Forty-three, Discussing the Yang Blade

陽刃者，劫我正財之神，乃正財之七煞也。祿前一位，惟五陽有之，故為旭刃。不曰劫而曰刃，劫之甚也。刃宜伏制，官煞皆宜，財印相隨，尤為貴顯。夫正官而財印相隨美矣，七煞得之，夫乃甚乎？豈知他格以煞能傷身，故喜制伏，忌財印；陽刃用之，則賴以制刃，不怕傷身，故反喜財印，忌制伏也。

The Yang Blade is the deity that competes for my official wealth, equivalent to the seven evils of the official wealth. It is located one position before the Day Stem's officialdom and is only found in the five yang stems: Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren. Therefore, it is called the Yang Blade (the original text says "Xu Blade," with "Xu" being a mistake for "Yang," and it is recorded as is). It is not called劫财 (seizing wealth) but instead called刃 (blade), because it is more ruthless than the general劫财. The Yang Blade is suitable for being controlled, and using the official or the seven evils can be effective. If there is also wealth and the seal in the chart, it becomes particularly prestigious. Someone might ask: having wealth and the seal accompanying the official is indeed good, but the same applies to the seven evils pattern, is that not excessive? One must understand that in other patterns, the seven evils are harmful to the body, so they are preferred to be controlled and disliked to be supported by wealth and the seal. However, in the Yang Blade pattern, the seven evils serve as a helper to control the blade, so they do not harm the body, and thus it is preferable to have wealth and the seal to support the seven evils, while avoiding the path of controlling the seven evils.

陽刃用官，透刃不慮；陽刃露煞，透刃無成。蓋官能制刃，透而不為害；刃能合煞，則有何功？如丙生午月，透壬制刃，而又露丁，丁與壬合，則七煞有貪合忘克之意，如何制刃？故無功也。然同是官煞制刃，而格亦有高低，如官煞露而根深，其貴也大；官煞藏而不露，或露而根淺，其貴也小。若己酉、丙子、壬寅、丙午，官透有力，旺財生之，丞相命也。又辛酉、甲午、丙申、壬辰，透煞根淺，財印助之，亦丞相命也。

The Yang Blade pattern uses the proper official (正官), and if the blade appears again in the birth chart, there is no need to worry; but if the Yang Blade pattern reveals the seven evils (七煞), and the blade appears again, the pattern is ruined. This is because the proper official can control the Yang Blade, and even with an extra blade, it can still hold it down; whereas the Yang Blade can combine with the seven evils, and when the evil is combined with the blade, the evil is restrained, so how can there be any function of controlling the blade? For example, if a person with a Jia day stem is born in the Wu month and the heavenly stem reveals Ren water as the seven evils to control the Wu fire blade, but the heavenly stem also reveals Ding fire, which is the blade from the Wu fire, then Ding and Ren combine, and the seven evils have the desire to combine and forget to control, so how can they control the blade? Therefore, there is no effect. However, even when using the official and the seven evils to control the blade, the pattern has different levels of quality: if the official and the seven evils are clearly revealed and have strong roots, the person is of great importance; if they are hidden and not revealed, or although revealed but with shallow roots, the person is of lesser importance. For example, the birth chart with Jiyou, Bingzi, Renyin, and Bingwu: the Ren day stem is born in the Zi month, sitting on the Yang Blade, the heavenly stem Ji earth official is clearly revealed and strong, and there is also Bing fire wealth to support it—this is the birth chart of a chancellor. Another example is the birth chart with Xinyou, Jiawu, Bingshen, and Renchen: the Jia day stem is born in the Wu month, sitting on the Yang Blade, the heavenly stem Ren water seven evils is revealed but with shallow roots, relying on Xinyou metal wealth and Jiawu wood education to support it—this is also the birth chart of a chancellor.

然亦有官煞制刃帶傷食而貴者，何也？或是印護，或是煞太重而裁損之，官煞輕而取清之，如穆同知命，甲午、癸酉、庚寅、戊寅，癸水傷寅午之官，而戊以合之，所謂印護也。如賈平章命，甲寅、庚午、戊申、甲寅，煞兩透而根太重，食以制之，所謂裁損也。如丙戌、丁酉、庚申、壬午，官煞競出，而壬合丁官，煞純而不雜。況陽刃之格，利於留煞，所謂取清也。

However, there are cases where officials and evils are restrained, and the person's destiny still carries a mark of nobility despite having injurious and harmful elements. Why is this? It could be that there is an official or a seal to protect the officials and evils, or that the evils are too strong and the injurious and harmful elements are used to reduce them, or that the officials and evils are weak and the injurious and harmful elements are used to remove the excess to achieve clarity. For example, the destiny of Mu Tongzhi is: Jiawu, Guiyou, Gengyin, Wuyin. The day stem Geng is born in the酉 month and sits on the Yang Blade. The fire formed by the寅 and午 is the official and evil. The癸 water injury official is there to injure it, but fortunately the hour stem Wu earth combines with the癸 water — this is the seal protecting the official and evil. Another example is the destiny of Jia Pingzhang: Jiayin, Gengwu, Wushen, Jiayin. The day stem Wu is born in the午 month, and two甲 wood seven evils are revealed with strong roots. The庚 metal food official is used to restrain them — this is reducing the excess. Another example is the destiny: Bingxu, Dingyou, Gengshen, Renwu. For the day stem Geng, the丙 is seven evils and the丁 is the official. Both official and evil appear together. The hour stem Ren water combines with the丁 official, removing the official and leaving the evil pure and uncluttered; moreover, the Yang Blade pattern naturally benefits from retaining the evil — this is achieving clarity.

