Ce Zi Mi Die (測字秘牒)

何以直此十法？蓋一字之來必各有體，因其體之隱現不同，故其測之變化不定。邵子書曰：「認定用神。」又曰：「體立而後用行。」皆有深義。然測不立法，不足以示學者之權衡；字不加減，不足以開問者之蒙昧。是必乘除損益，每一字到真機，流動變化數字於其間，則所問之事昭然在目，驗後豈不愉快？列法於左。

Why are these ten methods established? Because each character presented for divination has its own structure, and the way its strokes are hidden or revealed, spaced or dense varies. Therefore, the changes inferred from them are not fixed. Shao Yong of the Song Dynasty said in his writings: "Identify the Useful God." He also said: "Only after the body is established can the use proceed." These two statements contain profound meaning — first, one must identify the key part of the character, which is called the "Useful God"; then, only after the character's essence is firmly established can one proceed to use it for change. However, if divination does not establish rules, it cannot provide scholars with a standard for judgment and choice; if the character is not added to or subtracted from, it cannot dispel the confusion in the mind of the person seeking divination. Therefore, one must make efforts of "multiplication, subtraction, reduction, and addition" on a single character: either adding strokes, subtracting strokes, splitting it apart, or combining parts, until the true essence of the character is revealed. Then, the characters derived from it will flow and change within, and the matter being inquired about will naturally become clear before one's eyes, and later be fulfilled one by one, which is indeed satisfying. Now, I will list the ten methods below.

字從太極出，各具首尾，各有結構。測字之法不離羲畫之理，生生化化，變幻萬端，因其所問之事而推之，據吾所觸之幾而斷之，百不失一。何以謂之裝頭？蓋其所問之事與所寫之字，雖隱露吉凶，而首猶藏，如神龍不見首；我則添筆於上而出之，燦如躍如，而字中之理全彰，故曰裝頭。

The characters originate from the "Taiji" point, each having a beginning and an end, with its own structural framework. The principle of divination through characters is essentially the same as Fuxi's method of drawing the trigrams: from one comes two, from two comes four, and so on, continuously generating and changing endlessly. Therefore, one should follow the matter the person is inquiring about, and judge based on the current intuitive "qi" or sign that moves one's mind at that moment. In this way, the divination is never wrong. What is meant by "zhuang tou" (making up the head)? When the person's question and the character they write already hint at good or bad fortune, but the head of the character is still hidden and not yet revealed, like a dragon seen only by its tail but not its head. At this moment, the diviner adds a few strokes above the character to reveal the hidden head, making the meaning of the character suddenly clear and vivid, as if it leaps off the page. The principles contained within the character then become fully apparent, hence the term "zhuang tou."

戊（茂）、裡（童）、（死、苑）、古（罟、苦、居）、兄（克、況、兌）、亦（赤）、日（春、皆、百）、爭（箏、事）、早（囗、草、章）、冊（扁、掞）、央（瑽、英）、黽（蒨、黿、蠅）、免（冤、冕）、艮（痕、摐、食）、合（答）、屈（窟）、魚（鯊、鰲）、至（窒、臺）、見（寬、覓、覺）、連（運、蓮）。

The following are examples of characters formed by adding components to the top of a character. Adding "艹" to "戊" forms "茂"; adding "立" to "里" forms "童"; the original character "苑" is formed by adding "歹" to "夗"; adding "艹" to "夗" forms "苑"; adding "罒" to "古" forms "罟"; adding "艹" to "古" forms "苦"; adding "尸" to "古" forms "居"; adding "十" to "兄" forms "克"; adding "冫" to the side of "兄" forms "况"; adding two dots above "兄" forms "兑"; adding one horizontal stroke to "亦" forms "赤"; adding "𡗗" above "日" forms "春"; adding "比" above "日" forms "皆"; adding one horizontal stroke to "日" forms "百"; adding "竹" above "争" forms "筝"; adding one horizontal stroke to "争" forms "事"; adding "艹" above "早" forms "草"; adding "立" above "早" forms "章"; another character is missing, only "囗" remains; adding "户" above "册" forms "扁"; adding "艹" above "央" forms "英"; adding "元" above "黾" forms "鼋"; adding "虫" to the side of "黾" forms "蝇"; adding "宀" above "免" forms "冤"; adding "冃" above "免" forms "冕"; adding "疒" above "艮" forms "痕"; adding "人" above "艮" forms "食"; adding "竹" above "合" forms "答"; adding "穴" above "屈" forms "窟"; adding "沙" above "鱼" forms "鲨"; adding "敖" above "鱼" forms "鳌"; adding "穴" above "至" forms "窒"; adding "士、冖、口" to "至" forms "臺" (now written as "台"); adding "宀" and "艹" above "见" forms "宽"; adding "爫" above "见" forms "觅"; adding the head of "学" above "见" forms "觉"; replacing "车" in "连" with "云" forms "运"; adding "艹" above "连" forms "莲". Among these, the characters "掞" under "册", "瑽" under "央", "蒨" under "黾", and "摐" under "艮" have forms not related to the examples given, and are likely errors in the transmission of the original text; they are retained as they were.

元（坃、完）、冢（家、豪、蒙）、山（巒、甗）、目（眉、著、眷）、足（蹇、促）、可（河、奇、珝）、皮（波、破）、田（留、富、當）、由（笛、囗、甫）、令（零）、巾（吊、幕、皞、席）、比（庇、麗）、其（箕）、夋（戴、冀、翼）、衣（裹、裳）、金（釜、鑾）、心（愁、忠）、升（飛、升）、貝（貧、貴、貪）。

"Yuan" combined with "earth" to form "fu", and with "roof" on top to form "wan"; "zhong" with "cover" replaced by "roof" becomes "jia", and with "gao" on top becomes "hao", and with "grass" and "cover" on top becomes "meng"; "shan" with "lun" on top becomes "lun", and with "yun" on top becomes "yan"; "mu" with "shi" on top becomes "mei", and with "yang" on top becomes "zhuo", and with "qian" on top becomes "juan"; "zu" with "roof" and "jiong" on top becomes "jian", and with "ren" beside it becomes "cu"; "ke" with "water" beside it becomes "he", and with "da" on top becomes "qi"; "pi" with "water" beside it becomes "bo", and with "shi" becomes "po"; "tian" with "mao" on top becomes "liu", and with "roof", "one", and "mouth" on top becomes "fu", and with "shang" on top becomes "dang" (now written as "dang"); "you" with "zhu" on top becomes "di", and another character with a missing base is written as "guan"; "ling" with "rain" on top becomes "ling"; "jin" with "mouth" on top becomes "diao", and with "mo" on top becomes "mu", and with "guang" and "er" on top becomes "xi"; "bi" with "guang" on top becomes "bi"; "qi" with "zhu" on top becomes "ji"; the characters "dai", "ji", and "yi" mentioned under "jun" are actually the character "yi" with a head added—adding "bei" on top becomes "ji", adding "yu" on top becomes "yi", and adding "shi" and "ge" becomes "dai", and the original character "jun" should be a mistake for "yi"; "yi" with "guo" in the middle becomes "guo", and with "shang" on top becomes "shang"; "jin" with "fu" on top becomes "fu", and with "lun" on top becomes "luan"; "xin" with "qiu" on top becomes "chou", and with "zhong" on top becomes "zhong"; "sheng" is also written as "sheng", so it is mentioned together with "fei"; "bei" with "fen" on top becomes "pin", and with "zhong" and "one" on top becomes "gui", and with "jin" on top becomes "tan".

字如人之體，有冠必有履。測法因其所書之字察其善惡，如人之全身已現，但未舉足行動，因以囗囗之，故曰接腳。

A single character is like a person's body. If it has a hat, it must also have shoes. This method involves examining the character written by the person to determine its goodness or badness, fortune or misfortune. It is like a person standing completely in front of you, but has not yet lifted his foot to move. The practitioner then adds strokes below the character to give it a pair of feet, enabling it to move. (The original text has two missing characters here, marked as 「囗囗」.) Therefore, this technique is called "receiving the feet." Adding a head is done above, while receiving the feet is done below. These two methods, one above and one below, are perfectly opposite to each other.

採（悉、釋、番）、千（秀、壬）、立（產、童、音）、裡（冘、墨、鋋）、自（息、身）、苑（葬）、合（枿、會）。

The example characters show how the lower part of a character is added to the base character. For instance, "采" with "心" below becomes "悉," with "睾" becomes "释," and with "田" becomes "番." "千" with "乃" below becomes "秀," and with a horizontal stroke becomes "壬." "立" with "厂" and "丿" below becomes "产," with "里" becomes "童," and with "日" becomes "音." "里" with "灬" below and adding "黑" becomes "墨." "自" with "心" below becomes "息," and adding a stroke becomes "身." "苑" with "廾" below becomes "葬." "合" with a wooden radical below becomes "枿," and with a horizontal stroke becomes "会." It is evident that the added lower parts are mostly components like "心," "田," "日," and "灬." Once these are added, the meaning of the character changes, and thus the fortune or misfortune is revealed.

凡字畫端正、左右俱全，而從中穿入數筆，以變化其字，謂之穿心；如衣裾之縫，其不從中而合。

Any character whose strokes are neat and complete on both sides is considered. If several strokes are drawn through the middle of the character to transform it into another character, this is called 'chuanxin'. This is similar to sewing the front of a garment; if the sewing line does not go through the center, the two pieces of fabric cannot be joined. In fortune-telling through characters, this stroke must pass through the exact center of the character to form a new character.

文（吏）、昌（量）、鞋（難）、維（棨）、月（舟、用、冉、角）、旦（裡、車、叟）、弓（弗、嵒、費）。

The example of the "穿心" method is as follows. In the character "文", a vertical stroke is inserted and a mouth shape is added to form "吏"; in "昌", a horizontal stroke and a "里" stroke are inserted to form "量"; in "鞋", the left and right parts are rearranged to form "难"; "维" becomes "棨". In "月", inserting one stroke forms "舟", "用", and "冉"; inserting two strokes forms "角". In "旦", inserting one vertical stroke forms "里" and "车"; adding "臼" on top forms "叟". In "弓", inserting two strokes forms "弗"; combining with "石" forms "嵒"; adding "贝" forms "费". It is evident that the "穿心" method does not alter the outer shape of the character, but instead adds strokes in the center, changing the form of the character and thereby altering its meaning.

包籠者，字之全體不動，而將筆周圍包裹之，另成一字。

The term "baolong" refers to a method of creating a new character by adding strokes around the original character without moving any of its original strokes, thus enclosing the entire original character within the added strokes to form a new character. When adding strokes at the top, it is called "zhuangtou"; when adding at the bottom, it is called "jiejiao"; when adding in the middle, it is called "chuanxin." However, "baolong" involves surrounding the original character completely with strokes, often resulting in characters with outer frames such as "囗," "辶," or "宀."

稚（灊）、韭（騑、殲、籤）、貝（遺、測）、矢（族、痴）、由（會、遭）、尹（倉、絺）、裡（墨）、玉（寶）、牛（逄、遲）、昔（翽、泬）、辛（襯、幸）、石（磨）、弓（潑）、主（囗）。

The example characters in the "bao long" method are as follows. "Zhi" is enclosed by water and mountain to form "Qian". "Jiu" is combined with "Ma" to form "Fei", with "Die" to form "Jian", and with "Zhu" above and "Shuang" below to form "Qian". "Bei" is combined with "Cuo" and "Zhong" to form "Wei", and with "Shui" and "Li" to form "Ce". "Shi" is combined with "Fang" and "Ren" to form "Zu", and with "Nai" above to form "Chi". "You" is covered by "Ren" and "Yi" to form "Hui", and with "Cuo" added to form "Zao". "Yin" is covered by "Ren" to form "Cang", and wrapped by "Si" to form "Chi". "Li" is combined with "Hei" to form "Mo". "Yu" is covered by "Mian" and added with "Fou" to form "Bao". "Niu" is combined with "Cuo" to form "Pang" and "Chi". "Xi" is combined with "Yu" to form "Hui", and with "Shui" and "Xue" to form "Jue". "Xin" is combined with "Yi" to form "Chen", and with a horizontal stroke above to form "Xing". "Shi" is covered by "Guang" and added with "Lin" to form "Mo". "Gong" is combined with "Shui" and "Bai" to form "Po". "Zhu" is enclosed, but the base character is missing, leaving only "Kuo".

破者，劈破。解者，解拆。將字之體段分開，從中加入數筆而成字，謂之破字。字之筆畫抉出，從旁標比、評論而成文，謂之解。破易而解難，破平正而解奇幻，觀後字可知。又，破與穿心不同。破必要分開，不若穿心字體不動也，解則隨意抉剔耳。

"Breaking" means to split apart, and "interpreting" means to disassemble. Breaking a character involves splitting its structure completely into two parts and then adding a few strokes at the split to form a new character, which is called "breaking a character." Interpreting a character involves picking out each stroke and using these radicals to make comparisons and interpretations, forming a passage of judgment, which is called "interpreting a character." Breaking characters is easy, while interpreting is difficult. The conclusions from breaking are straightforward and proper, while those from interpreting are strange and unpredictable. You will understand this better by looking at the examples provided later. Also, note that breaking is different from "piercing through the center"—breaking requires splitting the character, whereas piercing through the center leaves the original character intact. As for interpreting, it involves arbitrarily picking out strokes from the character without any fixed pattern.

行（術、衙、衍）、辛（章）、共（莫、黃）、衣（鸑、紘、哀、衷）、颭（算）、合（倉）、苦（苗）、璟（枿）、罵（駟）、田（古）、隼（惟）、香（查）、敕（拐、架、枷）、勳（賀）、解（周、祥）。

The example of character breakdown is as follows: "行" is split into its left and right parts, with another stroke added in the middle to form "术", "衙", and "衍"; "辛" is split and with a stroke added to form "章"; "共" is split top and bottom, with "日" added to form "莫" and "田" added to form "黄"; "衣" is split and with "岳" and "鸟" added to form "鸑" and with "糸" and "厶" added to form "纮", and with strokes added above and below to form "哀" and "衷"; "飐" is split into "竹", "目", and "廾" to form "算"; "合" is split by removing the lower "口" to form "仓"; "苦" is split by removing "口" and adding "田" to form "苗"; "璟" is split into its components to form "枿"; "骂" is split into "马" and the four dots to form "驷"; "田" is split into "十" and "口" to form "古"; "隼" is split into "隹" and paired with "忄" to form "惟"; "香" is split into "木" and "日" to form "查"; "敕" is split into its components and paired with "扌" to form "拐", with "木" to form "架" and "枷"; "勋" is split into "贝" and "力" to form "贺"; "解" is split into "用" and "口" to form "周", and "羊" paired with "礻" to form "祥".

哉（告、戎）、乖（禾、比、千）、稱（再、利）、程（杜、和）、鱸（田、申、爐、魚、火）、琳（林、瑞、麻）、膊（肘、傅、補）、椒（叔、枝）、伐（仁、義）、忒（懿、戚）、冒（昂、香）、志（喜、悲）、宋（安、樂）。

The character "zai" is split into "tu" and "kou" to form "gao," and into "ge" and "shi" to form "rong." The character "guai" is completely disassembled to yield "he," "bi," and "qian." The character "cheng" is split into "he" and "tu" to form "du," and into "he" and "kou" to form "he." The character "lu" is split into very small parts: within the fish there are "tian" and "shen," and on the right side there is "lu," so altogether there are "fish" and "fire." The character "lin" is split into "lin," and can also be combined with "rui" and "ma." The character "bo" is split into "yue" and "cun" to form "zhǒu," and the right side "fu" combined with "ren" forms "fu," and with "yi" forms "bu." The character "jiao" has the right side split into "shu," and the left side "mu" combined with "zhi" forms "zhi." The character "fa" is split into "ren" and "er" to form "ren," and into "ge" and "ya" to form "yi." The character "te" can have the strokes "yi" and "xin" added to form "yi," and rearranged with "wu" to form "qi." The character "mao" is split into "ri" and "ang" to form "ang," and with "he" to form "xiang." The character "zhi" is split into "shi" and "xin," adding "kou" forms "xi," and adding "fei" forms "bei." The character "song" removes the wood and adds "nü" to form "an," and rearranged to form "le." All these are methods of first splitting and then combining, selecting at will.

凡字不添不減不足以盡變化。邵子曰：「當添亦添，當減亦減。」或問：「保故用添減？」余曰：「此理易明！添乃補不足，減乃損有餘耳。」

Any single character, if neither strokes are added nor removed, cannot exhaust all its variations. Shao Yong said: "When it should be added, add; when it should be reduced, reduce." Someone asked: "Why do we need the method of adding and subtracting?" (The original text here may have "bao" mistakenly written as "he.") I say this principle is very clear—adding strokes is to supplement what is lacking, and removing strokes is to eliminate what is excessive. Characters reflect reality; matters have deficiencies that need to be supplemented and excesses that need to be reduced. The addition and subtraction in characters correspond to the fullness and emptiness in matters.

唯（難）、佳（雌、雄、帷）、忝（添、泰）、合（命）、曹（會、槽）、鳥（鸞、鳳、鳴）、目（貧、身、貴、賤）、王（玉、弄、全、旺）、巴（色、絕、疤、邑）、才（財、木、牙）、良（勣、琅、娘）、言（詩、論、信）、孔（乳、吼）。

Here are examples of characters formed by adding strokes. The left "mouth" in "唯" is changed to "again" to form "难"; the left part of "佳" becomes "this" to form "雌", "pressure" to form "雄", and "cloth" to form "帷"; the side of "忝" adds "water" to form "添", and the bottom adds "water" to form "泰"; a vertical stroke is added in the middle of "合" to form "命"; the top of "曹" is simplified to form "会", and adding "wood" to the side forms "槽". Adding "luan" above "鸟" forms "鸾", adding "ji" outside forms "凤", and adding "mouth" to the side forms "鸣". Adding "fen" above "目" forms "贫", adding a stroke forms "身", adding "zhong yi" above forms "贵", and adding "zhan" to the side forms "贱". Adding a dot to "王" forms "玉", adding "er" below forms "弄", adding "person" above forms "全", and adding "sun" to the side forms "旺". Adding "yao" above "巴" forms "色", adding "silk" to the side forms "绝", adding "disease" outside forms "疤", and adding strokes forms "city". Adding "shell" to the side of "才" forms "财", adding a stroke forms "wood", and adding a vertical stroke forms "tooth". Adding "force" to the side of "良" forms "ji", adding "king" forms "lang", and adding "woman" forms "niang". Adding "temple" to the side of "言" forms "shi", adding "lun" forms "lun", and moving it to form "person" forms "xin". Adding "hand" and "child" to the side of "孔" forms "ru", and changing to "mouth" forms "hou". All these are formed by adding one or two strokes to the original character, resulting in a completely new meaning.

減筆一法，非事之當而理之正，不可漫然用之也。凡當減時，亦當略減方是。不然，混入摘字法矣。

The method of reducing strokes should not be used casually unless the matter being inquired about truly requires reduction and the reasoning behind it is sound. Whenever reduction is appropriate, it is only suitable to reduce one or two strokes. If too many strokes are reduced, the character becomes fragmented, which would confuse it with the method of "plucking characters" mentioned later. Plucking characters involves arbitrarily selecting scattered strokes from a character, whereas reducing strokes must preserve the overall structure of the character. These two methods should not be confused.

寬（莧、見）、難（鞋）、莫（草）、袍（祀）、鶉（鳴）。

The following are examples of reduced strokes. "宽" becomes "苋" by removing the roof radical, and then becomes "见" by removing the grass radical; "难" becomes "鞋" by removing the right radical "隹" and replacing it with "圭"; "莫" becomes "草" by removing the lower part, leaving only the grass radical and the sun radical; "袍" becomes "祀" by removing two strokes of the clothing radical and replacing them with "礻"; "鹑" becomes "鸣" by removing the bird radical on the right. The reduction involves only one or two strokes or a single component, so the original character's structure remains intact, which conforms to the principle of reduced strokes.

關者，關門也。開則任人出入，闔惟見門而已。測字之有對關體，亦猶是也。其法，專取頭足首尾。如某字頭、某字尾，則如門之閉；分開雲某字頭，某字腳，一頭一尾闔之，則如門之開。此法最簡捷，其用又最廣，為字中第一要義，學者更宜究心。

"Guān" means closing a door. When a door is open, people can go in and out freely; when it is closed, one can only see a single door. In character divination, there is a method called "dui guan," which works on the same principle. This method specifically takes the beginning and end parts of a character, saying that the character is "the head of a certain character" or "the tail of a certain character." When these two parts are combined into a sentence, it is like a closed door, forming a whole. However, when they are separated and explained individually as "the head of a certain character" and "the tail of a certain character," each part forms its own meaning, and when combined, it is like an open door, allowing free movement. This method is the most straightforward and widely applicable, being the most important principle in character divination. Scholars should especially focus on this aspect.

先（牛頭虎足、生頭死足）、善（美頭喜足）、帛（皇頭帝足）、裡（男頭童足）、禹（千頭萬足）、展（眉梢眼角）、伯（伸頭縮腳）、友（有頭沒尾）、推（攔頭截尾）、彥（龍頭彪尾）、吝（頭吉尾、交頭合足）、言（文頭句腳）、找（拖頭曳腳）。

The character "guan" (关) is exemplified through these examples. The top part of "xian" (先) is the head of "niu" (牛, ox), and the bottom part is the foot of "hu" (虎, tiger); alternatively, it can be seen as the head of "sheng" (生, life) paired with the foot of "si" (死, death)—the same character, whether it brings good or bad fortune depends entirely on how this phrase is interpreted. "Shan" (善) has the head of "mei" (美, beauty) and the foot of "xi" (喜, joy); "bo" (帛) has the head of "huang" (皇, emperor) and the foot of "di" (帝, king); "li" (里) has the head of "nan" (男, man) and the foot of "tong" (童, child); "yu" (禹) has the head of "qian" (千, thousand) and the foot of "wan" (万, ten thousand). "Zhan" (展) takes the tip of "mei" (眉, eyebrow) and the horn of "yan" (眼, eye); "bo" (伯) is the head of "shen" (伸, stretch) paired with the foot of "su" (缩, shrink), symbolizing the movement of advancing and retreating; "you" (友) is the head of "you" (有, have) but lacks a tail; "tui" (推) is the head of "lan" (拦, block) added to the tail of "jie" (截, cut off), implying being blocked in front and cut off behind, making it impossible to move forward; "yan" (彦) is the head of "long" (龙, dragon) paired with the tail of "biao" (彪, fierce beast). The original form of "lin" (吝) was "tou ji wei" (头吉尾, good head and bad tail), meaning "good head and bad tail," which can also be interpreted as the head of "jiao" (交, meet) paired with the foot of "he" (合, combine); "yan" (言) is the head of "wen" (文, culture) paired with the foot of "ju" (句, sentence); "zhao" (找) is the head of "tuo" (拖, drag) paired with the foot of "ye" (曳, pull). Once the judgment is made, good or bad fortune is immediately evident. This is the wonderful aspect of the character "guan."

凡事之機到，雖旁人言語、萬物影響，皆可以借來應用，況字中筆畫乎？故或遇指點刻劃處，不妨摘字中一二些小筆畫以斷之，無不奇中。

Whenever the right opportunity arises for an event, even a casual remark from someone else or a sudden movement or sound from things around can be used as a basis for divination. How much more so can the strokes of a character, which are already present, be used? Therefore, when a person points to a certain place or draws a line on paper, the diviner may simply select a couple of small strokes from the character to make a judgment, and it will always be remarkably accurate. This method differs from the method of reducing strokes: the latter requires preserving the general shape of the character, while this method specifically selects small details, capturing exactly that momentary 'opportunity' or 'moment' that is triggered.

哉（土、戈）、殿（共）、調（吉、司）、鞠（米、採、十）、曜（隹、士、紵）、謀（小、口）、廣（共、由）。

In the character 「哉」, the components 「土」 and 「戈」 are extracted; in 「殿」, 「共」 is extracted; in 「调」, 「吉」 and 「司」 are extracted; in 「鞠」, 「米」, 「采」, and 「十」 are extracted; in 「曜」, the radicals 「隹」, 「士」, and the radical of 「纻」 are extracted; in 「谋」, 「小」 and 「口」 are extracted; in 「广」, 「共」 and 「由」 are extracted. When extracting, the meaning of the extracted character is used to make a judgment. If 「戈」 is extracted, it indicates conflict; if 「吉」 is extracted, it indicates joy and celebration. Everything depends on the practitioner's immediate insight at the moment.

觀梅之法活潑潑地，惟在人之心鏡光明，隨物洞照而不遺纖毫，庶可得之。前立九法，特為後學程式；此則邵子之心訣也，其《精微奧妙觀梅法》中已詳。茲姑錄曾驗之事數則，以便學者會悟雲。

The method of "Observing Plum Blossoms" is lively and flexible, without rigid formulas; it entirely depends on the clarity of the practitioner's inner mirror: by reflecting thoroughly on the present circumstances, without missing any detail, one can barely begin to grasp the essence. The previous nine methods were specially established for beginners as a structured approach, providing a starting point by following them. This method, however, is Shao Yong's inner诀, which he explained in detail in his work "The Subtle and Profound Method of Observing Plum Blossoms." Here, I will briefly record a few instances that have been verified, so that scholars may gain insight and understanding from them.

天（凡事空虛，然利於行動。若問功名，宜於晴朗之日。此舉一端，變化由人）。地（凡事有成，但嫌其遲。家宅田禾利）。人（凡事可成可敗，只在真誠方安）。日（實也。完全而不虧，但利於春冬曉；□若夏與晚，不足取也）。月（缺也。時有圓缺，然事之有根。上弦利，下弦不利也）。

Writing the character 「天」 (Heaven): The sky is vast and empty, so most things tend to end in failure, but the heavenly bodies never cease to move, which is favorable for travel and movement; if asking about fame and success, it is best to plan on clear days. This is just one example, and actual variations depend on the diviner's choice. Writing the character 「地」 (Earth): Earth can produce and nurture, so all things can be accomplished, though it is slow in doing so; asking about the home or the harvest of crops is most beneficial. Writing the character 「人」 (Person): People have both good and evil, and are changeable, so things may succeed or fail; only sincerity ensures safety. Writing the character 「日」 (Sun): The sun is a solid entity, full and unbroken, but it is favorable only in spring and winter and at dawn (the original text here is missing, marked as 「□」); if asking about summer or dusk, it is not advisable. Writing the character 「月」 (Moon): The moon is not complete, waxing and waning, yet it has a regular cycle of appearing and disappearing, indicating that matters have a foundation; a waxing moon signifies good fortune, while a waning moon suggests misfortune.

金（世之寶，人之累。久煉則良）。木（春旺秋衰。亦觀其何字，若松柏桂梅之類，又不在衰旺中論）。水（流通無住，獨不利於冬）。火（日中則晦，耀夜有玏；逢水則衰，得木則旺）。土（萬物之母，事事有基，但遲滯不能速就）。

Writing the character "Jin" (Gold): Gold is a treasure of the world, yet it is also a burden to the human body. It must undergo long-term forging to become a fine tool, so it signifies that things require enduring hardship before they can achieve results. Writing the character "Mu" (Wood): Wood thrives in spring and declines in autumn, but one must also consider the specific type of wood being written—such as pine, cypress, osmanthus, and plum trees, which are cold-resistant and evergreen, and thus cannot be judged solely by the four seasons' waxing and waning. Writing the character "Shui" (Water): Water flows continuously and has no fixed place, signifying that things are smooth and unobstructed, never stagnant. However, water freezes in winter, which is the most unfavorable situation. Writing the character "Huo" (Fire): The sun at noon is too bright to reveal fire's glow, and fire's usefulness is only evident at night. Fire is weakened by water but grows stronger with wood. Writing the character "Tu" (Earth): Earth is the mother of all things, and everything has a foundation to rely on. However, earth is slow and cannot achieve results quickly.

至於一切有物之字，或觀梅，或相字，隨機應變，妙用不窮。若無物之字亦可觀梅，則審其來意與字到時上下左右遠近之影響，借而用之，否則拆字。此至精之訣也。以上略舉大概。引伸觸類，神而明之，存乎其人。

As for characters that refer to specific objects, one may use the method of observing plum blossoms to take images from things, or the method of analyzing characters to derive meaning from their forms, adapting flexibly and employing them in infinite ways. If the person writes a character that refers to an abstract concept without a tangible object, one can still use the method of observing plum blossoms. In such cases, one should examine the person's original intention and the circumstances surrounding the moment the character is handed over—what is happening around, above, below, left, and right, as well as distant and near sounds and movements—borrowing these to form a judgment. If one cannot borrow from these, then one should fall back on breaking down the character. This is the most subtle secret of the method of observing plum blossoms. The above is only a brief overview; the rest depends on understanding by analogy. Whether one can apply it skillfully and intuitively depends on one's own insight.

以字象物：口、了、又、飛、馬、簫、廉、丨、眉、木、雲、柵。以物象字：乙（似魚鉤）、亞（紗窗）、弓（蛇）、且（神主）、鳧（嗇犯）、金（斷柄傘）、外（旌旗）、幾（鍾）、身（皂隸）。

The Six Methods of the Heart of Divination use the names of the Six Categories from Xu Shen's Six Scripts—Pictographic, Ideographic, Borrowed Sound, Phonetic Compound, Indicative, and Mutual Explanation—to guide students in divination through characters. The first method is "Pictographic," which compares the shape of a character with the actual object. First, "using the character to represent an object": "Kou" (mouth) resembles a square frame, "Liao" (completed) resembles a hook, "You" (again) resembles a hand, "Fei" (fly) resembles bird wings, "Ma" (horse) resembles a horse's body, "Xiao" (flute) resembles a row of bamboo pipes, "Lian" (honesty) resembles the corner of a roof eave, "Gan" (vertical bar) resembles a straight pole, "Mei" (eyebrow) resembles eyebrows, "Mu" (tree) resembles a tree, "Yun" (cloud) resembles floating clouds, and "Zha" (fence) resembles a fence. Conversely, "using an object to represent a character": seeing a fish hook, one thinks of the character "Yi"; seeing a gauze window, one thinks of "Ya"; seeing a snake, one thinks of "Gong"; seeing an ancestral tablet, one thinks of "Que"; seeing something that is hunched and shrunken, one thinks of "Fu"; seeing an umbrella without a handle, one thinks of "Jin"; seeing a banner, one thinks of "Wai"; seeing a bell, one thinks of "Ji"; seeing a constable in black clothes, one thinks of "Shen." Once the image is accurately taken, the fortune of the matter follows accordingly.

以字象字：芒（破□）、祀（破袍）、貴（破櫃）、虛（戲可）、殳（收疫）、工（進貢）、牙（穿心）、白（宿尾）。以意象字：辛（似幸）、未（似來）、了（似了）、兔（似免）、夫（似失）、桃（似挑）、歡（似坎）、因（似良）、黽（似龜）、兩（似雨）。

Further, "taking one character to resemble another" involves comparing one character to the broken form of another: "Mang" resembles a character missing a corner; "Si" looks like "Pao" with the clothing radical removed; "Gui" resembles "Gui" with the wooden radical broken; "Xu" can be split into "Xi" and "Ke"; "Shu" looks like "Yi" with the disease radical removed; "Gong" resembles "Gong" taking one step further; "Ya" is the heart of "Chuan"; "Bai" is the tail of "Su". Finally, "taking meaning to resemble a character" involves selecting characters with similar meanings and shapes: "Xin" is close to "Xing", differing by one stroke, and thus hardship andby chance are distinguished; "Wei" is close to "Lai", with the difference being only one horizontal stroke between not yet and future; "Liao" resembles "Zi" (the original text says "Si Liao", which should be "Si Zi"); "Tu" is close to "Mian", differing by a single dot; "Fu" resembles "Shi"; "Tao" is close to "Tiao"; "Huan" resembles "Kan", with happiness hiding a hidden pit; "Yin" is close to "Kun" (the original text says "Si Liang", which may be an error); "Ming" resembles "Yu". In divination, by seizing upon this similarity in form and meaning, the interpretation can be grounded.

煙（因風吹火之象，事必借力方成）、淋（楚漢爭鋒之象，主有口角是非）、霏（長虹截雨之象，事多阻隔不成）、蜃（飛龍破蟄之象，凡事主有權柄）、薊（蘇秦背劍之象，功名以待晚成）、居（跋胡幹尾之象，進退不得自如）、逢（劈破蓮蓬之象，子必見傷）。

The method of meaning combination involves interpreting the meanings of the components within a character to form a complete image, then using that image to interpret events. The character "烟" is composed of fire and the character "因," symbolizing "fire being blown by wind," which suggests that the matter in question must rely on external forces to succeed. The character "淋" consists of water and the character "林," representing two trees enclosing water, like the Chu and Han states facing each other across a river, indicating disputes and conflicts. The character "霏" is rain plus "非," resembling a long rainbow cutting the rain in half, suggesting many obstacles and the matter not being able to proceed smoothly. The character "蜃" is "辰" with a bug on top, symbolizing the emergence of a dragon breaking through the earth, indicating the ability to gain authority. The character "蓟" is grass with fish and a knife, like Su Qin carrying a sword to persuade the feudal states, suggesting that achievements will come late in life. The character "居" is a corpse with the character "古" below, like the old wolf in the Book of Songs, which moves forward by stepping on its own neck meat and retreats by tripping on its own tail, indicating difficulty in moving forward or backward. The character "逢" is a walking radical with "夆" inside, like a lotus pod being split open and the lotus seeds scattering, indicating that children may suffer harm.

