Cheng Botang

乙丑 庚辰 己未 庚午　六歲 己卯 十六 戊寅 廿六 丁丑 三六 丙子 四六 乙亥 五六 甲戌 六六 癸酉

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the male's birth chart: the year pillar is Yichou, the month pillar is Gengchen, the day pillar is Jiwei, and the hour pillar is Gengwu. The day stem is Ji earth. The big years start from the age of six with Jimao, then at sixteen with Wuyin, at twenty-six with Dingchou, at thirty-six with Bingzi, at forty-six with Yihai, at fifty-six with Jiaxu, and at sixty-six with Guiyou. These are arranged in reverse order from the month pillar Gengchen, indicating a reverse progression of the big years. Since the year stem is Yichou, which is yin, the male's big years are arranged in reverse. Looking at this chart, there are three earth branches: Chou, Chen, and Wei, which are the four seasons' earth, stacked on top of each other. The hour branch Wu is also the禄 of Ji earth. The stems of the month and hour pillars both show Geng metal, which is the key to releasing the heavy earth of the day stem.

上為程柏堂先生庚造。程籍紹興。光緒丁酉年拔貢。截取京官乙已年。出任蘇省華亭縣知縣多年。光復後。歷充釐差。並在江浙財政廳任秘書科長等職。工於八法。頗負盛名。家資鉅萬。伉儷和諧。

The above is Cheng Botang's birth八字. Cheng was from Shaoxing. In the year Dingyou (1897), he was selected as a "Ba Gong" - a Qing dynasty system where every twelve years, one was chosen from the candidates of the local schools and sent to the National College, which was a legitimate path in the imperial examination system. In the year Yisi (1905), he was appointed as a central official through the "Jie Qu" system, which was a method of selecting officials by seniority and in order. Later, he served as the magistrate of Huating County in Jiangsu Province for many years. After the Xinhai Restoration, he held various positions in the厘金局 and served as a chief secretary in the finance departments of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. He was skilled in calligraphy, particularly known for the "Ba Fa" or the Eight Methods of the character "永", which refers to calligraphy. He was wealthy and his wife and he had a harmonious relationship.

查其庚造蓋己土。生於辰月。季土疊疊。午火居時。日元強旺無疑。或以日祿蹄時沒官星取格。或以月劫用煞定評。按之旺者宜洩。季土疊疊。宜重金以吐秀。本命幼歲選拔萃科。歷官京曹。壯年出膺花封。政聲卓著。非其傷官得氣而何。精文學。擅八法。猶餘事耳。查大運甲運稍差。聞彼時篤信佛學。靜心休養。得以化險為夷。戍運癸運重列仕版。一路順境。酉運食來混傷。難以言吉也。

The person's birth chart shows the day stem is Ji Earth, born in the Chen month, which is the season of Earth. The Earth elements are layered and abundant. The hour branch is Wu Fire, which nourishes Earth, making the day stem very strong. Some people use the pattern "the day's wealth returns at the hour without a minister star" — the wealth of Ji Earth is at Wu, which coincides with the hour branch, and there is no Ji Wood minister star in the four pillars, fitting this pattern perfectly. Others assess it as "month's劫财 with a killer star" — the Wu Earth in Chen month is劫财, and the year stem Ji Wood is the killer star. In my opinion, the strong should be released. Since the Earth elements are layered, heavy metal should be used to release their brilliance. This person was selected as a gifted scholar at a young age, served as an official in the capital, and later became a county magistrate (the old term for county magistrate was "huafeng"), with outstanding governance. If it were not for the presence of a wounded official star, how could he have achieved this? As for his proficiency in literature and skill in calligraphy, these are just secondary matters. Checking his major years: the Ji Wood year was somewhat unfavorable. It is said that at that time he was deeply devoted to Buddhism and practiced inner peace, which helped him to turn danger into safety. The Xu year and the Gui Water year brought him back into officialdom, with smooth progress. The You year, however, is the food star mixed with the wounded official star, making it difficult to speak of good fortune.

庚辰 戊子 己卯 乙亥　八歲 己丑 十八 庚寅 廿八 辛卯 三八 壬辰 四八 癸巳 五八 甲午 六八 乙未

The heavenly stem and earthly branch of the birth chart for a male is: the year stem and branch are Geng Chen, the month stem and branch are Wu Zi, the day stem and branch are Ji Mao, and the hour stem and branch are Yi Hai. The day stem is Ji Earth. The big years start from the age of eight with Ji Chou, followed by Geng Yin at eighteen, Xin Mao at twenty-eight, Ren Chen at thirty-eight, Gui Si at forty-eight, Jiawu at fifty-eight, and Yi Wei at sixty-eight. These are arranged in order from the month stem and branch Wu Zi, which is called "big years progressing in order." The key points of this chart are two: first, the earthly branch of the month is Zi, which contains the stem癸 Water, which is the biased wealth for Ji Earth and is in its season; second, the stem of the hour is Yi Wood, the earthly branch of the day is Mao Wood, and the earthly branch of the hour is Hai, which contains the stem Ji Wood, so there are layers of stars that overcome the self. However, the four pillars of the chart have no trace of the印绶 (fire), and all the fortune and misfortune mentioned later arise from these four words "having a killer but no印绶."

