Narrate

神峰子曰：天之所賦者命，窮達夭壽，繫諸氣稟之先，雖聖賢在儒，莫能移易。故君子居易以俟命，唯不知命，無以為君子。然命之理，溯其原則肇於軒轅氏，始有干支之降，師大找作甲子，遂以人之年月日進所生，謂之命焉。蓋與天賦之命，其揆一也。

Shenfengzi said: Heaven bestows upon each person something called "destiny." Whether one is in hardship or success, short-lived or long-lived, is determined at the moment one receives the qi of heaven and earth, which is set before a person is even born; even the sages and virtuous men of the Confucian tradition cannot alter it. Therefore, a gentleman should dwell in an easy and peaceful place, waiting quietly for heavenly destiny. A person who does not understand heavenly destiny is not qualified to be called a gentleman. As for the origin of the theory of destiny, tracing back its source, it begins with the Yellow Emperor, Huanyuanshi: at that time the heavenly stems and earthly branches appeared, and Da Nao created the sixty Jiazi cycles. Thus, a person's birth year, month, day, and hour were used to mark him, which is called "destiny." This man-made calculation of destiny is essentially the same as the destiny bestowed by heaven.

但始無書稽考，至唐袁守成，始作《五星》指南書，呂才作《合婚書》，一行禪師作星曆書，五代有《轆轤》書；前宋有《殿駕》書，南宋遼金有《喬拗》書，元有耶律楚材書，裴大猷有《琴堂虛實》，均以人之生年，五行納音所屬，身命限度為之主，七曜四餘為之用。至有明徐均作《子平》書，專以日干為主本。

At first, there were no written works available for reference. It was not until the Tang dynasty that Yuan Shoucheng wrote the book "Wuxing Zhi Nan" (Guide to the Five Stars), Lü Cai compiled the "Hehun Shu" (Book of Marriage Compatibility), and Yixing Chan师 compiled a calendar book for calculating celestial positions. In the Five Dynasties period, there was the "Lulü" book, in the Northern Song dynasty the "Dianjia" book, in the Southern Song dynasty and during the Liao and Jin dynasties the "Qiaoniao" book, and in the Yuan dynasty, Ye Lu Chuya's writings and Pei Dayou's "Qintang Xushiyi" (The Real and the Illusory in the Music Hall) appeared. These books all focused on the year of birth, the Five Phases associated with the "Nayin" sound element of that year, and the "Shenggong" (body palace) and "Minggong" (destiny palace) along with the degree measurements of the celestial paths. They also used the "Seven Luminaries" (the sun, moon, and five planets: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury) and the "Four Extra Celestial Bodies" (Ruo, Ji, Qi, and Bo) as tools for calculation. It was not until the Ming dynasty, when Xu Jun wrote the book "Ziping" (Plain Judgment), that the system was specifically changed to use the heavenly stem of the birth day as the fundamental basis of a person's destiny.

月令為用神，歲時為輔佐。籲！命書之作，至此盡矣。其故何歟？蓋五星之說，只是以生年為主，月與日時或遺焉；或以納音為主，干與支或遺焉。熟若子平之理，獨得其中，日通月氣，歲與時為脈終，日為身主，月為巢穴，歲與時為門戶，得於此而不遺於彼，通於上而不遺於上，抑有餘，補不足，中正之道，孰得是焉。

The book "Ziping" takes the monthly stem of the birth month as the "Useful God," and the year pillar and hour pillar as auxiliary elements. Alas! When writings on fate reach this level, they can be said to have reached their culmination. Why is this so? The school of "Five Stars" focuses only on the birth year, often neglecting the month pillar, day pillar, and hour pillar. Some focus only on the "Nayin sound element," while neglecting the heavenly stem and earthly branch. How can these compare to the principles of Ziping? It alone grasps the middle path: the day stem and the monthly stem are connected in energy, the year pillar and hour pillar are the beginning and end of the energy flow. The day stem is the "body ruler," the monthly stem is its nest, and the year pillar and hour pillar are its gateways. It captures one end without neglecting the other; it connects above and below without bias; excess is restrained, deficiency is supplemented—this balanced and upright way, who can surpass it?

餘涉獵群書，頗領旨趣，獨觀命理，有《五星指南》、《琴深嘗書》、《淵海子平》書，理出於正，立法之善，但其中間頗有不根之言，進退之說，無確然一定示人之見。後世緣此，立說益多，益滋人惑，雖授受不過襲謬。殆若行書者迷道，問盲人指示焉。

I have read extensively the works of various scholars and have somewhat grasped their essence. Considering only books on destiny, the works "Five Stars Guide," "Qin Shen Chang Shu," and "Ziping's Sea of Profundity" contain reasonable principles and well-established systems. However, they also include many statements without solid foundation, with inconsistencies and contradictions, and they fail to offer a fixed and clear principle that can be passed down to future generations. Later scholars followed these flaws and developed more theories, making things even more confusing. Teachers and students passed down knowledge orally, but what was transmitted was merely the perpetuation of errors. This is like a traveler who has lost his way and goes to ask a blind man for directions.

是以究之窮取，僻壤，盡皆招搖售術，聽其言則是，校其理則非，竟無一人能埒其堂陛而是撮其樞要也。嗚呼！非惟誣人，實自誣也，子深慨焉。由是究心此道，四十餘年，一理恍然有得，始覺其理有正途，斷無旁出。

Therefore, looking around, from remote villages to bustling cities, everywhere one can see people swaggering about, deceiving others and selling divination techniques. When they speak, they seem to know everything, but when tested against principles, their arguments fall apart completely. Not a single person is truly able to grasp the essential core of this discipline. Alas! This is not only deceiving others, but also deceiving oneself. I feel this deeply and am greatly moved. Therefore, I have devoted all my efforts to this study, for over forty years, and suddenly I have a clear understanding of its principles. Only then did I realize that fate and destiny have a proper path to follow, and will not give rise to any heretical branches.