字（樂子之無家，乃政繁賦重，不堪其苦之詩）、裕（補天浴日之象，必得大人維持）、鏗（緌之彌堅，竭力乃成）、蠙（鹿鳴食萍，情適聲和）、薏（著意栽花，事反不順）、子（蜉蝣之羽，無遠慮者有近憂）、徠（小往事大來，諸事亨通）。

The character 「字」 is composed of a roof and a child, which perfectly matches the meaning in the poem 「乐子之无家」 from the Book of Songs, the Small Ya. It refers to oppressive government policies and heavy taxes that cause the people great suffering. Therefore, when using this character to inquire about matters, it often indicates hardship due to excessive burdens. 「裕」 is composed of a clothing radical and a grain, symbolizing the grandeur of Nuwa repairing the sky and Xihe bathing the sun, indicating that success depends on the support of a powerful person. 「铿」 is composed of a metal radical and a firmness, implying the meaning of 「the more it is ground, the harder it becomes」, suggesting that things can only be achieved through great effort. 「蠙」 is composed of an insect radical and a guest, similar to the scene in the poem 「鹿鸣」 from the Book of Songs where a group of deer call to each other and eat wild water plants, symbolizing harmony between host and guest, indicating mutual understanding and harmony in feelings. 「薏」 is composed of a grass radical and an intention, symbolizing the image of 「trying hard to grow flowers but they fail to bloom」, indicating that the more one tries to manage things, the more difficult they become. The character 「子」 by itself, as in the poem 「蜉蝣之羽」 from the Songs of Cao, describes the short life of mayflies, indicating that a person without long-term planning will face immediate troubles. 「徕」 is composed of a walking radical and the character for coming, exactly matching the image of 「small things going away and great things coming」 in the Tai Hexagram of the Zhou Changes, indicating smooth progress in all matters.

爐（百病叢生，驟然更變。何謂百病？火也，虛也，胃氣不足也，血少也，打虐疾也，出盜汗也，勞傷也，思慮太過也。）

The character "lu" (炉) is composed of the radical for fire plus the character "lu." Fire within a furnace represents a situation where heat is present but not visible, causing internal inflammation. This symbolizes the emergence of various diseases and sudden changes in the condition. What is meant by "hundred diseases"? Let me explain them one by one: first, rising fire in the body; second, deficiency in the fundamental essence; third, insufficient stomach qi; fourth, deficiency in the blood; fifth, malaria characterized by chills and fever; sixth, night sweats; seventh, internal injury from overwork; eighth, damage to the spirit caused by excessive thinking. Whenever the character "lu" is used to inquire about illness, one should examine the symptoms according to these eight points, and the diagnosis is usually accurate. This example clearly shows that the method of interpreting characters not only predicts good or bad fortune but can also identify the category of the illness.

旦（借為春）、千（借為夏）、甲（借為秋）、夕（借為冬）。此四時借用於一日也。立（逢人借為位，遇水借為泣，有女必為妾，得男可成童）。子（旁有女人，則事必好；若在門邊，王有字來）。此二字皆借人事為用也。

Borrowing, is using a character to represent another. First, borrowing by time: the character '旦' means the sun just rising, and is borrowed to represent spring; the character '千' is similar in shape to '午', which means the sun at its zenith, and is borrowed to represent summer; the character '甲' represents the time when all things are covered with shells and become firm, and is borrowed to represent autumn; the character '夕' means the sun setting, and is borrowed to represent winter. This is using the morning, noon, dusk, and night of a day to correspond with the four seasons. Next, borrowing by human affairs: if the character '立' has a person beside it, it is borrowed to represent '位', indicating a position of official rank; if it meets water, it is borrowed to represent '泣', indicating crying; if it is paired with a woman, it becomes '妾'; if it is paired with a man, it becomes '童'. The character '子' if accompanied by a woman becomes '好', indicating smooth affairs; if '子' is placed by a door, it becomes characters like '闲', indicating someone named Wang bringing a letter. These two characters are both borrowed based on human affairs.

口（見鳥過也，有欲鳴之象；見木過，主中）。心（聞音樂定然得意，在水邊沁徹完全）。化（見花為妙，遇草好觀，聽旁人言必褵）。此三字皆借事物為用也。餘仿此例推。

When writing the character "口" (mouth), if a bird flies by, the "口" and the bird combine to form "鸣" (sound), indicating a sign of making a name and gaining recognition. If someone is carrying a pole past, the "口" combines with the pole to form "呆" (dull) or with "中" (center) to form "中" (center), suggesting success in an exam. When writing the character "心" (heart), if one hears music, the "心" combines with the sound to form "意" (meaning), indicating a sense of satisfaction and joy. If one is by the water, the "心" combines with the water to form "沁" (soak), suggesting smooth and complete affairs. When writing the character "化" (change), if one sees a flower, "化" combines with the flower to form "花" (flower), a wonderful omen. If one encounters green grass, the grass combined with "化" forms "花" (flower), which is pleasant to see. If one hears someone else speaking, the spoken word combined with "化" approaches "讹" (error) or "褵" (a type of garment), indicating possible marriage or disputes. These three characters are all derived by combining the current sights and sounds. Other characters can be interpreted in a similar manner.

倒到、秤稱、叉差、加家、非飛、桃逃、梨離。秤心（即稱心）、齊（內中差了，即差在內也）、耗（來日到了，倒到同音）、鶯（如問晴雨，但鶯陰音同，主天必陰難問晴矣）。

Harmonic sound is a method of divination where a character is interpreted by its similar or identical pronunciation to another character. For example, "倒" is read as "到", "秤" as "称", "叉" as "差", "加" as "家", "非" as "飞", "桃" as "逃", and "梨" as "离". Therefore, the characters "秤心" are read as "称心", indicating that all things will go smoothly. The character "齐" contains "差" within it, meaning there is an error inside. The character "耗" consists of "耒" and "毛", which can be interpreted as "come and arrive", and since "倒" and "到" have the same sound, it is interpreted that the matter will arrive. Another example is using the character "莺" to ask whether the weather will be clear or rainy. Since "莺" and "阴" have similar sounds, it is interpreted that the sky will surely turn cloudy, making clear weather unlikely. Harmonic sound relies on the sound heard rather than the shape seen, and when used skillfully, it is the most swift and effective method.

凡事之來，即因其事□□，此則散格、雙句格之法也。其法必審其情性，察其動靜，兼明其蹤跡方妙，所謂「觀梅之深者也」。內分十法：曰觀人，曰察色，曰辨言，曰辨事，曰察墨，曰辨紙，曰觀時，曰相機，曰正論勿好奇，曰言語不可雜。具此十法，則一事即指一事之理而斷之，判字易如反掌矣。

Referring to the matter directly is about pointing out the principle of the matter that the person is asking about. (The original text here is missing two characters, marked as 「□□」.) This is the approach used in the later sections, namely "Scattered Forms" in Volume Five and "Dual Sentence Forms" in Volume Four. Using this method requires thoroughly understanding the person's character and demeanor, observing his movements and expressions, and clarifying the background and nature of his inquiry. Only then can one truly grasp the situation, which is what is meant by "those who deeply apply the method of observing plum blossoms." This method is divided into ten aspects: first, "Observing the person," to determine his status and demeanor; second, "Observing expression," to understand his facial expressions and demeanor; third, "Distinguishing speech," to discern the meaning behind his words; fourth, "Distinguishing the matter," to determine the category of the issue he is asking about; fifth, "Observing ink," to assess the thickness, dryness, and moisture of the ink; sixth, "Distinguishing paper," to evaluate the age, quality, and texture of the paper used; seventh, "Observing the time," to consider the hour and season when the writing was made; eighth, "Observing the moment," to take note of any current influences or impressions; ninth, "Maintain a proper argument, avoid seeking novelty," to make statements that are balanced and not overly novel; tenth, "Speech should not be mixed," to speak with focus and not be scattered or unfocused. When all ten aspects are fully considered, one can directly address the principle of the matter and make a judgment, as easy as turning over one's hand.

一字有二義、三義四義，如為（平）、為（去），行（蘅）、行（杭）、行（沆）、行（慎），王（平）、王（旺），長（場）、長（障）、長（掌）、長（仗），夫（平）、夫（扶）類。不可不隨機應變而用之也。

Transcription is a method where a single character can have two, three, or even four different pronunciations and meanings. When the pronunciation changes, the interpretation also changes. For example, the character '为' has two pronunciations: level tone (as in 'as' or 'behavior') and falling tone (as in 'for' or 'on behalf of'). The character '行' has several pronunciations: like '蘅' (meaning 'row'), like '杭' (meaning 'to walk'), like '沆', and like '慎'. The character '王' has two pronunciations: level tone (meaning 'king') and falling tone '旺' (meaning 'prosperous'). The character '长' has several pronunciations: like '场' (meaning 'length'), like '障', like '掌', and like '仗'. The character '夫' has two pronunciations: level tone (meaning 'husband') and like '扶' (as an interjection). All these cases cannot be fixed or rigidly applied; they must be used flexibly according to the context.

如臨字問病，斷不吉，則曰臨喪，臨乃去聲也。王字問求財，斷曰旺相，王乃去聲讀之。以此應人，誰曰不然。餘有詩曰：一字千金信有之，奇中有正正中奇，五行八卦供吾後，此段天機不易知。

For example, if someone writes the character 「临」 to inquire about illness and the divination suggests an unfavorable outcome, they would read 「临」 as a falling tone, interpreting it as 「临丧」, thus conveying the bad news that the patient is about to pass away. If someone writes the character 「王」 to ask about wealth and the divination suggests a favorable outcome, they would read 「王」 as a falling tone, interpreting it as 「旺相」, meaning the prosperity of wealth is flourishing. Using this method to respond to people, who could say it is wrong? For this reason, I once wrote a poem: 「A single character is worth a thousand pieces of gold, the strange contains the correct and the correct contains the strange. The Five Phases and the Eight Trigrams are at my command, this passage of heavenly wisdom is not easily understood.」 This means that a single character indeed holds great value; the divination seems strange, yet it contains the correct principle; it appears ordinary, yet it hides the extraordinary. The Five Phases and the Eight Trigrams are all under my control, at my disposal; this passage of heavenly wisdom is not something that can be easily grasped.

凡一字之來，用一語判之，謂之取格，如文章人品之有定論也。法先詳其五行生剋，次觀其六神動靜。假若五行相生、六爻安靜，則取吉格斷之，否則以凶格斷之。其斷語皆當出經入史，搜神剔髓，字字珠璣，筆筆風雅，方妙此不傳之秘也。今將既驗之語分類錄後，學者毋忘予苦心焉。

Whenever a single character is received, it should be evaluated with one sentence, which is called 'taking the pattern' or 'taking the form'. It is like appraising an article of writing or a person's character; one sentence determines its quality. The order of taking the pattern is first to examine whether the Five Phases of the character have mutual generation or mutual overcoming, then to look at the 'Six Spirits'—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, Tan She, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—to see if they are active or still. If the Five Phases are mutually generating and the six spirits are still, then a favorable pattern is taken for judgment; otherwise, an unfavorable pattern is used. All the judgments should be drawn from classic texts, extracting the essence of the anecdotes, making each word like a pearl and each stroke refined and elegant. This is the true essence of this secret art not passed on outside. Now, I will list below the verified judgments from past times, categorized by their respective sections. Scholars reading them should not辜负 my sincere efforts. The following is arranged by radical and stroke, with the judgment of the pattern attached to each character.

氵：洩（御溝紅葉漂流一民）、沛（酒闌席散）、漢（臨河興嘆、望洋而嘆）、淬（醉後如泥）、灌（將酒勸人）、沃（波浪掀天）、濯（魚躍於淵）、漚（馳驅跋涉）、漸（源流斬截）、淦（破釜沉舟）、汪（冰清玉潔）、涯（平沙落雁、水邊孤雁）、澹（秋簷滴雨）、沆（龍歸滄海）、渢（長風破浪、風流浪蕩）、津（法律兼備，書筆生涯）。

Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai Trigrams: Qian (Heaven), Dui (Lake), Li (Fire), Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Kun (Earth) The following are the judgments for characters with the water radical. "Lei" (泄) means red leaves with poetry floating down the imperial moat, indicating news from afar or marriage coming naturally. "Pai" (沛) means the end of a drinking session, indicating the end of gatherings. "Han" (汉) means lamenting by the river or sighing at the vast ocean, indicating difficulty in crossing water, something that can be seen but not reached. "Cui" (淬) means falling drunk like mud, indicating drowning in excess. "Guan" (灌) means pouring wine to persuade others, indicating being influenced or encouraged by others. "Wo" (沃) means waves shaking the sky, indicating sudden disturbances. "Zhuo" (濯) means fish leaping from the deep, indicating escaping difficulties and achieving success. "Ou" (沤) means rushing and traveling, indicating hard work and toil. "Jian" (渐) means the source being cut off, indicating the end of a path. "Gan" (淦) means breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat, indicating a desperate gamble. "Wang" (汪) means clear ice and jade, indicating unblemished integrity. "Ya" (涯) means a lone goose by the riverbank, indicating loneliness. "Dan" (澹) means autumn rain dripping from the eaves, indicating a bleak and desolate state. "Hang" (沆) means a dragon returning to the vast sea, indicating each finding their proper place. "Feng" (沨) means long wind breaking waves, with both meanings of great wind and wandering, indicating success in officialdom or a carefree and unscrupulous character in morality. "Jin" (津) means complete legal systems and a career in writing, indicating a profession based on legal knowledge and literary skills.

渱（渴虹飲澗）、泉（無絲引線，身恐不永）、溶（芙蓉出水）、江（功名源遠、財源半空）、淙（服水朝宗）、湯（東漂西蕩）、濃（穠華消減）、池（普施得濟，平地興波）、漏（雲泥之隔）、漁（如魚得水）、洙（泣淚成珠，朱衣點頭）、淮（漸入佳境）、淳（溫柔敦厚）、溽（青龍得水）、潘（筆海瀾翻）、潛（浸潤之譖）、渥（海屋添籌）、清（精衛填海）、沿（江日尋船）。

Ting, a long rainbow hanging over a stream drinking water, indicates taking advantage of circumstances for sustenance; Quan, a white character with water below, without any thread to draw a line, indicates possible short lifespan; Rong, lotus emerging from water, indicates clarity and prominence. Jiang, a character with a work component and water, indicates enduring fame but partial loss of wealth; Cong, many waters converging to the sea, indicates obedience and submission; Tang, drifting east and west, indicates lack of fixed residence. Nong, abundant flowers declining, indicates turning from prosperity to decline; Chi, widespread rain benefiting people, also indicates sudden disturbances on level ground; Lou, clouds separated from mud, indicates a gap between high and low, difficulty in reaching high positions. Yu, like fish in water, indicates contentment and satisfaction; Zhu, tears forming pearls, also taking the meaning of 'a red robe nodding', indicates success in exams; Huai, gradually improving, indicates gradual improvement. Chun, gentle and sincere, indicates a kind and steady nature; Ru, the Azure Dragon receiving water, indicates the Nobleman gaining power; Pan, waves in the sea of writing, indicates vast literary thoughts; Qian, hidden water soaking, indicates gradually increasing slander. Wo, adding a pillar to the house of the sea, indicates longevity; Qing, the bird filling the sea with stones, indicates firm will but difficult achievement; Yan, searching for a boat along the river all day, indicates seeking help from many people.

汀（流水不停，口如懸河）、浙（逝不以濯）、遊（旌旗映水）、浮（江湖遊子）、淋（楚漢爭鋒）、汶（渭水遇文）、鴻（烏江不渡）、潼（河鯉登龍）、淄（涅而不緇）、瀘（三顧茅廬）、湖（鴻臚可居）、沐（一木浮沉）、沈（淚沾繡枕）、深（曲江探花）、沕（夕陽沉汶）、（其顙有氵此恐有顛沛）、浴（冶容誨淫）、浭（投鞭斷流）。

Ting, flowing water that never stops, indicates fluent speech; Zhe, flowing water that cannot be washed again, indicates something that cannot be reversed; You, banners reflected in water, indicates travelers on the way; Fu, wanderers on rivers and lakes, indicates drifting without support; Lin, the Chu and Han armies fighting across water, indicates verbal disputes; Wen, meeting King Wen by the Wei River, indicates meeting a nobleman; Hong, the Wu River is not fordable, indicates the end of a hero's path; Tong, the yellow river's carp leaping through the dragon gate, indicates sudden success; Zi, stained but not black, indicates maintaining purity; Lu, three visits to the thatched cottage, indicates repeated invitations before success; Hu, the position of the grand secretary, indicates holding an important post; Mu, a single tree floating in water, indicates uncertain rise or fall; Shen, tears wetting the embroidered pillow, indicates sorrow in the闺房; Shen, the curved river's probe flower, indicates fame in the imperial examination; Mo, the sunset sinking into water, indicates a bleak ending; the original text here omits the character being interpreted, leaving only the judgment "There is a water radical on his forehead, perhaps there will be hardship," meaning a water mark on the forehead, indicating possible hardship and wandering; Yu, indulging in beauty and teaching immorality, indicates attracting immoral trouble; Geng, throwing whips to stop the flow, indicates a powerful army capable of decisive victory.

沽（枯魚近河）、治（按法可告，望重三臺）、泖（狡兔三窟）、澤（流落釋門）、湛（斟酌浮沉）、濟（齊戒沐浴）、洞（銅壺漏滴）、流（洪荒之象）、沂（淫水芹香，一車漸來）、汛（遠浦歸帆）、沁（甘心淡泊）、汁（海底撈針）、海（望梅止渴）、湧（不能流通）、測（如流財利）、活（舌上波瀾）、漠（聞雷泣墓）、濫（水溢籃橋）、激（褷褷易汙）、洮（湠浪桃花）、溼（沉淪不顯）。

Gū, dry fish near water but unable to live, indicates wrongful advantage; Zhì, following the law can present a case, also indicating high reputation surpassing the Three Stars; Mǎo, a cunning rabbit with three dens, indicates leaving a retreat. Zé, drifting into a Buddhist temple, indicates leaving home or taking refuge in a monastery; Zhàn, between floating and sinking, requires careful consideration; Jì, fasting and bathing, indicates sincere respect for seeking blessings; Dòng, a bronze gong dripping water, indicates slow time, matters needing waiting. Liú, a vast wilderness without end, indicates being lost without a place to return; Yī, the fragrance of water caltrop and a carriage gradually coming, indicates entering the academy and taking the caltrop, with the meaning of passing the examination soon; Xùn, a distant river with returning sails, indicates a traveler arriving soon. Qìn, a contented and simple heart, indicates being content with poverty and having no desires; Zhī, fishing for a needle at the bottom of the sea, indicates being without hope; Hǎi, longing for plums to quench thirst, indicates imagining cakes to fill hunger; Yǒng, water blocked and unable to flow, indicates matters being blocked. Cè, wealth and profit like water coming, indicates smooth income; Huó, waves on the tongue, indicates disputes from words; Mò, hearing thunder and weeping by the tomb, indicates filial piety and sorrow; Làn, water overflowing the basket bridge, indicates flooding and losing control. Jī, water splashing clothes, easily stained and dirty, indicates a clear name easily damaged; Táo, waves following peach blossoms, indicates spring wind success with a touch of charm; Shī, sinking to the bottom of water, indicates being buried and not visible.

火：煤（謀救燃眉）、煙（因風吹火）、耿（所取最美）、煩（焦頭爛額）。金：金（破鏡分釵，一人助餘）、鍾（名重金甌，荷鋪而埋，千里得金）、鍾（實鏡塵埋）、鋒（金言降心）、鍾（千金垂堂）、錐（鐵面雄心，金粟堆邊）、釗（鉛刀一割）、鑾（破鏡分鸞）。

Fire-attached characters' fortune interpretations: "Mou" (coal) signifies seeking immediate relief as urgent as putting out a burning brow; the matter is urgent and must be addressed immediately. "Yan" (smoke) indicates fire carried by wind, suggesting success through external help. "Geng" (bright) with an ear beside fire is the most harmonious combination, indicating accurate choices. "Fan" (annoyed) implies being in a state of distress, suggesting unbearable confusion. Metal-attached characters' fortune interpretations: "Jin" (metal) written alone can be interpreted as a broken mirror and split hairpins, symbolizing marital separation, or as "one person helps me," indicating assistance in seeking help. "Zhong" (bell) signifies importance surpassing a golden bowl, indicating high reputation, but also has two meanings: "burying a lotus" and "finding gold from a thousand miles away," suggesting either being overlooked or gaining wealth from afar. Another interpretation of "Zhong" is "a real mirror covered in dust," indicating a precious gem hidden in dust. "Feng" (sharp) signifies words of metal that make others yield, indicating persuasion through a single statement. Another interpretation of "Zhong" is "a thousand gold falling from the hall," indicating that a wealthy person should avoid taking risks. "Zhou" (awl) signifies a strong will and also suggests gold piled up by the grave, indicating either a steadfast character or a desolate field. "Zhao" (sharp) signifies a dull lead blade seeking a single cut, indicating limited ability but a desire for use. "Luan" (ornament) signifies a broken mirror and separated phoenixes, indicating marital separation.

銳（囊錐脫穎）、鋼（釣而不綱）、鈺（金聲玉振，堆金積玉）、鏤（金殿玉樓）、鏗（珣之彌堅）、錢（金氣摧殘）、銘（名言金石）、鑄（千金上壽）、唫（點石成金）、鑲（如錐處囊）、銀（錢糧不足）、鈔（披沙見金）。

Sharpness, like a dagger in a bag, will eventually come out, indicating that talent will surely be recognized; Steel, which only uses a hook and not a net, indicates taking what is needed in a proper way and not exhausting resources; Yu, which sounds like jade and is used to accumulate wealth, indicates both fame and riches flourishing together. Carving, like golden palaces and jade towers, indicates living in luxurious places; Keng, like jade that becomes harder the more it is polished, indicates steadfastness in one's aspirations; Qian, where the metal energy is damaged by a spear, indicates loss of wealth and damage; Ming, where famous sayings are engraved on metal and stone, indicates that reputation can be passed down. Zhu, casting objects to present a thousand gold birthday gift, indicates receiving joy from offerings; Qin, turning stones into gold, indicates transforming something ordinary into something extraordinary; Xiang, with the dagger still in the bag, indicates that talent has not yet been revealed; Yin, where money and grain are insufficient, indicates shortages in expenses; Chao, sifting sand to find gold, indicates that after elimination, something will finally be gained.

木：梳（中流砥柱，樂極無荒，流入桃源）、楓（玉樹臨風，穿楊貫風）、桐（玉洞桃開）、釭（樂在其中、根基有損）、此（朱紫之榮、紫氣東來）、楷（階梯並得）、梯（撫棺涕泣）、橙（登科奪標）、權（桂彼高折）、格（空中閣樓，陌路相逢，梅花點額）、棉（桃花錦浪）、梟（枳束束棲鳳）、松（公私兩利）、樞（金甌中相，臨終入柩）。

The interpretations for characters with the wood radical: "Shu" signifies being a pillar in the middle stream, meaning joy is extreme but not leading to excess; it also suggests entering a paradise, indicating a world apart. "Feng" implies a noble and graceful figure, symbolizing skill in shooting an arrow through a leaf and piercing the wind, indicating outstanding appearance and exceptional talent. "Tong" suggests the opening of a peach blossom in the jade cave, meaning a paradise, and the beginning of a good match. "Gang" indicates pleasure but with a weak foundation, meaning superficial happiness and inner emptiness. This signifies honor and glory, and the arrival of auspicious qi, both signs of high status. "Kai" suggests both steps and ladders are available, meaning there is a path for advancement. "Ti" implies mourning and weeping over a coffin, meaning sorrow and grief in funeral matters. "Cheng" suggests winning the top rank in an examination, meaning achieving the highest position in academic success. "Quan" implies climbing a high branch of the golden osmanthus tree, meaning attaining a high position. "Ge" suggests an imaginary palace in the air or meeting by chance, also indicating a plum blossom mark on the forehead, or a missed opportunity, or a fortunate encounter, or joy from being adorned, depending on the question asked. "Mian" suggests peach blossoms and rippling waves, meaning a flourishing spring. "Xiao" implies a phoenix resting among thorns and brambles, meaning being in a lower position but inherently noble. "Song" suggests benefits in both public and private affairs, meaning achieving both. "Shu" implies being a prime minister within the golden basin, also meaning dying and being placed in a coffin, one sign of honor and one of misfortune, determined by the question asked.

機（榮分几杖，樹靜而風不息）、枚（文登榜首、收之桑榆）、梅（乘桴浮海，枯槎入海）、槐（榜上經魁）、村（出將入相、求榮反辱）、枷（跌倒架子）、桴（木杯浮渡）、枕（和樂而耽）、檢（拔劍相助）、桂（閨中門楣）、栗（西方極樂、挪東就西）、柴（惡紫奪朱）、東（人未登車、惠然肯來）、枯（故舊相知）、森（桑麻四野）。

Machine, receiving the honor of being granted a staff and a cushion, also taking the meaning of "the tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease," indicating old age with respect but not peace; Mei, achieving high literary success, losing at the beginning but gaining at the end, indicating late success; Plum, traveling far by raft across the sea, indicating distant travel and drifting;槐, achieving high rank in the examination, indicating success in the autumn examination; Village, rising to high office is honor, but seeking honor brings disgrace, both good and bad outcomes appear.枷, falling from a high position, indicating loss of reputation; Fu, crossing the river with a wooden cup, indicating relying on a small thing to overcome danger;枕, harmony and near indulgence, indicating indulgence in ease; Inspection, drawing a sword to help, indicating someone righteous coming to the rescue. Gui, adding glory to the family, indicating family honor;栗, Western bliss also indicating moving from east to west, or rebirth, or borrowing from east to west;柴, using purple to replace vermilion, indicating evil overpowering good, fake replacing real. East, people have not yet boarded the carriage but come willingly, indicating guests arriving;枯, old friends reuniting, indicating meeting old friends again;森, mulberry and hemp spreading across the fields, indicating abundant agriculture and sericulture.

棟（東風拂柳，初日入林）、本（依人得體）、簷（蟾宮折桂）、枹（相偎相抱）、朽（巧奪天機）、桓（椿萱並茂）、榭（穿楊之射）、林（一火焚之）、櫃（水到渠成）、世（葉落歸根，殘葉辭柯）、杜（立定根基）、核（刻木事親）、柏（陌旁種柳）、枰（斷梗浮萍）、相（是個想頭）、樊（隨手攀援）、欒（刪詩正樂，墨悲絲染）、袴（樂極生悲）、耆（杖朝耆老）。

Dong, the east wind brushing willows and the morning sun shining on the forest, indicates a change for the better; Ben, dependent on others for its form, indicates success through reliance on others; Yan, winning the jade of the moon palace, indicates hope for academic success; Fu, embracing each other closely, indicates intimacy and mutual support; Xiu, surpassing the divine with skill, indicates surpassing others in ingenuity; Huan, both parents flourishing, indicates both parents being alive; Xie, shooting an arrow through a hundred steps, indicates exceptional skill; Lin, two trees consumed by one fire, indicates family business destroyed by fire; Gui, water finding its own channel, indicates natural achievement; Shi, leaves returning to their roots, also indicates withering leaves, suggesting returning home or decline. Du, establishing firm foundations, indicates strong roots; He, carving wood to honor parents, indicates unending filial piety; Bai, planting willows by the roadside, indicates travelers' paths and unpredictable partings; Ping, floating fragments of reeds, indicates being rootless and wandering. Xiang, wood combined with eyes, meaning 'a single thought', indicates having thoughts and plans in mind; Fan, climbing by hand, indicates using opportunities to advance; Luan, revising poetry and regulating music is a refined affair, while Mozi lamenting dyed silk expresses sorrow over change, indicating both joy and sorrow; Ku, excessive joy leading to sorrow, indicates joy turning into sorrow; Qi, an elderly person reaching the age of a walking stick, indicates longevity.

土：土（坐上無人，近墨者黑，敲斷玉釵）、垣（萱堂有損）、坤（坐中不屈，二十四數）、境（寶鏡廛理）、坐（有人有土）、坎（歡喜不足，喜頭歡尾）、卦（閨中憶外）、堆（坎離交垢，佳城如見，雞棲於塒）、孝（與子皆老）、埋（理上有虧）、考（老首巧足）、至（高臺既傾）、臺（室人坐喜）、圭（懷佳人兮）、垠（丹桂有根）、者（孝子愛日）、域（傾城傾國）。

The divination interpretations for characters with the earth radical: Tu (土) indicates a person sitting alone with no one to accompany, also suggesting someone who is easily influenced by the environment, or a broken hairpin, or solitude, or stained, or broken relationship; Yuan (垣) indicates damage to the mother's health when paired with the character Gen (亘); Kun (坤) suggests sitting upright without bending, also indicating the number twenty-four; Jing (境) represents the principle of a precious mirror and the marketplace, indicating clarity and livelihood; Zuo (坐) indicates someone with both person and earth, suggesting a secure and comfortable dwelling; Kan (坎) suggests joy with still some lack, also indicating the character "Xing" (喜) formed by the head of "Huan" (欢); Gua (卦) indicates a wife in the household thinking of someone away; Dui (堆) suggests the union of Kan and Li, also indicating the expectation of a good burial ground, or the return of chickens to the coop, with fortune or misfortune depending on the question; Xiao (孝) indicates living with one's child in old age, suggesting mutual support in later years; Mai (埋) indicates a lack of reason, suggesting an argument that cannot be sustained; Kao (考) indicates the head of "Lao" (老) paired with the foot of "Qiao" (巧); Zhi (至) indicates a high platform has collapsed, suggesting the collapse of support; Tai (台) indicates a person in the room sitting comfortably and happy, suggesting domestic joy; Gui (圭) indicates longing for a beautiful person, suggesting yearning; Yin (垠) indicates a golden osmanthus with roots, suggesting a foundation for fame; Zhe (者) indicates a filial son cherishing his parents while they are alive, suggesting extreme filial piety; Yu (域) indicates a city or country, suggesting extraordinary beauty or potential downfall.

灬：然（手中扌然弄）、無（撫字心勞、撫需無具）、焉（有女嫣然）、馬（陰篔有虧）、熊（罷了莫為、點綴能為）、焦（佳人燕喜）、烹（是蒸是亨）、默（墨突不黔）、（勳猷煞尾）、黯（鯉可化龍）、兼（雙燕穿簾）、熟（熊丸課子）。

Four characters with fire radicals: "Ran" indicates being manipulated by others, showing being controlled by people; "Wu" suggests loving the people but exhausting one's heart and strength, also indicating lack of resources for relief, leading to hard work with no results; "Yan" implies a beautiful woman smiling, indicating a woman with affection; "Ma" suggests deficiency in yin energy, indicating damage to the wife or maternal line; "Xiong" may mean stopping with "Enough, don't do it" or advancing with "Decorate, do it," indicating two opposing outcomes; "Jiao" refers to the joy of a beautiful couple, indicating a wedding celebration; "Peng" means either steaming or boiling, matching the meaning of "prosperity" and indicating the ability to rise above; "Mo" refers to Mozi running around, unable to even blacken the chimney, indicating being busy without time to rest; the original text here is missing the character being tested, only the judgment "Xun You Sha Wei" remains, meaning the end of achievements is near; "An" suggests a carp can turn into a dragon, indicating a humble person changing to become noble; "Jian" refers to a pair of swallows passing through the curtain, indicating a pair; "Shu" refers to imitating Liu Zhongying's mother using bear bile pills to encourage her son to study at night, indicating success in educating children.