上為曾任浙江餘姚湯溪等縣縣長端木彰先生庚造。己土生於子月。偏財當令。柱中七煞重重。財來滋煞。故歷任軍界要職。（前浙省魯主席滌平是其門生。）柱中所缺者印綬。殺無印不威，故其人溫厚和平。藹然可親。內權獨擅。蓋殺居日支也。迨運入已地。煞印相生。而寒令之溼土。遇陽光普照，豈有不舒展之理。故於壬申年四月。委署餘姚縣長。至甲戍夏季。調篆湯溪。政譽卓著。近甫卸職。預科入甲午運。木能生火。而火生土。必較己運尤勝。且甲與己合。官不混殺交乙運合庚不利。

The above is the four-character birth chart of Mr. Duanchang, who once served as county magistrate of Zhenjiang Yuyao and Tangxi. The己 earth is born in the month of Zi, with癸 water, the偏财, in command in Zi; in the column, 乙 wood, the seven killers, are repeated (the 7th heavenly stem is 乙, the day branch is卯, and the 7th earthly branch is亥, which contains 甲 wood). The wealth can nourish the seven killers, and with heavy killers, it indicates authority and power, so he held important military positions throughout his career. (The author notes: the former chairman of Zhejiang Province, Lu Diping, was his student.) The column lacks the印, which is the official seal. The book of destiny says, "Without the印, the seven killers cannot display their authority." Without the印 to transform the seven killers, their power cannot be fully expressed. Therefore, he is gentle and kind, and his wife holds the family's internal affairs. The day branch is the wife's palace, and the seven killer is sitting there. When the destiny enters the巳, the丙 fire is the印 in the巳, the seven killer generates the印, and the印 generates the body. The seven killer and the印 generate each other. Moreover, the damp earth in the cold season, once exposed to sunlight, how could it not be comfortable? Therefore, in the fourth month of the Renshen year, he was appointed as acting magistrate of Yuyao. In the summer of the Jiaxu year, he was transferred to Tangxi, where his governance was outstanding, and he recently resigned. It is expected that when entering the Jia Wu destiny, the wood can generate fire, and fire can generate earth, which will be better than the destiny of 己. Moreover, the 甲 wood and the 己 earth combine, the official is combined, and does not interfere with the seven killer, making the pattern clearer. When entering the Yi destiny, the Yi combines with the heavenly stem of the year, which is not favorable.

庚子 乙酉 癸巳 己未　八歲 丙戌 十八 丁亥 廿八 戊子 三八 己丑 四八 庚寅 五八 辛卯 六八 壬辰

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the birth chart of a male: the year pillar is Geng Zi, the month pillar is Yi You, the day pillar is Gui Si, and the hour pillar is Ji Wei. The day stem is Gui Water. The big years start from age eight with Bing Xu, followed by Ding Hai at eighteen, Wu Zi at twenty-eight, Ji Chou at thirty-eight, Geng Yin at forty-eight, Xin Mao at fifty-eight, Ren Chen at sixty-eight. These are arranged in order from the month pillar Yi You, which is called "big years progressing forward" — since the heavenly stem of the year is Geng, a yang stem, the big years for a male are arranged in the forward direction. The day pillar Gui Si is listed in the book of destiny as a "day with both wealth and official position," because the Si branch contains Bing Fire, which is the original wealth for Gui Water, and also contains Wu Earth, which is the original official position for Gui Water. Wealth and official position are in the same pillar and thus are considered harmonious. The following text by Wei Qianli is precisely using this principle to make a correction.

上繫寧波豐紗廠經理凌俾麟先生庚造。命書所載。癸日坐向已宮。財官雙美。則人生於癸已日元。無有不富而且貴者。其實要四柱合看。未可以一概論也。本命癸水生於白露之後。正值為金司令。偏印用事。年上透出庚金正印。而乙木助之。年支比肩。又是祿堂。總觀癸水日干。有如許擁護之神。則弱而不弱矣。

The above is the four pillars of the birth date of Mr. Ling Biling, manager of the Ningbo Fengsha Factory. The fortune book states that "a癸 day with the巳 branch is a day of wealth and official position" — according to old sayings, the days ofRenwu andGuisi are called "Lù Mǎ Tóng Xiāng, Cái Guān Shuāng Měi" (Lusha Tongxiang, Cai Guan Shuangmei), because the day branch contains both wealth and official position in the same palace. According to this, anyone born on aGuisi day would certainly be rich and noble. In reality, a single day pillar is only two characters among the eight characters, and one must consider all four pillars together, not make generalizations. The person's癸 water day is born after the White Dew, when the辛 metal is in command. The辛 metal and癸 water are both yin, and they are of the same type, thus forming a biased scholar (biased印). The biased印 is in charge. The year's heavenly stem also reveals庚 metal, which is the official印. The庚 metal is yang and the癸 water is yin, so they are of different types, and the庚 metal is the official印. The month's heavenly stem is乙 wood, which combines with the庚 metal, not only not restraining it, but actually strengthening the庚 metal. The year's earth branch is子, which is the companion of癸 water and also the禄 of癸 water. When considering all four pillars together, the癸 water day is surrounded by many supporting deities, so although it is said to be weak due to the autumn season, in reality it is weak but not weak.

本命取格取用。有以歲祿有官。或取時上七殺。細按之。年祿固不足以言格。時殺亦難免偏激。以錢綬化殺。最為確當。柱中金水兩旺。可覘其性極喜動。但有己未兩土。堤防。故動而就範。宅心正大。姿質靈敏。殺印透干。宜乎幼年經營紗廠。振興實業。行運戊子稍差。己丑庚辛。大吉大利。莫嫌老圃秋容淡。霜葉紅於二月花。

This destiny is analyzed in terms of its pattern and use: some suggest taking the luck of the year's branch and the official star to form the "Year's Luck Pattern," while others suggest taking the seven killer star of the time stem, Ji Tu, to form a pattern. Upon closer examination, the luck of the year's branch is too weak to form a pattern on its own; the seven killer star of the time stem is also likely to be extreme and harmful to the body. It is more appropriate to use the official star to transform the seven killer star - the seven killer star generates the official star, and the official star generates the body, turning the evil star into a helpful force (the original text says "Qian Shou" but should be "Yin Shou"). The column shows that both metal and water are strong, indicating that his nature greatly enjoys activity. However, the presence of Ji Tu and Wei Tu as barriers prevents him from going beyond limits, so he is active yet follows rules, with a sincere and upright heart and sharp intelligence. The seven killer star and the official star both appear on the surface, which explains why he was able to run a silk mill and promote industry at a young age. His fortune is slightly worse during the Wuzi period, but during Jichou, Geng, and Xin periods, he experiences great fortune. As the ancient poem says, do not complain about the simple scenery of a garden in late autumn; the red leaves after frost are actually more brilliant than spring flowers in February - his later years are indeed favorable.