立五星正說，五星謬說，子平諸格正說，子平諸格謬說，動靜說，蓋頭說，六親說，病藥說，雕枯弱旺損益生長八法說，人命見驗說，蓋取諸尊崇正理，闢諸謬說之意，因名之曰：《命理正宗》，付諸剞劂，以分同好，庶可有補六藝中之萬一云爾。臨川西溪逸叟張楠敘。

Therefore, I established several categories: "The Correct Explanation of the Five Stars" and "The Incorrect Explanation of the Five Stars," "The Correct Explanation of Various Patterns in Zi Ping" and "The Incorrect Explanation of Various Patterns in Zi Ping," "The Theory of Motion and Stillness," "The Theory of Covering," "The Theory of the Six Relations," "The Theory of Disease and Medicine," the eight methods of "Decay, Weakness, Strength, Loss, Gain, Growth, and Increase," and the "Theory of Verified Human Destiny" based on actual case examples. The purpose was to uphold correct principles and refute errors, so I named the book "The正宗 of Destiny Calculation" and entrusted it to the engraver for printing, distributing it among fellow practitioners. Perhaps it may contribute even a fraction to the "Six Arts" of ritual, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy, and arithmetic. Zhang Nan, the retired hermit of Xixi in Linqiu, wrote this preface.

安身命宮，原取逢卯安命，逢酉安身，其理何歟？然卯屬東方正木，木主仁，仁主壽，故以命宮寓焉。酉屬西方之方正金，金主義，義主宜，故以身宮寓焉。然命宮為受胎之初，故以仁木主之，仁有生生之道也。身宮為受胎之後，故以義方之，義有成身之道也。身命之立，其原於此，理出於正也。

Astrologers of the star destiny school establish "Ming Gong" and "Shen Gong." Originally, the rule is to count to the Mao position for "Ming Gong" and to the You position for "Shen Gong." The reasoning behind this arrangement lies in the characteristics of these positions. The Mao position belongs to the east and is associated with the wood element, which in the Five Constants represents "Ren" (benevolence). Ren is associated with longevity, so "Ming Gong" is placed here. The You position belongs to the west and is associated with the metal element, which in the Five Constants represents "Yi" (righteousness). Yi signifies proper conduct, so "Shen Gong" is placed here. Furthermore, "Ming Gong" corresponds to the beginning of conception, so the wood element, which embodies the concept of continuous generation, is used as its basis. "Shen Gong" corresponds to after conception, so "Yi" is used to regulate and perfect the body, as Yi signifies the completion of the physical form. The establishment of "Shen Gong" and "Ming Gong" originates from this reasoning, and the principles are derived from proper sources.

安星辰法，當以《五星指南》為之體，《琴堂》、《殿駕》為之用。體可祖之，而為造命之矜式；用可則之，而為禍福之根底。若《喬拗》，若《加盤》，若《步天經》，俱以命宮為祖。如寅亥二宮屬木，畏金克這，喜之生之。卯戌二宮屬火，辰酉二宮屬金，申巳二宮屬水，子丑二宮屬土，午屬太陽，未屬太陰，生克之例同前。

The method of arranging the stars should take the "Five Stars Guide" as the fundamental text, and the "Qin Hall" and "Palace Procession" schools as its applications. The fundamental text can be followed as a standard for constructing the destiny chart, while the applications can be used as a basis for judging fortune and misfortune. As for the "Qiao Nao," "Jia Pan," and "Bu Tian Jing" schools, they all take the "Destiny Palace" as their foundation. The Five Phases associated with each of the twelve palaces are: the Yin and Hai palaces belong to wood, and they fear the metal star to control them, and welcome the water star to generate them; the Mao and Xu palaces belong to fire, the Chen and You palaces belong to metal, the Shen and Si palaces belong to water, and the Zi and Chou palaces belong to earth; the Wu palace belongs to the sun, and the Wei palace belongs to the moon. The method of mutual generation and mutual control among the palaces is the same as the example given for the wood palace above.

獨午屬太陽，被木星遮蔽光，其理頗非近正。然太陽為萬物之尊，穹隆於萬仞之上，木豈能蔽焉。但喜金水以伴之，其理甚是。未屬太陽，未土計以獨之，喜火羅金以護之。但諸星生克俱當以命而論，未可以身宮論之，善命在身先也。

There is only one point that does not make sense: the old view holds that theWu Palace (午) belongs to the Sun, and that the planet Jupiter can obscure its light, but this explanation is clearly unreasonable. The Sun is the most exalted among all things, high above the world, how could Jupiter possibly block its light? Rather, the idea that it prefers the presence of Venus and Mercury nearby is correct. TheWei Palace (未) belongs to the Moon, and the earthy quality in未 is occupied by the Ji Du star alone, which prefers the protection of Mars, Luo Hui stars, and Venus. However, the interactions of these stars in terms of generation and overcoming should be discussed based on the "Ming Gong" (命宫), not the "Shen Gong" (身宫), because the "Ming Gong" comes before the "Shen Gong" in the sequence.