丶：（玉葉冰心）、永（難逃入法）。冫：馮（冷風驟起，不足憑也）、治（三臺位缺）、況（兌金失□）。丨：中（伯仲無人，直立破口）、小（光景一半，兩邊阻隔）、卜（金枝玉葉，上下無依，心揖外邊）、串（憂心忡忡）。丿：乃（孕必生子）、麼（公私交困）、及（人立空庭）、少（只一步行）、重（無力可動）、垂（似重不重）、乎（一人得采）、乖（有隙可乘）、身（一討即謝）、乘（千人北面，人去乖違）、白（比比皆是，百無一就）、勿（超然物表）、氏（視民如傷）。

Judgments based on strokes: For characters with dot strokes, the original text is missing the character being measured, only the judgment "Jade leaves and ice heart" remains, indicating a pure and clean character. "Yong" contains half of the character "Fa", indicating difficulty escaping the law. For characters with two water strokes: "Feng" indicates a sudden cold wind, not reliable, suggesting a poor and helpless person; "Zhi" has a missing position in the Three Stars, indicating an incomplete official star; "Kuang" has a loss of Metal (the original text is missing one character), indicating loss of speech. For characters with vertical strokes: "Zhong" has no one between Bo and Zhong, and also indicates standing straight and breaking the mouth, suggesting isolation and slander; "Xiao" has only half the scenery, with both sides blocked; "Bu" has golden branches and jade leaves but no support above or below, and also indicates the heart turning outward, suggesting high status but isolation; "Chuan" indicates deep worry, suggesting unresolved sorrow. For characters with sweeping strokes: "Nai" contains the character "Zi", indicating a pregnant woman will give birth to a boy; "Meo" indicates difficulties on both public and private fronts; "Ji" has a person standing in an empty courtyard, indicating loneliness; "Shao" indicates only taking one step; "Chong" indicates no strength to move it; "Chui" seems heavy but is not; "Hu" indicates one person gets the prize, suggesting a unique success; "Gui" indicates an opportunity to take advantage; "Shen" indicates a refusal after one request; "Cheng" indicates all people bowing northward as subjects, but also indicates a person leaving and a deviation; "Bai" indicates something common, yet nothing succeeds; "Wu" indicates being beyond worldly matters; "Shi" indicates treating people with care, suggesting kindness and love for others.

彡：彡（形影相嵒）、彤（月移花影，出中彪外）、參（壘頭炫彩）、衫（形影相依）、簹（削髮為僧）。刂：刲（刀圭普濟）、前（利於花月水火湔熬）、剝（□）、則（顛之倒之，賞罰分明）、削（劍氣沖霄）、刖（青雲有路終須到）、劑（齊民利物）、副（福祿俱有）。

Three strokes of the same kind: '彡', which represents form and shadow standing side by side, indicating two things facing each other; '彤', which depicts the moon moving and the flower shadow shifting, also indicating inner brilliance and outward dignity; '参', which shows brilliance shining brightly on the battlefield; '衫', which represents form and shadow closely connected, indicating solitude; '筜', which refers to cutting off hair to become a monk, indicating leaving the worldly life. For characters with a knife radical: '刲', which means using a medicine made from a knife-shaped herb to benefit everyone, indicating healing and helping others; '前', which is favorable for matters involving flowers, moon, water, and fire, indicating success through trials; '剥' has an incomplete original text; '则', which can be reversed, indicating clear rewards and punishments; '削', which represents a sword's energy reaching the heavens, indicating showing one's talent; '刖', which means the path to the clouds is always there, indicating eventual success after hardship; '剂', which means benefiting the people equally, indicating benefiting all; '副', which means both happiness and official rank are present.

一：一（生死之間）、而（破面之象、十分忍耐、逢三見面）、丕（不一而足）、不（比下有餘、人被丁隔、丕承丕顯）、甘（甜頭已去，事多阻隔）、亞（不可用心，爾可之間）、丁（盡行停了）、正（遲延之體，徵人不至）。

One stroke, one category: One is the last stroke of the character '生' (life) and the first stroke of the character '死' (death), exactly at the point between life and death; while is the image of a broken face, requiring great patience, and indicating that one can meet someone when encountering three directions; Pi means not only one thing, but more than enough; Bu means there is more than enough below, and also indicates that the person is separated by 'Ding'; it can also be read as the beautiful term 'Pi Cheng Pi Xian' from the Book of Documents, meaning prosperity and excellence; Gan means the sweet part has already passed, and things are often obstructed; Ya means one should not plan carefully, but rather be between 'Er' and 'Ke', uncertain; Ding means everything has stopped; Zheng is the form of delay, and those who have gone to war have not yet returned.

二：二（月內工心，人在天際）、貳（不得合式）、於（手中不足）、示（毀其宗廟）、工（王之爪牙，舡到江心，玉體不安，毀玉之象）、夫（人在上下，一失不全，青膚飛去）、亞（左右為臣）、忝（受祿於天）。三：三（春光初到，終始如一）、王（乾坤合體）、秦（春生秋實，枯木逢春）、奏（春元之兆）、春（永譜秦晉，春頭雨足）。

Two strokes category: Er, signifies exerting effort within one month, and also indicates someone far away in the sky; Er, not conforming to the proper form, indicates lack of loyalty; Yu, indicates insufficient resources in the hands, leading to financial difficulties; Shi, signifies the destruction of ancestral temples, indicating the decline of ancestral property; Gong, is the claw of the character 'wang', also indicating a boat reaching the river center and the body being unwell, always a sign of destruction; Fu, the character 'ren' with one horizontal stroke added above and below, indicates a loss leading to incompleteness, also indicating the departure of a green skin and the fading of color; Ya, both sides are ministers, indicating being in the center and receiving offerings; Tian, receiving salary from heaven, indicating receiving a gift from heaven. Three strokes category: San, signifies the arrival of spring light and consistency from beginning to end; Wang, three strokes connected, is the image of the union of heaven and earth; Qin, spring growth and autumn harvest, also indicating a withered tree encountering spring; Zou, a sign of success in the spring examination; Chun, signifies a lasting union between the states of Qin and Jin, and can also be split into the head of 'chun' paired with the foot of 'yu'.

四：四（買賣當心）、駟（馳驅四方）、罟（無罪無辜）、蜀（無光之燭，蝸角蠻觸）、罰（羅訃剝削）。五：五（王家得力，祇力王室）、吾（言語支離）。六：六（春元八座）、綍（犬異絪日）、交（六爻亂動）。七：七（十九之間，皂白已分）。八：八（在四之內，做人撇脫）、公（一言構訟，分內存私）、兮（公輔之巧）、其（八可至，一月為期）。

Four strokes category: Four, caution in buying and selling; Si, driving a carriage to travel in all directions; Gu, innocent but caught in a net; Shu, like a candle without light, also taking the meaning from the Zhuangzi of a struggle between two tiny creatures on the horn of a snail, indicating a quarrel over small gains; Fa, representing a net, a death announcement, and exploitation, indicating punishment and loss of wealth. Five strokes category: Five, serving the royal family, only working for the royal household; Wu, fragmented speech. Six strokes category: Six, passing the spring examination and ranking among the eight officials; Su, the character resembles a dog and a cloudy day; Jiao, six lines in a hexagram are in disorder, indicating chaos and confusion. Seven strokes category: Seven, between ten and nine, right and wrong are clearly distinguished. Eight strokes category: Eight, enclosed within the character 'four', indicating a person who is free and unrestrained; Gong, one word causing a lawsuit, also indicating hidden private matters; Xi, possessing the talent of a minister and skillful in handling affairs; Qi, eight strokes can reach the goal, with a period of one month.

九：九（一等二名）、丸（不能瓦全）、執（勢力不足、大勢已去）。十：十（士之魁首）、壬（千中選一，後頭有望，秀士而已）、千（最上一乘，千求不遂，秀氣不發）、爽（凶多吉少）、南（不幸之幸）。

Nine strokes category: Jiǔ, the second place in the first class, indicates being second best; Wán, unable to preserve completeness, indicates difficulty in maintaining integrity; Zhí, lacking sufficient strength and with the overall situation already lost. Ten strokes category: Shí, the head of the character 'shì', indicates the top among scholars; Rén, selected from a thousand people, with hope still ahead, but merely a talented scholar; Qiān, the highest number, yet with a thousand requests unfulfilled and talent not manifesting, indicating unfulfilled desires; Shuǎng, containing the character 'xiōng' meaning凶, indicates more misfortune than good fortune; Nán, combining 'bù' and 'xìng', indicates a fortunate outcome amidst misfortune.

霢：朱（未來之兆、失而未失）、每（人必自侮）、午（目無全牛）、矢（猶恐失之）。幾：幾（餘光充足）、尤（入京必就）、龍（有光有彩）、先（半生先足）、元（可生可死，二十有八，歸家完全）、芃（風雲魁首）、（綠盡厄到）、允（去後兄足）、就（無邊光景）、兌（無言可說）、兕（兄咀連間）、在（大有莊腳，決然招恠）、有（月到天心，朋友相得）。

This category of characters' interpretations: Zhu, the character contains 'Wei', which signifies future omens, seeming to be lost but actually not lost; Mei, people must first belittle themselves before others belittle them; Wu, like the butcher who cuts up an ox and sees no whole ox, signifies mastery of a skill; Shǐ, still fears loss. Characters related to 'person' and 'child': Ji, there is ample residual light, indicating remaining protection; You, going to the capital will surely achieve success; Long, has both light and brilliance; Xian, in the first half of life, has already been content; Yuan, can be either life or death, also corresponds to the number twenty-eight, and signifies returning home to be reunited completely; Páng, meeting of storm and cloud, will become the leader; the original character here is missing, only the interpretation 'Green fades, calamity arrives' remains, meaning the green flowers wither and calamity comes; Yun, after removal, only 'Brother' remains; Jiu, boundless scenery; Dui, nothing to say; Si, 'Brother' and 'Chew' are connected; Zai, there is 'Da' and 'Zhuang' beneath the character, definitely leading to strange occurrences; You, the moon reaches the center of the sky, friends get along well.

大（人有擔當，普天之下，春色中分）、奎（登天之難，桂籍一人）、奔（天花亂降）、奮（奪魁之象）、鬱（有邪有正）、兢（克勤克儉）、存（草草舉薦）。襜：爭（一事無成）、象（離家可免、不忄象色然）、曾（魯魚莫辨）。

Big, the character for person with an extra horizontal stroke, signifies taking responsibility, and also indicates that under the heavens, spring evenly divides; Kuai, climbing to the sky is very difficult, yet among the selected ones, there will be one, indicating that academic success is attainable; Ben, heavenly flowers falling in disorder; Fen, the image of winning the top prize; Yu, there is both evil and good, with good and evil coexisting; Jing, diligence and frugality; Cun, hastily recommended by others, indicating that recommendations are not genuine. Others include: Zheng, achieving nothing; Xiang, leaving home can avoid disaster, no need to show anger or compete; Zeng, the character is confused with the character for fish, making it hard to distinguish, indicating that true and false cannot be clearly determined.

廠：辰（始終反覆）、厚（原來好極）、原（源頭無水）、厄（秀爪之龍）、廚（名登天府）。廣：（用之康莊）、麾（魔頭消耗）、庚（逢八不康）、塵（堂上麟趾）、廣（黃金入庫）、庖（飽學遊庠）、序（太柔則廢）、廛（錯點廢莊）、麻（夜半聯床）、床（緦麻之兆）。疒：濆（雖病下二）、疵（病根在此）、瘟（昌盛無病）、痕（病有根源）、疹（厥疾不瘳）、疔（病漸痊可）。

Factory head category: Chen, always fluctuating repeatedly; Hou, originally good to the extreme; Yuan, the character "source" with water removed, meaning the source has no water, indicating the origin is exhausted; E, a dragon with fine claws, indicating being trapped but containing nobility; Chu, name recorded in the heavenly palace. Broad head category: The original text here is missing the character being measured, only the judgment "used on the broad path" remains, indicating traveling on the main road; Hu, the demon leader is worn out; Geng, encountering the eighth will not be healthy; Chen, there is a celebration of the麟趾 in the hall, indicating a good son; Guang, gold stored in the warehouse;庖, a learned man traveling in the school; Xu, if too soft and compliant, it will lead to decline; Chan, strokes are disordered and the family business is ruined; Ma, brothers sleeping together in bed at midnight; Bed, a sign of mourning in the fifth degree of mourning. Disease head category: Pin, although there is illness, it is only in the second line; Ci, the root of the illness is here; Wen, flourishing without illness; Hen, the illness has a root; Zhen, this illness cannot be cured; Ding, the illness gradually can be cured.

亠：亡（喜出望外）、玄（亥不能全，麼小惑主）、衰（一番哀兆）、齊（逢水則濟）、高（向上豪傑）、亥（即刻該到，掩其骸骨）、齋（齊之以禮）、夜（文書反覆，用手扶掖）。篸：匝（載馳載驅）、薟（匣中寶劍）、臣（中心藏之，取女作姬）、匹（不為已甚）。囗：圖（鄙夫在國）、園（去國不遠）、囚（落人圈套，一人定國，圍中一人）、裛（蒲園花草）、國（一國疑惑）、圓（圖謀財寶）、因（似困非困、煙消火滅）。

The character 亠 head category: 亡, contains the meaning of 'expectation,' indicating unexpected good fortune; 玄, refers to the 'Hai' character being incomplete, and signifies that the small or inferior may mislead the master; 衰, indicates a sign of sorrow; 齐, encountering water forms 'Ji,' indicating overcoming difficulties; 高, signifies an upwardly ambitious hero; 亥, means it is about to arrive, and also signifies burial of bones; 斋, signifies observing rituals; 夜, indicates repeated exchanges of documents, requiring assistance and support. The character 匚 frame category: 匝, signifies continuous travel and movement; 薤, signifies a sword hidden in a box; 臣, signifies something hidden in the center, and also indicates marrying a female concubine; 匹, signifies not going too far. The character 囗 frame category: 图, signifies a lowly man residing in the state; 园, signifies being near the state; 囚, signifies falling into someone else's trap, which can also be read as 'one person determines the state' or 'a single person in the encirclement,' indicating either misfortune or nobility, depending on the situation; 葩, signifies flowers in a hemp garden; 国, signifies confusion throughout the state; 圆, signifies plotting for wealth; 因, seems like being trapped but is not, and also signifies the dissipation of smoke and fire.

冂：冊（兩月破碎）、周（喜氣入門）、用（漸露頭角、周而不全）、丹（再不見面）、且（冥途之中、宜其家室）、丙（做下病根）、內（欲訥於言）、再（其可再乎）、肉（內中有人）。颻：聿（書筆不全）、書（吹律回春）、尹（伊人不見）、丑（一刀兩斷，含羞斫鈕，破田壞土）、肅（秉心塞淵）、晝（若畫一）、群（紅裙不祥）。

The category of characters with a box-like structure: "册" has two "month" radicals both broken; "周" indicates good fortune arriving; "用" is gradually emerging, but it is not a complete "周" character; "丹" has a missing stroke in the "again" radical, indicating that someone will not be seen again; "且" is in the realm of the dead, yet the phrase from the "Book of Songs" "It is good for the family" can be used, indicating both good and bad fortune; "丙" suggests a lingering illness; "内" advises the gentleman to be quiet in speech; "再" implies that things should not happen again; "肉" has a person inside the "inner" radical. This category also includes: "聿" with an incomplete writing brush; "书" indicates blowing the law to bring back spring, meaning a withered tree can revive; "尹" means the person is not seen; "丑" signifies a complete break, also indicating a situation of being ashamed and cutting off the button, or ruining the field and damaging the soil; "肃" means to hold a deep and calm heart, suggesting a person who is steady and reserved; "昼" is as neat as a painting; "群" indicates a red skirt leading the way, which is not a good omen.

寔：尊（對花飲酒）、酋（酒熟花開）、羔（乃烹小鮮）、卷（春氣平分）、首（道之不行）、豢（空拳起家，一家眷屬）、券（無拳無勇）、差（似羞不羞，羊左之交）、美（浮災小恙）、羊（未盡善也）、厓（離群索居）。業：叢（取其創業）、業（依樣插花）。巉：綏（事必妥貼）、辭（卒歸於亂）、受辛（受則不辛）、谿（分豁奚難）、受（無心之愛）、乳（虛浮散亂）。

This category of characters: "Zun" (respect) indicates drinking wine and appreciating flowers; "Chou" (chief) suggests wine ripening and flowers blooming; "Gao" (lamb) means just the right time to cook a small delicacy; "Juan" (scroll) implies the spring energy is evenly divided; "Shou" (head) contains the character "Dao" (way) but lacks the radical "辵" (walking), indicating the way is not being followed; "Huan" (to raise) suggests starting from nothing and having the whole family united; "Quan" (voucher) means without strength or courage, indicating weakness; "Cha" (difference) seems like shame but not quite, and also indicates a deep friendship like that of Yang Jiao and Zuo Bo Tao; "Mei" (beautiful) suggests superficial misfortune and a minor illness; "Yang" (sheep) indicates not yet perfect; "Yi" (cliff) suggests living apart from the group. For the category of "Ye" (industry): "Cong" (thicket) takes the meaning of starting a business; "Ye" (industry) means following the same pattern, indicating copying exactly. This category also includes: "Sui" (peace) indicates things will certainly be well arranged; "Ci" (words) ultimately leads to chaos; the character formed by "Shou" and "Xin" (to receive and to be bitter) is judged as receiving but not bitter, indicating that receiving leads to not suffering; "Xi" (gully) suggests resolving the difficulty of the character "Xi" (what); "Shou" (to receive) means unintentional love, indicating having love but not genuine; "Ru" (milk) suggests superficial and scattered.

久：久（人跨兩頭，袞衣有闕）、雙（先難後獲，後獲有變）、夏（憂在首尾，如有隱憂）。乙：也（水陸俱難）、穀（謀穀變化）、巴（眉頭不展）。匕：些（比劫重重）、此（到底蹉跎）、皆（不成比目）、真（開口即嗔、用心則慎）、比（此心亂矣）、能（維態維罷、無心作態）、旨（皆遜一頭）。幾：幾（飢不得食、鳳鳥不至）、醿（機關太鬆）、風（騰蛟起鳳）、惣（南風不競、破笠遮風）、颺（風捲楊花）、工幾（巧奪天機）、（飛騰九霄）。

The character "jiu" (久): "Jiu" means someone standing across two ends; it also indicates a missing part of a robe, implying high status but not complete. "Shuang" (双) means difficulty first, then gain, but even after gain, there is still change. "Xia" (夏) indicates worry from beginning to end, with hidden anxiety in the heart. The character "yi" (乙): "Ye" (也) means difficulty on both water and land routes. "Gu" (穀) indicates changes in planned matters. "Ba" (巴) means the brows cannot be relaxed. The character "bi" (匕): "Xie" (些) means heavy competition from siblings, leading to disputes. "Ci" (此) means ultimately being wasted. "Jie" (皆) means things cannot be accomplished, like two fish swimming together. "Zhen" (真) means opening one's mouth brings anger, and using one's mind requires caution. "Bi" (比) means the heart is already confused. "Neng" (能) means either acting pretentiously or giving up, ultimately being without intention. "Zhi" (旨) means everyone is inferior to it. The character "ji" (几): "Ji" (几) means hunger without food, and the phoenix does not come. "Ming" (醿) means the mechanism is too loose. "Feng" (风) means dragons rising and phoenixes flying, indicating outstanding talents. "Zong" (惣) means the south wind is not strong, and it also indicates a broken straw hat covering the wind, meaning weak strength and difficulty in support. "Yang" (飏) means wind rolling up willow fluff, indicating wandering. The character formed by "gong" and "ji" (工几) is judged as skillfully capturing the divine mechanism. The original text here has lost the character being judged, only the judgment "flying high to the ninth sky" remains, indicating a sudden high rise.

晚（冠冕禮也）、韓（朝中偉人）、霢（翰林之體）、明（兩見貴神）、時（山寺日高）、暌（撥雲見日、時至登天、癸心向日）、暉（時運不齊）、昕（日近日新）、昏（日漸低矣）、早（綽綽有餘）、昴（茆簷向日）、曇（浮雲蔽日，旱望雲電，祥雲擁日）、曉（堯天舜日）、旦（片雲掩日，剪草除根）、易（口然變卦，一目傷心，日月不明）、日（遇定、成）。

Judgments of characters with the sun radical: "Wan" contains the character for crown, indicating the ceremony of crowning; "Han" signifies a great person in court; "Mai" suggests the physique of a scholar of the Hanlin Academy; "Ming" means the sun and moon appear together, indicating the presence of two noble spirits; "Shi" refers to the sun high above a mountain temple. "Kui" means clearing away clouds to see the sun, also indicating that when the time comes one can ascend to heaven, and it can also be read as the heart of the癸 water turning towards the sun, always a sign of turning darkness into light; "Hui" signifies uneven fortune; "Xin" means the sun is near and the day is new; "Hun" means the sun gradually lowers; "Zao" means there is more than enough; "Mao" refers to a thatched eaves facing the sun. "Tan" means floating clouds blocking the sun, indicating long drought hoping for thunder and lightning, or auspicious clouds surrounding the sun, which may be either good or bad depending on the question; "Xiao" means the era of Yao and Shun, indicating encountering a prosperous age; "Dan" means a cloud partially covering the sun, also indicating removing the root of a weed; "Yi" means a sudden change, also indicating a single eye being injured, or the sun and moon not shining clearly; "Ri" means encountering it brings matters to a definite conclusion.

肯（武闈有分）、青（靜而不爭，青氣已消）、胡（一□□□）、朋（胭脂零落，股肱有損）、朕（有美一人）、囗（明良相遇，廊席之器）、胥（定有收稍）、臈（斬斷葛藤）、肓（芒刺在背）、膝（以膠投漆）、胛（黃甲傳臚）、臉（骨月解命）、腔（月過半襜）、腥（披星戴月）、豚（走而篸之）、腸（胸懷暢快）。

The interpretations for characters with the radical 月 (moon): Ken, indicates success in martial arts examinations; Qing, signifies quietness and non-competition, also indicating the fading of youthful energy; Hu, the original text is incomplete, only the character 'one' remains; Peng, suggests fading rouge and damage to a minister; Zhen, indicates a beautiful woman. Others include: the character originally written as '囗', with the interpretation that a wise ruler and virtuous minister meet, capable of governing the state; Xu, indicates a definite conclusion; La, signifies cutting off entanglements, leading to resolution; Mang, like a thorn under the skin, indicating restlessness; Xie, like glue in pitch, indicating perfect harmony; Jia, indicates a high imperial examination result and being called to the court; Lian, indicates separation of bone and moon, leading to a change in fate; Qiang, indicates the moon is half full but not yet complete; Xing, signifies working at dawn and returning at dusk; Ton, indicates being stopped while moving; Chang, signifies a broad and open heart.

雨：雨（鐘鳴漏盡）、雷（前足苗興）、露（青雲得路）、雲（魂靈失散）、霍（雲中孤雁，雲移雉尾）、颻（映雪讀書、白雪之調）、震（龍得雲雨）、霖（秋林遭霜、桑林禱雨）。山：嵩（高山流水）、蚩（峨冠螭頭、似蚊負山）、岫（山陽聞笛）、嵋（遠山眉黛）、岑（出入琴堂）、嶽（斧斤大山、囗斤播雨）、出（崇階峻秩）、崔（雄才倒峽、歲首大佳）、山（有了出頭）。川：川（凡事半順）、州（乾坤交囗）。石：磁（破碎在茲）、確（破家難全）、逢（劈破蓮蓬）、硫（中流砥柱、枕流恨石）。

The interpretation of characters related to rain: Rain, with the sound of bells and the dripping of water, indicates that time is short; Thunder, with the first movement leading to the flourishing of crops; Dew, with clear clouds and a smooth path, indicates a swift rise to success; Cloud, with a scattered soul; Huo, a lone goose in the clouds, also indicating shifting clouds and a changing retinue, suggesting separation from the group or a change in ceremonial attendants; Yao, reading in the snowlight, like the melody of spring snow, indicating a refined and lofty character; Zhen, a dragon receiving clouds and rain, indicating a sudden opportunity for advancement; Lin, autumn forests suffering frost and withering, while the mulberry grove praying for rain and receiving it, indicating one bad and one good outcome. Characters with the mountain radical: Song, high mountains and flowing water, indicating mutual understanding and appreciation; Chi, a tall hat and a dragon's head, also like mosquitoes carrying a mountain, indicating an inability to bear the burden; Xiu, hearing the flute on the sunny side of the mountain, indicating nostalgia and sorrow; Mei, distant mountain eyebrows, indicating a woman's beauty; Cen, entering and exiting the music hall, indicating a refined and upright official; Yue, chopping down a great mountain, also with the phrase "cutting down the mountain to spread rain"; Chu, a high official rank; Cui, a heroic talent capable of overturning a gorge and flooding a river, also indicating a great fortune at the beginning of the year; Shan, adding "chu" above the character indicates a chance to rise. Characters with the river radical: Chuan, all matters only proceed smoothly half the time; Zhou, the meeting of heaven and earth. Characters with the stone radical: Ci, breaking apart right here; Que, breaking the family and unable to preserve it; Feng, splitting the lotus seedpod, indicating harm to children; Liu, a pillar in the middle of the stream, also indicating a heart full of resentment while living by the stream and washing stones.

田：田（未之思也，寅畏中存，首尾難申，輕重得體）、裡（豈可限量）、異（羽毛翼之）、畋（放歸田裡）、禺（一走即遇，豈偶然或）、胃（無思不服、魁首有分）、畏（雷震八荒、鬼見喪門）、由（苗而不秀）、鬼（魂消魄散）、墨（不入市寔）、科（星移斗轉）、巉（利在於遲）、種（千里得利）、稽（指日利就）、巘（登科凌雲）、秀（一言可誘）、禿（虎榜登科）、季（始終和好）、移（其利必多）、秋（始終和美）、稗（脾氣不和）、程（卞和獻璞）。

Characters with the field radical: Tian means the person has not yet thought carefully, the character contains Yin, indicating reverence, the beginning and end are difficult to extend, light and heavy must be balanced; Li means the future cannot be limited; Yi means like adding feathers to assist flight; Tian means returning to the fields, indicating retirement; Yu means a single movement brings meeting, not by chance; Wei means without thinking, there is no resistance, and it indicates being the leader; Wei means thunder shaking the world, also indicating ghosts and the gate of death, with a凶 (dangerous) aspect; You means only sprouting without ripening, indicating beginning without end; Gui means soul disperses; Mo means not seeking in the marketplace. Characters with the millet radical: Ke means the stars shift, indicating changes in the situation; Chan means advantage lies in slowness; Zhong means profit gained from a thousand miles away; Ji means success can be achieved smoothly soon; Yan means passing the imperial examination and rising high; Xiu means one word can attract people; Tu means passing the imperial examination on the tiger list; Ji means always harmonious; Yi means the profit gained is certain; Qiu means always harmonious and beautiful; Bai means temperaments are not in harmony; Cheng means like Bi He presenting the jade, indicating possessing talent waiting for recognition.

米（粗心浮氣）、精（必主消釋）、敉（糟糠之妻）、來（未能結果）。豆：豆（樹隱孤村）、豆（具體而微）、頭（豐登如願）、豐（無色不豔）、禮（豐衣足食）。人：人（良金出治，大夫之體）、今（一心懸念）、餘（半）、俞（一人有利）、命（叩此一人，僉都御史，人品軒昂，封金掛印）、合（人口俱全，暗度陳倉）、令（喜脫囹圄）、盒（我倉既盈）、禽（離多會少）、全（一人在土，其人如玉）、介（勢如破竹）、念（人有二心）、巫（王之左右）、更（偷天換日）。

The oracle interpretations for characters with the "米" radical: "米" means being careless and superficial; "精" indicates that something definite will eventually be resolved; "敉" refers to a wife from humble origins; "来" contains the character "未," suggesting that something will not bear fruit. For characters with the "豆" radical: "豆" implies a lonely village hidden among tree shadows; another interpretation of "豆" is something specific but small; "头" means a bountiful harvest as desired; "丰" suggests that without color, something is not beautiful; "礼" indicates sufficient food and clothing. For characters related to "人": "人" means like fine metal refined in the kiln, representing the character of a scholar-official; "今" means being preoccupied with worry; "余" means only half obtained; "俞" means someone benefits; "命" means the one being questioned is alone, and can be interpreted as holding an official position, having an upright character, and possessing wealth and honor, all signs of high status. "合" means all people are present, and also suggests a covert strategy; "令" means joy at being released from prison; "盒" means my granary is already full; "禽" means more dispersion than gathering; "全" means a person standing on soil, indicating a person as smooth and refined as jade; "介" means a situation that will proceed smoothly; "念" means a person with two minds; "巫" means a close attendant of the king; "更" means a scheme to change the heavens.

亻：俑（此人無勇）、伊（人得依君）、伸（神仙中人）、催（跨崔昇仙）、仁（一伴未完）、偏（人落騙局）、傳（轉蒐傷殘、此人博極）、偷（剝削天倫）、修（極有條理）、保（開口便休）、假（室邇人遐）、儉（遭人按劍、人立險地）、伎（人懷絕技）、伺（人被官司）、備（雖借不用）、付（旁人作對、剖竹分符）、倩（有情之人）、信（踐言之人）、俊（人有始終）、仔（此人浮極）、休（庶幾保全）、任（千人選一）、作（詐而不信）、倍（辛苦之人）、估（隱居不仕）。

Single-person-shoulder characters' interpretations: Yong, this person lacks courage; Yi, a person who can rely on a wise ruler; Shen, a person of divine quality; Cui, rising to immortality by overcoming obstacles; Ren, a companion who is not yet complete; Pian, a person falling into a trap; Chuan, suffering injury through repeated searching, or indicating a person who has studied extensively; Tou, exploiting family bonds; Xiu, highly organized; Bao, speaking and then stopping; Jia, a house nearby but the person far away; Jian, facing danger with swords drawn; Ji, possessing extraordinary skills; Ci, being entangled in legal matters; Bei, borrowing but not using; Fu, others opposing, or receiving official documents; Qian, a person with feelings; Xin, a person keeping promises; Jun, a person who starts and finishes well; Zai, a person extremely restless; Xiu, possibly preserving safety; Ren, selecting one person out of a thousand; Zuo, deceitful and untrustworthy; Bei, a hardworking person; Gu, retreating from official life; Xu, living in seclusion.

位（孤立無依）、侍（與時俯仰）、仃（行色息息）、偶（一人向隅）、他（勿施於人）、儒（端毓雲仍）、儀（信近於義）、偑（風送歸人）、傷（傀儡登場）、化（匕首刺人）、俱（半假半真、似有真意）、倪（人貌不同）、伐（休慼相關）、俗（才優學裕）、以（二人一心）。彳：待（德星時聚）、徂（行行且止）、徐（行有餘力）、徒（待其定局、此行破趙）、來（人臨喪事）、徠（小往大來）、街（壅塞不行、行動為佳）、衍（行可為法）、從（行期已定）、德（計從言聽）、衛（從違不定）。

Position, isolated with no support; attend, to bow and serve at any time; stop, to hurry along; chance, one person alone in sorrow; other, do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire; scholar, upright and noble, with descendants continuing; ceremony, the principles one holds are close to righteousness; false, the wind carries a returning person; injury, like a puppet on stage, at the mercy of others; transformation, a dagger stabbing someone; both, half true and half false, as if there is a real meaning; hint, people's appearances are different; attack, sharing joy and sorrow; vulgar, with abundant talent and wide learning; with, two people with one heart. The interpretation for characters with the double-person radical: wait, the virtue star appears at the right time; go, go and stop; slowly, with remaining strength; empty, wait until the situation is settled, and this journey is like the breaking of the state of Zhao by Xingling Jun, indicating distant travel and achievement; come, encountering mourning; come, small departure and great arrival, indicating growth from small to great; street, blockage, better to take action; develop, the actions can be a standard; follow, the time to act is set; virtue, plans are carried out and words are heard; guard, between following and opposing, a difficult decision.

目（月計有餘）、盲（過目不亡）、澐郤（然在目）、瞿（行到通衢）、看（眉間不平）、盾（眉頭蹙損）、自（息無心，身不足、眉頭不展）。耳：耳（日下有餘）、聊（先取關中）、取（指日報最）。手：手（丁與王合）、掌（堂上拿了）、拳（手不釋卷）。口（足可賞心、喉舌之司）、啞（擊碎唾壺）、吊（尚未改常）、葉（暗中設言）、同（悟相早、周彡十分周到）。

The interpretation of characters with the eye radical: "目" indicates that according to the month, there is still surplus; "盲" means seeing without forgetting; the original character here is "沄郤," and the interpretation is clear and visible; "瞿" suggests moving along a broad road; "看" indicates there is an unevenness between the eyebrows; "盾" suggests worry and frown lines on the eyebrows; "自" is formed by adding the heart radical to "字" to make "息," but there is no heart radical here, or by adding a stroke to make "身," but the strokes are insufficient, overall indicating that the eyebrows cannot be relaxed. For characters with the ear radical: "耳" indicates there is still room left after the day; "聊" suggests first taking the area of Guanzhong; "取" indicates the best performance within a short period. For characters with the hand radical: "手" indicates the combination of "丁" and "王"; "掌" suggests that it has already been seized in the hall; "拳" indicates holding on to books without letting go. For characters with the mouth radical: "口" indicates it is sufficient to please the heart, being the organ of speech and voice; "哑" suggests smashing a spit cup, indicating sorrow and anger; "吊" suggests that the usual state has not changed; "叶" suggests making secret remarks; "同" indicates early realization, and the character is carefully refined.

