One, Discussing the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches

天地之間，一氣而己。惟有動靜，遂分陰陽。有老少，遂分四象。老者極動靜之時，是為太陽太陰；少者初動初靜之際，是為少陰少陽。有是四象，而五行具於其中矣。水者，太陰也；火者，太陽也；木者，少陽也；金者，少陰也；土者，陰陽老少、木火金水沖氣所結也。

In the universe, the original nature is simply a mass of qi. The original text says "one qi only," where "己" is a mistake for "已." This mass of qi has movement and stillness. When movement and stillness are differentiated, yin and yang are formed. Movement and stillness each have degrees of maturity and youth, so from yin and yang, the four images are further divided. The extreme of movement is called old, which is the sun and the great yin; the beginning of movement and the beginning of stillness are called young, which are the young yang and young yin. With these four images, the five elements are included: water is the great yin, belonging to extreme stillness; fire is the sun, belonging to extreme movement; wood is the young yang, the beginning of movement; metal is the young yin, the beginning of stillness; earth does not belong exclusively to any of the four images. It is the central qi formed by the mutual interaction and convergence of yin and yang, old and young, and the four elements of wood, fire, metal, and water. Shen Xiaozhan starts his discussion not with the fortune or misfortune of the heavenly stems and earthly branches, but with the division of qi into yin and yang, the division of yin and yang into the four images, and the inclusion of the five elements within the four images. This is to establish a fundamental perspective: the foundation of destiny lies in the flow of qi. All subsequent discussions about the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, as well as the principles of generation, overcoming, punishment, and clash, must be derived from here, not arbitrary symbolic games.

有是五行，何以又有十干十二支乎？蓋有陰陽，因生五行，而五行之中，各有陰陽。即以木論，甲乙者，木之陰陽也。甲者，乙之氣；乙者，甲之質。在天為生氣，而流行於萬物者，甲也；在地為萬物，而承茲生氣者，乙也。又細分之，生氣之散佈者，甲之甲，而生氣之凝成者，甲之乙；萬木之所以有枝葉者，乙之甲，而萬木之枝枝葉葉者，乙之乙也。方其為甲，而乙之氣已備；及其為乙，而甲之質乃堅。有是甲乙，而木之陰陽具矣。

Since the Five Phases already exist, why are the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches established separately? This is because yin and yang come first and give rise to the Five Phases, and within each of the Five Phases, there are again yin and yang. Take wood for example: Jia and Yi represent the yang and yin aspects of wood. Jia is the "qi" of Yi, and Yi is the "substance" of Jia. In the heavens, Jia represents the vital qi that spreads and circulates among all things; on the earth, Yi takes form as the physical substance that receives this vital qi. If we look even more closely, the state of vital qi spreading outward is Jia within Jia, and the state of vital qi gathering and taking form is Jia within Yi. The ability of grass and trees to sprout branches and leaves comes from the power of Yi within Jia, while the actual branches and leaves that form are the result of Yi within Yi. When it is still Jia, the potential for Yi to take form is already present; when it becomes Yi, the vital qi of Jia has already solidified into a firm physical form. With the pairing of Jia and Yi, both the yang and yin aspects of wood are complete. The purpose of this passage is to explain that the Heavenly Stems are not arbitrary symbols, but rather the dual manifestations of the vital qi of a single Phase in the states of "circulation" and "solidification."

何以復有寅卯者，又與甲乙分陰陽天地而言之者也。以甲乙而分陰陽，則甲為陽，乙為陰，木之行於天而為陰陽者也。以寅卯而陰陽，則寅為陽，卯為陰，木之存乎地而為陰陽者也。以甲乙寅卯而統分陰陽，則甲乙為陽，寅卯為陰，木之在天成象而在地成形者也。甲乙行乎天，而寅卯受之；寅卯存乎也，而甲乙施焉。是故甲乙如官長，寅卯如該管地方。甲祿於寅，乙祿於卯，如府官之在郡，縣官之在邑，而各司一月之令也。

Since Jia and Yi have already divided the wood into yin and yang, why is there still a need for Yin and Mao? This is because Jia and Yi, along with Yin and Mao, must be further divided into yin and yang according to heaven and earth. When comparing Jia and Yi alone, Jia is yang and Yi is yin, representing the yin and yang of wood in the heavens. When comparing Yin and Mao alone, Yin is yang and Mao is yin, representing the yin and yang of wood on the earth. When combining Jia, Yi, Yin, and Mao for a comprehensive division, Jia and Yi as a whole belong to yang, while Yin and Mao as a whole belong to yin. This is because Jia and Yi represent the image of wood in the heavens, while Yin and Mao represent the form of wood on the earth. The qi of Jia and Yi flows in the heavens, while Yin and Mao receive it on the earth. Yin and Mao remain still on the earth, while the life qi of Jia and Yi acts upon them. The original text says 「Yin and Mao exist in 」, where 「」 is a mistake for 「earth」. Therefore, Jia and Yi are like officials appointed by the court, while Yin and Mao are the territories under their jurisdiction. Jia's 'Lü' (favorable position) is in Yin, and Yi's Lü is in Mao, just as a prefect governs his prefecture and a county magistrate governs his county, each responsible for the monthly seasons. This clarifies the division between heavenly stems and earthly branches: stems represent the movement of qi, while branches represent where the qi settles. They are the relationship between officials and their territories, not the same thing repeated twice.

甲乙在天，故動而不居。建寅之月，豈必當甲？建卯之月，豈必當乙？寅卯在地，故止而不遷。甲雖遞易，月必建寅；乙雖遞易，月必建卯。以氣而論，甲旺於乙；以質而論，乙堅於甲。而俗書謬論，以甲為大林，盛而宜斬，乙為微苗，脆而莫傷，可為不知陰陽之理者矣。以木類推，餘者可知，惟土為木火金水沖氣，故寄旺於四時，而陰陽氣質之理，亦同此論。欲學命者，必須先知干支之說，然後可以入門。

The Heavenly Stems belong to Heaven and are ever-changing, so during the first lunar month when the Month Builder is寅, it is not necessarily the stem Jia, and during the second lunar month when the Month Builder is卯, it is not necessarily the stem Yi. Each year the combination of Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch differs, as the Heavenly Stems rotate. The Earthly Branches belong to Earth and are fixed and unchanging, so regardless of the changes in Heavenly Stems, the first lunar month is always寅, and the second lunar month is always卯. In terms of Qi, the Qi of Jia is stronger than that of Yi; in terms of form, the body of Yi is more solid than that of Jia. However, common命书 (fate books) mistakenly compare them, saying Jia represents a tall forest tree that is vigorous and should be cut down, while Yi represents a thin and delicate seedling that is weak and should not be harmed. This kind of statement only focuses on the superficial imagery and completely fails to understand the differences in Yin and Yang and the nature of each element. Applying this reasoning to the element of Wood, the same principle applies to Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Only Earth is the harmonious mixture of Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water, so it does not dominate a single season but instead is strong at the end of each season. However, the differences in Yin and Yang and nature remain the same as discussed earlier. Those who wish to study命理 (fate calculation) must first fully understand the principles of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches before they can even begin to enter the field.

四時之運，相生而成，故木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水復生木，即相生之序，循環迭運，而時行不匱。然而有生又必有克，生而不克，則四時亦不成矣。克者，所以節而止之，使之收斂，以為發洩之機，故曰“天地節而四時成”。即以木論，木盛於夏，殺於秋，殺者，使發洩於外者藏收內，是殺正所以為生，大易以收劍為性情之實，以兌為萬物所說，至哉言乎！譬如人之養生，固以飲食為生，然使時時飲食，而不使稍飢以待將來，人壽其能久乎？是以四時之運，生與克同用，克與生同功。

The cycle of the four seasons depends on mutual generation to function: wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water in turn generates wood. This is the order of mutual generation, a continuous cycle, so the changing seasons never run out. However, there must be both generation and restriction. If there is only generation and no restriction, the four seasons would not be formed. The function of restriction is to restrain and contain, to gather the dispersed qi back inward, thus preparing for the next release. Therefore, the Commentary on the Judgment of the节卦 (Hexagram 30) in The Zhou Changes says, "Heaven and Earth regulate and the four seasons are formed." Taking wood as an example: wood is most vigorous in summer, but is cut down by metal in autumn. This cutting is actually gathering the already dispersed vital qi back inside, so cutting is precisely for the next generation. The Zhou Changes regard gathering as the substantial aspect of nature and temperament, and takes the兑卦 (Hexagram 4), which belongs to autumn and metal, as the joy of all things. This truly hits the mark—originally it was written as "The Great Changes regard gathering as the substantial aspect of nature and temperament," where "剑" (sword) is a mistake for "敛" (gathering). Using an analogy: humans live by food, but if they never stop eating and never let their stomachs be slightly hungry, leaving room for the next meal, could they live long? Therefore, in the cycle of the four seasons, both generation and restriction are used together, and the contribution of restriction is as great as that of generation.