其於丙生午月，內藏己土，可以克水，尤宜帶財佩印，若戊生午月，干透丙火，支會火乙，則化刃為印，或官或煞，透則去刃存印其格愈清。倘或財煞並透露，則犯去印存煞之忌，不作生煞制煞之例，富貴兩空矣。更若陽刃用財，格所不喜，然財根深而用傷食，以轉刃生財，雖不比建祿月劫，可以取貴，亦可就富。不然，則刃與財相搏，不成局矣。

For a person born on a Bing day with the month of Wu, the Wu month contains hidden Ji earth, which is the official (伤官), capable of controlling the壬癸 water that comes to control the blade (刃). Therefore, it is especially necessary to bring in wealth (财) and carry the official (印) to support the official and harmful star (煞). For example, a person born on a Wu day with the month of Wu, if the heavenly stem reveals Bing fire and the earthly branches form a fire pattern, the blade in Wu will transform into the official, since Bing fire is the official of Wu earth. At this time, whether the official or harmful star is revealed, it is equivalent to removing the blade and retaining the official, making the pattern even clearer. If both wealth and harmful star are revealed, it would violate the taboo of 'removing the official and retaining the harmful star,' and cannot be discussed according to the method of generating and controlling the harmful star, resulting in failure in both wealth and status. Moreover, using wealth for the Yang blade pattern is generally not favored in the pattern. However, if the root of wealth is deep and the injurious or productive elements are used to transform the blade's energy into wealth, although it is not as good as the pattern of built-up fortune or劫 wealth, it can still achieve wealth. If this arrangement is not made, the blade and wealth will directly conflict, and the pattern cannot be established.

陽刃用官，則運喜助官，然命中官星根深，則印綬比劫之方，反為美運，但不喜傷食合官耳。陽刃用煞，煞不甚旺，則運喜助煞；煞若太重，則運喜身旺印綬，傷食亦不為忌。陽刃而官煞並出，不論去官去煞，運喜制伏，身旺亦利，財地官鄉反為不吉也。

The Yang Blade pattern using the official star: When the official star is used, the favorable years are those that support the official star; however, if the official star is already strong in the birth chart, then years that support the scholar star or the same star are beneficial, but years that weaken the official star or those that combine with the official star to neutralize it are not favorable. The Yang Blade pattern using the seven calamities: If the seven calamities are not very strong, the favorable years are those that support the seven calamities; if the seven calamities are too strong, the favorable years are those that strengthen the self or the scholar star to transform the calamities into beneficial forces, and years that weaken the calamities through the scholar or food stars are not unfavorable. When both the official star and the seven calamities appear in the Yang Blade pattern: Regardless of whether the birth chart is using the official or the seven calamities, the favorable years are those that control or subdue the official and calamity stars, and years that strengthen the self are also beneficial; conversely, years that are wealth or official star years are not favorable, as wealth and official stars will enhance the strength of the official and calamity stars.

建祿者，月建逢祿堂也，祿即是劫。或以祿堂透出，即可依以用者，非也。故建祿與月劫，可同一格，不必加分，皆以透干支，別取財官煞食為用。祿格用官，干頭透出為奇，又要財印相隨，不可孤官無輔。

"Jian Lu" refers to the month builder falling exactly on the day stem's禄 position, meaning the month branch and day stem share the same energy; this禄 is actually a劫财. Some people think that the energy of the禄 position can be directly used as a useful god if it appears in the heavenly stem, but that is incorrect— one cannot use oneself as a useful god. Therefore, Jian Lu and month劫 can be combined into one category, without needing to distinguish between them. Instead, one should look at what is revealed in the heavenly stem and earthly branch, and then select wealth, official, evil, and food elements to serve as useful gods. For a禄 formation using an official star, it is considered favorable if the official star appears in the heavenly stem, and it should be accompanied by wealth and academic elements; the official star should not be isolated without support.