限行於命宮之後，而不從身為廬舍，蓋命屬身之先也。胎之後，即以命宮為廬舍。人之禍福，但當究諸命宮：有何恩星？有何難星？如難星守命，主一生孤苦；恩星守命，主一生富貴。如命宮無星辰之可考，當以三合宮看，如坐寅，則看午戌宮也。如三合無，則看四正宮。但四正宮，頗不近理。如命宮畏金為難，行限亦畏之。凡諸財帛田宅等宮，俱同此也，此係五行生剋，正理之說也。

The great limit is calculated from the "Ming Gong" onwards, and the "Shen Gong" is not considered as a dwelling. This is because the "Ming Gong" comes before the "Shen Gong". After conception, the "Ming Gong" is regarded as the dwelling of a person's destiny. To determine a person's fortune and misfortune, one only needs to examine the "Ming Gong". What stars are sitting in the "Ming Gong"? If a "Nan Xing" (difficult star) is in the "Ming Gong", it indicates a life of hardship. If an "En Xing" (favorable star) is in the "Ming Gong", it indicates a life of wealth and prosperity. If there are no stars in the "Ming Gong", then one should look at the triple harmony positions. For example, if the "Ming Gong" is in the寅 (Yin) position, then one should examine the午 (Wu) and戌 (Xu) positions. If there are no stars in the triple harmony positions, then one should look at the four cardinal positions. However, the four cardinal positions are not very reasonable. If the "Ming Gong" considers the Gold Star as a difficult star and fears it, then when the limit reaches the Gold Star's position, it will still be feared. The same method applies to other positions such as the Wealth and Property Palace and the House and Land Palace. These are all based on the principles of the Five Phases and their interactions, which are the correct explanations.

度主，即以木度所屬。如寅宮立命，纏尾火虎度，即以水克火星度星，為劃度星，即以木恩星，但論度為準。則又有一說焉：或命宮所喜，或又度主所忌，一喜一忌，將何為主？然但以命宮為主，其理則近，若又以度論之，由惑人心矣。劃度則以張剔谷《劃度歌》為則。

The concept of "degree master" refers to determining it based on the star mansion associated with the degree. For example, if one's destiny is established in the寅 (Yin) palace and the degree is linked to the mansion of the fire tiger (Wěi Huǒ Hǔ), then the water star is used to overcome the fire star, which is called "cutting the degree star," and the wood star is referred to as the "favorable star." Everything is determined solely based on the degree. Here arises another point of discussion: some stars are favored by the "birth palace" but disliked by the "degree master." When there is both favor and dislike, which should take precedence? In my opinion, the "birth palace" should be the primary consideration, as this reasoning is more reliable; if we consider the degree instead, it would only confuse people's minds. As for the method of cutting the degree, it should follow the criteria set out in Zhang Ti Gu's "Song of Cutting the Degree."

若日月木火土金水為正七曜星，若羅星則為水之奴，計星則為土之奴，氣星則為木之奴，孛星則為水之奴，此為四餘星。然七曜星命限逢之，見禍或淺；四餘星命限逢之，見禍式烈。何也？七曜主星屬君子，四餘奴星屬不人，狐假虎威，正理然也。

The sun, the moon, and the five planets of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are the genuine "seven luminaries." Rahu is a servant star of water, and the counter planet is a servant star of earth, the qi star is a servant star of wood, and the孛 star is a servant star of water. These four are collectively known as the "Four Extra." However, when encountering the "seven luminaries" in one's destiny, the resulting calamities are relatively minor; but when encountering the "Four Extra," the calamities are particularly severe. Why is this so? The "seven luminaries" are the main stars, like gentlemen; the "Four Extra" are servant stars, like petty people. Petty people take advantage of the power of the great, causing more harm, which is exactly the reason for this.

五星諸書之立，惟《五星指南》，所立起八字，安身合，安星辰，節氣五行生剋之理，此係看命之門戶，不可無也，其餘同則陳諸五行謬說類內。又若《五星》、《琴堂》、《殿駕》、《加盤》、《步天經》俱屬正理。但五星之說，近正理者頗少，近謬說都頗多也。

The various works of the Five Stars school only have the book "Five Stars Guide" which arranges the Eight Characters, the position of the body, the destiny palace, the arrangement of stars, and the theory of solar terms and the Five Phases generating and overcoming each other, as the entry point for studying destiny. These cannot be omitted. The other parts that are similar are all placed under the section "False Theories of the Five Stars" below. In addition, the works "Five Stars," "Qintang," "Dianjia," "Japian," and "Butian Jing" also belong to the correct principles. However, overall, the part of the Five Stars studies that conforms to the correct principles is quite limited, while the part that is close to false theories is quite extensive.

夫金木水火土，原天一生水，地二生火，即以水一、火二、木三、金四、土五次第列之。後類景即是以海中、爐中、大林、路旁之妄說配其納音五行為歌，使後人可以成誦。夫何後世妄以海中爐中無理之說，立為門戶。

The Five Phases, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, are based on the old saying "Heaven produces water with one, earth produces fire with two." Thus, they are arranged in the order of water one, fire two, wood three, metal four, and earth five. Later people, for easier memorization, paired such meaningless names as "sea metal," "furnace fire," "great forest wood," and "roadside earth" with the "Nayin" Five Phases and compiled them into rhymes, making it easier for later learners to memorize. Who would have thought that later generations would take these names like "sea" and "furnace," which originally had no meaning, as genuine, and establish them as a school of thought.

若《三車一覽》、《望斗真經》、《耶律經》、《玉井奧訣》、《蘭臺妙選》等書，俱不以祖其身命限度，近理之事為言，漫以江山、水石、道風、道雨言之，又以人之生年、十二支生肖所屬，論人吉凶，夫何謬也！

Books like Sanche Yilan, Wangdou Zhenjing, Yelü Jing, Yu Jing Ao jue, and Lantai Miaoxuan do not base their arguments on reasonable concepts such as "body palace," "life palace," and the limits of one's destiny. Instead, they use flowery language about mountains, rivers, wind, and rain to embellish their writings. They also use the zodiac animal corresponding to the twelve earthly branches of the year someone was born to predict their fortune throughout life. How absurd this is!

