Determining the Yin Hour Method

西溪逸叟曰：男女合婚之說，由來久矣。男家擇婦，看夫子二星，蓋夫幸子益，其福必優也。女家擇夫八字貴得中和之氣，蓋不偏不依，其壽必長也。若男命比肩、劫財重者，必擇女命食神、傷官重者配之；女命食神、傷官重者，必擇男命比肩劫財重者配之，始可琴瑟和諧，子嗣繁衍。

This passage refutes common practices in matching marriages, and is the most practically significant part of the entire text. Xixi Yisou says: The concept of matching men and women for marriage has existed for a long time. When a man selects a wife, he looks at her "husband star" and "son star" — if the husband star supports him and the son star benefits from him, then prosperity is assured. When a woman chooses a husband, it is important that the man's fate has a balanced and harmonious energy — neither excessive nor deficient, which ensures a long life. If a man's same zhi (same heavenly stem) and劫财 (robber star) are strong, then he must choose a woman with strong food star (food god) and wounded official (wounded minister) stars; if a woman has strong food star and wounded official stars, then she must choose a man with strong same zhi and劫财. (Same zhi and劫财 generate food star and wounded official, and when they are matched, their energies connect smoothly.) Only in this way can husband and wife be harmonious and their descendants numerous. This section first establishes the correct method: matching marriages should be based on the actual compatibility of both partners' birth charts, not by simply looking up and matching according to tables.

若泥於俗書所載，不論命之何如，僅觀男女生年之三元九宮，而謂生氣、天乙、福德為上婚，絕體、游魂。歸魂為中婚，五鬼、絕命為下婚，牽合非論，毫無義理，豈不誤人良緣耶？至於骨髓破、鐵掃帚、六害、八敗、狼藉、飛天、大敗、孤寡等煞，但以人之所生年支，硬配日月支一字，尤為謬妄。夫以年、月、日、時干支八字，及五行生剋，論人吉凶，猶虞不足，豈可棄日時等六字，只論年月二字，即可判斷災祥乎？他如進財、退財、望門鰥、望門寡、夫多厄、妻多厄，種種名目，只以生年納音所屬之金、木、水、火、土硬配一字，荒誕不經，更無庸深辯矣。

Xi Xi Yisou then strongly criticized the common methods. If one is rigidly bound to the records in vulgar books, without considering the actual destinies of the two people, and only looks at the three yuan and nine palaces of the man's and woman's birth years, saying that pairing 'life qi', 'heavenly virtue', and 'fortune virtue' is the best marriage, pairing 'absolute death', 'wandering soul', and 'returning soul' is the middle grade, and pairing 'five ghosts' and 'destiny death' is the worst marriage—this is sheer fabrication without any rational meaning. Is it not misleading people's good matches? As for the evils such as broken bone, iron broom, six harms, eight defeats, disorder, flying heaven, great defeat, and single and orphan, they merely force the earthly branch of the person's birth year to match one character of the day or month branch, which is even more absurd. One must know that using the eight characters of year, month, day, and hour together with the five phases' generation and overcoming to judge people's fortune and misfortune is already feared to be insufficient, how can one judge calamity and auspiciousness by only considering the two characters of year and month? Other terms such as gaining wealth, losing wealth, widow at the gate, widow at the gate, husband's many troubles, and wife's many troubles, which only force the nayin sound element of the person's birth year to match one character, are absurd and do not deserve further discussion.

按：男家擇婦，貴看夫子二星，女家擇夫，貴得中和之氣，此二語，乃合婚之要法。然看夫星，不可泥正官，而日主平正者，因以官、煞為夫星。官煞盛，而日主衰弱者，又當以傷食為夫星。官煞缺，或官煞衰，而日主盛者，又當以財為夫星。若食神傷官不弱，而日主有氣者，因食傷為子星也。食傷盛，而日主衰者，又當以梟印為子星。參伍錯綜，其法不一，豈可見傷官即雲妨夫，見梟神即去克子也。