然以五行而統論之，則水木相生，金木相剋。以五行之陰陽而分配之，則生克之中，又有異同。此所以水同生木，而印有偏正；金同克木，而局有官煞也。印綬之中，偏正相似，生克之殊，可置勿論；而相剋之內，一官一煞，淑慝判然，其理不可不細詳也。即以甲乙庚辛言之。甲者，陽木也，木之生氣也；乙者，陰木也，木之形質也。庚者，陽金也，秋天肅殺之氣也；辛者，陰金也，人間五金之質也。木之生氣，寄於木而行於天，故逢秋天為官，而乙則反是，庚官而辛殺也。

However, if we only speak generally in terms of the Five Phases, it would be simply two statements: water generates wood and metal controls wood. But once we separate the yin and yang of each of the Five Phases and pair them accordingly, there is a distinction between similarity and difference within both generation and control. This is why, even though it is the same case of water generating wood, the one that supports me is divided into 'positive official' and 'biased official' (positive refers to yin and yang being different, while biased refers to them being the same). Similarly, even though it is the same case of metal controlling wood, the formation of a pattern is divided into 'positive official' and 'seven evils'. Among the categories of official and minister, the nature of biased and positive officials is similar, so the slight difference in yin and yang can be temporarily disregarded. But in the category of control, one is 'positive official' and the other is 'seven evils', one good and one evil, with a clear distinction, and the reason for this must be carefully examined. Let us use the four characters jia, yi, geng, and xin to illustrate this. Jia is yang wood, representing the growth energy of wood; yi is yin wood, representing the form and substance of wood. Geng is yang metal, representing the killing and cutting energy of autumn; xin is yin metal, representing the physical form of metals such as silver, gold, and copper. The vital energy of wood resides in wood and flows in the sky, and when it meets the killing and cutting energy of autumn, it is restrained by it (the original text says 'meeting autumn as official', but according to the ten heavenly stems, jia meeting geng are both yang, so it should be seven evils. There is a possible error in the original text, but we retain it as is). For yi, the situation is the opposite; for yi, geng is the positive official and xin is the seven evils.

又以丙丁庚辛言之。丙者，陽火也，融和之氣也；丁者，陰火也，薪傳之火也。秋天肅殺之氣，逢陽和而克去，而人間之金，不畏陽和，此庚以丙為殺，而辛以丙為官也。人間金鐵之質，逢薪傳之火而立化，而肅殺之氣，不畏薪傳之火。此所以辛以丁為殺，而庚以丁為官也。即此以推，而餘者以相剋可知矣。

Using the four characters 丙, 丁, 庚, and 辛 to illustrate, 丙 represents yang fire, which is warm and harmonious, an invisible yang warmth; 丁 represents yin fire, which is like the flame of a lamp or furnace attached to objects. The autumn killing energy is 庚, which is subdued by the pervasive yang warmth of 丙; however, the tangible metal of 人间 is 辛, which is not afraid of this gentle warmth. Therefore, for 庚, 丙 is a seven calamity (seven煞), as both are yang and the control is fierce; for 辛, 丙 is a proper official (正官), since they are yin and yang and the control is harmonious. Conversely, when the tangible metal of 人间 meets the flame of柴薪, it melts immediately, while the intangible killing energy of autumn is not afraid of this tangible fire. Therefore, for 辛, 丁 is a seven calamity, and for 庚, 丁 is a proper official. Following this logic, the distinctions between official and calamity in other combinations can also be understood by analogy. The key point here is that the distinction between official and calamity is not only determined by the form of yin-yang pairing, but is supported by the real principle that when qi controls qi and substance controls substance, the control is severe; but when qi and substance differ, there is affection in the control.

五行干支之說，已詳論於干支篇。干動而不息，支靜而有常。以每干流行於十二支之月，而生旺墓絕繫焉。陽主聚，以進為進，故主順；陰主散，以退為退，故主逆。此生沐浴等項，所以有陽順陰逆之殊也。四時之運，功成者去，等用者進，故每流行於十二支之月，而生旺墓絕，又有一定。陽之所生，即陰之所死，彼此互換，自然之運也。

The basic principles of the Five Phases and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches have already been explained in detail in the previous section, "On the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches." The key point is that the Heavenly Stems are dynamic and constantly in motion, while the Earthly Branches are static and remain in fixed positions. When each Heavenly Stem is placed through the twelve Earthly Branches, representing the twelve months, the sequence of the "Twelve Longevity" positions, including growth, bathing, prosperity, and burial, is established. Yang stems, which represent gathering, move forward, thus progressing in the order of the Earthly Branches. Yin stems, which represent dispersion, move backward, thus regressing in the order of the Earthly Branches. The distinction between "Yang moving forward" and "Yin moving backward" in the terms of growth and bathing arises from this difference. The original text reads "this bathing and so on," but the character "long" is missing after "this," so it should be read as "this growth, bathing, and so on." The cycle of the four seasons involves the successful completing of a task retreating and those waiting taking their place, so each Heavenly Stem passes through the twelve months, with each having a specific position for birth, prosperity, burial, and decline. The original text reads "those who are ready to use advance," but "those" is a mistake for "those waiting," so it should be read as "those waiting advance." The place of growth for a Yang stem is the place of death for a Yin stem, and they exchange positions, which is a natural flow of energy, not a human arrangement.

即以甲乙論，甲為木之陽，木之枝枝葉葉，受天生氣，己收藏飽足，可以為來克發洩之機，此其所以生於亥也。木當午月，正枝葉繁盛之候，而甲何以死？卻不是外雖繁盛，而內之生氣發洩已盡，此其所以死於午也。乙木反是，午月枝葉繁盛，即為之生，亥月枝葉剝落，即為之死。以質而論，自與氣殊也。以甲乙為例，餘可知矣。

Using Jia and Yi as examples, Jia represents the yang aspect of wood and symbolizes life qi. By the time of the亥 month, the branches and leaves of plants have collected the descending life qi from heaven to a full and abundant extent, which serves as the capital for the new spring to release it again. Therefore, the long life (长生) of Jia is fixed at亥 — the original text says 「己收藏饱足」, where 「己」 is a mistake for 「已」; another version says 「可以为来克发泄之机」, where 「克」 is a mistake for 「春」, and it should be 「来春发泄之机」. However, when wood reaches the午 month, it is at its most flourishing, so why is Jia considered to die at午? It is because although the exterior appears flourishing, the internal life qi has already been exhausted — precisely for this reason, Jia's death is fixed at午. The case of Yi wood is exactly the opposite: the午 month sees the most flourishing branches and leaves, which for Yi, representing form, is considered birth; the亥 month sees the withering of branches and leaves, which for Yi is considered death. This shows that judging by form is fundamentally different from judging by qi. Taking Jia and Yi as examples, the principles of yang moving in the same direction and yin moving in the opposite direction for the other stems can also be inferred.

支有十二月，故每干長生至胎養，亦分十二位。氣之由盛而衰，衰而復盛，逐節細分，遂成十二。而長生沐浴等名，則假借形容之詞也。長生者，猶人之初生也。沐浴者，猶人既生之後，而沐浴以去垢；如果核既為苗，則前之青殼，洗而去之矣。冠帶者，形氣漸長，猶人之年長而冠帶也。臨官者，由長而壯，猶人之可以出仕也。帝旺者，壯盛之極，猶人之可以輔帝而大有為也。衰者，盛極而衰，物之初變也。病者，衰之甚也。死者，氣之盡而無餘也。墓者，造化收藏，猶人之埋於土者也。絕者，前之氣已絕，後之氣將續也。胎者，後之氣續而結聚成胎也。養者，如人養母腹也。自是而後，長生循環無端矣。

There are twelve earthly branches corresponding to the twelve months. Therefore, each heavenly stem progresses through the twelve positions starting from "long life" to "womb" and "nourishment." This process of energy shifting from its peak to decline and then back to its peak is divided into twelve stages. The terms such as "long life" and "bathing" are metaphors based on a person's life experiences and are descriptive rather than literal. "Long life" is like a person's birth. "Bathing" is like washing away the impurities after birth, similar to a fruit kernel sprouting into a young plant, where the outer shell is removed. "Capping" refers to the gradual growth of form and strength, like a person reaching adulthood and undergoing the ceremony of wearing a cap and tying a sash. "Officialdom" means becoming strong and capable, like a person being able to take up an official position. "Prosperity" is the peak of strength, like a person being able to assist a ruler and achieve great success. "Decline" is the turning point from peak to decline, where things begin to change. "Illness" is a more severe decline. "Death" is when the energy is completely exhausted with nothing left. "Womb" is when the energy is stored away, like a person being buried after death. "Cut off" means the energy of the previous stage has ended and the energy of the next stage has not yet begun. "Womb" is when the energy of the next stage begins and forms a fetus. "Nourishment" is like a fetus being nourished in the mother's womb. From "nourishment" onwards, the cycle returns to "long life," continuing endlessly without a beginning or an end.