戊戌 戊午 丁卯 丙午　二歲 己未 十二 庚申 廿二 辛酉 三二 壬戌 四二 癸亥 五二 甲子 六二 乙丑

Heavenly stem for the year is Wu, branch is Xu; heavenly stem for the month is Wu, branch is Wu; heavenly stem for the day is Ding, branch is Mao; heavenly stem for the hour is Bing, branch is Wu. The day stem is Ding fire. The big year starts with Ji Wei at age two, followed by Geng Shen at age twelve, Xin You at age twenty-two, Ren Xu at age thirty-two, Gui Hai at age forty-two, Jia Zi at age fifty-two, Yi Chou at age sixty-two. These are arranged in order from the month stem Wu Wu, which is a case of "big year progressing forward." The heavenly stem of the year, Wu, is yang, so for a male with a yang stem, the big years are arranged in order. When looking at the chart, focus on two points: the branch of the month, Wu, and the branch of the hour, Wu, are both the "Liu" (favorable position) for Ding fire. The branch of the day, Mao wood, also generates fire, and the heavenly stem of the hour, Bing fire, further supports the body. The fire is extremely strong, and there is no water in the four pillars. The heavenly stems of the year and month are both Wu earth, which is the only way to release this strong fire.

上繫上海大眾書局經理樊劍剛先生八字。丁火生於午月。正逢當令之時。日主甚為強健。如以兩祿幫身。丙火畏輔主。卯木年干。雖曰至剛莫廠。究嫌其太過。幸有兩戊透干。得以洩火之秀。本命和事機警幹練。才學高明。於此可覘。所惜四柱五行缺水。似此火炎土燥之際。能有甘泉滋潤。則坎離調變。前程莫可限量。今賴運來補救。未為晚也。

The above is the four pillars of Mr. Fan Jiangang, manager of Shanghai Dazhong Bookstore. The day stem is Ding fire, which is born in the month of Wu, the season of fire, thus it is in its prime and strong. Moreover, the month and hour branches both provide the禄 (favorable position) to support the day stem, and the hour stem, Bing fire, also assists the day stem. The day branch,卯 wood, further generates and supports the day stem. Although the fire is extremely strong, it is excessive. Fortunately, the year and month stems, Wu earth, are revealed, which can release the excessive fire and create a refined and elegant atmosphere. This person is resourceful, capable, and highly educated, which is evident. Unfortunately, the four pillars lack water. In such a situation of excessive fire and dry earth, if there were a clear spring to moisten and balance, achieving the state of water and fire in harmony, yin and yang in balance, the future would be limitless. Now, relying on the big luck period to make up for this deficiency is still not too late.

本命以建祿用傷取格。洩其太過。亦得秀氣。雖不及春木秋金之貴。而火土傷官。適亦得時乘勢。經營就富。可斷言也。行運庚申辛酉財運。於格最利。但柱中比劫環伺左右。定有耗財之舉。壬戍舉亥廿年。火土傷官。見官本忌。乃調候為爭。故反吉也。經營獲利鉅萬。毋煩贅述。

The native's destiny is based on the "Jian Lu Yong Shang" pattern. The month's branch is the day master's禄, hence called Jian Lu. Then, the use of Wu Tu Shang Gan is taken, to discharge the excessive fire energy, which can also display elegance. Although this pattern is not as good as the noble patterns of spring wood or autumn metal that are timely and well-placed, the fire and earth Shang Gan pattern is also in season and powerful, and it can be stated that making a fortune through business is certain. The years of Geng Shen and Xin You are favorable for wealth, and they are most beneficial to the pattern. However, since there are siblings and competitors surrounding the chart, there will certainly be expenses. In the twenty years of Ren Xu and Gui Hai, according to the usual pattern of fire and earth Shang Gan, it is most unfavorable to see official stars (Ren and Gui water are the official and killer stars of Ding fire). However, in this case, water is urgently needed for harmonizing the climate, thus turning danger into benefit, and achieving great profits through business, which need not be elaborated further.

丙戌 丁酉 己卯 丁卯　九歲 戊戌 十九 己亥 廿九 庚子 三九 辛丑 四九 壬寅 五九 癸卯 六九 甲辰

Heavenly stem and earthly branch of the birth chart for a male: the year pillar is Bingxu, the month pillar is Dingyou, the day pillar is Jimao, and the hour pillar is Dingmao. The day stem is Ji soil. The big destiny starts with Wuxu at age nine, followed by Jihai at nineteen, Gengzi at twenty-nine, Xinchou at thirty-nine, Rennyin at forty-nine, Guimao at fifty-nine, and Jiachen at sixty-nine. The big destiny is arranged in order from the month pillar Dingyou. This is called "big destiny progressing forward" because the heavenly stem of the year, Bing, is yang, and male destiny is arranged in order for yang years. This chart must consider the punishments and clashes among the earthly branches: the day branch Mao and the hour branch Mao both clash with the month branch You. The month branch You also has a "harm" relationship with the year branch Xu (six harms refer to the hidden mutual damage between earthly branches). One clash and one harm almost destroy the slight refinement of the month pillar, which is the root of the entire chart's weakness.