司（似可不可、不能用也）、唯（前呼後擁、一喜一懼、雌黃之口）、吹（欲不可逞、受口之欺）、噫（心口相應）、吳（石登天府、石破天驚、無心之誤）、臺（參商已現、雲後空回）、回（可能見面、中年補廩）、呷（鬼哭神號）、吞（煉石補天、天作之合、二人一口）、噴（迴心發憤）、味（叱石成羊）。

Lord, it seems possible yet not really so, ultimately unable to be relied upon; only, with people surrounding him, it may indicate both joy and fear, and can still be interpreted as speaking without evidence. Blowing, desires should not be indulged, and it also indicates being deceived by others' words. Ah, the heart and mouth correspond. Wu, the character contains stone and heaven, which can be interpreted as stone ascending to the heavenly court, or stone breaking the sky, and also as an unintentional mistake. Tai, the stars of Shen and Shang have already appeared, indicating separation, and also indicating that after clouds disperse, one returns empty-handed. Hui, possible meeting, also indicating a midlife promotion to a廪生. Xia, ghosts weeping and gods crying. Tun, the character contains heaven and mouth, which can be interpreted as forging stone to mend the sky, or a union made by heaven, and also as two people and one mouth. Pen, turning back and then exerting effort. Wei, like a high monk commanding a stone to become a sheep, indicating transforming decay into something extraordinary.

器（沽名釣譽）、右（大有迴心）、叩（一言喪邦、名成佩印）、品（嗷嗷待哺、躭頭臨終）、囂（中不成器）、嗷（鰲頭可占）、噩（王家之器）、邑（巴人莫和）、呂（不可不知）、哭（大器晚成）、只（難兄難弟）、呆（缺人作保）、占（點頭之尾）、乩（占得餘光）、呈（望和而已、理屈詞窮）、知（痴心短見）、聖（身名望外）、甜（苦盡甘來）、單（張弓挾彈）。

Vessels, seeking fame and reputation; Right, there is a great chance of changing one's mind; Knock, one word can bring about the downfall of a state or achieve fame and receive a seal; Quality, three mouths crying for food, indicating delay until the end and a final demise; Noise, middle ground not being useful; Cry, the first place can be taken; Horrible, it is a vessel for the king; City, the common people have no one to harmonize with; Lü, it is not something to be unknown; Cry, great talent comes late in life. Only, siblings are hard to distinguish in superiority; Dull, lacking a person to guarantee; Divination, it is the end of the character 'point'; Ghost writing, divination yields only a glimpse; Present, only hoping for peace, eventually losing the argument; Knowing, foolishness and short-sightedness; Saint, both body and name are beyond expectation; Sweet, after bitterness comes sweetness; Single, drawing a bowstring with an arrow.

心：心（忽然必變）、思（心作良田，疑心生鬼，能慮無累）、恩（煙盡火息）、急（小隱穩極）、忿（恩怨須分）、志（悲喜交集）、懇（心深於貌）、恚（閨中愁極）、怨（兔死狐悲）、忌（未必心死）、恙（義上忠臣，恩斷義絕、負義忘恩）、悉（心花吐採）、忽（悲傷已極）、恣（懿德有頠）、悲（心上安排）、愚（偶然忘了）、忠（意外之患）、惑（一心為國）、愁（得意之秋）、必（心之憂矣）。

The interpretations for characters related to the heart: Heart, suddenly there will be a change; Thought, the heart field can be cultivated into good land, yet suspicion may bring ghosts, and thorough consideration will bring no worries; Grace, the smoke has vanished and the fire has gone out; Urgency, a small concealment brings extreme safety; Anger, grievances must be clear; Will, a mixture of sorrow and joy; Sincere, the heart is more devoted than the appearance; Wrath, sorrow in the inner chamber reaches its peak; Grudge, the fox laments the rabbit's death; Jealousy, perhaps not truly dead hearted; Illness, the character 'yi' (righteousness) above still shows a loyal minister, yet it can also mean the end of grace and betrayal; All, the heart flower emits brilliance; Sudden, sorrow has reached its peak; Rash, among virtues there is some bias; Sorrow, the heart has already made arrangements; Foolish, accidentally forgotten; Loyalty, unexpected misfortune; Confusion, wholeheartedly for the country; Sorrow, precisely the time of success; Definitely, exactly the lament of the "Book of Songs" "My heart is troubled."

忄：慵（心慕中庸）、恭（莫道無心）、惟（其難其慎，佳人有心，別離焦心）、慍（慢藏誨盜）、惲（運不稱心）、忖（對面稱心）、暐（福到心靈）、恨（情根未斷，眼角傳情）、誤（口快心直）、忄音（惟恐失音）、慣（忠以貫之）、性（平生慷慨）、憐（心迷意外）。

The interpretations for characters with the heart radical: "Yōng" indicates a longing in the heart for the doctrine of the mean; "Gōng" suggests that although it may seem unintentional, the heart is actually in a low position; "Wéi" implies difficulty and caution, or it may indicate a woman with feelings, or separation and worry, with three meanings to be used according to the situation; "Yùn" means that concealing laziness may invite thieves; "Dùn" indicates that fate does not match the heart's desire; "Cǔn" means to please the heart in person; "Wěi" suggests that when good fortune arrives, the mind becomes lively; "Hèn" indicates that the emotional attachment has not been severed, and the eyes still convey affection; "Wù" means speaking quickly and being straightforward in heart; characters with the "xīn" sound are judged as being afraid of losing the sound; "Guàn" means to remain loyal throughout; "Xìng" indicates a life of generosity; "Lián" means the heart is fascinated by unexpected matters.

言：言（人而無信，病不宜卜）、諸（議論有緒）、詩（維持眾論，翰林待詔，逢時調用）、詞（未同而言，調和未周）、該（其言刻薄）、謀（媒妁之言）、謁（以詩代偈）、昚（永矢勿詒）、請（情誼囗離）、諂（以言陷人）、訓（求謀半順，風調雨順）、誰（詞家雄敵）、誅（詩成珠玉）、曈（請劍誅邪）、諱（違心之言）、諦（之出奇計）、證（不謀其政）、諺（犯顏犯諫）、諷（捫風而談）、誘（調和鼎鼐）、議（義方之訓）、調（計語周到）、訪（致謗之日）、諳（言不盡意）、誤（譽出不虞）、訝（齒雅餘論）。

The interpretations for characters with the "speech" radical: "Yan" (言) means a person without integrity is hard to trust; if one asks about illness, it is not advisable to consult again. "Zhu" (诸) indicates orderly and coherent discussion. "Shi" (诗) means being able to maintain public opinion, and it also signifies being appointed as a court poet or being summoned when the time is right. "Ci" (词) suggests expressing opinions before they are in agreement, and the reconciliation is not thorough. "Gai" (该) implies speaking harshly. "Mou" (谋) refers to a matchmaker's words. "Yie" (谒) means using poetry as a substitute for a偈 (a type of Buddhist verse). "Shen" (昚) means forever not deceiving each other. "Qing" (请) indicates that the relationship of affection is about to break apart. "Chan" (谄) means using words to harm others. "Xun" (训) means that what is sought or planned will only succeed half the time, and it can also be interpreted as favorable weather. "Shui" (谁) refers to a strong rival in the literary world. "Zhu" (诛) means the poem is as precious as pearls. "Tong" (曈) means to take out the imperial sword to eliminate villains. "Hui" (讳) means speaking insincerely. "Di" (谛) suggests there is a clever plan within. "Zheng" (证) means not meddling in affairs. "Yan" (谚) means daring to speak out frankly. "Feng" (讽) means speaking while touching the wind, indicating empty words without foundation. "You" (诱) means harmonizing the state affairs, indicating holding a high official position. "Yi" (议) means moral instruction, indicating strict family discipline. "Tiao" (调) means careful and thorough discussion. "Fang" (访) means it is the day when one will be slandered. "An" (谙) means words cannot fully express meaning. "Wu" (误) means reputation arises unexpectedly. "Ya" (讶) means a lingering fragrance on the teeth, indicating a lasting discussion.

立：童（鯉魚化龍，窮童埋土）、龍（失寵無官）、奇（可立而待）、章（十分得意）、間（心滿意足，有意無心，神龍脫骨）、彥（參商之隔）、啻（從無戲言）、辛（龍頭犴尾，可使為宰）、親（從旁幫襯）、立立（寒風颯颯）。見：規（穿硯工夫）、觀（相規相勸）、見（完在月內）。：足（吳頭楚尾）、踟（知不足也）、涘（一束不足）、蹄（足加帝腹）、蹬（提燈引路）。走：走（已有起色、事方起頭）、趙（左起右消）。

The interpretations for characters in the "Lìbù" category: "Tóng" signifies a child who transforms from a carp into a dragon, indicating a rise from humble beginnings to prestige; the reverse suggests a poor child buried in the earth. "Lóng" indicates losing favor and having no official position. "Qí" suggests something that can be achieved immediately. "Zhāng" indicates great success. "Jiān" signifies contentment, and also suggests intention without conscious effort; it can also be interpreted as a dragon shedding its bones. "Yàn" implies the separation of Can and Shang stars forever. "Chì" means never making idle talk. "Xīn" describes a head like a dragon and a tail like an ox, indicating a person who can be appointed as a prime minister. "Qīn" suggests assistance from the side. The character formed by "Lì" and "Lì" together is interpreted as a cold wind blowing. For characters in the "Jiàn bù" category: "Guī" signifies the hard work of piercing through a stone tablet. "Guān" indicates mutual encouragement. "Jiàn" suggests completion within this month. For characters in the "Zú bù" category: "Zú" indicates the head of Wu and the tail of Chu, suggesting division between head and tail. "Chí" signifies contentment and stopping. "Sì" suggests even a bundle is insufficient. "Tí" indicates the abdomen of an emperor added under the foot. "Dēng" suggests carrying a lantern to guide the way. For characters in the "Zǒu bù" category: "Zǒu" indicates that things have already started to improve, and the matter is just beginning. "Zhào" suggests that something rises on the left but fades on the right.

之：之（其事心乏）、逄（禋官退職）、蓬（蜂入蓮窩，花下相逢）、篷（相逢一笑）、通（急流勇退）、遲（通天之犀）、進（英雄之選）、遁（左道宜遠）、道（身在逆旅）、避（進退運甓）、遂（隨行逐隊）、適（量敵而進）、送（當道大人）、逵（不睦而走）、邊（功成身退，人力所通）、延（正未可及）、連（埤輪當道）、迄（遮道乞留）、遍（過房為嗣）、過（取禍之道）、追（誰能遣此）、達（僥倖之道）、遁（月中不遂）、迥（過猶不及）、遇（所遭不偶）。

The interpretation for characters with the "walk" radical: "Zhi" indicates that the matter one is handling has exhausted one's heart and strength; "Peng" suggests that the official in charge of rituals will retire from office; "Peng" (another form) implies meeting in the midst of flowers, indicating a meeting between men and women; "Tong" suggests retreating bravely from a swift current; "Chi" indicates a rhinoceros of heaven, suggesting spiritual communication; "Jin" suggests the choice of heroes. "Dun" advises keeping away from left-hand paths and heretical sects; "Dao" indicates being in a place of lodging; "Bi" suggests diligence through effort, like Tao Kan moving bricks, when one is between advancing and retreating; "Sui" indicates following a group; "Shi" suggests advancing after assessing the opponent; "Song" indicates encountering a prominent person on the way; "Kui" suggests leaving due to lack of harmony. "Bian" indicates retiring after achieving success, and also suggests that human effort can be effective; "Yan" indicates that it is not yet within reach; "Lian" suggests a cart wheel blocking the way, indicating obstruction; "Qi" indicates begging to be held back; "Pian" indicates being adopted into another family; "Guo" indicates the very path to misfortune; "Zui" suggests who can relieve this heartache; "Da" indicates a way gained by chance; if "Dun" is interpreted again, it means it will not succeed within the month; "Jiong" suggests going too far is not good; "Yu" indicates that what one encounters is not in pairs.

扌：攜（秀才不難）、拖（打草驚虵）、抽（掩其不衛）、我（非復故我、投戈講藝）、搏（拋磚引玉）、挴（海不揚彼）、拚（紅拂私奔）、括（指東話西）、抑（無心插柳）、扼（厄而不持）、攘（揖讓而升）、搃（恩中招怨）、持（懷技待時）、推（左攔右截，拆散分離，雄才必進）、損（到手賞心）、扣（吹打揚名）、掠（半推半就）、挕（如取如攜）、挾（招之不來）、掩（江淹才盡）、挹（飛揚跋扈）、抄（分明才少）。

The interpretation for characters with the hand radical: "携" suggests that becoming a scholar is not difficult; "拖" implies causing alarm unnecessarily; "抽" means to exploit one's opponent's vulnerability; "我" indicates a change from the former self, and also suggests abandoning warfare for literature; "搏" implies offering something to provoke a response; "挴" suggests calmness and stability; "拚" is like Hongfu's night escape with Li Jing, indicating a woman's secret departure; "括" means talking at cross purposes; "抑" suggests unintentional success; "扼" indicates encountering difficulties without support; "攘" suggests polite entry into a hall; "搃" implies bringing hatred through kindness; "持" means carrying skills in wait for opportunity; "推" suggests being blocked on both sides, leading to separation, or indicating a talented person's advancement, with fortune depending on the situation; "损" means achieving one's desires immediately; "扣" suggests making a loud reputation; "掠" implies half-hearted agreement; "挕" suggests easy acquisition; "挟" means calling someone but they do not come; "掩" suggests a lack of inspiration; "挹" implies arrogance; "抄" suggests insufficient talent.

才：才（折本磨牙，枯木發芽，方寸亂矣）、旂（鼎甲才子）、材（疏林落葉）。頁：頁（賓不顧也）、卒頁（出類拔萃）、須（漸入順境）、領（強項之令）、頹（秀而脫穎）、頗（波瀾頓作）、頓（騑褵不順）、思頁（所想必順）、題（貴顯定局）。

The interpretation for characters in the "Cai" radical: Cai means having lost one's capital and still grinding one's teeth in argument, but it can also mean withered trees sprouting new growth, or revival in desperate situations, or confusion in one's mind. Qi refers to a scholar of the highest rank. Cai also means sparse forest with falling leaves, indicating decline. For characters in the "Ye" radical: Ye means guests refusing to look back. Characters formed with "卒" and "Ye" indicate outstanding excellence. Xu means gradually entering a favorable situation. Ling refers to an official who is strong and upright, like a strong-minded magistrate. Tui means outstanding and emerging from obscurity. Po means a sudden rise in waves. Dun means difficulties in movement and rest. Characters formed with "Si" and "Ye" indicate that one's thoughts will surely go smoothly. Ti means a situation of high status and prominence has already been determined.

曰：曰（自天申之）、冕（沉冤不白）、果（覆巢之下）、甲（終無結果，兩邊無用）、申（甲冑之身，無輪之車）、冒（胃氣不充）。力：劣（可以省功）、協（勞心勞力）、勞（螢窗勤學）、男（勤勞致富）、助（鋤必得金）、加（功成名遂）、勉（勞逸均分）、辦（遊刃有餘）、幼（有約不成）。

The interpretations for characters in the "曰" radical: "曰" means happiness comes from heaven and is reaffirmed; "冕" means a deep injustice remains unexposed; "果" means after the nest falls, there is no intact egg left; "甲" means ultimately nothing will bear fruit, neither side can be used; "申" means being armored, yet also a cart without wheels. The interpretations for characters in the "力" radical: "劣" means some effort can be saved; "协" means both mental and physical labor; "劳" means studying hard under dim light and snow; "男" means becoming rich through diligence; "助" means plowing the field will surely bring gold; "加" means achieving success and renown; "勉" means balancing hard work and leisure; "办" means handling affairs with ease; "幼" means there was an agreement but it could not be fulfilled.

攵：文（元首收稍，乃見交態）、改（攻己之短）、吝（□）、效（遠交近攻）、吾攵（衙中投文）、斌（偃武修文）、敏（文如陸海）、瑀（文在腹中）、敗（質先於文）、赦（文名赫變）。又：又（交不加點、文星不現）、支（十分收成）、叟（瘦無其底）、矰（目不暇給）、釵（中途取足、收成有餘）、殳（疫收一半）、般（其舟半沒）。

The interpretations for characters with the "fan wen" radical: "Wen" signifies that the head and tail are enclosed, revealing the true nature of connection; "Gai" focuses solely on one's own shortcomings; "Lin" has an incomplete original interpretation; "Xiao" suggests distant alliances and close attacks; the character formed with "wu" and "pu" is interpreted as submitting documents to an official office; "Bin" indicates ceasing warfare and promoting culture; "Min" suggests literary talent as vast as the land of Lu and Pan; "Yu" implies that articles are stored within the abdomen; "Bai" indicates that quality surpasses culture; "She" suggests a renowned literary reputation with change. For characters with the "yòu" radical: "You" signifies the character "jiao" without the dot, indicating the absence of the literary star; "Zhi" indicates a very bountiful harvest; "Sǒu" suggests being so thin there is nothing left; "Zeng" implies being overwhelmed by sights; "Chai" suggests achieving sufficient results halfway, with a surplus in the harvest; "Shu" indicates that half of the plague has been removed; "Ban" suggests that the boat is already half-sunken.

方：施（旌旗匝地）、惸（方朔偷桃）、旆（言旋言歸）、旋（懸旌不定）。非：非（靡不有初）、韭（非止一次）、徘（所行盡非）、排（拒諫飾非）。欠（滿口吹噓）、炊（歡美極矣）、歡（坎離交姤）、次（有些羨餘、諮嗟出口）、牴（被欺受陷）、歇（掀天揭地）、欲（有容無欺）、欹（奇才坎坷）。予：予（草茅不勁）、務（撥開雲霧）、舒（舍我其誰）、野（茅土酬動）。子：子（了當不得）、晙（承當美色）、耔（將來極好）、孤（孔門正派）、享（一去亨通）、孟（子孫易盛、幹蠱之子）、孫（繫累子弟）、學（先覺之子）。

Divination interpretations for characters in the same radical: "Shi" indicates banners everywhere; "Qiong" suggests taking shortcuts to gain blessings, like Dongfang Shuo stealing peaches; "Pai" indicates returning home; "Xuan" indicates banners hanging high but wavering. Characters not in the same radical: "Fei" suggests starting well but failing to finish; "Jiu" indicates not once but multiple times; "Pai" suggests going in the wrong direction; "Pai" also indicates rejecting advice and making excuses. Characters in the "Qian" radical: "Qian" indicates boasting; "Chui" indicates extreme joy; "Huan" indicates the union of water and fire; "Ci" indicates a slight surplus and sighing; "Di" indicates being deceived and陷害; "Xie" indicates a great upheaval; "Yu" indicates being broad-minded and not deceitful; "Qi" indicates a talented person encountering hardships. Characters in the "Yu" radical: "Yu" indicates a person not strong enough; "Wu" indicates clearing the clouds to see the blue sky; "Shu" indicates taking on responsibility; "Ye" indicates being rewarded with land and titles for meritorious service. Characters in the "Zi" radical: "Zi" indicates an inability to resolve matters; "Jun" indicates being able to bear beauty; "Zi" indicates a very good future; "Gu" indicates the orthodox lineage of Confucius; "Xiang" indicates immediate success; "Meng" indicates descendants easily prospering, a son capable of continuing his father's legacy; "Sun" indicates being burdened by descendants; "Xue" indicates a person who knows before others.

女（一半將安）、如（始終含丹、揚名顯姓、妯娌不和、妥貼之極、哲人其萎）、姑（好古敏求）、媧（補過修好）、娉（妙齡待聘）、曌（好學顏淵）、嫫（嫫母獻丑）、妻（事有妥局、擇木而棲）、奼（托媒嫁女）、媸（勉強學好）、妃（不好犯上、安不忘危）、奴（手到絜來、收稍卻好）、母（悔之晚矣）、娃（如圭如璧）、好（媚於天子、存心妥貼）、侄域（到頭如意）、妥（女乳菽發）、姜（女子之祥）、取（嫁娶兩宜）、姿（次序安排）、婀（阿其所好）、狖（得些安妥）、妲（旭日始旦）。

Female characters' interpretations: Female, half will gain peace; like, always holding a red heart, also indicating fame and reputation, may also be interpreted as sister-in-law discord, yet extremely appropriate, also may be taken from the "Rites of Zhou" "The wise man is declining," depending on the situation;姑, fond of antiquity and quick to seek;娲, correcting mistakes and restoring old relations;娉, young and waiting for marriage;曌, diligent in study like Yan Yuan;嫫,嫫 mother's self-deprecation, indicating self-recommendation with ugliness;妻, matters will have a proper conclusion, also indicating a good bird chooses a fine tree;姹, entrusting a matchmaker to marry off a daughter;媸, forced to improve;妃, not rebellious, remains cautious even in safety;奴, easy to obtain, yet good at the end;母, regret too late;娃, like a jade and a jade;好, loved by the emperor, with proper intentions; the characters combined with "nephew's domain" indicate success in the end;妥, female giving milk and beans sprouting;姜, auspicious for a woman;取, marriage and taking in both directions are suitable;姿, arranging in order;婀, flattering what one likes;狖, getting some peace;妲, the sun just rising.

尸：尸（尺有所短，不能終局，不出窟中，截尾之象）、局（塞向墐戶）、跂（賓客之體）、屠（日居月諸）、犀（舉步少遲）、展（殿頭賜袞，眉來眼去）、屆（居仁由義，屈而不伸）、居（跋胡篽尾）、尼（趁水和泥）、孱（眾子同居）。食：食（其人必良）、飱（良人有殃）、飭（食前方丈）、養（羔羊退食）。

The interpretations for characters in the "尸" category: "尸" indicates that even a measure has its limits, and it also signifies something that cannot reach the end or emerge from the cave, always resembling the image of cutting off the tail; "局" means blocking the northern window and sealing the door properly, indicating concealment and self-preservation; "跂" refers to the physique of a guest; "屠" signifies the passage of time, as the sun and moon move; "犀" indicates a slightly slow pace; "展" means receiving a robe of rank at the front hall, and also signifies subtle interactions; "届" means living by righteousness and benevolence, yet being unable to stretch out; "居" resembles an old wolf stepping forward on its neck meat and being tied back by its tail, facing difficulties in both directions; "尼" means taking advantage of water and mud, indicating achieving things by following the trend; "孱" means several sons living together in one room. The interpretations for characters in the "食" category: "食" indicates that this person is certainly kind; "飱" means a good person will suffer misfortune; "饬" signifies a lavish meal before the table, indicating extravagance; "养" is like the description in the "Book of Songs" of a young sheep retreating to eat, indicating integrity and propriety in official positions.

皿：皿（血氣不足、破盞壞軿）、盈（盛綏釐釐）、蓋（朝薤暮鹽）、盡（書筆有益）、盞（破殘無益）、氳（氣象溫和）、氤（困人天氣）。糸：紅（終似落空）、絲（繪事後素，縲糹世之中）、綸（絕類離群）、紳（絀而後伸）、綿（素絲白馬而帛之，錦心繡口）、糹忽（緩能制急）、紂（素封之餘）、縷（鏤金錯彩）、緇（經界不正）、終（螽斯繩繩）、維（此緣難結，釋難解紛）、紉（緣分有虧）、幽（樂茲山色）、繼（可斷可續）、糸（纏頭繫足）、結（紅鸞天喜）、素（責任之累）。

The judgment for characters with the "皿" radical: "皿" signifies insufficient vital energy, and also indicates breaking cups and damaging carriages; "盈" means fullness and beauty, bringing continuous blessings and honors; "盖" suggests eating leek in the morning and salt at night, leading to a state of poverty; "尽" indicates that writing with a brush and pen is beneficial to others; "盏" implies broken and useless things; "氲" represents a gentle and mild atmosphere; "氤" refers to oppressive weather. The judgment for characters with the "糸" radical: "红" signifies that things will ultimately come to nothing; "丝" suggests that after painting, the silk is dyed white, and also indicates being imprisoned; "纶" means being completely isolated from others; "绅" indicates suffering initial setbacks but eventually gaining success; "绵" implies a white horse made of fine silk wrapped with silk cloth, and also signifies having a sharp mind and eloquent speech; characters formed with "纟忽" indicate dealing with urgent matters through a slow approach; "纣" suggests the lingering influence of a wealthy family; "缕" refers to intricate gold and colored patterns; "缁" indicates improper boundaries; "终" signifies a continuous proliferation of descendants; "维" suggests that this relationship is difficult to establish and also indicates resolving disputes; "纫" indicates a deficiency in relationships; "幽" suggests enjoyment in the scenery of mountains; "继" can be either broken or continued; "糸" indicates being bound by ropes, leading to being restricted; "结" signifies the arrival of the Red Bird and Heavenly Joy, indicating a successful marriage; "素" suggests being burdened by responsibilities.

紲（世掌絲綸）、紙（底蘊畢露）、繩（孫子減灶）、籥（多田多累）、祼（一絲不亂）、紽（膋蛇纏繞）、級（綆短汲深）、絺（壽終古稀）、縣（兒孫必多）、幰（陶潛解綬）、（子期絕弦）。巾（席帽離身，不中之象，布帛有損）、幢（童生得巾）、帷（席帽離身，入幕便佳）、幃（憑弔違心）、師（欲歸不得，冠帶臨身，暗數歸期）、帥（有官有帶）、歸（追奠吊掃）、幬（運籌帷幄）、帖（賣卜於市）。

Xie, a family that has been in charge of silk and imperial edicts through generations; Zhi, the essence is fully revealed; Sheng, like Sun Bin reducing the number of cooking fires to lure the enemy, indicating the use of strategy; Yue, when there are many fields, there are many burdens; Guan, everything is in perfect order without disorder; Tuo, like the mythical snake Teng wrapping around; Ji, the rope is short but the well is deep, indicating the main force is not capable; Chi, dying at an age of seventy; Xuan, the descendants will certainly be numerous; Xian, like Tao Yuanming removing his official robe to return to the fields; the original text here omits the character being measured, leaving only the judgment "Zi Qi Jue Xian," indicating that the person who understands music has passed away. The interpretations for characters in the "Jin" radical: Jin, the cap and hat have left the body, indicating an unfavorable omen and loss of silk and cloth; Chuang, a candidate for the imperial examination has received the cap, indicating advancement in studies; Wei, the cap and hat have left the body, but entering someone's military headquarters is favorable; Wei, visiting in mourning while against one's will; Shi, wanting to return but unable to, also indicating the wearing of a cap and belt, and secretly counting the return date; Shuai, holding an official position and an official seal; Gui, performing memorial services, mourning, and visiting tombs; Chao, planning and strategizing from behind the scenes; Tie, making a living by fortune-telling in the market.

衣：裕（新浴更衣）、褘（依違兩可）、神（衣不垂紳）、禱（福偏壽全）、禪（禍不單行）、禍（禍生有基）、祠（禍福所司）、祈（福與時新，折盡福祿，無所禱也）、裾（安居獲福）、初（內裡分心）、福（富而好禮）、煙（香菸滿袖）。寸：封（閨中無對、壽極耄耋）、冠（莞然不得）、尋（潯陽無渡）、壽（浪誦濤平、運籌無策）、寺（須人而待）、耐（破面相待）、射（以身發財）、寸（不盡其才）。

The interpretations for characters with the "silk" radical and the "god" radical: Yu, after bathing, wear new clothes; Hui, hesitating between two options; Shen, wearing clothes but not hanging the sash; Dao, less fortunate but long-lived; Chan, misfortunes come in succession; Huo, misfortunes arise from their roots; Ci, the place where fortune and misfortune are governed; Qi, fortune is renewed continuously, but may also be interpreted as fortune and禄 being exhausted, with nothing to pray for; Ju, enjoying peace and gaining fortune; Chu, inner distraction; Fu, wealthy and courteous; Yan, fragrance filling the sleeves. The interpretations for characters with the "inch" radical: Feng, no one to converse with in the inner chamber, living to an old age; Guan, a gentle smile but unattainable; Xun, no boat to cross the Xunyang River; Shou, waves receding and tides calm, but also indicating lack of strategy; Si, waiting for someone to come; Nai, having lost face yet still needing to interact; She, striving for wealth with one's own efforts; Cun, unable to fully display one's talent.

夕：歹（死絕之旁）、名（一夕之言）、外（人之將死、可丱無咎）、舛（一舉成名）、多（今日何夕）、殘（破錢遭殃）。西：西（凶惡之首）、粟（商賈得采）、賈（貫朽粟腐）。艮：艮（陽光龍尾、假銀瞎眼）、良（寄食於人）、齦（切齒之恨）。已：巳（可已不已，委蛇鎖口）、巽（杜撰無才，走到即選）、紀（天綠配偶，紅絲牽配，解組由己）。酉：酉（幾乎出丑，半醉半醒）、酎（黃封御酒）、配（醉酒飽德）。勻：勻（一勺之多，一句不成）、甸（勾陳五鬼）、句（一句不滿、一勺入口）、勺（勾陳發動）。

The interpretation for characters in the "Xi" (夕) department: "Die" indicates a sign of death and extinction; "Ming" suggests words spoken within a single evening; "Wai" implies that when a person is about to die, their words are good, and thus there is no blame; "Chuan" means achieving fame in one move; "Duo" refers to "What a night it is"; "Can" indicates losing money and suffering misfortune. For characters in the "Xi" (西) department: "Xi" signifies the beginning of evil; "Su" suggests merchants will gain good fortune; "Jia" indicates money rotting and grain rotting, which presages wealth. For characters in the "Gen" (艮) department: "Gen" suggests sunlight on a dragon's tail, also indicating fake silver and blind eyes; "Liang" means relying on others for sustenance; "Ying" indicates deep resentment. For characters in the "Si" (巳) department: "Si" means it can stop but does not stop, and also indicates being evasive and keeping silent; "Xun" suggests fabricating without real talent, yet once moving, one will be selected; "Ji" indicates a heaven-sent match, with red threads connecting, and also signifies resigning from office on one's own. For characters in the "You" (酉) department: "You" suggests almost being embarrassed, being half-drunk and half-awake; "Chou" refers to yellow-sealed imperial wine; "Pai" means getting drunk and being well-fed. For characters in the "Yun" (匀) department: "Yun" means only a single spoonful, not even able to say a full sentence; "Dian" indicates Gou Chen and five ghosts taking charge; "Ju" means not able to finish a sentence, and only a spoonful of water entering the mouth; "Shao" indicates Gou Chen being activated.

阝：隆（天降生民）、降（興隆可待）、陲（倒在郵驛）、祁（邦家之禎、禱於郊外）、邰（治國安邦）、陪（功名到部）、邯（其命有元）、鄲（隨珠彈雀）、阡（佩邱乘軒）、郎（良人命盡，娘子守節）、邛（棄邪背正）、邵（功名有阻）、陸（鄰里和睦，土空則陷）、罝（署邱榮顯）、陳（左右攔阻）、院（官邱全，元可奪）、帟（外郎始終）、陰（陷入套中）、陣（田連阡陌，運命有阻）、除（半途有阻）、鄆（運限未通）、隕（有沴有賞）、隨（朋友際遇）、陽（居易俟命）。

The interpretation of characters with left and right ear radicals: Lóng, heaven gives birth to the people; Jiàng, prosperity is imminent; Chuí, lying in a post station; Qí, auspicious for the state and family, also indicating prayers at the outskirts; Tái, governing the country and ensuring peace; Péi, official success reported to the ministry; Hán, one's destiny contains vital energy; Dān, like using a pearl to shoot a bird, indicating using something of little value for great gain; Qiān, wearing jade and riding in a carriage, indicating high status. Láng, the husband's life is exhausted while the wife remains chaste; Qióng, abandoning evil and turning back to righteousness; Shào, official success is obstructed. Lù, neighbors are harmonious, yet the earth may become hollow and collapse; Jū, distinguished in the official office; Chén, both sides are blocked; Yuàn, official position is complete but the top rank may be taken; Yì, from beginning to end, one is merely a wealthy man; Yīn, falling into a trap. Zhèn, fields stretch across paths but destiny is obstructed; Chú, hindered halfway; Yùn, destiny has not yet opened; Yǔn, there is disaster but also reward; Suí, friendship and circumstances; Yáng, living in ease and waiting for fate.