人之日主，不必生逢祿旺，即月令休囚，而年日時中，得長祿旺，便不為弱，就使逢庫，亦為有根。時產謂投庫而必沖者，俗書之謬也。但陽長生有力，而陰長生不甚有力，然亦不弱。若是逢庫，則陽為有根，而陰為無用。蓋陽大陰小，陽得兼陰，陰不能兼陽，自然之理也。

The "day stem," which represents the person in the birth chart, does not necessarily have to be born in a month of officialdom or prosperity to be strong. Even if the month's stem and branch are weak and confined for the day stem, as long as the year stem, day branch, or hour stem contain growth or strength, the day stem is not considered weak. Even if it only encounters a storage position, it is considered "rooted" with support. The original text says "get growth, strength, and prosperity," but the character "growth" is missing a "birth" character, so it should be "get growth, strength, and prosperity." Some common texts claim that the day stem must be opened by a clash to be effective, which is nonsense. The original text says "the time production says that when the stem is stored, it must be clashed," but "time production" is a mistake for "common people." It should be "common people say that when the stem is stored, it must be clashed." However, there is a distinction between strength and weakness. The strength of growth for a yang stem is greater, while for a yin stem it is less, but it cannot be considered weak. When encountering a storage position, a yang stem is considered rooted, while a yin stem is not useful. This is because yang is large and yin is small, yang can accommodate yin, but yin cannot accommodate yang, which is a natural principle.

合化之義，以十干陰陽相配而成。河圖之數，以一二三四五配六七八十，先天之道也。故始於太陰之水，而終於沖氣之土，以氣而語其生之序也。蓋未有五行之先，必先有陰陽老少，而後沖氣，故生以土。終之既有五行，則萬物又生於土，而水火木金，亦寄質焉，故以土先之。是以甲己相合之始，則化為土；土則生金，故乙庚化金次之；金生水，故丙辛化水又次之；水生木，故丁壬化木又次之；木生火，故戊癸化火又次之，而五行遍焉。先之以土，相生之序，自然如此。此十干合化之義也。

The principle of "he hua" (combination and transformation) in the Heavenly Stems is formed by pairing the ten stems according to yin and yang. According to the numbers in the River Chart, the numbers one, two, three, four, and five are paired with six, seven, eight, nine, and ten respectively. One and six share the same origin, two and seven follow the same path, three and eight are companions, four and nine are friends, and five and ten share the same way. This is the original number of creation. The original text says "pair with six, seven, eight, ten," but the character "nine" is missing after "eight," so it should be "pair with six, seven, eight, nine, and ten." If we consider the sequence of the Five Phases based on the generation of elements, it starts with water from the Taiyin and ends with the harmonious qi of earth. Before the Five Phases were differentiated, there were first yin and yang, old and young, and then the harmonious qi of earth. Therefore, earth is placed last in the sequence of generation. However, once the Five Phases are fully established, all things are generated from earth, and water, fire, wood, and metal all rely on earth for form. Therefore, when discussing the generation of all things, earth is placed first. This is why the combination and transformation of the Heavenly Stems starts with Jia combining with Ji to produce earth; since earth generates metal, Yi combines with Geng to produce metal, which is second; metal generates water, so Bing combines with Xin to produce water, which is third; water generates wood, so Ding combines with Ren to produce wood, which is fourth; wood generates fire, so Wu combines with Gui to produce fire, which is fifth. After one cycle, the Five Phases are all covered. The combination and transformation starts with earth, following naturally the order of mutual generation. This is the meaning behind the combination and transformation of the ten Heavenly Stems.

其性情何也？蓋既有配合，必有向背。如甲用辛官，透丙作合，而官非其官；甲用癸印，透戊作合，而印非其印；甲用己財，己與別位之甲作合，而財非其財。如年己月甲，年上之財，被月合去，而日主之甲乙無分；年甲月己，月上之財，被年合去，而日主之甲乙不與是也。甲用丙食與辛作合，而非其食，此四喜神因合而無用者也。

So, what are the considerations regarding the harmonization in terms of character and disposition? Since there are two heavenly stems that are paired, there must be distinctions between attraction and repulsion. For example, if the day stem is Jia and it originally needs Xin as the official star, but the chart reveals Bing instead, Bing and Xin combine, and Xin's attention is drawn away by Bing, so this official star is no longer useful to me. If Jia needs Gui as the nourishing star, but the chart reveals Wu instead, Wu and Gui combine, and this nourishing star is no longer mine. If Jia needs Ji as the wealth star, but Ji has already combined with another Jia in another position, this wealth is no longer mine. For instance, if the year stem is Ji and the month stem is Jia, the wealth in the year is taken by the month stem, so the day stem Jia or Yi cannot benefit from it. Conversely, if the year stem is Jia and the month stem is Ji, the wealth in the month is taken by the year stem, so the day stem cannot benefit from it either. Another example is when Jia uses Bing as the food star, but Bing combines with Xin, so this food star is no longer a food star. The above describes the situations where the four favorable elements—official star, nourishing star, wealth star, and food star—are rendered ineffective due to combination.

又如甲逢庚為煞，與乙作合，而煞不攻身；甲逢乙為劫財，甲逢丁為傷，與壬作合，而丁不為傷官；甲逢壬為梟，與丁作合，而壬不奪食。此四忌神因合化吉者也。蓋有所合則有所忌，逢吉不為吉，逢凶不為凶。即以六親言之，如男以財為妻，而被別干合去，財妻豈能親其夫乎？女以官為夫，而被他干合去，官夫豈能愛其妻乎？此謂配合之性情，因向背而殊也。

Looking at it in reverse, the same applies to evil spirits. When Jia meets Geng, it is called seven calamity; if Yi comes to harmonize with Geng, Geng is restrained, and the seven calamity no longer attacks Jia—Jia meeting Yi is originally劫财, but here it is actually beneficial. When Jia meets Ding, it is called official injury; if Ding harmonizes with Ren, Ding no longer displays its official injury nature. When Jia meets Ren, it is called the hawk god; originally it would steal food, but if Ren harmonizes with Ding, Ren can no longer steal the food god. This is an example of four evil spirits—seven calamity,劫财, official injury, and hawk god—being transformed into good because they are harmonized. In general, whenever there is a harmonization, there is some restraint: encountering a good spirit does not necessarily mean good, and encountering an evil spirit does not necessarily mean evil. The same principle applies to the six relations: for a male, the official is considered the wife; if the official is taken away by another heavenly stem, can this official wife still be close to her husband? For a female, the official is considered the husband; if the official is taken away by another heavenly stem, can this official husband still love his wife? This is called the nature of harmonization, which can be greatly different depending on whether it is favorable or not.

十干化合之義，前篇既明之矣，然而亦有合而不合者，何也？蓋隔於有所間也，譬如人彼此相好，而有人從中間之，則交必不能成。譬如甲與己合，而甲己中間，以庚間隔之，則甲豈能越克我之庚而合己？此制於勢然也，合而不敢合也，有若無也。又有隔位太遠，如甲在年干，己在時上，心雖相契，地則相遠，如人天南地北，不能相合一般。然於有所制而不敢合者，亦稍有差，合而不能合也，半合也，其為禍福得十之二三而已。

The principles of the harmonious relationship between the Ten Heavenly Stems have already been explained in the previous section. However, there is another situation where it appears to be a harmonious relationship but in reality it is not. This is because the two stems are separated by other characters. It is like two people who were originally fond of each other, but a third party intervenes and obstructs their relationship, making it impossible to form a bond. For example, Jia and Ji are naturally harmonious, but if there is a Geng between them, Geng is a seven煞 (seven evil star) that restrains Jia. Jia is already cautious about protecting itself, so how could it dare to go beyond Geng to harmonize with Ji? This is a case of being restricted by circumstances, where the desire to harmonize is prevented, thus equivalent to no harmonization at all. Another case is when the positions are too far apart. For instance, Jia is in the year stem and Ji is in the hour stem, with two stems in between. Although their hearts may be in harmony, the distance between them is too great, like one person in the southern sky and the other in the northern land, making it impossible to come together. However, this situation differs slightly from the previous one where harmonization is prevented due to restriction. In this case, the desire to harmonize is not fulfilled, and it can only be considered as half harmonization, with the effect of good or bad fortune being approximately only two or three tenths.

又有合而無傷於合者，何也？如甲生寅卯，月時兩透辛官，以年丙合月辛，是為合一留一，官星反輕。甲逢月刃，庚辛並透，丙與辛合，是為合官留煞，而煞刃依然成格，皆無傷於合也。又有合而不以合論者，何也？本身之合也。

There is another situation where although there is a combination, it does not lead to bad results. Why is this? For example, if the day stem is Jia and the birth month is寅 or卯, and both the month stem and the hour stem are revealed as Xin, which is the official star, having two official stars is usually considered a problem. However, if the year stem has Bing to combine with the month stem's Xin, combining one and leaving the other, the weight of the official star becomes just right. Another example is when the day stem is Jia and the birth month is卯, sitting on Yangren. If both Geng (seven evil star) and Xin (official star) are revealed, it becomes a mixture of official and evil stars. In this case, if Bing combines with Xin, removing the official star and leaving the evil star, the pattern of "evil star and Yangren supporting each other" still holds. In these two examples, the combination is not harmful but actually beneficial. There is also another case where combination does not follow the principle of combining away. This is when the day stem itself combines with another.