蓋原生肖本以十二禽獸身中各欠一件肖者似也，以十二禽獸似此也。如鼠欠光，牛欠牙，虎欠項，兔欠唇，龍欠聰，蛇欠足，馬欠瞳，猴欠脾，雞人賢，豬欠筋，皆以十二支所生肖此也，全不關係人之八字干支。妄以此生肖而論命耶，然以人所生之年地支一字而論，如剜人肉而貼己肉，血氣實不相通。

The origin of the Chinese zodiac signs is simply that each of the twelve animals is said to be missing one part of its body. "Xiao" means similarity, so the twelve animals are used to symbolize the twelve earthly branches. For example, the rat lacks eyesight, the ox lacks the upper teeth, the tiger lacks the neck, the rabbit lacks the upper lip, the dragon lacks hearing, the snake lacks four legs, the horse lacks the pupil, the monkey lacks the spleen, the rooster lacks the kidneys, and the pig lacks sinew. These are merely symbolic correspondences between the twelve earthly branches and the animals, and have nothing to do with the heavenly stems and earthly branches in a person's birth year. To use the zodiac for fortune-telling based solely on the earthly branch of the birth year is like taking someone else's flesh and attaching it to oneself; the blood and qi are not connected.

且如今宜黃縣顯宦譚二華命，庚辰甲申丁未丙午，本然八字是身強殺淺，行殺旺地，貴封萬戶之候，其理甚是。舍此正說，謬言其命屬龍，得丁未丙午日時，謂之龍天河，以龍遇水龍為極貴。

Take the case of Tan Erhua, a prominent official in Yihuang County today. His birth chart is Gengchen in the year pillar, Jiashen in the month pillar, Dingwei in the day pillar, and Bingwu in the hour pillar. This is a pattern of "strong body with weak killing energy": the day stem Ding fire, although born in the metal Shen month and thus out of its season, has the Wei earth in the day's position to support it, and the Bing Wu in the hour pillar also helps the fire. Moreover, the Jia wood in the month stem nourishes the fire, so the body is strong. The killing energy, which is water, is only hidden in the壬 water within Shen and the癸 water within Chen, without appearing in the heavenly stem, so the "seven killing" is weak. Therefore, it is only when the "seven killing" water becomes strong that he achieves success, eventually becoming a marquis with a thousand households. This reasoning is correct. However, old interpretations ignore this principle and instead claim that because his zodiac is the dragon, and he has the Dingwei and Bingwu in his day and hour pillars, which is called "dragon heavenly river," the dragon meeting water is extremely auspicious.

假如有一貧命，是庚辰甲申癸亥癸亥，亦可以龍歸大海論之，何以極貧？蓋緣此八之水多，以水為病，再行北方之運，以水濟水，正謂北祿逐馬，守窮途而犧惶也。且如人屬雞狗鍺羊，跡有貴人命，請問將何理論之？二者所說俱謬。

Suppose there is another poor and lowly fate with the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the year column as Gengchen, the month column as Jiashen, the day column as Guihai, and the hour column as Guihai. It can still be said to be "dragon returning to the sea." Why then is this person so destitute? The reason lies in the excessive amount of water in this八字. Both the day and hour heavenly stems are Gui water, and the day and hour earthly branches are both Hai water. In addition, the Shen branch contains Ren water and the Chen branch contains Gui water, all contributing to the water. Thus, water becomes the "disease" of this fate. If this person goes through the northern water destiny, it is like adding water to water, which is exactly what is called "northern official chasing a horse," leading to being trapped in a dead end and wandering without a place to rely. Moreover, among those born in the year of the rooster, dog, pig, and sheep, there are certainly great and noble fates. So, how can we explain this with any logic? It is clear that these two sets of statements about the zodiac are both wrong.

一《五星指南》，載破碎吞啖等殺，及小兒雷公金鎖斷橋休庵百日，四柱雞飛等關。中以生年一字，以犯某時甘日為言，又立險語，哭斷不過三歲死，及打腦斷橋之說，以驚人之父母，並不以八字干支生剋制化財官論之。且以正理搜尋，尚且禍福不驗，此只把一字以定生死，以實謬說也。

There is another point: the "Five Stars Guide" mentions things like "fragmentation" and "devouring" which are consideredInauspicious Sha, as well as various dangerous periods in the infant's life such as "Thunder God," "Golden Lock," "Broken Bridge," "Resting Temple," "One Hundred Days," "Four Pillars," and "Chicken Flying." These all take only one character from the person's birth year, claiming that they are conflicting with a certain time and day, and deliberately inventing frightening words, saying that the child will not live past three years old, or things like "beating the head" and "broken bridge," specifically meant to scare parents. They do not base their arguments on the principles of the eight characters' stem and branch relationships, their generation and overcoming, or the prosperity and decline of wealth and official positions. One must know that even if we carefully examine according to proper principles, good and bad fortune may not necessarily come to pass, let alone concluding a person's life or death based on just one character. This is truly a complete and utter misconception.

呂才作《合婚書》，豈有是理耶？蓋人之婚姻，由於月老硷書，赤強繫足。今之擇婚擇命，無過欲盡父母愛子之心。男之擇女也，八字貴看夫子二星；女之擇男也，八字貴得中和之道。夫何以下文男女所噩這諸般為忌，其理甚謬，說見下文。如俗諺云：此是來蠻經。蓋滅退蠻人，羞與中國為婚，故將此無下理之說，以哄滅之，其理或是。

Lu Cai compiled a book called "The Book of Matching Marriages," but where is the logic in that? Human marriage is originally something decided by the Moon God's ledger, with a red thread tying the feet of the destined partners. Now, when choosing a spouse, it is merely an effort to fulfill the parents' love for their children. The man selects the woman, focusing on her "husband star" and "child star" in her birth chart; the woman selects the man, focusing on whether his birth chart has a balanced and harmonious nature. So why does the "Book of Matching Marriages" later list all sorts of names of offenses for both men and women as taboos? Those reasons are absurd, and details will be discussed below. A common saying is that this is a "Laiman Jing" (a book of nonsense). In ancient times, to subdue the retreating barbarians, the Central Plains were ashamed to marry with them, so they invented these senseless statements to deceive and wear down the barbarians—according to this explanation, it makes sense.

