. The hexagram above it is the White Tiger, which has a fixed number of seven. Multiplying eight by seven gives fifty-six. The White Tiger is currently without strength, so its power is weak and only a small portion can be recovered first. The earth hexagram is also the month builder of June, so the fifty-six taels should be received first in June. In December, one goes to collect the remaining amount, there is a dispute, and a person surnamed Dong mediates and the entire amount is recovered. This is interpreted as follows: The initiating transmission is the Great Auspicious sign of the earth, which is the wealth sign, and the earth sign matches December, so the time of the event is in December. The middle transmission is the official sign of the rat, which is the same as the day stem of the wood, representing peers. The official sign is above the wood, and the wood is associated with the Vermilion Bird, which governs disputes, so there is a conflict. The final transmission is the great movement sign of the rabbit, which represents a long journey, and the rabbit is above the earth sign. The earth sign, in terms of character shape, is the grass radical, and the grass radical combined with the character 'chong' (meaning a long journey) forms the character 'Dong'. The earth sign also governs harmony, so a person surnamed Dong appears to mediate, and the matter is resolved smoothly.

假令壬申日申將午時。

Take another example: on a Renshen day, Shen is the Month General, and the time of divination is wu hour. The Shen General is placed on the wu hour and turns out the Heaven Plate, which advances two positions ahead of the Earth Plate.

朱 合 勾 龍 未 申 酉 戌　　虎 龍 陰 常　　兄 甲子 虎 蛇午　　亥空　　子 戌 卯 丑　　子 丙寅 玄 貴巳　　子虎　　戌 申 丑 壬　　官 戊辰 后 辰 卯 寅 丑 后 陰 玄 常

In this divination chart, the Earth Plate's巳 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's未, with Vermilion Bird; the Earth Plate's午 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's申, with Liu He; the Earth Plate's未 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's酉, with Gou Chen; the Earth Plate's申 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's戌, with Azure Dragon; the Earth Plate's酉 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's亥, with Tian Kong; the Earth Plate's戌 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's子, with White Tiger; the Earth Plate's亥 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's丑, with Tai Chang; the Earth Plate's子 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's寅, with Black Tortoise; the Earth Plate's丑 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's卯, with Tai Yin; the Earth Plate's寅 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's辰, with Heavenly Empress; the Earth Plate's卯 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's巳, with Nobleman; the Earth Plate's辰 is overlaid by the Heaven Plate's午, with Teng Snake. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the壬 water lodges in亥, with亥 overlaid by丑, with Tai Chang; the second lesson,丑 overlaid by卯, with Tai Yin; the third lesson, the day branch申 overlaid by戌, with Azure Dragon; the fourth lesson,戌 overlaid by子, with White Tiger. The three transmissions are: initial子 (Jiazi, with White Tiger, the子 water is of the same type as壬 water, representing a brother爻), middle寅 (Bingyin, with Black Tortoise, the壬 water generates寅 wood, representing a son爻), and final辰 (Wuchen, with Heavenly Empress, the辰 earth controls the壬 water, representing an official ghost爻). The Renshen day belongs to the Jiazi decade, with戌 and亥 falling into the旬空.

三傳子寅辰，將白虎、玄武、天后，來意主人出外，東南上干財。因一姓崔人成合交易，其人內懷欺詐，終不敢發。又有一屬狗人姓王欲相侵害，終而自解。

The Three Transmissions indicate the child, the tiger, and the dragon. These are successively multiplied by the White Tiger, the Black Tortoise, and the Heavenly Empress. Based on this, we can determine the intention of the person coming: he intends to go to the southeast to seek a fortune. This matter is facilitated by a person named Cui, who acts as an intermediary. However, this person harbors fraudulent intentions but dares not act. Additionally, there is a man named Wang who belongs to the dog zodiac and wishes to harm him, but this attempt also resolves itself without coming to fruition.

何知出外？蓋發用神后，將得白虎，主道路。又天罡臨斬關，故言出外也。何知東南干財？緣時為日下之財，先乘螣蛇，下臨辰，故言東南干財也。

Why do we know that someone is going on a long journey? Because the initial transmission (初传) of the initiating transmission (发用) is Shenhou Zi, which is occupied by the White Tiger (白虎). The White Tiger primarily governs travel and movement. Moreover, the Heavenly Gang (天罡) falls on Chen, which is in the "cutting the gate" (斩关) position. The "cutting the gate" position indicates that the gate is not secure and that one will go directly out, so it is concluded that the person is traveling away. Why do we know that the journey is to the southeast for wealth? Because at the time of the divination, the fire of Wu is overcome by the water of Ren, which is the wealth of the day stem. The Wu position is first occupied by Teng Snake (螣蛇), which belongs to fire and resides in Si. Wu also lies below the Earth Plate's Chen position. Since Chen and Si are both in the southeast, it is said that the person is seeking wealth in the southeast.

何以知人姓崔？以末傳天罡為山，加寅配艮為壘土，艮數八，合而為人字，以山配重土，又有人傍，是崔字。然天罡為日鬼，何以言姓崔人成合交易？緣天罡臨寅，自受其制，又為中傳功曹制之，故不能為鬼。

How do we know that the person's surname is Cui? The final transmission is the Heavenly Gang in the辰 (Chen) position. In terms of symbolic representation, Chen represents a mountain. Chen is placed over寅 (Yin), which corresponds to the Eight Trigrams' Gen (Geng), which represents a mountain and heavy earth. The fixed number of Gen is eight, which matches the shape of the character for "person." Thus, combining the symbol for "mountain" with the heavy earth and adding a "person" next to it forms the character "Cui." However, the Heavenly Gang in the earth position (Chen) is capable of overcoming the water (Ren) which is the official ghost of the day stem. Why then is it said that a person named Cui is the one who facilitates the transaction? Because the Heavenly Gang in the earth position is placed over the wood (Yin), and is first restrained by the wood. The middle transmission, Gongcao (Yin), restrains it again. A restrained ghost cannot manifest its harmful nature, so it cannot act as a harmful ghost, but instead becomes a mediator who facilitates the transaction.

遏為我助，懷欺詐而不能害也？緣天罡為虛詐之神，剋日，故主欺詐也。賴中傳寅木制之，不能發用也。申上天魁為屬狗人，日上大吉為姓王人，皆為今日之鬼。而侵害自解者，緣日落空亡，彼不見我，將與誰爭也？

Since the opponent is restrained and becomes my helper, why does he still harbor a deceitful heart yet fail to harm me? Because the Heavenly Gang is the god of falsehood and fraud, and it also overcomes the day stem, so it indicates that the opponent has a deceitful mind. Fortunately, the Middle Transmission寅 wood restrains it, so this deceit cannot be expressed and remains only in his mind. The Earth Plate 申 is joined by the Heaven Plate 戌, which is the Heavenly魁. 戌 is the dog, so it refers to a person who is a dog sign. The day stem 壬, which is located in the亥 palace, is joined by the great auspicious 丑. 丑 earth combines with one (water number one) to form the character 王, so it refers to a person with the surname Wang. These two are both officials who overcome the day stem today. However, this harm can eventually resolve itself, because the day is Renshen, which belongs to the Jiazi cycle. 戌 and 亥 are exactly in the cycle's void; the亥, where the day stem is located, and the 戌, where the ghost is located, both become void. The opponent cannot see me, so who can he fight against?

驛馬者，傳送之神也。主道路出入，若不落空亡、天空，定主出入也。若馬為日干之財，主因財出行也。若馬見白虎發用，休氣所乘，主緊速疾病。若時為日馬帶鬼，或式中更見勾陳、朱雀刑剋於日者，因出入有官事，或往他處衙門動官，不然是急速官事。

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "horse." The "Post-horse" refers to a divine spirit governing the transmission and delivery of messages, specifically overseeing travel and movement between places. When determining the situation, the relevant divine spirit is the驿马 of the day stem. If it does not fall into the旬空 and is not occupied by the Tian Kong, it indicates definite travel or movement. If this horse is also the wealth爻 of the day stem, then the travel is for financial reasons. If the horse position is occupied by the White Tiger and is in the declining phase of the rest period, it indicates a sudden illness. If the time of the divination is the day's horse and it is accompanied by an official spirit that restrains the day stem, or if the chart contains Gou Chen or Zhu Que that刑克 the day stem, then this travel will involve official matters—either going to another government office to litigate or facing an urgent legal issue.

若驛馬為貴人，式中見朱雀、太常，與日三合六合，官員差除，或驛遞文字，或式中見關，緣有格不出入。伏吟近出，便出而便歸也。反吟則反覆出入，千里之行也。若得進遊子卦，有天涯地角之行。如斬關、三交，更得凶將，主避罪逃亡也。

If the Post-horse is accompanied by the Nobleman, and the chart also shows the Vermilion Bird and Tai Chang, and forms a Triple Harmony or Liu He with the Day Stem, then it indicates an official's transfer or appointment, or the transmission of official documents through the post stations. If the chart shows the "Gate" spirit, it suggests there are checkpoints blocking the way, making the journey impossible. If the chart is of a Hidden Chant, it means the person will only travel a short distance and return immediately. If the chart is of a Reverse Chant, it indicates repeated travel, involving a long journey across thousands of miles. If the chart is of a "Traveler's Journey" type, it suggests traveling to extremely distant places. If the chart is of a Cutting the Gate or Triple Intersection type, and is further accompanied by malevolent generals, then it is not a normal journey, but rather an escape from guilt or being in exile.

假令壬辰老人占，癸丑日將亥時返吟。

Take an example: an old man whose personal star is Renchen comes to consult. The day branch is Guichou day, and the time is Hai hour. The divination result is reverse repetition. According to the original text, it only writes 'day general at Hai hour', and the name of the month general is missing. By checking the lower plate of the divination, all the heavenly gods on the heaven plate are in conflict with those on the earth plate, which is exactly the method of 'Si general added to Hai hour'. The missing character should be 'Si'. Now it is recorded as it was originally, without adding it arbitrarily.

勾 合 朱 蛇 亥 子 丑 寅　　朱 常 朱 常　　官 丁未 常 龍戌　　卯貴　　丑 未 丑 未　　官 癸丑 朱 空酉　　辰后　　未 丑 未 癸　　官 丁未 常 申 未 午 巳 虎 常 玄 陰

This divination chart is of the reverse echo pattern: the month general,巳, is placed on the hour of亥. The Heaven Plate and Earth Plate are in constant opposition throughout, with each palace's upper god being the opposing branch of the same palace. The Heaven Plate巳 is on the Earth Plate亥, riding on Gou Chen; the Heaven Plate午 is on the Earth Plate子, riding on Liu He; the Heaven Plate未 is on the Earth Plate丑, riding on Vermilion Bird; the Heaven Plate申 is on the Earth Plate寅, riding on Teng Snake; the Heaven Plate酉 is on the Earth Plate卯, riding on Nobleman; the Heaven Plate戌 is on the Earth Plate辰, riding on Heavenly Empress; the Heaven Plate亥 is on the Earth Plate巳, riding on Tai Yin; the Heaven Plate子 is on the Earth Plate午, riding on Black Tortoise; the Heaven Plate丑 is on the Earth Plate未, riding on Tai Chang; the Heaven Plate寅 is on the Earth Plate申, riding on White Tiger; the Heaven Plate卯 is on the Earth Plate酉, riding on Tian Kong; the Heaven Plate辰 is on the Earth Plate戌, riding on Azure Dragon. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson,癸 water is lodged in the palace of丑, with丑 having 未, riding on Tai Chang; the second lesson, 未 has 丑, riding on Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, the day branch丑 has 未, riding on Tai Chang; the fourth lesson, 未 has 丑, riding on Vermilion Bird. The three transmissions are 未, 丑, 未 (Ding Wei riding on Tai Chang, Gui Chou riding on Vermilion Bird, Ding Wei riding on Tai Chang). Both 未 earth and 丑 earth overcome Gui water, and all the three transmissions are official ghosts. The day Gui Chou belongs to the Jiachen decade. The palaces of寅 and卯 are in the旬空.

三傳未丑未，將常、朱、常，此人因酒食過多，傷損肝胃，並下孟血痢；又小腸不通，添心腹脹滿，用藥不效，飲食不進，旦暮而死。

The Three Transmissions are in the order of Chou, Chou, and Wei, successively multiplied by Tai Chang, Vermilion Bird, and Tai Chang. Based on this, it is determined that the old man has overindulged in drinking and eating meat, injuring his liver and stomach, and is suffering from bloody diarrhea; at the same time, his small intestine is blocked, adding to a fullness in the heart and abdomen. He has taken no effect from medicine, cannot take food, and is expected to die within a day or two.

何以知酒食傷於脾胃？蓋日上小吉主羊酒，太常主筵宴，土主脾胃，各乘休氣，故言酒食傷於脾胃也。又何知下痢，小腸不通？緣癸丑水變為痢，故言下痢。三傳皆土，故癸水不能流行，故知小腸不通。

How do we know that the injury is due to alcohol and food affecting the spleen and stomach? Because the day stem, which is Gui, is located in the Chou branch, and on top of this Chou branch is the minor auspicious sign Wei. Wei in terms of objects represents mutton and wine. On top of Wei is Tai Chang, which governs banquets and feasts. Both Wei and Chou belong to the earth element, and in the human body, the earth element corresponds to the spleen and stomach. These signs are all in a state of decline and thus are injured, so we conclude that the injury is due to alcohol and food affecting the spleen and stomach. How do we know it is diarrhea and obstruction of the small intestine? Gui and Chou originally belong to the water element. When water loses its normal course, it becomes diarrhea. Therefore, we know it is diarrhea. The three transmissions, Wei, Chou, and Wei, are all earth elements. Too much earth blocks the Gui water, preventing the water from flowing, so we know the small intestine is blocked and unpassable.

心腹脹滿者，癸亥水不能外行也。何知藥不能效，飲食不進？蓋小吉為藥，太常為飲食，即為日鬼，故藥不效，食不進矣。

As for the condition of fullness and distension in the chest and abdomen, it is because the癸water and its corresponding亥water are blocked by earth, unable to discharge outward, thus accumulating inside and causing distension. How do we know that taking medicine is ineffective and food is not being eaten? The small auspicious sign (小吉) does not represent medicine in terms of symbolic meaning, while Tai Chang represents food. However, both medicine and food are actually the official ghosts (官鬼) that overcome癸water. Medicine and food should save lives, but now they have become ghosts that cause death, hence the medicine is ineffective and food is not consumed.

言旦暮死者，蓋時日馬卦，返吟遊子，未為旬中六丁，丑時為日馬，老病得之，豈能出入？當是陽魂乘驛馬、六丁，遊於天涯地角之外，其病身一虛殼耳。又命上乘喪魄，與三傳俱是日鬼，以四鬼守虛殼，豈不應旦墓而死者乎？

He says the person will die within a day or two, and the reason is this: the divination was cast at the time of the day horse, and the lesson pattern is a returning echo of a traveler, indicating the owner is constantly traveling and moving about. The three transmissions include 'wei' which is the Dingwei of this旬, that is, the 'six Ding' spirits mentioned by the diviners, while 'chou' is the Post-horse for the day of gwi. A sick old man receiving such a lesson full of movement and activity, where can he possibly go out the door or enter the house? Clearly, his yang soul has already ridden the Post-horse and the six Ding spirits to wander far beyond the world, leaving behind his bedridden body as nothing but an empty shell. Now look at his own destiny, which is riding the spirit of loss, and the three transmissions also include three heavy earth ghosts, all of which are ghosts that harm the day. Four ghosts surrounding one empty shell, how could he not die within a day or two? (The original text says '旦墓' but it should be '旦暮', meaning early and late, and the original character is still retained.)

假令壬戌人，辛酉日午將申時，

Here is another example: The person seeking divination has a birth sign of Renxu, the day branch is Xinyou, and the month general is Wu. The time of divination is Shen hour. The Wu general is placed on the Shen hour. The Heaven Plate is two positions behind the Earth Plate.

合 朱 蛇 貴 卯 辰 巳 午　　蛇 后 貴 陰　　官 戊午 貴 勾寅　　未后　　巳 未 午 申　　父 丙辰 朱 龍丑　　申陰　　未 酉 申 辛　　財 甲寅 勾 子 亥 戌 酉 空 虎 常 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's Si position is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Mao, accompanied by Liu He; the Wu position is occupied by Chen, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the Wei position is occupied by Si, accompanied by Teng Snake; the Shen position is occupied by Wu, accompanied by Nobleman; the You position is occupied by Wei, accompanied by Heavenly Empress; the Xu position is occupied by Shen, accompanied by Tai Yin; the Hai position is occupied by You, accompanied by Black Tortoise; the Zi position is occupied by Xu, accompanied by Tai Chang; the Chou position is occupied by Hai, accompanied by White Tiger; the Yin position is occupied by Zi, accompanied by Tian Kong; the Mao position is occupied by Chou, accompanied by Azure Dragon; the Chen position is occupied by Yin, accompanied by Gou Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Xin metal lodges in Xu, with Xu occupied by Shen, accompanied by Tai Yin; the second lesson, Shen occupied by Wu, accompanied by Nobleman; the third lesson, the Day Branch You occupied by Wei, accompanied by Heavenly Empress; the fourth lesson, Wei occupied by Si, accompanied by Teng Snake. The three transmissions are: initial Wu (Wu Wu accompanied by Nobleman, Wu fire overcomes Xin metal, which is the official ghost爻), middle Chen (Bing Chen accompanied by Vermilion Bird, Chen earth generates Xin metal, which is the parent爻), and final Yin (Jia Yin accompanied by Gou Chen, Yin wood is overcome by Xin metal, which is the wealth爻). The day of Xin You belongs to the Jiayin decade, with Zi and Chou positions falling into the旬空.

三傳午辰寅，將貴朱勾，來意因藏有夫婦人，事敗露到官，旬日案成，累罪斷徒五年，杖一百，丁丑日決之，發鄰州居住。

The three transmissions are午, 辰, and 寅, in sequence. Each is successively multiplied by the Nobleman, Vermilion Bird, and Gou Chen. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is that he concealed a woman who had a husband, and the matter was exposed and reported to the authorities. Within ten days, the case file will be completed, and several charges will be accumulated, resulting in a sentence of five years of penal servitude and a hundred lashes. On the Dingchou day, the punishment will be carried out, and then he will be sent to reside and serve in a nearby state or prefecture.

何以知之？蓋本命日上見太陰，主伏匿陰人不正之事。阮在我本命日上，故知藏匿婦人也。何知事敗？蓋先鋒門勝光為發用，上見天乙為今日之鬼，故言事敗到官。

How is this divination determined? My birth stem is Renxu, and the day stem is Xin, which is associated with the Xu palace. This palace is the same as my birth stem. Above this palace is Tai Yin, which governs concealment and is associated with women and hidden, improper matters, so it indicates hiding a woman. The original text here reads 'Ruan is on my birth stem,' but 'Ruan' is likely a homonym error for 'Yin' or 'Shen.' Tai Yin is actually on the Heaven Plate Shen, which falls on my birth stem and the day stem's palace, so it is interpreted as hiding a woman. The original text is retained with 'Ruan' unchanged. And how do we know the matter has been exposed? The leading gate shows that at the time of the divination, Shen is occupied by Shuguang and Wu. Wu is the initiating transmission, and above it is Tianyi Nobleman. Wu fire overcomes Xin metal, which is today's official ghost. The ghost accompanied by a nobleman indicates that the authorities are involved, hence the matter has been exposed to the authorities.

何知旬中案成？時日主於緊速，故言旬日也。何知徒罪五年？蓋傳天乙剋日干，中傳天罡，得朱雀火神，又為今日之鬼，末傳勾陳又是凶神。此課傷日，始末俱凶，又辰午為兩重自刑。古經云“三刑棄世，二刑徒遞。”今日徒五年是也。

Why do we know the case will be resolved within ten days? The time of divination coincides with the day stem, indicating urgency and speed, so the matter is predicted to be settled within a ten-day period. Why is the sentence determined to be five years of imprisonment? The first transmission is the god riding on the horse of the午 (Wu) position, which is the nobleman (tian yi guiren) that controls the god of the day stem. The middle transmission is the heavenly gang (tian gang) on the辰 (Chen) position, which is accompanied by the vermilion bird (zhu qiao), which belongs to fire and is also the official ghost of the day. The final transmission is the Gou Chen (gou chen), an Inauspicious General (malevolent general) in charge of prisons and jailers. This entire divination course continuously harms the day stem, with all transmissions being ominous. Moreover, the辰 (Chen) and辰 (Chen), as well as the午 (Wu) and午 (Wu), each form mutual punishment, creating two layers of self-punishment. The ancient texts say: three layers of punishment will lead to loss of life, while two layers of punishment result in imprisonment and gradual release. This divination exactly has two layers of punishment, so it is judged to be five years of imprisonment.

何知丁丑日斷發鄰州居住？緣丁馬為一今日之鬼，又為日刑故也。帶瘡行路艱難，住鄰州者，蓋為日上鬼見馬也。

How do we know that the judgment and transfer to a neighboring state would take place on Dingchou day? Ding belongs to fire, and fire is the official ghost of Xin metal; Chou is also the post-horse of Xinyou day. When the official ghost and the post-horse appear together on the same day, the judgment should occur on Dingchou day. As for the person being forced to travel with a staff wound and having difficulty walking, and finally being settled in a nearby state, this is because the day stem already shows both the official ghost and the post-horse. The official ghost indicates receiving a punishment and injury, while the post-horse indicates being driven away and relocated. When these two signs are combined, it means traveling with an injury and being settled nearby.

貴德祿三神者，異名而同體，謂顯有德，享有祿，皆為貴官之象也。若三神帶財，多為官場之財，或托有官人干財。若被刑帶害，傳中有凶將，定入官府爭財。若三傳神上帶吉半，傳中見青龍、六合、太常，為日之三合，不見刑鬼，仕人加官；秀士及第；庶人得之，見官得理，或得上人提挈。若式中見晝夜貴人全者，主兩得衙門。若卦中遙克、反吟，中傳見天馬，即知他處衙門官動也。

The key principle of this chapter lies in the character "guì" (nobleman). The three deities, "guì" (nobleman), "dé" (virtue), and "lù" (favor), have different names but are essentially one: those who are prominent externally are called "dé" (virtue), those who benefit the individual are called "lù" (favor), and both represent the symbol of official status. Therefore, they are grouped together. When any of these three deities appear in the day stem during divination, it indicates official actions. If these three deities also carry wealth signs, it is likely related to wealth in the official sphere, or the need to seek wealth through someone with an official position. If these deities are harmed or afflicted, and the three transmissions contain Inauspicious General (malevolent generals), then there will certainly be disputes involving the authorities over this wealth. If all the deities in the three transmissions carry auspicious deities and generals, and the transmission includes the Azure Dragon, Liu He, and Tai Chang, and forms a Triple Harmony with the day stem, and there is no punishment or clash with official ghosts, then officials will be promoted, scholars will pass the imperial exams, and common people will see justice in the courts, win lawsuits, or receive support from those in higher positions. If both the day nobleman and night nobleman appear in the chart, it indicates that efforts will be needed in two different offices. If the chart shows a remoterestrain (remote restriction) or reverse chant, and the middle transmission contains the Heavenly Horse, then there will be official matters involving an office outside the local area.

假令癸巳人，丙子日申將酉時。

Take an example: The person seeking divination has a birth sign of Gui Si, the day branch is Bing Zi, and the month general is Shen. The time of divination is You hour. The Shen general is placed on the You hour, and the Heaven Plate is one position behind the Earth Plate.