上繫營口天和報關行經理張之聲先生庚造。已土生於酉月。正值秋金司令。食神當權。洩身之秀。美不可言。無如四柱天干。陽火陰火。層見疊出。食神受印綬之掣肘。已無遁飾。所謂火炎土燥。金無所賴。且卯酉逢沖。酉戍相害。將極妙秀氣。完全剷除。本命弱點。即由於此。

The above is the four pillars of Mr. Zhang ZhiSheng, manager of Yingkou Tianhe Customs Brokerage. The己 earth is born in the酉 month, which is the season of autumn metal, and at this time, the酉 contains 辛 metal, which is of the same yin nature as 己 earth, so it is considered the food god. When the food god is in power, it exclusively releases the refined energy of the day's main element, which is originally a very good configuration. Unfortunately, the four pillars have the heavenly stems with one 丙 fire on the year pillar and two 丁 fires on the month and hour pillars, resulting in a continuous emergence of yang and yin fires. Fire generates earth, which is the印 for 己 earth, but the印 is actually the enemy of the food god (commonly known as the枭印 taking away the food), and the food god is suppressed by it, and this problem is no longer concealed. This is called fire raging and earth drying up, and the metal has nowhere to take refuge in the dry earth and thus has no support. Furthermore, the day's branch and the hour's branch both have 卯, which directly conflicts with the month's branch 酉, and 酉 also forms a six harm with the year's branch 戌. One conflict and one harm completely eliminate the refined energy of the month's ruler. This is the weakness of the native's destiny.

卯宮偏官。結黨攻身。原冀食神來制。不圖食神本身。四面楚歌。自顧不遑。乃偏官不得不用印來引化。所謂制殺無如化殺高。以食神格而兼用殺印。行運自子字起歷行辛丑壬寅癸三拾年。步步順境。處處遂心。經商獲利。數可驚人。惟妻不克。主不睦。子艱難云。

The day branch and the hour branch both contain the wood of Yi, which is the 'biased official' or seven killer for the earth of Ji. The two moos form a group to attack the self, originally expecting the food god in the pattern to control it—controlling the killer is the most appropriate method in divination. However, this food god itself has been overwhelmed by three fire marks, surrounded on all sides and unable to defend itself, leaving no strength to deal with the seven killer. Therefore, this biased official has to use the official mark to transform it. The killer of earth is wood, wood produces fire, fire produces earth, so the evil star, by taking a roundabout path, becomes something that nourishes me. The divination book says, 'controlling the killer is not as good as transforming the killer,' meaning that hard pressure is not as good as gentle transformation. Therefore, this pattern is called the food god pattern, but actually uses both the seven killer and the official mark. The journey of fate starts from the Gengzi year, passing through Xinchou, Renyin, and癸, for thirty years, each step is smooth, everywhere is fulfilled, and the profit from business is very surprising. However, the wife's palace is attacked, leading to some punishment, marital discord, and difficulty in having children.

戊子 乙丑 辛丑 壬辰　五歲 丙寅 十五 丁卯 廿五 戊辰 三五 己巳 四五 庚午 五五 辛未 六五 壬申

Heavenly stem and earthly branch for male birth: birth year is Wuzi, birth month is Yichou, birth day is Xinchou, and birth hour is Renchen. The day stem is Xing Jin. The big years start from age five with Bingyin, then at fifteen Dingmao, twenty-five Wuchen, thirty-five Jisi, forty-five Gengwu, fifty-five Xinwei, and fifty-five Renshen. These are arranged in order from the birth month Yichou, which is called "big years progressing in order." The year stem is Wu, which is yang, so for a male birth, the big years are arranged in order. This chart should be understood with the concept of "cold and damp." Xing Jin is born in the severe winter month of Chou. The year branch Zi, month branch Chou, day branch Chou, and hour branch Chen are all water and damp earth. The hour stem also reveals Ren water, making the whole chart cold, damp, and humid with no trace of fire. The day stem is weak and soft, so the key to the fortune lies in whether there is warmth from the southeast.

鄭正秋先生。經才緯抱。四海知名。其於戲劇及電影。不過寄情抒懷。效生公之說法。予世人以針砭而已。頃以噩耗傳來。大雅云亡。不勝人琴之慨。緣乘本書付梓之際。特殿是篇藉誌哀悼。餘與先生。由詩文之酬酢。交締忘年。先生最信餘課。遇重要機密。輒委占六壬。時蒙以有期許。挙注彌殷。每挹其芝光。聆其蘭語。恆令人一往情深。不能自己。

Mr. Zheng Zhengqiu was a man of great talent and vision, renowned throughout the land. His achievements in drama and film were to him merely a way of expressing his feelings, following the method of Zhu Daosheng, who could make a stone nod, using it to criticize the world. Recently, the sad news of his passing came, like the lament in the "Book of Songs, Da Ya, Zhanying" that "when a virtuous person departs, the state suffers greatly," evoking the sorrow of Wang Huizhi's lamentation over the loss of both person and music. Therefore, I have placed this article at the end of this book, as a tribute to his memory. I became a close friend with Mr. Zheng through our poetic exchanges. He always trusted my divination, often entrusting me with important and confidential matters, asking me to cast the "Liu Ren" divination. Liu Ren is another ancient method, alongside the Eight Characters, used to cast a chart based on the hour to determine current fortune and misfortune. He often promised me, his care and attention growing ever more profound. Every time I had the privilege of being close to his presence and listening to his clear and refined words, it filled me with deep emotion, which I could not contain.