有用官而印護者，如庚戌、戊子、癸酉、癸亥，金丞相命是也。有用官而財助者，如丁酉、丙午、丁巳、壬寅，李知府命是也。有官而兼帶財印者，所謂身強值三奇，尤為貴氣。三奇者，財官印也，只要以官隔之，使財印兩不相傷，其格便大，如庚午、戊子、癸卯、丁巳，王少師命是也。

There are cases where an official position is supported by the seal (印), such as in Gengwu, Wuzi, Guiyou, and Guihai, which are the birth charts of a minister of gold: on a day with癸 (Gui) as the main element born in the month of Zi (water), it is considered a built-in wealth (建禄). The monthly heavenly stem is Wu (earth), which is the official (正官), while the yearly heavenly stem Geng (metal) and the day branch You (metal) serve as the seal (印), protecting the official star. There are also cases where an official position is supported by wealth (财), such as in Dingyou, Bingwu, Dingsi, and RENYIN, which are the birth charts of a county magistrate: on a day with Ding (fire) as the main element born in the month of Wu (fire), it is considered a built-in wealth (建禄). The hourly heavenly stem Ren (water) is the official (正官), while the yearly branch You (metal) serves as wealth (财) to support the official. There are also cases where the official star is accompanied by both wealth and seal, which is called "the body is strong and meets the three marvels (身强值三奇)", especially indicating great fortune. The three marvels refer to wealth, official, and seal; as long as the official star is in the middle, separating wealth and seal, so that wealth and seal do not harm each other, the pattern becomes grand. Examples include Gengwu, Wuzi, Guimao, and Dingsi, which are the birth charts of a grand master (王少师).

祿劫用財，須帶食傷，蓋月令為劫而以財作用，二財相剋，必以傷食化之，始可轉劫生財，如甲子、丙子、癸丑、壬辰，張都統命是也。至於化劫為財，與化劫為生，尤為秀氣。如己未、已巳、丁未、辛丑，丑與巳會，即以劫財之火為金局之財，安得不為大貴？所謂化劫為財也。如高尚書命，庚子、甲申、庚子、甲申，即以劫財之金，化為生財之水，所謂化劫為生也。

The "Lüjie Ge" (Lukiao Pattern) that uses wealth as the useful god must also include food and clothing (shishang): because the month's stem is劫财 (sudden wealth), yet wealth is used as the useful god. There is a direct mutual control between劫财 and wealth, so food and clothing must be used in between to resolve the conflict, thus transforming the劫财 energy to generate wealth. For example, Jiazi, Bingzi, Guichou, and Renchen are the birth dates of Zhang Duting. To completely transform劫财 into wealth or into something that generates wealth is even more refined. For example, Jiwei, Jisi, Dingwei, and Xinchou: the day stem is Ding, born in the month of Si, which is the built-up wealth (jianshu) for the day stem. The Si fire, which is normally劫财, becomes the wealth of the gold circle formed by Si and Chou. How could this not lead to great fortune? This is called "Hua Jue Wei Cai" (transforming劫财 into wealth). Another example is the birth date of Gao Shangshu: Gengzi, Jiashen, Gengzi, Jiashen. The day stem is Geng, born in the month of Shen, which is the built-up wealth (jianshu) for the day stem. The Shen metal, which is normally劫财, becomes the water in Zi, which in turn generates the wealth of the wood (Jia). This is called "Hua Jue Wei Sheng" (transforming劫财 into something that generates wealth).

祿劫用煞，必須制伏臺，如婁參政命，丁巳、壬子、癸卯、己未，壬合丁財以去其黨煞，卯未會局以制伏是也。至用煞而又財，本為不美，然能去煞存財，又成貴格。戊辰、癸亥、壬午、丙午，合煞存財，袁內閣命是也。其祿劫之格，無財官而用傷食，洩其太過，亦為秀氣。唯春木秋金，用之則貴，蓋木逢火則明，金生水則靈。如張狀元命，甲子、丙寅、甲子、丙寅，木火通明也；又癸卯、庚申、庚子、庚辰，金水相涵也。

The禄劫格 which uses seven煞 must have control over it. For example, the命 of Lou Canzheng: Dingsi, Renzi, Guimao, Jiwei. The癸 day master is born in the month of子, which is the built-in禄. The time stemJi Earth is seven煞. The month stemRen Water combines with the year stemDing Fire, which is wealth, to remove the wealth that supports the seven煞. The branches卯 and未 form a wood tripod to control theJi Earth — this is proper control. As for using seven煞 and having wealth in the命, it is generally not good; but if the seven煞 can be removed and the wealth preserved, it becomes a noble pattern. For example, the命 of Yuan Neiguan: Wuchen, Kuihai, Renwu, Bingwu. The壬 day master is born in the month of亥, which is the built-in禄. The year stemWu Earth is seven煞, and the month stemGui Water combines with it to remove the seven煞, leaving theBing Fire as wealth — this is combining seven煞 to preserve wealth. If the禄劫格 has neither wealth nor official, then it uses the伤 and 食 to release the excess energy, which is also refined. However, only when it is used in spring wood or autumn gold does it become noble, because wood meets fire and becomes bright, and gold produces water and appears refined. For example, the命 of Zhang Zhuangyuan: Jiazi, Bingyin, Jiazi, Bingyin, which is wood and fire flowing clearly; another example is Guimao, Gengshen, Gengzi, Gengchen, which is gold and water blending together.