龍 勾 合 朱 辰 巳 午 未　　后 陰 空 龍　　子 甲戌 后 空卯　　申蛇　　戌 亥 卯 辰　　財 　酉 貴 ◎ 虎寅　　酉貴　　亥 子 辰 丙　　財 　申 蛇 ◎ 丑 子 亥 戌 常 玄 陰 後

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Chen, riding the Azure Dragon; the position of Wu is occupied by Si, riding Gou Chen; the position of Wei is occupied by Wu, riding Liu He; the position of Shen is occupied by Wei, riding the Vermilion Bird; the position of You is occupied by Shen, riding Teng Snake; the position of Xu is occupied by You, riding the Nobleman; the position of Hai is occupied by Xu, riding the Heavenly Empress; the position of Zi is occupied by Hai, riding Tai Yin; the position of Chou is occupied by Zi, riding the Black Tortoise; the position of Yin is occupied by Chou, riding Tai Chang; the position of Mao is occupied by Yin, riding the White Tiger; the position of Chen is occupied by Mao, riding Tian Kong. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Bing fire lodges in Si, with Si occupied by Chen, riding the Azure Dragon; the second lesson, Chen is occupied by Mao, riding Tian Kong; the third lesson, the Day Branch Zi is occupied by Hai, riding Tai Yin; the fourth lesson, Hai is occupied by Xu, riding the Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions begin with Xu (Jia Xu riding the Heavenly Empress, Xu earth is generated by Bing fire, thus it is the son爻), then You, and finally Shen (You and Shen, two metals, are overcome by Bing fire, both are wealth爻, with You riding the Nobleman and Shen riding Teng Snake). On the day of Bing Zi, it belongs to the Jia Xu decade. Shen and You are exactly in the旬空, so the transmission dry branches for these two are left blank, and a symbol 「◎」 is added beside them as a mark. This symbol in this book's lesson plate indicates the旬空.

三傳戌酉申，天魁臨亥為用，卦名知一，來意本人於家西耕開荒地一段，種麥子，上麥熟時，有帶官人刈麥。曰：“是我之地。”相爭到官，勸和，得麥一半，歸其地。

The Three Transmissions are戌, 酉, and 申. Using the Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) which is located in the亥 (Hai) palace as the Initiating Transmission, the name of the divination lesson is called "Knowing One." According to this, the person being consulted has cleared a piece of land to the west of his home and planted wheat. When the wheat ripened, a man with official status came and started cutting the wheat, claiming, "This land originally belongs to me." A dispute arose, which was taken to the authorities. After mediation by others, the judge decided that the person would receive half the wheat, and the land was returned to him.

何知家西開荒地種麥？時緣日下之貴，又為日下之財，又為日下之合，故言外也。酉既為日下之財，不言金玉而言麥者，人事也。若婦人占當有金玉首飾之物，今以老農五月占此，酉主小麥，既為日下之財，故言麥也。

How do we know it refers to sowing wheat in the western part of the house? At the time of the divination, the酉 (You) is in opposition to the丙 (Bing) day stem, which is both the position of the nobleman and the wealth that the丙 fire element controls. Additionally,酉 is in harmony with the丙 day stem. These three relationships all point to the day stem, which governs external matters, so the interpretation is about events outside the house. Why does the酉, which is the wealth of the day, refer to wheat rather than gold and jade? This depends on the status of the person asking and the season. The same酉, if asked by a woman, would be interpreted as gold and jade jewelry. But now, an old farmer is asking in May, and in terms of objects,酉 represents wheat. May is also the time when wheat ripens. Since酉 is the wealth of the day, it is interpreted as wheat.

言家西，謂酉，西方也。何以帶官人爭麥？謂直事門為仲，中傳上見天乙，故為帶官人。

The earth is said to be in "home west" because the wealth hexagram falls on You, and You is located in the direction of due west. Why is it said that the person competing for the wheat is one who carries an official status? The straight matter gate on the heaven plate at the correct time falls on You, and You is one of the four middle directions, which signify persons of proper conduct and dignity; additionally, the middle transmission on You is occupied by the heavenly yi nobleman, and the nobleman represents the image of an official, so it is concluded that the person has an official status.

何知相爭到官？蓋日上見天罡，為自己怒惡。又時為日貴，中傳又得天乙為動官之象。何知勸和分麥？蓋時為合，外卦得比用，故知和合。申酉時為財，乃日空亡，既落空亡，只得一半矣。

How do we know that there will be a dispute going to the authorities? The day stem is in the lodging palace and receives the heavenly gang at the hour of chen, which signifies sudden anger and violence, indicating that the person themselves has lost their temper. At the time of the divination, the day stem's nobleman is present, and the middle transmission also receives the heavenly yi, so two noblemen are involved, which is an omen of disturbing the authorities. How do we know that people will be persuaded to reconcile and the grain will be divided? At the time of the divination, you and the day of jing (bingzi) are in harmony, and the outer aspect receives the "comparison and use" pattern, which signifies mutual comparison and reconciliation, so it is judged that persuasion will occur. However, the two wealth lines of shen and you precisely fall within the旬空 of the day of bingzi, so since they are in the empty period, the wealth cannot be fully obtained, only half can be received.

假令癸酉人，丙戌日未將亥時，

Let us take another example: the person seeking divination has a birth sign of Guiyou, the day branch is Bingxu, and the month general is Wei. The time of divination is the hour of Hai. The Wei general is placed on the Hai hour. The Heaven Plate is four positions behind the Earth Plate.

勾 龍 空 虎 丑 寅 卯 辰　　龍 玄 貴 勾　　財 乙酉 貴 合子　　巳常　　寅 午 酉 丑　　兄 癸巳 常 朱亥　　午玄　　午 戌 丑 丙　　子 己丑 勾 戌 酉 申 未 蛇 貴 后 陰

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Chou, riding on Gou Chen; the position of Wu is occupied by Yin, riding on Qinglong; the position of Wei is occupied by Mao, riding on Tiankong; the position of Shen is occupied by Chen, riding on Baihu; the position of You is occupied by Si, riding on Tai Chang; the position of Xu is occupied by Wu, riding on Xuanwu; the position of Hai is occupied by Wei, riding on Taiyin; the position of Zi is occupied by Shen, riding on Tianhou; the position of Chou is occupied by You, riding on Guiren; the position of Yin is occupied by Xu, riding on Tengshe; the position of Mao is occupied by Hai, riding on Zhuqiao; the position of Chen is occupied by Zi, riding on Liuhe. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Bing fire lodges in Si, with Si occupied by Chou, riding on Gou Chen; the second lesson, Chou occupied by You, riding on Guiren; the third lesson, the day branch Wu occupied by Wu, riding on Xuanwu; the fourth lesson, Wu occupied by Yin, riding on Qinglong. The three transmissions are: initial You (Yiyou riding on Guiren, You metal is overcome by Bing fire, which is wealth); middle Si (Guisi riding on Tai Chang, same type as Bing fire, which is brother); end Chou (Jichou riding on Gou Chen, Chou earth is generated by Bing fire, which is son). On the day of Bingxu, it belongs to the Jiashen decade, with the positions of Wu and Wei falling into the旬空.

日遙克從魁，三傳酉巳丑，天將貴、常、勾，來意事主西北上遠行理會，自己差遣文字，並無難阻，得差遣必是近任，八月內丁酉日還家，當月得俸。本州島太守決是一剛毅正直之人，以劉為姓，主太守美愛而有聚財之慶。

This divination indicates that the day stem remotely controls and initiates the transmission from the魁 (Kui) and酉 (You), with the initiating transmission being You. The three transmissions are You, Si, and Chou, and the heavenly generals in sequence are Nobleman, Tai Chang, and Gou Chen. Based on this, the person in question intends to travel to the northwest to handle an official task, which is exactly his assigned duty. The journey will be unimpeded. The appointment he will receive will be a local position. He will return home on the Dingyou day within the eighth month and receive his salary in the same month. The governor of the state determines that the person is a man of firm and upright character, surnamed Liu. The governor will appreciate and favor him, and he will also experience good fortune in accumulating wealth. (The original text mentions '本州岛太守' but the character '岛' is an error from copying, and it should be '本州太守', as it appears in the original text.)

何知西北遠行？蓋時為日下之驛馬，與天馬並，登明為西北下為遠行。登明為日貴，上乘朱雀，主文字貴人，乘馬有文字之象，豈不是自己差遣文字也？

How do we know he needs to travel far to the northwest? At the time of the亥 (Hai) hour, it is the Post-horse (Post-horse) for the丙 (Bing) day, and it also coincides with the Heavenly Horse (Heavenly Horse). With two horses together, the journey must be long. The亥 (Hai) is Dengming (Hai), which is located in the northwest. Moreover,亥 (Hai) is at the end of the Earth Plate, indicating a distant destination, so it is concluded that he will travel far to the northwest. The Dengming (Hai) (Dengming)亥 (Hai) is also the Nobleman (Nobleman) for the丙 (Bing) day. The上乘 (superior riding) is Vermilion Bird (Vermilion Bird), which governs documents and speech. The Nobleman (Nobleman) represents officials. The spirit of documents riding on the Post-horse signifies going out with a commission document. Therefore, it is said that what he is doing is his own official duty.

何知一路並無難阻？式中無關格故也。何知近任？命上見天恩，日上見官爵，又用傳俱是三合，故知近任。

Why do we know there are no obstacles along the way? Because the divination does not show the "Gate" spirit or the "Obstruction" image. "Gate" signifies barriers, and "Obstruction" signifies hindrances; since both are absent, the path is naturally unimpeded. Why do we know the result is a nearby position? The original destiny of Guiyou has the Heavenly Grace spirit, and the Day Stem's Lodging Palace shows the image of official rank. Moreover, the Initiating Transmission and the Three Transmissions, which are You, Si, and Chou, form a triple harmony of metal. Triple harmony indicates gathering rather than dispersion, so the matter is accomplished nearby, hence the conclusion of a nearby position.

何知八月丁酉日還家？從起從魁，末傳大吉為歸計門，下臨酉，上丁字，故知丁酉日也。眾魁為日之財，故主八月得俸。

How do we know that one returns home on the Dingyou day of the eighth month? The initiating transmission starts from Congkui You, and the final transmission is Da Ji Chou, which governs the conclusion and the timing; Chou is located under the earth plate's You palace, and You is concealed with Ding, so Ding and You form Dingyou, thus the conclusion is that one returns home on Dingyou day. Congkui You is also the wealth hexagram for Bing day, and You corresponds to the eighth month, with wealth harmonizing with the month builder, so it is concluded that one receives salary in the eighth month. (The original text mistakenly writes 'Zhongkui' instead of 'Congkui', due to similar characters, but the original character is preserved.)

何知太守為剛毅正人？緣癸酉太乙乘酉屬金，主義，故知剛正，酉為金刀，故姓劉。何知太守美受？蓋天乙與日三合。何知有聚財之慶？謂卦體屬金，為日之財也。

How do we know that the governor is a man of firmness and integrity? The person's birth stem is Guiyou. On the酉 position, the heavenly stem Tianyi (天乙) nobleman is riding. The酉 belongs to metal, and metal in the five constants represents "righteousness," which signifies firmness and integrity, so we conclude that the official is upright and just. In terms of character shape, the酉 is depicted as a metal character with a knife, combining to form the character "Liu," so we conclude that his surname is Liu. How do we know that the governor will appreciate and cherish him? Because the position occupied by the Tianyi nobleman forms a triple harmony with the day stem, and triple harmony indicates affinity and closeness. How do we know he will have good fortune in accumulating wealth? Because the entire lesson pattern's three transmissions form a metal formation. Metal is the thing that the propitious fire day stem丙 is able to overcome, which represents wealth. When the wealth formation is complete, there will naturally be good fortune in accumulating wealth.

六合者，為月宿合神；三合者，為五行本局之神。以日為陽為尊，主外事。若正時與日干六合三合，定主外事和合。若合中帶財，吉神良將主外財和合事；或妻妾和合事，蓋財亦為妻妾也。

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "he" (harmony).所谓 "Liu He" (Six Harmonies) refers to pairs of the twelve earthly branches that are matched according to the monthly stars, such as Zi-Chou harmony and Yin-Hai harmony.所谓 "San He" (Triple Harmony) refers to three branches of the same Five Phases that come together to form a complete pattern, such as Shen-Zi-Chen forming a water pattern and Hai-Mao-Wei forming a wood pattern. The day stem is yang in nature and holds a high position, governing external matters. Whenever the day stem forms either a Liu He or a San He with the time, it indicates harmony and alignment in external affairs. If the harmony also includes the wealth hexagram and is supported by auspicious deities and capable generals, it signifies gaining wealth from outside and the success of affairs. It may also indicate harmony between wife and concubine, since in Six壬 divination, the wealth hexagram also represents wife and concubine.

若見天后、太陰為日與日為鬼，日辰傳重見鬼者，必是因外面陰人和合上致生官事。若見空亡，或天空，是雖敗露，無咎也。若命中帶破，日辰傳中復見必凶。

If in the divination chart the Heavenly Empress and Tai Yin, two heavenly generals representing women, appear, and the deities they ride upon are capable of overcoming the day stem, becoming official ghosts, and if the day stem, day branch, and three transmissions are repeatedly filled with ghosts, then it is certainly due to an improper relationship with a woman outside, leading to legal troubles. If these positions encounter the旬空 (decade void) or are ridden by Tian Kong (sky), which signifies emptiness and loss, then although the matter may be exposed, it will not ultimately result in disaster. If the native's own chart carries the breaking deity, and the day stem, day branch, and three transmissions again encounter breaking, then disaster is inevitable.

假令己未辰將午時。

Take an example: On Jiwei day, use Chen as the Month General, and divinate at Wu time. Place Chen on Wu time, the Heaven Plate is two places behind the Earth Plate.

合 勾 龍 空 卯 辰 巳 午　　合 龍 合 龍　　兄 　丑 蛇 ◎ 朱寅　　未虎　　卯 巳 卯 巳　　父 丁巳 龍 蛇丑　　申常　　巳 未 巳 己　　父 丁巳 龍 子 亥 戌 酉 貴 后 陰 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's position of Mao, riding on Liu He; the position of Wu is occupied by Chen, riding on Gou Chen; the position of Wei is occupied by Si, riding on Qinglong; the position of Shen is occupied by Wu, riding on Tiankong; the position of You is occupied by Wei, riding on Baihu; the position of Xu is occupied by Shen, riding on Taichang; the position of Hai is occupied by You, riding on Xuanwu; the position of Zi is occupied by Xu, riding on Taiyin; the position of Chou is occupied by Hai, riding on Tianhou; the position of Yin is occupied by Zi, riding on Guiren; the position of Mao is occupied by Chou, riding on Tengshe; the position of Chen is occupied by Yin, riding on Zhuque. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Ji soil lodges in Wei, with Wei occupied by Si, riding on Qinglong; the second lesson, Si is occupied by Mao, riding on Liuhe; the third lesson, the day branch Wei is occupied by Si, riding on Qinglong; the fourth lesson, Si is occupied by Mao, riding on Liuhe. The day stem lodges in the same position as the day branch, both in Wei, so only two lessons are presented, which is the form of 'Bazhuan'. The three transmissions start with Chou (riding on Tengshe, same as Ji soil, representing a brother's yao), and the middle and final transmissions are all Si (Dingsi riding on Qinglong, Si fire generates Ji soil, representing a parent's yao). The day stem Jiwei belongs to the Jiayin decade. The positions of Zi and Chou fall into the旬空, so the initial transmission Chou is missing and marked as '◎'.

卦得八專，三傳丑巳巳，將蛇、青、青，來意主南面上有屬馬婦人來往事敗，忌一姓孫人，主大驚恐，壞錢十一貫，至庚申日即無事也。

This divination shows an eight-special pattern, with the three transmissions being Chou, Si, and Si, and the heavenly generals in sequence being Teng Snake, Azure Dragon, and Azure Dragon. Based on this, the person is having an affair with a woman who is of the horse sign, in the south; the matter has already been exposed. He should beware of a man surnamed Sun, as this will bring great alarm and cost him eleven guan of money. It will be resolved on Gengshen day.

何知南面與婦人來往？蓋午時為日干六合，卦名八專，主淫亂。又午時屬馬，為南方也。何知事敗？緣日上見太乙，得青龍木將上日為鬼故也。

How do we know it involves a woman from the south? At the time of the divination, the Wu (午) and Ji (己) soil's lodging palace (寄宫) formed the Liu He (六合), indicating harmony outside; the lesson name is Ba Zuan (八专), which means the heavenly stem and earthly branch are in the same palace, with no distinction between inside and outside, indicating mixed and chaotic relationships between men and women. Wu (午) corresponds to the horse in the zodiac and belongs to the direction of Due South, so it is concluded to be a woman from the south who is a horse. How do we know the matter has been exposed? The day stem's lodging palace is occupied by Tai Yi (太乙) Yisi (巳), and on top of巳 is Qinglong (青龙), which belongs to wood. Wood overcomes Ji (己) soil, indicating an official ghost pressing down on the day stem's head. When the ghost is upon the body, private matters naturally become known.

何以忌姓孫人首驚恐？用大吉主姓孫，螣蛇主驚恐。何知壞錢十一貫？緣日上青龍主財帛七數，太乙為四數，共十一數也。

Why should one be cautious about someone named Sun and also expect fear? The initiating transmission is the first transmission, which is the great auspicious sign of Chou. In terms of surname symbolism, Chou represents the surname Sun. On top of Chou is Teng Snake, which signifies fear and terror. Since both are present, one should be cautious about a person named Sun, and this matter will cause great fear. Why is the loss calculated as eleven guan? The Azure Dragon above the day stem governs wealth, and its fixed number is seven. The fixed number of Taiyi at Si is four. Seven plus four equals eleven, so the loss is determined to be eleven guan.

庚申日無事者，蓋青龍為鬼，至庚申日死絕，又為庚申所克，又申上有天空，故知庚申無事也。

Why does the matter resolve itself on Gengshen day? The trouble comes from the wooden ghost riding the Azure Dragon. When the wood reaches Shen, it enters a dead and exhausted position, its energy exhausted. Geng and Shen both belong to metal, which overcomes wood, thus subduing the ghost. Furthermore, in the chart, the position of Shen is occupied by Tiankong, which signifies emptiness and loss. The ghost falling into emptiness becomes even less capable of causing harm. With these three reasons combined, it is determined that the matter will naturally subside on Gengshen day.

假令丁丑人，己卯日申將午時。

Here is another example: The person seeking divination has a birth sign of Dingchou, the day branch is Jimao, the month general is Shen, and the time is wu hour. The Shen general is placed on the wu hour. The heaven plate advances two positions ahead of the earth plate.

龍 勾 合 朱 未 申 酉 戌　　龍 虎 蛇 合　　財 乙亥 蛇 空午　　亥蛇　　未 巳 亥 酉　　兄 丁丑 后 虎巳　　子貴　　巳 卯 酉 己　　官 己卯 玄 辰 卯 寅 丑 常 玄 陰 後

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's position of Wei, with the Azure Dragon; the position of Wu is occupied by Shen, with Gou Chen; the position of Wei is occupied by You, with Liu He; the position of Shen is occupied by Xu, with Vermilion Bird; the position of You is occupied by Hai, with Teng Snake; the position of Xu is occupied by Zi, with Nobleman; the position of Hai is occupied by Chou, with Heavenly Empress; the position of Zi is occupied by Yin, with Tai Yin; the position of Chou is occupied by Mao, with Black Tortoise; the position of Yin is occupied by Chen, with Tai Chang; the position of Mao is occupied by Si, with White Tiger; the position of Chen is occupied by Wu, with Tian Kong. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Jǐ Earth is in the lodging palace of Wei, with You on Wei, with Liu He; the second lesson, Hai on You, with Teng Snake; the third lesson, the day branch Mao has Si, with White Tiger; the fourth lesson, Si has Wei, with Azure Dragon. The three transmissions are: initial Hai (Yihai with Teng Snake, Hai water is overcome by Jǐ Earth, which is a wealth element), middle Chou (Dingchou with Heavenly Empress, same as Jǐ Earth, which is a brother element), end Mao (Jimao with Black Tortoise, Mao wood overcomes Jǐ Earth, which is an official ghost element). The day of Ji Mao belongs to the Jia Xu decade, with Shen and You falling into the旬空.

三傳亥丑卯，將蛇、後、玄。來意主外和合中虛詐、不實、邪僻之事。又主財上有驚恐之象。其財卻為一姓牛人夜取其財。又有驢一頭，亦被姓牛人所有，意欲遠行，緣心有所畏，緊速而歸也。

The three transmissions are亥, 丑, and 卯, in sequence, each successively occupied by Teng Snake, Heavenly Empress, and Black Tortoise. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is: he has a matter outside that appears harmonious on the surface but is actually hollow and deceitful, something he cannot openly admit; there is also another incident involving property that will cause alarm; this money was taken away by a man surnamed Niu at night; also, a donkey has fallen into the hands of this man surnamed Niu; he originally intended to go on a long journey, but due to some fear in his heart, he hurriedly returned.

何知外和合中虛詐之象？時為日干六合，主外和合。直事門上見天空，主虛詐。又曰從魁主三交隱匿不明，上得六合，主私門，故言邪僻事。何知財上有驚恐之事？蓋發用有登明為目下之財，上見螣蛇，故主驚恐。

How do we know it is an external harmony but internal deceit? At the time of the divination, the hour of Wu combined with the earthy soil (Ji Tu) in the lodging palace of Wei, forming a harmonious relationship outside, which indicates an external harmony. However, the straight matter gate on the heaven plate is occupied by Tian Kong, which specializes in deceit and falsehood, so the harmony conceals deceit. Furthermore, from Kui in You governs three-way concealment and ambiguity, and You also receives Liu He, which symbolizes private doors and hidden households, so it is judged as a perverse and improper matter. How do we know there is fear regarding wealth? The initial transmission is Deng Ming in Hai, and Hai water is subdued by Ji Tu, which is the current existing wealth. However, it is occupied by Teng Snake, which governs fear and terror, so there is a fear associated with wealth.

何知青衣姓牛人取其財？緣中傳大吉為牛，上見乙字，乙為青色。大吉為取登明為財，故財為牛姓所取。何知其驢亦為姓牛人所取？蓋命上見太沖為末傳，太沖主驢，上見玄武為賊人。蓋卯為大吉之陰，下臨場面位故也。

Why is it said that a man wearing blue clothes and surnamed Niu took away the wealth? The Middle Transmission is Dingshou, and the character Chou in terms of objects represents an ox, and also signifies the surname Niu. The character Chou contains the character Yi, which in the five colors belongs to blue, so it is a man wearing blue clothes surnamed Niu. The earth element Chou can capture the wealth爻亥, which is called Denglming, so it is said that the wealth was taken by someone surnamed Niu. Why is it said that the donkey also belongs to the man surnamed Niu? The person's birth year is Dingshou, and the character Mao is in the position of Tai Chong, which is the Final Transmission. Tai Chong in terms of objects represents a donkey. The character Mao is occupied by Xuanwu, which represents thieves. Moreover, the character Mao is the Yin spirit of the large吉 Chou, and shares the same energy with Chou. The position below is also connected, so it is concluded that this donkey still belongs to the man surnamed Niu.

何知來意欲遠行，心有所畏，緊速而歸？蓋先鋒門勝光主道路，用神立卯酉，中傳大吉為天馬，與日刑並，故意欲遠行。緣末傳為人足，太沖為日鬼，上見玄武，為賊人，故心有畏，緊速而歸也。

How do we know he originally intended to travel far but became fearful and hurriedly returned? The front gate's timing is Shengguang at noon, which governs movement along roads. The initiating transmission and the useful god are positioned at卯 and酉, a pair of intermediate gate positions, indicating movement and departure. The middle transmission is Da Ji at Chou, which is the Heavenly Horse, and it forms a conflicting relationship with the day stem. The horse moves but is accompanied by conflict, so he indeed had the intention to travel far. However, the final transmission is Taichong at卯, which in human body symbolism represents the feet.卯 wood also governs the official ghost that restrains the earthy element, and it is further occupied by the Black Tortoise, the god of thieves. Thus, with ghosts and thieves beneath his feet, he becomes fearful even after a short distance, and therefore hastily returns home.