Yuan Shushan remarked: "For a man choosing a wife, it is important to look at the husband's stars; for a woman choosing a husband, it is important to have a harmonious and moderate atmosphere." These two sentences indeed represent the essential principles of marriage compatibility. However, when examining the husband's star, one should not rigidly rely solely on the official star: if the day master is balanced and stable, then the official or seven deadly stars are considered the husband's star; but if the official or seven deadly stars are strong while the day master is weak, then the food or injury stars should be considered the husband's star (as they can control the official or seven deadly stars and protect the day master). If the official or seven deadly stars are absent or weak while the day master is strong, then the wealth star should be considered the husband's star (as wealth can generate the official star). The same principle applies to the son's star: if the food or injury stars are strong and the day master has strength, then the food or injury stars are considered the son's star; but if the food or injury stars are strong while the day master is weak, then the枭印 (nurturing star) should be considered the son's star (as the nurturing star can control the food or injury stars and support the day master). These methods are varied and complex, so how can one simply say that seeing the injury star is harmful to the husband or that seeing the枭印 is harmful to the children? This remark corrects two common misconceptions in the interpretation of women's horoscopes.

至於中和之氣，尤難辨別，即能辨別矣，其義太狹，中選頗難，必須統觀命運，乃無遺憾。若但觀八字，五行不缺，財、官、印、食勢力平均，即謂得中和之氣，吾恐壽元雖高，究不免失之平庸，斷難顯揚。試問此等命，擇夫婿者，亦何取焉，若夫日主衰者為不及，日主盛者為太過，似皆失中和之氣矣。然日主衰，而得比劫印綬之大運者，不可以不及論，當以得中和之氣言也。日主盛，而得財官之大運者，不可以太過論，亦當以得中和之氣言也。

As for the so-called "middle and harmonious energy," it is especially difficult to discern; even if one can discern it, its scope is too narrow, and the number of suitable candidates is few. Therefore, one must consider both the native's birth chart and the major trends of destiny together, to avoid regret. If one only looks at the four pillars of destiny and sees that the five elements are not lacking, and that the wealth, officialdom, seal, and food elements are evenly balanced, and then concludes that the middle and harmonious energy is present, I fear that such a person may have a long lifespan, but ultimately will be mediocre and unable to achieve great success. One might ask, what would such a destiny be useful for when choosing a son-in-law for a daughter? As for those whose day stem is weak, they are considered to be lacking, and those whose day stem is strong are considered excessive, and both seem to lack the middle and harmonious energy. However, if the day stem is weak but the major trends of destiny include similar elements or supportive ones, it should not be considered as lacking, but rather as having achieved the middle and harmonious energy; similarly, if the day stem is strong but the major trends of destiny include wealth or officialdom elements, it should not be considered as excessive, but rather as having achieved the middle and harmonious energy. This point is most important: "middle and harmonious" is not a static balance within the four pillars of destiny itself, but rather a dynamic balance achieved when combining the native's birth chart with the major trends of destiny.

人之命運大都類比，其清純者，則富貴壽考；其次者，亦名利兼優；其最次者，亦身家俱泰。擇夫婿者，能得此造，豈非大幸福耶。至於男命比肩、劫財重者，擇女命傷官、食神重者；女命傷官、食神重者，擇男命比肩、劫財重者配之。似合正理，然按五行，每多牴觸。不若以男女命之五行，斟酌損益，以決從違。如男命木盛亦金者，得女命之剛金補之，則為盡美。得土生金者亦佳。得火者，較次。得水木者，則無取矣。如女命金剛喜火者，得男命之烈火助之，則為盡美。得木生火者，亦佳。得水者較次。得金土者，則無取矣。餘仿此。若夫三元九宮，上中下婚，及骨髓破、鐵掃帚，諸般惡煞之說，毫無義理，萬不可信。西溪先生闢之甚是。《協紀辯方》書載明刪除，亦本此說，學者宜參觀之。