查先生之命造。辛誕寒冬。疊逢重土盛水。既患寒溼。又兼柔弱。所以質同蒲柳。未老先凋。早年丙寅丁卯等運。東南濟美。學冠群英。迨交戊辰重土。書劍飄零。風塵潦倒。已運亦未償宿負。已庚兩部。一火一金。方見飛騰。何期歲逢乙亥。月遇癸未。亥子丑會北方。癸水又助溼。丑未再沖動。哲人遽萎。社會上又失一急公好義。學養從深之俊彥。能不長歌一哭乎。

Master Zhao's destiny is that of a metal element born in the depth of winter, further compounded by a heavy accumulation of thick earth and abundant water. He suffers from cold and dampness, and his day master is weak. Thus, his constitution is like that of a willow tree, which withers in autumn before its time, showing signs of premature decline (the "willow and reed" metaphor from the "World Sayings" refers to early decay). In his early years, during the Bingyin and Dingmao cycles, the wood and fire energies from the southeast helped to warm the cold situation, allowing him to excel in scholarship. However, when he entered the Wuchen cycle, the heavy earth pressed upon him, leading to a life of wandering and hardship. Even the Si cycle failed to fulfill his aspirations. In the Si and Geng cycles, fire and metal came into play—fire warmed the situation, and metal supported his strength—thus bringing about sudden success. Who could have foreseen that in the following years, he encountered Yihai and the Month Builder met Guiwei: the亥 (Hai) combined with the original Zi and Chou to form the northern water, while the Gui water added more dampness, and the Wei冲动 (impelled) the original Chou. Thus, the sage suddenly declined (the "Song of the Sage's Withering" from the "Book of Rites" lamented the withering of the sage), and society lost another man of virtue and profound learning. How could one not weep and lament aloud?

己未 戊辰 丁未 戊申　五歲 己巳 十五 庚午 廿五 辛未 三五 壬申 四五 甲戌

The female's birth chart is: the year pillar is Ji Wei, the month pillar is Wu Chen, the day pillar is Ding Wei, and the hour pillar is Wu Shen. The day stem is Ding Fire. The big years start with Ji Si at age five, followed by Geng Wu at fifteen, Xin Wei at twenty-five, Ren Shen at thirty-five. These are arranged in sequence from the month pillar Wu Chen, indicating a "forward progression" of big years. The year stem Ji is yin, so for a female born in a yin year, the big years are arranged in forward order. The original text directly connects "four five Jia Xu" after Ren Shen, omitting "four five Gui You." Jia Xu should be "five five." In later sections, when this birth chart is repeated, the big years are listed as "four five Gui You," "five five Jia Xu," and "six five Yi Hai," which can be cross-referenced. Here, we follow the original without supplementation. The key to reading this chart is: the day stem Ding Fire is a single point, and all the pillars—Wu, Ji, Wei, Wei, Chen, Shen—are all earth (the injurious and nourishing elements for Ding Fire). The day stem has no root, so it can only submit to this earth trend, which is what is referred to later as "following the injurious" and "following the child."

某名公以楊秀瓊之八字。囑余推評。夫丁火滿見戊己於干支。又在穀雨之後。黃土當權。應如命理約言所云。“日主無根。滿局皆傷。則當從傷。”不作身弱論。亦即滴天髓所謂“從兒格”是也。宜其巾幗英才。矯強特立。十五歲行來庚運。財星得祿。秀氣流動。自應一鳴驚人。聲譽震全國。芳蹤所至。公卿倒屣。惟明年丙火克庚。幸以高危滿損為戒。丁丑年或有關睢之兆。往後午運平淡。辛未十年。福祿綿密。壬運多險。四十歲繼以申金癸水酉金咸吉。五十五歲晉甲運。制傷破格。危如累卵矣。

A distinguished gentleman once asked me to assess the八字 of Yang Xiuqiong. The day master is Ding fire, and in the heavenly stem and earthly branch, there are many Wu and Ji earth elements. She was born after the Grain Rain solar term, when the earth element is dominant. This situation exactly matches what is said in the "Mingli Yuyan": when the day master has no root and the entire chart is filled with harmful officials, one should follow the harmful officials. This case should not be treated as a weak day master, but rather as the "Cong'er Ge" mentioned in the "Ditian Mei": "er" refers to what I produce, that is, the food god and harmful officials; since the day master is weak, it is appropriate to follow its children. It is no wonder she is an outstanding talent among women, strong and independent. At fifteen, she entered the Geng period. The Geng metal wealth star is in the hour branch Shen, thus the heavy earth element has an outlet, and the refined energy flows naturally, leading to sudden fame and national recognition. Wherever she went, officials and nobles would rush out to welcome her, as in the classic story from the "San Guo Zhi" where Wang Can was welcomed with his shoes turned upside down. However, next year, the Bing fire will overcome the Geng metal, so she should beware of the saying "high places are dangerous, fullness leads to loss." There may be signs of marriage in the Dingchou year, as the "Shijing · Zounan · Guanju" describes marriage, hence called "Guanju's omen." After that, the Wu period will be plain; the next ten years of Xinwei will be prosperous and blessed; the Ren period will be full of dangers; after forty, the consecutive Shen metal, Gui water, and You metal will be auspicious; at fifty-five, entering the Jia period, Jia wood is the official, which controls the harmful officials and breaks the Cong'er pattern, leading to a very dangerous situation.