辰為陰，主內動。時為日支三合六合，主內和合事。若式中見子孫爻乘旺相氣而帶吉神者，添進子孫，或子孫上有和合事。若支神合中帶鬼，上見勾陳、朱雀，卦得亂首、絕嗣，定主眷屬仇讎，為內事爭競。

In the previous chapter, the character "合" (harmony) was examined based on the day stem, while in this chapter, it is based on the day branch. In Six壬 (Six Secret Teachings), the day branch is called "辰" (Chen), which belongs to the yin category and governs the dynamics within the household. Whenever the time and the day branch form a triple harmony or a Liu He (Liu He, mutual harmony), it indicates harmony and coordination within the family. If the lesson contains the grandson or daughter's爻 (yao, a term for a divinatory element) riding on a strong or favorable condition, and accompanied by auspicious deities, it signifies the birth of a child or joyful events related to the younger generation. However, if the day branch's harmony includes the official ghost (官鬼), and above that there appear Gou Chen (a military general) and Vermilion Bird (朱雀), which are Inauspicious General (malevolent generals) associated with disputes and verbal conflicts, and the lesson pattern falls into evil forms such as "乱首" (chaos at the beginning) or "绝嗣" (no descendants), then it is certain that family members will develop enmity and quarrel over family matters.

若仕人得之，主同僚不睦，公吏等輩相陷。若支合併貴祿德三神，式中見官鬼，必因內事起官府詞訟。若時與日辰俱合者，為兩動，主內外和合事。若式中八門所主來意為外事，以此故只言外事也。

If a government official divines such a chart, it indicates discord among colleagues and mutual accusations among clerks in the government office. If the day branch forms a harmonious relationship with the nobleman, the day stem's fortune, and the day stem's virtue, and if the chart also shows the official ghost, then there will certainly be disputes over family matters leading to legal action in court. If the time of divination harmonizes with both the day stem and the day branch, this is called 'two movements,' indicating harmony in both internal and external affairs. If the eight gates of the chart point to external matters, then the interpretation should focus solely on external affairs without involving internal matters.

假令壬申日申將辰時。

Take an example: On a Renshen day, use Shen as the Month General to determine the time. The Shen General is placed on the Chen hour. The Heaven Plate advances four positions ahead of the Earth Plate.

勾 龍 空 虎 酉 戌 亥 子　　后 虎 朱 陰　　官 辛未 朱 合申　　丑常　　辰 子 未 卯　　兄 　亥 空 ◎ 朱未　　寅玄　　子 申 卯 壬　　子 丁卯 陰 午 巳 辰 卯 蛇 貴 后 陰

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's巳 is joined by the Heaven Plate's酉, riding on Gou Chen; the Earth Plate's午 is joined by the Heaven Plate's戌, riding on Qinglong; the Earth Plate's未 is joined by the Heaven Plate's亥, riding on Tiankong; the Earth Plate's申 is joined by the Heaven Plate's子, riding on Baihu; the Earth Plate's酉 is joined by the Heaven Plate's丑, riding on Tai Chang; the Earth Plate's戌 is joined by the Heaven Plate's寅, riding on Xuanwu; the Earth Plate's亥 is joined by the Heaven Plate's卯, riding on Taiyin; the Earth Plate's子 is joined by the Heaven Plate's辰, riding on Tianhou; the Earth Plate's丑 is joined by the Heaven Plate's巳, riding on Guiren; the Earth Plate's寅 is joined by the Heaven Plate's午, riding on Tengshe; the Earth Plate's卯 is joined by the Heaven Plate's未, riding on Zhuque; the Earth Plate's辰 is joined by the Heaven Plate's申, riding on Liuhe. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the壬 water lodges in亥, with亥 joined by卯, riding on Taiyin; the second lesson,卯 is joined by未, riding on Zhuque; the third lesson, the day branch申 is joined by子, riding on Baihu; the fourth lesson,子 is joined by辰, riding on Tianhou. The three transmissions are: initial transmission 未 (Xinwei riding on Zhuque, 未 earth controls壬 water, which is the official ghost爻), middle transmission亥 (riding on Tiankong, same type as壬 water, which is the brother爻), final transmission卯 (Dingmao riding on Taiyin,壬 water generates卯 wood, which is the son爻). The branches亥,卯,未 form a wood trinity, making the lesson pattern 「Quzhi」. The Renshen day belongs to the Jiazi decade, with戌 and亥 falling into the旬空, so the middle transmission亥 is missing its hidden heavenly stem and is marked as 「◎」.

三傳未亥卯，將朱、空、陰，來意因家內不和，其妻姓王，剛暴、口舌、爭鬥，因此休棄。後因生子而復還合也。

The Three Transmissions are亥, 卯, and 未, in sequence, each successively occupied by Vermilion Bird, Tian Kong, and Tai Yin. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is interpreted as: there was discord in his family, his wife surnamed Wang, who was fierce and temperamental, often quarreling and arguing, leading to her being sent away. Later, because she gave birth to a son, the two reconciled again.

何知內事不和？緣時與日支三合帶鬼，主內不和，天后為妻，乘天罡下臨子，故知姓王。天罡主欺詐惡人，故主妻性暴。因口舌相爭罷親者，為門戶上發用，朱雀主口舌，占時與初傳同剋日，自落空亡，不能相爭，故知罷親也。

How do we know that there is discord within the household? The time of day and the day branch form a Triple Harmony, but within this harmony there is an element that restrains the day's stem, indicating turmoil within the household. The Heavenly Empress represents the wife in human affairs. In this divination, the Heavenly Empress is riding on the Heavenly Gang and is situated over the branch of Zi (Water). The number of the earth branch Chen (Earth) and the number of Zi (Water) combine to form the character "Wang," so the wife's surname is determined to be Wang. The Heavenly Gang is associated with deceit and malevolence, so the wife, riding on the Heavenly Gang, naturally has a fierce and violent nature. The reason for a quarrel leading to divorce is that the initiating transmission begins at the position of the door, and above it is the Vermilion Bird, which specializes in disputes. The time of day and the first transmission both attack the day's stem. The day stem Ren is associated with the亥 (Hai) branch, which falls into the empty position of the ten-day cycle. When something falls into an empty position, it lacks strength to resist, so the conflict cannot be resolved, and thus the marriage is dissolved.

何知生子復還合？卦得曲直，屬木為今日子孫爻，時為日支合用傳為日干合，內外俱合之象。向之所為占時傳，傳上為鬼，今子孫制之，是因生子還合也。

How do we know that a son was born and the relationship was reconciled? The lesson pattern is "Curved and Straight," with亥, 卯, and 未 forming a wood trinity. Wood is the source of the壬 water, which is exactly the son's爻. The time of divination and the day branch are in harmony, and the three transmissions also harmonize with the day stem. Both the inner and outer gates are in harmony, indicating a composite pattern. Initially, the relationship broke down because the time of divination and the transmission contained 未 earth official ghost. Now the wood trinity has strengthened the son's爻, and wood can overcome earth, restraining the heavy official ghost. Once the ghost is subdued, the family becomes peaceful. Therefore, it is said that the reconciliation happened because a son was born.

假令丙子日申將丑時。

Take another example: On a Bingzi day, use Shen as the Month General, and the time is Chou hour. The Shen General is placed on the Chou hour. The Heaven Plate advances seven positions ahead of the Earth Plate.

合 勾 龍 空 子 丑 寅 卯　　龍 陰 陰 合　　官 丙子 合 朱亥　　辰虎　　寅 未 未 子　　子 癸未 陰 蛇戌　　巳常　　未 子 子 丙　　父 戊寅 龍 酉 申 未 午 貴 后 陰 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Zi, riding on Liu He; the position of Wu is occupied by Chou, riding on Gou Chen; the position of Wei is occupied by Yin, riding on Qinglong; the position of Shen is occupied by Mao, riding on Tian Kong; the position of You is occupied by Chen, riding on Baihu; the position of Xu is occupied by Si, riding on Tai Chang; the position of Hai is occupied by Wu, riding on Xuanwu; the position of Zi is occupied by Wei, riding on Tai Yin; the position of Chou is occupied by Shen, riding on Tianhou; the position of Yin is occupied by You, riding on Guiren; the position of Mao is occupied by Xu, riding on Tengsnake; the position of Chen is occupied by Hai, riding on Zhuque. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Bing fire lodges in Si, with Zi on Si, riding on Liu He; the second lesson, Zi has Wei on it, riding on Tai Yin; the third lesson, the day branch Zi has Wei on it, riding on Tai Yin; the fourth lesson, Wei has Yin on it, riding on Qinglong. The three transmissions are: initial Zi (Bingzi riding on Liu He, Zi water overcomes Bing fire, which is the official ghost爻), middle Wei (Guiwei riding on Tai Yin, Wei earth is nourished by Bing fire, which is the son and daughter爻), end Yin (Wuyin riding on Qinglong, Yin wood nourishes Bing fire, which is the parent爻). On the day of Bingzi, it belongs to the Jiaxu decade. The positions of Shen and You fall into the旬空.

三傳子未寅，將六、陰、龍，來意事主內外和合，主添妻妾之慶。

The Three Transmissions are Zi, Wei, and Yin, in sequence, each multiplied by Liu He, Tai Yin, and Azure Dragon. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is that matters inside and outside the door are harmonious and in accord, and it also indicates the joy of adding a wife or concubine to the family.

何以知之？緣日干與時三合，與支六合，故言內外和合事也。日上神后水，時上天后水，主言鬼者，緣直事門大吉上得勾陳土，為今日子孫，死絕之水豈能為鬼也？

How is this interpreted? At the time of the divination, the branch Chou (the Ox) and the day stem Bing (the Third Stem) correspond to Si (the Snake), forming a Triple Harmony. Additionally, Chou also forms a Liu He (Six Harmonies) with the day branch Zi (the Rat). In this lesson, both the day stem and day branch encounter harmonies, indicating that matters both within and outside the door are harmonious. Someone might ask: the day stem is occupied by the Heavenly Empress (Shenhou) Zi water, and the time stem is occupied by the Heavenly Empress, which also belongs to water. Water overcomes Bing fire, so isn't the official ghost (guan gui) at the top? But we should know that the direct gate at the correct time on the Heaven Plate is a great auspicious Chou. Chou is occupied by Gou Chen, which belongs to earth. Both Gou Chen and Chou belong to earth, which is the son of Bing fire. This is a case of reverse overcoming, where earth overcomes water. Moreover, Zi water is in the month of Chou, when earth is strong, and thus Zi water has already entered its dead and extinct phases. A water that is both restrained and lacking vitality can hardly act as a ghost.

何知妾媵？蓋太陰主妾媵，六合主婚姻和合，青龍主喜慶，此課始末俱吉，豈不是喜合添妾媵之象也？

Why is it determined to be acquiring a concubine? Tai Yin governs matters of the household and is associated with secondary wives and servants, Liu He signifies the union of marriages and harmony between families, and Qing Long represents joy and wealth. These three auspicious stars occupy the three transmissions, indicating continuous good fortune throughout. The deity of joy and the deity of marital union appear together, with Tai Yin clearly indicating the status, which is the image of happily acquiring a new concubine.

十二辰橫為六合，縱為六害，若時與日干六害者，為刑害之象，故主外憂也。若壬丙二日時為六害者，主因尊親人挾勢相害而有外憂也。乙辛二日時為六害者，主因兄弟等輩在外相害而有憂也。

The key point of this chapter is the character "hài" (harm). The twelve earthly branches are arranged in two rows facing each other. When viewed horizontally, they form the concept of "Liu He" (six harmonies), such as Zi and Chou, Yin and Hai. When viewed vertically, they form the concept of "Liu Hai" (six harms), such as Zi and Wei, Chou and Wu. If the day stem forms a "Liu Hai" relationship with the date, it indicates a harmful or obstructive situation, suggesting troubles from outside. To determine who is responsible for these troubles, one should look at the day stem: if it is Ren or Bing, the trouble comes from superiors or respected persons who take advantage of their position; if it is Yi or Xin, the trouble comes from siblings or peers who scheme against the person from outside.

庚甲二日時為六害，主幼小人相害而有憂也。癸己二日時為六害者，主因外財而有憂也。若丁日得之，主北面有破損之憂。戊日得之，懼攻劫戰傷之禍。臨時更於課式之內以神衰旺通而論之。

On days of Geng and Jia, encountering the Six Harm indicates worry caused by being dragged into trouble by young and lowly individuals. On days of Gui and Ji, encountering the Six Harm indicates worry over money lost outside the door. On days of Ding, encountering the Six Harm indicates worry about damage and ruin in the northern direction. On days of Wu, encountering the Six Harm warns of the need to be cautious of attacks, robbery, and injuries from weapons. The above are general guidelines; when dealing with specific cases, one should refer back to the divination chart, examine whether the relevant deities are strong or weak, and make a judgment after a comprehensive consideration.

假令癸丑巳將午時。

Take an example: On a Guichou day, use Si as the Month General, and the time is Wu hour. The Si General is placed on the Wu hour. The Heaven Plate is one position behind the Earth Plate.

蛇 貴 后 陰 辰 巳 午 未　　空 龍 空 龍　　官 癸丑 勾 朱卯　　申玄　　亥 子 亥 子　　兄 壬子 龍 合寅　　酉常　　子 丑 子 癸　　兄 辛亥 空 丑 子 亥 戌 勾 龍 空 虎

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's Si position takes the Heaven Plate's Chen, riding on Teng Snake; the Wu position takes Si, riding on Nobleman; the Wei position takes Wu, riding on Heavenly Empress; the Shen position takes Wei, riding on Tai Yin; the You position takes Shen, riding on Black Tortoise; the Xu position takes You, riding on Tai Chang; the Hai position takes Xu, riding on White Tiger; the Zi position takes Hai, riding on Tian Kong; the Chou position takes Zi, riding on Azure Dragon; the Yin position takes Chou, riding on Gou Chen; the Mao position takes Yin, riding on Liu He; the Chen position takes Mao, riding on Vermilion Bird. The Four Lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson,癸 water lodges in Chou, Chou takes Zi, riding on Azure Dragon; the second lesson, Zi takes Hai, riding on Tian Kong; the third lesson, the day branch Chou takes Zi, riding on Azure Dragon; the fourth lesson, Zi takes Hai, riding on Tian Kong. The Three Transmissions start with Chou (癸 Chou riding on Gou Chen, Chou earth overcomes癸 water, which is the official ghost爻), then Zi (Ren Zi riding on Azure Dragon), then Hai (Xin Hai riding on Tian Kong). Zi and Hai, both water, are the same as癸 water, and are all brother爻. The癸 Chou day belongs to the Jiachen decade, with寅 and卯 falling into the旬空. The time of the divination has午 and the day stem癸's lodging position Chou forming the six harm, which is the meaning of this chapter.

三傳丑子亥，將勾、龍、空，來意因當日丑時三人巡更，與地方中姓馬人相爭。來日申官。因一姓孫司吏為鬼，三人並遭杖責。

The Three Transmissions are on Chou, Zi, and Hai, in sequence, each multiplied by Gou Chen, Azure Dragon, and Tian Kong. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is: on the day of Chou, three people were on night patrol and had a quarrel with a man named Ma from the local area; on the next day, the case was reported to the authorities; because a clerk named Sun interfered, the three people were all beaten with sticks.

何知當日丑時？發用大吉，便為今日丑時。何知三人夜巡？今日癸水與式中子亥等輩，便為三人。言丑時相爭，便言夜巡也。

How do we know the incident occurred at the time of Chou (the second hour of the night)? The initiating transmission (发用) is Da Ji (大吉) at Chou, and Chou is both the day branch of this day and directly points to the Chou hour, so the event is determined to occur at the Chou hour of the day. How do we know it involved three people on night duty? The day stem is Gui, which belongs to water. Both Zi and Hai in the divination chart also belong to water, matching Gui in nature, indicating three people of the same kind. Since the argument happened at the Chou hour, which is after midnight but before dawn, three companions being outside at that time naturally implies they were on night duty.

何知姓馬人相爭？直事門勝光，為姓馬人，勝光為日下之財。何言相爭？與日為六害，又發用勾陳為鬼，豈不相爭也？

Why do we know that there is a conflict with someone of the surname Ma? The straight matter gate on the Heaven Plate at the correct time is Shengguang Wu, which corresponds to the生肖 horse. In terms of surname symbolism, it also represents the surname Ma. Wu fire is the wealth that癸 water is capable of overcoming, and since wealth is in the opponent's hands, this is the cause of the conflict. Why is it concluded as 'conflict'? The Wu and癸 are associated with the earth branch Chou, forming the six harms, which already indicates mutual obstruction. On top of this Chou earth, the Gou Chen is present, which signifies conflict and imprisonment. Moreover, Chou earth overcoming癸 water is the official ghost, indicating authority and conflict. With both harm and official ghost present, how can there not be conflict?

何知姓孫人吏？緣發用大吉，場面為佃絲，中傳神后與子相配成孫字，大吉與勾陳剋日，故知忘吏孫姓人。

How can we know that the person is surnamed Sun? The Initiating Transmission is Daji (Chou). In terms of symbolic representation, Chou takes the form of fields and silk threads, which can be regarded as the radical "sì" (系). The Middle Transmission is Shenhou (Zi), and the character "zi" combines with the "sì" derived from Chou, forming the full character for "Sun" (孫) in its traditional form. Therefore, we conclude that the person's surname is Sun. The Chou earth, together with Gou Chen above it, jointly overcome the Day Stem癸 water. Since Gou Chen originally represents officials and their subordinates in the government office, we conclude that he is a clerk causing trouble within the government office. (The original text mistakenly writes "wàng lì" (忘吏) as "sī lì" (司吏), a similar-looking error. The original character is preserved.)

何知三人俱受杖責？以今日癸與子亥俱屬水，為大吉所克。又勾陳為杖棒，末傳雖有天空亦克今日，故言俱受杖責也。

How do we know that three people will all be beaten? Today's癸 is water, and the子 and亥 in the divination also belong to water, representing these three companions. All three are attacked by the initiating transmission's big吉丑 earth. The Gou Chen on top of 丑 is an image of a stick or rod. Although the final transmission is Tian Kong, which seems empty and ineffective, Tian Kong is also earth and thus attacks today's癸 water. All three waters are attacked, and the god of sticks and rods is present, so it is concluded that all three will be beaten with sticks.

辰為陰，主內事，時既害之，定主內憂也。若見玄武、六合臨門，防盜賊窺財、婢妾蒙蔽而為內憂。若螣蛇臨門，主家室不寧，更變遷徒而主內憂。若式中見白虎乘休囚之氣，必主家內有人患病，若臨子便是屬鼠人病也。

In the previous chapter, the term "harm" refers to the day stem, while in this chapter, "harm" refers to the day branch. The day branch is yin in nature, representing matters within the household. If harm comes from the time, it indicates there will be troubles within the household. If the Black Tortoise or Liu He are present at the door position, one should be cautious of thieves stealing property or servants deceiving and misleading, causing internal worries. If the Teng Snake is at the door, it indicates the household will not be peaceful and there may be relocation or changes, which are also internal troubles. If the White Tiger is in the lesson with weak or declining energy such as rest or captivity, it indicates someone in the family will be ill. If the White Tiger is at the position of the rat, it means the person born in the rat year will be sick.

若六害上見天空，或落空亡，虛憂不成。若陰人占，式中見子孫爻，或嗣部上帶螣蛇，主因身孕而有驚憂也。若男子占，必因子孫而致憂也。

If the position of the six harmful influences is occupied by Tian Kong, or if it falls entirely within the旬空, then the worry is just a false alarm and will not result in real trouble. If a woman is the one consulting, and the oracle shows the son or daughter爻, or the宫位 related to descendants carries Teng Snake, then it indicates anxiety due to pregnancy and childbirth. If a man is the one consulting, then the worry is definitely about his children.

假令庚子日卯將未時。

Take an example: On a Gengzi day, use Mao as the Month General, and the time is Wei hour. Place Mao General on Wei hour. The Heaven Plate is four positions behind the Earth Plate.

貴 后 陰 玄 丑 寅 卯 辰　　玄 龍 蛇 玄　　子 庚子 蛇 蛇子　　巳常　　辰 申 子 辰　　兄 丙申 龍 朱亥　　午虎　　申 子 辰 庚　　父 　辰 玄 ◎ 戌 酉 申 未 合 勾 龍 空

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's Si position is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Chou, accompanied by the Nobleman; the Wu position is occupied by Yin, accompanied by the Heavenly Empress; the Wei position is occupied by Mao, accompanied by Tai Yin; the Shen position is occupied by Chen, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; the You position is occupied by Si, accompanied by Tai Chang; the Xu position is occupied by Wu, accompanied by the White Tiger; the Hai position is occupied by Wei, accompanied by Tian Kong; the Zi position is occupied by Shen, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the Chou position is occupied by You, accompanied by Gou Chen; the Yin position is occupied by Xu, accompanied by Liu He; the Mao position is occupied by Hai, accompanied by the Vermilion Bird; the Chen position is occupied by Zi, accompanied by Teng Snake. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Geng metal lodges in Shen, with Shen occupied by Chen, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; the second lesson, Chen occupied by Zi, accompanied by Teng Snake; the third lesson, the Day Branch Zi occupied by Shen, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the fourth lesson, Shen occupied by Chen, accompanied by the Black Tortoise. The three transmissions start with Zi (Geng Zi accompanied by Teng Snake, Geng metal generates Zi water, which is the grandson爻), then Shen (Bing Shen accompanied by the Azure Dragon, same type as Geng, which is the brother爻), and finally Chen (accompanied by the Black Tortoise, Chen earth generates Geng metal, which is the parent爻). Shen, Zi, and Chen form a water trinity, and the lesson pattern is 'Runxia'. The day Geng Zi belongs to the Jiawu decade, with Chen and Si falling into the旬空, so the final transmission Chen is marked with '◎' due to the missing dry branch. The hour Wu does not form a six harm with the Day Branch Zi.

三傳子申辰，將蛇、青、玄，甲子陰人占。來意因三月胎氣不安，而有驚恐，至十一月喜見生子，子母俱慶。

The Three Transmissions are Zi, Shen, and Chen, in sequence, each occupied by Teng Snake, Azure Dragon, and Black Tortoise. This divination concerns a woman whose birth stem is Jiazi. Based on this, her intention is interpreted as follows: in the third month, her pregnancy is unstable, causing her anxiety; by the eleventh month, she will joyfully give birth to a child, and both mother and child will be safe and prosperous.

蓋發用起神后，為今日之子孫，上見螣蛇，為日下之鬼。下臨辰墓而為三月，故胎氣不安而有驚恐之象。至十一月見喜生男者，中傳送為嗣，卻上得青龍吉慶，下臨子，故應在十一月。

The principle is as follows: The initiating transmission begins with the God of After, which is the Zi water. Zi water is generated by Geng metal, which is precisely today's grandson element. When divining pregnancy, this is considered the fetal element. However, the Zi position is occupied by Teng Snake, which belongs to fire and overcomes Geng metal. This is a ghost pressing upon the day stem, and it also indicates fear and alarm. This position is below the Earth Plate's Chen palace. Chen is the burial place of water, and it is also the month of March. The fetus is located on a burial place, so there is instability in the fetal condition during March, and fear arises in the mind. In November, there will be joy and the birth of a son, because the Middle Transmission transmits Sheng, which governs descendants. Sheng is occupied by the Azure Dragon, a favorable general associated with joy. Sheng is also below the Zi palace, and Zi is the month of November. Therefore, the delivery should occur in November.

又天罡所繫與日比陽，三傳日辰俱陽，故生男也。子母俱慶者，三傳與日辰為三合，雖有螣蛇剋日，卦得潤下屬水，又日上有玄武水，其四水乘旺相氣而為救神，其蛇不能害也。

Now looking at the heavenly gang (tian gang) and the associated divine branches, they all belong to the yang category and share the same yang nature as the day stem. The three transmissions, which are zi, shen, and chen, along with the day stem geng and the day branch zi, are all yang. The entire chart is composed entirely of yang elements, so it is determined that the child is a boy. As for the mother and child both being safe and joyful, it is because the three transmissions and the day stem and day branch form a complete pattern, with connected energy flow. Although there is the fire of teng snake that may overcome the metal of geng, the lesson pattern has the characteristic of "moistening and descending." The shen, zi, and chen are all water elements, and there is also the black tortoise (xuanwu), which belongs to water, above the day stem. These four layers of water are all in a strong and harmonious state, acting together as saving deities. Water can control fire, and the small amount of fire from teng snake is completely suppressed, thus not harming anyone.