蓋五陽逢財，五陰遇官，俱是作合，惟是本身十干合之，不為合去。假如乙用庚官，日干之乙，與庚作合，是我之官，是我合之。何為合去？若庚在年上，乙在月上，則月上之乙，先去合庚，而日干反不能合，是為合去也。又如女以官為夫，丁日逢壬，是我之夫，是我合之，正如夫妻相親，其情愈密。惟壬在月上，而年丁合之，日干之丁，反不能合，是以己之夫星，被姊妹合去，夫星透而不透矣。

The five yang stems meet their corresponding stem to form a harmonious relationship, and that corresponding stem is their official wealth; the five yin stems meet their corresponding stem to form a harmonious relationship, and that corresponding stem is their official position. These are all cases of harmony. However, if the day stem itself is the one engaging in the harmonious relationship, it is not considered as 'harmony from the other side'. For example, if the day stem is Yi and the official position is Geng, the Yi stem and Geng stem harmonize. Since the day stem itself is engaging in the harmony, it is not considered as 'harmony from the other side'. But if Geng is in the year stem and another Yi is in the month stem, the month stem Yi will harmonize with Geng first, and the day stem Yi will not be able to harmonize with Geng, which is called 'harmony from the other side'. Another example is that for a female's fortune, the official position represents her husband. If the day stem is Ding and the stem壬 is encountered, the壬 is the husband and is harmonized by the day stem Ding. This is like a husband and wife being close to each other, deepening their affection. However, if the壬 is in the month stem and there is another Ding in the year stem, the year stem Ding will harmonize with the壬 first, and the day stem Ding will not be able to harmonize with the壬. In this case, the husband's stem is taken by the sister's stem, and even though the husband's stem is revealed, it is as if it is not revealed.

然又有爭合妒合之說，何也？如兩辛合丙，兩丁合壬之類，一夫不娶二妻，一女不配二夫，所以有爭合妒合之說。然到底終有合意，但情不專耳。若以兩合一而隔位，則全無爭妒。如庚午、乙酉、甲子、乙亥，兩乙合庚，甲日隔之，此高太尉命，仍作合煞留官，無減福也。化氣有真有假。上兩造為化氣之真者，亦有化氣有餘，而日帶根苗劫印者；有日主無根，而化神不足者；更有合化雖真，而閒神來傷化氣者，皆為假化。

There are also terms called "争合" and "妒合," which refer to situations where two instances of the same heavenly stem attempt to combine with a single heavenly stem. For instance, two instances of 辛 attempt to combine with a single 丙, or two instances of 丁 attempt to combine with a single 壬. Since a husband cannot marry two wives and a wife cannot marry two husbands, these are called "争合" and "妒合." However, there is still an element of combination, though the affection is not exclusive. If these two stems that are combining are separated by position, then there is no competition or jealousy. For example, in the four pillars of the八字 of Gao Taiwei, the month stem and the hour stem are both 乙, and they both attempt to combine with the year stem 庚. However, the 甲 stem in the day position separates them, so this is considered a case of "合煞留官," where the 乙 combines with the 庚煞 and leaves the 申 metal in the酉 stem as the 正官. The good fortune is not reduced because of the competition. Regarding the phenomenon of "合化," there are both true and false cases. The example given above is a true case of "化气." In this text, only the case of Gao Taiwei is mentioned. There are other cases as well: when the "化神" is in excess but the day stem has another root, or when it is affected by劫财 or印绶, or when the day stem has no root but the "化气" is insufficient, or when the combination is true but there are other elements that damage the "化神." These are all considered "假化."

書云，得時俱為旺論，失時便作衰看，雖是至理，亦死法也。然亦可活看。夫五行之氣，流行四時，雖日干各有專令，而其實專令之中，亦有並存者在。假若春木司令，甲乙雖旺，而此時休囚之戊己，亦嘗豔於天地也。特時當退避，不能爭先，而其實春土何嘗不生萬物，冬日何嘗不照萬國乎？況八字雖以月令為重，而旺相休囚，年月日時，亦有損益之權，故生月即不值令，而年時如值祿旺，豈便為衰？不可執一而論。

The book of destiny says, "If a heavenly stem is in its season, it should be considered strong; if it is out of season, it should be considered weak." Though this is a fundamental truth, it is also a rigid method. It can also be viewed more flexibly. The five phases move through the four seasons. Although each heavenly stem has its own season, when one phase is dominant, the others are not entirely absent. For example, in spring, wood is in command, so Jia and Yi are strong. However, the earth (Wu and Ji) which is in decline at this time, does it not exist in the world? The original text says "also exists in the world," where "艳" is a mistake for "存." It simply means that although the season is not suitable for it, it must step back and not compete. In reality, how can spring's earth not nourish all things? How can the sun in winter not shine over the land? Moreover, although the month's stem is the most important in an eight-character birth chart, the judgment of strength, prosperity, decline, and weakness should consider the contributions of the year stem, month stem, day branch, and hour stem, each with their own added or subtracted weight. Therefore, even if a heavenly stem is not in its season, if it meets the officialdom or prosperity position in the year or hour stem, how can it be considered weak? One should not fixate on a single aspect.

猶如春木雖強，金太重而木亦危。干庚辛而支酉丑，無火制而晃富，逢土生而必夭，是以得時而不旺也。秋木雖弱，木根深而木亦強。干甲乙而支寅卯，遇官透而能受，逢水生而太過，是失時不弱也。是故十干不論月令休囚，只要四柱有根，便能受財官食神而當傷官七煞。

Just as in spring, although wood is in its season and strong, if metal is too heavy, the wood is still in danger: if there are heavenly stems with Geng and Xin or earthly branches with You and Chou forming a metal formation, and there is no fire to control the metal, even if it is fortunate and wealthy, it will not last long. If there is also earth to generate metal, it will certainly result in a short life — this is called "being in season but not strong." Conversely, although wood in autumn is out of season and weak, if its roots are deep, it can still be strong: if there are heavenly stems with Jia and Yi or earthly branches with寅 and卯, and the official star is revealed, it can still bear it. If there is also water to generate wood, it is even more excessive — this is called "out of season but not weak." Therefore, the ten heavenly stems do not have to be judged solely on whether they are weak and confined in the month. As long as they have roots in the four pillars, they can support the auspicious deities such as wealth, official star, and food god, and also withstand the inauspicious deities such as injurious star and seven calamities.

長生祿旺，根之重者也；墓庫餘氣，根之輕者也。得一比肩，不如得支中一墓庫，如甲逢未、丙逢戌之類。乙逢戌、丁逢丑，不作此論，以戌中無藏木，丑中無藏火也。得二比肩，不如得一餘氣，如乙逢辰、丁逢未之類。得三比肩，不如得一長生祿刃，如甲逢亥子寅卯之類。陰長生不作此論，如乙逢午、丁逢酉之類，然亦為明根，比得一餘氣。

The concept of "tong gen" refers to the strength of a heavenly stem being supported by the earthly branches, and its weight varies. If the earthly branch is in the position of Changsheng (growth), Lin guan (officialdom), or Diwang (prosperity), it is considered a heavy root. If it is in the position of Muku (storage) or Yuqi (residual qi), it is considered a light root. Having one fellow heavenly stem to support is not as effective as having one storage in the earthly branch. For example, Jia (甲) benefits from Wei (未), which contains Yi (乙) wood; Bing (丙) benefits from Xu (戌), which contains Ding (丁) fire. Although the original text says "getting one fellow," the commentary in "Ziping Zhenquan Pingzhu" refers to "getting one fellow in the heavenly stem," both referring to support from the heavenly stem. However, if the stem is not present in the earthly branch, such as Yi (乙) benefiting from Xu (戌) or Ding (丁) benefiting from You (丑), it cannot be calculated this way, since Xu does not contain wood and You does not contain fire. Having two fellow heavenly stems is not as effective as having one residual qi. For example, Yi (乙) benefits from Chen (辰), which is the residual qi of wood; Ding (丁) benefits from Wei (未), which is the residual qi of fire. Having three fellow heavenly stems is not as effective as having one Changsheng, Lin guan, or Yangren. For example, Jia (甲) benefits from Hai (亥) as Changsheng, Zi (子) asBathing (bathing), Yin (寅) as Lin guan, and Mao (卯) as Yangren. For yin heavenly stems, their Changsheng is not calculated in the same way. For example, Yi (乙) benefits from Wu (午) and Ding (丁) benefits from You (酉), but their strength is reduced. However, they are still clear roots, approximately equivalent to having one residual qi.

蓋比劫如朋友之相扶，通根如室家之可住；干多不如根重，理固然也。今人不知命理，見夏水冬火，不問有無通根，便為之弱。更有陽干逢庫，如壬逢辰、丙坐戌之類，不以為水火通根身庫，甚至求刑沖開之。此種謬論，必宜一切掃除也。

This is because fellow elements and thieves of wealth are like friends helping out, while having roots is like having a house and family to settle down. Although there may be many helpers in the heavenly stems, they are still not as good as having deep roots in the earthly branches. This is the natural principle. Nowadays, some people do not understand the principles of destiny. Upon seeing a water day master born in summer or a fire day master born in winter, they do not consider whether there are roots in the earthly branches, and immediately judge the body to be weak. Worse still, when a yang stem sits on its own storage, such as壬 sitting on 辰 (which is a water storage), or 丙 sitting on 戌 (which is a fire storage), which naturally means that water and fire have roots in the storage, they do not acknowledge this, and even go so far as to seek punishment and clash to open up the storage. Such fallacies must be completely eliminated.