更有祿劫而官煞競出，必取清方為貴格。如一平章命，辛丑、庚寅、甲辰、乙亥、合煞留這也；如辛亥、庚寫、甲申、丙寅，制煞留官也。倘或兩官競出，亦須制伏，所謂爭正官不可無傷也。若夫用官而孤官無輔，格局更小，難於取貴，若透傷食便不破格。然亦有官傷並透而貴者，何也？如己酉、乙亥、壬戌、庚子，庚合乙而去傷存官，王總兵命也。用財而不透傷食，便難於發端，然干頭透一位而不雜，地支根多，亦可取富，但不貴耳。用官煞重而無制伏，運行制伏，亦可發財，但不可官煞太重，致令身危也。

CRITICAL: The output must be English prose. Do NOT rewrite the text in Chinese. Do NOT paraphrase it in Chinese. Every sentence you write must be in English. Heavenly Stems: Jia = Jia, Yi = Yi, Bing = Bing, Ding = Ding, Wu = Wu, Ji = Ji, Geng = Geng, Xin = Xin, Ren = Ren, Gui = Gui Earthly Branches: Zi = Zi, Chou = Chou, Yin = Yin, Mao = Mao, Chen = Chen, Si = Si, Wu = Wu, Wei = Wei, Shen = Shen, You = You, Xu = Xu, Hai = Hai Trigrams: Qian = Qian (Heaven), Dui = Dui (Lake), Li = Li (Fire), Zhen = Zhen (Thunder), Xun = Xun (Wind), Kan = Kan (Water), Gen = Gen (Mountain), Kun = Kun (Earth) Glossary: Bingyin = Bing Yin Yihai = Yi Hai Jiashen = Jia Shen Gengyin = Geng Yin Gengzi = Geng Zi Xinchou = Xin Chou Jiachen = Jia Chen Jiyou = Ji You Xinhai = Xin Hai Renxu = Ren Xu There are cases of the "Lü Jie" pattern where both official and malevolent stars appear together, and in such cases, clarity is required to form a noble pattern. For example, the fate of a certain official: Xin Chou, Geng Yin, Jia Chen, Yi Hai. The Jia day ruler is born in the Yin month, which is a built-in fortune (Jian Lu). The year's dry stem Xin Metal is the positive official, and the month's dry stem Geng Metal is the seven malevolent. The hour's dry stem Yi Wood combines with Geng, which is called "combining the malevolent to retain the official" (the original text says "combining the malevolent to retain this," where "this" is likely a mistake for "official," and it is recorded as is without correction). Another example is Xin Hai, Geng Yin, Jia Shen, Bing Yin. The hour's dry stem Bing Fire food god restrains the Geng malevolent, leaving the Xin official, which is called "restraining the malevolent to retain the official" (the original text says "write" for the branch, which is likely a mistake for "Yin," and it is recorded as is without correction). If two positive officials appear, they must be restrained, which is called "competing for the positive official without injury." As for using the official star with a single official star without support, the pattern is even smaller and difficult to achieve nobility; in such cases, the emergence of injurious or food stars does not necessarily break the pattern. However, there are cases where both the official and injurious stars appear together, yet still result in nobility. Why? For example, Ji You, Yi Hai, Ren Xu, Geng Zi. The Ren day ruler is born in the Hai month, which is a built-in fortune (Jian Lu). The year's dry stem Ji Earth is the positive official, and the month's dry stem Yi Wood is the injurious star. The hour's dry stem Geng Metal combines with Yi, removing the injurious and retaining the official — this is the fate of General Wang. In the "Lü Jie" pattern, using wealth without the appearance of injurious or food stars makes it difficult to start; however, if only one wealth star appears without confusion and the roots in the earth branches are numerous, wealth can be achieved, though not nobility. If using the official and malevolent stars, and they are too heavy without restraint in the birth chart, when the fortune moves to a place that restrains them, wealth can be achieved; but the official and malevolent stars should not be too heavy, as excessive weight can endanger oneself.

祿劫取運，即以祿劫所成之局，分而配之。祿劫用官，印護者喜財，怕官星之逢合，畏七煞這相乘。傷食不能為害，劫比未即為凶。財生喜印，宜官星之植根，畏傷食之相侮，逢財愈見其功，雜煞豈能無礙？祿劫用財而帶傷食，財食重則喜印綬，而不書法比肩；財食輕則宜助財，而不喜印比。逢煞無傷，遇官非福。