空亡者為虛氣無象也。若用時神、正時得之，主占無用事，或虛詐之事。若式中見三合六合、龍常后合，主虛望喜事不成。惟病訟門以空亡為最吉。凡占失物，其類落空亡者，不能得其物。占失奴僕，天魁落空亡，其奴僕亦不能捕矣。

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "empty."所谓 "emptywang" refers to two earthly branches in a ten-character cycle that have no heavenly stem to match, resulting in a lack of substantial manifestation. If the initiating transmission god or the time of the divination falls into emptywang, it indicates that the matter being divined has no real foundation or is purely a scam. Even if the divination includes triple harmony and liuhe, along with auspicious generals such as qinglong, tai chang, tianhou, and liuhe, but they fall into emptywang, it means the joy is hollow and the favorable event will not come to pass. However, in the cases of divining illness or lawsuits, emptywang is actually the most favorable, as illness and lawsuits falling into emptywang signify their resolution. When divining lost items, if the god corresponding to the item falls into emptywang, the item cannot be recovered. Similarly, when divining the escape of a servant, if tiangui (戌) falls into emptywang, the servant cannot be captured.

如日支干落空帶鬼者，主相爭之人不足畏，蓋空而無力也。訪人不利見，亦不利於託人。如今日落空亡，雖三傳為鬼，上挾凶神而欲相害我，既在空，彼不得見，將與誰爭？空亡中見太陰，多是虛詐設謀，見玄武是盜賊窺財也。

If the day stem or day branch falls into kongwang and is accompanied by official spirits, the person who comes to oppose me is not really a threat, because the ghost falls into kongwang, which is empty and powerless. For divination about visiting someone, it is unfavorable to meet in person, and if someone is asked to do something on my behalf, it will not be accomplished. For example, if the day stem falls into kongwang, even if all three transmissions turn into official spirits, and there are Inauspicious Spirit on top wanting to harm me, since my side is in kongwang, the other side cannot see me clearly, so how can they fight with anyone? If kongwang contains tai yin, it is mostly that someone is making a show of strength and setting a trap; if it contains xuanwu, then thieves are secretly watching over my property.

假令戊戌人，甲戌日辰將未時。

Take an example: The person seeking divination has a birth stem of Wuxu, the day branch is Jiaxu, and the month general is Chén. The time of divination is Weishi. The Chén general is placed on Weishi. The Heaven Plate is three positions behind the Earth Plate.

蛇 朱 合 勾 寅 卯 辰 巳　　合 空 虎 陰　　官 　申 虎 ◎ 貴丑　　午龍　　辰 未 申 亥　　子 辛巳 勾 后子　　未空　　未 戌 亥 甲　　兄 戊寅 蛇 亥 戌 酉 申 陰 玄 常 虎

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's position of Yin, with Teng Snake as its rider; the position of Wu is occupied by Mao, with Vermilion Bird as its rider; the position of Wei is occupied by Chen, with Liu He as its rider; the position of Shen is occupied by Si, with Gou Chen as its rider; the position of You is occupied by Wu, with Azure Dragon as its rider; the position of Xu is occupied by Wei, with Tian Kong as its rider; the position of Hai is occupied by Shen, with White Tiger as its rider; the position of Zi is occupied by You, with Tai Chang as its rider; the position of Chou is occupied by Xu, with Black Tortoise as its rider; the position of Yin is occupied by Hai, with Tai Yin as its rider; the position of Mao is occupied by Zi, with Heavenly Empress as its rider; the position of Chen is occupied by Chou, with Nobleman as its rider. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Jia wood's lodging palace is at Yin, and Yin is occupied by Hai, with Tai Yin as its rider; the second lesson, Hai is occupied by Shen, with White Tiger as its rider; the third lesson, the day branch Xu is occupied by Wei, with Tian Kong as its rider; the fourth lesson, Wei is occupied by Chen, with Liu He as its rider. The three transmissions are: initial transmission Shen (riding White Tiger, Shen metal overcomes Jia wood, which is the official ghost爻), middle transmission Si (Xin Si riding Gou Chen, Jia wood generates Si fire, which is the son and grandson爻), and final transmission Yin (Wu Yin riding Teng Snake, which is the same as Jia, which is the brother爻). On the day of Jia Xu, it is the first day of the Jia Xu decade, and the positions of Shen and You are in the旬空, so the initial transmission Shen is missing its hidden heavenly stem and is marked as 「◎」. The time of the divination is on the position of Wei, which is also riding Tian Kong, and this is the meaning of this chapter.

三傳申巳寅，將白、勾、蛇。來意事緣七月中勸和公事到官，以所得財物檢法，擬定徒罪。上申，至來年正月文字來，只得杖罪，以寄作月日相折無事。

The three transmissions are in the order of Shen, Si, and Yin, each successively multiplied by White Tiger, Gou Chen, and Teng Snake. Based on this, the meaning of the person coming is interpreted as follows: In July, he mediated a public matter for someone and got involved with the authorities. The officials compared the amount of property he had received and applied the relevant legal provisions, initially sentencing him to penal servitude. After the case file was submitted, by the next year's January, the decree came down, changing the punishment to a fine. Then, using the days and months he had already served as a substitute, the matter was resolved and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

何也？蓋時為日干財，並日貴，又發用申為日空，上帶白虎，又為日刑，中傳太乙上得勾陳，與日為刑害，末傳得螣蛇。此課始末俱凶，主重刑。

Why is it interpreted this way? At the time of the divination, the earthy branch of Wu (土) was being overcome by the heavenly stem of Jia (甲) wood, which is the day stem's wealth. It also shared the same position as the day stem's nobleman, so the cause is related to mediating on behalf of others and handling money. The initiating transmission of Shen (申) falls within the empty position of the Jiaxu (甲戌) decade, and it is accompanied by the White Tiger, which indicates injury and bloodshed. Shen (申) is in conflict with Yin (寅), which is also a conflict with the day stem. The middle transmission, Taiyi (太乙), is on Si (巳) with Gou Chen (勾陈), which governs imprisonment. Si (巳) and Shen (申) both conflict and harm each other. The final transmission is again accompanied by Teng Snake (螣蛇), an Inauspicious General (fearful general) that signifies terror. The entire divination from beginning to end presents ominous signs, so it should be judged as a severe punishment.

而只言擬定徒罪者，緣直事門得天空發用，二傳臨空亡而不能解散。而言擬定申上者，蓋時來解也。緣白虎乘秋正旺而又為刑害，故方擬定徒罪也。

But why is it only mentioned as "provisional" imprisonment rather than a real sentence? Because the straight matter gate on the heaven plate is riding on the sky void, and the initial transmission starts with an empty image; the initiating transmission and the next transmission both fall into the void, so although the crime has been provisionally determined, it remains unconfirmed and cannot be dispelled at once. The word "provisional" should be at the position of Shen, indicating a future relief at the time of the divination. This is because the metal of Shen, which is occupied by the White Tiger, is exactly in the autumn season, with very strong energy, and also suffers from punishment and harm, so the authorities first proposed the crime of imprisonment.

何知正月文字來，只得杖罷，以寄居作日月相折無爭事而出者？蓋七月白虎鬼旺，至十二月支干並無制，白虎者至來年正月建丙寅，白虎傳送金至寅死絕，又為旺火所制，又太乙螣蛇火至此俱旺，共為救神，又卦時本是空亡，故知正月無事而出也。

How do we know that in the first month, the verdict came down and only a cane punishment was given, with the days and months of servitude being offset, leading to release without incident? In the seventh month, the White Tiger's metal official ghost was strong, and from that time until the twelfth month, none of the monthly heavenly stems and earthly branches could subdue it. By the next first month, the month builder was Bingyin, and the White Tiger's transmission of the metal official ghost reached the position of寅, which was a dead and exhausted place, and was further defeated by the strong fire in寅. At the same time, the Taiyi in巳 and the Teng Snake also belonged to fire, and at this point they all became strong, working together as saving deities. Moreover, the divination was originally cast during an empty and void period, and the crime had no real foundation. With all these reasons combined, it was concluded that the person would be released safely in the first month.

四季者五行所鍾，萬物所歸，故曰墓也。若正月時得之，更在用傳，定主墳墓之事。或式中帶鬼與凶將並，定是墳墓爭訟。若見財神旺方，不落空亡，主得墳墓占窖之財。用傳俱土雖不見墓神亦可言墳墓事。有天馬六丁者則為遊子之卦，若水日占之，人土乘旺，財事與家人相爭。若木日得之則為動眾之財，若墓神臨日占病見之最為凶象也。

This chapter's "one-character secret" focuses on the character "mù" (mound). The four earthly branches of Chén, Xū, Chǒu, and Wèi represent the gathering points of the five phases' energies. All things come to rest and are concealed here, hence they are called "mù." If the time of divination coincides with the day stem's "mù" and this position appears in the initiating transmission and the three transmissions, it indicates the matter is about a grave. If the "mù" spirit is accompanied by officials and ghosts and is joined by凶将 (malevolent generals), it certainly means a legal dispute over a burial site. If the wealth spirit is in a prosperous direction and does not fall into kongwang, it suggests the person can obtain wealth from a burial site or hidden treasure. If all three transmissions are earth, even without the presence of the actual "mù" spirit, it can still be interpreted as a matter concerning graves. If the "mù" spirit is on the day stem, and this appears in a divination about illness, it is the most ominous sign.

假令己丑日巳將辰時。

Take an example: On a Jichou day, use Si as the Month General to divinate the hour. The Si General is placed on the Chen hour. The Heaven Plate advances one position ahead of the Earth Plate.

空 虎 常 玄 午 未 申 酉　　合 朱 玄 常　　官 庚寅 朱 龍巳　　戌陰　　卯 寅 酉 申　　官 辛卯 合 勾辰　　亥后　　寅 丑 申 己　　兄 壬辰 勾 卯 寅 丑 子 合 朱 蛇 貴

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's position of Wu, with the Tian Kong; Wu is occupied by Wei, with the Bai Hu; Wei is occupied by Shen, with the Tai Chang; Shen is occupied by You, with the Xuan Wu; You is occupied by Xu, with the Tai Yin; Xu is occupied by Hai, with the Tian Hou; Hai is occupied by Zi, with the Gui Ren; Zi is occupied by Chou, with the Teng Snake; Chou is occupied by Yin, with the Zhu Qiao; Yin is occupied by Mao, with the Liu He; Mao is occupied by Chen, with the Gou Chen; Chen is occupied by Si, with the Qing Long. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Jichou is in the position of Wei, with Shen occupied by Tai Chang; the second lesson, Shen is occupied by You, with Xuan Wu; the third lesson, the day branch Chou is occupied by Yin, with Zhu Qiao; the fourth lesson, Yin is occupied by Mao, with Liu He. The three transmissions are: initial Yin (Geng Yin with Zhu Qiao), middle Mao (Xin Mao with Liu He), Yin and Mao are both wood that overcome Ji Tu, and are both official ghost lines; final Chen (Ren Chen with Gou Chen, same as Ji Tu, is a brother line). The day Jichou belongs to the Jiashen decade, with Wu and Wei in the empty position of the decade. The time of the divination is exactly the tomb of Ji Tu, the meaning of this chapter is exactly here.

三傳寅卯辰，將朱、六、勾，來意主正月間與一姓杜人爭田土事。又有一姓藺人與姓杜人挾勢相助，卻得一姓張貴人力。只於七月間務了畢。

The three transmissions are in the trigrams Yin, Mao, and Chen, successively associated with the Vermilion Bird, Liu He, and Gou Chen. Based on this, it is interpreted that during the first month, he was competing with a man surnamed Du over a piece of land; another man surnamed Lin used his influence to support Du; later, a man surnamed Zhang, a Nobleman, provided assistance; and the dispute was finally resolved by the seventh month.

緣時為日墓，又直事門見勾陳，故言爭田土事。發用寅木與丑土為杜字，為日干之鬼，上得朱雀，主口舌文字。又寅為正月，故知正月與杜姓人相爭也。

The time of divination is the Storage ofJi Earth, which relates to fields, land, and graves. The straight matter gate on the heaven plate at the correct hour is occupied by Gou Chen, which is associated with disputes over land and fields, so it is interpreted as a dispute over land. The initiating transmission is寅木, which takes the character「木」. Combined with the「土」from the day branch丑, the combination forms the character「杜」. The寅木 also overcomesJi Earth, which is the official ghost of the day stem. It is further accompanied by Vermilion Bird, which governs disputes and legal documents. Since寅 is also the first month, it is concluded that a dispute will arise in the first month with someone named Du.

又言藺姓人相助者，中傳卯為門，六合為草頭，臨寅住為隹字。卯寅為等輩，故相助也。日上得傳送為今日貴人，上得太常吉將，其寅卯二木傳送為弓為道為張字，故方姓張貴人力。傳送為七月建，故七月事務畢也。

There is a person surnamed Lin who helps because the Middle Transmission is in the branch Mao, which takes the form of a gate. Above it is Liu He, which forms the radical for the character "蔺". The branch Yin, which is associated with Mao, takes the shape of "zhui", and combining the radical for "草" (grass), "门" (gate), and "隹" (a bird shape) forms the full character "蔺". Since both Mao and Yin belong to the Wood element, they are of the same generation, so they help the person surnamed Du. The Day Stem's Lodging Palace receives the Transmission of the day, which is Shen. Shen is the nobleman of the day, and it is accompanied by Tai Chang, a favorable general. Taking Yin and Mao as the shape of a bowstring, and Shen as the long path, the bow and the long path combine to form the character "张". Therefore, the nobleman surnamed Zhang is said to provide assistance. Shen is also the Month Builder of July, so the matter is expected to be concluded in July.

以日為外，用時與日沖，主外動，此其大略也。若壬日、戊日、庚日，得時為日沖，並驛馬，附財，主外動干求；若甲日得之，即為甲之鬼，主外動破財吉；若丙日得之，則亥為丙之貴馬，仕人主遷官曆任。其餘陰干仿此推之。

The key principle of this chapter lies in the character "冲" (conflict). The day stem represents an external aspect; when the time of the divination conflicts with the day stem, it indicates action occurring outside, which is the general principle. Specifically: on days of Ren, Wu, and Geng, if the time of divination conflicts with the day stem and the person also has the post-horse and a wealth hexagram, it indicates traveling abroad to seek wealth. On days of Jia, if the time of divination conflicts with the day stem, the metal of Shen (the conflicting element) is the official ghost of Jia wood, indicating going out and losing money (the original text says "losing money is auspicious," the word "auspicious" is likely a mistake or a miswriting of "inauspicious," and the original text is preserved). On days of Bing, if the time of divination conflicts with the day stem, the conflicting element is Hai, which is the nobleman and post-horse of Bing day; for officials, it indicates promotion or transfer to a new position. The other yin stems are all interpreted in the same way.

假令十月戊辰日寅將亥時。

Take an example: In the tenth month, on a Wuchen day, using Yin as the Month General, and the time being the亥 hour. Yin General is placed on the亥 hour, the Heaven Plate advances three positions ahead of the Earth Plate.

蛇 朱 合 勾 申 酉 戌 亥　　合 貴 勾 蛇　　財 　亥 勾 ◎ 貴未　　子龍　　戌 未 亥 申　　官 丙寅 虎 后午　　丑空　　未 辰 申 戊　　父 己巳 陰 巳 辰 卯 寅 陰 玄 常 虎

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Shen, with Teng Snake as its rider; the position of Wu is occupied by You, with Vermilion Bird as its rider; the position of Wei is occupied by Xu, with Liu He as its rider; the position of Shen is occupied by Hai, with Gou Chen as its rider; the position of You is occupied by Zi, with Azure Dragon as its rider; the position of Xu is occupied by Chou, with Tian Kong as its rider; the position of Hai is occupied by Mao, with Tai Chang as its rider; the position of Zi is occupied by Chen, with Black Tortoise as its rider; the position of Chou is occupied by Shen, with Tai Yin as its rider; the position of Mao is occupied by Wu, with Heavenly Empress as its rider; the position of Chen is occupied by Wei, with Nobleman as its rider. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Wu Earth is lodged in Si, with Shen occupying Si, and Teng Snake as its rider; the second lesson, Shen is occupied by Hai, with Gou Chen as its rider; the third lesson, the Day Branch Chen is occupied by Wei, with Nobleman as its rider; the fourth lesson, Wei is occupied by Xu, with Liu He as its rider. The three transmissions are: initial transmission Hai, with Gou Chen as its rider, Hai water is overcome by Wu Earth, which is the wealth hexagram; middle transmission Yin, with Bai Hu as its rider, Yin wood overcomes Wu Earth, which is the official ghost hexagram; final transmission Si, with Tai Yin as its rider, Si fire generates Wu Earth, which is the parent hexagram. On the day of Wu Chen, it belongs to the Jia Zi decade, with Xu and Hai falling into the empty position of the decade, so the initial transmission Hai is missing its hidden stem and is marked as 「◎」. The time of the divination has Hai conflicting with the position where Wu Earth is lodged, which is the meaning of this chapter.

來意主西北上，出入干財，有李姓人無髮者，暗為鬼賊，其事自解，其財不得，主空回也。

According to this divination, the person intends to go to the northwest to seek wealth. There is a man surnamed Li, who is bald-headed, secretly acting like a ghost to cause trouble. However, this obstruction will resolve itself. As for the wealth sought, it will not be obtained, and in the end, he will leave empty-handed.

何知西北上出去干財，先鋒與發用皆亥，亥主西北，又為日財日馬也。何知李姓無髮者為鬼賊，蓋中傳功曹為木，下臨壬水，配合為李字也，白虎主無髮鬢人。為日下之鬼，故知此人為害也。

How do we know that the person is seeking wealth in the northwest? The first transmission and the initiating transmission both appear at亥, which is the same position;亥 belongs to the northwest in terms of direction. It is also the wealth that is overcome by the戊 earth, and it is also the post-horse of the Wuchen day. Wealth and the post-horse are both located in the northwest, so it is concluded that the person is going to the northwest to seek wealth. How do we know that it is a bald man surnamed Li causing trouble? The middle transmission, Gongcao, is寅, which belongs to wood. Taking the character for 'wood', it is placed over the亥 position on the earth plate. The亥 position contains壬 water, which is associated with '子'. Wood and '子' together form the character '李'. The寅 is also occupied by the White Tiger, which in terms of human figures represents a person with no hair on the top of the head. The寅 wood also overcomes the戊 earth, which is the official ghost below the day stem, so it is concluded that this person is coming to harm me.

言自解者，經云：鬼自受制憂將自救。寅為日之鬼，上得白虎金制之，故曰自解也。其財不得而主空回也者，蓋發用登明為空亡，雖為日下之財，而正時自為空亡，豈不是空回也。

This trouble will resolve itself because the ancient texts say that if a ghost is first restrained by itself, worries and troubles will resolve on their own without needing help from others. In this case, the寅 wood, although it is the ghost of the day stem, is occupied by the White Tiger, which is metal. Metal directly restrains wood, so the ghost is restrained by the Heavenly General riding on top of it and cannot manifest its harmful nature. Therefore, it is said to "resolve itself." As for the wealth not being obtained and only returning empty-handed, it is because the initiating transmission, Dengming (Hai), falls exactly within the Kongwang of the Jiazi decade. Although Hai is the wealth of the day stem, the time of the divination itself is this Kongwang branch. Therefore, wealth and time both fall into emptiness, which is precisely why it is an empty journey.

一氣所沖如物當風，豈有安息。日為占人，辰為所居之宅，又為卑下，時為辰沖，故主內動，若辰上神更值白虎凶神，主宅不可居、卑幼災難。若不內動即主與我相爭、他人疾病，蓋辰亦為他人也。

In the previous chapter, the term "冲" refers to the day stem, while in this chapter, "冲" refers to the day branch. When one force is opposed by another, it is like a vessel exposed to a strong wind, where stability is impossible. The day stem represents the person seeking divination, and the day branch represents his residence, as well as the younger members of his family. If the day branch is in conflict, it indicates turmoil within the household. If there is also a White Tiger or other Inauspicious Spirit (malevolent spirits), it suggests the house is not suitable for living and there will be misfortune among the younger family members. If this does not relate to moving house, it may indicate someone coming to quarrel with the person, or someone else falling ill—because the day branch not only refers to the residence but also to others.

若從革返吟，定主移宅；八專日辰同居一處，若正時沖之，名內外俱亂，主男女俱淫亂、逃難奔竄，其災禍更於課式中互換取要而言之。

If the lesson pattern is "From Revolution" or "Return Echo," it indicates a definite need to move house or relocate. If it is an "Eight Special" lesson, and the day stem's lodging palace and the day branch are in the same position, while the time of divination conflicts with it, this is called "internal and external chaos," which suggests disorder in relationships between men and women, or fleeing from disaster, wandering about, and moving from place to place. As for where the misfortune specifically falls, one must refer back to the lesson pattern and examine the interaction of all the deities and officials, focusing on the most significant one to determine the outcome.

假令十一月癸卯日丑將酉時。

For example: In the eleventh month, on a Guimao day, using Chou as the Month General, the divination is done at You time. Chou General is placed on You time. The Heaven Plate advances four positions ahead of the Earth Plate.

空 虎 常 玄 酉 戌 亥 子　　常 勾 空 朱　　父 丁酉 空 龍申　　丑陰　　亥 未 酉 巳　　官 辛丑 陰 勾未　　寅后　　未 卯 巳 癸　　財 　巳 朱 ◎ 午 巳 辰 卯 合 朱 蛇 貴

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si (Snake) is occupied by the Heaven Plate's You (Rooster), riding on Tian Kong (Sky Void); the position of Wu (Horse) is occupied by Xu (Dog), riding on Bai Hu (White Tiger); the position of Wei (Earth Ox) is occupied by Hai (Boar), riding on Tai Chang (Grand Constable); the position of Shen (Monkey) is occupied by Zi (Rat), riding on Xuan Wu (Black Tortoise); the position of You (Rooster) is occupied by Chou (Ox), riding on Tai Yin (Grand Yin); the position of Xu (Dog) is occupied by Yin (Tiger), riding on Tian Hou (Heavenly Empress); the position of Hai (Boar) is occupied by Mao (Rabbit), riding on Gui Ren (Nobleman); the position of Zi (Rat) is occupied by Chen (Dragon), riding on Teng Snake (Coiling Snake); the position of Chou (Ox) is occupied by Si (Snake), riding on Zhu Que (Vermilion Bird); the position of Yin (Tiger) is occupied by Wu (Horse), riding on Liu He (Six Harmonies); the position of Mao (Rabbit) is occupied by Wei (Earth Ox), riding on Gou Chen (Hook Star); the position of Chen (Dragon) is occupied by Shen (Monkey), riding on Qing Long (Azure Dragon). The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Gui Water (Water) is lodged in Chou (Ox), with Chou (Ox) occupied by Si (Snake), riding on Zhu Que (Vermilion Bird); the second lesson, Si (Snake) is occupied by You (Rooster), riding on Tian Kong (Sky Void); the third lesson, the day branch Mao (Rabbit) is occupied by Wei (Earth Ox), riding on Gou Chen (Hook Star); the fourth lesson, Wei (Earth Ox) is occupied by Hai (Boar), riding on Tai Chang (Grand Constable). The three transmissions are: initial You (Rooster) (Ding You, riding on Tian Kong, You Metal generates Gui Water, representing the parent爻), middle Chou (Ox) (Xin Chou, riding on Tai Yin, Chou Earth controls Gui Water, representing the official ghost爻), final Si (Snake) (riding on Zhu Que, Si Fire is controlled by Gui Water, representing the wealth爻). Si, You, and Chou form a metal trinity, and the lesson pattern is 'From Reform'. On the Guimao day, which belongs to the Jiawu decade, Chen and Si are in the旬空, so the final transmission Si is marked with '◎' due to the missing dry branch. The time of the divination is酉, which directly conflicts with the day branch Mao, and this is the meaning of this chapter.