Yuan Shushan continued to say that the fate of people is mostly of the above type (the native destiny is biased but the great destiny comes to make up for it); among them, those with pure destiny will be wealthy and long-lived, those of the next level will have both fame and profit, and even the worst will have security and stability. When choosing a husband for a daughter, if one can find such a destiny, it would not be a great happiness. As for the method that "a man with heavy brothers and rivals should marry a woman with heavy food and injury, and a woman with heavy food and injury should marry a man with heavy brothers and rivals," it seems reasonable, but when examined by the Five Phases, they often contradict each other. It is better to decide the choice by considering the Five Phases of both the man and woman and making adjustments. For example, if a man has excessive wood and needs metal, getting a woman with strong metal to complement him is ideal; getting a woman whose destiny is earth to generate metal is also good; getting a woman whose destiny is fire (which overcomes metal) is secondary; getting a woman whose destiny is water or wood (which further strengthens the wood) is not advisable. Similarly, if a woman has strong metal and prefers fire, getting a man with strong fire to assist her is ideal; getting a man whose destiny is wood to generate fire is also good; getting a man whose destiny is water (which overcomes fire) is secondary; getting a man whose destiny is metal or earth (which further strengthens the metal) is not advisable. The rest can be inferred in the same way. As for the theories of the three yuan and nine palaces, upper, middle, and lower marriages, and various evil stars such as bone marrow breaking and iron broom, they have no rational meaning and should not be believed at all. The West Creek Master refuted them thoroughly; the official compilation "Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu" clearly deleted these, based on this view, scholars should refer to it.

子平源流考、明通賦、元理賦、氣象篇、五行生剋賦、六神篇、碧淵賦、玄機賦、形象論、方局論、八格論、體用論、清濁論、真假論、寒暖燥溼論、論蓋頭、論陰陽生克、論十干有得時不旺失時不弱、論外格取舍、論時說拘泥格局、論雜格、論星辰無關格局。以上各篇錄自《星平會海》、《三命通會》、《淵海子平》、《子平真詮》、《神峰通考》《滴天髓》。

Volume six, "Commentaries by Earlier Sages," is a compilation of famous essays collected by Yuan Shushan from previous works. The titles of the essays included in this volume are in order: "On the Origin of Zi Ping," "Ming Tong Fu," "Yuan Li Fu," "Weather and Atmosphere Section," "On the Generation and Overcoming of the Five Phases," "Six Spirits Section," "Bi Yuan Fu," "Xuan Ji Fu," "On Physical Form," "On the Structure of the Chart," "On the Eight Patterns," "On Essence and Utility," "On Purity and Impurity," "On Authenticity and Falsity," "On Cold, Warmth, Dryness, and Moisture," "On the Covering Head," "On Yin and Yang Generation and Overcoming," "On the Ten Heavenly Stems Having Strength at Times but Not at Others," "On the Selection and Rejection of External Patterns," "On the Restriction of Patterns by Time," "On Miscellaneous Patterns," and "On the Irrelevance of Stars to Patterns." Yuan Shushan noted that these essays were respectively taken from six books: "Star and Balance Sea," "Complete Compendium of the Three Fates," "Ziping's Sea of Profundity," "True Explanation of Zi Ping," "Shenfeng's Comprehensive Examination," and "Dropping the Sky's Essence." From the titles, it can be seen that the arrangement of this volume is intended to first present the ancient essays and formulas (such as Origin, Ming Tong, Yuan Li, Weather and Atmosphere, Bi Yuan, and Xuan Ji), and then the specialized discussions from "True Explanation of Zi Ping" and "Dropping the Sky's Essence" (such as Physical Form, Structure of the Chart, Eight Patterns, Essence and Utility, Purity and Impurity, Authenticity and Falsity, Cold, Warmth, Dryness, and Moisture, etc.). The former is for easy memorization through song and verse, while the latter is for clear explanation of principles. The base text of this volume only includes the titles and does not include the main content.