Critical: the output must be English prose. Do NOT rewrite the text in Chinese. Do NOT paraphrase it in Chinese. Every sentence you write must be in English. Heavenly Stems: Jia = Jia, Yi = Yi, Bing = Bing, Ding = Ding, Wu = Wu, Ji = Ji, Geng = Geng, Xin = Xin, Ren = Ren, Gui = Gui Earthly Branches: Zi = Zi, Chou = Chou, Yin = Yin, Mao = Mao, Chen = Chen, Si = Si, Wu = Wu, Wei = Wei, Shen = Shen, You = You, Xu = Xu, Hai = Hai Trigrams: Qian = Qian (Heaven), Dui = Dui (Lake), Li = Li (Fire), Zhen = Zhen (Thunder), Xun = Xun (Wind), Kan = Kan (Water), Gen = Gen (Mountain), Kun = Kun (Earth) Lüjie Ge taking into account the fortune, also depends on the specific situation formed by the Lü and Jie, and accordingly matches the fortune. The first type: "Lü and Jie using the official star with the seal star protecting it": one prefers to go on a fortune of wealth, because there is a seal star in place, so one does not fear that wealth would turn to generate the official star excessively; one fears that the official star in the fortune would be combined and thus lost, and also fears that the seven harmful stars would take advantage of the opportunity to come in. (The original text says "fear the seven harmful stars multiplying," where "这" is a mistake for "之," and the text is recorded as is without modification.) In this case, encountering a fortune of wounds or food would not cause great harm, and encountering a fortune of劫财 or equal stars would not necessarily be ominous, because the seal star is in the middle to pass through the obstruction. The second type: "Lü and Jie using the official star with wealth generating the official star": one prefers to go on a fortune of the seal star to support oneself, and also it is suitable to have the official star rooted in the fortune; one fears that the wounds or food would bully the official star; if there is again a fortune of wealth, the effect becomes even more significant; as for the fortune mixed with the seven harmful stars, how could there be no harm? The third type: "Lü and Jie using wealth along with wounds and food": if both wealth and food are heavy, the fortune prefers the seal star to support oneself, and it is not suitable for equal stars to compete for wealth (the original text has "不书法比肩" which is a mistake, and it is recorded as is without modification); if both wealth and food are light, the fortune prefers to assist wealth, and it is not favored by the seal star or equal stars. In this case, encountering a fortune of seven harmful stars does not cause harm, but encountering an official star fortune is actually not beneficial.

祿劫用煞食制，食重煞輕，則運宜助煞；食輕煞重，則運喜助食。若用煞而帶財，命中合煞存財，則傷食為宜，財運不忌，透官無慮，身旺亦亨。若命中合財存煞，而用食制，煞輕則助煞，食輕則助食則已。祿劫而用傷食，財運最宜，煞亦不忌，行印非吉，透官不美。若命中傷食太重，則財運固利，而印亦不忌矣。祿劫而官煞並出，不論合煞留官，存官制煞，運喜傷食，比肩亦宜，印綬未為良圖，財官亦非福運。

The fourth type, "L禄劫用煞而以食神制伏" (using the seven deadly stars and controlling them with the food god), is as follows: if the food god is strong and the deadly star is weak, the favorable years should support the deadly star; if the food god is weak and the deadly star is strong, the favorable years should support the food god. If the deadly star is used and there is also wealth, it should be divided into two cases: if the original birth chart has combined the deadly star and retained wealth, then years with injuries and food gods are favorable, wealth is not to be avoided, and years with officials exposed are not to be worried about; if the original birth chart has combined away the wealth and retained the seven deadly stars, using the food god to control them, then the deadly star is weak and should be supported, the food god is weak and should be supported, and that is all. The fifth type, "禄劫而用伤食" (using injuries and food gods), is most favorable for wealth years, and years with deadly stars are not to be avoided; years with the scholar's robe are not favorable, and years with officials exposed are not good; if the original birth chart has too much injury and food gods, then wealth years are indeed beneficial, and years with the scholar's robe to suppress the injury and food gods are not to be avoided. The sixth type, "禄劫而官煞一齐冒出" (officials and deadly stars both appear), is as follows: whether the original birth chart combines the deadly star and retains the official or retains the official to control the deadly star, the favorable years are those with injuries and food gods to clarify the situation, and years with the same kind are also favorable; years with the scholar's robe are not a good strategy, and years with wealth and officials are not good fortune.

雜格者，月令無用，以外格而用之，其格甚多，故謂之雜。大約要干頭無官無煞，方成格，如有官煞，則自有官煞為用，列外格矣。若透財尚可取格，然財根深，或財透兩位，則亦以財為重，不取外格也。

the so-called "miscellaneous patterns" refers to cases where the heavenly stem in the month pillar cannot determine the useful god, so one has to resort to external patterns to determine the useful god. Since there are numerous types of such patterns, they are generally referred to as miscellaneous. Basically, external patterns can only be established if there is neither the proper official nor the seven evils in the heavenly stems. Once there is an official or seven evils, they naturally become the useful gods, and there is no need to list external patterns. If only the wealth is revealed in the heavenly stems, it is still possible to use an external pattern; however, if the root of wealth is deep or if wealth appears in two stems, then wealth should be prioritized, and external patterns should not be used.