刑者，三刑也，子卯巳申之類是也。沖者，六沖也，子午卯酉之類是也。會者，三會也，申子辰之類是也。合者，六合也，子與丑合之類是也。此皆以地支宮分而言，繫對射之意也。三方為會，朋友之意也。並對為合，比鄰之意也。至於三刑取廡，姑且闕疑，雖不知其所以然，於命理亦無害也。八字支中，刑沖俱非美事，而三合六合，可以解之。

First, clarify the terms. "Xing" refers to the Three Crimes, such as Zi Xing Mao and Si Xing Shen. "Chong" refers to the Six Clashes, such as Zi and Wu opposing each other, or Mao and You opposing each other. "Hui" refers to the Triple Harmony, such as Shen, Zi, and Chen forming a Water Bureau. "He" refers to the Six Harmonies, such as Zi and Chou harmonizing with each other. These terms are based on the directional positions of the Earthly Branches: "Chong" means two branches directly facing each other and opposing; "Hui" means three branches located in different directions, distant yet corresponding, symbolizing friends gathering together; "He" means two branches adjacent to each other, close and attached, symbolizing neighbors getting along well. As for the meaning of the Three Crimes, it is temporarily left uncertain— the original text says "as for the Three Crimes taking 'wu'," but "wu" is a mistake for "yi," so it should be "the Three Crimes taking meaning." Although the reason is unclear, it does not hinder the process of divination. In summary, the appearance of "Xing" and "Chong" in the Earthly Branches of the Four Pillars is not auspicious, but Triple Harmony and Six Harmony can resolve them.

假如甲生酉月，逢卯則沖，而或支中有戌，則卯與戌合而不沖；有辰，則酉與辰合而不沖；有亥與未，則卯與亥未會而不沖；有巳與丑，則酉與巳丑會而不沖。是會合可以解沖也。又如丙生子月，逢卯則刑，而或支中有戌，則與戌合而不刑；有丑，則子與丑合而不刑；有亥與未，則卯與亥未會而不刑；有申與辰，則子與申辰會而不刑。是會合可以解刑也。

For example, if the day stem is Jia and the month is You, the month stem is the official (正官). If the branch contains Mao, then the branches You and Mao are in opposition (相冲), which would damage the month stem. However, if there is also Xu in the branches, then Mao and Xu are in six harmony (六合), so Mao is restrained and does not oppose You. If there is also Chen, then You and Chen are in six harmony, so You is protected and does not suffer the opposition. If there is also Hai and Wei, then Mao forms a triple harmony (三合) with Hai and Wei to form a wood triad, and the mind is focused on the triad, so there is no opposition. If there is also Si and Chou, then You forms a triple harmony with Si and Chou to form a metal triad, and there is also no opposition. This shows that triple harmony and six harmony can resolve opposition. Another example is if the day stem is Bing and the month is Zi, and the branches contain Mao, then Zi and Mao are in mutual destruction (相刑). However, if there is also Xu, then Mao and Xu are in six harmony, so there is no destruction. The original text says 'then it combines with Xu without destruction,' but the character 'then' is missing the character 'Mao,' so it should be 'then Mao combines with Xu without destruction.' If there is also Chou, then Zi and Chou are in six harmony, so there is no destruction. If there is also Hai and Wei, then Mao forms a triple harmony with Hai and Wei to form a wood triad, so there is no destruction. If there is also Shen and Chen, then Zi forms a triple harmony with Shen and Chen to form a water triad, so there is also no destruction. This shows that triple harmony and six harmony can resolve destruction.

又有因解而反得刑沖者，何也？假如甲生子月，支逢二卯相併，二卯不刑一子，而支又逢戌，戌與卯合，本為解刑，而合去其一，則一合而一刑，是因解而反得刑沖也。又有刑沖而會合不能解者，何也？假如子年午月，日坐丑位，丑與子合，可以解沖，而時逢巳酉，則丑與巳酉會，而子復沖午；子年卯月，日坐戌位，戌與卯合，可以解刑，而或時逢寅午，則戌與寅午會，而卯復刑子。是會合而不能解刑沖也。

There is another situation where an attempt to rescue leads to punishment and clash instead. For example, if the day stem is Jia and it is born in the month of Zi, and there are two Maos in the earthly branches, the two Maos compete to punish the Zi, but their strength is divided, so the punishment does not occur. However, if another Xu appears in the earthly branches, it combines with one of the Maos, intending to resolve the punishment. But since only one Mao is combined, the remaining Mao goes on to punish the Zi alone—thus, one combination and one punishment, leading to punishment and clash through the attempt to resolve it. Another situation is when there is a combination but the punishment and clash cannot be resolved. For example, if the year branch is Zi, the month branch is Wu, Zi and Wu naturally clash. The day branch is Chou, which combines with Zi, so it could resolve the clash. However, if the hour branch is Si or You, the Chou is drawn to combine with Si or You to form a metal formation, leaving Zi behind, and Zi then turns back to clash with Wu. Similarly, if the year branch is Zi, the month branch is Mao, the day branch is Xu, which combines with Mao to resolve the punishment. However, if the hour branch is Yin or Wu, the Xu is drawn to combine with Yin or Wu to form a fire formation, leaving Mao to punish Zi again. This is when there is a combination but the punishment and clash cannot be resolved.

更有刑沖而可以解刑者，何也？蓋四柱之中，刑沖俱不為美，而刑沖用神，尤為破格，不如以另位之刑沖，解月令之刑沖矣。假如丙生子月，卯以刑子，而支又逢酉，則又與酉沖不刑月令之官。甲生酉月，卯日沖之，而時逢子立，則卯與子刑，而月令官星，沖之無力，雖於別宮刑沖，六親不無刑剋，而月官猶在，其格不破。是所謂以刑沖而解刑沖也。

There is another method of resolving conflicts and clashes by using other conflicts and clashes. What is the reasoning behind this? In the four pillars, both conflicts and clashes are not favorable, but the most serious is when they harm the 'useful god'. This directly breaks the structure. Therefore, it is better to use conflicts and clashes in other positions to divert the conflicts and clashes in the month pillar. For example, if the day stem is Bing and the month is Zi, the water in Zi is the official star. If there is a Mao in the branch, it conflicts with Zi. If another You appears, Mao and You clash, and Mao will be occupied in fighting with You, thus not being able to clash with the official star in the month pillar. Another example is when the day stem is Jia and the month is You, the official star is in the month pillar. If the day branch is Mao, it clashes with You. If the hour branch is Zi, Mao and Zi clash, and Mao is restrained, thus the strength of the clash with the official star in the month pillar is weakened. Although conflicts and clashes occur in other positions, leading to some clashes among the six relations, the official star in the month pillar is preserved, and the structure is not broken — this is called resolving conflicts and clashes by using conflicts and clashes.

八字用神，專求月令，以日干配月令地支，而生克不同，格局分焉。財官印食，此用神之善而順用之者也；煞傷劫刃，用神之不善而逆用之者也。當順而順，當逆而逆，配合得宜，皆為貴格。是以善而順用之，則財喜食神以相生，生官以護財；官喜透財以相生，生印以護官；印喜官煞以相生，劫才以護印；食喜身旺以相生，生財以護食。不善而逆用之，則七煞喜食神以制伏，忌財印以資扶；傷官喜佩印以制伏，生財以化傷；陽刃喜官煞以制伏，忌官煞之俱無；月劫喜透官以制伏，利用財而透食以化劫。此順逆之大路也。

In the eight characters (Ba Zi), the "useful god" (Yong Shen) is specifically sought from the monthly stem. The relationship between the day stem and the monthly branch determines the "pattern" (Ge Gu). In this book, the "useful god" refers to the single character provided by the monthly branch, which serves as the basis for the entire pattern. The "pattern" refers to the set of structural names determined by this. The four types of beneficial gods—wealth, official, seal, and food—are of a good nature and should be used in accordance with their nature, called "following use." The four types of harmful gods—seven evils, injury, competition, and yang blade—are of a bad nature and should be counteracted against, called "opposing use." When appropriate, following or opposing should be applied, and when properly combined, they can form noble patterns. When following the good gods: wealth should be supported by the food god and should generate the official star to protect it; official should be supported by wealth and should be protected by the seal; seal should be supported by the official or evil star and should have competition to share the wealth and protect the seal; food god should have a strong self to release its energy and should generate wealth to protect the food god. When opposing the harmful gods: seven evils should be controlled by the food god, and wealth and seal should be avoided; injury should be controlled by the seal or transformed by generating wealth; yang blade should be controlled by the official or evil star, and it is most feared if there are no official or evil stars; month's competition should be controlled by the official star, and wealth can also be used, but it should also be accompanied by the food god to transform the competition. This is the general direction of following and opposing use.