戊子 乙卯 戊戌 甲寅 安命癸亥 初二丙辰 十二丁巳 廿二戊午 卅二己未 四二庚申 五二辛酉 六二壬戌 七二癸亥

Volume seven, "Runde Hall Collection of Drafts," includes drafts of horoscopes that Yuan Shushan himself interpreted for others, serving as practical examples of divination. This is one of the cases. The four pillars, read from right to left, are year, month, day, and hour: the year pillar is Wuzi, the month pillar Yimao, the day pillar Wuxu, and the hour pillar Jiayin; the destiny palace is located at Guihai. The eight steps of the big destiny years begin at the age of two with Bingchen, at twelve with Dingsi, at twenty-two with Wuwu, at thirty-two with Jiwei, at forty-two with Gengshen, at fifty-two with Xinyou, at sixty-two with Renxu, and at seventy-two with Guihai. Since it is a male born in the year of Wu, the sequence starts from the month pillar Yimao and proceeds in order. Reading this chart first requires focusing on two points: the day ruler is Wu earth born in the month of Mao, which is the time when wood is strong and dominates earth; and the month pillar Yimao and the hour pillar Jiayin are all part of the official and harmful stars, indicating a very strong presence of official and harmful stars, while the day ruler is isolated. The next part of Yuan Shushan's commentary begins from here.

戊屬中央之土，生二月，春氣秀瀉，萬物發生，土之功用，可謂大矣。惜甲寅與乙卯齊逢，木盛又嫌土衰，必須火以生土，金以制木，而後乃為完全。今觀八字，金與火皆暗藏，其力太微，以致椿庭先逝，功名無成，然堂棣聯三，權力早握，亦辛事也。

Yuan Shushan's commentary first discusses the overall structure. Wu is the central earth, born in the second month (Mao month), when spring energy is flourishing and spreading outward, and all things are beginning to sprout. The function of earth is considerable. Unfortunately, both the time pillar Jiayin and the month pillar Yimao appear together, making the wood force too strong, which in turn makes the earth weak. There must be fire to generate earth (the official and nourishing element to support the self) and metal to control wood (the food and injury element to restrain the evil official and killer), in order for the structure to be complete. Now looking at this birth chart, both fire and metal are only hidden in the earth branches (there is Ding fire and Xin metal in Xu, and Bing fire in Yin), their strength is too weak. Therefore, the father died early (the term "chunti" refers to the father, and the left wealth is the father, but is restrained by the same fortune and official and killer). There is also no achievement in official rank. However, there are three brothers connected together (the term "tangdi" uses the classic reference from the Book of Songs, Constant棣, referring to brothers), and they have gained power at an early age, which is a happy thing (the original text mistakenly writes "xinshi" instead of "xingshi"). This passage demonstrates how, based on the structural feature of "official and killer being too heavy, and the nourishing and food elements both being weak," specific conclusions can be drawn about the father's early death, failure in official rank, and the brothers' support.

二十七歲前，損益各半。二十八歲八月十六日，交午運，第一二年，猶未盡佳，宜善處之。三十歲丁巳，至三十二歲己未，外華美，內喜慶，快哉快哉。三十三歲交己運上層樓開眼界矣。三十八歲交未運，災耗。四十三歲交庚運，接申運，至樂無憂。五十三歲外，靜居為是。妻遲，子一。

The commentary continues by discussing each period of life and the influence of the annual cycles. Before the age of twenty-seven, gains and losses were about equal (at this time, the person was going through the Bingchen and Dingsi cycles; although the fire-ink was good, the wet earth of chen and the hidden damage of the geng metal in si were not beneficial). At the age of twenty-eight, on the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the person entered the wu cycle — wu is the Prosperity position for wu earth and also the place of the official star, which is generally a good cycle. However, the first couple of years were not entirely favorable, and one should deal with them carefully. From the age of thirty in the Dingsi year to the age of thirty-two in the Jiwei year, there was external success and internal happiness, which could be described as fulfilling (the years of Dingsi, Wwu, and Jiwei all had fire and earth in strength, which supported the day master). At the age of thirty-three, entering the Ji cycle, the person reached a higher level and broadened their horizons (the ji earth supported the body). At the age of thirty-eight, entering the wei cycle, there were disasters and losses (the yi wood in wei assisted the official and evil star, and also formed a half-union with the mao wood, creating a wood pattern). At the age of forty-three, entering the geng cycle and then the shen cycle, the person experienced happiness and freedom from worries (the geng shen metal restrained the wood, which was exactly the restraining god that the person lacked in their fate). After the age of fifty-three, it is advisable to be quiet and retire. The spouse was obtained later, and there was only one child. The value of this commentary lies in the fact that it step by step turned the reasoning of "what is lacking in the fate and which cycle can supplement it" into verifiable years.