骨髓破鐵掃帚六害：大敗、狼籍、飛天、狼籍、八敗、孤虛謬說。此說原止是將人之禍不與日地相關，斷頭絕腳為說，不特立諸空言，而且刻諸版籍，立險語，以駭人之聽信。後世愚夫婦，遂以為真，或有斯犯，即駭而驚；或有高明，知其果於應驗，以破其說，彼亦不信，且言曰：只讀儒書，未諳此理。或亦酷信，遂使下愚之人，曰此上人尚且信之，我何疑焉！一犬吠形，百犬吠聲。

"The terms 'broken marrow,' 'iron broom,' 'six harms,' as well as 'great defeat,' 'wasteland,' 'flying wolf wasteland,' 'eight defeats,' and 'solitude and vacancy' are mere fabrications that claim a person's fortune and misfortune have nothing to do with the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the day or the hour. They simply cut off the beginning and end to form a set of words. These not only remain at the level of empty talk, but are also carved into wooden blocks for printing, creating sensational and alarming statements to frighten people into believing them. Later generations of foolish men and women took these seriously. As soon as they heard they had committed one of these, they would be shocked and frightened. Occasionally, some people with better understanding knew these claims had never actually come true, and tried to refute them, but others would not believe them, saying instead that these were merely things learned from Confucian texts, and that those who understand this discipline do not know Confucianism. Some scholars themselves strongly believe in these ideas, so those with low understanding would say, if even such a superior person believes in it, why should I doubt it? Just as one dog barks at a shadow, a hundred dogs will bark along with the sound."

又或儲備了，果係偏枯，太弱太旺，有病無約，兼帶謬說，愚人且不以儲備字正理不好為說，只浪怨帶此謬說之害，又蔌浪聽愚人諺語，飛天狼籍是八敗耶，此非君子之言，齊東野人之語也。愚謂此等妄語，刊諸版籍，必須焚其版，火其書，而後可出。

There is another situation: a person's four pillars of destiny are indeed imbalanced, either too weak or too strong, suffering from a 'disease' without a 'remedy'. By chance, they also come to bear these incorrect names. The ignorant refuse to consider that the problem lies in the poor reasoning of the original four pillars, and instead blame their misfortune solely on the presence of these names. They also recklessly believe in foolish sayings such as 'flying heaven's chaos' meaning 'eight defeats'. This is not the speech of a gentleman, but the nonsense of a commoner. In my opinion, such reckless words, once printed and circulated in book form, must be destroyed both in their printing blocks and their books before anything else can be done.

進財退財，望門守寡，妻多厄，夫多厄，死墓絕妨妻，死墓絕妨夫，斯說之謬，原止以人之生年金木水火土納音所屬，只論年月以上一字犯之。嗚呼，豈有是理耶！只論年月，丟下日時不論。年月日時全備，方能論得人之禍福。

The ideas of "gaining wealth," "losing wealth," "being widowed at the gate," "many troubles for wife," "many troubles for husband," and "harm from death,墓,绝 to wife" and "harm from death,墓,绝 to husband" are absurd because they originally only consider the "Nayin sound element" of the year of birth, and only check whether the single character on the year pillar and month pillar is involved. How can there be such reasoning in the world! They only consider the year and month, completely ignoring the day and hour pillars. Only when all four pillars—year, month, day, and hour—are complete can one properly judge a person's fortune and misfortune.

且進財退財，繫乎自己命運所招，安有他人家男女而能致我之禍福耶？俗說退九年，退十年，益見此說益也。又有金輿祿，以馬前一位所犯一字，浪以男人為忌，其謬之甚何惑人之甚耶！

Moreover, wealth comes and goes, and it is brought about by one's own destiny and fortune; how could someone else's children bring me misfortune or blessing? There are also sayings in the folk such as "retreating nine years" and "retreating ten years," which further highlight how shallow this kind of explanation is. There is also something called "Jinyu Lu" (Golden Chariot and Favor), which merely takes the character before the Post-horse (Yimashu) and arbitrarily designates it as a taboo for men. It is absurd to such an extent that it can still deceive people to this degree!

婦命禍福淫亂，式以八敗、桃花殺為道忌。八敗則以豬羊犬吠春三月，蓋以亥未戌生人，見三月生者，遂為之八敗，並不聯屬日時，並不論其夫子和之道。假如亥未戌三個生人，見此辰月，終不然是他仇家也，亦非天地將此此辰月虧負此三人也。八敗之說，其謬甚矣。

In discussing the fortune and misfortune of women's lives and their involvement in immoral behavior, old methods always regarded "eight disasters" and "Taohua Kill" as major taboos. The so-called "eight disasters" refer to the phrase "Pigs, sheep, dogs barking in spring of the third month": those born in the years of Hai, Wei, and Xu, if they are also born in the third lunar month, are considered to have committed the "eight disasters." This does not involve the day pillar or the hour pillar, nor does it matter whether their "husband star" and "child star" are harmonious. Imagine that those born in the years of Hai, Wei, and Xu, when encountering the month of Chen, which is not their enemy, would the heavens and earth single out this month to wrong them? The concept of "eight disasters" is truly absurd.