門：門（開合隨時）、開（公門刑罰）、聞（諲門先取）、閩（風光滿門）、（分明失信，閫內之言）、間（門迎百福，皆不及門）、闐（人間真宰）、關（比闈聯捷）、閔（天開文運）、閃（人入空門）、閂（不二法門）、鷫（已登龍門）、悶（出門心寬）、閏（閨中不全）、閆（陽關三疊）、關（倚門獻笑）、閨（佳氣充閭、桂閣名流）。戶：戶（不得其所）、扁（冊立門戶）、扇（門下羽翼）、戾（雙淚流乾）。斤：斤（不成片段）、斯（其命維新）、新（相親相近）、片（殘鸘敗牒）、壯（衣裝不全）。

The interpretations for characters in the "Men" radical: Men, opening and closing according to the time; opening, signifies punishment in the public gate; Wen, respect and take the lead in the gate; Min, the scenery fills the gate; the original text here is missing the character being interpreted, only the interpretation remains: "clearly disbelieving, words within the gate," meaning words inside do not go beyond the gate; Jian, the gate welcomes a hundred blessings, but can also be interpreted as not reaching the gate at all; Tian, the true ruler of the world; Guan, passing the county and provincial examinations twice in succession; Min, the heavens open the way for literary success; Shan, a person entering the empty gate; Shuan, the only correct path; Su, having already crossed the Dragon Gate; Men, once the gate is opened, the heart becomes wide; Run, the inner part is incomplete; Yan, the Yang Pass with three repetitions, signifying parting; another interpretation of "Guan" is "leaning on the gate to smile," indicating a brothel; Gui, the fragrance fills the neighborhood, indicating a famous person from a noble family. For characters in the "Hu" radical: Hu, not in the right place; Bian, establishing a family; Shan, the wings beneath the gate; Li, tears flow down both cheeks. For characters in the "Jin" radical: Jin, unable to form a piece; Si, his destiny is renewed; Xin, close and familiar; Pian, a broken scroll; Zhuang, incomplete clothing.

車（運在其中）、飀（軒車北上）、軍（運道將通）、轟（輔車相依）、軟（投轄而飲）、軒（旱旅曳車）、軫（珍珠滿載）。臼：臼（不見兒面、煞印相生）、兒（見而不見）、舂（一春多事）。戈：截（可云佳哉）、或（國之心腹）、咸（有感於心）、劃（戰無不利）、戎（敗不露囗，不成受戒）、哉（口碑載道）、武（人止二等）、義（美歸於我）、戴（巽物滿載）、義（似義非義）、戌（一人荷戈）。弓：弓（可入彀中，虛張不發，變曲到底，窮到極處）、躬（弓無箭射，窮人脫穴）、夷（一弓兩箭，暗箭當防）、弧（先引後派）、彈（蟬翼不張）、弛（彈丸之地）、引（卜其入彀）、矧（引弓發矢）、弓人（引而伸之）、疆（展土開疆）、弭（虛張聲勢）。

The interpretation of characters in the "vehicle" radical: Che (vehicle), the fortune is already within it; Liu (wind), the carriage moves northward; Jun (military), the path of fortune is about to be clear; Hong (noise), the vehicle and its companion support each other, lips gone, teeth feel the cold; Ruan (soft), to stop the carriage axle to keep the guest and drink heartily; Xuan (high), the traveler on land drags the carriage; Zhen (axle), full of pearls. The "mortar" radical: Jiu (mortar), unable to see one's son, also indicating a bad omen and the generation of the seal; Er (child), seeing is like not seeing; Chong (to pound), many affairs in one spring. The "spear" radical: Jie (to cut), one can say "excellent"; Huo (or), the heart of the country; Xian (sensation), feeling in the heart; Hua (to draw), in battle without failure; Rong (military), failure without showing signs, not achieving success but needing to be cautious; Zai (indeed), good reputation spreading; Wu (military), people only reach the second rank; Yi (righteousness), the good name belongs to me; Dai (to carry), returning with full loads; another "Yi" is interpreted as similar to but not quite righteousness; Xu (military), one person carrying a spear to guard the border. The "bow" radical: Gong (bow), can attract people into a trap, also indicating a false display without action, or a bent end, reaching the extreme; Gong (body), having a bow without an arrow to shoot, the poor escaping from their pit; Yi (barbarian), one bow with two arrows, beware of hidden arrows; Hu (bow), first attract then distribute; Tan (to shoot), the cicada's wings cannot be spread; Chi (loose), a small area; Yin (to attract), to determine if one can be attracted into a trap; Shen (moreover), drawing the bow and shooting; the characters formed with "Gong" and "Ren" are interpreted as drawing and extending; Jiang (frontier), expanding territory; Mi (to suppress), making a show of strength.

宀：宮（官宦之體，下官不宦）、容（空谷傳聲，人在窩中）、空（下費心）、宜（宦途多阻）、冤（離家可免）、官（院首宮牆，中官有變，已捐館舍）、究（天窗明瓦）、竊（禍起蕭牆）、審（經官一番）、宋（安樂無涯，有些冤枉，空床不樂，搗其巢穴，載寢之床）、寓（萬金田賦）、寨（廣寒攀桂）、賽（寒門貴客）、塞（寒氈坐損）、憲（富潤德潤）、窨（空聞其音）、寅（宇宙一人）、宇（手中空乏）、簾（生寄死歸）、寫（塞翁失馬）、富（安享餘福）、穴（富首貴足）。

The interpretation of characters with the roof cover radical: "宫" indicates the form of an official, but the official position cannot be attained; "容" suggests an echo in an empty valley, and the person is trapped in a nest; "空" means to waste effort in vain; "宜" implies many obstacles in official career; "冤" suggests that leaving home can avoid misfortune. "官" refers to the first character in the courtyard and within the palace walls, indicating a change in the middle official, and can also mean that the person has passed away; "究" suggests a clear sky and bright roof tiles, indicating a sudden clarity; "窃" implies trouble arising from within the household; "审" suggests a legal dispute; "宋" can indicate boundless happiness, or some injustice, an empty bed, disturbing the nest, and a bed for rest, choosing among the five meanings according to the situation. "寓" indicates a large amount of land tax; "寨" suggests climbing the osmanthus tree in the Palace of Cold Clearness; "赛" implies a noble guest from humble origins; "塞" suggests sitting for a long time on a cold mat causing wear; "宪" indicates wealth enriching the house and virtue enriching the person; "窨" means only hearing the sound without seeing the person; "寅" suggests being the only one in the universe; "宇" indicates empty hands; "帘" suggests living temporarily and dying eventually; "写" implies losing a horse in the northern mountains, but who knows it may not be a misfortune; "富" indicates enjoying the remaining blessings; "穴" refers to the head of "富" paired with the foot of "贵".

客（半路出家）、安（窈窕淑女，女貞不字）、宓（必有遮蓋）、蹇（踏破廣寒）、害（操刀勿割）、騕（如寒得衣）、穿（財爻落空、空自嗟呀）、宗（縣升察院）、穹（孤窮失身）、騫（塞上馳驅）、守（加官進爵）、寞（入幕之賓）、字（寬以濟猛）、宣（不宜室家）、褭（實能容之）。貝：責（欠人之情）、貸（佐貳微員）、貺（兄動克財）、賤（自負不淺）、賁（負土成墳）、賺（貴賤相兼，前貪後廉）、賞（尚寶司也）、貽（費心治理）、贅（傲骨支貧）、頁（眾口囂囂、半空半實）、貴（忠貞一心）、貝（貧極負心）。

The guest, a latecomer; safety, refers to a graceful and virtuous woman, who also signifies a woman who remains chaste and unmarried;宓, must be covered; difficulty, to break through the palace of the moon; harm, to wield a knife without cutting, indicating a missed opportunity;騕, like a person who is cold receiving clothes; to pass through, the wealth element is empty, leading to empty lamentations; clan, rising from the county to the examination hall; dome, being isolated and losing one's position;骞, galloping across the frontier; to guard, promotion and advancement in rank; solitude, entering someone's retinue as a guest; to have a child, to be lenient and balance severity; to proclaim, not suitable for family life;褭, truly capable of containing; the character with the "Bèi" radical: to blame, owing someone a debt; to lend, a minor official of secondary rank; to bestow, siblings' actions will cause loss of wealth; to be cheap, self-respect is not shallow; to adorn, to carry earth to form a tomb; to cheat, a mixture of high and low, greedy at first but honest later; to reward, the position of the Imperial Keeper of the Imperial Seal; to leave, to exert effort in managing; to be a赘, having an arrogant spirit yet supporting poverty; the "Yè" radical, many mouths speaking, half empty and half real; to be noble, loyal and devoted; "Bèi", when poor to the extreme, one will become unfaithful.

玉：琳（瓊林玉樹）、瑞（如環無端）、珍（殄絕難全、抽琴去軫）、玢（粉消玉碎）、斑（文如珠玉）、珊（王家造冊）、珀（王伯之才）、琢（玉人緣足）、瑰（馬嵬埋玉）、玫（文如玉潤）、瑪（探驪得珠）、現（窺見一斑）、瑜（竊玉偷香）。羽：羽（將翱將翔）、翰（羽翼王朝）、習（香生翰墨）、翻（陳蕃懸榻）。毛：毫（子高揮毛）、（求於麾下）、毳（重重破耗）。蒐：崿（不出所料）、凶（山頭崩塌）、昪（只履西歸）、鞦（愁心已革）、鞋（折掛何唯）。

The interpretation for characters with the jade radical: Lin, like jade trees in a jade forest; Rui, like a jade ring without beginning or end; Zhen, rare and hard to preserve, also indicating the removal of the tuning pegs and strings of a zither; Bin, powdered jade; Ban, like pearls and jade; Shan, recorded in the royal register; Po, possessing the talent of a king's minister; Zhuo, the jade worker's fate is fulfilled; Gui, like Yang Yuhui's buried jade horse at Ma嵬 Slope; Mei, articles like jade, smooth and delicate; Ma, obtaining a pearl from a dragon's lair; Xian, only glimpsing a part; Yu, stealing jade and fragrant incense. For characters with the feather radical: Yu, about to soar; Han, the wings of the royal court; Xi, calligraphy and ink fragrance; Fan, like Chen Fan setting a couch for Xu Zhi, indicating the honoring of virtuous men. For characters with the hair radical: Mao, like Zhang Zigao's brush strokes; the original character being measured is missing, only the interpretation remains: "seeking from beneath the banner"; Cui, repeated losses. Others in this category: E, as expected; Xiong, mountain collapse; Bian, like Bodhidharma's sole returning west; Qiu, sorrowful heart already removed; Xie, what can be done about broken hanging shoes.

豸：豸區（軀雄貌偉）、豹（狗尾續貂）。犭：犬（哭笑俱有）、獬（犬羊相爭）、猇（狐假虎威）、犴（狼狽為奸、有些奸狡）、狐（孤獨之象）、豺（才貌雙全）、狡（犯而不校）、獵（貓鼠同眠）。虍：虍（虎頭蛇尾）、爐（百病叢生）、盧（虎榜魁首）、彪（虎又添翼）、虔（遠慮近憂）、虛（虎負邱隅）、獻（南山伏虎）、駛（騩馬御史）、驕（司馬題橋）、駁（驛馬臨爻）。牜：牛（朱雀斂翼，先有一半，欲告無言）、生（牛眠之地）、牟（去後得生）、物（牝牛入場）、牡（生物不測）、牝（物化不存）、告（以口爭先）。

The interpretation of characters in the "Zhi" radical: Characters combining with "Zhi" area are judged as having a strong and robust body, and a dignified appearance; "Bao" (豹) suggests a dog's tail attached to a peacock, implying a lack of dignity. Characters with the "Quan" radical: "Quan" (犬) indicates crying and laughing; "Xue" (獬) suggests a dog fighting a sheep; "Xiao" (猇) implies a fox borrowing the tiger's might; "An" (犴) suggests wolves and jackals working together, indicating some cunning; "Hu" (狐) indicates loneliness; "Chai" (豺) suggests both talent and beauty; "Jiao" (狡) implies not taking offense; "Lian" (猎) suggests a cat and a mouse sleeping together, indicating collusion between superiors and subordinates. Characters with the "Hu" radical: "Hu" (虍) suggests a tiger's head and a snake's tail; "Lu" (炉) suggests a multitude of diseases; "Lu" (卢) indicates the top of the tiger's list; "Biao" (彪) suggests a tiger with wings; "Qian" (虔) indicates distant worries and near anxieties; "Xu" (虚) suggests a tiger resting against a mountain; "Xian" (献) indicates a tiger hidden in the southern mountain; "Shi" (驶) suggests a swift horse; "Jiao" (骄) suggests the determination of Sima Xiangru to build a bridge, indicating a strong will; "Bo" (驳) suggests a post horse appearing in the hexagram, indicating movement. Characters with the "Niu" radical: "Niu" (牛) suggests the Vermilion Bird folding its wings, also indicating having half already, and indicating a desire to speak but being unable to; "Sheng" (生) suggests a favorable place for a cow to rest; "Mou" (牟) suggests gaining life after departure; "Wu" (物) suggests a female cow entering the arena; "Mu" (牡) suggests the unpredictability of life; "Pin" (牝) suggests transformation without existence; "Gao" (告) suggests competing with words.

佳：集（先進禮樂）、雅（鼠牙雀角）、雌（此難甚囗）、朅（雞鳴狗吠）、難（淮漢無水，分離可嘆，雌伏之嘆）、雄（寵才佳士）、睢（佳人目成）、雖（勉強分離、強飯為佳）、離（千萬之雄）、雙（左右兩難）、佳（誰肯為讎，暗裡雌雄，霍予心未決、下帷精進）、鳥（乘鸞跨鳳）、鳳（風中歸肸）、鶴（鸞雀同宮）、鳧（倒鳳顛鸞、換巢鸞鳳、鳥雀乘風）、鶉（鶴鳴子和）、鳩（鵲鳴九皋）、肅（吹簫引鳳）、鴆（鴛鴦枕冷）、鴿（一鳴驚人）、鳥（追風良驥）、鳴（慈鳥反哺）、鸞（緡蠻黃鳥）、雀（不雅不妙）、嫋（飛鳥依人）、鳲（鳩居鵲巢）。

The interpretations for characters in the "隹" radical: Ji (集) signifies arriving first in ritual and music; Ya (雅) suggests a mouse's teeth and a sparrow's beak, indicating disputes over trivial matters; Ci (雌) implies a very serious difficulty; Qie (朅) refers to a rooster's crow and a dog's bark; Nan (难) indicates the waters of the Huai and Han rivers have dried up, symbolizing separation that is regrettable and a state of being subdued that is lamentable; Xiong (雄) denotes a talented and outstanding person favored by others; Sui (睢) suggests a beautiful woman expressing affection with her eyes; Su (虽) implies a forced separation, but also suggests maintaining strength and self-care; Li (离) represents an outstanding hero among a thousand people; Shuang (双) indicates a dilemma between two options; Jia (佳) means who would want to be an enemy, also suggesting secret competition and indecision in the heart, and can also be interpreted as studying diligently and striving continuously. For characters in the "鸟" radical: Niao (鸟) signifies riding a phoenix and a qilin; Feng (凤) means returning in the wind; He (鹤) implies a phoenix and a sparrow sharing the same palace; Fu (凫) suggests a reversed phoenix and a phoenix changing its nest, as well as birds riding the wind, with three meanings, often indicating remarriage when asking about marriage; Chun (鹑) means a crane's call and its young responding in harmony; Jiu (鸠) refers to a crane calling from a marshy area; Su (肃) means playing the flute to attract a phoenix; Zhen (鸩) indicates a cold鸳鸯 pillow; Ge (鸽) means making a sudden and impressive sound; another interpretation of "鸟" is a swift and excellent horse; Ming (鸣) refers to a kind mother bird feeding her young; Luan (鸾) is like the yellow bird mentioned in the Book of Songs; Que (雀) is neither elegant nor good; Niao (袅) means a bird relying on a person; Shi (鸤) refers to a dove living in a magpie's nest.

魚（有鱗無甲）、鮮（涸鮒待洋）、鰍（蘇州極美）。蟲（蠅頭蝸角）、虯（花燭之餘，傷風敗化）、虹（青蚨已囗，一江風浪，半蠻半巧）、融（風塵遠隔）、蠟（柷、束莫指）、蜃（飛龍破蟄）、蚓（蟾宮接引）、蠍（狂風乍歇）、蛇（柁後生風、門風敗壞）、蚨（蛹頭不失）、蝸（竊去青蚨）、虺（頗有風光）、蚪（蟾宮奪魁）、蝠（富有青蚨）、蜊（蠅頭之利）、蛛（老蚌生珠）、蠶（一蜚沖天）、蜄（乘風破浪）、蝶（秋葉翻風）、蛡（強弱相形）。

The interpretation for characters in the "Fish" radical: Fish, having scales but no armor, indicates outward strength but inner weakness; Xian, a fish in a dry ditch looking for water from the Western River; Qiu, extremely delicious in Suzhou. The interpretation for characters in the "Insect" radical: Insect, referring to the head of a fly and the horn of a snail, indicates contention over small gains; Qiu, a ruined situation after a wedding candle, also indicating illness and disorder, and in matters of marriage often suggesting remarriage or secret relationships; Hong, the money has been spent, a turbulent river, half wild and half cunning; Rong, distant from worldly affairs; La, the original text is incomplete; Shen, a dragon breaking out of its cocoon; Yin, someone in the Moon Palace guiding; Xie, a sudden calm after a fierce wind; Sha, wind rising behind the helm, also indicating family decline; Fu, the money has been lost; Hui, quite prosperous; Duo, winning the top prize in the Moon Palace; Fu, wealthy with money, indicating wealth; La, small gains; Zhu, an old clam producing a pearl, indicating a child in old age; Can, soaring to the sky; Shen, sailing through wind and waves; Die, autumn leaves swirling in the wind; Jie, mutual comparison between strong and weak.

竹：籠（含笑乘龍）、敔（笑面之虎）、箋（算頭不淺）、等（及時獻策）、篝（講究策論）、箴（對策感上）、算（捉鼻笑之）、策（具簡投刺）、苾（不第而歸）、箭（種竹栽花有利）、節（符即為郎）、簪（二姑把蠶）、簫（簾前刺繡）、篤（閟我馳驅）、筆（書香門第）、答（若合符節、開籠放鴿）、愬（弄玉吹簫）、簋（盤根錯節）、笠（相簾半卷）、簀（未成一皪）、笛（死貓小竹）、箜（短笛無腔）、篆（如椽之筆）、笙（哭竹生筍）。

The divination interpretations for characters made from bamboo heads: "Lóng" (笼) indicates obtaining a good son-in-law, with smiling and riding a dragon; "Yǔ" (敔) signifies a laughing tiger; "Jiān" (笺) suggests that the outcome is not shallow; "Děng" (等) means timely submission of strategies; "Gōu" (篝) implies focusing on strategies and discussions; "Zhēn" (箴) suggests presenting arguments that move the emperor; "Suàn" (算) means laughing while pinching the nose; "Cè" (策) indicates preparing scrolls to visit and make contact; "Bì" (苾) signifies failure and returning; "Jiàn" (箭) suggests planting bamboo and flowers brings benefit; "Jié" (节) means once obtaining a seal, one can become an official; "Zān" (簪) indicates two aunts taking care of silkworms; "Xiāo" (箫) suggests embroidery before the curtain; "Dǔ" (笃) means closing the door and yet running about incessantly; "Bǐ" (笔) indicates a family of scholars; "Dá" (答) means if the signs match, it also signifies opening the cage to release pigeons; "Sù" (愬) suggests like Nongyu playing the xiao, indicating a good match arriving on a phoenix; "Guǐ" (簋) signifies entangled roots and complicated branches; "Lì" (笠) means the curtain is half drawn for mutual viewing; "Zé" (箦) indicates not yet achieving brilliance; "Dí" (笛) suggests a dead cat and small bamboo, indicating desolation; "Kōng" (箜) means a short flute without tune; "Zhuàn" (篆) signifies a large brush like a beam; "Shēng" (笙) suggests Meng Zong weeping over bamboo to grow bamboo shoots, indicating filial piety that moves heaven.

艹：濩（萬卉爭妍）、舊（鼠牙雀角）、芭（芹藻生色、萱花失色、貪花愛色）、蔦（飛肸銜蘆、鵬程萬里）、藪（出類拔萃）、葉（一世榮華、蝶戀花心）、菊（有采薪憂）、藐（花容玉貌）、秬（萬里歸來）、蒙（夢裡還家）、蓉（金谷繁華）、苗（花果半熟）、蓍（耆英之會）、芳（薏鏚之謗）、莓（苦海無邊，揉碎梅花，心毒貌慈）、蓮（運如轉蓬）、芍（花前月下，苟且不修）、菌（園內花香）、蘊（藕斷絲連）、滿（時雨滋苗）、茆（花欹柳身單、敗柳殘花）、莞（萬國衣冠）、繭（蠓蟲入網）、藻（花萼雨滋，燥溼各半）、蕩（花滿河陽）。

The interpretations for characters with grass radicals: Huo, myriad flowers vying for beauty; Jiu, mouse teeth and sparrow corners, indicating disputes and litigation over words; Ba, may indicate the growth of colorful plants and gaining a name in the imperial academy, or the fading of the萱 flower and sorrow for the mother, or indulgence in pleasures; Niao, flying geese carrying reeds, also indicating a long and prosperous career; Sou, outstanding among peers; Ye, a lifetime of glory, also indicating a love for flowers; Ju, having a sickness, meaning to gather firewood; Miao, beautiful as a flower; Ju, returning from a journey of ten thousand miles; Meng, dreaming of returning home; Rong, like the prosperity of the Jin Gu garden; Miao, flowers and fruits ripening only half; Zhi, a gathering of elders; Fang, suffering false accusations like the薏苡 incident, indicating being wronged. Mei, the sea of suffering has no end, also indicating crushing plum blossoms, a kind heart but a malicious mind; Lian, fate like a floating蓬, constantly moving; Shao, under the flowers and moon, also indicating a lack of self-discipline; Jun, fragrant flowers in the garden; Yun, lingering feelings; Man, timely rain nourishing crops; Mao, flowers leaning, willows weak, always solitary and withering flowers; Wan, the attire of all nations; Jian, insects flying into a net; Zao, petals receiving rain, moist and dry in equal measure; Dang, flowers filling He Yang, like Pan Yue planting peach and plum trees when he was county magistrate.

皦（陋巷回車）、苟（敬有其文）、苒（花開稱心）、範（半死半活）、夢（睟英四葉）、芮（貪花得病）、藹（誰不渴慕）、暮（寸草回春）、赩（秋風萬里）、翾（鹿鳴食萍）、茲（沒有慈心，元之又元）、茹（花開如意）、蘇（漁人獲利）、苔（萬物資始）、若（無心不惹、其言必諾）、芹（領薦欣然）、落（共投水路，草澤之客，藏頭露尾）、薏（營提不息）、菩（花無土培）、趯（葬祭以禮）、荃（玉消蒼瘦）、苞（半菽不飽）、萃（翠羽囗花）、茶（蔓草難除）、華（共成囗張）、慈（戀戀於茲）、芪（前美後低）、荒（水流花謝）、草（不能成章）、菜（花光采色）、萍（滿意秤心、曨然失採）、等（具得黃封）、萊（具莢全開）、（苟合之象）、葛（其言藹和）、夢（宛然如夢）、荀（一點不苟）、薩（闉任興隆）、蔣（將頭簪花）。

Jiao, Yan Hui lived in a poor alley but the nobleman turned his carriage to visit him; Gou, respectful and with proper words; Ran, flowers blooming as desired; Fan, half dead and half alive; Meng, four leaves of flowers moistened by dew; Rui, greedy for flowers and fell ill; Ai, who does not long for it; Mu, a sprout receiving spring light and reviving; Xu, autumn wind over ten thousand miles; Xuan, deer calling and eating wild duckweed; Zi, the heart has no compassion, but can also be read as the profound mystery within the profound; Ru, flowers blooming as desired; Su, the fisherman gains the advantage; Tai, all things begin with the nourishment of the earth; Ru, without intent, one does not provoke, and his words will surely be kept; Qin, receiving recommendation and rejoicing; Luo, all falling into the water, being a guest of the marsh, also indicating hiding one's head and tail; Yi, continuous effort and management; Pu, flowers without soil to grow; Tui, burial and sacrifice following proper rites; Quan, jade fading and the person becoming thin; Bao, even half a grain of millet cannot be eaten; Cui, green feathers reflecting flowers; Cha, difficult to uproot; Hua, together making a setup; Ci, fondly attached here; Qi, beautiful at first but low at the end; Huang, water flowing and flowers fading; Cao, unable to write an article; Cai, flowers shining brightly; Ping, satisfied and content, yet also indicating sudden change; Deng, all receiving the imperial grant; Lai, the bean pods fully open; the original text here omits the character being measured, only retaining the judgment "the appearance of casual union"; Ge, speaking in a warm and gentle manner; Meng, as if in a dream; Xun, not at all casual; Sa, the cause and effect allowing prosperity; Jiang, placing a flower on one's head.

夫取格煉句乃到精至妙之法，如「鍾」字問功名則批曰：「名重金甌，終身大貴。」又有格在次句者，不過間或有之，如「甘」字問謀望則批曰：「事多阻隔，其無後乎！」又有一句不能盡其所問之事，必用兩句，語意方顯者，乃松格也；雖不足為上乘，然亦智愚共賞，且用之最廣，取之甚易，學者宜由此入焉。今錄於左。

The most refined and subtle skill in character divination is creating a pattern and refining the sentence. For example, if someone writes the character 「钟」 to inquire about official rank, the interpretation is: "The name carries great weight, and throughout life, great wealth is attained." This is a complete pattern. Sometimes the meaning of the pattern falls on the second sentence, though this is rare. For instance, if someone writes the character 「甘」 to ask about prospects, the interpretation is: "Many obstacles arise, and there will be no descendants!" The emphasis is on the latter part. There is another type where one sentence is insufficient to fully express the matter in question, and two sentences must be used in parallel to make the meaning clear — this is called a "loose pattern." Although loose patterns are not considered the highest level, they are favored by the clever and understood by the simple-minded. They are widely applicable, easy to use, and are most suitable for beginners. Here are some examples of such two-sentence interpretations.

見（有容乃得寬舒，無學難為先覺。規矩破壞，失卻方圓之準；筆硯有損，難親觀國之光。）、攫（佳人才子，比肩雙雙。）、最（賊貝生不全，半費貝吉貼。一見不完全，目下小人破敗。）、好（彼其之子，不遂其媾。）、等（竹乃清閒之物，寺非名利之場。）

The character 「见」 has two interpretations. One says, "To be inclusive is to attain breadth and ease; without learning, one cannot be a wise leader." This is because adding the roof radical 「宀」 above 「见」 forms 「宽」, meaning breadth and ease through inclusiveness; adding the study radical 「学」 above 「见」 forms 「觉」, meaning without learning, one cannot be a wise leader. Another interpretation says, "Rules are broken, losing the standard of square and circle; writing tools are damaged, making it hard to witness the brilliance of the state." Here, 「见」 combined with 「夫」 forms 「规」, and if the rule is broken, the standard of square and circle is lost; 「见」 combined with 「又」 forms 「观」, and 「观国之光」 is a line statement from the Zhou Changes (I Ching) on the Observing Hexagram, referring to entering court to admire the state's brilliance. If writing tools are damaged, success is unlikely. 「攫」 is interpreted as "a talented woman and a talented man, side by side in pairs," because the character contains 「隹」 and 「又」, symbolizing a couple. 「最」 is interpreted as "thieves steal incomplete treasure, half the shell is good but not complete," and also "a single view is incomplete, and at present, small people will decline." This is because the character 「最」 can be split into 「曰」 and 「取」, which can form the shapes of thief and treasure, indicating loss and small people causing trouble. 「好」 is interpreted as "that person, his marriage is not harmonious," using a phrase from the Book of Songs, indicating difficulties in marriage. 「等」 is interpreted as "bamboo is a quiet object, a temple is not a place for fame and fortune," as bamboo and temple combine, indicating this matter has nothing to do with fame and fortune, and is only suitable for leisure.

趙（龍光劍氣已出土邊，不久就要去。）、梟（上宿鴛鴦之鳥，下生連理之枝。）、焉（似馬不能行動，似為服藥無用。）、杞（木乃箱中之物，已為包內之財。）、雨（否頭，泰腳。）、皛（朝騎鸞鳳到碧落，暮見濩田生白波。）、欲（有容德乃大，無欺心自安。）、沃（海闊從魚躍，天空任鳥飛。）

"Zhao" is interpreted as "Dragon's light and sword qi have already emerged from the earth, soon the master will depart." The character "Zhao" consists of "walk" and "shao," with the "walk" radical indicating movement, and the sword qi penetrating beyond the earth, suggesting the master will travel far. "Xiao" is interpreted as "the bird above the host and the twin branches below." The character "Xiao" has a bird on top and a tree below, indicating a successful marriage. "Yan" is interpreted as "like a horse that cannot move, like useless medicine." The character "Yan" is similar to "horse" but lacks feet, hence it cannot move; it is also similar to "wei" but incomplete, hence the medicine is ineffective, which is the interpretation for paralysis. "Qi" is interpreted as "wood is an object in a box, already the treasure within a package." The wood combines with "ji," indicating that wealth is already in the bag. "Yu" is interpreted as "the head of 'po' and the foot of 'tai'." The character "Yu" has the upper part as the head of "po" and the lower part as the foot of "tai," indicating first blockage then smooth flow. "Xiao" is interpreted as "riding phoenixes in the morning to the blue sky, seeing white waves in the evening from the fields." Three whites appear, indicating morning glory and evening change. "Yu" is interpreted as "with capacity, virtue is great; without deceit, the heart is at ease." The character "Yu" contains "gu" and "qian," "gu" can contain things, while "qian" is easily deceived, one positive and one negative. "Wo" is interpreted as "the sea is wide for fish to leap, the sky is vast for birds to fly." The water radical combined with "yao" indicates a broad heaven and earth, allowing free action.

蕩（勸君更盡一杯酒，好唱陽關三疊曲。）、居（喜事，應遲。）、逃（窈窕淑女，君子好逑。）、崖（太歲當頭，佳人有損。）、聿（事到盡頭，難逃法律。）、暉（斜照臨軒，官星不現。）、瓦（瓦蓋眾人之頭，字形二十九點。）、芍（字有花殘月缺之形，病犯黃蜺豹尾之宿。）、翩（扁鵲難醫，定然羽化。）、侰（佐郡之形，福祿日到。）、燭（稍濟燃眉，蠅頭微利。）、人（長久之基，大夫之體。）

"The character '荡' is interpreted as 'I urge you to finish another cup of wine, and sing the Yangguan Threefold Tune.' The character contains the meaning of soup and wine, indicating a farewell to someone traveling far away." "The character '居' is interpreted as 'good news, but it will come later.' The character hides an ancient meaning, indicating that good things will come later." "The character '逃' is interpreted as 'a graceful and virtuous lady, a gentleman's ideal match.' 'Escape' and 'tiao' are homophones, indicating that when asking about marriage, a good partner can be found." "The character '崖' is interpreted as 'the year's master is directly above, causing harm to a beautiful woman.' A mountain pressing down on a jade piece indicates injury to female relatives." "The character '聿' is interpreted as 'when matters reach their end, escape from legal consequences is difficult.' 'Yu' is half of 'law,' indicating involvement in legal disputes." "The character '晖' is interpreted as 'the sun slants over the hall, the official star is not visible.' The sun is already westward, indicating that official luck is not prominent." "The character '瓦' is interpreted as 'tiles cover the heads of many people, the character has twenty-nine strokes.' Tiles cover many people, and the number of strokes corresponds to twenty-nine, thus used to determine the number of people in a gathering." "The character '芍' is interpreted as 'the character has the shape of withered flowers and a waning moon, illness affects the constellation of yellow bee and leopard tail.' The character has 'grass' at the top and 'scoop' below, indicating a seriously ill woman who is unlikely to recover." "The character '翩' is interpreted as 'even the famous physician Bianque cannot cure it, surely the person will die.' The character has 'flat' and 'feather,' indicating that medicine is ineffective and the person will die." "The character '侰' is interpreted 'the shape indicates assisting the county, blessings and honors arrive daily.' It indicates receiving a position of assistant official." "The character '烛' is interpreted as 'a slight relief for urgent needs, a small profit.' The character has 'fire' and 'Shu,' indicating small profits that can help in emergencies." "The character '人' is interpreted as 'a long-lasting foundation, the body of a high-ranking official.' The stroke of one撇 and one捺 support each other, indicating a long-lasting foundation and noble appearance."

夫所謂格者，骨格也，品格也。品格，前已錄有成語，可為後學楷式。到骨格，則未之詳也。蓋骨者，束字義之物。用束字義之物為斷字義之文，靈妙變通，亦猶夫人之筋絡束骨，而骨為筋絡肌膚之架子也。善用者，觸類旁通則應變不窮，可以得心應手，動筆成文矣。

The term "ge" refers to two aspects: one is the structure, and the other is the character's nature. Regarding the nature aspect, many existing judgments have already been recorded in the third volume, serving as models for learners. As for the structure, it has not yet been explained in detail. The "bone" refers to the element that binds together the meanings of characters. Using this binding element to judge the meaning of characters allows for flexible and adaptable application, just as the tendons and ligaments in the human body bind the bones, while the bones serve as the framework for the tendons and muscles. Therefore, the "Scattered Structure" section records mostly short phrases of two or three characters—such as the heart, head, feet, or edges of a character—to identify the position of these components within other characters. Those skilled in its use can draw parallels and adapt flexibly, leading to effortless and natural expression when writing.