來意主西南近寺，與姓周老陰人爭競，後移東北近廟居住。

According to this, the person's intention is: he lived near a temple in the southwest, quarreling continuously with an old woman surnamed Zhou; later he moved to live near a shrine in the northeast.

蓋先鋒門與日支沖而又發用，主宅不安，中傳大吉為日下之鬼，下臨酉為寺，合酉為佛為金仙，又酉為西方，大吉得太陰，主老陰人爭競，因此家宅不安，太陰主口舌事，大吉為土，地盤酉為兌，主口舌，以大吉下，見吉配合為周字，故曰西北近寺，與姓周老陰人爭也。

The first gate of the Vanguard School determines the time of day as You, which conflicts with the day branch and is also taken as the initiating transmission. The dwelling position is thus affected by this conflict, causing the family residence to be unsettled. The middle transmission is great fortune, Chou, which overcomes the癸 water, which is the official ghost beneath the day stem. It is located above the earth plate's You palace. In symbolic terms, You represents a temple, paired with the Buddha as the position of the golden immortal. You is also located in the due west. Chou is occupied by Tai Yin, which governs an elderly woman. Therefore, it is interpreted as a quarrel with an old woman, causing unrest in the family residence. Tai Yin also governs disputes. Chou is originally of earth, and the earth plate's You is paired with the eight trigrams' Dui, which represents the mouth, governing disputes. Combining the great fortune Chou with the character 'ji' (good fortune) forms the character 'zhou'. Therefore, it is said that she lives near a temple, is surnamed Zhou, and is elderly. (The original text first mentions 'southwest' and then 'northwest', with inconsistent directional order, but this is retained as is.)

辰為宅，時既沖剋之，不安之象，何以移往東北近廟居住，蓋卦得從革，革故鼎新，從革本主西南，而運東北者何也？

The day branch represents the dwelling place. When it is being attacked or restrained by the time branch, it indicates an unstable living situation. But why is it predicted that one should move to the northeast near a temple? The lesson pattern is "From Reform," which signifies the idea of replacing the old with the new and changing and moving. However, "From Reform" belongs to metal, and the position of metal is in the southwest. Logically, one should move to the southwest. Yet the suggestion is to move to the northeast. Why is this so?

蓋大吉臨酉為日鬼，畏其鬼不敢往，末傳太乙，得朱雀為日下之財，下臨丑，丑主廟，故言往東北近廟居住，丑為天乙本家，故言廟也。

The reason is here: Great Auspiciousness, with the stem Chou approaching the western palace, indicates that the official ghost, which is剋 the day stem, is guarding the southwest direction. Being afraid of this ghost, he does not dare to go that way. The final transmission is Taiyi Yisi, with the upper rider being the Vermilion Bird. The fire of Yisi is overcome by the water of Jia, which is the wealth of the day stem. Yisi also lies below the earth plate's Chou palace. Chou, in terms of direction, belongs to the northeast, and in terms of objects, it represents temples. Therefore, it is concluded that he will settle near the northeast, near a temple. Chou is considered to represent temples because it is the native palace of Tianyi Guiren, the nobleman. The nobleman's residence is the place where deities are worshipped.

日之後陽氣伏匿，陰刑盜賊聚於此時也，此課得夜時，多主闇昧不明之事。若卦得三交，即是交加不明之事，占病重大；更得天后、太陰，主蔽匿奸邪之事；式中見玄武，主盜賊不明之事；若關財爻，即是財不明之事。

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "night": if someone comes to seek a divination during the day, the resulting lesson is for the night time. After the sun sets, yang energy retreats and hides, while private matters, legal cases, and thefts gather during this time. Therefore, if a lesson is cast for the night time while the seeker comes during the day, it often indicates ambiguous and unclear matters that cannot be explained. If the lesson pattern also has "three intersections," it suggests further entanglements and confusion, and if it is about illness, the condition is severe. If the lesson includes Heavenly Empress and Tai Yin, it indicates hidden acts of corruption and cover-ups. If the lesson contains Black Tortoise, it suggests matters involving theft and unclear events. If the matter involves the wealth hexagram, it indicates a financial issue with unclear accounts.

夫病症，易明醫者易治，病症難明醫者難治，凡得夜時而卦值得三交，病症難明故重大也：若式中見青龍、天后，多是因婦女得病；若天空、太陰為鬼剋日，為人算得病；見朱雀、勾陳，因官司文字、口舌爭鬥得病；見亥子或潤下，近水落水得病，不然因傷於飲酒而胃虛下痢，腳膝沉重之病，若是婦人定是經水滯澀、赤白帶下之病；

Now regarding illness: When the symptoms are clear, the physician can easily treat the illness; but when the symptoms are unclear, the physician finds it difficult to act. If a night divination is cast and it coincides with the three intersections, the illness is certainly difficult to understand, and the condition is severe. Next, we examine the spirits and officials: If the lesson contains the Azure Dragon and Heavenly Empress, the illness is mostly caused by a woman. If the Tian Kong and Tai Yin transform into official ghosts to overcome the day stem, the illness is caused by being secretly harmed by someone. If the Vermilion Bird and Gou Chen appear, the illness is due to legal disputes, official documents, or verbal conflicts. If the亥 and 子 water branches appear, or the lesson forms a 'Mo Xia' water pattern, the illness is due to proximity to water or falling into water, or else from excessive drinking that injures the stomach, causing diarrhea and heavy legs. If the divination is for a woman, it is certainly due to irregular menstrual flow or abnormal discharge of red and white discharge.

見寅卯木神，多是左股虛風之病，若木旺合曲直，定是脾胃虛弱，蓋木旺則土受制也；見申酉，多是右股傷折或膈中之病，若金旺合從革，多是筋骨折傷、肝膽虛弱、筋脈拳搐，蓋金旺則傷木也；

In the divination chart, if the trigrams show寅 (Yin) and卯 (Mao), which are wood spirits, it often indicates illness in the left leg, such as wind affecting the limb or weakness and lack of sensation. If the wood energy is strong and the three transmissions form a 'curved and straight' wood pattern, then it is certain that the spleen and stomach are weak, because strong wood energy restrains earth energy, and the spleen and stomach belong to earth, so they are first affected. If the trigrams show申 (Shen) and酉 (You), which are metal spirits, it often indicates a broken right leg or illness between the chest and diaphragm. If the metal energy is strong and the three transmissions form a 'following and transforming' metal pattern, it often indicates bone and joint injuries, weakness in the liver and gallbladder, and muscle spasms, because strong metal energy harms wood energy, and the liver and gallbladder, as well as the muscles and tendons, belong to wood.

四土神，多是臟腑蔽塞不明之病，若水日見旺土合稼穡卦定是小腸不通，心腸虛脹，多傳為蠱種之病，婦人經脈滯澀，男子腎臟虛也；若水上得火神，多是下部虛寒瀉痢，上焦虛、熱躁渴而欲飲水，後傳為血痢也；

In the divination, if the heavenly stems and earthly branches show the four earthy branches of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, it indicates diseases where the internal organs are blocked and the location of the illness is unclear. If on a water day, there is a strong earth element and the three transmissions form the "Jia Se" earth pattern, then it is certain that the small intestine is blocked, the chest and abdomen are distended, and over time it may develop into a condition of swelling and fullness. For women, it may cause obstruction in the menstrual flow, while for men, it may lead to kidney deficiency. If there is a fire deity above the water element, it often indicates lower abdominal cold deficiency and diarrhea, with the upper part of the body being empty and dry, causing heat and thirst, leading to a strong desire for water. Over time, this may result in bloody stools and diarrhea.

若火上得水神，因停飲而血痢也 或心腹疼痛蓋或為心胞絡也；若金上見火者，定是膈上有熱，咽喉舌頰窄悶喘促而有瘡也；若水上見土，下部有積塊；土上見水，脾胃上有冷痰。

If the water element appears above the fire element, it indicates that water is stagnating inside the body, leading to bloody stools and diarrhea, or pain in the heart and abdomen, because fire corresponds to the heart and the pericardium in the human body, and water overcoming fire causes pain. If the fire element appears above the metal element, it definitely indicates heat in the chest and diaphragm, with discomfort in the throat, root of the tongue, and cheeks, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and the development of sores. If the water element appears above the earth element, it indicates a mass forming in the lower abdomen; if the earth element appears above the water element, it indicates cold phlegm stagnating in the spleen and stomach.

白虎乘休氣為子孫者，定是子孫病；為妻爻定是妻妾病；若臨本命上或日上，定是己身病也。臨時更於八門課式中取其與日為鬼，為刑，為害，帶何凶殺，位上所得何神將,參以休囚旺相斷之,方能盡妙矣。

The White Tiger is riding on a declining and resting energy. If it is over the Son and Daughter爻, then the illness is in the children; if it is over the Wife and Wealth爻, then the illness is in the wife or concubine; if it is over the native's own hexagram or the day stem, then the person who is divining has the illness. When interpreting the situation, one should return to the Eight Doors and Divination Format to see which one forms an official and ghost relationship, forms a crime or harm, and carries what Inauspicious Sha. Also, check what deity or general is on that position, and combine it with the strength, prosperity, rest, and captivity energies to make a comprehensive judgment. Only in this way can the subtle aspects be fully explained.

假令七月乙巳日巳將亥時，辛酉人占。

Take an example: In the seventh month, on the day of Yisi, using Si as the month general, the time is the hour of Hai. The person asking the question has a birth sign of Xinyou. The Si general is placed on the Hai hour. The month general and the time are directly opposite, resulting in a reverse echo lesson.

合 勾 龍 空 亥 子 丑 寅　　玄 合 常 朱　　子 乙巳 玄 朱戌　　卯虎　　巳 亥 辰 戌　　父 辛亥 合 蛇酉　　辰常　　亥 巳 戌 乙　　子 乙巳 玄 申 未 午 巳 貴 后 陰 玄

In the pan, the upper deities of each palace are in conflict with their respective palaces: on the earth plate, the巳 is overlaid by the heaven plate's亥, riding the Liu He; on the午, the子 is overlaid, riding the Gou Chen; on the未, the丑 is overlaid, riding the Azure Dragon; on the申, the寅 is overlaid, riding the Tian Kong; on the酉, the卯 is overlaid, riding the White Tiger; on the戌, the辰 is overlaid, riding the Tai Chang; on the亥, the巳 is overlaid, riding the Black Tortoise; on the子, the午 is overlaid, riding the Heavenly Empress; on the丑, the未 is overlaid, riding the Tai Yin; on the寅, the申 is overlaid, riding the Nobleman; on the卯, the酉 is overlaid, riding the Teng Snake; on the辰, the戌 is overlaid, riding the Vermilion Bird. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the乙 wood lodges in the辰, with the辰 overlaid by the戌, riding the Vermilion Bird; the second lesson, the戌 is overlaid by the辰, riding the Tai Chang; the third lesson, the day branch巳 is overlaid by the亥, riding the Liu He; the fourth lesson, the亥 is overlaid by the巳, riding the Black Tortoise. The three transmissions start with巳 (the乙巳 rides the Black Tortoise, the乙 wood generates the巳 fire, which is the son and grandson yao), then the middle is亥 (the辛亥 rides the Liu He, the亥 water generates the乙 wood, which is the parent yao), and the end is again巳. The Yisi day belongs to the Jiachen decade, with the寅 and卯 falling into the旬空.

來意家中內屬雞小兒病，心腹疼痛、血痢頻並，脈氣相反，病症反覆，身體羸弱，只得脾胃氣壯，而善進飲食，至九月節病勢反增，至甲子日，脾胃因不能進食不可救也。

According to this, the person coming in is indicating that there is a child who belongs to the chicken zodiac sign who is sick, suffering from heart pain and bloody discharge along with diarrhea, occurring one after another; the pulse does not correspond with the condition, the illness keeps recurring, and the body is extremely weak; fortunately, the spleen and stomach still have strength, and the child can still eat; but by the time of the autumn equinox, the condition worsens; by the day of Jiazi, the spleen and stomach are ruined, and the child can no longer eat, and there is no hope of recovery.

何知家內屬雞小兒病？蓋時為日支沖剋,主內動，又用起子孫爻死臨絕，故主小兒病，白虎臨酉,故知家內屬雞小兒病也。

By what means do we know it is the child of the family who is a rooster that is sick? At the time of divination, the亥 branch clashes and controls the day branch巳, indicating the residence is under attack, suggesting there is trouble within the household. The initiating transmission begins with the grandson's爻巳, and when the fire of巳 reaches亥, it reaches its end, meaning the grandson's爻 is in a state of death and decline. Therefore, it is concluded that a child is ill. Furthermore, the White Tiger, which represents the illness spirit, is positioned at酉, which corresponds to the chicken in the生肖. Therefore, it is determined that the sick child is the one in the family who is a rooster.

何知心腹疼痛、血痢頻並？以巳為心胞絡,上得元武水,克於火，故知心腹疼痛也。巳主血應赤色，水主黑色，水火相雜故曰血痢。末傳又得巳,故知血痢頻並。

How do we know it is heart and diaphragm pain with frequent bloody stools? The fire of the fourth earthly branch,巳, corresponds to the heart and the pericardium. However, above it is the Black Tortoise, which belongs to water. Water overcomes fire, hence causing pain in the heart and diaphragm. The fourth branch also governs blood, which is red, while water is black. When red and black mix together, it indicates bloody diarrhea. The final transmission is also a巳, repeating the same image, so the bloody diarrhea comes in waves, recurring continuously.

脈氣相反者,用起火,故脈氣相反也。病症反覆者，卦得返吟也。身體羸困者，以值事門與中傳是亥，亥為幼子見六合為棺財，又用起死氣,故知羸困也。

The pulse and symptoms are opposite because the initiating transmission begins with the fire of the snake hour, and fire tends to rise upward, yet the illness is in the lower part causing diarrhea. Thus, the pulse and symptoms are in opposition. The condition is described as fluctuating because the lesson pattern is returning, which indicates a back-and-forth movement and a recurring nature. The body is weak and exhausted because both the direct matter gate and the middle transmission fall in the pig hour, which in human affairs represents a young child. The superior power above is Liu He, symbolizing a coffin; the initiating transmission starts in the death qi place, so it is concluded that the child appears emaciated and extremely weak.

得脾胃氣吐壯而進飲食者，緣日上戌土,上得朱雀火，火生土，土主脾胃，故壯而進飲食也。

As for the case where the spleen and stomach still have strong energy and one can still eat food, this is because the Day Stem Yi is located in the Chén palace, and on top of Chén there is Xu soil. On top of Xu there is the Vermilion Bird, which belongs to fire. Fire generates soil, and in the human body, soil corresponds to the spleen and stomach. When the spleen and stomach are supported by soil, they become strong, hence one can still eat food. (The original text mistakenly writes '气吐壮' as '吐', which should be '气壮'; the original character is preserved here.)

何知九月病勢反覆增，緣中傳亥八月為解神，九月則非解故也。甲子日胃困不能飲食者，緣日上戌土主脾胃，甲子旬空亡而脾敗而無力也。言不可救者，所賴解神與胃氣，今既無解神，又脾胃氣落空亡，故云不可救也。

How do we know that the illness worsens in September? In August, the Middle Transmission's亥 (Hai) serves as the Relief Deity, helping to alleviate the condition to some extent. But once September arrives,亥 no longer acts as the Relief Deity, and the support is cut off, causing the illness to worsen naturally. As for the case of being unable to eat on the day of Jiazi, it is because the戌 (Xu) earth, which governs the spleen and stomach, is above the day stem. However, in the Jiazi ten-day period, both戌 and亥 are empty, meaning the branches associated with the spleen and stomach are vacant. Thus, the spleen loses its strength and becomes ineffective. Regarding the phrase "hopeless," the person relies on two things: the Relief Deity and the stomach qi. Now that the Relief Deity has failed and the stomach qi has fallen into the empty position, both have been cut off, hence the condition is deemed hopeless.

假令四月戊寅日申將酉時。

Now take another example: in the fourth month, on a Wuyin day, using Shen as the month general, the divination is done at the You hour. The Shen general is placed on the You hour. The Heaven Plate is one position behind the Earth Plate. When the divination is done in the daytime starting from the You hour, it exactly fits the meaning of this chapter.

合 朱 蛇 貴 辰 巳 午 未　　虎 空 勾 合　　財 丙子 虎 勾卯　　申后　　子 丑 卯 辰　　財 乙亥 常 龍寅　　酉陰　　丑 寅 辰 戊　　兄 甲戌 玄 丑 子 亥 戌 空 虎 常 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is covered by the Heaven Plate's Chen, accompanied by Liu He; the position of Wu is covered by Si, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the position of Wei is covered by Wu, accompanied by Teng Snake; the position of Shen is covered by Wei, accompanied by Nobleman; the position of You is covered by Shen, accompanied by Heavenly Empress; the position of Xu is covered by You, accompanied by Tai Yin; the position of Hai is covered by Xu, accompanied by Black Tortoise; the position of Zi is covered by Hai, accompanied by Tai Chang; the position of Chou is covered by Zi, accompanied by White Tiger; the position of Yin is covered by Chou, accompanied by Tian Kong; the position of Mao is covered by Yin, accompanied by Azure Dragon; the position of Chen is covered by Mao, accompanied by Gou Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Wu Earth is in the lodging palace of Si, with Si covered by Chen, accompanied by Liu He; the second lesson, Chen is covered by Mao, accompanied by Gou Chen; the third lesson, the day branch Yin is covered by Chou, accompanied by Tian Kong; the fourth lesson, Chou is covered by Zi, accompanied by White Tiger. The three transmissions start with Zi (Bing Zi accompanied by White Tiger), middle with Hai (Yi Hai accompanied by Tai Chang). Zi and Hai, both water, are both subject to the control of Wu Earth, indicating wealth; the end is Xu (Jia Xu accompanied by Black Tortoise), which is the same as Wu Earth, indicating a brother's element. The day of Wu Yin belongs to the Jia Xu decade. The positions of Shen and You are in the旬空.

來意主外望北面陰暗之財,為一王姓人所把，其人怒惡兩分其財也。

According to this interpretation, the person expects to gain some illicit wealth in the northern direction; this wealth is controlled by a man surnamed Wang. This man is impetuous and fierce, and in the end, the two will divide the wealth equally.

蓋時上為日干三合，與空亡並又為夜時發用，亥子北面，值事門上見太陰主蒙蔽，神后登明俱為日下之財，又亥子為陰私，故知望北面陰私之財。

The time of酉 is combined with the巳 of theWu Earth lodging palace to form a triple harmony. The酉 also falls exactly in the empty palace of this ten-day cycle. Moreover, this is a night time divination started in the daytime, so the initiating transmission starts from here. The亥 and 子 belong to the direction of due north. The straight matter gate is occupied by Tai Yin, which signifies concealment and obscurity. The Shenghou (神后) 子 and Dengming (登明) 亥 are both overcome by theWu Earth, and they are both considered wealth below the day stem. The亥 and 子 themselves also represent private and hidden matters. With several symbolic elements converging, it is determined that what he is hoping for is an illicit fortune from the north.

何知姓王人所把？緣末傳見天魁屬土,下臨亥屬水，水數一，一土為王字，天魁為奴，上見玄武，天魁亦取亥子為財，故為王姓所把。及本人怒惡，日上見天罡主怒惡，言兩分其財者，戊與戌俱取，二人為財拘也。

How do we know that the person named Wang is in control? The final transmission is Tian Gui (Heavenly Gang) in Xu, which belongs to earth. It is situated over the earth plate's Hai, which belongs to water and the number one. Adding one across the earth forms the character for "king" (王). Tian Gui governs servants in human affairs, and above it is Xuan Wu, the god of theft. Tian Gui also regards Hai and Zi as its wealth, so this wealth falls into the hands of someone named Wang. His fierce and cruel nature is due to the day stem Wu being overlain by Tian Gang, which governs anger and wickedness. The wealth is divided into two parts because both the day stem Wu and the final transmission Xu take this wealth, and both hold onto it, so it must be split evenly.

假令四月丙辰日申將丑時，丙寅人占。

Take another example: in the fourth month, on a Bingchen day, using Shen as the month general, the time is Chou hour. The person asking the question has a birth sign of Bingyin. The Shen general is placed on the Chou hour. The heaven plate moves ahead seven positions relative to the earth plate.

合 勾 龍 空 子 丑 寅 卯　　玄 朱 陰 合　　兄 戊午 玄 朱亥　　辰虎　　午 亥 未 子　　子 　丑 勾 ◎ 蛇戌　　巳常　　亥 辰 子 丙　　財 庚申 后 酉 申 未 午 貴 后 陰 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's巳 position takes the Heaven Plate's子, riding on Liu He; the午 position takes丑, riding on Gou Chen; the未 position takes寅, riding on Azure Dragon; the申 position takes卯, riding on Tian Kong; the酉 position takes辰, riding on White Tiger; the戌 position takes巳, riding on Tai Chang; the亥 position takes午, riding on Black Tortoise; the子 position takes未, riding on Tai Yin; the丑 position takes申, riding on Heavenly Empress; the寅 position takes酉, riding on Nobleman; the卯 position takes戌, riding on Teng Snake; the辰 position takes亥, riding on Vermilion Bird. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, 丙 fire lodges in巳, with巳 taking子, riding on Liu He; the second lesson,子 takes未, riding on Tai Yin; the third lesson, the day branch辰 takes亥, riding on Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson,亥 takes午, riding on Black Tortoise. The three transmissions are: initial午 (戊午 riding on玄武, same type as丙 fire, is a brother爻), middle丑 (riding on勾陈,丑 earth is generated by丙 fire, is a son爻), end申 (庚申 riding on天后,申 metal is overcome by丙 fire, is a wealth爻). On the day of Bingchen, it belongs to the Jiayin decade, with子 and丑 falling into the旬空, so the middle transmission丑 is missing from the heavenly stem and marked as「◎」.

來意主與鄰右無子婦女暗合事敗，不到官,至戊午日辰時,無事。

According to this divination, the person in question had an affair with a neighbor who was childless, but the matter has already been exposed. However, it will not reach the authorities. By the Wuwu day's辰 hour, this matter will be completely resolved.

何知鄰右？卦得比用。何知無子婦人暗合？蓋丑時為日干三合,傳送為日干六合，帶天后主厭翳，六合為私門，又用起元武，名泆女卦，豈不是陰暗私通，申為嗣部，上得天后子水為旬空，故知無嗣婦人也。

How do we know it refers to a neighbor? The lesson pattern is "Comparison and Use," which takes two elements that are adjacent and attached to each other, so it is interpreted as left and right neighbors. How do we know it refers to an affair with a childless woman? At the time of the divination, the丑 (Chou) and丙 (Bing) were connected through a Triple Harmony with巳 (Si), and the final transmission,申 (Shen), formed a Liu He (Six Harmonies) with丙 (Bing), indicating two layers of harmonious signs. The申 (Shen) is occupied by the Heavenly Empress, which signifies concealment and covering up. Additionally, the initial position巳 (Si) is also occupied by Liu He, which represents private and secret doors. The position of Initiating Transmission again shows the Black Tortoise, and the lesson name is "Excess Woman," which specifically refers to running away with a man and engaging in improper relationships—this clearly indicates secret and hidden affairs. Furthermore, the申 (Shen) represents the position of descendants, and it is occupied by the water of the Heavenly Empress, which is the子 (Zi) water. However,子 (Zi) falls into the旬空 (decade void), meaning the position of descendants is empty, so it is concluded that the woman has no children.