又桃花殺之說曰：寅午戌兔從犯裡出。蓋其立說之意何耶？其寅午戌屬火，火則裸形，沐浴於卯，謂其火在卯上，浴水有裸體之嫌，妄立此名，其謬可知矣。吾嘗屢見富貴夫子兩全老婦，幼帶八敗，父母另將年命改造適人，及至臨終，始夫子真造，以紀譜券，其夫又無大敗之對。乃我嘗將此婦真造視之，果係夫子星秀，理得中和，八敗謬說果然也。

Now talking about the "Taohua Sha" or "Flower Kill," the rhyme says, "Yin, Wu, Xu, the rabbit comes out from Mao." What is the intention behind this statement? Yin, Wu, and Xu form a fire trinity, and fire is in the twelve long lives "bathing" in Mao. The "bathing" position is also called "naked form," so it says that fire reaches Mao, and when it meets water for bathing, it seems to have the suspicion of being naked, thus randomly attaching the name "Taohua" to it—the absurdity is evident. I have often seen women who have both husband and children, and who live a wealthy and prosperous life until old age, who were young with "eight defeats." Their parents changed her birth year and married her off to another man; until her death, they only revealed her true birth date and recorded it in the family register and marriage contract, yet her husband's side never showed any "great defeat" as predicted. I once looked at her real birth chart, and indeed, her "husband star" and "son star" were clear and elegant, and the principles were in harmony—this shows clearly that the "eight defeats" theory is indeed a mistaken one.

又或本然八字偏枯，夫子星虧，又帶八敗，世俗之人，只謂其帶敗，不知其八字本然不差了。故人擇女之命，但以夫星為主，子星次之，柱中若有夫星，便以夫星論之，原無夫星，另尋他格。蓋夫貴妻亦貴，夫貧妻亦貧，富貴從夫，其理甚明。

There is another situation: when one's birth chart is already imbalanced, both the 'husband star' and 'child star' are lacking, and she also happens to have the 'eight defeats'. Common people only say she has the 'defeats', but they do not realize that her birth chart was originally bad. Therefore, when selecting a wife's fate, we mainly consider the 'husband star', and the 'child star' comes next: if there is a 'husband star' in the four pillars, we analyze it from the 'husband star'; if there is no 'husband star', we look for other patterns. Because if the husband is wealthy, the wife will also be wealthy; if the husband is poor, the wife will also be poor. Wealth and status come with the husband, and this principle is clear.

何以名其官星為夫？蓋克我者，官星也，則身受制於夫，不敢淫亂，不敢妒暴。又喜夫星生旺之運，及有財神助起其夫，大畏食神傷官之運，以克其夫也。若日方弱，夫星太旺，帶有二三重者，此非好夫也，乃命之夫也，則喜食神傷官以制之，大運亦然。若制之太過，則又不足，貴得中和。

Why is the "official star" called husband? Because the "official star" is the one that controls me. The day stem, representing the wife, is controlled by the husband, so it does not commit adultery, does not become jealous or violent. Therefore, a woman's fortune is favorable when the "husband star" is strong and flourishing, and also when the column contains the "wealth star" to support the husband. She most fears the "food god" and "hurt official" years, as they will harm the husband. If the day stem is weak and the "husband star" is too strong, with two or three layers in the column, this is not a good husband, but rather a husband who takes her life. In such a case, it is better to have the "food god" and "hurt official" to control it, and the same applies to the big year. However, if the control is excessive, the "husband star" becomes insufficient, so the balance is most important.

大抵女命有夫則有子，子則從夫生，無夫則無子，子從何處覓？愚曾欲覓河準橋黃女為子婦，閱其八字不美拒之，是己未丁丑甲寅甲子。愚曰用丑中辛金為夫也，嫌未中丁火，鑽入丑中，破去其夫星，再加丁火透出天干，寅中又有丙火進氣，原夫星衰，而制夫星旺也。吾推其運，入寅五月必死，果五月患痘疹而頑強也。

In general, a woman's husband is the source of her children, for children are born from the husband; without a husband, there can be no children, so where would the children come from? I once intended to marry a girl from the Huang family by the Hezhun Bridge as a daughter-in-law, but I rejected her because her八字 was unfavorable. Her八字 is: the year pillar is Jiwei, the month pillar is Dingchou, the day pillar is Jiayin, and the hour pillar is Jiazi. I said: the Jia wood day stem should take the hidden Xin metal in Chou as the 'husband star,' but unfortunately the Ding fire in Wei enters Chou—Chou and Wei form a conflict, and the Ding fire in Wei directly harms the Xin metal in Chou, destroying the 'husband star.' Moreover, the Ding fire is also revealed in the month stem, and the hidden Bing fire in Yin is rising. This is the case where the 'husband star' is originally weak, while the fire that controls the 'husband star' is extremely strong. I predicted her fate, and said that when she enters the寅 year and reaches May, she would certainly die. Later, she indeed died in May from a severe rash that was fatal.

又如淫亂娼婢之說，亦甚有理。蓋或身主太旺，無夫星以制之，或又無財星以為依託，尤且身主血氣太旺，無官剋制，無夫管攝，逾於規矩準繩之外，安得不放逸為淫為奔乎！非特無夫，又且無子。蓋八字柱中無夫星，則子星何而生也？

As for the theory that women become promiscuous or fall into prostitution or become concubines and servants, it is indeed reasonable. Generally, if the day's ruler is too strong and there is no "husband star" to control it, nor any "wealth star" to rely on, and if the day's ruler has excessive energy and no "official star" to restrain it, with no husband to discipline her, she will go beyond the proper bounds and become unrestrained, leading to licentiousness and running away. Not only is there no husband, but there is also no son—since there is no "husband star" in the four pillars, how can the "son star" appear at all?