今人不知專主提綱，然後將四柱干支，字字統歸月令，以觀喜忌，甚至見正官佩印，則以為官印雙全，與印綬用官者同論；見財透食神，不以為財逢食生，而以為食神生財，與食神生財同論；見偏印透食，不以為洩身之秀，而以為梟神奪食，宜用財制，與食神逢梟同論；見煞逢食制而露印者，不為去食護煞，而以為煞印相生，與印綬逢煞者同論；更有煞格逢刃，不以為刃可幫身制煞，而以為七煞制刃，與陽刃露煞者同論。此皆由不知月令而妄論之故也。然亦有月令無用神者，將若之何？如木生寅卯，日與月同，本身不可為用，必看四柱有無財官煞食透干會支，另取用神；然終以月令為主，然後尋用，是建祿月劫之格，非用而即用神也。

Nowadays people do not understand that they should take the "outline" or the month's stem as the main reference, and weigh each character of the four pillars' stems and branches according to the month's stem to determine what is favorable and what is unfavorable. Therefore, many mistakes arise: seeing a pattern with a proper official and a minister, they say it is a combination of official and minister, mixing it with the minister pattern using an official; seeing a wealth pattern with a food god appearing, they do not say that the food god is generating wealth, but instead say that the food god is generating wealth, mixing it with the food god pattern generating wealth; seeing a biased minister pattern with a food god appearing, they do not say that the food god is dispersing the minister to form a refined quality, but instead say that the minister is taking away the food god and should use wealth to control it, mixing it with the food god pattern meeting a minister; seeing a seven evil pattern with a food god controlling the evil, and the heavenly stem also showing a minister, they do not say that the food god should be removed to protect the evil, but instead say that the evil and minister are mutually generating, mixing it with the minister pattern meeting an evil; even more so, seeing a seven evil pattern with a yang blade, they do not say that the yang blade can help the body to resist the evil, but instead say that the seven evil is controlling the blade, mixing it with the yang blade pattern showing an evil. All these errors are due to not knowing that everything should be based on the month's stem and making random comments. However, there are cases where the month's stem itself cannot produce a useful god. Then what should be done? For example, if the day's stem is wood and the month is寅 or卯, the day's stem and the month's stem share the same energy, so one cannot take oneself as the useful god. One must then look for wealth, official, evil, or food appearing in the heavenly stem or forming a branch combination in the earth, and take another useful god. However, in the end, one should still first take the month's stem as the main reference and then look elsewhere for the useful god—this is the "established fortune" and "month's劫" patterns. These are patterns where the month's stem itself cannot be used, and one has to look for another useful god.

用神專尋月令，以四柱配之，必有成敗。何謂成？如官逢財印，又無刑沖破害，官格成也。財生官旺，或財逢食生而身強帶比，或財格透印而位置妥貼，兩不相剋，財格成也。印輕逢煞，或官印雙全，或身印兩旺而用食傷洩氣，或印多逢財而財透根輕，印格成也。食神生財，或食帶煞而無財，棄食就煞而透印，食格成也。身強七煞逢制，煞格成也。

The useful god is primarily sought from the month stem, then the four pillars are used to match it; the result of this matching will inevitably have success and failure. What is called "forming a pattern" (成格)? For example, in the case of a proper official pattern, if wealth comes to nourish the official and the scholar comes to protect the official, and there is no punishment and clash to harm it, then the official pattern is formed. If the wealth pattern can produce a strong official, or if wealth is nourished by the food god and the day stem is strong, with a companion to support it, or if the wealth pattern is revealed with the scholar and the scholar and wealth are properly arranged, not mutually controlling each other, then the wealth pattern is formed. If the scholar pattern is light and meets the seven evils to nourish the scholar, or if official and scholar are both present, or if the day stem and scholar are both strong and the food and injury are used to release the talent, or if there are too many scholars and wealth comes to restrain them, and wealth is revealed on the surface but has shallow roots, then the scholar pattern is formed. If the food and injury pattern can nourish wealth, or if the seven evils are present but there is no wealth to join the evils, or if one deliberately gives up food and chooses the evils, and the scholar is revealed, then the food and injury pattern is formed. If the seven evils pattern has a strong day stem and the evils are controlled, then the seven evils pattern is formed.

傷官生財，或傷官佩印而傷官旺，印有根，或傷官旺、身主弱而透煞印，或傷官帶煞而無財，傷官格成也。陽刃透官煞而露財印，不見傷官，陽刃格成也。建祿月劫，透官而逢財印，透財而逢食傷，透煞而遇制伏，建祿月劫之格成也。何謂敗？官逢傷克刑沖，官格敗也；財輕比重，財透七煞，財格敗也；印輕逢財，或身強印重而透煞，印格敗也；食神逢梟，或生財露煞，食神格敗也；七煞逢財無制，七煞格敗也；傷官非金水而見官，或生財生帶煞，或佩印而傷輕身旺，傷官格敗也；陽刃無官煞，刃格敗也；建祿月劫，無財官，透煞印，建祿月劫之格敗也。

The "Wang Gan Ge" (Wang Gan pattern) becomes established if the official star is generated by the official star, or if the official star is strong and the official star has roots, or if the official star is strong and the day master is weak but the official star and the official star are revealed, or if the seven harmful stars are present but there is no wealth to support the harmful stars. The "Yang Ren Ge" (Yang Blade pattern) becomes established if the official star or harmful star is revealed, along with wealth and the official star, and there is no official star to harm the official star. The "Jian Lu Yue Jie Ge" (Established Wealth Month Robbery pattern) becomes established if the official star is revealed with wealth and official star accompanying it, or if wealth is revealed with food and injury transforming the robbery into wealth, or if the seven harmful stars are revealed but they are controlled. So what is a "Bai Ge" (ruined pattern)? In the case of the official star pattern, if the official star is harmed by the official star or suffers from punishment and clash, the official star pattern is ruined. In the case of the wealth pattern, if the wealth is light and the competition and robbery are heavy, or if wealth is revealed along with the seven harmful stars, the wealth pattern is ruined. In the case of the official star pattern, if the official star is light and the wealth harms the official star, or if the day master is strong and the official star is heavy but the seven harmful stars are also revealed, the official star pattern is ruined. In the case of the food and injury pattern, if theOwl Spirit (soul-stealing star) takes the food, or if the food generates wealth and the harmful star is also revealed, the food and injury pattern is ruined. In the case of the seven harmful stars pattern, if the wealth supports the harmful stars and there is no control, the seven harmful stars pattern is ruined. In the case of the official star pattern, if it is not a metal or water official star but the official star is revealed, or if wealth is generated but the harmful star is also present, or if the official star is accompanied by the official star but the official star is light and the day master is strong, the official star pattern is ruined. In the case of the Yang Blade pattern, if there is no official star or harmful star, the Yang Blade pattern is ruined. In the case of the Established Wealth Month Robbery pattern, if there is no wealth or official star, but the harmful star and the official star are revealed, the Established Wealth Month Robbery pattern is ruined.

成中有敗，必是帶忌；敗中有成，全憑救應。何謂帶忌？如正官逢財而又逢傷；透官而又逢合；財旺生官而又逢傷逢合；印透食以洩氣，而又遇財露；透煞以生印，而又透財，以去印存煞；食神帶煞印而又逢財；七煞逢食制而又逢印；傷官生財而財又逢合；佩印而印又遭傷，透財而逢煞，是皆謂之帶忌也。

The structure is already formed but then turns to failure, which is certainly due to "having a bad element," meaning the presence of harmful characters. When the structure has already failed but then turns around, it is entirely because of "rescue," meaning another character comes to save the situation. What is "having a bad element"? For example, in a pattern of the proper official, wealth comes to nourish it, but then the harmful official comes to weaken the official; the official star is revealed, but is then taken away by another heavenly stem; wealth is strong to nourish the official, but then harmful official or a combination occurs; in an imprint pattern, the food god comes to release the essence, but then wealth appears to harm the imprint; the seven harmful stars are revealed to nourish the imprint, but then wealth appears to remove the imprint, leaving only the harmful stars to attack the person; in a food god pattern, harmful stars and imprint are present, but then wealth comes to strengthen the harmful stars; in a seven harmful star pattern, the food god controls the harmful star, but then the imprint comes to take away the food god and protect the harmful star; in a pattern of harmful official generating wealth, the wealth is taken away by a combination; wearing an imprint but the imprint is harmed, revealing wealth but also encountering harmful stars. All these are called having a bad element.