何知事敗？緣日上神后水為鬼，初傳玄武、末傳天后水,共來剋日，焉得不敗。何知終不到官，日上鬼空，又時空亡也。

How do we know the matter will be exposed? The day stem is above the Heavenly Empress, which is water, and water overcomes the fire of Bing, indicating the official ghost is at the forefront. The first transmission is on the horse branch with the Black Tortoise, and the final transmission is on the monkey branch with the Heavenly Empress, both of which are water. These two heavenly generals together overcome the day stem. Three layers of water ghosts attack, so how could the matter not become known? How do we know it will not reach the authorities? The ghost on top of the day stem is exactly in the旬空, and the time is also the branch of Kongwang. When the ghost is empty, it is also empty, so the case cannot be filed.

何知戊午日辰時無事？緣值事門與中傳大吉上得勾陳二土克水為今日救神，戊午日戊和勾陳大吉三土俱旺，至辰時水氣絕墓，觀二字加辰故知辰時無咎也。

Why is it determined that the matter will be resolved on the Wuwu day branch at the Chen hour? Both the Straight Gate and the Middle Transmission fall on the Big吉利 Chou, with Chou carrying Gou Chen. Both Chou and Gou Chen belong to the earth element, and earth can overcome water, which is exactly today's saving deity. On the Wuwu day, the heavenly stem Wu, Gou Chen, and Big吉利 Chou all reach their peak strength, so the water ghost cannot be restrained. Then at the Chen hour, the water reaches the Chen position, entering its tomb and reaching its end. The two aspects of strong earth and exhausted water combine at the Chen position, so it is determined that after the Chen hour, there will be no further troubles.

日刑者，謂寅刑巳，巳刑申，申刑寅名無恩刑，丑戌未名恃勢刑，子刑卯，卯刑子，名無禮刑，辰午酉亥名自刑，若壬日得亥時又以日德論，乙日得辰時又以日干之財論，故亥辰不當自刑，午酉子卯無日干相寄，亦無日刑也，

This chapter’s 「one-character诀」 focuses on the character 「刑」 (crime). so-called 「日刑」 refers to the relationship between the time stem and the day stem or the day stem’s lodgment palace, which may form a criminal relationship. For example, Yin is in conflict with Si, Si with Shen, and Shen with Yin, and this group is called 「无恩之刑」 (no mercy crime); Chou, Xu, and Wei mutually conflict, called 「恃势之刑」 (dependent power crime); Zi conflicts with Mao, and Mao with Zi, called 「无礼之刑」 (no courtesy crime); while Chen, Wu, You, and Hai conflict with their own branches, called 「自刑」 (self-crime). However, specific stem and branch combinations must be considered: when the day is Ren and the time is Hai, Hai is the day stem’s virtue, so it should be treated as the day stem’s virtue; when the day is Yi and the time is Chen, Chen is the wealth that Yi wood is able to overcome, so it should be treated as the day stem’s wealth. Therefore, the self-crime of Hai and Chen should not be considered as self-crime when the day is Ren or Yi. As for Wu, You, Zi, and Mao, there are no heavenly stems’ lodgment palaces on them, so there is no question of day stem conflict.

若甲日得巳時主速動外憂事，蓋刑害兼全也。若丙日得申時，則主外動緊速和合事，為刑中有合也，若庚日得寅時，寅木乘旺氣，主東北上有緊速干財事，蓋刑中帶馬也負財故主財也。其餘諸刑取類言之。

On a Jia day encountering the Si hour, the situation indicates a need for immediate movement, with worries outside the door. This is because Jia is associated with Yin, and Yin and Si both involve punishment and harm, with both types present. On a Bing day encountering the Shen hour, there will be an urgent matter requiring harmony outside. This is because Bing is associated with Si, and Si and Shen both involve punishment and harmony, with harmony existing within the punishment. On a Geng day encountering the Yin hour, the wood of Yin is strong, indicating an urgent matter related to seeking wealth in the Northeast direction. This is because Geng is associated with Shen, and Shen punishing Yin includes the Post-horse, which signifies movement, while Yin wood is the wealth that Geng metal controls. Therefore, it is concluded as a matter of seeking wealth. Other instances of punishment should be analyzed in the same way.

勾 合 朱 蛇 寅 卯 辰 巳　　合 貴 朱 后　　官 戊午 貴 龍丑　　午貴　　卯 午 辰 未　　財 乙卯 合 空子　　未后　　午 酉 未 辛　　子 　子 空 ◎ 亥 戌 酉 申 虎 常 玄 陰

The original text here contains only the lesson board and omits the line "Suppose on a certain day, with a certain general and at a certain time." It is recorded as it originally was, without any addition. By examining the board: the day stem is Xin, the day branch is You. The heaven plate is three positions behind the earth plate. The time does not form a conflict with the戌 (Xu) associated with Xin. This is consistent with the meaning of this chapter, indicating that the lesson is for the time of Wei hour on the day of Xin You. On the board, the earth plate巳 (Si) corresponds to the heaven plate寅 (Yin), with Gou Chen; the earth plate午 (Wu) corresponds to the heaven plate卯 (Mao), with Liu He; the earth plate未 (Wei) corresponds to the heaven plate辰 (Chen), with Vermilion Bird; the earth plate申 (Shen) corresponds to the heaven plate巳 (Si), with Teng Snake; the earth plate酉 (You) corresponds to the heaven plate午 (Wu), with Nobleman; the earth plate戌 (Xu) corresponds to the heaven plate未 (Wei), with Heavenly Empress; the earth plate亥 (Hai) corresponds to the heaven plate申 (Shen), with Tai Yin; the earth plate子 (Zi) corresponds to the heaven plate酉 (You), with Black Tortoise; the earth plate丑 (Chou) corresponds to the heaven plate戌 (Xu), with Tai Chang; the earth plate寅 (Yin) corresponds to the heaven plate亥 (Hai), with White Tiger; the earth plate卯 (Mao) corresponds to the heaven plate子 (Zi), with Tian Kong; the earth plate辰 (Chen) corresponds to the heaven plate丑 (Chou), with Azure Dragon. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Xin metal lodges in Xu, with Xu corresponding to Wei, with Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, Wei corresponds to Chen, with Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, the day branch You corresponds to Wu, with Nobleman; the fourth lesson, Wu corresponds to Mao, with Liu He. The three transmissions are: initial Wu (Wu Wu with Nobleman, Wu fire overcomes Xin metal, which is the official ghost爻), middle Mao (Yi Mao with Liu He, Mao wood is overcome by Xin metal, which is the wealth爻), final Zi (with Tian Kong, Xin metal generates Zi water, which is the son and grandson爻). On the day of Xin You, which belongs to the Jiayin decade, Zi and Chou fall into the旬空, so the final transmission Zi is marked as empty with a symbol ◎.

來意主本人慾往運司理會舊房錢，其外動必速，其中一姓馬人作鬼賊，卻得姓陳人力，至丁亥日見事務定作歸計。

According to this divination, the person intends to go to the Transportation Office to settle an old debt of rent money; this trip will certainly be very urgent; in between there is a man surnamed Ma who acts like a ghost to interfere; yet he will receive help from a man surnamed Chen; on the day of Dinghai the matter will finally be resolved and concluded.

何知往運司理會舊房錢？蓋勝光發用，上見天乙，為三品衙門，中傳太沖主門戶，下臨午四正，為方象，配為房子，卯上得六合，俱為日下之財，故言房錢，既是三品衙門理會房錢，故言運司。

How do we know that it is about settling old debts for housing at the Transfer Office? The initiating transmission is Shengguang Wu, with the superior transmission Tianyi Nobleman above it. The Nobleman corresponds to a third rank official. The middle transmission is Taichong Mao, which governs the household. Below Mao is Wu, which is one of the four cardinal directions, symbolizing uprightness. The household matches with the upright form, which is the house. Above Mao is Liuhe, and both Mao wood and Wu fire are the wealth that the辛 gold day stem controls, so it is interpreted as 'housing expenses'. Since it is about settling housing expenses at a third rank official's office, that office is the Transfer Office responsible for financial affairs and transfers.

何知動速，時為日刑又發用，午為道路，又天乙在酉在門，為勵德，故知外動必速。

How do we know the action is urgent? The time of divination does not show a conflict between the day stem and the lodging palace, yet this conflicting position is taken as the initiating transmission. The hour of Wu represents movement and traveling; the nobleman is located at You, which is the gateway of the four cardinal directions, and the nobleman standing at the door encourages and urges, so it is determined that this journey must be quick and without delay.

何知姓馬人作鬼賊，蓋初傳勝光為馬，為日鬼也。卻言得姓陳人力者，末傳神后水為曲阜，下臨卯為東字，相配為陳字，神后反克勝光日鬼，故言得姓陳人力。至丁亥是見歸計者，緣甲申旬午鬼落空，丁合壬與亥水克勝光也，不言戊子日者，緣戊為大殺也。

How do we know that someone named Ma is causing trouble? The first transmission, Shengguang, is at the hour of Wu, which corresponds to the horse in the zodiac. In terms of surnames, it also indicates the surname Ma. Moreover, the fire of Wu overcomes the metal of Xin, which is exactly the official ghost of the day stem. Therefore, it is said that this person acts like a ghost thief. As for why someone named Chen is said to help, it is because the final transmission, Shenhou, is at the hour of Zi, which belongs to water. The shape of the mountain and its winding form is represented by the left ear radical, which is placed over the position of Mao on the earth plate. Mao corresponds to the east, so the character 'East' is taken. When combined with the other part, it forms the complex character 'Chen'. Additionally, the water of Shenhou Zi goes back to overcome Shengguang Wu, the day ghost, so it is concluded that someone named Chen will provide assistance. The reason for the outcome on Dinghai day is that on the Jiashen decade, the ghost Wu falls into Kongwang. The combination of Ding and Ren forms water, and together with the water of Hai, they all go to overcome the fire of Shengguang Wu. Why is it not mentioned as Wuzi day? Because Wu is the main killer in this divination, and it is not suitable to use a凶 day, so it is avoided.

魏陵叟曰：烏窮則攫，獸窮則搏，五行窮則絕，故立劫殺之號，所以攻劫也小人，行攻劫必緊速而來，若劫煞上，帶元武為鬼剋日，傳中更與刑害並者，常人俱主賊盜攻劫之禍，

This chapter's "one-character诀" focuses on the character "劫." Wei Lingshou said: when a bird is forced to a dead end, it will claw at people; when an animal is forced to a dead end, it will attack; when the Five Phases reach their limit, they enter a desperate situation. Therefore, diviners established the term "劫杀," which refers to the meaning of fighting back when there is no way out. Fighting back is the behavior of small people, and its arrival is sure to be urgent and fierce. If the position of the "Jiesha" is accompanied by the Black Tortoise, and this position also overcomes the Day Stem to become an official ghost, and if the Three Transmissions also include punishment and harm, then ordinary people encountering this situation are likely to suffer from theft and robbery.

若日上救神旺，主賊畏我威而不敢發，若劫煞落空，即主賊盜虛驚之象，若劫煞帶吉將與日為合，而式中不見元武，而見日辰合者，主緊速和合事也。

If the saving god above the day stem is strong and flourishing, then the thief will fear my authority and dare not act. If the jiesha falls within the empty period, it is merely a false alarm, and the thief will not succeed. If jiesha is accompanied by a beneficial general and harmonizes with the day stem, and if the lesson does not show the black tortoise but instead the day stem and day branch form a harmonious relationship, then it does not indicate a robbery but rather an urgent and joyful union.

假令六月辛未日午將亥時。

Take an example: In the sixth month, on a Xinwei day, using Wu as the Month General, the divination is done at the亥 hour. Wu General is placed on the亥 hour. The Heaven Plate is five places behind the Earth Plate.

朱 蛇 貴 后 子 丑 寅 卯　　龍 貴 朱 玄　　兄 癸酉 龍 合亥　　辰陰　　酉 寅 子 巳　　父 戊辰 陰 勾戌　　巳玄　　寅 未 巳 辛　　子 　亥 合 ◎ 酉 申 未 午 龍 空 虎 常

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's Si position is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Zi, riding the Vermilion Bird; the Wu position has Chou, riding the Teng Snake; the Wei position has Yin, riding the Nobleman; the Shen position has Mao, riding the Heavenly Empress; the You position has Chen, riding the Tai Yin; the Xu position has Si, riding the Black Tortoise; the Hai position has Wu, riding the Tai Chang; the Zi position has Wei, riding the White Tiger; the Chou position has Shen, riding the Tian Kong; the Yin position has You, riding the Azure Dragon; the Mao position has Xu, riding the Gou Chen; the Chen position has Hai, riding the Liu He. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Xin metal lodges in Xu, with Xu having Si, riding the Black Tortoise; the second lesson, Si has Zi, riding the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, the day branch Wei has Yin, riding the Nobleman; the fourth lesson, Yin has You, riding the Azure Dragon. The three transmissions are: initial You (Gui You riding the Azure Dragon, same as Xin metal, is a brother爻), middle Chen (Wu Chen riding the Tai Yin, Chen earth generates Xin metal, is a parent爻), and final Hai (riding Liu He, Xin metal generates Hai water, is a son爻). On the day of Xin Wei, which belongs to the Jia Zi decade, Xu and Hai fall into the旬空, so the final transmission Hai has an empty dry branch and is marked as 「◎」. The time of Hai coincides with the Jiesha of the day of Xin Wei, which is the meaning of this chapter.

來意主酒宴間有姓劉人做媒說親，一席便成其新婦，必是亥生也。

According to this method, the intention of the person coming is: during a banquet, a man surnamed Liu acted as a matchmaker and proposed marriage; within the time of one meal, this marriage was arranged; the bride about to enter the family must have been born in the year of the pig.

蓋時上見太常，主宴會，值事門見六合，豈不是酒宴，上與子孫說親也。發用從魁為今日等輩，酉為金刀故言姓劉，上見青龍吉將，主婚姻禮儀之慶，

At the time of the亥 branch, the Tai Chang general is present. Tai Chang is naturally associated with banquets and feasts. The straight matter gate on the Heaven Plate is riding the Liu He, which governs marriage harmony. With both these images appearing, it indicates arranging a marriage for children during a banquet. The initiating transmission comes from the From Qiu You. You shares the metal element with Xin, representing someone of the same generation as the day stem. In terms of character form, You takes the 'metal' radical paired with 'knife' to form the character 'Liu', so the媒人 is of the Liu surname. On top of You, the Azure Dragon, a favorable general, is also present. The Azure Dragon governs celebration and ceremony, indicating a marriage that is in accordance with proper etiquette and auspicious.

時為劫煞，主緊急，又中傳天罡為天馬，故言一席便成其新婦，亥生者，以末傳登明為子孫爻，故知其亥生也。

The divination time coincides with Jiesha, which indicates that matters will come quickly and urgently; the Middle Transmission is Heavenly Gang and also Heavenly Horse, which signifies movement and action without staying. The presence of urgent signs and the movement of the horse together suggests that before the wine is even finished, the marriage is decided. As for determining that the bride was born in the Year of the Pig, it is because the Final Transmission, Dengming亥, is the son and daughter爻 generated by the辛 metal. In divination for marriage, the son and daughter爻 represent the lineage of the other party, and亥 directly points to the Year of the Pig, so it is known that she was born in the Year of the Pig.

鼎祚聯珠經所載占課有忌時，甲乙日忌申酉時，丙丁日忌亥子時，戊己日忌寅卯時，庚辛日忌巳午時，壬癸日忌辰戌丑未時，為日下正財鬼合破為我祿而與我戰，故主破財走失之事。

The key point of this chapter lies in the character "破" (break). Li Dingzuo's "Lianzhu Jing" mentions a concept called "忌时" (forbidden hours): on Jia and Yi days, the hours of Shen and You are forbidden; on Bing and Ding days, the hours of Hai and Zi are forbidden; on Wu and Ji days, the hours of Yin and Mao are forbidden; on Geng and Xin days, the hours of Si and Wu are forbidden; on Ren and Gui days, the hours of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei are forbidden. These hours are considered forbidden because they are originally the official wealth for the day stem, but they turn into official ghosts instead, combining to break my official luck and become enemies. Since wealth and official luck are broken, it indicates loss of wealth and theft.

若用神更為日鬼者，名天罡課，占病刑獄得之最為凶象，若中末傳見者其災稍緩，若時為日破上見凶神，式中見元武，所乘神遙制元與日為財，合者雖失物而復見也。

If the initiating transmission god is also the official ghost of the day stem, this is called "Heavenly Gang lesson"; when it appears in divination for illness or legal cases, it is the most ominous sign. If this ghost does not appear in the initiating transmission but appears in the middle transmission or final transmission, the calamity will come more slowly. If the divination occurs exactly at day break, and there is also an Inauspicious Spirit present, and the lesson simultaneously shows the Black Tortoise, and the god ridden by the Black Tortoise is restrained by a distant god, and also forms a wealth or harmonious relationship with the day stem, then although something is lost, it can eventually be recovered.

若時見日破上見凶神，式中見元武，所乘神克財爻者主失物難尋也，若傳中見天魁、從魁及太陰天空者，只主奴婢逃亡，若日上神並勾陳，所乘神遙制元武所乘神，受克多主盜賊自敗也。若元武乘神與日為鬼，並刑害者帶旺相，定主盜賊傷人也，若元武制勾陳，主捕人被傷也。

If the time of divination coincides with day break and there are Inauspicious Spirit in the upper position, and the hexagram also shows the Black Tortoise, and the Black Tortoise's controlling god turns to attack the wealth爻, then the lost item is difficult to recover. If the three transmissions include Tian Gui Xu, Cong Gui You, and Tai Yin and Tian Kong, then it is not about a lost item, but rather indicates that servants or slaves have run away. If the god above the day stem is combined with Gou Chen, and this god can control the god that the Black Tortoise is riding on from a distance, and the Black Tortoise is attacked, it often indicates that thieves are caught. If the god that the Black Tortoise is riding on is the official ghost relative to the day stem, and it is accompanied by punishment and harm, and carries the strength of the season and the season's energy, then it is certain that the thief will harm someone. If instead the Black Tortoise controls Gou Chen, and Gou Chen represents the officers, then it means that the officers will be harmed by the thief.

若土為日破，傳得稼穡卦三傳，上見白虎、元武乘天馬，並六丁，主賊人自遠方來，乘騎會敘而行劫也。若水為日破，傳得潤下卦，帶元武者，即主北方乘舟渡水，遇賊損財。若在家，則主賊自北牆水竇中來也。

Now discussing according to the Five Phases. If the day break falls on earth and the three transmissions form the 'cultivation and harvesting' earth pattern, with the White Tiger above and the Black Tortoise accompanying the Heavenly Horse and the six Ding spirits, it indicates thieves coming from afar, riding animals and gathering together to commit robbery. If the day break falls on water and the three transmissions form the 'moistening and descending' water pattern, along with the presence of the Black Tortoise, it indicates encountering thieves while traveling by boat in the northern waters and losing property. If a person is at home, it indicates thieves entering from the water ditch under the northern wall.

若火為日破，傳得巳午炎上卦，主賊自南方窯冶中持火炬來，且放火燒人屋宇也。若金為日破，傳得申酉從革與元武並而乘旺者，主賊自西方來，持兵仗傷人，不可當也。若日落空亡則不見是事，若在辰上主傷外人，其賊所藏位方備載前經茲不復錄。

If the day break falls on fire, and the three transmissions form a "Inflaming Ascendancy" fire pattern through the combination of Si and Wu, then the thieves will come from the southern area of kiln and metalworking workshops, carrying torches and setting fire to people's houses. If the day break falls on metal, and the three transmissions form a "Transformation and Change" metal pattern through the combination of Shen and You, and also coincide with the Black Tortoise and are in a strong position, then the thieves will come from the west, wielding weapons to injure people, their force being fierce and hard to resist. If the day stem falls into the ten-day void, these events will not occur. If the day break falls on the day branch, then the injury will be to outsiders rather than family members. As for the specific location where the thieves hide, ancient texts have already recorded it in detail, so there is no need to repeat it here.

假令壬申日申將未時，癸酉人占。

Take an example: On Renshen day, use Shen as the Month General, and the time is Wei hour. The person asking the question has a birth sign of Guiyou. The Month General Shen is placed on the Wei hour. The Heaven Plate advances one position ahead of the Earth Plate.

蛇 朱 合 勾 午 未 申 酉　　龍 勾 常 虎　　官 乙丑 常 貴巳　　戌龍　　戌 酉 丑 子　　子 丙寅 玄 后辰　　亥空　　酉 申 子 壬　　子 丁卯 陰 卯 寅 丑 子 陰 玄 常 虎

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's巳 is joined by the Heaven Plate's午, riding on Teng Snake; the Earth Plate's午 is joined by the Earth Plate's未, riding on Vermilion Bird; the Earth Plate's未 is joined by the Earth Plate's申, riding on Liu He; the Earth Plate's申 is joined by the Earth Plate's酉, riding on Gou Chen; the Earth Plate's酉 is joined by the Earth Plate's戌, riding on Azure Dragon; the Earth Plate's戌 is joined by the Earth Plate's亥, riding on Tian Kong; the Earth Plate's亥 is joined by the Earth Plate's子, riding on White Tiger; the Earth Plate's子 is joined by the Earth Plate's丑, riding on Tai Chang; the Earth Plate's丑 is joined by the Earth Plate's寅, riding on Black Tortoise; the Earth Plate's寅 is joined by the Earth Plate's卯, riding on Tai Yin; the Earth Plate's卯 is joined by the Earth Plate's辰, riding on Heavenly Empress; the Earth Plate's辰 is joined by the Earth Plate's巳, riding on Nobleman. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the壬 water lodges in亥, with亥 joined by子, riding on White Tiger; the second lesson,子 is joined by丑, riding on Tai Chang; the third lesson, the day branch申 is joined by酉, riding on Gou Chen; the fourth lesson,酉 is joined by戌, riding on Azure Dragon. The three transmissions are: initial丑 (Yichou riding on Tai Chang,丑 earth controls壬 water, which is the official ghost爻), middle寅 (Bingyin riding on Black Tortoise), end卯 (Dingmao riding on Tai Yin). The寅卯 wood is generated by壬 water, and they are all the son and grandson爻. The Renshen day belongs to the Jiazi decade. The戌 and亥 positions fall into the旬空. The time of divination is not exactly the day break of壬 day. The meaning of this chapter is exactly here.

來意主在外，因姓王人失了水牛一隻，為眼疾老男子老陰人相逐，牽牛往東北去，其牛終不可得也。

According to this, the person's intention is that the matter happened outside, he lost a water ox from a man surnamed Wang; the ox was driven away by an old man with an eye disease and an old woman, and they led the ox towards the northeast; this ox can no longer be found.

何知在外失牛？蓋時日三合故知在外，不言和合，而言失物者，丑為日鬼故言在外失物。

How do we know the cow was lost outside? At the time of the divination, the day stem壬 was not in harmony with the day branch申 and the亥, which are associated with壬, to form a triple harmony. The harmony occurred on the day stem side, and since the day stem governs the outside, it is interpreted as an event outside. Although it is a triple harmony, why is it not interpreted as a happy event of union, but rather as a lost item? Because the丑 earth in the initiating transmission restrains the壬 water, which is the official ghost of the day stem. The harmony includes the ghost, making the harmony not a good omen, so it is interpreted as losing something outside.

何知姓王人失牛？發用大吉為日鬼，下臨子水，水一數配土為王字，大吉為牛，中傳功曹乘元武克大吉為賊，豈不是失牛也，言水牛者，月建得壬字故言水也。

How do we know it is a person surnamed Wang who lost the cow? The initiating transmission is Da Ji Chou, which is earth. Chou earth controls Ren water, which is the official ghost of the day stem. It is located above the earth plate's Zi position. Zi belongs to water, and water is counted as one. One horizontal line is placed on earth, forming the character "Wang." In terms of symbolic meaning, Da Ji Chou represents a cow. The middle transmission Gong Cao Yin is above Xuan Wu, and Yin wood controls Chou earth. Xuan Wu is the thief god, so the thief controls the cow, which clearly indicates the image of losing a cow. It is called "water cow" because the day stem has Ren, which belongs to water, so the cow has the nature of water.