長安趙展如中丞序《自評真詮》云：星命雖為小道，而所繫大焉。近世術士，為餬口計，莫能深究其理，故學術多不精。學術不精，則信者寡。信者寡，則非分之營求愈熾，而安命者愈稀。君子憂之，觀此可知學問之道，貴乎深究其理。然欲深究其理，宜多讀書。不僅宜多讀星命書，凡經、史、子、集，有關於星命學者，亦宜選讀。既增學問，又益身心。用之行道，則吉凶瞭然，批談不俗；用以律己，則行藏合理，人格自高。有心斯道者首當知此。

Volume Eight, "Ten Essentials of the Star School," discusses the professional ethics and self-cultivation of diviners. The first point is "Study." Yuan Shushan first cites a passage from the preface to the "True Interpretation of the Zi Ping" written by Zhao Zhanru, a magistrate from Chang'an. The original text mistakenly refers to "Zi Ping" as "Zi Ping Zhen Quan," but it should be "Zi Ping Zhen Quan." He says that although star divination is a minor art, its implications are significant. In recent times, diviners, in order to make a living, have not had the time to deeply study its principles, so their scholarship is often not refined. When scholarship is not refined, few people believe in them; when few believe in them, those who resort to improper means become more rampant, while those who live in accordance with their destiny become fewer. This is a matter of concern for the discerning. Yuan Shushan then elaborates: from this passage, we can see that the way of study lies in deeply exploring its principles, and to deeply explore its principles, one should read extensively. Not only should one read extensively about star divination, but also select readings from the Confucian classics, historical texts, philosophical writings, and literary works that are relevant to star divination. This not only broadens one's knowledge but also benefits the body and mind. When used to practice the Way, one can clearly discern fortune and misfortune and speak with refined eloquence; when used to discipline oneself, one can act in accordance with reason, and one's character naturally becomes noble. Those who are earnest in this field should first understand this point.

《東坡志林》云：退之詩云，我生之辰，月宿直斗。乃知退之磨蠍為身宮，而僕乃以磨蠍為命，平生多得謗譽，殆是同病也。

The section "Star Fate: A Collection of Real Facts" gathers records related to star fate from the notes of literary figures throughout history. This is one such entry. Su Shi's "Dongpo Zhi Lin" mentions that Han Yu (whose courtesy name was Tuizhi) wrote in his poetry, "On the day I was born, the moon was in the constellation Dou." From this, it can be known that Han Yu took the constellation Mo She as his "Sheng Gong" (body palace). As for myself, I take the constellation Mo She as my "Ming Gong" (destiny palace). Our lives have both praise and criticism, and we have both faced a lot of slander and criticism, probably due to the same flaw. Here, "Mo She" is a transliteration of the Western zodiac sign Capricorn, introduced into China. Star fate practitioners believe that those with Mo She in their destiny often attract much criticism. Su Shi's words later became a common way for literati to mock their own difficult lives. Yuan Shushan included this to show that the theory of star fate was indeed widely believed among scholars and officials throughout history, not merely confined to common fortune-tellers.

《古歌》云：太歲劍鋒伏尸同，二曰太陽並天空，三是喪門並地喪，四為勾絞貫索同，五值官府聯五鬼，六逢死符小耗從，七見歲破與大耗，八臨暴敗天厄宮，九應飛廉白虎位，十來捲舌福星宗，十一天狗弔客患，十二病符且莫逢。

This ancient song describes the twelve positions of annual deities and malevolent spirits. Each line corresponds to one of the earthly branches. Reading each line in order: the first position is the Supreme Sovereign, Sword Edge, and Corpse Spirit; the second is the Sun and the Sky; the third is the Mourning-and-Condolence Spirit and Earthly Mourning; the fourth is Goujiao and Guansuo; the fifth is Guanfu and Five Ghosts; the sixth is Death Spirit and Minor Loss; the seventh is Annual Break and Great Loss; the eighth is Sudden Collapse and Heavenly Obstruction; the ninth is Feilian and White Tiger; the tenth is Rolled Tongue and Blessing Star; the eleventh is Heavenly Dog and Guest Spirit; the twelfth is Bingfu. These twelve lines correspond exactly to the twelve earthly branches, and the method of calculation is explained below. Note that among these, only the Sun and Blessing Star are considered auspicious deities, while the rest are malevolent spirits. Yuan Shushan comments on this point in his subsequent remarks.