甲午 丁丑 辛酉 甲午　八歲 戊寅 十八 己卯 廿八 庚辰 三八 辛巳 四八 壬午 五八 癸未

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the male's birth chart: the year pillar is Jiawu, the month pillar is Dingchou, the day pillar is Xinyou, and the hour pillar is Jiawu. The day stem is Xinhui. The big years start from age eight with Wuyin, followed by Jimao at eighteen, Gengchen at twenty-eight, Xinsi at thirty-eight, Renwu at forty-eight, and Guiwei at fifty-eight. These are arranged in order from the month pillar Dingchou, indicating a "forward progression" of the big years. Since the year stem Jiag is yang, the male's big years are arranged in forward order. When analyzing this chart, two sets of forces need to be distinguished: the Jiag wood in the year and hour pillars are the wealth stars for Xinhui gold. The Ding fire in the month pillar and the Wu fire in the year and hour branches are the seven killers for Xinhui gold, indicating strong wealth and killer forces. The only supports for the day stem are the酉 in the day branch (the禄 of Xinhui gold, also a place of same kind) and the丑 in the month branch (the biased wisdom of the earth in the丑).

周信芳君，藝名麒麟童。具雋才。為劇界全能。稱梨園宗匠。餘視其命造，財殺兩強。而以日坐比祿。月得印綬為根。第日主較弱。不堪任財任殺。所以富貴非願。絃歌寄情。仗義疏財。安貧潔己。然支中土金重重。可以幫身。是謂明病暗樂。宜其一曲風傳。萬人擊賞。殊非尋常優孟。可與同日而語也。再核運程。庚、辰、辛一派土金。盛名勿替。明年進已字。三合金局。樓臺更上。四十八歲後。壬午十年。側重財殺。恐多糾紛。而宜倦飛知不矣。

Master Zhou Xinfang, known by his stage name Qilin Tong, was exceptionally talented and a versatile master of the dramatic arts, regarded as a great figure in the world of opera. When I examined his birth chart, I found that both the wealth star and the seven deadly stars were strong, but the day stem, which is the main element, relied on the day branch, which was its own禄 (a place of strength for the same element), and the month branch, which had the印绶 (a supporting element). However, the day stem was still weak and could not bear the heavy burden of wealth and the seven deadly stars. Therefore, wealth and honor were not what he truly desired; instead, he preferred to express himself through singing and acting, to be generous and live a simple life, maintaining his integrity. However, in the earth branches, the丑 earth generated metal and the酉 metal was a fellow element, so the heavy presence of earth and metal could support the day stem. This is called having a disease in the open but a remedy in the hidden, with the disease and remedy balancing each other. It is no wonder that his songs spread widely and were greatly appreciated by all, something that ordinary actors could never achieve. Further examining his destiny: the years of Geng, Chen, and Xin, which are all earth and metal, are all beneficial elements that support the day stem, so his great reputation will not decline. When next year enters the巳 element, the巳, along with the day branch酉 and the month branch丑, form a triple harmony of metal, making the day stem even stronger and his influence even greater. After the age of forty-eight, during the ten years of theRenwu, the emphasis will be on wealth and the seven deadly stars (the壬 water drains the metal, and the午 fire overcomes the metal), which may bring many disputes. At that time, it would be most appropriate to follow the saying in Tao Yuanming's "Return to the Countryside" that "when birds are tired of flying, they know to return," and to step back early and withdraw from the scene (the original text says "zhi bu" but should be "zhi huan").

辛酉 戊戌 丁未 壬寅　七歲 丁酉 十七 丙申 廿七 乙未 三七 甲午 四七 癸巳 五七 壬辰 六七 辛卯

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the male's birth chart: the year pillar is Xin You, the month pillar is Wu Xu, the day pillar is Ding Wei, and the hour pillar is Ren Yin. The day stem is Ding Fire. The big years start from the age of seven with Ding You, followed by Bing Shen at seventeen, Yi Wei at twenty-seven, Jiawu at thirty-seven, Guisi at forty-seven, Renchen at fifty-seven, and Xinmao at sixty-seven. These are arranged in reverse order from the month pillar Wu Xu, which is considered "reverse big years" - since the year stem Xin is yin, a yin year for a male's birth chart is arranged in reverse. This birth chart is remarkable because the five phases form a complete cycle: the day stem Ding Fire generates the month stem Wu Earth (official), Wu Earth generates the year stem Xin Metal (wealth), Xin Metal generates the hour stem Ren Water (positive official), Ren Water generates the hour branch Yin's stem Ji Wood (positive teacher), and Ji Wood in turn generates Ding Fire. The cycle flows completely without any missing link, a rare case of mutual generation in the entire text. "Feng翁" is an old term for a man who was honored with a title due to his son's prestige, referring here to the father of Yan Xishan.

閻錫山封翁。富貴壽考。一身兼全。余嘗推評其命。丁誕戍月。干透戊土。為傷官格。戊生辛財。辛生壬官。壬生寅印。寅又生知。循環不息。生氣盎然。如是命局。固不論金木水火土之歲運。或太過。或不及。皆得生化補救。致險無由。所以鶴骨松身。克享遐齡。而福祿綿密。令子賢肖。尤為可貴。誠今世之郭汾陽也。

Yan Xishan's father, the honored elder, possessed wealth, status, and longevity all in one. I once evaluated his destiny: the fire of Ding was born in the month of Xu, and the heavenly stem of the month also revealed Wu earth, forming the "Wang Gan pattern." Then, the earth of Wu generated the heavenly stem of Xin metal, which in turn generated the heavenly stem of Ren water, the official star. The water of Ren generated the hidden stem of Bing wood in the hour branch, which in turn generated the body of the person. The wood of Bing returned to nourish the body. This forms a continuous cycle, with each element generating the next, creating a vibrant flow of life energy. Such a destiny, regardless of whether the year or the destiny's path leads to excess or deficiency in any of the five elements, can be balanced within this cycle, making it impossible for misfortune to take hold. Therefore, he has a graceful and slender appearance, enjoying a long life, and his blessings are abundant, his sons are virtuous and follow their father's example, which is especially precious. He is truly the modern-day Guo Fen Yang, renowned for his wealth, status, longevity, and prosperous descendants, like the Tang dynasty general Guo Ziyi, who was honored as the Duke of Fen Yang.