何知患目老男子並老陰人，蓋寅為老翁，元武為眼疾人，卯上見太陰，主老陰人，寅卯相連故言逐也。言東北者下臨丑也。何知終不可見，以占時發用本命俱為日鬼，又日落空亡，故言終不見也。

How do we know it is an old man with eye disease and an old woman? The Middle Transmission is on寅, which in the imagery of persons represents an old man. On top of寅 is Black Tortoise, which in terms of disease represents eye problems. Together, this indicates an old man with eye disease. The Final Transmission is on卯, which is occupied by Tai Yin, representing an old woman.寅 and卯 are connected at their ends, so they are said to be leading the ox together. The direction to the northeast is determined because寅 is below the Earth Plate's丑 position, and丑 is in the northeast. How do we know the ox will never be found again? The time of the divination is未, and the Initiating Transmission is丑, which together with the person's birth year Guiyou, falls on positions that all conflict with the Day Stem. Moreover, the Day Stem壬 is located in亥, which is in the旬空, meaning the self is weak and the ghosts are everywhere, so the ox will never be found.

假令七月壬午日巳將戌時。

Take another example: in the seventh month, on a Renwu day, using巳 as the month general, the divination is done at the hour of戌. The巳 general is placed on the戌 hour. The heaven plate is five positions behind the earth plate.

合 朱 蛇 貴 子 丑 寅 卯　　虎 朱 朱 玄　　財 壬午 玄 勾亥　　辰后　　申 丑 丑 午　　官 丁丑 朱 龍戌　　巳陰　　丑 午 午 壬　　父 　申 虎 ◎ 酉 申 未 午 空 虎 常 玄

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's Si position is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Zi, accompanied by Liu He; the Wu position has Chou, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the Wei position has Yin, accompanied by Teng Snake; the Shen position has Mao, accompanied by Nobleman; the You position has Chen, accompanied by Heavenly Empress; the Xu position has Si, accompanied by Tai Yin; the Hai position has Wu, accompanied by Black Tortoise; the Zi position has Wei, accompanied by Tai Chang; the Chou position has Shen, accompanied by White Tiger; the Yin position has You, accompanied by Tian Kong; the Mao position has Xu, accompanied by Azure Dragon; the Chen position has Hai, accompanied by Gou Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Ren water lodges in Hai, with Hai having Wu, accompanied by Black Tortoise; the second lesson, Wu has Chou, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, the day branch Wu has Chou, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, Chou has Shen, accompanied by White Tiger. The three transmissions are: initial Wu (Ren Wu accompanied by Black Tortoise, Wu fire is overcome by Ren water, which is the wealth爻), middle Chou (Ding Chou accompanied by Vermilion Bird, Chou earth overcomes Ren water, which is the official ghost爻), final Shen (accompanied by White Tiger, Shen metal generates Ren water, which is the parent爻). The day is Ren Wu, belonging to the Jia Xu decade, with Shen and You falling in the旬空, so the final transmission Shen is marked with 「◎」 because its hidden stem is empty. The time is戌, which is the day break of the Ren day.

來意主解失驢西北去十三里外，有一姓賈人所得其驢，至甲午日往牛市得信，自往姓賈處收得，至甲午日果然。

According to this divination, the person lost a donkey which ran thirteen li northwest. It was found by a man surnamed Jia. On the day Jiawu, he went to the cattle and horse market to inquire and then personally went to the man's house to retrieve the donkey. Later, on the day Jiawu, the prediction came true.

蓋時為日破上得青龍，發用勝光為日下之財，元武臨之本合失馬，以勝光無氣故言失驢，不言賊而言失者，以財在日上手上不難取也。勝光數九，玄武數四，相併得十三里也。

At the time of the戌 hour on a day with the stem 壬, the day break is 午. The 午 is occupied by Shengguang (Wu), which is overcome by the壬 water. This 午 is considered the wealth of the day stem. The Black Tortoise is above it. Normally, 午 represents a horse, and with the Black Tortoise above it, it would be interpreted as losing a horse. However, at this time, Shengguang (Wu) is weak and lacks strength, not enough to be considered a horse. Therefore, it is downgraded to losing a donkey. Although there is the Black Tortoise, it is not said to be stolen, but rather lost, because this wealth element is directly on the day stem, meaning it is still within reach and can be recovered, so it is considered lost rather than stolen. The distance of thirteen miles is calculated by adding the fixed number nine of Shengguang (Wu) 午 to the fixed number four of the Black Tortoise, resulting in thirteen.

何知姓賈人收得，末傳歸計門白虎加申，主西字又主貝字，配成賈字。何知牛市得驢信，蓋甲申旬勝光空亡，至甲午旬填實，又午為日財，故言甲午日復見，而喜壬與申相生，故言自往得驢也。

How do we know it was a person surnamed Jia who picked it up? The final transmission belongs to the Ji Men, with the White Tiger superimposed on the position of Shen. Shen corresponds to the west in direction, taking the character 'Xi' (west). The White Tiger belongs to metal, and metal is similar to jade and treasure, taking the character 'Bei' (shell). 'Xi' and 'Bei' combined form the character 'Jia'. How do we know the information was obtained at the cattle and horse market? On the Jiashen decade, Shengguang at Wu falls into Kongwang, making communication impossible; then moving to the Jiawu decade, Wu receives a complete stem and branch, transforming emptiness into reality, so the information becomes clear. Wu is also the wealth of the Ren day, and the reappearance of wealth indicates the reappearance of the object, hence the prediction that it would be found again on the Jiawu day. The metal Shen in the final transmission can generate the water Ren, indicating mutual generation, so he personally went to lead the donkey back.

前賢諸經所載，假令義旨宏深直開捷徑，至於日時人事之法、貴賤男女之異，多秘而不宣，所謂書不盡言，言不盡意者，蓋欲學者之自得也。蓋能盡術之妙不達人事之變可謂學而不思，若能明人事，而不精於達陰陽又可謂思而不學，罔殆之失安可『』也。

Examples from previous generations' texts are profound in meaning and directly point out a shortcut for later scholars. However, when it comes to how to match the day branch and hour to specific human affairs, and how to adjust the methods according to differences in status and gender, most of these are not explicitly stated. This is exactly what is meant by "written words cannot express all that needs to be said, and words cannot fully convey one's true meaning." The intention is for scholars to understand through their own reflection. One must realize that merely mastering the techniques of divination without understanding the changes in human affairs is "learning without thinking." Conversely, if one understands human relationships and social customs but lacks mastery of the principles of yin and yang and the calculation of time, that is "thinking without learning." "Learning without thinking leads to confusion, and thinking without learning leads to danger." How can one avoid these two kinds of mistakes? (The original text here is missing one character, marked by brackets, and is left as is without supplementation.)

又古人立次客法，所以待同時而占時不知次客法既繁與正法反相混，猶『』者理亂絲紛然而無緒也。今立此門首革次客之弊，次明陰陽人事之變非筆舌所能盡書，特令一二入禪子參學庶可因言而悟矣。

In addition, ancient people established another method called "secondary guest method" specifically to deal with situations where several people asked for divination at the same time. However, people at that time did not truly understand this method. The secondary guest method itself was both complicated and entangled with the main method, like trying to untangle a ball of yarn, only making it more chaotic and confusing. Now, the establishment of the "variant school" first aims to eliminate the drawbacks of the secondary guest method, and secondly, to clarify how the principles of yin and yang and changes in human affairs correspond. These changes cannot be fully expressed by words or writing; only a few examples can be given, similar to the public cases in the Chan school, allowing scholars to understand them through these few sentences on their own.

假令丁亥日巳將午時。

Take an example: On a Dinghai day, using巳 as the month general, divining at the hour of午. The巳 general is placed on the hour of午. The heaven plate is one position behind the earth plate. Using the same lesson pattern, match it with three different personal birth dates, and observe how the lesson pattern changes according to the personal birth date.

龍 空 虎 常 辰 巳 午 未　　陰 后 空 虎　　子 丙戌 后 勾卯　　申玄　　酉 戌 巳 午　　財 乙酉 陰 合寅　　酉陰　　戌 亥 午 丁　　財 甲申 玄 丑 子 亥 戌 朱 蛇 貴 後

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Chen, riding the Azure Dragon; the position of Wu is occupied by Si, riding the Tian Kong; the position of Wei is occupied by Wu, riding the White Tiger; the position of Shen is occupied by Wei, riding the Tai Chang; the position of You is occupied by Shen, riding the Black Tortoise; the position of Xu is occupied by You, riding the Tai Yin; the position of Hai is occupied by Xu, riding the Heavenly Empress; the position of Zi is occupied by Hai, riding the Nobleman; the position of Chou is occupied by Zi, riding the Teng Snake; the position of Yin is occupied by Chou, riding the Vermilion Bird; the position of Mao is occupied by Yin, riding the Liu He; the position of Chen is occupied by Mao, riding the Gou Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Ding Fire is lodged in Wei, with Wei occupied by Wu, riding the White Tiger; the second lesson, Wu is occupied by Si, riding the Tian Kong; the third lesson, the Day Branch Hai is occupied by Xu, riding the Heavenly Empress; the fourth lesson, Xu is occupied by You, riding the Tai Yin. The three transmissions are: initial Xu (Bing Xu riding the Heavenly Empress, Xu Earth is generated by Ding Fire, which is the son grandson爻), middle You (Yi You riding the Tai Yin), end Shen (Jia Shen riding the Black Tortoise). Shen and You Metal are attacked by Ding Fire, which are both wealth爻. The day of Ding Hai belongs to the Jiashen decade, with the positions of Wu and Wei falling into the旬空.

一人五十四歲戊申生男子占來意，因其子在外飲酒過多，胃有宿食，冷氣得病。

The first person to come for divination was a man who was fifty-four years old and was born in the year Wushen. The interpretation of his coming: his son was drinking excessively outside, had food from the previous day that had not been digested, and had caught a cold, hence he was ill.

蓋時為日干六合，支上發用，本命上俱得子孫爻，乘休氣，故為子孫病，命上小吉太常為飲食，併發用，戌為脾胃，上得天后水為冷飲，又值事門得白虎為道路，故云因子孫在外飲食，傷脾胃得病，來占。

At the time of the noon hour, the fire of Ding is in the palace of Wei, forming a Liu He with the branch of Wu. The initiating transmission is taken from the戌 on the day branch. The person's birth stem is Wu Shen, and the palace where Wu Shen falls is occupied by the sons' yao, which are in a state of decline. Therefore, the illness is attributed to the son. On the person's birth stem, there is the small auspicious sign of Wei, which is occupied by Tai Chang, indicating food and feasting. The initiating transmission of戌 corresponds to the spleen and stomach in the human body, but on top of戌 is the Heavenly Empress, which belongs to water and indicates cold drinks. The gate of the matter is occupied by the White Tiger, which relates to roads and external matters. Considering all these signs together, it indicates that the son consumes food improperly while outside, damaging his spleen and stomach, leading to illness, hence the father comes to seek divination.

一人三十五歲丁卯生男子占來意，因在外與二卑下婦人來往，得氣痞嗽血之病。

The second person to come for divination was a man of thirty-five years old born in the Dingmao year. With the same divination chart, the interpretation of his intention was different: he was having relations with two women of low status outside, thus contracting a disease of stagnated qi, coughing with blood.

蓋命上見六合為私門，天后主厭翳，中傳見太陰主伏匿，天魁從魁主奴婢，上得天后、太陰，故曰與二卑下婦人往來，天后剋日、末傳玄武又剋日，戌酉申俱是日干死墓之鄉，丁主心血，故得病嗽血也。

This person's natal stem is Dingmao. The hexagram on the卯 (Mao) is Liu He, which represents private doors and hidden places. The initiating transmission is on the戌 (Xu), where the Heavenly Empress is present, indicating concealment and obstruction. The middle transmission is on the酉 (You), where Tai Yin is found, which signifies concealment. The Heavenly General Xu and the Companion General You represent lowly servants in human affairs, and these two positions are occupied by the Heavenly Empress and Tai Yin, both female generals, so it is concluded that the person associates with two women of low status. The Heavenly Empress belongs to water, which overcomes the Ding fire; the final transmission on the申 (Shen) has the Black Tortoise, also belonging to water, which also overcomes the day's stem. The Xu, You, and Shen branches are all the death and storage places of the Ding fire. The Ding stem in the human body represents the heart and blood, and when the heart and blood are overcome and fall into the death and storage places, the person suffers from symptoms such as qi stagnation and hemoptysis.

一人八十一歲來占辛巳生來，占來意，因家中走失奴婢兩口，得一姓馬人往西南追捕捉獲。

The third person to come for a divination is an 81-year-old man born in the Xinsi year. Divining his intention: two servants ran away from home; later, with the help of a man surnamed Ma, he went to the southwest to chase them and brought the servants back.

蓋發用天魁主奴，從魁主婢，末得元武臨門，為窺戶，又值事門上見白虎主道路，卦得斬關主逃亡，今年老有官者來占，豈不是奴婢逃亡也。先鋒門勝光為今日等輩，又主姓馬人克玄武，故捉獲，言往西南追捕者，蓋元武陰神所居也。

The initiating transmission's Tiankui (天魁) is in the earth branch Xu (戌), which in human affairs signifies a male servant. The middle transmission's Congkui (从魁) is in You (酉), which signifies a female servant. The final transmission is in Shen (申), where the Black Tortoise (玄武) is present and located at the position of the door and gate, indicating a situation of peeking through the door and seeking an opportunity to escape. The direct matter door also shows the White Tiger (白虎), which signifies roads. The lesson pattern is "Zhangguan" (斩关), which originally indicates that defenses are not properly maintained and that someone is fleeing outside. Now, the person consulting the divination is an elderly man with an official position who has servants at home. This particular lesson pattern clearly suggests that the servants are fleeing. The time of the initial transmission is Shengguang (胜光) in Wu (午). Wu and Ding belong to the same element of fire, representing someone of the same generation as the day stem who can be used. Wu, as a zodiac sign, is the horse, and the surname associated with Wu is Ma (马). The fire of Wu can overcome the metal and water of the Black Tortoise in the final transmission, so it is concluded that a person surnamed Ma has captured the runaway servant. The direction of the southwest is suggested for pursuit because the Black Tortoise belongs to the yin, and the yin spirit resides in the southwest direction.

假令七月甲子日午將申時。

Take another example: in the seventh month, on a Jiazi day, using Wu as the Month General, the time is Shen hour. The Wu General is placed on the Shen hour. The Heaven Plate is two positions behind the Earth Plate.

朱 合 勾 龍 卯 辰 巳 午　　虎 玄 玄 后　　財 　戌 玄 ◎ 蛇寅　　未空　　申 戌 戌 子　　官 壬申 虎 貴丑　　申虎　　戌 子 子 甲　　子 庚午 龍 子 亥 戌 酉 后 陰 玄 常

In the Heaven Plate, the Earthly Branch Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate Mao, riding the Vermilion Bird; the Earthly Branch Wu is occupied by the Heaven Plate Chen, riding Liu He; the Earthly Branch Wei is occupied by the Heaven Plate Si, riding Gou Chen; the Earthly Branch Shen is occupied by the Heaven Plate Wu, riding the Azure Dragon; the Earthly Branch You is occupied by the Heaven Plate Wei, riding Tian Kong; the Earthly Branch Xu is occupied by the Heaven Plate Shen, riding the White Tiger; the Earthly Branch Hai is occupied by the Heaven Plate You, riding Tai Chang; the Earthly Branch Zi is occupied by the Heaven Plate Xu, riding the Black Tortoise; the Earthly Branch Chou is occupied by the Heaven Plate Hai, riding Tai Yin; the Earthly Branch Yin is occupied by the Heaven Plate Zi, riding the Heavenly Empress; the Earthly Branch Mao is occupied by the Heaven Plate Chou, riding the Nobleman; the Earthly Branch Chen is occupied by the Heaven Plate Yin, riding Teng Snake. The Four Lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Jia Wood lodges in Yin, with Yin occupied by Zi, riding the Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, Zi occupied by Xu, riding the Black Tortoise; the third lesson, the Day Branch Zi occupied by Xu, riding the Black Tortoise; the fourth lesson, Xu occupied by Shen, riding the White Tiger. The Three Transmissions start with Xu (riding the Black Tortoise, Xu Earth is overcome by Jia Wood, which is the wealth爻), then Shen (Renshen riding the White Tiger, Shen Metal overcomes Jia Wood, which is the official ghost爻), and ends with Wu (Gengwu riding the Azure Dragon, Jia Wood generates Wu Fire, which is the son and grandson爻). On the Jiazi day, which is the first day of the Jiazi decade, the branches Xu and Hai are in the旬空, so the initial transmission Xu is marked with 「◎」 due to the missing dry branch.

來意因西南上緊速追捕一盜賊，墜馬折傷右足，感風七日而隕。

According to this, the person coming here intended to urgently pursue a thief in the southwest direction on horseback, but fell off the horse and broke his right foot, then caught a cold, and died on the seventh day.

蓋時為日刑、日破，與日馬並，主外動，發用天魁為日下之財，上得元武為盜賊，故知西南追捕盜擊也。先鋒門傳送為中傳，作日馬帶白虎克日，又與日刑殺並，故主墜馬也。馬加辰戌為跌撲，戌為足，在日辰之右，是傷右足也。白虎為風神，七月申為風煞，故感風也。

At the time of divination, the hour stem is the monkey (申), which is in conflict with the heavenly stem Jia (甲) wood and resides in the palace of the tiger (寅). It also breaks through the tiger, and the monkey is the post-horse of the Jia day. Thus, the conflict, breaking, and post-horse all occur together, indicating movement outward. The initiating transmission's Tian Gui (天魁) is in the earth branch戌, which is overcome by the Jia wood. This is the wealth of the day stem. The upper rider is the Black Tortoise (玄武), which is the thief god. Therefore, it is concluded that the person is going southwest to pursue thieves. The leading gate's monkey turns into the middle transmission. It is both the day's post-horse and carries the White Tiger (白虎). The White Tiger is metal, which overcomes the Jia wood, and it is also accompanied by the conflicting evil. The post-horse is accompanied by the White Tiger and is in conflict, indicating falling from the horse. The horse is located on the path of the earth branches辰 and戌, which is an image of falling and overturning. The earth branch戌 corresponds to the foot, and it is located on the right side of the day branch, so the injury is to the right foot. The White Tiger in natural imagery represents wind, and the monkey in July is the wind evil. Therefore, after falling, the person also suffers from a wind illness.

甲木秋死而被旺金鬼所克，申為七數，故言第七日庚午，又合起白虎，故知七日隕也，末傳勝光，不論救神者，蓋秋火已死也。

The Jia wood is already in a dead position by autumn, and is further attacked by the strong metal officials of the season, making the life difficult to preserve. The fixed number of Shen is seven, so the event should occur on the seventh day. Counting to the seventh day is Gengwu. The Geng metal combines with the White Tiger to enhance the凶 power, so the death is predicted on the seventh day. Someone may ask: the final transmission is Shengguang Wu, and the Wu fire can overcome the Shen metal, so isn't it a ready-made saving deity? But we must know that it is July, and the fire power has already died out in autumn. A dead fire cannot save a person, so this lesson does not consider it as a saving deity.

假令正月甲子日子將寅時。

Take another example: in the first lunar month, on a Jiazi day, using Zi as the month general, the time is Yin hour. The Zi general is placed on the Yin hour. The heaven plate is again two places behind the earth plate, so the resulting heaven plate, four lessons, and three transmissions are exactly the same as in the previous example. The only difference between the two lessons lies in the month general and the month ruler. This is another form of 'variant': although the lesson pattern is the same, the month general differs, and thus the method of interpretation changes.

朱 合 勾 龍 卯 辰 巳 午　　虎 玄 玄 后　　財 　戌 玄 ◎ 蛇寅　　未空　　申 戌 戌 子　　官 壬申 虎 貴丑　　申虎　　戌 子 子 甲　　子 庚午 龍 子 亥 戌 酉 后 陰 玄 常

The layout is the same as the previous example: on the Earth Plate, the branch Si has the branch Mao with the Vermilion Bird, the branch Wu has the branch Chen with Liu He, the branch Wei has the branch Si with Gou Chen, the branch Shen has the branch Wu with the Azure Dragon, the branch You has the branch Wei with Tian Kong, the branch Xu has the branch Shen with the White Tiger, the branch Hai has the branch You with Tai Chang, the branch Zi has the branch Xu with the Black Tortoise, the branch Chou has the branch Hai with Tai Yin, the branch Yin has the branch Zi with the Heavenly Empress, the branch Mao has the branch Chou with the Nobleman, and the branch Chen has the branch Yin with Teng Snake. The Four Lessons: Jia is located on Yin, and Yin has the branch Zi with the Heavenly Empress; Zi has the branch Xu with the Black Tortoise; the Day Branch Zi has the branch Xu with the Black Tortoise; and Xu has the branch Shen with the White Tiger. The Three Transmissions: the initial is Xu with the Black Tortoise, representing wealth and falling into the旬空; the middle is Shen with Renshen and the White Tiger, representing official ghosts; the final is Wu with Gengwu and the Azure Dragon, representing sons and daughters. The difference is that the previous example was in July, when metal was strong and fire was weak, and the saving god was ineffective; this example is in January, when wood was strong and metal was weak, and fire energy transformed and interacted, thus flipping the fortune of the same lesson from good to bad or vice versa, which is the subtlety of variation.

來意緣失陷官錢，勾喚入官而得驚恐，以致得脾虛下臟之疾，見祟持刃相驚，可移病人於南方設緋幕，至第九日南方，有屬馬醫巫，艾薩克火為姓名，下赤藥、艾灸、書朱符，其祟自除也。

According to this divination, the person has embezzled official funds, was summoned to the magistrate's office and frightened, thus developing a spleen deficiency and loose bowels; during the illness, he also saw ghosts holding knives to scare him. The method of exorcism is to move the patient to a place to the south, and set up a large red curtain. On the ninth day, a healer who is of the horse sign and whose name contains the meaning of fire will come from the south (the original text here reads 'Ai Sa Ke Huo Wei Xing Ming', the wording seems to have errors, and it is recorded as is), who will administer red medicine, perform moxibustion, and write red sand talismans, and the ghostly spirits will naturally be dispelled.

何以知失陷官錢而得驚恐？蓋發用天魁為財，上得玄武為失財之象，時為日德日祿，主動官，值事門見螣蛇主驚恐。

How do we know it is about a loss of official funds causing alarm? The initiating transmission (发用) is the heavenly stem Tiankui (戌), which is overcome by Jia wood, representing the wealth爻. However, it is occupied by Xuanwu (Black Tortoise), which signifies theft and loss. This indicates the loss of money. At the time of the divination,寅 is both the daily virtue (日德) and the daily fortune (日禄) of Jia, and the position of virtue and fortune being activated connects with the officialdom. The straight matter (直事) door shows Tengsnake (螣蛇), which specifically governs fear and alarm, so it is concluded that there was an official report and alarm.

何知脾胃、下臟之病？蓋發用天魁主脾，春土無氣，又為甲木所克，故知脾虛也；上得元武水與天魁土內戰，故知下臟之疾。

How do we know the illness is in the spleen and lower jiao? The initiating transmission (发用) is the heavenly stem Tiankui (天魁) in the earthly branch Xu (戌), which belongs to earth and corresponds to the spleen in the human body. In the first lunar month, spring wood is in command, and earth is in a state of weakness. The earth of Xu is already weak, and it is further attacked by the wood of Jia (甲), so it is diagnosed as spleen deficiency. Xu is occupied by Xuanwu (玄武), which belongs to water. Water and earth are in the same position and fight against each other. Earth governs the middle jiao, and water governs the lower jiao. The conflict between them leads to illness in the lower jiao organs.