一（天心囗、天上生根囗、大心）、二（月內手心工夫、平正）、蕣（用心、降心舉足、牛尾、丹心、冰心、王宰、玉葉寒盡、冬盡）、卜（上頭、半小不小、居內、掛腳、外邊、古先）、茫（破網、漏網網底）、甲（裡中、放閘押後、首異、不申、欠申、無用、沒結果）、寸（十分、無對走過、不成才、沒對頭、尋對頭）、祀（破袍、囗袍起禍、衣包）、貴（破櫃、中饋、櫃中有遺失）、言（變面、話頭說起、有膽）、日（春心、後會、春末、日邊）。

The single stroke pattern: can be said to be the heart of the character "天" (heaven), the root growing from the sky, or the heart of the character "大" (great). The original text has two missing characters. The two stroke pattern: can be said to be the two strokes inside the character "月" (moon) and the heart of the character "手" (hand), or the two horizontal strokes of "工夫" (effort), or the image of being level and upright. The horizontal strokes in the character "蕣" (a type of flower): can be said to represent the heart, lowering the heart, lifting the foot, the tail of a cow, a red heart, an icy heart, the ruler "王" (king) and the minister "宰" (minister), the jade leaf withering away, and the end of winter. The pattern of the character "卜": is the top of the character "上" (above), half of the side of "小" (small), being neither small nor large, located inside, hanging on the foot, on the edge of "外" (outside), and before "古" (ancient). The pattern of the character "茫": breaking the net, leaking through the net, and the bottom of the net. The pattern of the character "甲": inside "里" (inside), releasing the gate and delaying, the head of "首" (head) is different, unable to stretch "申" (stretch), lacking "申", without "用" (use), and no result. The pattern of the character "寸": ten parts, without a pair and passing by, not forming "才" (talent), no match, searching for a match. The pattern of the character "祀": torn robe, trouble from torn robe, clothing wrapped. The pattern of the character "贵": broken cabinet, middle of the kitchen, something missing in the cabinet. The pattern of the character "言": changing face, starting with a phrase, having courage. The pattern of the character "日": spring heart, future meeting, end of spring, the edge of the sun.

月（有心、真心直心、消盡、斷臂、龍足、肯了）、十（車心、舟尾來頭、用盡、本來、不成才、針頭）、士（地頭、坐中棄田、堂下、旺極、臺頭、善心、士吉）、丫（齊心、不了眾心、齋心）、了（待子、承領、亨極損子、破了頭）、丁（行盡、打了亭了、釘頭、寧極、殘、久、立寧）、彳（行頭、行來德行、立德）、母（毒心、實心、海底殘梅、後悔）、王（美中、弄嘴害心、望後）、走（起頭、先赴、徒人陡住）、貝（貪心、負心貧極、半敗、賺頭、嬰面）、丘（囗心虛心、虛極、兵頭）、乙（半九、挖盡吃了、罷訖）。

The scattered forms of 「月」: having a heart, sincere heart, straightforward heart, completely exhausted, amputated arm, dragon’s foot, accepted. The scattered forms of 「十」: the heart of 「车」, the tail of 「舟」, the head of 「来」, used up, originally, not becoming 「才」, needle head. The scattered forms of 「士」: the head of 「地」, sitting in the middle and abandoning fields, in the hall below, reaching the peak of prosperity, the head of 「台」, the heart of 「善」, a person with good fortune. The scattered forms of 「丫」: the heart of 「齐」, the hearts of many people, the heart of 「斋」. The scattered forms of 「了」: waiting for a son, accepting and leading, reaching the peak of success but losing a son, breaking the head. The scattered forms of 「丁」: 「行」 exhausted, beaten, 「亭」 completed, nail head, 「宁」 reached the peak, broken, long-lasting, standing and peaceful. The scattered forms of 「彳」: the head of 「行」, walking, virtue, establishing virtue. The scattered forms of 「母」: the heart of 「毒」, sincere heart, underwater withering plum, regret. The scattered forms of 「王」: the middle of 「美」, playing with mouth, harmful heart, the back of 「望」. The scattered forms of 「走」: the head of 「起」, first to rush, empty people suddenly stop. The scattered forms of 「贝」: the heart of 「贪」, heartless, poor to the extreme, half failure, the head of 「赚」, the face of 「婴」. The scattered forms of 「丘」: humble heart, humble to the extreme, the head of 「兵」. The scattered forms of 「乙」: half of 「九」, dug out and eaten, finished.

田（留心、留住富極、心廣、魁首、畫中、鬼臉）、四（靈心、夢中心懷、去罷、買賣、罪首）、不（歪頭、否象、一扌不、半杯）、甬（痛心、不通、無勇）、用（懈心、截角不周、申通、通體、解體）、發（廢盡分撥）、自（著囗、鼻祖射頭、貧身）、且（具體、真心、阻隔冥中、傷心、不宜）、心（未必、愁根憂中、慮盡）、枌（有頭、無心、半大無尤）、戈（破錢、我足戰伐、晚成）、子（存心、孝心、極如不好、入學、半承）、天（中春、族尾後失、未來、無頭矢）、三（春頭、目中）。

The scattered structure of "田": the heart of "留", to retain, extreme wealth, a broad mind, the head of "魁", the middle of "画", the face of "鬼". The scattered structure of "四": the heart of "灵", in a dream, to hold in mind, to go away, trade, the head of "罪". The scattered structure of "不": tilted head, the image of "否", half of a "杯". The scattered structure of "甬": the heart of "痛", unsmooth, no courage. The scattered structure of "用": the heart of "懈", cutting off the corner but not complete, "申" being smooth, whole body, disintegration. The scattered structure of "发": completely ruined, to divide and distribute. The scattered structure of "自": the ancestor of "鼻", the head of "射", poor body. The scattered structure of "且": the body of "具", sincere heart, obstruction, in the dark, sorrow, not suitable. The scattered structure of "心": not necessarily, the root of "愁", the middle of "忧", all worries exhausted. The scattered structure of "枌": having a head, no heart, half-grown without blame. The scattered structure of "戈": breaking "钱", the foot of "我", warfare, late success. The scattered structure of "子": sincere heart, filial heart, extreme but like not good, starting school, half acceptance. The scattered structure of "天": the middle of "春", the tail of "族", later loss, future, an arrow without a head. The scattered structure of "三": the head of "春", the middle of "目".

中（難串、初貴患頭、不申）、手（害心）、鞬（衰亹）、丿（刀口、杯人未了、大極）、乃（不及、有孕、秀極仍舊）、雰（追到、搥心失侶）、於（上乘、無干）、也（地下、拖盡虵尾、枯池）、丨（水中、可行）、予（舒極、豫來）、目（短見、著腳）、東（闌住襄柬）、氵（涕泣、衍法）、工（半空、落空差了、上貢）、坦（場頭）、酉（半醉不尊）、已（包內、危極）、斗（年尾下科、拏了、叫住）、幾（虎尾、機關）、焦（蕉心、下帷）、支（破鼓絕技）、才（捉頭、先掛拐來、提攜）。

The scattered patterns of "中": difficult to connect, initial wealth, the head of "患", unable to extend "申". The scattered pattern of "手": the heart of "害". The scattered pattern of "鞬": decline. The scattered pattern of "丿": the mouth of "刀", the person in "杯" not yet resolved, "大" reaching its extreme. The scattered pattern of "乃": insufficient, pregnant, "秀" reaching its extreme, still the same. The scattered pattern of "雰": pursued, pounding the heart, losing companions. The scattered pattern of "于": superior, no connection. The scattered pattern of "也": beneath the "地", exhausted, snake tail, dry pool. The scattered pattern of "丨": in "水", can travel. The scattered pattern of "予": "舒" reaching its extreme, "豫" coming. The scattered pattern of "目": short-sighted, stepping on the ground. The scattered pattern of "东": blocked, "柬" within. The scattered pattern of "氵": weeping, spreading out. The scattered pattern of "工": halfway, falling empty, wrong, offering upwards. The scattered pattern of "坦": the head of "场". The scattered pattern of "酉": half drunk, not "尊". The scattered pattern of "已": within "包", danger reaching its extreme. The scattered pattern of "斗": the tail of "年", next examination, caught, called to stop. The scattered pattern of "几": the tail of "虎", mechanism. The scattered pattern of "焦": the heart of "蕉", lowering the curtain. The scattered pattern of "支": broken drum, lost skill. The scattered pattern of "才": catching the head, hanging first, turning around, supporting.

（破苑、破碗死心）、古（活心、苦盡、無辜、心苦）、口（舌根、賞心言盡、迴心）、金（破釜、分鏡、破錢廢鎖）、艮（根腳）、占（上告乩動、點頭、氈中）、吉（半喜半結）、亦（彎頭、變臉）、包（飽了跑了、幻泡、苞住）、瓜（分派、絕脈孤了）、羊（不群、半美）、豆（分頭、逗漏攏短、燈盡、枯樹）、歊（未央、半缺分袂、快煞）。

The character being divined here is 「夗」, which is the radical of 「苑」. The scattered phrases are: breaking the garden, breaking the bowl, dead heart. For 「古」, the scattered phrases are: the heart of life, bitterness ends, no guilt, heart bitterness. For 「口」, the scattered phrases are: root of the tongue, appreciation, words end, change of heart. For 「金」, the scattered phrases are: breaking the cauldron, dividing the mirror, breaking money, breaking the lock. For 「艮」, the scattered phrases are: foot of the root. For 「占」, the scattered phrases are: reporting upwards, spirit medium moves, nodding, in the carpet. For 「吉」, the scattered phrases are: half joy, half tied up. For 「亦」, the scattered phrases are: bent head, changed face. For 「包」, the scattered phrases are: full, run away, illusion bubble, covered. For 「瓜」, the scattered phrases are: division, severed pulse, alone. For 「羊」, the scattered phrases are: not a group, half beauty. For 「豆」, the scattered phrases are: divided, leakage, short, lamp out, withered tree. For 「歊」, the scattered phrases are: not ending, half missing, parting, very urgent. None of these phrases are complete divination statements, but rather materials for constructing them: one or two sentences are selected and inserted into a statement, and the fortune or misfortune of the matter is established.

吉凶禍福，推測可知。人事天時，莫逃乎數。試觀雲開月朗，正為諸事豁達之機；霧合煙迷，定主百務淹埋之象。風霾飄蕩，搖捍難成。

Good and bad fortune, misfortune and blessing, can all be predicted; matters on earth and the heavenly seasons are all within the scope of numerical and logical principles. This passage specifically discusses "miscellaneous divination" beyond character divination, which involves interpreting omens from the surrounding celestial phenomena, human affairs, and physical objects at the moment the person writes. Let's see: when clouds disperse and the moon is clear, it is a sign that all things will become clear and smooth; if there is thick fog and misty haze, it indicates that all matters will be hidden and not visible. If there is strong wind carrying dust and haze, drifting and swirling, it suggests that affairs will be unstable and difficult to hold on to, making success hard to achieve.

雷霆過空，虛驚有準。風來溽暑，解鬱暢懷。雪上嚴霜，慘神刻骨。電光霍霍而可畏，露水晶晶而不常。月彩當空，無非光霽。雨流溼物，盡是恩波。連陰最喜逢雷，久旱偏宜得雨。

Thunder and lightning roll across the sky, indicating a certain false alarm, which will surely come true. A sudden breeze coming in during the heat indicates the resolution of depression and a feeling of relief in the heart. Snow followed by severe frost signifies deep sorrow. Flashing lightning that dazzles and causes fear indicates matters involving authority and pressure. Dew is clear but does not last long, indicating that things may be beautiful but not enduring. A bright moon in the sky signifies a peaceful and clear atmosphere. Rainwater dripping and wetting objects represents the flow of kindness and grace. When there has been a long period of overcast weather, the sound of thunder is most welcome, as thunder dispels the gloom; when there has been a long drought, rain is especially suitable, as rain brings life to the withered. The same celestial phenomenon, depending on whether the situation is lacking or excessive at that time, determines whether it is auspicious or inauspicious.

天文取應，地理可推。水流則事消，土積則遲滯。沙乃散手即分，石以堅心始得。人落路旁憂道遠，舟移巖下怕虛危。

The celestial phenomena and atmospheric conditions can be used for verification, and the terrestrial forms and directions can also be used for deduction. Seeing flowing water indicates that matters will dissipate like water; seeing piled earth suggests that matters will be obstructed and difficult to proceed. Seeing sand, which scatters when released, indicates gathering and then separating again; seeing stone, which is firm, suggests that one must have a resolute mind to achieve success. Seeing someone resting by the roadside indicates worry about the long journey and the unfinished trip. Seeing a boat moving under a rock suggests fear of the stars "Xu" and "Wei," indicating the danger of overturning.

若逢人事之來，即乃天機之現。高官顯宦利於求名，巨賈富商宜乎覓利。一女一男，同歡之候；或僧或道，孑處之端。匠子主門庭改換，屠兒主骨肉分離。獵戶得野外之財，漁翁取水中之利。

If someone happens to be nearby, it indicates that heavenly signs are appearing, and it is appropriate to use this to make judgments. At this time, if a high official passes by, it is favorable for seeking official success; if a wealthy merchant passes by, it is suitable for seeking profit. Seeing a man and a woman walking together indicates a time for happy union, and when asking about marriage, it suggests success. Seeing a monk or a Taoist priest indicates a sign of being alone, and when asking about marriage, it suggests being single. Seeing a carpenter or a mason indicates that the family will need to change their home. Seeing a butcher indicates separation from family. Seeing a hunter indicates gaining wealth from the wild. Seeing a fisherman indicates gaining profit from the water. In summary, whatever the identity of the person passing by, the matter being asked about should be judged according to that category.

妊婦事萌於內，瞽者慮根於心。足動知其遠行，臂交斷其有失。對壁阻抑，噓氣悲愁。掉舌出者是非，背相靠者閃跌。童子授書，主爭訟之端；主人責僕，防笞罰之事。

Seeing a pregnant woman indicates that something is beginning to take shape inside but has not yet become visible. Seeing a blind person indicates deep worry hidden in the heart, unable to be expressed. Seeing someone walking with their feet lifted indicates that someone is about to travel far. Seeing someone crossing their arms indicates that something is surely lost. Seeing someone facing a wall indicates obstruction. Seeing someone sighing heavily indicates sorrow. Seeing someone talking with their lips moving indicates disputes and gossip. Seeing people leaning back against each other indicates a fall or injury. Seeing a child handing over a book indicates disputes that will arise. Seeing a master scolding a servant indicates the need to beware of punishment or beating.

題寫有文書之喜，秉燭得祈禳之功。偶挽手作事牽連，遇接物逢人提拔。兩人相拜，交友多情；一車過門，營運得力。繩牽犬羊，防守可以無虞；帶水拖泥，遲滯還須有待。

When seeing someone writing or inscribing words, it indicates good fortune in official documents or written matters. When seeing someone holding a candle, it suggests that prayers or rituals will be effective. Occasionally seeing people holding hands indicates that affairs will involve connections or complications. When seeing someone picking up something, it signifies receiving help from others. Seeing two people bowing to each other indicates deep friendship. Seeing a single vehicle passing by the gate suggests successful business operations. Seeing a rope leading sheep or goats indicates thorough defense and no worries. Seeing someone walking with mud and water suggests that matters will be delayed and require waiting for the right time.

搖扇則寬展胸襟，伏枕則昏沉染患。舟楫在水，憑其接引而行；車馬登途，不時負載而往。叵持九而執斧，遇吉氣必逢快利之財；或被甲而操戈，見凶形斷遇剛強之賊。

Seeing someone waving a fan indicates a broad mind and worries dissolving; seeing someone lying on a pillow suggests drowsiness or illness. Seeing boats on water indicates that one can only proceed with the help of others; seeing carts and horses on the road suggests constant burdens and hard work. If someone is seen holding an axe and a halberd, encountering good fortune means quick and smooth wealth; if someone is seen wearing armor and holding a spear, showing a fierce appearance, it indicates encountering strong and fierce thieves. The same weapon, when paired with good fortune, becomes wealth, and when paired with a fierce appearance, becomes a thief. It all depends on the current situation.

女花刻果，終非結實之形；展畫披圖，都是虛驕之象。經緯居前，可以問職；筆墨在側，可以行文。倚柱者失權，臨境者赴召。捧貢物則有非常之喜，負大木則有任重之才。升斗則斟酌而行，剪尺當裁度而用。

When people cut paper into flowers or carve wood into fruits, they are not real things that can bear fruit, indicating something superficial and empty. When people spread out pictures to look at them, it shows a tendency of vanity and showiness. When the loom and its threads are present, one may inquire about official positions; when writing tools are placed beside, one may consider matters related to literature. When people lean against a pillar, it indicates losing power; when people stand by a border and look far away, it suggests they will be summoned. When people carry offerings, it indicates great joy; when people carry heavy logs, it shows they have the ability to bear great responsibilities. When measuring with small containers, it suggests that matters need careful consideration before action; when scissors and measuring tools are present, it indicates the need to measure and decide carefully before use.

戲戺則逢人接待，開鎖鑰則作事亨通。頑鐵靡鋼，用功有益；快刀斫木，利事得財。揮扇必有相招之意，張蓋主有廕庇之情。歌唱者歡誕逍遙，奔走者驚慌失措。

Seeing people playing near the door steps indicates that someone will come to greet and welcome. Seeing someone opening a lock and turning a key indicates that affairs will proceed smoothly without obstacles. Seeing dull iron being refined into good steel indicates that with effort, there will be rewards. Seeing a sharp knife cutting wood indicates that things will go smoothly and wealth can be obtained. Seeing someone waving a fan indicates that there will be an invitation. Seeing someone holding an umbrella indicates that someone will provide protection. Seeing someone singing indicates joy and freedom. Seeing someone running hurriedly indicates alarm and disorder.

既以觀人，尤當相物。芝蘭謂之瑞兆，松柏果是壽徵。問世家，喬松老檜；欽高節，修竹寒梅。小草嫩花亦復採綴於人首，奇葩豔卉定知賞鑑於名流。野樹輪囷棲遲林下，浮萍聚散蕩漾無成。蓮子連登，雞冠官顯。

Since it is possible to take images from people, it is especially appropriate to take images from things. Seeing chrysanthemums and orchids signifies auspicious signs; seeing pine and cypress trees indeed indicates a sign of longevity. When asking about family lineage and status, seeing tall pines and old cypresses shows deep roots; respecting noble character and integrity, seeing bamboo and plum trees signifies self-discipline and purity. Small grasses and young flowers may be picked and worn on the head, indicating that even those of humble status may be used; rare and beautiful flowers will certainly be appreciated by renowned people, indicating that those with talent and beauty will eventually find understanding. Seeing twisted wild trees suggests someone who stays in the woods, retires from official life; seeing floating water lilies drifting and dispersing suggests someone who achieves nothing and has no fixed position. Seeing lotus seeds, taking the sound "lian" (meaning connection), signifies continuous success in exams; seeing cockscomb flowers, taking the sound "guan" (meaning crown), signifies promotion to high office.

菌菰則朝生暮死，疾病不宜；芭蕉則雨滴風飄，行人未到。牡丹者富貴之物，棠棣者手足之花。茉莉安可經營，石榴卻宜得子。筍必有損，藕亦偶然。枝葉飄零知其敗謝，根苗接續斷彼牽纏。路邊拾柴終為敗葉，奇花無子亦是空花。

Seeing mushrooms, which grow in the morning and die by evening, is most inauspicious for illness. Seeing banana plants, which are battered by rain and wind, indicates that the person who is expected to arrive has not yet come. Seeing peonies, which are symbols of wealth and honor; seeing cotoneaster, which is the flower of siblings. Seeing jasmine, which sounds like "do not part," makes it impossible to talk about long-term plans. Seeing pomegranates, which signify many children, is favorable for seeking offspring. Seeing bamboo shoots, which sounds like "loss," indicates certain loss. Seeing lotus roots, which sounds like "even," suggests something is only accidental. Seeing branches and leaves falling indicates that things will fail. Seeing roots and sprouts continuing indicates that the connection at the other end is not yet broken. Finding firewood by the roadside, which is ultimately just withered leaves, indicates that what is obtained is of no use. Seeing strange flowers that do not bear fruit is just an empty flower.

至於禽蟲之類，亦闡趨避之機。鴻雁得賓朋之信，虺蛇防毒陷之謀。鼠若咬衣，災防小口；鵲如噪樹，會遇知音。牽牛者順利仍主耕田，騎馬者馳驅定知通達。猿猴身心無定，鯉魚變化非凡。繩拴馬，病者難痊；籠中鳥，囚人未脫。

As for birds and reptiles, they can also show signs of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Seeing wild geese indicates receiving news from friends; seeing a snake suggests caution as someone may be plotting to poison or set a trap. If a mouse bites through clothes, it signifies misfortune for children; if a magpie calls out loudly in a tree, it indicates meeting a true friend. Seeing someone leading a cow suggests smooth progress in all affairs, still favoring farming and agriculture; seeing someone riding a horse indicates active movement and success. Seeing a monkey indicates restlessness and lack of stability; seeing a carp indicates extraordinary change and the hope of leaping over the Dragon Gate. Seeing a horse tied with a rope suggests that the sick person will not recover; seeing a bird in a cage indicates that a prisoner will not escape from prison.

蒼蠅覓蠅頭之利，鎮日營營；花蚊邀險處之財，終宵僕僕。促織豈宜問壽，烏龜定利行人。夏綿冬葛雖有用而待時，春花秋月縱無益而欣賞。蛛絲作網，巧計方成。有秤無錘，其權失矣。蓬頭跣足，冠履何存。有水有風，墳塋必就。

Seeing a fly, one seeks only small gains, buzzing about all day; seeing a mosquito, one seeks wealth in dangerous places, traveling without rest all night. Seeing a cricket (促织), which is born in autumn and dies in winter, it is not suitable to ask about longevity. Seeing a turtle, which can travel a thousand miles, it is favorable to ask about travelers. Seeing cotton clothes in summer or hemp cloth in winter, although useful, they must wait for the right time. Spring flowers and autumn moons may not be helpful for matters, but they can still be pleasant to look at. Seeing a spider making a web, it indicates that one must use clever strategies to achieve success. Seeing a scale without a weight, the "authority" is lost, indicating that great power has been taken away. Seeing someone with disheveled hair and bare feet, with no cap or shoes, indicates that the ruler has lost everything. If water and wind are seen together, the风水 (feng shui) is complete, and a tomb site can certainly be made.

是虎是龍，科名可望；為糹希為糹谷，辛苦無辭。揚帆而遇順風，無往不利；持梳而理亂髮，求取自通。逢人指路，百事如心；見客脫衣，一身無累。火入林中，焚形顯露；笠飄水畔，泣象分明。三牛主邅走之形，三女主姦淫之事。一木兩火榮耀之光，一水田魚鰥居之象。

Seeing a tiger and a dragon, one may expect academic success; seeing coarse and fine hemp and other types of hard labor cloth, indicates hardship and toil without complaint. Sailing with favorable winds, nothing will go against you; using a comb to untangle messy hair, all things will naturally go smoothly. Meeting someone who points the way for you, all affairs will be satisfactory; seeing a guest take off his outer garment, indicates being free from burdens. Fire entering the forest signifies burning and exposure; a straw hat floating by the water's edge clearly indicates crying. Three 'ox' characters stacked together form 'bēn', indicating running about and turning back; three 'female' characters stacked together form 'jiān', indicating immoral behavior. One 'wood' and two 'fire' combined signify glory and brightness; one 'water', one 'field', and one 'fish' combined signify a widower living alone.

羊在火前成美事，牛橫家內是牢災。人字欲倒臣病之徵，囚字若長棺槨之象。尸出頭而費力，口有缺而招非。歊字從失、從宋、從天、從夫，臨時參斷；卜字可上、可下、可大、可小，任意決機。成不成、平不平、戊午昭然；田是田、酒是酒，申酉可斷。

The character "yang" combined with "huo" before it forms "mei," indicating the occurrence of beautiful things; the character "niu" lying horizontally within "mian" forms "lao," suggesting possible imprisonment. When the character "ren" is about to fall over, it signifies illness among subordinates; if the frame of "qiu" is stretched out, it resembles a coffin, indicating death. When the character "shi" has its head protruding, it becomes "chi," implying effort with limited results; if the character "kou" has a缺口, it brings disputes. The character "xiao" can be interpreted as consisting of "shi," "song," "tian," and "fu," and should be judged flexibly according to the situation. The dot in the character "bo" can be placed high or low, large or small, depending on the practitioner's judgment. Whether something is "cheng" or "bu cheng," "ping" or "bu ping," it can be determined by the presence or absence of the forms "wu" and "wu." The character "tian" is simply "tian," "jiu" is simply "jiu," and the characters "shen" and "you" can also be interpreted similarly.

用乃一田、兩月、六口不全，井為四十、八頭、九家可聚。針有十金之利，訟須公正之言。風乃乙木之蟲，一榜可中；扇繫門中之羽，飛揚不高。憂字不全憂必散，財若偏斜財可虞。此字有比和之心，婦字有歸來之意。

The character "用" can be split into a "田" and two "月," resembling six "口" that are not complete; the character "井" can be seen as forty and eight heads, indicating nine families sharing one well. The character "针" consists of "金" and "十," suggesting a profit of ten gold pieces. The character "讼" consists of "言" and "公," indicating the need for fair speech. The character "风" contains "乙" and "虫," with "乙" belonging to wood, suggesting one person will pass the examination. The character "扇" is a door with feathers inside, though it can fly, it does not fly very high. If the character "忧" is written incompletely, worries will certainly dissipate; if the character "财" is written slanted, wealth will be unreliable. The character "此" contains "比," indicating a harmonious heart; the character "妇" contains "帚" and "女," indicating a return.

鹿宜西北之方，數為上上；錢是金戈之象，事僅旐旐。執字僥倖完全，秤字和平有準。規則主天子見面，觀又見官事無休。力田必主乎弄璋，山水亦宜於得祿。狗居馬前，驚則必矣；衣放鍋旁，禍能逃乎？五人來卜為從，一口得田為福。

Deer are favorable in the northwest direction, and their number is top grade; "money" is a gold radical with a spear, which easily causes financial loss, and matters are not significant. The character "hold" indicatesby chance (侥幸 means taking chances), which is still complete. The character "scale" takes balance and harmony, which is most accurate. The character "rule" consists of "husband" and "see," indicating a meeting with the emperor. The character "view" also contains the "see" radical, but it indicates endless legal disputes. The combination of "force" and "field" forms "male," which definitely indicates the birth of a son; seeing mountains and water is also favorable for gaining official rank. A dog walking ahead of a horse will certainly be startled; clothing placed near the stove may still avoid disaster. When five people consult, "follow" means accompanying; one "mouth" getting one "field" exactly forms the character "blessing."

吉字要詳上士何如，瑀字必察文人之狀。苟能變通而取義，即可指物而諧音。鹿可問祿，蜂可受封。梨則近乎別離，桃則知其逃竄。見李問訟有理，逢杏占婚有幸，無衣可斷無醫。紙為止，行人不來；書為輸，官司必屈。

The character "吉" has "士" on top, so one must look at the situation of the scholar; the character "瑀" has "文," so one must examine the circumstances of the literary man. As long as one can take meaning flexibly, one can use the homophones of things seen at hand to make a judgment. Seeing a deer can be used to predict official rank, seeing a bee can indicate receiving a grant. Seeing a pear, which sounds like "离," indicates separation; seeing a peach, which sounds like "逃," suggests the need to flee. Seeing a loquat, which sounds like "理," indicates having a good case in court; seeing a apricot, which sounds like "幸," suggests a fortunate marriage. Seeing no clothes, which sounds like "无医," indicates that medical treatment will be ineffective. Seeing paper, which sounds like "止," indicates that a traveler will not come; seeing a book, which sounds like "输," indicates that a lawsuit will certainly be lost.

康字問疾病，入木無疑；茄字卜分娩，加子可喜。簪惟到手才安，鑽必鑽必始得。椒為焦惱，趯是鬥爭。牙杖口舌不離，金箔財利輕少。器如無柄，當知病體之除；鎖若無匙，已識藥遲之兆。

Writing the character "康" to inquire about illness, "康" contains "木", entering wood means entering a coffin, which is certainly ominous; writing the character "茄" to divinate childbirth, "茄" can be split into "加" and "子", indicating the joy of having a child. Seeing a hairpin, one must hold it in hand to feel secure; seeing a drill, one must actually drill it through to get results. Seeing Sichuan pepper, which sounds like "焦恼", indicates worry and anxiety; seeing "趯", indicates running around and conflict. Seeing a tooth stick, indicates constant verbal disputes; seeing gold foil, although it is gold, it is thin, indicating slight profits. Seeing vessels without handles, one knows the illness can be removed; seeing a lock without a key, one realizes it is a sign of delaying treatment too long.

已上隨事占問，臨機務必精詳。神而明之，存乎其人。妙用不窮，理同太易。設若盡心盡力，何妨通佛通仙。

All these are used temporarily according to the present situation. When applying them, one must examine carefully and observe thoroughly. Whether one can apply them skillfully and understand them deeply depends entirely on oneself. There are infinite subtle applications, and the principles are consistent with the Book of Changes. If one is willing to devote wholehearted effort to study and investigate, it is by no means impossible to attain understanding of Buddhism and Taoism as well.

欠字。一人書欠字問六甲，余曰：「明日生男，決非首胎。」時十月初十，到次日果生男。其人復問字理，曰：「欠加兩點為次，故知非首胎。加土為坎。坎，中男也，故知生兒。初十來占，加十一在旁成坎，則今日當產無疑矣。」

Someone wrote the character 「欠」 to inquire about childbirth. I said, 「A boy will be born tomorrow, and certainly not the first child.」 At that time it was the tenth day of the tenth month, and the next day indeed a boy was born. The person came back to ask about the meaning behind the character. I said, 「The character 「欠」 with two dots added beside it becomes 「次」, which means second, so we know it is not the first child. The character 「欠」 with a 「土」 radical added to its side becomes 「坎」. In the 「周易」 eight trigrams, 「坎」 represents the middle son, so we concluded it would be a boy. He came to consult on the tenth day. The 「十」 in 「初十」 with one horizontal stroke added becomes 「土」. Adding this 「土」 to the side of 「欠」 exactly forms 「坎」, showing that the birth would occur on the same day. This is without doubt. This example combines three methods: adding strokes, taking a trigram, and using the date to form an image, which is a typical method of 「至理测法」.

門字。一人書門字問病，余曰：「死矣！尚何問焉？」問字理，答曰：「門字之形，乃日有餘、月不足耳。」其人曰：「女病也。」余曰「必死！」閱十四日驗。

Someone wrote the character 「门」 to inquire about a sickness. I said, "It's already a fatal illness; why are you asking?" He asked what the character meant. I replied, "The character 「门」 has more strokes than 「日」 but fewer than 「月」—this is called 「日有余而月不足」, meaning that days are still enough, but not a whole month." He said, "The sick person is a woman." I said, "Then it's certain death!" — for 「月」 belongs to yin, which governs women; since the moon is insufficient, the woman's illness has no cure. After fourteen days, it indeed came true.

鄉字。一人書鄉字問婚姻，余曰：「姻緣雖易成，男女亦相得，第奈何以真童而娶再醮之女。幸末笑乃節字，到後卻能守節。」其人笑曰：「此女果作過養媳，未成婚而夫死，今翁姑欲嫁之也。不識字理何居，先生何以備知若此？」

Someone wrote the character 「乡」 to inquire about marriage. I said: "This match may be easy to arrange, and the couple also seem to be compatible. Unfortunately, it is a case of an unmarried young man marrying a woman who has been previously married. Fortunately, the last stroke of the character 「乡」 resembles the lower part of the character 「节」, meaning that this woman may be able to remain chaste in the future." The person laughed and said: "Indeed! This woman was a child bride, and before she could have a husband, he died. Now her in-laws want to remarry her. I wonder where this interpretation comes from, and how you could know so precisely?"

余曰：「此無他，乃牛郎織女巧相逢耳。因郎字全，織字只有半邊，是以知之也。」復問：「到後守節，何以不守前夫。」答曰：「節旁耳直。今鄉旁耳多一曲，是以知其節摻之囗二次嫁也。」

I said, "There is nothing else; this is merely the accidental meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The character 'xiang' (乡) has the right half 'fu' (阝, ear knife), combined with 'liang' (良) to form 'lang' (郎). The character 'lang' is complete, so it indicates a male who is a whole young boy. The character 'zhi' (织) is only half, so it indicates a female who is incomplete, meaning she is a woman who has been married twice. " The person asked again, "If you say she will remain chaste in the future, why didn't she remain chaste in her first marriage?" I answered, "The character 'jie' (节) has a straight stroke on the side, but now the character 'xiang' (乡) has an extra curved stroke on the side. This shows that her virtue has been compromised in the middle, so she is a woman who has married twice." The same radical, straight meaning chastity, curved meaning remarriage. This is how the curves and straight lines of strokes determine human affairs.