按餘講學於申商學會時。某君以辛酉戊戍丁未辛丑一造見詢。余斷為棄命從傷。以甲午兩運最危。據云。亦政海名流。早於甲運騎馬墮亡。噫。僅與閻封翁之命。相差一時。而壽夭之異。有如是者。亦可畏矣。

There is another case for comparison: when I was lecturing at the Shengshang Society, a person came to consult about a birth chart with the pillars ofXinyou, Wuxu, Dingwei, and Xinchou. This chart only changed the hour pillar to Xinchou, and thus the壬 water official and the寅 wood official were both absent. The entire chart was full of earth and metal, with no root for the丁 fire. Therefore, I concluded it was 「abandoning the destiny to follow the official」—the day master was too weak to stand on its own, so it gave up its own strength and followed the trend of the official. I also predicted that the years of 甲 and 午 were most dangerous, because 甲 wood is the official, which restrains the official, thus violating the major taboo of the following pattern. It is said that this person was also a well-known figure in politics, who died from a horse fall during the 甲 year. Alas, this chart differs from that of Yan Feng翁 by only an hour, yet the difference in longevity is so great, which is truly alarming.

乙酉 庚辰 壬寅 己酉　五歲 己卯 十五 戊寅 廿五 丁丑 三五 丙子 四五 乙亥 五五 甲戌

The person's birth chart (male) is: the year pillar is Yiyou, the month pillar is Gengchen, the day pillar is Rennyin, and the hour pillar is Jiyou. The day stem is Rennyin. The big years start from age five with Jimao, followed by Wuyin at fifteen, Dingchou at twenty-five, Bingzi at thirty-five, Yihai at forty-five, and Jiaxu at fifty-five. These are arranged in reverse order from the month pillar Gengchen, which is called "reversing big years" - since the year stem Yi is yin, male birth charts with yin years are arranged in reverse. The key points of this chart: the month pillar's branch Chen is the storage of water, so the Rennyin water is stored and does not scatter; the year pillar's branch You, the month stem Geng, and the hour pillar's branch You all contain metal, which generates water; the year stem Yi wood could normally drain water, but it is combined by Geng metal. Thus, the entire chart has a strong presence of metal and water. The day stem, being strong, can only use the biased wealth (prosperity) of the day pillar's branch Yin, which contains Bing fire.

孫傳芳死矣。世之論其功過者。嘖有煩言。無須再贅。惟既放下屠刀。扳依三寶。仍不善終。莫非命也。亦為吾人所急欲研究者也。夫壬水歸庫於辰。金凡三見。乙木合去。金水占優。以身強論。己土之官。助印有餘。拘身不足。應棄而用寅內丙財。賴其破印。並以為表張耳。

Sun Chuanfang died. The world discusses his merits and faults, with many different opinions, and I need not say anything more. Yet, since he had put down his sword and taken refuge in the Three Treasures of Buddhism, he still did not attain a good end. Is it not destined by fate? This is something we urgently wish to study. His birth chart: the壬 water is stored in the month's branch, Chen. There are three instances of metal (the year's branch, You; the month's heavenly stem, Geng; and the hour's branch, You). The year's heavenly stem, 乙 wood, is combined by Geng metal and thus cannot release the water. Therefore, metal and water dominate, and we must consider the day's stem as strong. The hour's heavenly stem, 己 earth, is the official star, but earth generates metal, which helps the印 star sufficiently, yet it is insufficient to restrain the day's stem. Therefore, the official star is unreliable; we should abandon it and instead use the 丙 fire偏财 hidden in the day's branch, Yin. First, it can overcome the metal 印; second, it can spread and release the full metal and water energy in the chart.

盛於丙運。用神得助也。敗於子運之未。用火忌見水也。乙運以還。寂然無聞。亥運合寅奪丙。每況愈下。本年乙亥。再逢十月亥建。三亥交攻。用神潰敗。殺人者終被人殺。夫復何疑。 （以上四則。乙亥十月二版增刊）

He thrived during the Bing cycle because the useful god, Bing fire, received support. However, he declined at the end of the Zi cycle, since having fire as the useful god makes water particularly harmful, and the water of Zi directly poured down. After the Yi cycle, he became silent. When reaching the Hai cycle, the Hai branch combined with the Day Branch Yin, taking away the Bing fire contained within Yin, leading to a continuous decline. This year, he again encountered Yihai, coinciding with the Hai month builder in October. The Hai of the big cycle, the Hai of the current year, and the Hai of the month builder all attacked together, completely defeating the useful god. The one who kills others will ultimately be killed by others; there is nothing to doubt about this. (The note at the end is the author's own annotation: The above four paragraphs were added and published again in October of the Yihai year.)

己未 戊辰 丁未 戊申　五歲 己巳 十五 庚午 廿五 辛未 三五 壬申 四五 癸酉 五五 甲戌 六五 乙亥

The original text below repeats Yang Xiuqiong and Zhou Xinfang's birth charts again, with the text being almost the same as before; this is likely due to a duplication error during the second edition's printing. I will still include it here and note the differences as I go. In this case, the big years (dazheng) include an additional step "four five Guiyou" compared to the previous record, and continue with five five Jiaxu and six five Yihai, making this the complete arrangement. This can be used to correct the omissions in the previous text. For the female birth chart (Kun zao): the year pillar is Jiwei, the month pillar is Wuchen, the day pillar is Dingwei, and the hour pillar is Wushen. The day master is Ding fire. The big years start from the month pillar Wuchen and count forward in order, as female birth charts follow the ascending order in the Yin years. The entire chart has three earth elements: Chen, Wei, and Wei, plus three more earth elements: Wu, Wu, and Ji, resulting in an excessive amount of earth that completely covers the Ding fire, leaving the day master without any root.