何謂救應？如官逢傷而透印以解之，雜煞而合煞以清之，刑沖而會合以解之；財逢劫而透食以化之，生官以制之，逢煞而食神制煞以生財，或存財而合煞；印逢財而劫財以解之，或合財而存印；食逢梟而就煞以成格，或生財以護食；煞逢食制，印來護煞，而逢財以去印存食；傷官生財透煞而煞逢合；陽刃用官煞帶傷食，而重印以護之；建祿月劫用官，遇傷而傷被合，用財帶煞而煞被合，是謂之救應也。八字妙用，全在成敗救應，其中權輕權重，甚是活潑。學者從此留心，能於萬變中融以一理，則於命之一道，其庶幾乎！

What is called "saving and responding" refers to situations where a certain element in a birth chart is weakened or attacked, and another element comes to support or neutralize it. For example, if the official star (正官) is attacked by the official's child (伤官), and the official's child is controlled by the seal star (印), then the official star is preserved. If the official star pattern is mixed with seven evils (七煞), and another element is used to harmonize away the seven evils, the pattern becomes clear. If there is a clash in the earth branches, using a harmonious combination or the six harmonies (六合) can resolve it. If the wealth pattern is attacked by the wealth thief (劫财), and the food god (食神) is revealed to transform the wealth thief's energy into wealth, or to generate the official star to control the wealth thief, the pattern is maintained. If the wealth pattern is mixed with seven evils, using the food god to control the seven evils and free up the ability to generate wealth, or to protect the wealth while harmonizing away the seven evils, the pattern is preserved. If the seal pattern is attacked by wealth, using the wealth thief to remove the wealth, or to harmonize the wealth and protect the seal, the pattern is maintained. If the food god pattern is attacked by the hawk star (枭神), it is better to shift to the seven evils pattern and form a new structure, or to use the food god to generate wealth and protect the food god. If the seven evils pattern is originally controlled by the food god, but the seal star comes to protect the seven evils, then using wealth to remove the seal star and protect the food god is necessary. If the official's child generates wealth but also reveals the seven evils, the seven evils should be harmonized away. In the case of the yang blade pattern, if the official or seven evils are used to control the blade but also bring about the official's child or the official's child's child (伤食), then using a thick seal star to protect the official or seven evils is appropriate. In the case of the built-up fortune or wealth thief month pattern, if the official star is used and the official's child is present but is harmonized away, or if wealth is used along with seven evils but the seven evils are harmonized away, this is considered saving and responding. The subtle and profound aspects of divining a person's fate lie entirely in the concept of "success and salvation." The importance of each situation depends on the specific chart, and it is highly flexible. Those studying fate should pay close attention to this aspect, and if they can understand the underlying principle amidst the countless variations, they will have truly entered the door of fate study.

用神既主月令矣，然月令所藏不一，而用神遂有變化。如十二支中，除子午卯酉外，餘皆有藏，不必四庫也。即以寅論，甲為本主，如郡之有府，丙其長生，如郡之有同知，戊亦長生，如郡之有通判；假使寅月為提，不透甲而透丙，則如知府不臨郡，而同知得以作主。此變化之由也。故若丁生亥月，本為正官，支全卯未，則化為印。己生申月，本屬傷官。藏庚透壬，則化為財。凡此之類皆用神之變化也。

The use god is primarily determined by the month's stem, but the earthly branch of the month often contains more than one heavenly stem, leading to variations in the use god. Among the twelve earthly branches, besides the four special branches—Zi, Wu, Mao, and You—which have unique characteristics, the other eight branches also contain hidden heavenly stems, not limited to the four storage branches—Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei. Take Yin for example: the main heavenly stem in Yin is Jia Wood, like the governor of a prefecture; Bing Fire is in its growth stage in Yin, like the deputy governor of the prefecture; Wu Earth is also in its growth stage in Yin, like the assistant magistrate. If the month's stem is Yin but the heavenly stem is not Jia but Bing, it is like the governor not being present, and the deputy governor takes over—this is how the use god changes. Therefore, for a person born on Ding day with the month of Hai, the original official is the壬 water in Hai, but if the earthly branches form a triple harmony of Hai, Mao, and Wei, creating a wood局, the official turns into a minister. For a person born on Ji day with the month of Shen, the original injurer is the庚 gold in Shen, but if the壬 water is also present in Shen and is revealed in the heavenly stem, the injurer turns into wealth. All such cases are called changes in the use god.

變之而善，其格愈美；變之不善，其格遂壞，何謂變之而善？如辛生寅月，逢丙而化財為官；壬生戌月逢辛而化煞為印。癸生寅月，不專以煞論。此二者以透出而變化者也。癸生寅月，月令傷官秉令，藏甲透丙，會午會戌，則寅午戌三合，傷化為財；加以丙火透出，完全作為財論，即使不透丙而透戊土，亦作財旺生官論。蓋寅午戌三合變化在前，不作傷官見官論也。乙生寅月，月劫秉令，會午會戌，則劫化為食傷，透戊則為食傷生財，不作比劫爭財論。

Changes lead to better structures, making the overall appearance more beautiful; bad changes lead to the collapse of the structure. What does it mean for a change to be good? For example, if the day stem is Xin (辛) and the month is寅 (寅), the original 正财 (zheng cai, proper wealth) in寅 (寅) is the wood of Jia (甲), which is the proper wealth for Xin. However, if the fire of Bing (丙) appears in the heaven stem, the wealth is transformed into official power (官). Similarly, if the day stem is Ren (壬) and the month is戌 (戌), the original seven evils (七煞, qi sha) in戌 (戌) is the earth of Wu (戊), but if the metal of Xin (辛) appears in the heaven stem, the seven evils are transformed into the official seal (印). If the day stem is Gui (癸) and the month is寅 (寅), the earth of Wu (戊) in寅 (寅) is the seven evils, but since there are also Jia (甲) and Bing (丙) hidden in寅 (寅), we cannot simply consider it as seven evils. The above two examples are changes caused by the emergence of heaven stems. Now let's look at the case where the day stem is Gui (癸) and the month is寅 (寅), the month stem is 伤官 (shang gan, injurious official), and the branch of寅 (寅) contains Jia (甲) and also has Bing (丙) appearing. If the branches also form a fire trinity with Wu (午) and Xu (戌), the fire trinity of寅午戌 (Yin-Wu-Xu) forms a fire circle, transforming the injurious official into wealth. If Bing (丙) appears in the heaven stem, it is entirely considered as the wealth pattern. Even if Bing (丙) is not present but Wu (戊) appears, it is considered as strong wealth generating official power. This is because the change caused by the trinity of寅午戌 (Yin-Wu-Xu) comes first, so the凶断 (feng duan, ominous judgment) of "injurious official meeting official" is no longer applied. Another example: if the day stem is Yi (乙) and the month is寅 (寅), the month stem is劫财 (jie cai,劫财, wealth thief), and the branches form a fire trinity with午 (午) and戌 (戌), transforming the wealth thief into food and injury (食伤, shi shang). If Wu (戊) appears in the heaven stem, it becomes food and injury generating wealth, and the judgment of "competition among like elements for wealth" is no longer applied. The above two examples are changes caused by the combination of the branches.

此二者因會合而變化者。因變化而忌化為喜，為變之善者。又有變之而不失本格者。如辛生寅月，透丙化官，而又透甲，格成正財，正官乃其兼格也。乙生申月，透壬化印，而又透戊，則財能生官，印逢財而退位，雖通月令，格成傷官，百戊官忌見。丙生寅月，午戌會劫，而又或透甲，或透壬，則仍為印而格不破。丙生申月，逢壬化煞，而又透戊，則食神能制煞生財，仍為財格，不失富貴。如此之類甚多，是皆變而不失本格者也。是故八字非用神不立，用神非變化不靈，善觀命者，必於此細詳之。

Because of change, a hostile god can become a beneficial god, which is considered favorable. There is also another situation where change does not destroy the original pattern. For example, if a person with a day stem of Xin is born in the寅 month and the stem丙 appears, the wealth is transformed into official position, but if the stem甲 also appears, which is the true wealth of Xin, the pattern remains as true wealth, and the official position is only a secondary element. Similarly, if a person with a day stem of Yi is born in the申 month and the stem壬 appears, the official position is transformed into the seal, but if the stem戊 also appears, the wealth can generate the official position in the申, and the seal is secondary to the wealth. Although the壬 seal is rooted in the month, the pattern remains as a damaging official, and the戊 official becomes aHostile God. The original text says, "the pattern becomes damaging official, 百戊 official is忌见," where "百" is an added character. The annotated version of "Zi Ping Zhen Quan" reads, "the pattern becomes damaging official, 戊 official is忌见." When a person with a day stem of Bing is born in the寅 month, the fire trine in the earth branches would normally transform the寅 wood into a劫, but if the stem甲 or stem壬 appears, the寅 wood remains as the biased seal of Bing, and the pattern remains as seal without being destroyed. When a person with a day stem of Bing is born in the申 month, the stem壬 transforms the申 metal wealth into seven evils, but if the stem戊 appears, the food god can both control the evils and generate wealth, so the pattern remains as wealth, and the person can still achieve wealth and honor. There are many such examples, all of which show that change does not destroy the original pattern. Therefore, a birth chart without a useful god cannot be established, and without understanding the change of the useful god, it cannot be alive. Those who are good at reading fate must carefully distinguish these points.