試以諸格論之，有取五行一方秀氣者，取甲乙全亥卯未、寅卯辰，又生春月之類，本是一派劫財，以五行各得其全體，所以成格，喜印露而體純。如癸亥、乙卯、乙未、壬午，吳相公命是也。運亦喜印綬比劫之鄉，財食亦吉，官煞則忌矣。

Now let us discuss these external patterns one by one. The first is taking the refined quality of one of the Five Phases: for example, if the day master is Jia or Yi wood, and the branches form the triple harmony of Hai-Mao-Wei (Wood triad) or the triple conjunction of Yin-Mao-Chen (spring quarter), and the birth month is in spring, then although the whole chart is full of self-branch and劫财, it becomes a pattern because the energy of one phase is complete. This pattern prefers the heavenly stem to reveal the birth (yin) to nourish it, so the overall atmosphere becomes pure. For example, Guihai, Yimao, Yiwei, and Renwu is the birth chart of Wu Xianggong. His fortune also favors the land of birth and self-branch, and it is auspicious to travel in the land of wealth and food. However, the official and harmful stars are considered inauspicious, as they would disrupt this pure energy.

有從化取格者，要化出之物，得時乘令，四支局全。如丁壬化木，地支全亥卯未、寅卯辰，而又生於春月，方為大貴。否則，亥未之月亦是木地，次等之貴，如甲戌、丁卯、壬寅、甲辰，一品貴格命也。運喜所化之物，與所化之印綬，財傷亦可，不利官煞。

The second type is "from transformation" (从化) pattern: the key is that the transformed element must be in season at the time of birth, and the earthly branches should form a complete set. For example, if Ding and Ren combine to form wood, the earthly branches should be complete with Hai, Mao, and Wei or Yin, Mao, and Chen, and the person should be born in spring, which is considered great fortune. Otherwise, if born in Hai month or Wei month, where wood has roots, it can also be considered a secondary level of fortune. For instance, Jia Xu, Ding Mao, Ren Yin, and Jia Chen form the first class of fortunate patterns: Ding and Ren combine to form wood, born in Mao month, with Yin and Mao having vitality in the earthly branches. Favorable fortune comes from the transformed element and the yin and yang that generate it; fortune from wealth and official positions is also acceptable, but unfavorable fortune comes from officials and evils, as they will harm the transformed element.

有倒沖成格者，以四柱列財官而對面以沖之，要支中字多，方沖得動。譬如以弱主邀強官，主不眾則賓不從。如戊午、戊午、戊午、戊午，是沖子財也；甲寅、庚午、丙午、甲午，是沖子官也。運忌填實，餘俱可行。

The third type is called "reversing the conflict" to form a pattern: if the person's birth chart originally lacks wealth and official positions, they use the existing branches in the four pillars to clash with the opposite branch that hides wealth or official positions, bringing it out to be used for their benefit. This requires that the same character in the branches appears sufficiently often to be able to clash effectively; it's like a weak host trying to invite a prominent guest, but if the host doesn't have enough people, the guest won't come. For example, if there are four Wus (午) in the chart, they can clash with Zi (子) to bring out the hidden癸 water as wealth; another example is when there are three Wus (午) in the chart, they can clash with Zi (子) to bring out the hidden癸 water as official position. This pattern is most忌 to have "filling in" in the big years, meaning if the big year actually contains the character that was clashed with, it becomes ineffective; all other big years are acceptable.

有朝陽成格者，戊去朝丙，辛日得官，以丙戊同祿於巳，即以引汲之意。要干頭無木火，方成其格，蓋有火則無待於朝，有木財觸戊之怒，而不為我朝。如戊辰、辛酉、戊子，張知縣命是也。運喜土金水，木運平平，火則忌矣。

The fourth type is called "Sun Rising" (朝阳) formation: using the earthy戊 (Wu) to lead the sun-fire丙 (Bing) to serve as the official star for the day stem辛 (Xin). Since both丙 and戊 have their strength in巳 (Si), if there is戊 in the hour position, it can draw the丙 fire over. This formation requires that there be neither wood nor fire in the heavenly stems; if there is fire, the official star is already present and there is no need to lead it; if there is wood, it will overcome the戊 earth, angering the戊, and thus the戊 will not be willing to lead the fire. For example, the birth chart isWuchen, Xinyou, Wuzi (the original chart only has three pillars), which is the birth chart of Zhang ZhiXian. Favorable luck comes from earth, metal, and water, while wood is mediocre and fire is unfavorable.