又或身主太弱，被其偏官正官，三四點夫星以制之，又無食神傷官以制其夫星，又或財多以撓其身主，雖曰官殺為夫也，此則非夫星也，乃克身之賊也。若有此等，必須制夫之運。又若日主無根，官殺太多，或從夫星，要行夫星旺處，蓋棄命從殺從夫，如人舍命而從強賊也。亦主富貴有子，但畏見從。

There is another type where the day stem is too weak and is heavily controlled by three or four points of 'biased official' and 'official', which are the 'husband stars'. Since there is no 'food god' or 'injury god' to restrain the 'husband star', or if there is too much 'wealth' that disturbs the day stem, in such cases although 'official' and 'killer' are considered as the husband, they are no longer the 'husband star', but rather the thief that harms the person. For such a destiny, one must go through a period that can control the husband. Another type is when the day stem has no root energy and there are too many 'official' and 'killer' energies. In this case, one should follow the 'husband star', which means going through a period where the 'husband star' is strong. This is called 'abandoning the destiny to follow the killer', or following the husband. It is like giving up one's life to rely on a bandit. Such a destiny may also lead to wealth and children, but one must be careful that the flow of fortune does not destroy this 'following' situation.

苟或日主有根，而惟官殺太旺，又無剋制，多是為婢為娼，是不得已而從人也。此等八字，俱繫淫亂。或因八字有此旺身弱之病，而又帶桃花，愚人不言八字偏枯之病，而浪以帶桃花為名，此等之謬，有智之士，請當細察。

If the day stem has its root, but the 'official star' and 'kill star' are too strong and there is no way to control them, then it is mostly likely to become a servant, concubine, or prostitute, forced to submit to others. Such a birth chart is considered to be of a licentious nature. Some people have the 'disease' of strong 'kill star' and weak self in their birth charts, and happen to also have 'taohua'. Ignorant people do not address the fundamental problem of the chart's imbalance, but instead wrongly label it as 'having taohua'. This kind of misunderstanding should be carefully distinguished by those with insight.

原出呂才蠻滅之說，只以男女年，浪立數目，配合相成，名曰合婚。妄立天醫福德為上婚，游魂歸魂為中婚，五鬼絕命為下婚，其謬甚矣。安可只以男女二年命，舍去月與日時，而能論人婚配者乎？若是有理，則天下之議婚者，俱擇上中二婚者而配之，擇下婚者而舍之，其書其易而不難，宜乎天下先天奇之婦，喪偶之矣。夫何後世又有孤孀之患者？

The method of matching marriages originally comes from Lu Cai's theory of subduing barbarians: it only takes the birth years of the man and woman, arbitrarily combines some numbers, and creates a name for compatibility, called "marriage compatibility." It falsely establishes "Tianyi" and "Fude" as superior marriages, "Youhun" and "Guihun" as medium marriages, and "Wugui" and "Jieming" as inferior marriages, which is very absurd. How can one determine a person's marriage solely based on the years of birth, ignoring the months, days, and hours? If this were reasonable, then everyone who discusses marriage would choose superior or medium compatibility, completely avoiding inferior ones, making this study too easy and effortless. Logically, there should be no more widows and widowers in the world. But why do people in later generations still suffer from the pain of being orphans and widows?

分雖出於宿世之所定，而亦由於議婚者之明也。然議婚之禮，人道之端，亦不可不慎也。其理當何如耶？但當看男命，帶比肩劫財重者，必擇婦命帶傷官食神重者配之。若婦命帶傷官食神重者，必擇男命帶比肩劫財重者配之。此係合婚之正理。豈可以呂才上中下三婚無根之說，無據之理，而議人之婚配也耶！呂才說之謬，不足信也明矣。

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) Although fate is determined in previous lives, it also depends on the ability of the people arranging the marriage. The ceremony of proposing marriage is the beginning of human relationships, and it is indeed not something to be taken lightly. Then, what is the correct principle? One should simply look at the man's birth chart: if his chart has a strong presence of "Biqian" and "Jiecai," he must be matched with a woman whose chart has a strong presence of "Shangguan" and "Shishi." Conversely, if the woman's chart has a strong presence of "Shangguan" and "Shishi," she must be matched with a man whose chart has a strong presence of "Biqian" and "Jiecai." This is the correct principle for matching marriages. How can one use the three categories of marriage proposed by Lü Cai—without foundation or evidence— to determine the marriage of others? Lü Cai's theory is clearly absurd and unreliable.

格曰：如《珞錄子》，專以財官為主，據其為說亦謬矣。雖人身以財官為依據財官太旺，日主太弱，則身主不難任其財官。苟日主太旺，財官氣輕，則財官不足身主之理。以財官日主參看。若子平書云：“財官輕而日旺，運行財官最為奇。”此主至此至當可為看命之法則。右《珞錄子》所言，止要財官生旺，不看日主旺弱，豈不甚謬乎？

The people who discuss character patterns say: A book like Luolu Zi focuses solely on 'wealth' and 'officials', but according to this, it is wrong. Although a person's life indeed relies on 'wealth' and 'officials' as a basis, when 'wealth' and 'officials' are too strong and the day stem is too weak, the day stem cannot bear such 'wealth' and 'officials'; conversely, if the day stem is too strong and 'wealth' and 'officials' are weak, then 'wealth' and 'officials' are insufficient for the day stem to use. Therefore, one must refer to both 'wealth' and 'officials' and the day stem together. The book of Zi Ping says: 'When 'wealth' and 'officials' are light and the day stem is strong, the movement to 'wealth' and 'officials' is most extraordinary.' This statement is very appropriate and can be used as a principle for examining fate. The above discussion in Luolu Zi, which only considers 'wealth' and 'officials' being strong and ignores whether the day stem is strong or weak, is not entirely correct.