亥字。人有遺孤五歲，偶病。其乳母以亥字問吉凶，余曰：「亥乃孩不見子之象，上是六不全，中是久不得，下是人不長；本月三十日是月盡，亥為時盡，此兒殆難矣。」

There was a five-year-old orphan in a family who suddenly fell ill. His wet nurse wrote the character "Hai" to inquire about his fortune. I said, "The character 'Hai' is the character 'Hai' without the 'zi' radical, which signifies having a child but not seeing the son. Furthermore, looking at its three parts: the top part resembles the character 'liu' but is incomplete, the middle part resembles the character 'jiu' but the long time is not attainable, and the bottom part resembles the character 'ren' but the person does not grow up. Moreover, the month ends on the thirtieth day, and among the twelve earthly branches, 'Hai' is at the last position, which is the end of the year and the hour. This child is likely to have a difficult fate."

復以一字再問，余曰：「一乃生字之終，死字之始，則生從此盡，死從此至矣。況是半個十字，祿命止於五乎？」其師又以水字參決，斷曰：「水字之形，不能永之象。五行之數，土數五。土能克水，難過五日矣。」至九月初五果殞。

The wet nurse wrote another "one" character and asked again. I said, "The character 'one' is the last stroke of the character 'birth' and also the first stroke of the character 'death'. Birth ends here, and death begins from here. Moreover, the character 'one' is just half of the character 'ten'. Ten minus half is five, so this child's lifespan is likely to end at five years old." The child's tutor then wrote the character 'water' to ask further. I interpreted, "The shape of the character 'water' is like the character 'permanence' missing a dot, which is a sign of something not lasting long. Also, according to the numbers of the Five Phases, the number of earth is five, and earth can overcome water—this child will not survive five days." On the fifth day of the ninth lunar month, the child indeed died prematurely.

張字。維楊汪四被總憲拿問，其羽以張字問吉凶，且曰：「今已有東王爺書到，早晚能出否乎？」余曰：「此字大凶，生且難保，安望其出耶？」因斷曰：「弔客當頭，喪門煞局，內中王心已偏，恐終不能挽回矣。」時在九月二十也。至十月終，果自縊於監中。

A man named Wang Si from Yangzhou was taken by the Chief Inspector (the Grand Censor) for questioning. His followers wrote the character "Zhang" to inquire about auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, and they said, "Now there is already a letter from the Eastern王爷, will he be released soon or not?" I said, "This character is extremely inauspicious. His life is already in danger, how can he be released?" Then I made a judgment: "The character 'Zhang' has 'Gong' on the left, which is exactly 'Diao Ke' (a term for death) at the top; on the right is 'Chang', forming a 'Sang Men Sha Ju' (a bad omen for mourning). The 'Wang' inside the character is written with a slanted heart — the heart of the entrusted王爷 has already shifted, and it is likely that this cannot be reversed." At that time it was the twentieth day of the ninth lunar month. By the end of the tenth lunar month, Wang Si indeed committed suicide by hanging in prison.

繡字。一人書繡字問婚姻，余曰：「婚姻必成，且十分得意。」問：「何故？」曰：「紅絲緊繫蕭郎足，姻緣自成更美者。字末三川六段，又為地天交泰之象，夫婦可以偕老。」其人悅而去，至十二月成伉儷。

Someone wrote the character 「绣」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "This marriage will certainly succeed, and it will be very satisfactory." He asked for the reason, and I explained, "The character 「绣」 has the radical 「糹」 on the left, which signifies red threads tightly binding the feet of the beloved, with the Red Thread of Fate connecting them. The union is naturally destined and even more beautiful. The final stroke of the character splits into three rivers and six sections, with the upper and lower parts intersecting, which represents the image of 「地天交泰」 from the Zhou Changes. Here, earth is above and heaven is below, yin and yang meet and all things become harmonious, so the couple will certainly live happily together until old age." The person left happily, and indeed, by the twelfth lunar month, he became married.

青字。壬午十月，有遊宦書青字問曰：「昨聞邸報傳云，聖駕南巡已到紅衣鋪矣。弟有一故舊隨來，意欲候之，不知何日至此？敢求細推。」余曰：「字中上乃主形，又是半個來字，必應南幸來至半路矣。但作乃陰象，又是半個背字，塞北陰方必應。聖心戀戀於陰方，將至半道而返也。」其宦猶未深信。果報：駕未逾淮，得太后之旨，遂星夜迴鑾。

In the year Renwu, in the tenth month, a man who was serving in official post wrote the character "qing" to ask: "Yesterday, I heard from the official news that the sacred emperor's southern tour had already reached Hongyi Pu. I have an old friend who is accompanying the imperial court, and he wishes to go to meet the emperor. I wonder which day he will arrive here? Please sir, calculate it carefully." I said: "The character 'qing' has the shape of 'zhu' at the top, which refers to the ruler; and the top part is also half of the character 'lai', so I concluded that the southern tour of the sacred emperor has indeed reached halfway. However, the lower part of the character 'qing' is 'yue', which belongs to yin, and it is also half of the character 'bei'—'bei' means facing north, and the northern region is the yin direction. This indicates that the sacred heart is attached to the north, and the emperor will go halfway and then return. "The official still did not believe it. Later, it was indeed reported that the imperial court had not yet crossed the Huai River when they received the imperial decree from the empress dowager to return north immediately.

瓦字。一人書瓦字問搖會得否，余曰：「得會。」曰：「人眾尚在初起。」曰：「雖係初會，必得！」因批云：「瓦蓋眾人之頭，字形二十九點。得會！」其人去，頃復來曰：「會得矣，點亦如數。」

Someone wrote the character 「瓦」 to inquire about whether he would win in a lottery called 「摇会」. The 「摇会」 is a kind of collective fundraising among people, where they contribute money and use dice to determine the order. When it's someone's turn, they have to pay the amount of the contribution. I said, "You will get the money." He replied, "There are many people in the group, and it's only the first round now." I said, "Even though it's the first round, you will definitely get it!" Then I interpreted, "The character 「瓦」 can cover people's heads, indicating it can hold down all the members of the group; the character has a total of twenty-nine strokes, so you will get the money!" Soon after, the person came back and said, "Indeed, I got the money, and the dice rolled exactly twenty-nine." This example uses the number of strokes in the character to determine the number, and the number matches the event exactly.

火字。一人書火字問：「出門與在家孰利？」余曰：「出門利。此字中間有開腳之人，自宜行動。若在家中，有災害也。」

Someone wrote the character for "fire" to ask: "Is it better to go out, or to stay at home?" I said: "It is better to go out. This character contains within it the shape of a person with spread legs; since the person has already taken a step, it is favorable for action. If one remains at home, the character for fire signifies disaster and brings misfortune." The same character, taking the shape of "person" suggests movement, while taking its original meaning suggests fire, and one must consider which aspect is relevant to the question.

時旁一人即指此字問曰：「有一兒欲隨貴人上京，今在姑蘇覓一兒作伴同行，利否？」余曰：「大利。」問何故，曰：「火字疊見，乃炎字也。北方水鄉，此去有既濟之義，故利耳。」其人曰：「北方水旺，炎旁加水乃淡字也。財氣不亦淡泊乎？」

At that time, a person nearby pointed to the same "fire" character and asked, "I have a child who wants to follow the nobleman to the capital. Now he has found another child in Suzhou to travel with him. Is this beneficial?" I said, "Very beneficial." He asked why, and I said, "Just now there was already a 'fire' character, and now you are pointing to the same one again. Two fires overlapping form the character 'inflame' (yan). The capital is in the north, and the north belongs to water. This journey will bring water and fire together, which matches the meaning of the 'Already Completed' hexagram in The Zhou Changes, so it is beneficial." The person said, "The north has abundant water. Adding water to the 'inflame' character makes 'dilute' (dan). Will the wealth not become diluted?"

余曰：「否！非此之論也。兩兒皆南人，南方是火地。跟官之人勢必炎，炎而字中又兩重火。現據理斷之，嫌其太過。所幸者，遠遊北方水旺之鄉，得水制之，則火不猖狂，而兩相為用矣，烏可志其美而反謂之淡泊也哉？」其人復問二兒高下，余曰：「二火一上一下，自有高低。但子之兒高，彼之兒不及也。」請厥理，曰：「先一位以火問事已過，乃退時之火。兄仍以火字問事，乃方興之火。以此較之，是以知此兒後來高於彼兒也。」

I said, "It's not right to judge this way. Both children are from the south, where fire is native. Those who follow officials will surely have more fiery energy, and moreover, the characters themselves contain two fires. If we judge only by this, it's actually excessive in terms of fire. Fortunately, they will go far north, where water is abundant, and water can control the fire. Thus, fire will not run rampant, and water and fire can work together—how can we ignore this advantage and say the wealth is not strong?" The person then asked which of the two children would be higher. I said, "Since both are 'fire,' one above and one below, they can be clearly distinguished. However, your child will be higher, and the other's child will not be able to match." He asked for the reason, and I said, "The previous one used the 'fire' character to ask about something, and after that, it has passed, so it's fire that has already declined. But you are now still using the 'fire' character to ask, which is fire that is just beginning to rise. Comparing the two, we can know that your child will certainly surpass the other's child in the end."

鳧字。一人書鳧字問官司，余曰：「大不利。」其人問故，曰：「梟神頭，白虎腳，勾陳身，膋蛇尾，四凶齊犯。若到官，夾打俱有。一倒便見矣。」因將鳧字倒置几上，令彼自觀，時旁觀者皆歎服。

Someone wrote the character 「凫」 to inquire about a legal case. I said, "This is very unfavorable." He asked why, and I replied, "The top part of this character is the head of a bird, which is exactly the crime of the枭神; the single stroke and the hook at the bottom resemble the feet of the White Tiger; the horizontal stroke in the middle represents the body of Gou Chen; and the final curved stroke is like the tail of the Shéng Shé. The four凶 spirits—枭神, 白虎, 勾陈, and 螣蛇—are all involved. If this case goes to court, there will certainly be beatings with wooden sticks and拶刑. If you look at the character upside down, you will understand." So I placed the paper with the character 「凫」 upside down on the desk, letting him see it himself—the inverted shape looked exactly like a person being bound and beaten. At that time, all the onlookers were convinced and impressed.

元字。一人書元字問六甲：「男女何居？」余斷曰：「二八之形，巽卦之變，生女無疑。」復以問他相字者，則不察字理，輒曰：「生男。」至分娩，果產一女。

Someone wrote the character 「元」 to inquire about pregnancy: "Is the child a boy or a girl?" I interpreted it saying: "The character 「元」 has two horizontal strokes on top and two strokes below, forming the shape of two eights. Both two and eight are yin numbers. Furthermore, according to the change of the hexagram, it belongs to the hexagram Xun, which represents the elder daughter—definitely a girl." He then took the question to another fortune teller, who did not carefully examine the character's structure and carelessly said, "It's a boy." When the child was born, it turned out to be a girl.

元字。一人將元字問男女，余曰：「生男。」復以問他相字者，則用吾前效應曰：「生女。」至分娩，乃一男。其人復來問字理，余曰：「元乃乾健之體，四德元為之首。兄之所娠又係頭胎。況兼三筆寫成，可改作兒字。故知生子無疑也。」

Some people once used the character "元" to inquire about the gender of the child, and I said, "It will be a boy." They took the character to another fortune-teller, who, relying on my previous accurate prediction, said, "It will be a girl." However, when the child was born, it was indeed a boy. The person came back to ask about the reasoning behind the prediction. I explained, "The character '元' represents the Qian hexagram, which symbolizes strength and vitality. In the Qian hexagram of the Zhou Changes, the four virtues are 'origin, prosperity, benefit, and constancy,' with 'origin' being the first. Moreover, your wife is carrying her first child. Furthermore, the character '元' can be written with only three strokes, which is an odd number and thus belongs to the yang category. Also, changing just one stroke transforms it into the character '儿,' which means child. Therefore, I concluded it would be a boy, without any doubt."

其人問：「師曾斷此字生女，弟遂寫此字求數；因復以問於貴同道，彼亦斷女。何故卻生兒子乎？何故師所斷與前異乎？願聞其說。」餘筆曰：「夫一字之來有一字之機，彼人烏足以語此！蓋前一人之元字中，二橫如橋，字乃四筆寫成，數屬偶，故生女。兄所問之元字，頭尾昂藏，字乃三筆寫成，數屬奇，故生男。奇偶尚不清，曷為乎測字哉？邵康節先生曰：「字同事不同，不宜此而宜彼；事同字不同，倏變吉而變凶。」此之謂也。

That person asked, "Master, you once predicted that this character would mean a daughter, so I wrote this character to seek a prediction; I then took it to ask your fellow practitioner, and he also predicted a daughter. Why did I end up having a son? Why is your prediction different this time? I would like to know the details." I picked up my brush and wrote, "When one character is brought, it carries its own inherent signs. That practitioner did not understand this principle. The previous time, the person wrote the character 'yuan,' with two horizontal strokes level and flat like a bridge, and the entire character was written with four strokes, which is an even number, and evenness belongs to yin, hence predicting a daughter. This time, the character 'yuan' you wrote has its beginning and end raised and spirited, written with only three strokes, which is an odd number, and oddness belongs to yang, hence predicting a son. If you cannot distinguish between odd and even strokes, what is the point of predicting characters? Shao Kangjie said, 'Characters may be the same but the situations differ, so it is not suitable for this but suitable for that; situations may be the same but the characters differ, so it may suddenly change from auspicious to inauspicious.' This is exactly the principle being explained."

門字。一官欲赴京選，問行期，書門字，兼叩功名事。余曰：「此字問功名，可謂大利，但行期遲緩，當為年翁細析其疑。夫門，可開可閉。今方冬令，天地閉藏猶門之閉，進出不通。若交春令，萬物萌芽猶門之開，往來甚便。以此推之，今歲尚未能行也。且字體乃朋來未齊之象，年翁必然等候親友同行，大抵在於新正耳。」其官曰：「弟實欲等浙中二友同行，約燈節前到，故問以決疑也。」

There was an official who was about to go to the capital to seek a position, and he asked about the date to start his journey, writing the character 「门」, and also inquiring about his official rank. I said, "This character used to ask about official rank is very favorable; however, the departure date should be delayed. Let me explain this matter in detail for you. The character 「门」 can be opened or closed: at present, it is the winter season, and heaven and earth are in a state of concealment, just like a door that is closed, with no passage in or out; when spring comes, all things begin to sprout, just like a door that is opened, allowing easy movement. According to this reasoning, he will not be able to go this year. Moreover, the character 「门」 has two doors on either side facing each other, with an empty space in the middle, which indicates that friends have already arrived but are not yet complete. The official definitely wants to wait for his two friends from Zhejiang to travel together, and they have agreed to arrive before the Lantern Festival, so he came to ask, in order to make a decision." The official said, "I indeed want to wait for my two friends from Zhejiang to travel together, and they have agreed to arrive before the Lantern Festival, so I came to ask, in order to make a decision."

幸字。一人書幸字問病，余曰：「不吉。」因問病人年庚，曰：「四十九歲。」余曰：「幸字反有三不幸焉。問病不宜見士與木，今數中士木交加，一不幸也。木中桑木為最堅久，今不成桑木，二不幸也。不完五十，三不幸也。人不能全天命之年，雖幸，實不幸。逢辛日或辛月，恐不能僥倖。若捱過八月至十月，方可謂之幸也。」一月後果卒。

Someone wrote the character 「幸」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「It is not auspicious.」 Then I asked the patient's age, and he replied he was forty-nine. I said, 「This character 「幸」 actually contains three layers of misfortune. First, when asking about illness, it is most inauspicious to see 「士」 or 「木」 — 「士」 resembles the tablet before a coffin, and 「木」 is the coffin itself. Now the character 「幸」 has 「士」 and 「木」 combined at top and bottom, which is the first misfortune. Second, among woods, mulberry wood is the most durable and strong, but this character cannot form 「桑」, which is the second misfortune. Third, forty-nine years is one year short of fifty, the age of heavenly destiny is not complete, which is the third misfortune. To live less than the years granted by heaven, although the character is called 「幸」, it is actually misfortune. Moreover, 「幸」 differs from 「辛」 by only one stroke. If it occurs on a day or month of 「辛」, one might not be fortunate. Only if one survives until August to October can one truly be called 「幸」.」 A month later, the patient indeed passed away.

麟字。一人書麟字問終身，筆跡肥濃，橫直停勻而有神采。因顯唬骸按俗鄭？貴人之格也。其人曰：「我貧漢耳，何貴焉？」余曰：「年翁勿諱言，年翁之貴非自得之也。字後庇廕起手，當是襲職之官。字有戈戟之形，必居元戎之位。

Someone wrote the character 「麟」 to inquire about his entire life. His handwriting was thick and heavy, with even strokes and a brilliant appearance. I then said in front of him (the original text here had some characters that were misread and difficult to read, the general meaning being 「this character has the structure of a nobleman」). The person replied, 「I am just a poor man, how could I be considered noble?」 I said, 「Old sir, you need not be shy. Your nobility is not something you have earned yourself. The latter part of the character starts with 「粦」, indicating it comes from inherited protection and favor. It must be that you inherit the official position from your father and ancestors as a military officer. The character also contains the shapes of halberds and spears, so you must certainly hold the position of a commander in charge of troops.」

貴則貴矣，但一生不利於南。純水之形，宜往北方便利。二十上下，妻宮寂寞，夫人早已仙遊。三八之時，作事多應迷舛。末筆生三尾，子有河東。上有「六十」形，下有「死年」局，問壽只許六旬。縱然自少至老榮顯，若不升往北方不宜，兄弟不得力，六親無依。此狂瞽之言，請貴人取擇。若云非貴，豈其然乎？」

"Being noble is indeed noble, but it is not favorable to go south throughout one's life. This character has a pure water shape, and water is suitable for the north, so going north would be more advantageous. Around the age of twenty, the wife's section is cold and barren, and the respected wife has already passed away. Around the age of twenty-four (a number resulting from multiplying three and eight), there will be many confusion and mistakes in affairs. The final stroke splits into three tails, indicating that matters concerning children are connected with other things. The top part of the character resembles the shape of 'sixty,' and the bottom forms the pattern of 'death year,' indicating that one's lifespan is limited to sixty. Even if one is prosperous from a young age to old, it is not suitable to stay in the south; siblings are not helpful, and the six relations have no support. These are my foolish opinions; please the nobleman judge for yourself. If you are not noble, how could it be like this?"

其人始點頭曰：「弟非他，乃京口郭某也。現授廣東水師參將，今年二十九歲矣。二十四克妻。舍弟尚未登仕途。吾本籍北京，十五歲因難廕，即來江南，至今十五年矣。雖有一官，其實百事不遂。幸遇高明指教以南北之向，可謂之半仙也。」揖謝而去。

That person then nodded and said, "I have no intention of deceiving you, sir. I am not someone else, but Tuo from Zhenjiang. I am currently serving as a commander of the Guangdong naval forces, and I am twenty-nine years old. I lost my wife at the age of twenty-four. My younger brother has not yet entered officialdom. I was originally from Beijing. At the age of fifteen, I received a hereditary appointment due to my father's death, and I came to the Jiangnan region. It has been exactly fifteen years since then. Although I hold an official title, nothing in my life has gone smoothly. Today, I am fortunate to meet such a wise person. You can truly be called a semi-immortal for guiding me on the auspicious and inauspicious aspects of the north and south directions." He then bowed in gratitude and left.

茆字。一人書茆字問婚姻，余曰：「極易成，但妓者耳，兄何留戀於彼耶？」其人笑曰：「果是！一美妓與我相處有年矣，今彼有從良之願，吾欲娶之，不識字理若何？而先生真可謂神見也。」余曰：「此字全是殘花敗柳之象，是以知其為妓也。末筆從節，猶可以為善，兄當娶。」

Someone wrote the character 「茆」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "It is very easy to succeed, but the person is just a prostitute. Why do you cling to her?" The person laughed and said, "Indeed! There is a beautiful prostitute who has been with me for several years, and now she has expressed a desire to reform. I want to marry her. I wonder what the meaning of this character is? You truly have divine insight." I replied, "This character has a grass radical at the top, which forms the shape of a crooked willow and flower, and the whole character conveys the atmosphere of withered flowers and broken willows, so I concluded she is a prostitute. However, its final stroke is from the character 「节」, which suggests a possibility of improvement, so you can go ahead and marry her."

陸字。釗生書陸字問天晴雨，余曰：「必晴。」曰：「此時將午，已霏霏矣，安得晴乎？」曰：「包晴！字左乃陰不陰、陽不陽之象，本日天色自然晦而無雨。字右卻有兩個土字，土能克水，豈有雨乎？但土空則陷，恐來日當有雨耳。」果然。

Zao Sheng wrote the character "Lu" to inquire about whether the weather would be clear or rainy. I said, "It will certainly be clear." He said, "But now it is nearly noon, and the rain has already started to fall in a fine drizzle; how can it be clear?" I said, "It will certainly be clear! This character on the left is the ear-plate (fu), which is neither yin nor yang, so today's weather will naturally be gloomy without rain. However, the character on the right has two 'tu' characters, which represent earth, and earth can overcome water; where there is earth, there will be no rain. But earth, when it becomes hollow, will collapse, so I fear that rain may come tomorrow." Later, it indeed turned out to be the case.

病字。一人書病字問病，余曰：「女乎？」曰：「然」。曰：「無妨！內省不疚，何憂何懼？上面主人安穩，下面內人端正，決無害。丙屬火，逢土日洩其氣，可愈。」其人去，未十日來雲病已愈。

Someone wrote the character 「病」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「Is it a woman who is ill?」 He replied, 「Yes.」 I said, 「No problem! The Analects say, 「If one's inner reflection brings no guilt, what have we to be anxious or afraid?」 The character 「病」 contains the character 「丙」 inside its head. Self-examination without guilt, how can there be anxiety or fear? The top part of the character, a dot and a horizontal stroke, is steady and secure, indicating the master is safe. The lower part, the character 「内」, is upright and proper, meaning the wife is unharmed, definitely harmless. 「丙」 belongs to fire in the heavenly stems, and when it meets a day of earth, the fire's energy is released, and the illness will recover.」 The person went back, and within ten days he came to report that his illness had already been cured.

家字。一遊宦書家字問家中事，余曰：「一家完全，人口皆安逸。守字頭，緣字腳，且在此地守祿，家中毋庸慮也。」至新正赴郡，得起復之信，自來述喜。

There was a man who was serving in official post away from home. He wrote the character "home" to inquire about his family affairs. I said, "The family is entirely complete, and all members are at ease. This character has at the top the head of the character "guard" (宀), and at the bottom the foot of the character "connection" (豕), which shows that you are now staying here and keeping your salary, and there is no need to worry about your family." By the time of the first lunar month, he went to the county town and received a message that he was to be recalled and reinstated in his post. He came personally to express his joy.

筆字。周龍從儀真至揚，攜一筆字問終身，余曰：「篤字頭，律字尾，中一豎有精神。逢丑年，交鴻運。十二年順利，家業長二千餘金。二十歲上下即走關津渡口，以建立功名。丰神雖瀟灑，但眉間定有傷痕。筆之為物縱然貴重，卻隨人掌握而行。以吾觀之，早年即當為入幕之賓，妻遲子晚，祖業又凋零虧煞個算頭，著實也，到後來受用些墨沈餘芬。」

Zhou Long came from Yizhen to Yangzhou, bringing a "pen" character to inquire about his destiny. I said, "This character has the top part of the 'du' character (bamboo), and the bottom part of the 'lv' character (yu). The central vertical stroke is very spirited. The 'du' character includes the radical for horse; encountering the year of the Ox (which belongs to horse and ox), he will meet great fortune. In the following twelve years, everything will go smoothly, and his family's business will grow to over two thousand taels of silver. In his early twenties, he will have to move around in the areas near the river crossings, and achieve success through this. Although his demeanor is elegant and free-spirited, there must be a scar on his brow — the two strokes of the bamboo top of the character fall exactly on the position of the eyebrows. Although a pen is a precious object, it is always used by someone else's hand. Therefore, in my opinion, he should have been a guest in someone else's household early on; he will marry late and have children late, and the family property will have declined to almost nothing, resulting in a real financial loss. Later on, he will enjoy some food and clothing obtained through the lingering fragrance of ink and brush."

批畢，周友曰：「名不虛傳，此乃敝友邵令銘所書之字。今年二十八矣，尚未娶。本貫浙紹人，在敝衙門作幕數年。今又有吳江邑尊杜至彼，欲應聘，未知利否？至傷痕之說，尤屬如見。」余曰：「若往吳江更利。」於是別去。後十餘日復至，攜邵謝貼來，兼有詩曰：「閉臥青山愧丈夫。」可想見其平生矣。

After the divination, Zhou Long said, "Master's reputation is well deserved. This is a calligraphy written by my friend Shao Lingming. He is twenty-eight years old and has not yet married. He is originally from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He has been working as a legal assistant in our office for several years. Now Du Xianling, the county magistrate of Wuxi County, has invited him, and he wants to accept the position. He doesn't know if it will be beneficial. Especially the remark about the scar on his forehead, which sounds as if he had seen it with his own eyes." I said, "Going to Wuxi County will be more beneficial." Then we parted. After about ten days, he came again, bringing a thank-you note from Shao Lingming, which also included a line of poetry: "Resting in the green mountains, I feel ashamed to be a man." — A scholar who is talented but not recognized, sitting alone by the mountain, his whole life's experience is easy to imagine.

用字。一人書用字問求謁，余曰：「斷難見。」而其人曰：「我屢候之。」余曰：「雖屢候，彼終不能見也。」問何故，曰：「字之上半全是閉門不納之象，不獨閉門，而門內復將一木緊緊撐之，如此安能見之耶？」曰：「彼不出耶？」曰：「字乃截角之形，彼再不肯出頭也。」旁觀者皆撫掌稱快。

Someone wrote the character 「用」 to inquire about meeting a certain person. I said, "It is definitely difficult to meet." He replied, "I have waited several times already." I said, "Although you have waited many times, he will ultimately not see you." He asked why, and I said, "The upper part of this character is entirely like a closed door refusing entry; not only is the door closed, but there is also a wooden pole across the door, firmly blocking the way—like this, how can you meet him?" He asked, "Is he not coming out?" I said, "This character is shaped like a corner being cut off, with all four corners incomplete. He will never come out again." The people watching all clapped and cheered.

齒字。有人書齒字問：「一人出外十餘年，何時回來？」余曰：「死矣。」問何故，曰：「太歲當頭，外邊重重險厄，終歸於凶，是以知其死也。不知年幾何？」曰：「三十六矣。」曰：「必死！齒，年數也。普天之下，從無三十七齒之人，今以此字問之，恰值三十六歲，吾知其必不能生還也。」

Someone wrote the character 「齿」 to ask: "There is a person who has been away for more than ten years, when will he return?" I said: "He has already died." He asked for the reason, and I said: "The character has '止' on top, which means being stopped, with the Tai Sui (the year god) pressing down on top; the outer part is wrapped around many times, indicating danger layer by layer; ultimately it is a凶象 (auspicious omen), so I know he has died. Don't know how old he is this year?" He answered thirty-six. I said: "It is certain he will die! 「齿」 means age — so-called 「序齿」 and 「齿德」 refer to the number of years. Throughout the world, there has never been a person with thirty-seven teeth, and now he is exactly thirty-six years old and uses this character to ask, showing that the number of teeth has reached its end, so I conclude he will not return."

其人泣曰：「神數！此吾弟也，一出不歸十餘年，杳無音信。昨有一友從比來，言在某處會見，適吾弟病篤，不能作書，剪髮辮寄歸，令其妻嫁，死後行囊如洗，蒙此友施棺殮葬。吾猶未深信，故特來一決。今如先生所斷，則事果實矣。且三十七齒之說，尤匪夷所思，寧不令人歎服？」

That person was crying and said, "What a divine prediction! This is my younger brother, who left home over ten years ago and has not returned, with no news at all. Yesterday a friend came from there and said he had seen my brother somewhere: just as my brother was seriously ill, he was unable to write a letter, so he cut off his hair and sent it back with him, telling his wife to remarry. After his death, his belongings were completely empty, and he was buried with a coffin provided by this friend. I was half-believing and half-doubting, so I specially came to ask the master to decide. Now according to the master's prediction, the matter is indeed true. Moreover, the saying about 'thirty-seven teeth' is especially surprising, how could one not be convinced!"

吝字。一人書吝字問婚姻，余曰：「上有交歡之象，下有和合之形，姻緣可謂美矣，必成！」其人曰：「神數！本係成事，姑問之也。」

Someone wrote the character 「吝」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "This character has the top part of the character 「交」, which suggests the image of intimacy; the bottom part is the mouth of the character 「合」, which implies harmony. The top represents union, the bottom represents harmony. With the top and bottom combined, the relationship is certainly complete and fulfilling!" The person replied, "You are really a divine calculator! It was already decided, but I just asked out of curiosity." This example clearly demonstrates the use of the method of combining meanings from the beginning and the end of a character to form a judgment.

弦字。一人書弦字問曰：「聘一夥友，約在臘月前來，今已新正尚未見到。」余曰：「此人不來矣！字左乃膋蛇，字右乃玄武，二人相合已共事矣，豈來乎？」因批曰：「龜蛇二將相連，彼已別生枝葉，祖師不可認真，夥計須當另覓。」其人曰：「龜蛇之說信有之。吾聞其新遇一人，將有共事之意。吾疑信未定，故來問耳。」

Someone wrote the character 「弦」 to ask: "I hired a partner friend, agreeing that he would come in the twelfth lunar month, but now it's already the first lunar month and I haven't seen him yet." I said: "This person will not come! The left side of the character is 「弓」, which is bent and resembles the snake called Téng Shé; the right side is 「玄」, which corresponds to the Black Tortoise. With Téng Shé and the Black Tortoise combined, it indicates that he has already joined forces with someone else, so how could he come?" Then I wrote: "The two generals of the tortoise and snake are connected, he has already taken another path; the True Martial Ancestor cannot be trusted, you must find another partner." The person said: "The story of the tortoise and snake is indeed true. I heard that he recently met someone who showed interest in working together. I was half-believing and half-doubtful, so I came to ask."

虯字。一人書虯字問婚姻，余曰：「必係寡婦，先私後娶，然卻易成。」其人背後一友笑曰：「請教字理。」余曰：「花燭之餘，豈非寡婦；傷風敗化，必有私情；幸王化雖敗壞之極而風聲只缺微邊，往來雖久而知者猶少也。」其人復問：「何日成婚？」余曰：「L 為半九之象，立春前五日成婚。」二人皆嘆曰：「神數！果日期盡不爽。」

Someone wrote the character 「虬」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "The person in question is certainly a widow. There was first an affair, then a formal marriage. However, this marriage is easy to accomplish." The person behind him laughed and said, "Please explain the meaning of the character." I replied, "The character 「虬」 is composed of 「虫」 and 「丩」. The character 「虫」 is the character 「烛」 without the fire radical, which means the candle has already burned out, which is not it? It is a widow. The character 「虫」 also signifies illness and moral decline, indicating there must have been an affair. Fortunately, although moral standards have declined to the extreme, the character 「风」 is missing only the outer dot, meaning the wind has not yet fully revealed itself. This suggests that although the two have been in contact for a long time, not many people know about it." The person asked again, "On which day will they get married?" I said, "The final stroke, which is a hook, resembles half of the character 「九」, indicating the marriage will take place five days before the Beginning of Spring." Both of them exclaimed, "What an accurate prediction! The date is exactly correct."

一人手持一錢置於几上，復指錢上順字問婚姻，余曰：「必成，況已成矣。」問故，曰：「錢乃團圓之物，外圓內方，地天交泰之義也。倒指順字，可謂手到即順也。」復問財氣，余曰：「惟財氣欠旺，只可二三分之利。」曰：「何故？」曰：「錢乃外實內虛之物，衣服什物雖有而資財恐不多也。且順字從三寫起，願字結局，只得三分如願耳。」

This is an example of "Observing the Plum Blossom" divination, where one does not write characters but instead interprets the situation based on the objects present. A person was holding a copper coin on the table and pointing with his fingers to the "shun" character on the coin's surface to ask about his marriage. I said, "It will certainly succeed, and in fact, it has already succeeded." He asked why, and I replied, "A coin is a round and complete object, with a round outside and a square inside. Round represents heaven, square represents earth, and heaven enclosing earth corresponds to the meaning of the Zhou Changes' 'Heaven and Earth Interacting to Bring Prosperity,' which signifies the communication of yin and yang. Moreover, you are pointing with your fingers to this 'shun' character, which can be interpreted as 'hand reaching immediately brings smoothness.'" He then asked about his fortune, and I said, "Your wealth is not strong, at most two or three parts of profit." He asked why, and I replied, "A coin is solid on the outside and hollow inside, showing that although there are clothes and utensils, the money may not be much. Furthermore, the 'shun' character starts with three strokes of the 'chuan' character and only reaches the 'yuan' character as its conclusion. Starting with three strokes but not reaching ten, so only three parts of wishes can be fulfilled."