以生年為主，每句一位，以次順排，假如今年甲子流年，即以子起太歲、劍鋒、伏尸，丑起太陽、天空，寅起喪門、地喪，卯起勾絞、貫索，辰起官符、五鬼，巳起死符、小耗，午至亥，仿此推，餘年同。

The method of calculation starts with the branch of the current year's stem as the initial position. Each sentence governs one position, and they are arranged in order. For example, if this year is the Jiazi year, then the first sentence starts from the Zi position, covering the Tai Su, Jian Feng, and Fu Shi; the second sentence starts from the Chou position, covering the Tai Yang and Tian Kong; the third sentence starts from the Yin position, covering the Sang Men and Di Sang; the fourth sentence starts from the Mao position, covering the Gou Jiao and Guan Suo; the fifth sentence starts from the Chen position, covering the Guan Fu and Wu Gui; the sixth sentence starts from the Si position, covering the Si Fu and Xiao Hao; from Wu to Hai, the six positions are arranged in the same way (Wu is the year's destruction and Da Hao, Wei is the sudden failure and Tian E, Shen is Fei Lian and Bai Hu, You is Juan She and Fu Xing, Xu is Tian Gou and Diao Ke, Hai is Bing Fu). The method for other years is the same, simply placing the first sentence on the branch of the current year. Once the harmful influences are found to fall on a particular branch of the person's birth chart, the old method determines which of the calamities or auspicious signs should occur in that year.

按：流年神煞古歌，共十二句，應十二支，載在《神峰通考》及《星平會海》等書。然凶煞有十之九，吉神僅十之一，其不適用可知。今人固執此說，輒謂人之命宮，如值流年吉神，其年則福，值凶煞，其年則禍。又謂小限起生月，逆行十二位，值吉神，其月則吉；值凶煞，其月則凶。舍干支五行生剋之理，而惟務此虛文，宜其毫無效驗，貽譏大雅，故此篇不列於神煞門，而評斷門，又但論宮限之向背理由者，蓋欲革除此俗習也。茲因友人函詢，特補錄之。

Yuan Shushan said: This ancient song about annual divine omens consists of twelve lines, corresponding to the twelve earthly branches, and is recorded in books such as Shenfeng's Comprehensive Examination and Xingping Huihai. However, among them, the凶s are nine-tenths and the吉s are only one-tenth, so it is clear why it is not applicable. Modern people rigidly adhere to this view, saying that if a person's natal palace meets a good divine omen in the current year, that year will be fortunate; if it meets a凶s, that year will be unfortunate. They also say that the small limit starts from the birth month and moves backward through twelve positions, and if it meets a good divine omen in a month, that month will be good; if it meets a凶s, that month will be bad. They ignore the correct principles of the heavenly stems and earthly branches and the five phases, and focus only on such empty words. It is no wonder that there is no verification, and it is ridiculed by enlightened people. Therefore, this book's main part does not include this passage in the "divine omens" section; when discussing the natal palace and small limit in the "evaluation" section, it only talks about the relationship between the small limit and the useful god. The intention is to eliminate this bad practice. Now, because a friend has asked about it in a letter, I have specially added this passage here. This note clearly explains Yuan Shushan's editorial stance: to record but not use it, to preserve the theory but reject the method.