又言祟者，申金在中傳為鬼，經云傳見魁病必有祟，上得白虎為刀兵，故言見祟持刀相驚，移於南方午上，設緋幕者，南方及緋幕皆火象，能制金祟矣。

As for ghosts and spirits, it is because the Middle Transmission has the metal of the Monkey (申) overcoming the wood of the Jia (甲), which is the official ghost; the ancient texts say that if the Three Transmissions include the Heavenly Stem of Tiankui (戌), there must be supernatural disturbances in the illness. The Monkey is also accompanied by the White Tiger, which governs weapons and blades, so it is concluded that the ghost or spirit is holding a blade and coming to scare the patient. To exorcise this, move the patient to the southern position of the午 (Wu) and set up a large red curtain. The south belongs to fire, and the color red also belongs to fire; fire can overcome metal, so the metal spirit is restrained, and the supernatural disturbance naturally dissipates.

末傳勝光九數，故云九日。午為馬為火，為赤、為灸、為救神，故云醫巫也。經云：土丸木散水湯火灸金針，今傳送為鬼，若針則加病，灸則病減也，金為日鬼，故宜書朱篆以壓之，交春木旺金無氣矣，救神乘相氣病當瘥也。

The final transmission, Shengguang Wu, has a fixed number of nine, so it refers to the ninth day. Wu, in the生肖, is the horse, belonging to the fire element, with the color red. In medicine, it is associated with moxibustion. In this divination, it is also the saving deity that controls metal. Therefore, the person in question is a healer who specializes in moxibustion and is of the horse sign. The ancient texts say: earth governs pills, wood governs powders, water governs decoctions, fire governs moxibustion, and metal governs acupuncture. In this case, the transmission, Shen metal, is the harmful official ghost that harms the person. Therefore, using acupuncture would worsen the condition, but moxibustion would alleviate it. Since metal is the ghost of the day stem, it should be subdued with vermilion talismans and seals. When spring arrives, the wood element becomes strong, and the metal element loses its support. At this time, the saving deity, Wu fire, is in a favorable position, and the illness will naturally recover.

假令六月乙丑日午將未時。

Take another example: in the sixth month, on a Yichou day, using Wu as the Month General, the divination is done at the hour of Wei. Wu General is placed on Wei hour. The Heaven Plate is one position behind the Earth Plate.

勾 龍 空 虎 辰 巳 午 未　　后 貴 朱 合　　父 甲子 貴 合卯　　申常　　亥 子 寅 卯　　父 　亥 后 ◎ 朱寅　　酉玄　　子 丑 卯 乙　　財 　戌 陰 ◎ 丑 子 亥 戌 蛇 貴 后 陰

In the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate's position of Si is occupied by the Heaven Plate's Chen, riding on Gou Chen; the position of Wu is occupied by Si, riding on Qing Long; the position of Wei is occupied by Wu, riding on Tian Kong; the position of Shen is occupied by Wei, riding on Bai Hu; the position of You is occupied by Shen, riding on Tai Chang; the position of Xu is occupied by You, riding on Xuan Wu; the position of Hai is occupied by Xu, riding on Tai Yin; the position of Zi is occupied by Hai, riding on Tian Hou; the position of Chou is occupied by Zi, riding on Gui Ren; the position of Yin is occupied by Chou, riding on Teng Snake; the position of Mao is occupied by Yin, riding on Zhu Què; the position of Chen is occupied by Mao, riding on Liu He. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Yi wood lodges in Chen, with Chen occupied by Mao, riding on Liu He; the second lesson, Mao occupied by Yin, riding on Zhu Què; the third lesson, the day branch Chou occupied by Zi, riding on Gui Ren; the fourth lesson, Zi occupied by Hai, riding on Tian Hou. The three transmissions begin with Zi (Jia Zi riding on Gui Ren), middle with Hai (riding on Tian Hou), with water from Zi and Hai nourishing Yi wood, both being parent yao; the final transmission is Xu (riding on Tai Yin, with Xu earth being overcome by Yi wood, thus being the wealth yao). On the day of Yi Chou, it belongs to the first decade starting with Jia Zi, with Xu and Hai falling into the旬空, so the middle and final transmissions are missing and marked as 「◎」.

來意事於西北方，承繼姓王人財產，相托一屬鼠有官人，九月內定成就；又目下西南虛望公財，道路有所畏隔，不敢往也。

According to this interpretation, the matter is in the northwest direction, and he intends to inherit property from a man surnamed Wang; this matter will be entrusted to someone who is a rat sign and has an official position to handle; it will certainly be completed within nine months. On the other hand, he is currently relying on a public source of wealth in the southwest, but it is illusory, and there are fears and obstacles on the way, so he ultimately dares not proceed.

蓋末傳天魁為日干之財，天魁臨亥字主王字，發用神后，為日干三合，上見貴神天乙，故知承繼姓王人財產，而得屬鼠貴人力也。九月成就者，歸計戌為九月建也。

The final transmission's Tiankui (戌) is overcome by the wood of Yi, which is the day stem's wealth. The戌 is located on the亥, which belongs to water, and water is counted as one. Adding one horizontal line to the earth forms the character 'Wang', so this wealth comes from someone surnamed Wang. The戌 is in the northwest direction, so the matter is related to the northwest. The initiating transmission is Shenhou (子), which forms a triple harmony with the Yi wood's lodging palace. The子 is also occupied by the Tianyi Nobleman, and since the子 is the rat in the zodiac, it is concluded that a person of official status who is a rat is entrusted with handling the matter. It is said that the matter will be completed in September, because the final transmission is the Guijimmen (returning calculation gate), and the戌 is exactly the month builder of September.

又言西南虛望財者，未為日下之財，上見天空主虛詐，又值事門上見白虎主道路。白虎金也，為日之鬼，故畏而不敢往也。

Now regarding the wealth that falls empty in the southwest: the earth of the sixth position is overcome by the wood of the second heavenly stem, and it is also wealth beneath the day stem. The sixth position belongs to the southwest direction; however, the sixth position is occupied by the sky void, which specializes in being empty and deceptive. Therefore, this wealth is just empty hope. In the straight matter section, there is also the white tiger, which governs roads, and the white tiger belongs to metal, which overcomes the wood of the second heavenly stem, which is precisely the official ghost beneath the day stem. There is a ghost waiting by the road, so he feels afraid in his heart and dares not go that way.

假令六月丙寅日午將未時。

Now take another example: the same month, the same hour general, and the same time, but the day branch is changed to Bingyin. The first two examples had different birth years and different month generals, while this pair has the same month general and time but a different day branch. Observe how the lesson pattern changes with the day branch.

龍 空 虎 常 辰 巳 午 未　　蛇 朱 勾 龍　　官 甲子 蛇 勾卯　　申玄　　子 丑 卯 辰　　官 　亥 貴 ◎ 合寅　　酉陰　　丑 寅 辰 丙　　子 　戌 后 ◎ 丑 子 亥 戌 朱 蛇 貴 後

When the day branch changes, the position of the nobleman also changes, and the twelve heavenly generals are rearranged. On the heaven plate, the earth plate's巳 is paired with the heaven plate's辰, riding the azure dragon; the earth plate's午 is paired with the heaven plate's巳, riding the sky void; the earth plate's未 is paired with the heaven plate's午, riding the white tiger; the earth plate's申 is paired with the heaven plate's未, riding the tai chang; the earth plate's酉 is paired with the heaven plate's申, riding the black tortoise; the earth plate's戌 is paired with the heaven plate's酉, riding the tai yin; the earth plate's亥 is paired with the heaven plate's戌, riding the heavenly empress; the earth plate's子 is paired with the heaven plate's亥, riding the nobleman; the earth plate's丑 is paired with the heaven plate's子, riding the teng snake; the earth plate's寅 is paired with the heaven plate's丑, riding the vermilion bird; the earth plate's卯 is paired with the heaven plate's寅, riding the liu he; the earth plate's辰 is paired with the heaven plate's卯, riding the gou chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the jing fire is in the lodging palace of巳, with巳 paired with辰, riding the azure dragon; the second lesson, the lodging palace of辰 is paired with卯, riding the gou chen; the third lesson, the day branch寅 is paired with丑, riding the vermilion bird; the fourth lesson, the lodging palace of丑 is paired with子, riding the teng snake. The three transmissions are: initial子 (jiazi riding the teng snake), middle亥 (riding the nobleman), and final戌 (riding the heavenly empress, with戌 earth being generated by the jing fire, which is the son爻). The day of Bingyin belongs to the jiazi decade, with戌 and亥 falling into the旬空.

來意主北面，近水酒筵間，與額尖眼小之人相爭，又一貴人與彼相助，而欲見官，卻得一王姓人勸和無事也。

According to this interpretation, a person came from the north near water and set out a banquet. He had an argument with a man who had a sharp and narrow forehead and small eyes. Another nobleman supported the other party, and the matter was almost going to be taken to the authorities. Later, a man surnamed Wang mediated between them, and everything ended peacefully.

蓋值事門上見太常，主酒飲食，發用亥子為北，又臨亥為近水，神后為為日之官鬼，見蛇為眼小額尖之人，中傳登明亦為日鬼，見貴人知與彼相助。緣日上天罡，主怒惡，能制亥子水，故知息怒惡而欲到官，卦體比用主和合，末傳天魁臨亥主王字，故云姓王人勸合。

The matter is under the influence of Tai Chang, which governs feasts and banquets involving wine. The initiating transmission uses亥 and子, which are located in the north direction and are adjacent to亥. Since亥 represents water, it indicates a banquet facing north near water. Shen Hou (spiritual heir) is the water of子, which overcomes Bing fire, thus becoming the official ghost of the day stem. This official ghost is accompanied by Teng Snake, which has a long and slender form with a pointed head, corresponding to a person with a narrow forehead and small eyes. The middle transmission, Deng Ming (Dawn), also uses亥, which is another official ghost overcoming the day stem. This official ghost is accompanied by Tian Yi (Heavenly Virtue), indicating that there is a nobleman supporting the other side. The day stem is accompanied by Tian Gang (Heavenly Gang), which governs anger and malevolence, and the earth of Chen can overcome the water of亥 and子. Thus, there is a situation of anger and the ability to control the other side, almost leading to a court dispute. However, the lesson pattern is "Bi Yong" (mutual use), which indicates harmony between the two sides. The final transmission, Tian Gui (Heavenly Guardian), uses Xu, which is earth paired with water, forming the character "Wang" (king). Therefore, it is predicted that a person surnamed Wang will intervene to mediate, and the matter will be resolved.

右前三課而人命不同，次二課而月將不通，後二課而日辰不同，其災禍所主旺相相生，懸隔學者，悟此可以得之也。

In the above examples, the first divination case is paired with three different personal birth stems, while the middle two cases have the same day branch but different month generals, and the last two cases share the same month general and time but different day branches. The same chart can lead to vastly different outcomes of misfortune or fortune, depending on whether the elements are prosperous and strong, weak and confined, or in a state of generation, control, restriction, or transformation. If students can thoroughly understand these points, they will grasp the principles of variation in divination.

六庚日伏吟者，古法以申寅巳為三傳，又書以申寅申為三傳，余嘗謂刑始於寅終於申。甲戊丙日當盡三刑，庚日先刑而後沖也。

On the six days of Geng (Gengzi, Gengyin, Gengchen, Gengwu, Gengshen, Gengxu), when the Hidden Chant lesson occurs, the method of selecting the three transmissions has traditionally been divided into two schools of thought. The ancient method takes the branches Shen, Yin, and Si, while another text takes Shen, Yin, and Shen. I have examined this matter: the group of branches Yin, Si, and Shen form a triple mutual accusation, starting at Yin and ending at Shen. For the Hidden Chant on Jia day, Wu day, and Bing day, the triple mutual accusation should be fully traversed, proceeding all the way to Si. However, for Geng day, since Geng is lodged in Shen, Shen first accuses Yin, and Yin then turns back to clash with Shen. The accusation is completed before the clash occurs, so the final transmission remains on Shen. This is the basis for the saying 'Shen Yin Shen'.

壬寅秋七月，餘以隴西公事匿村落中，父即求課於元公，得庚午日午將午時，三傳申寅申，將虎蛇虎。

In the autumn of the Renyin year, I was hiding in a village due to being implicated in the case of the Marquis of Longxi. My father went to consult Master Yuan and obtained a divination with the day Gengwu, the time of the noon hour, and a hidden chant lesson. The three transmissions were Shen, Yin, and Shen, with the heavenly generals in sequence being the White Tiger, the Teng Snake, and the White Tiger again.

勾 龍 空 虎 巳 午 未 申　　龍 龍 虎 虎　　兄 壬申 虎　申虎 合辰　　酉常　　午 午 申 申　　財 丙寅 蛇　寅蛇 朱卯　　戌玄　　午 午 申 庚　　官 己巳 勾　申虎 寅 丑 子 亥 蛇 貴 后 陰

The month general is placed on the hour of Wu, so the heaven plate and earth plate completely coincide. In each palace, the upper god is the branch of that palace, which is called hidden chant. In the plate, the earth plate on Si still has Si, riding on Gou Chen; on Wu, it has Wu, riding on Azure Dragon; on Wei, it has Wei, riding on Tian Kong; on Shen, it has Shen, riding on White Tiger; on You, it has You, riding on Tai Chang; on Xu, it has Xu, riding on Black Tortoise; on Hai, it has Hai, riding on Tai Yin; on Zi, it has Zi, riding on Heavenly Empress; on Chou, it has Chou, riding on Nobleman; on Yin, it has Yin, riding on Teng Snake; on Mao, it has Mao, riding on Vermilion Bird; on Chen, it has Chen, riding on Liu He. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the metal of Geng is lodged in Shen, Shen has Shen, riding on White Tiger; the second lesson is also Shen with Shen; the third lesson, the day branch on Wu has Wu, riding on Azure Dragon; the fourth lesson is also Wu with Wu. The three transmissions column lists two interpretations: on the left, the ancient method has Shen (Renshen riding on White Tiger, same as Geng as brother yao), Yin (Bingyin riding on Teng Snake, Yin wood is overcome by Geng metal as wealth yao), and Si (Jisi riding on Gou Chen, Si fire overcomes Geng metal as official ghost yao); on the right, in small letters, another interpretation has Shen, Yin, and Shen. The day of Gengwu belongs to the Jiazi decade, with Xu and Hai falling into the empty of the decade.

至壬申日勾喚予妻到官，以中傳寅為妻爻，為用申所克也，予於是日避難赴官出頭，蓋傳送白虎俱為道路，故壬申日動也。背予妻回家予下村去，至戊寅日喚予至州，蓋應中傳寅字，為庚日之驛馬也，至乙卯日間，隴西公承服予復下村去，至壬午日斷訖。

Later on the Renshen day, the officials summoned my wife to appear at the case, which corresponds to the middle transmission's寅: the寅 wood is the wife's wealth爻, which is overcome by the initiating transmission's申 metal. I also ended my hiding on this day and appeared before the authorities, because the transmission of申 and the White Tiger both relate to roads, so my journey began on the Renshen day. Afterwards I sent my wife home and then went to the countryside; on the Wuyin day, the officials summoned me again to the county, which corresponds to the middle transmission's寅 character, for寅 is the Post-horse of the庚 day. Between the Yimao day, the Marquis of Longxi confessed and admitted guilt, and I returned to the countryside again; until the Renwu day, the case was finally concluded.

蓋庚日課中正是謂螣蛇至壬午日制之，又發用申與白虎俱是七數，二七十四數，彼以己巳日入州，壬午日事畢，蓋是十四日也。戊申日予始歸，蓋末傳申為歸計，申乃庚之本位，故申日至家也。

In this lesson on a庚 day, the disturbing force is the Teng Snake, which is carried by the Middle Transmission. Teng Snake belongs to the fire element, and on the Renwu day, it is restrained by the Ren water, thus the matter is resolved. Now calculate the days: the Initiating Transmission of the申 has a fixed number of seven, and the fixed number of the White Tiger is also seven; the two sevens make fourteen. The Lengxi Gong started his journey to the state on the Jisi day, and the matter was completed on the Renwu day, exactly fourteen days in total. As for myself, I did not return home until the Wushen day, because the final transmission of the申 is the Returning Gate, and the申 is also the original position of the庚 metal. When a person returns to their original position, they arrive home on the day of申.

先鋒門為日破主破財，又中傳寅為財爻被初末二申制之。傳送主姓張人，先鋒門午亦主姓張人，案吏姓張，住正南勝光也。占親人請客亦姓張住西南，傳送也。破財二十七數，同前數也。

The first transmission's午 is considered day break for the day of庚, and day break signifies loss of wealth. The middle transmission's寅 is originally the wealth hexagram, but it is restrained and controlled by the first and final transmissions'申, so wealth cannot be retained. The transmission of申 corresponds to the surname Zhang, and the first transmission's午 also corresponds to the surname Zhang. The clerk handling this case is named Zhang, living due south, which corresponds to the hexagram of Shengguang午; the relative who acted on our behalf also is named Zhang, living southwest, which corresponds to the transmission of申. As for the amount of loss being twenty-seven, the calculation is the same as the previous day count, derived from the fixed number of申 and the White Tiger.

予父經兩丁月對問應予命上大吉為父母爻，見天乙主動官也，所居村去州七里，連高阜蓋中傳寅為東北，為七里建得戊字寅配艮為山得戊寅即阜也，村名黃村，戊土黃也，申數亦七，而只言七里者，伏吟主近故也。

My father was summoned for questioning twice during months containing the character Ding. This corresponds to the large auspicious sign of Chou in my birth chart. Chou is the parent element, and it is occupied by the celestial stem Tianyi (the Nobleman), which signifies disturbance from the authorities. The village where I live is seven li away from the prefecture city. Beside the village is a high hill. The middle transmission of Yin belongs to the northeast direction, and the fixed number of Yin is seven, hence the seven li. Yin also carries the character Wu, and Yin corresponds to the trigram Gen (Mountain), which represents a mountain made of earth. The village is called "Huang Village" because Wu belongs to earth, and earth is yellow. The fixed number of Shen is also seven, but why is it only seven li and not double? Because the lesson of Fu Yin emphasizes stillness and proximity, so it does not take the distant number.

右一字訣，並假令悉是分城元先生所傳，百端如用日擊而神應，僕參以古經而為編次，並非臆說，強為辯論而欲邀譽於人矣。

The above "One-Character诀" together with all the examples is entirely passed down by Master Fencheng Yuan; with thousands of methods applied according to these principles, they respond as smoothly as striking a drum, without fail. I have merely arranged them in order according to ancient classics, not inventing them out of nowhere, nor fabricating arguments to seek fame among people.

子主姓劉，丑主姓孫田牛，丑加辰為兵，寅主趙、高，寅卯外加亥子姓李，卯主絲竹木、千里，未主構、井、田，辰主山，申主張韓袁候，卯申為劉，辰戌丑未加亥子為王，卯加巳為杞，卯加酉為劉，酉主人為金刀口字又姓劉，丑加巳紀，

The following is a mnemonic for determining surnames based on the Earthly Branches and Heavenly Generals, combining their shapes and symbolic meanings. Zi corresponds to the surname Liu; Chou corresponds to the surnames Sun, Tian, and Niu; Chou combined with Chen becomes Bing; Yin corresponds to the surnames Zhao and Gao; adding Hai and Zi to Yin and Mao results in the surname Li (wood paired with Zi); Mao corresponds to surnames with radicals related to silk, bamboo, and wood, as well as the surname derived from "qianli" (thousand miles); Wei corresponds to the surnames Gou, Jing, and Tian; Chen corresponds to surnames with mountain radicals; Shen corresponds to the surnames Zhang, Han, Yuan, and Hou; Mao combined with Shen results in Liu; any of Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei combined with Hai or Zi results in the surname Wang (earth paired with water, one number); Mao combined with Si becomes Qi; Mao combined with You becomes Liu; You itself takes "ren" (person), "jin dao" (gold knife), and "kou" (mouth), so it also corresponds to Liu; Chou combined with Si becomes Ji.

六合加亥為鄧，太陰加酉為呂，天后加子為聶，六合臨巳午郝，卯酉相加六合披辛姓關，貴人加酉鄭，六合太陰邵，未加子姓姜，卯加寅姓柳，六合加酉姓閻，朱雀螣蛇加寅卯姓李，

Liu He placed on Hai indicates Deng surname; Tai Yin placed on You indicates Lv surname; Heavenly Empress placed on Zi indicates Nie surname; Liu He on Si and Wu indicates Hao surname; Mao and You combined, Liu He paired with Xin indicates Guan surname; Nobleman placed on You indicates Zheng surname; Liu He and Tai Yin together indicate Shao surname; Wei placed on Zi indicates Jiang surname; Mao placed on Yin indicates Liu surname; Liu He placed on You indicates Yan surname; Vermilion Bird and Teng Snake placed on Yin and Mao indicate Li surname.

子卯相加為柳，太陰加土姓周，天罡加勾陳姓龐，月將加酉姓時，辰加寅姓翟，神后臨卯姓藺，寅卯相加宋林，天罡加酉姓龔，六合加子姓孔加巳為杞，六合臨酉為蘭，青龍加卯姓關，卯加未為開，子加丑為孟。

The combination of Zi and Mao gives the surname Liu; Tai Yin added to the earth position gives the surname Zhou; Heavenly Gang and Gou Chen appearing together give the surname Pang; Month General added to You gives the surname Shi; Chen added to Yin gives the surname Zhai; Shen Hou Zi on Mao gives the surname Lin; the combination of Yin and Mao gives the surname Song or Lin; Heavenly Gang added to You gives the surname Gong; Liu He added to Zi gives the surname Kong, and added to Si gives the surname Qi; Liu He on You gives the surname Lan; Azure Dragon added to Mao gives the surname Guan; Mao added to Wei gives the surname Kai; Zi added to Chou gives the surname Meng. According to the initial table of contents, this section should be followed by three chapters: "Determining the Appearance of the Twelve Branches," "Appearance of the Ten Heavenly Stems," and "Divination of Human Appearance." However, the original text continues directly with a colophon, and these three chapters are only listed without content, indicating they are missing from the original. They are recorded as they appear without supplementation.

右一字訣又名玉連環，盧溪徐次賓述，翠微樵隱王順氏序其端，蓋大金人書也。余昔於苕溪，得羅子曼先生所傳陳狀元玉連環一書，題曰管輅公明撰，與此大略相似，而次序有異，後七言歌章，占風雨等論舊館兵失去久矣。

The above text of "One Character诀" is also known as "Jade Ring," written by Xu Cibin from Luxi. The preface was written by Wang Shun, who styled himself "Cuiwei Qiaoyan." Originally, it was a work from the Jin dynasty. I once obtained a book titled "Chen状元 Jade Ring" passed down by Luo Ziman, which was attributed to Guan Lu of the Three Kingdoms era (whose name was Gongming). Its content is roughly similar to this one, though the order of chapters differs. The book also included seven-character verse rhymes and sections on predicting rain and wind, but unfortunately, these were lost during a war when the book was stored in a pavilion, and it has been a long time since then.

子曼亦以江西再不復見，今錄是書有動厥中不能無慨嘆耳，次賓雲中間，假令悉是分城元先生所傳，不知次賓於分城為何人耶，知之者必有教諸，然嘉言妙理必有原委，要當參透何必考為何人也。

Luo Zi man later went to Jiangxi, and has not been seen since. Now, copying down this book, my heart is stirred, and I cannot help but feel a sense of regret. Xu Cibin said in the book that all the examples in it were passed down by the Master of Fencheng, but he did not know what relationship Xu Cibin had with this Master of Fencheng, nor who that Master was. Those who know the truth would surely be willing to enlighten us. However, to be honest, all good words and profound truths must have their origins; the important thing is to understand the principles thoroughly, and there is no need to insist on finding out who exactly he was.

洪武丁巳五月端陽後一日　松江朱恆 識

In the tenth year of the Hongwu era (1377 CE), on the day after the Dragon Boat Festival in the Dingsi year, Zhu Heng of Songjiang made a record.