寅字。正月初八，一人指時憲書上月建之寅字，問曰：「聞得聖駕南巡否乎？」余曰：「宇宙一人之象，正是兆民仰問聖上之字也。上有離宮之形，下有甲胃之人衛之，財巡必矣。寅，陽木。下月水日到。」後到二月初七壬午日，駐蹕維揚。

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, someone pointed to the "Yin" character in the monthly section of the almanac (Shixian Shu) and asked, "I've heard that the imperial court is going to tour the south. Is it true?" I said, "The 'Yin' character has a roof top like a canopy, and a horizontal and vertical line in the middle like the universe, which is exactly the image of 'cosmos and one person.' It is precisely the character that the people look up to the Son of Heaven. The upper part has the shape of the Li palace, which represents the south; the lower part shows a person in armor guarding—this clearly indicates that the southern tour is certain. 'Yin' belongs to Yang Wood in the Five Phases, and Wood is born from Water. The next month will meet a Water day, and then the southern tour will take place." Later, on the seventh day of the second lunar month, the imperial court indeed stayed in Yangzhou.

公字。一人以公字問事，久不與斷，平國先來者先測，而後至者次序應之，故不笪即斷也。至臨測時問之曰：「何事？」則曰：「忘之矣。」轉身即走。余曰：「來，且勿行！爾非真忘之也，不過因我之遲而生恚耳。」其人曰：「請說。」余曰：「字雖公字，卻有一團私心；況分字頭、去字腳，汝必與人共事，今欲分頭而去也。」

Someone brought a "gong" character to ask a question, but I couldn't answer him immediately. Usually, I answer those who come first first, and those who come later wait their turn. So I couldn't answer him right away. When it was his turn, I asked, "What is your question?" He said, "I have forgotten." Then he turned around and left. I said, "Come back, don't go yet! You didn't really forget, but you were impatient because I was slow." He said, "Please tell me." I said, "This character is 'gong,' but inside it there is a hidden private heart. The lower part of 'gong' is 'si,' which means private. Moreover, the upper part of 'gong' is the head of 'fen' (division), and the lower part is the foot of 'qu' (to go away). This shows that you must be working with someone else, and now you want to split up and go your separate ways."

其人曰：「誠如所言。我與表兄合夥開一銀店，將及三載。今欲分賬自開，不知吉凶何居？」余曰：「一言成訟，此話可謂難講矣。末筆更帶玄武，其中必主小人刁唆，不日將見官司，宜止之。」其人歎服。後旬日復來測定，自言：「承指教歸，並不言及分賬之事，而表兄與我甚相得，親許來歲分店各開矣。」

That person said, "Indeed, as the master said. I have been running a silver shop with my cousin for nearly three years, and now we want to divide the profits and open separate businesses. I wonder if this is auspicious or inauspicious?" I replied, "The character '公' is composed of 'eight' and 'private,' and one word can lead to disputes. This is a difficult matter to bring up. Moreover, its final stroke resembles the form of Xuanwu, indicating that there must be a small person inciting trouble from the side. A lawsuit is likely to occur soon. It would be better to stop now." That person was convinced. After about ten days, he came again to consult, saying, "Thanks to the master's guidance, I have not mentioned the matter of dividing the profits at all. My cousin and I have become very harmonious, and he has verbally agreed to separate and run our own businesses next year."

求財二字。一人云：「我欲求財，請測一字。」余曰：「甚字？」其人呆視不動，余曰：「汝又不寫字，又不拈字，我即將求財二字測之。」其人曰：「知我作何生意？」余曰：「當是賣果子，否則必是樹上所生之物。」曰：「何方買賣？」曰：「東南買至西北方賣，先曾做過。有本而藝術不精，以致虧折。目今第二次矣。生意雖精而本又不足，意欲與人合夥同行也。是乎？否乎？」

Someone said, "I want to seek wealth, please the master divines a character for me." I asked, "What character do you want to divinate?" The person stared blankly without moving. I said, "Since you neither write nor pick a character, I will use the two characters 'seek wealth' you mentioned to divinate." He asked, "Does the master know what kind of business I do?" I said, "It must be selling fruits, or else definitely something that grows on trees." He asked, "In which direction do you do your business?" I said, "You buy from the southeast and sell to the northwest. You have done this once before, with capital but lacking skill and eye for the business, which led to a loss. Now it's the second time. This time the business is more refined, but the capital is still insufficient, and you want to partner with someone to go. Is that right?"

其人曰：「神數！果是往洞庭山買木瓜、香櫞等至淮北賣，前歲之貨大半黑爛，本折過半。今實約龍同行，利否？」曰：「利。」旁觀者問：「先生所言句句對針，而其理何所據，遂如此之應。」余曰：「求財二字皆有木形，故知買者果子也。求中全然見本而有不永之象，財中只有半本而有搬販之形，是以又知其前後事也。」又問：「何以知其前此藝之不精，而此番之精？」余曰：「求如喪字頭，是以知其不精；財如射字形，是以知其可中也。」

That person said, "You really have a divine insight! I did indeed go to Dongting Mountain to buy wood apples and fragrant citrons, and transport them to the Huaibei region to sell. Most of the goods from last year turned black and rotten, losing more than half the capital. Now I really have arranged to go with someone named Long. Is it profitable?" I said, "It is profitable." The onlookers asked, "You spoke word for word accurately. But what is the basis for your reasoning, and how did it come to such a precise result?" I said, "The characters 'seek' and 'wealth' both contain the shape of 'wood,' so I knew he was buying fruits. The character 'seek' clearly shows the character 'origin' within it, but it also carries an image of something not lasting, so I knew he had lost money last time. The character 'wealth' only has half of the 'origin' character, and the 'shell' radical represents the shape of carrying and trading, so I knew about his two previous affairs." They asked again, "How did you know he was not skilled before, but is now skilled?" I said, "The character 'seek' looks very much like the head of the character 'sorrow,' and sorrow means failure, so I knew he was not skilled before. The character 'wealth' looks very much like the shape of the character 'archery,' and archery means hitting the mark, so I knew this time he would succeed."

子字。一人書子字問曰：「有一女，先曾許某氏兒，實未受聘。今父母欲嫁之而是兒欲以賴婚訟官，此事吉凶何如？」余曰：「蜉□之羽，只取一時之榮，不顧後來之患。今官司將欲成矣，誰教你存心不好耶？明明一好字也，誰教你去其女耶？」其人復以童字問曰：「今彼狡童欲於未鳴官時，先勾惡黨肆行搶親，保策可以御之？」余曰：「童字似重，若到官時恐有重聽於彼之兆也。」

Someone wrote the character 「子」 to ask: "I have a daughter who was previously promised in marriage to the son of a certain family, but no dowry was actually given. Now her parents want to remarry her, but the son of that family wants to take the case to court to hold on to this marriage. What is the fortune of this matter?" I said: "The character 「子」 resembles the wings of a mayfly (the original text here has missing characters). Mayflies are born in the morning and die at night, seeking only temporary glory, without considering future troubles. Now a lawsuit is about to begin — why did you have evil intentions? The character 「女」 paired with 「子」 clearly forms the character 「好」, meaning good. Why did you remove the 「女」?" That person then wrote the character 「童」 to ask: "Now that cunning youth wants to take action before the lawsuit, colluding with villains to forcibly seize the bride. What can prevent this?" I said: "The character 「童」 appears to look like the character 「重」. If it really comes to court, I fear there is a sign that the officials may favor his side."

其人悚然曰：「然則畢竟如何結局？」余曰：「以字理度，可挽回，彼亦不搶親，辦不告官，但汝能從吾言否？」其人唯諾，余曰：「童字有奇巽之形，此子計必妥貼。又有立裡之義，兄當代彼聘妻。為今之計，可央至親到彼處，苑轉開導，許以贈財代聘，而於裡中擇一女為彼定婚。俟其肯依，然後嫁女。此兩安之計也。」其人謝別。一月後，聞其女已嫁，而彼家亦得財息事矣。

That person was startled and said, "Then how will it all end?" I replied, "According to the meaning of the characters, it can still be resolved. He will not kidnap the bride, nor will he report to the authorities. It only depends on whether you are willing to listen to one thing I say." That person agreed repeatedly. I said, "The character 'Tong' has a shape resembling the trigram Xun, which represents flexibility and gentleness. This child's mind can be properly addressed. The character also contains 'Li' and 'Li,' meaning he is to be married within the village. The current plan is to have a close relative go to his house and gently persuade him, promising to give him a sum of money as a dowry in place of a bride price, and to choose a woman from the same village to marry him. Once he agrees, then your daughter can be married to him. This is a way that benefits both sides." That person thanked me and left. A month later, it was heard that his daughter had already been married, and the family had received the dowry. The matter was thus settled.

衡字。吳友于燈下書衡字問行人，余曰：「二人同行，中有急字頭，內有思字形，欲來之急也。今晚是丁丁，行到亭止之象也，明晨當至。」次以二人同至。

A friend named Wu wrote the character 「衡」 by the light of a lamp to inquire about someone who was away from home. I said, 「This character has two people on the left and right (彳, 行), indicating that two people are traveling together. In the middle, there is the top part of the character 「急」 (haste), and within it, the shape of 「思」 (thought) is hidden, showing that they are eager to come and are thinking about it. Tonight is a ‘Ding’ day, and the sound of ‘Ding Ding’ signifies the image of walking into a pavilion to rest. They should arrive tomorrow morning.」 The next day, indeed, the two people arrived together.

鳧字。一人書鳧字問婚姻，余曰：「易成，當是再醮。」其人點頭問：「理安在？」余曰：「倒鳳顛鸞，婚姻極美，豈非易象？字之上，鳥也；下如鳥巢。今鳥已不在窠中，則是換巢鸞鳳之象也，豈非再醮之婦乎？」

Someone wrote the character 「凫」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "It will be easy to succeed, but the other party is likely a woman who has been previously married." He nodded and asked, "What is the reasoning behind this?" I replied, "The character 「凫」 has the shape of 'reversed phoenix and inverted crane,' which signifies the reversal of the union between male and female, representing the intimacy of marriage, so it is a sign that the marriage will be easy to achieve. Now look at this character: the top part is 「鸟」 meaning bird, and the bottom part, which looks like the character 「几」, resembles a bird's nest. Now the bird is no longer in its own nest, meaning the phoenix has moved to a new nest. This is precisely the situation of a woman who has already been married before." The same character shape can be interpreted in two ways: taking it as reversed signifies an easy marriage, while taking it as leaving the nest indicates a woman who has been previously married. By presenting both meanings, the interpretation becomes complete.

鳧字。一人書鳧字問：「守舊與更新孰勝？」余曰：「字乃敗翎鸚鵡之象，又象褪毛鸞鳳。守舊不宜，決無興旺之日。此時春光明媚、花卉向榮，細推數中，乃天機到處鳥能言之兆也。若更改生涯，自然十分得意。」

Someone wrote the character 「凫」to ask: "Is it better to stick to the old ways or to make a change?" I said: "This character represents a parrot that has lost its feathers, or a phoenix that has shed its plumage—it is an omen of decline. To cling to the old is not suitable, and there will be no days of prosperity. Now is the time when spring is bright and flowers and trees are flourishing. Careful calculation shows that this is a sign of heavenly omens and talking birds. If you are willing to change your way of life, you will certainly achieve great success."

鳧字。一人以鳧字問生意，余曰：「鳧鳧鳥乘風，可以翱翔得意，然無盡日飛騰之理，恐不得久。」其人笑曰：「神數！我所賣者，要貨也，大抵半月已耳。」又一人即指此字問生意與月建，余曰：「島嶼風輕鳥倦飛，此數不利，當慎之。」

Someone used the character 「凫」 to inquire about business. I said, "The凫 bird rides the wind and rises, able to soar and be successful, but there is no reason for it to fly all day without landing. It is likely not to last long." The person laughed and said, "You are a divine calculator! I sell goods that are in season and in high demand, and they are likely to last no more than half a month." Later, another person pointed to the same character to ask about business and the luck of the month. I said, "The wind between islands has already weakened, and the bird is tired of flying—this number is unfavorable, and one should be cautious." The same character, when asked by the first person, indicated the beginning of the wind, while the second person received the waning wind, so the interpretation was one favorable and one unfavorable.

芍字。一人書芍字問病，余曰：「病者必年少之婦，二十歲上下之人也。」其人驚曰：「然！生死何如？」余曰：「病犯黃幡豹尾，焉能得生？且花月，女象也，字中全是花殘月缺之形，吾恐其葬已的矣！」

Someone wrote the character 「Shao」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「The patient must certainly be a young woman, around twenty years old.」 The person was surprised and said, 「Exactly! What about life or death?」 I replied, 「This character has the grass radical at the top followed by 「sao」, which directly incurs the two ominous evils of Huang Fan and Bao Wei. How can she survive? Moreover, flowers and moons are symbols of women, and this character as a whole resembles the shape of withered flowers and a waning moon — I fear even the burial arrangements may already be set.」

其人去後，未一月來曰：「先生神數！向所測芍字，乃內人，二十歲矣，得輶羸之疾。昨忽驩語，至夜身亡。次日偶檢曆本，恰是箕水豹值日。數之奇驗一至於此。」

After that person left, less than a month passed when he came again saying, "You are truly a divine calculator! Previously, you interpreted the character 'shao' (芍), which was about my wife, twenty years old, who had a weak and frail condition. Yesterday she suddenly started talking and laughing, but died by night. The next day, by chance I checked the almanac, and that day happened to be the day when Ji Shui Bao (箕水豹) was in charge. The 'Bao Wei' (豹尾) you mentioned actually came true here. How accurate and strange the art of divination is, reaching such a level!"

言字。一人書言字問病，余曰：「先凶後吉，其病無妨。但調理欠周，恐多反覆。」

Someone wrote the character 「言」 to inquire about illness. I said: "At first it is凶 (dangerous), but later it will be吉 (favorable), so the illness is not serious. However, the care and treatment are not yet thorough enough, so there may be several recurring episodes." The top part of the character 「言」, which is one dot and one horizontal stroke, resembles the shape of a sickbed. Below it is the character 「口」, which indicates the ability to eat, so the prediction is that there will be no major problem. However, the three horizontal strokes within the character are uneven, which symbolizes inconsistent care and treatment.

磨字。一人書磨字問出地風水，余曰：「歷字頭、磐字尾，歷年悠久如磐之安。且數內人財兩旺，將來富貴雙全。」其人笑曰：「先生何謬言也！消磨消磨，何發之南？請直言無諱。」余曰：「王體公卿，吾視之如平人，豈肯因其貴而屈吾節以媚之乎？今據所書之字測所問之事，不過言其理之如是。」

Someone wrote the character 「磨」 to inquire about the fengshui of a selected burial site. I said, 「The top part of this character is the head of 「历」, and the bottom part is the tail of 「磐」. It signifies long years and stability as firm as a rock. Moreover, the number of people and wealth will both be prosperous, and in the future he will achieve both wealth and honor.」 The person laughed and said, 「Master, how can you speak such nonsense! To grind and grind is just 「消磨」, which means wearing away, how can it bring prosperity? Please speak plainly, there is no need to be cautious.」 I replied, 「Even if he were a prince or a high official, I would still treat him as an ordinary person. How could I bend my principles just because he is wealthy and powerful? Now I am interpreting the matter based on the character he wrote. The reasoning I gave is simply the truth as it is.」

其人曰：「既然此地可用，敢求細細指教。」余曰：「上面一點乃墓主也，石乃墓前之碑，林為樹木。乃即林堂如此之地，可謂吉矣。葬後二十四年當發解元，歷官知府，俸享二千石而終，此地之發貴如此。」其人悅曰：「字之惡而測之美，實奇門相反之道理固有之。」餘復曰：「兄以為消磨之磨，恐有不利。設若書一仙字便能成仙，書一鬼字即能見鬼乎？」其人讚歎去。

That person said, "Since this piece of land is usable, please enlighten me thoroughly." I replied, "The topmost dot of this character is the tomb owner; the 'stone' below represents the stele in front of the tomb; and the 'forest' in the middle signifies the trees in the tomb area. With a stele and a forest, and a bright hall like this, it can be considered a favorable site. After the burial, twenty-four years later, a person who becomes a top scholar will rise through the ranks to become a prefect, and enjoy a salary equivalent to two thousand stones, eventually passing away. This land brings prosperity up to this extent." That person happily said, "Although the character appears ominous, it turns out to be auspicious. It seems that in the art of qimen, there are indeed principles of opposites complementing each other." I added, "You think 'grind' means wear and tear, which might be unfavorable. If that were the case, writing the character 'immortal' would make one an immortal, and writing 'ghost' would make one see a ghost, wouldn't it?" That person expressed admiration and left.

球字。一人書球字問六甲，余曰：「王旁乃璋珍之畔，球琳為美玉之名；求配艮卦，主生少男；非十二即二十見喜。」分娩果驗。

Someone wrote the character 「球」 to inquire about pregnancy. I said: "The left side of the character is the 「王」 (king) radical, which is the same as the radical of characters like 「璋」 and 「珍」, which are names for jade. In ancient times, a boy was called 「弄璋」. 「球琳」 is also the name of a fine jade, which also indicates a boy. The right side of the character is 「求」, which is paired with the mountain trigram 「艮」, which represents a young boy. Therefore, it indicates the birth of a young son. The day of delivery will be either the 12th or the 20th." When the woman gave birth, it indeed came true.

沛字。一人以沛字問失物，余曰：「何物？」曰：「鏡也。」曰：「在！速歸，向宅邊陰溝處，尋有破衣斷帶裹之。」其人去。到晚來曰：「得之矣！果在溝邊，破衣壞帶紥繫。」

Someone brought the character 「沛」 to ask about a lost item. I asked, "What did you lose?" He said, "A mirror." I said, "It is still there! Go back quickly and look by the drainage ditch next to your house. You will see it wrapped in old clothes and broken cloth strips." — The character 「沛」 has a water radical, which indicates a ditch or channel, and the right side 「巿」 shows the shape of broken silk and cloth. The person went there. In the evening he came back and said, "I found it! Indeed, it was by the ditch, wrapped in old clothes and broken cloth strips."

恙字。一富家任事者，因負心，主人慾控府處之，書恙字問當否。余曰：「字乃恩斷義絕之象，此人已十分懷怨矣。又有隱惡揚善之形，如其可止則當止之。」曰：「今彼反無賴，先欲鳴官，如何可止也。」曰：「此字拆開，寮是『大人為美，自然得息』。兄但靜以待之，彼無能為也，豈不聞窮寇勿追乎？」其人依言。後負心者屢控，俱不准，遂息。

There was a wealthy household manager who wronged his master. The master wanted to take him to the government office to accuse him, and he wrote the character 「恙」 to inquire whether he should proceed. I said, "This character has a 「羊」 on top and a 「心」 below, indicating a complete break of kindness and righteousness. The person already harbors great resentment in his heart. However, there is also an implication of concealing evil and promoting good within the character. If he stops, it would be best to stop." The master said, "Now he is even being unscrupulous, and has already taken the initiative to report to the authorities. How can we stop him?" I said, "If you look at this character broken down, it means 'the great person is beautiful, and naturally the matter will be resolved'—by being broad-minded and forgiving, the matter will naturally settle. Just remain calm and wait. He will be powerless. Have you not heard the saying 'do not pursue a desperate enemy'?" The master followed my advice. Later, the unfaithful manager repeatedly filed complaints, but the authorities did not accept them, and the matter was thus resolved.

颯字。一人以颯字差別行人，余曰：「風前立見，朝暮當來。」復一人亦指颯字問行人，余曰：「人不能來，去幾時了？」其人曰：「繫逃亡去，一載矣。」余曰：「內犯玄武，外帶勾陳，安得能來？交辛月當在，有意無意中得信也。」又一人仍復將颯字問行人，余曰：「三天後至。」

Someone brought the character 「飒」 to ask about a traveler. I said, "The wind will come soon, either early or late." Then another person also pointed to the character 「飒」 and asked about a traveler. I said, "This person will not come. How long has he been gone?" The person replied, "He has fled and has been away for a year." I said, "The character 「飒」 contains 「风」 which conflicts with the Black Tortoise, and the character 「立」 outside carries Gou Chen. One inside and one outside are both restraining deities, so how can he come back? It should be resolved in the month of Xin. He will be found either intentionally or unintentionally." Later, a third person still used the character 「飒」 to ask about a traveler. I said, "He will arrive three days from now."

於是旁人問曰：「行人是甚親？」其人曰：「夥計，往南京置貨。」旁人因問曰：「先生何以三數同事同字，而斷法不同，又皆應驗，其理何據？」余曰：「此機耳！夫字之來當觀吉凶之變化，若心鏡光明，無響不應。先一颯字，適我起立，東風拂面，故即用天機之發以應之。至次位颯字，乃問事過端面濡毫，故從字推人來必遲，更先有信也。而第三位之颯字，許三天到者，後三天逢辛。

A person nearby asked, "Are you asking about a relative of the traveler?" The person replied, "He is a servant who has gone to Nanjing to purchase goods." Then the person asked me, "Master, how come you have given three different interpretations for the same matter and the same character, yet all have come true? What is the reason behind this?" I said, "This is simply the character 'ji' (机), meaning opportunity. When a character is presented, one must observe the current changes of fortune and misfortune. As long as the mind's mirror is clear, there should be no hesitation. The first 'sa' (飒) character coincided with me just standing up, with a gentle east wind blowing against my face, so I used this heavenly sign to interpret it as 'meeting soon in the wind.' The second 'sa' character was presented after the person had asked the question, dipped his brush, and rewrote it, so from the character I deduced that the person would arrive late, but the news would arrive first. As for the third 'sa' character, I allowed three days for his arrival, because counting forward three days would fall on a Xin day."

滿字。黃龍書滿字問田禾，余曰：「時雨滋苗，十分生發，秋收可以稱心。」

Huanglong wrote the character "Man" to inquire about the crops in the field. I said: "The character 'Man' consists of the water radical and 'Jie', indicating that grass and trees receive water. This is the image of timely rain nourishing the young shoots, which brings vigorous growth. The harvest in autumn will be as desired." This case is also found in Volume Three under the category of the grass radical, where the judgment is exactly "Timely rain nourishes the seedlings." This shows that when a pattern is formed, it is applied to actual situations in this way.

慶字。一人書慶字問府考，余曰：「府尊甚愛其文，上六下八取之。」其人大悅。後出案，果然。

Someone wrote the character 「庆」 to inquire about the county examination. I said, 「The county magistrate very much likes his essay, and he will be ranked between the sixth and eighth positions.」 —— The character 「庆」 has a 「广」 at the top and a 「大」 below. The character 「广」 has six strokes, and the character 「大」 has two strokes when written continuously below. Therefore, the number used is 「上六下八」. The person was very happy. Later, when the examination results were announced, it indeed turned out to be so.

卜字。朝宦請余問婚姻，書卜字。余曰：「大貴！非本郡，比年翁猶高數倍之家，且易成。」宦悅曰：「果在都中議婚，男女兩家亦遠隔五百餘里，果係大貴。敢求教字理。」余曰：「字之體，金枝玉葉，一豎為金枝，一點為玉葉，故知其為於金小姐也。卜字乃外字之邊，則不在本郡。可知卜字可上可下，則其易成可決。」宦歎賞而去。

There was a government official who asked me about his marriage, writing the character 「卜」. I said, "The person you are marrying is of great status! She is not from this province, and her family is far more prestigious than your own. Moreover, this marriage will be easy to arrange." The official was delighted and said, "Indeed, it is a marriage arranged in the capital. The two families are more than five hundred li apart, and the lady is indeed of great status. I dare to ask for the reasoning behind this." I replied, "The structure of the character 「卜」 is golden branch and jade leaf: the vertical stroke is the golden branch, and the dot is the jade leaf, so I know the lady is a young lady of noble birth. Furthermore, the character 「卜」 has the radical 「外」, which shows she is not from this province. Also, the dot in 「卜」 can be placed high or low, and can be placed anywhere, so I concluded that the marriage will be easy to arrange." The official praised me and left happily.

投字。一生歲考書投字問等第，余曰：「四等。」其人屢考一等，至發落時卻是一等三名；因與某生代筆，事破，文宗喚至，立責二十，置之四等。其同來之友復叩字理，余曰：「投乃股字打字相合而成。秀才打屁股，非四等而何？」

A scholar wrote the character "tou" (投) to inquire about his rank in the annual examination. I said, "Fourth class." He had always received first class before, and when the results were announced, he indeed came in first place third. However, he had written the exam for another candidate, and the incident was discovered. The official in charge (Wen宗) summoned him and publicly beat him with twenty strokes on his buttocks, then reclassified him as fourth class. His friend, who was with him, then asked about the meaning of the character. I said, "The character 'tou' is made up of 'gu' (股) and 'da' (打). The scholar was beaten on his buttocks, so what else could it be but fourth class?" In the Qing dynasty, the annual examination ranked candidates into six classes, and those in fourth class or below would receive punishment. Therefore, by breaking down the character into 'da gu' (打股), both the rank and the punishment were determined at once.

唯字。一人書唯字問功名，余曰：「憲體也，非司即道。」其人曰：「何以知之？」曰：「前呼後擁，非府道而何？」其人大服曰：「此吾舍親，果係廣東惠潮道。」

Someone wrote the character 「唯」 to inquire about official rank and prestige. I said, 「This character represents the form of a higher official, either the Department of Revenue and Administration or the Department of Inspection and Supervision.」 He asked, 「How did you figure that out?」 I replied, 「The character 「唯」 has a 「口」 on the left and a 「隹」 on the right. This is exactly the arrangement of a grand procession with attendants in front and behind, which can only be a prefectural governor or a commissioner of a circuit. What else could it be?」 He was very impressed and said, 「This is my relative. Indeed, he is the commissioner of the Huichao Circuit in Guangdong.」

楨字。一人書楨字問會場，余曰：「明明宰相之體，春闈必中無疑。且極字頭、貴字尾，問功名可許極貴數中；卜乃聖上親點。」初亦不知何人，後乃知姑蘇吳廷楨也。

Someone wrote the character 「桢」 to inquire about the imperial examination. I said, ``This clearly has the form of a prime minister. Success in the spring examination is certain. Moreover, the left part of the character 「桢」 is the top of the character 「极」 (extreme), which represents wood, and the lower right part is the end of the character 「贵」 (prestige), which represents treasure. Asking about official rank, this is surely a fate of supreme prestige. The top part 「卜」 is the personal seal of the emperor, indicating his direct approval.`` At that time, I did not know who had written the character, but later I found out that it was Wu Tingzhen from Suzhou.

高字。一人書高字問：「欲尋一店面，生理何如？」余曰：「極易！現今有一店面等租，店頭店底俱全，只將中間人口搬出，讓兄卜居，掛個招牌便成店也。」復問：「何方？」曰：「字從庚辛起手，當是西南方。」其人去後，十餘日來雲果然。

Someone wrote the character 「高」 to ask, "I want to find a shop, how will the business be?" I said, "It's very easy! There is currently a shop waiting to be rented, with a front shop and a back room fully prepared, only needing to move out the people living in the middle so you can move in, hang up your sign, and it will become a shop." He then asked, "In which direction?" I said, "The character 「高」 has a roof on top, a door frame at the bottom, and a 「口」 in the middle, which represents the people living there. The starting stroke of this character, a dot and a horizontal line, falls from the position of Geng and Xin, which belong to metal, representing the west, matching the lower position of Kun, so it is in the southwest." After several days, the person came back to say that it was indeed the case.

長字。一人書長字問：「買一騎好否？一日可行幾多路？」余曰：「馬化龍腸，千里龍駒也；良字腳，德力兼全，宜買。若乘之，自然馳聘得意。」

Someone wrote the character 「长」 to ask: "Is it good to buy a horse? How many miles can it travel in a day?" I said: "The character 「长」 with the radical 马 added becomes 「张」, which can be combined with 驹 to form 「駺」, meaning a horse that turns into a dragon's intestine, which is exactly a horse that can travel a thousand miles a day. The lower part of this character is also the foot of the character 「良」, meaning that it possesses both virtue and strength. Therefore, it is advisable to buy it. Riding it, one will naturally feel free and triumphant."

紙字。一人書紙字問山地風水，余曰：「一邊皆紡績縫織之旁，此地必多生女，先從終字起，後全氏字，又應夫終而氏存，主多出寡婦。不利之地，勿用。」

Someone wrote the character 「纸」 to inquire about mountain land风水. I said: "This character has all sides with the 「糹」 radical, which is the radical for spinning and weaving, belonging to matters related to women, indicating that this land is destined to have many daughters. Furthermore, it starts with the radical of the character 「终」 and ends with a complete 「氏」 character, which exactly corresponds to 「夫终而氏存」 — the husband dies first while the wife's family remains, indicating many widows. This is an unfavorable land, do not use it."

非字。一人書非字問謀聖，余曰：「此事成矣！將來四面纖巧，更有大利。」其人曰：「果係已成之事，何以知之？」曰：「非為韭芽，自春至秋不絕，其利故大。非乃纖字之心，故四面纖巧事皆從心而起，故曰將成。」其人大悅，果得利，乃鹽院事也。

Someone wrote the character 「非」 to inquire about a matter they were planning. I said, 「This matter has already succeeded! In the future, it will involve careful and thorough dealings on all sides, and there will be great profit.」 The person said, 「Indeed, it is already accomplished. How do you know this?」 I replied, 「The character 「非」 with a grass radical on top becomes 「韭」, which is leek. Leeks grow again after being cut, and they can be harvested continuously from spring to autumn, so the profit is great. Also, 「非」 is the center of the character 「纤」, which means fine and thorough. The careful and intricate dealings on all sides come from this heart, so it is said that the matter will succeed.」 The person was very happy, and later indeed gained profit — the matter he inquired about was related to the salt transportation office.

焉字。一人書焉字問病，余曰：「癱症也。似馬非馬，不能行動；似為非為，服藥無用。」其人曰：「果然！瘋癱四年矣，近日以得足疾，故問之耳。」

Someone wrote the character 「焉」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「This indicates a condition of paralysis. The character 「焉」 looks like 「马」 but is not a horse; a horse that is not fully a horse cannot move. It also resembles 「为」 but is not 「为」; an action that is not fully an action is ineffective even with medicine.」 The person replied, 「Indeed! I have had a stroke for four years and recently developed foot ailments, so I came to ask.」 This case matches exactly with the double-line pattern in volume four, 「Like a horse but unable to move, like 「为」 but ineffective with medicine.」 This shows how easily one can apply established patterns to make a diagnosis.

杜字。一官書杜字問曰：「有一術士講爐火之事，謂之煉銀母利否？」余曰：「楊頭墨尾，此乃楊墨之道也，最邪不正。叱堂下杖之，以戒其誤人之妄。」其官深然吾言。

There was an official who wrote the character "Du" and asked, "A sorcerer spoke about the process of burning and refining in a furnace, saying he could produce silver mother, is it possible to do so?" I replied, "The character 'Du' has on the left the head of 'Yang' (wood) and on the right the tail of 'Mo' (earth). Together, they represent the doctrines of Yang Zhu and Mo Di, which are most perverse and incorrect. You should have this sorcerer dragged down and beaten with sticks to punish him for his misleading words." The official deeply agreed with my words.

鍾字。西商某書鍾字問終身，余曰：「有金有玉，有位有基；有寶鏡出土之象，有異鄉重發之形；為八音之領袖，振眾聲之洪響。可謂美數矣。」

A merchant from Shanxi wrote the character 「钟」 to inquire about his entire life. I said: "This character has 「金」 on the left, and 「重」 on the right, which contains 「玉」, indicating the presence of both gold and jade. The character 「重」 has 「位」 on top and 「基」 below, meaning there is both position and foundation. There is also an image of a precious mirror being unearthed, indicating that hidden talent will eventually be recognized. There is also the form of achieving success again in a foreign land, suggesting the possibility of rebuilding one's business in another place. The character 「钟」 is the first among the eight musical instruments: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, leather, and wood. When struck once, all the other sounds follow. This can be considered a beautiful number." The entire book ends here: from the ten methods in Volume One, the six methods in Volume Two, to the selection of characters in Volume Three, paired sentences in Volume Four, scattered characters in Volume Five, miscellaneous divination in Volume Six, and finally, Volume Seven, which concludes with seventy actual cases. If scholars can perceive the changes in the form and meaning of characters, they will inherit the tradition of Cheng's character divination.