有合祿成格者，命無官星，借干支以合之。戊日庚申，以庚合乙，因其主而得其偶。如己未、戊辰、戊辰、庚申，蜀王命是也。癸日庚申，以申合巳，因其主而得其朋，如己酉、癸未、癸未、庚申，起丞相命是也。運亦忌填實，不利官煞，理會不宜以火克金，使彼受制而不能合，餘則吉矣。

The fifth type is called "He Lu" (Harmonizing Wealth) formation: when a person's birth chart lacks an official star, it uses the heavenly stems and earthly branches to bring in the official star. For a day master of Wu (戊), encountering the time of Geng Shen (庚申), Geng is used to combine with Yi wood—Yi is the true official of Wu. This is like using Geng as the host to invite Yi, the spouse, to appear. For example, Ji Wei (己未), Wu Chen (戊辰), Wu Chen (戊辰), Geng Shen (庚申), this is the birth chart of the Shu King. For a day master of Gui (癸), encountering the time of Geng Shen (庚申), Shen is used to combine with Si (巳)—the Wu earth in Si is the true official of Gui. This is like using Shen as the host to invite Si, the friend, to appear. For example, Ji You (己酉), Gui Wei (癸未), Gui Wei (癸未), Geng Shen (庚申), this is the birth chart of the Zhao Chief Minister (the original text says "Qichangxiang," where "QI" is likely a surname error, and it is recorded as is). This formation also dislikes the filling of the branches in its fortune, and it is not favorable for officials or harmful stars. By principle, it is even more unsuitable to travel through the fire fortune to overcome metal, as metal being restrained would prevent the combination from forming; all other fortunes are favorable.

有棄命保財者，四柱皆財而身無氣，舍而從之，格成大貴。若透印則身賴印生而不從，有官煞則亦無從財兼從煞之理，其格不成。如庚申、乙酉、丙申、乙丑，王十萬命造也。運喜傷食財鄉，不宜身旺。

The sixth type is "abandoning the self to follow wealth" (the original text says "abandoning the self to protect wealth"): when all four pillars are wealth and the day master has no strength, it is appropriate to abandon the self and follow the wealth trend, and if this pattern is formed, great fortune is achieved. However, if the heavenly stem reveals the official (印), the day master has something to rely on and will not follow the wealth trend. If there is an official or harmful star in the birth chart, it is not possible to both follow wealth and follow the harmful star, so the pattern does not form. For example, the birth chart of Wang Shiyiwan is: the day master is Bing fire, born in the酉 month, with all the pillars being metal wealth and the Bing fire having no root. The favorable luck is the injury and food stars and the wealth land, and it is not suitable to go through a period of strong self.

有棄命從煞者，四柱皆煞，而日主無根，舍而從之，格成大貴。若有傷食，則煞受制而不從，有印則印以化煞而不從。如乙酉、乙酉、乙酉、甲申，李侍郎命是也。運喜財官，不宜身旺，食傷則尤忌矣。

The seventh type is "abandoning the destiny to follow the malevolent force": when all four pillars are filled with seven harmful stars and the day master has no root, one simply gives up the self and follows the trend of the harmful force, and if this pattern is formed, great fortune is achieved. If there are injuries or food in the chart, the harmful force is restrained, and the day master will not follow. If there is an official, the official will transform the harmful force, and it will also not follow. For example, the birth chart of Li Shilang is: Yi you, Yi you, Yi you, Jiashen. The day master is Yi wood, born in the酉 month, with all gold harmful forces and no root for the Yi wood. The favorable luck is wealth and official positions, and it is not suitable to go through a strong body luck. The luck of food and injuries is especially to be avoided, because once the harmful force is restrained, the pattern of following is broken.

有井攔成格者，庚金生三七月，方用此格。以申子辰沖寅午戌，財官印綬，合而沖之，若透丙丁，有巳午，以現有財官，而無待於沖，乃非井攔之格矣。如戊子、庚申、庚申、庚申，郭統制命也。運喜財，不利填實，餘亦吉也。

The eighth type is called "Well Shaft" formation: this pattern is applicable only when the day master is庚 gold born in the third or seventh month. It uses the triple harmony of the earthly branches 申, 子, and 辰 to form a water trinity, which then conflicts with the fire trinity of 寅, 午, and 戌. The hidden wealth, official, and educational resources of 庚 gold are contained within 寅, 午, and 戌, and when they are all combined and conflicted, they are brought out to be used for the day master. If the heavenly stem already reveals 丙 or 丁, or the earthly branch already contains 巳 or 午, then the wealth and official positions are already present, and there is no need for conflict, so it is not considered the "Well Shaft" formation. For example, the birth chart of Guo Tongzhi is Wuzi, Gengshen, Gengshen, Gengshen. This person's fortune favors wealth, is unfavorable for filling, and other fortunes are auspicious.

有刑合成格者，癸日甲寅時，寅刑巳而得財官，格與合祿相似，但合祿則喜以合之，而刑合則硬以致之也。命有庚申，則木被沖剋而不能刑；有戊已字，則現透官煞而無待於刑，非此格矣。如乙未、癸卯、癸卯、甲寅，十二節度使命是也。運忌填實，不利金鄉，餘則吉矣。

The ninth type is called "刑合" forming a pattern: when the day stem is癸 and the hour stem isJiayin, the寅 wood is used to刑 the巳 fire, bringing out the丙 fire wealth and戊 earth official from the巳 for my use. This pattern is similar to the "合禄" pattern, but "合禄" is a polite invitation, while "刑合" is a forceful pulling. If there isGengshen in the chart, the寅 wood isclash and control and thus cannot be刑. If there are戊 or己, the official or harmful stars are already present and do not need to be刑, so this pattern does not apply. For example, in the combinationYiwei, Guimao, Guimao, Jiayin, this is the pattern of the twelve military governors. The fate is unfavorable when the chart is filled with real elements, and it is also not favorable for the metal region, because metal controls wood and thus the刑 cannot be formed; all other paths are favorable.