用神既有變化，則變化之中，遂分純、雜。純者吉，雜者凶。何謂純？互用而兩相得者是也。如辛生寅月，甲丙並透，財與官相生，兩相得也。戊生申月，庚壬並透，財與食相生，兩相得也。癸生未月，乙己並透，煞與食相剋，相剋而得其當，亦兩相得也。如此之類，皆用神之純者。何謂雜？互用而兩不相謀者是也。如壬生未月，乙己並透，官與傷相剋，兩不相謀也。甲也辰月，戊壬並透，印與財相剋，亦兩不相謀也。如此之類，皆用之雜者也。

The concept of the Useful God changes, and within this change, there are two types: pure and mixed. Pure is auspicious, while mixed is ominous. What is pure? When two characters support each other in mutual use and benefit each other, it is called pure. For example, a day stem of Xin (辛) born in the month of Yin (寅), with both Jia (甲) wood and Bing (丙) fire appearing on the heavenly stem, Jia is wealth and Bing is official, wealth generates official, and they support each other. A day stem of Wu (戊) born in the month of Shen (申), with both Geng (庚) metal and Ren (壬) water appearing on the heavenly stem, Ren is wealth and Geng is food, food generates wealth, and they support each other. A day stem of Gui (癸) born in the month of Wei (未), with both Yi (乙) wood and Ji (己) earth appearing on the heavenly stem, Ji is seven deadly enemies and Yi is food, food controls the deadly enemies, even though it is mutual control, it is appropriate and thus they support each other. These cases are considered pure Useful Gods. What is mixed? When two characters support each other in mutual use but do not assist each other, they are considered mixed. For example, a day stem of Ren (壬) born in the month of Wei (未), with both Yi (乙) wood and Ji (己) earth appearing on the heavenly stem, Ji is official and Yi is injury, injury controls the official, and they do not assist each other. A day stem of Jia (甲) born in the month of Chen (辰), with both Wu (戊) earth and Ren (壬) water appearing on the heavenly stem, Ren is scholar and Wu is wealth, wealth controls the scholar, and they do not assist each other — the original text says '甲也辰月', where '也' is a mistake for '生', and it should be '甲生辰月'. These cases are considered mixed Useful Gods.

八字既有用神，必有格局，有格局必有高低，財官印食煞傷劫刃，何格無貴？何格無賤？由極貴而至極賤，萬有不齊，其變千狀，豈可言傳？然其理之大綱，亦在有情、有力無力之間而已。如正官佩印，不如透財，而四柱帶傷，反推佩印。故甲透酉官，透丁合壬，是謂合傷存官，遂成貴格，以其有情也。

The eight characters (Ba Zi) have a useful god (Yong Shen) if they have a pattern (Ge Ju), and if they have a pattern, the pattern must necessarily have high and low distinctions. Among the eight types—wealth, official, seal, food, evil spirit, injury, competition, and blade—has any of them not produced noble people? Has any of them not produced low-born people? From the most exalted to the most humble, there are countless differences and infinite variations, which cannot be fully explained in a few words. However, the general principles are no more than the two aspects of "having affection" and "having strength" — the original text says "also lies between having affection and having strength and weakness," the phrase "having affection" is missing the word "without affection," and the "Zi Ping Zhen Quan Ping Zhu" edition says "also lies between having affection and without affection, and having strength and weakness." For example, in the case of a pattern with a true official, it is usually not as good as when the wealth is revealed to generate the official; but if the four pillars contain a harmful official, then it is the opposite, and the seal should be used instead, because the seal can control the harmful official and protect the official. Therefore, if the day stem is Jia and the month stem is You metal, which is the true official, and the heavenly stem also reveals Ding fire harmful official, and if there is also Ren water to combine with Ding fire, this is called "combining the harmful official to preserve the official," thus forming a noble pattern — the reason for its nobility is that this combination is arranged just right, and this is called "having affection."

財忌比劫，而與煞作合，劫反為用。故甲生辰月，透戊成格，遇乙為劫，逢庚為煞，二者相合，皆得其用，遂成貴格，亦以其有情也。身強煞露而食神又旺，如乙生酉月，辛金透，丁火剛，秋木盛，三者皆備，極等之貴，以其有力也。官強財透，身逢祿刃，如丙生子月，癸水透，庚金露，而坐寅午，三者皆均，遂成大貴，亦以其有力也。

The wealth pattern is most afraid of the same kind of heavenly stem coming to take away the wealth. However, if this heavenly stem happens to harmonize with the seven harmful stars, the heavenly stem becomes a useful element. Therefore, for a day stem of Jia (甲) born in the辰 (Chen) month with the戊 (Wu) earth stem appearing, forming a biased wealth pattern, if there is also the 乙 (Yi) wood as the heavenly stem and the 庚 (Geng) metal as the seven harmful stars, and the 乙 and 庚 combine, one restrains the harmful star while the other does not take away the wealth, both being useful, thus forming a noble pattern — this is because of harmony. Another example: when the day stem is strong, the seven harmful stars appear and the food god is also strong, such as a day stem of Yi (乙) born in the酉 (You) month, with the 辛 (Xin) metal as the seven harmful star appearing in the sky, and the 丁 (Ding) fire as the food god being sharp, while the autumnal Yi wood is still strong — the body, the seven harmful star, and the food god are all strong, forming an excellent noble pattern, because of strength. Another example: when the official star is strong, the wealth is also visible, and the day stem is sitting on the禄 (Lu) or 刃 (Ren), such as a day stem of Bing (丙) born in the 子 (Zi) month, with the 癸 (Kui) water as the official star appearing, the 庚 (Geng) metal as the wealth star appearing, and the day branch and hour branch sitting on 寅 (Yin) or 午 (Wu) — the official, the wealth, and the body are in balance, thus forming great nobility, because of strength.

又有有情而兼有力，有力而兼有情者。如甲用酉官，壬合丁以清官，而壬水根深，是有情而兼有力者也。乙用酉煞，辛逢丁制，而辛之祿即丁之長生，同根月令，是有力而兼有情者也。是皆格之最高者也。如甲用酉官，透丁逢癸，癸克不如壬合，是有情而非情之至。乙逢酉逢煞，透丁以制，而或煞強而丁稍弱，丁旺而煞不昂，又或辛丁並旺而乙根不甚深，是有力而非力之全，格之高而次者也。

There are also cases where both sentiment and strength are present, and where both strength and sentiment are combined. For example, if the day stem is Jia and the official star is the metal of You (the hidden Xin metal in You), and the revealing Ding fire official star is the official star, then the Ren water is used to combine with Ding to clarify the official star, and the Ren water has deep roots — this is both sentimental and strong. Another example is when the day stem is Yi and the seven deadly star is the metal of You (the hidden Xin metal in You), and the revealing Ding fire food god is used to control the deadly star, and the Xin metal's official position is also You, while the Ding fire's growth position is also You. Both are rooted in the month's stem, and the control is precise — this is strong and sentimental. These two are the highest in the pattern. In comparison: if the day stem is Jia and the official star is You, and the revealing Ding fire official star is the official star, but only the Gui water is used to control Ding, then Gui controlling Ding is not as clean and efficient as Ren combining with Ding, so this is sentimental but not reaching the peak. If the day stem is Yi and the deadly star is You, and the revealing Ding fire food god is used to control the deadly star, but the deadly star is strong and Ding is weak, or Ding is strong but the deadly star is not strong enough, or both Xin and Ding are strong but the Yi wood has shallow roots, then this is strong but not fully effective. These are slightly inferior patterns within the higher level.

至如印用七煞，本為貴格，而身強印旺，透煞孤貧，蓋身旺不勞印生，印旺何勞煞助？偏之又偏，以其無情也。傷官佩印，本秀而貴，而身主甚旺，傷官甚淺，印又太重，不貴不秀，蓋欲助身則身強，制傷則傷淺，要此重印何用？是亦無情也。又如煞強食旺而身無根，身強比重而財無氣，或夭或貧，以其無力也。是皆格之低而無用者也。然其中高低之故，變化甚微，或一字而有千鈞之力，或半字而敗全局之美，隨時觀理，難以擬議，此特大略而已。

As for the use of the seven harmful stars (qixia) to generate the seal (yin), this is originally a noble configuration. However, if the day master is already strong and the seal is already vigorous, and the seven harmful stars also appear, it can lead to loneliness and poverty. This is because if the day master is already strong, there is no need for the seal to generate it; if the seal is already strong, why would one need the harmful stars to assist? Adding bias upon bias, this is called 'lack of sentiment'. The combination of a damaging official (shangguan) and a seal (yin) is originally clear and noble, but if the day master is extremely strong, the damaging official is very weak, and the seal is too heavy, then it is neither noble nor refined. If one wants to use the seal to strengthen the day master, the day master is already strong; if one wants to use the seal to restrain the damaging official, the damaging official is already weak. So why have such a heavy seal? This is also 'lack of sentiment'. For example, if the seven harmful stars are strong and the food god (shishi) is vigorous, but the day master has no root, or if the day master is strong and the same elements (bijie) are also heavy, but the wealth (cai) has no strength, the result is either a short life or poverty. This is called 'lack of strength'. These are all low-grade configurations that are of no use. However, the reasons for the differences in quality are extremely subtle. Sometimes a single character can have the power of a thousand catties, while sometimes half a character can ruin the entire configuration. It can only be judged according to the configuration, and it is difficult to determine in advance. The above is only a general idea.