某名公以楊秀瓊之八字。囑余推評。夫丁火滿見戊己於干支。又在穀雨之後。黃土當權。應如命理約言所云。“日主無根。滿局皆傷。則當從傷。”不作身弱論。亦即滴天髓所謂“從兒格”是也。宜其巾幗英才。矯強特立。十五風行來庚運。財星得祿，秀氣流動。自應一鳴驚人。聲譽震全國。芳蹤所至。公卿倒屣。惟明年丙火克庚。幸以高危滿損為戒。丁丑年或有關睢之兆。往後午運平淡。辛未十年。福祿綿密。壬運多險。四十歲繼以申金癸水酉金咸吉。五十五歲晉甲運。制傷破格。危如累卵矣。

A distinguished gentleman once asked me to assess the八字 of Yang Xiuqiong. The day master is Ding fire, surrounded by many Wu and Ji earth in the heavenly stem and earthly branch, and she was born after the Grain Rain solar term, when the earth element is dominant. This exactly matches what is said in the "Ming Li Yue Yan": when the day master has no root and the entire chart is filled with harmful officials, one should follow the harmful officials. This situation should not be treated as a common case of weak day master, but rather as the "from child pattern" mentioned in the "Di Tian Mei". In this pattern, "child" refers to the food god and harmful officials born from the day master. Since the day master cannot stand on its own, it follows the path of the food god and harmful officials, and thus regards them as favorable. Therefore, she is an outstanding talent among women, strong and independent. At fifteen, she entered the Geng year (the original text mistakenly wrote "feng" instead of "sui"), and the Geng metal wealth star is found in the hour branch Shen, providing an outlet for the heavy earth elements in the chart. This allows the refined energy to flow, leading to sudden fame and widespread recognition. Wherever she goes, officials and ministers welcome her with great enthusiasm. However, next year, the Bing fire will overcome the Geng metal, so she should be cautious of the dangers of excess and fullness. There may be signs of marriage in the Dingchou year. In the following Wushen year, things will be ordinary. In the next ten years of Xinwei, her fortune and blessings will be abundant. In the Ren year, there will be many dangers. After forty, the consecutive Shen metal, Gui water, and You metal years will be favorable. At fifty-five, entering the Jia year, the Jia wood is the official, which controls the harmful officials and breaks the "from child" pattern, leading to a very dangerous situation.

甲午 丁丑 辛酉 甲午　八歲 戊寅 十八 己卯 廿八 庚辰 三八 辛巳 四八 壬午 五八 癸未

This is a repetition from the original text of Zhou Xinfang's performance. The four pillars and the big years are exactly the same as previously recorded: the year pillar is Jiawu, the month pillar is Dingchou, the day pillar is Xinyou, and the hour pillar is Jiawu, with the day master being Xinhé. The big years start at the age of eight with Wuyin and proceed in order until Kuiwei at the age of fifty-eight. The only difference is in the first sentence of the main text: previously it was "Zhou Xinfang, stage name Qilin Tong," but here the name is omitted and it is directly stated as "stage name Qilin Tong." The last sentence was mistakenly written as "Juantfei zhi bu yi," but here it is corrected to "Juantfei zhi huan yi," which can be used to correct the previous text.

藝名麒麟童。具雋才。為劇界全能。稱梨園宗匠。餘視其命造。財殺兩強。而以日坐比祿。月得印綬為根。第日主較弱。不堪任財任殺。所以富貴非願。絃歌寄情。仗義疏財。安貧潔己。然支中土金重重。可以幫身。是謂明病暗樂。宜其一曲風傳。萬人擊賞。殊非尋常優孟。可與同日而語也。再核運程。庚、辰、辛一派土金。盛名勿替。明年進已字。三合金局。樓臺更上。四十八歲後。壬午十年。側重財殺。恐多糾紛。而宜倦飛知還矣。

His stage name is Qilin Tong, a naturally gifted talent who excels in all aspects of drama, and is regarded as a master of the theatrical world. When analyzing his birth chart, the Jia wood in the year and hour dry branches represent wealth, while the Ding fire in the month dry branch and the two Wus (Renwu) represent enemies. Both wealth and enemies are strong. The day's main element relies on the酉 gold in the day branch, which is both a same-wood and a禄堂, and the己 earth hidden in the month branch, which is a biased official, as its root. However, the day's main element is still weak and cannot bear such heavy wealth and enemies. Therefore, wealth and honor are not his true aspirations; instead, he channels his sentiments into music and singing, being generous and living simply. Yet within the earth branches, the丑 earth can generate gold, and the酉 gold can support the day's main element. The heavy presence of earth and gold supports him from behind, which is called having illness on the surface but medicine beneath. It is no wonder his performance spreads widely and is highly praised by all, surpassing ordinary actors. Checking his destiny journey: the years of Geng, Chen, and Xin, which are all earth and gold, are supportive elements for his body. His great reputation will not decline. When next year enters the巳, the巳,酉, and丑 form a metal trinity, strengthening the day's main element, and he will reach a higher level. After the age of forty-eight, for the next ten years of Renwu, wealth and enemies will again be heavy, and there may be many disputes. At that time, he should be like a tired bird that knows when to return and should withdraw early.

千里命稿終

Qianli's Manuscript on Destiny concludes here. The entire book begins with Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Original Heaven Energies, then discusses strength and weakness, Six Spirits, patterns, external patterns, destiny periods, flow years, Month Builder, Six Relations, female destiny, and topics such as wealth, nobility, good fortune, longevity, and poverty, low status, misfortune, and early death. It ends with the "Destiny in Accord with the Times" section, which includes over a hundred contemporary examples. These five characters mark the end of the original text.