有遙合成格者，巳與丑會，本同一局，丑多則會巳而辛丑處官，亦合祿之意也。如辛丑、辛丑、辛丑、庚寅，章統制命是也。若命是有子字，則丑與子合而不遙，有丙丁戊已，則辛癸之官煞已透，而無待於遙，另有取用，非此格矣。至於甲子遙已，轉輾求俁，似覺無情，此格可廢，因羅御史命，聊復存之。為甲申、甲戌、甲子、甲子，羅御史命是也。

The tenth is called "Remote Union" forming a pattern:巳 and 丑 both belong to the metal group, originally one family, so when 丑 is present in excess, it can remotely connect with 巳. The 丙 fire in 巳 is the official star for 辛 day master. The original text says "辛丑 contains official," but the wording is incorrect, and I have recorded it as is. The reasoning is similar to the "Union of Official" pattern. For example, Xinchou, Xinchou, Xinchou, Gengyin is the birth chart of Zhang Tongzhi. If the chart contains 子, then 丑 will first combine with 子, and thus cannot remotely connect with 巳. If there are 丙, 丁, 戊, or 己, the official and harmful stars for 辛 day master are already present and revealed, so there is no need for remote connection, and another method of selection is used, so it is not this pattern. As for the so-called "Jiazi remote connection to Si," it requires a winding and roundabout approach, which seems quite emotionless, and this pattern could be discarded. However, because there is the example of Luo Yushishi's birth chart, it is retained. That is, 甲申, 甲戌, 甲子, 甲子, which is Luo Yushishi's birth chart.

若夫拱祿、拱貴、趨乾、歸祿、夾戌、鼠貴、騎龍、日貴、日德、富祿、魁罡、食神時墓、兩干不雜、干支一氣、五行具足之類，一切無理之格，既置勿取。即古人格內，亦有成式，總之意為牽就，硬填人格，百無一是，徒誤後學而已。乃若天地雙飛，雖富貴亦有自有格，不全賴此。而亦能增重基格，即用神不甚有用，偶有依以為用，亦成美格。然而有用神不吉，即以為凶，不可執也。

As for patterns such as mutual support for official rank, mutual support for wealth, approaching heaven, returning to official rank, flanking xu, rat's wealth, riding a dragon, daily wealth, daily virtue, wealth of fortune, supreme star, sharp star, food god at the hour of death, two heavenly stems not mixed, single heavenly stem and earthly branch, and all five phases complete, these are all patterns that cannot be explained logically. They should all be set aside. Even though ancient texts list these patterns, in the end they are just arbitrary connections, forcing people's birth years into these patterns, none of which hold up. They only waste the learning of later generations. As for the pattern of "heaven and earth flying together," even if the person is wealthy and noble, they naturally have a proper pattern, and it is not entirely dependent on this. However, this pattern does indeed add some weight to the original pattern. Even if the useful god itself is not very effective, occasionally relying on it to determine the pattern can still form a beautiful pattern. However, if the useful god is originally inauspicious, it becomes a凶 pattern. In such cases, one should not be rigidly attached to one side.

其於傷官傷盡，謂是傷盡，不宜一見官，必盡力以傷之，使之無地容身，現行傷運，便能富貴，不知官有何罪，而惡之如此？況見官而傷，則以官非美物，而傷以制之，又何傷官之謂凶神，而見官之為禍百端乎？予用是術以歷試，但有貧賤，並無富貴，未輕信也，近亦見有大貴者，不知何故。然要之極賤者多，不得不觀其人物以衡之。

There is also the concept of "wounding the official star completely" (伤官伤尽): since it is called "wounding completely," not even a single official star should appear; one must strive to wound it, wound the official star to the point where it has nowhere to hide, and then proceed with a period of wounding official star, which is said to lead to wealth and honor. But what crime has the official star committed that it should be hated so much? Moreover, according to their theory, whenever the official star appears, one should go out to wound it, which is equivalent to acknowledging that the official star is not a good thing and that one should use the wounding official star to control it. If that is the case, then why do they say that the wounding official star is a malevolent spirit and that encountering the official star will bring about all sorts of misfortunes? This is contradictory on both ends. I have tested this method one by one, and I have only seen people of low status, not those of high status, so I have never taken it lightly; recently, however, I have also seen people who became very wealthy according to this theory, but I do not know what the reason is. But overall, most people are of very low status, so one still has to consider the person's own character and demeanor to make a balanced judgment.