日貴格，如甲戊庚牛羊，乙巳鼠猴鄉之類也。焉有斯理。雖曰天乙貴人，日主臨此貴人之上，或作日貴論其體咎。然貴人之說，名有數端，原取名之不據理出。即與五星小兒、諸多關妄謬之說同。雖曰日主臨之，不論財官印星，獨以貴人為主，甚為虛誕。且原立諸多貴人之說，只是飄空而立，不根理出。豈可信乎？六乙鼠貴格，亦同此例。謬說無疑也。

The so-called "Day Nobleman Pattern" is established according to rhymes like "Jia, Wu, and Geng belong to Ox and Sheep, Yi and Si belong to Rat and Monkey." But what sense is there in this? Although it is called "Tianyi Nobleman," if the day master is exactly sitting on top of the Nobleman, it is considered "Day Nobleman" to judge fortune and misfortune. However, the name "Nobleman" itself has several different kinds, and the original naming had no rational basis. It is no different from the childish and baseless claims of the Five Stars School regarding such things as infant-related evils. It says that as long as the day master is in contact with the Nobleman, it does not matter whether there are "wealth," "officials," or "seal" - these proper stars - and it solely relies on the Nobleman to determine fortune and misfortune, which is indeed baseless. Moreover, the many names of Nobleman established originally were all made up without any rational foundation, so how can they be trusted? The "Six Yi Rat Nobleman Pattern" is also the same kind of nonsense, without doubt.

日德格有五：甲寅、戊辰、庚辰、壬戌曰也。何以見其為德也？不考原委，不詢來歷，誤以日德名之，豈不是子平中之謬說乎？魁罡格，取壬辰，庚戌、庚辰、戊戌，臨四墓之上，取其為魁罡，難掌大權，並不以理論。何以臨此四墓之上就能掌握威權？此亦子平書之大謬也。

"The Day of Virtue" includes five days, namely Jiayin, Wuchen, Gengchen, Renxu, and others. Why are these days called "Virtue"? Without examining their origins or seeking their reasons, they are mistakenly labeled as "Day of Virtue," which is clearly a misconception in the study of Zi Ping. There is also the "Kui Gang Pattern," which selects four days: Renchen, Gengxu, Gengchen, and Wuxu. These days are said to sit on the four burial grounds of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, hence called "Kui Gang," claiming they can wield great power, but this is entirely illogical. Why should sitting on these four burial grounds grant authority? This is a major error in the Zi Ping texts.

六壬趨艮，謂用寅中甲木，能合己土，為壬之官；謂用寅中丙火，能合辛金，為壬之印。俱是無中生有之說，吾恐謬也。大抵與前拱祿、飛天、祿馬之說，相為表裡。此說尤非，故以謬名之也。

The pattern "Six Yin Tending Toward Gen" refers to taking the hidden Jia wood in the寅 branch, which Jia can combine with to bring forth Ji earth, and Ji earth is the "official" of Yin water; it also takes the hidden Bing fire in the寅 branch, which Bing can combine with to bring forth Xin metal, and Xin metal is the "nurturing" of Yin water. These are all explanations that create something from nothing, and I think they are wrong. Overall, this is largely consistent with previous patterns such as "supporting the official" and "celestial禄 and horse," but this particular pattern is especially unstable, so it is classified as a mistaken doctrine.

六甲趨乾，謂該上乃天之門戶，謂甲日生人臨此，謂之趨乾。假如別日干生臨亥上，何以不謂之趨乾也？然天門亦只好此六甲日主來趨也。然天門體至圓，本無門戶可入，然乾乃西北之界，類天之門戶，豈可論人禍福乎？此說是子平之謬也。

The pattern "Six Jia approaching Qian" says that the position of Hai is the gate of heaven, and if someone born on a Jia day is positioned on Hai, it is called "approaching Qian." But if another day stem is positioned on Hai, why isn't it called "approaching Qian"? Is this heavenly gate only allowed to be approached by the six Jia days? Moreover, the heavens are round and there is no actual gate to enter. The position of Qian is merely the boundary of the northwest direction, and it is onlywith difficulty compared to the gate of heaven. How can it be used to determine human fortune and misfortune? This statement is also a mistaken idea in the study of Zi Ping.

勾陳得位，以戊為勾陳，其一理也。得位謂其臨財官也，若戊己身主不柔，則能任財官也，則謂這勾陳位也。宜矣。若戊己氣弱，臨其財宮太旺之地，或為財多身弱，或為殺重身輕，若以勾陳得位為美，豈不謬首？玄武當權，與此理相同也。

The pattern "Gou Chen in Position" refers to theWu Earth (Wu Earth) being called "Gou Chen." This has some reasoning behind it. "Getting into position" means the day stem is in the place of "wealth" and "officials." If theWu Earth orJi Earth (Ji Earth) is not weak and can bear the burden of "wealth" and "officials," then calling it "Gou Chen in Position" is reasonable. However, if theWu Earth orJi Earth is weak and is in a place where "wealth" and "officials" are strong, leading to situations like "too much wealth but weak body" or "too strong killing force but weak body," then still calling it a good pattern would be absurd. The pattern "Xuan Wu in Authority" with壬癸 water as "Xuan Wu" follows the same reasoning.

從革格，謂庚辛日干，見申酉戌全，或巳酉丑全，此多剝雜，原非純粹可睹，與壬癸潤下格理同，此二格多矣。未曾有富貴者，但當以別理推之。止有曲直稼穡二格多富貴，火全巳午未格，亦未見其美。由是尊其所正，而闢其所謬也。

"The 'From-Revolution' pattern" refers to days with the stem Geng or Xin seeing the branches Shen, You, and Xu all present, or the triple harmony of Si, You, and Chou all present. Such octuple characters are generally mixed and cannot be considered pure, similar to the 'Moistening-Down' pattern of days with Ren or Gui. These two patterns are often seen, but there have been no truly prosperous and wealthy cases. Therefore, one should still follow other principles for analysis. Only the 'Bend-And-Straight' pattern of wood and the 'Cultivation' pattern of earth have more cases of prosperity and wealth. The fire pattern with Si, Wu, and Wei all present has not shown any particular benefits. Therefore, I respect those that conform to proper principles and reject those that are absurd.