浦二田《釀蜜集》云：冀為直北與山西，青兗上東國是齊，徐揚連跨兩江浙，湖廣荊州楚所基，豫屬河南洛陽地，梁為滇蜀雍陝西，更增福建號八閩，百粵分作廣東西，貴州是漢藏戈郡，古今名號多參差。按：卷四論九州分野宜忌篇，所言九州，曰冀、青、兗、徐、揚、荊、梁、雍、豫、乃夏制也。

This rhyme connects the ancient Nine Provinces with the provinces of the Qing Dynasty, serving as an essential tool for reading the fourth volume's section on "Nine Provinces and Their Corresponding Regions." Pu Er Tian's "Niangmi Ji" states: Jiuzhou corresponds to Zhili (modern Hebei) and Shanxi; Qingzhou and Yanzhou correspond to Shandong, which was the territory of the ancient state of Qi (the original text mistakenly reads "Shangdong" instead of "Shandong"); Xuzhou and Yangzhou span across Jiangsu and Zhejiang; Huguang and Jingzhou were the original bases of the ancient state of Chu; Yuzhou corresponds to Henan, which includes the area around Luoyang; Liangzhou corresponds to Yunnan and Sichuan, and Yongzhou corresponds to Shaanxi; additionally, Fujian is added, known as the Eight Min regions; the Baiyue people are divided into Guangdong and Guangxi; Guizhou was the Zhangke Commandery in the Han Dynasty (the original text mistakenly reads "Zangge" instead of "Zhangke"). The names of regions have often differed between ancient and modern times. Yuan Shushan notes: the Nine Provinces mentioned in the fourth volume's section "On the Five Phases, Four Seasons, and the Favorable and Unfavorable Aspects of the Nine Provinces and Their Corresponding Regions" refer to the system established during the Xia Dynasty. Readers must convert these ancient regions into modern territories using this rhyme before they can apply the methods discussed in that section.

日主橫推 甲作戊，乙作辛，丙作壬，丁作乙，戊作丙，己作己，庚作庚，辛作癸，壬作甲，癸作丁 化劫財 己庚辛壬癸甲乙丙丁戊 化食神 庚辛壬癸甲乙丙丁戊己 化正財 辛壬癸甲乙丙丁戊己庚 化七煞 壬癸甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛 化正印 癸甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬 化比肩 甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸 化傷官 乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸甲 化偏財 丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸甲乙 化正官 丁戊己庚辛壬癸甲乙丙 化偏印 戊己庚辛壬癸甲乙丙丁

This is a special chart for the "Hua Qi Ge" system, which is used to determine the ten celestial stems for the day ruler after the "Hua Qi" transformation. The top row is labeled "Ri Zhu Heng Tui," meaning that after the "Hua Qi" pattern is established, the day ruler should be viewed according to the corresponding standard five elements. For example, Jia becomes Wu (Jia and Ji form earth, and since Jia is yang, it becomes Wu, the yang earth), Yi becomes Xin (Yi and Geng form metal, and since Yi is yin, it becomes Xin, the yin metal), Bing becomes Ren (Bing and Xin form water), Ding becomes Yi (Ding and Ren form wood, and since Ding is yin, it becomes Yi, the yin wood), Wu becomes Bing (Wu and Gui form fire), Ji remains Ji, Geng remains Geng, Xin becomes Gui, Ren becomes Jia, and Gui becomes Ding. The following ten rows each start with the name of a celestial stem, and the next ten characters correspond to the ten day rulers in the order of Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui as listed in the top row. When using this chart, first locate the day ruler in the top row and remember its column position. Then, take the character in the same column position in each of the following rows to determine the corresponding celestial stem for the transformed day ruler. For example, if the day ruler is Jia (first column), Jia becomes Wu. Then, in the first column, the characters are: Ji is a劫财 (robber), Geng is 食神 (food god), Xin is 正财 (positive wealth), Ren is 七煞 (seven evils), Gui is 正印 (positive intelligence), Jia is 比肩 (same shoulder), Yi is 伤官 (injury official), Bing is 偏财 (biased wealth), Ding is 正官 (positive official), and Wu is 偏印 (biased intelligence). This is exactly the sequence of celestial stems for Wu, the yang earth.

凡遇化氣之命，先將日主化出正五行，如日主為甲，與己作合，則甲旁書作戊字，蓋甲己化土，甲屬陽，當為陽土，戊即正五行之陽土也。然後將年月時之天元次弟化出，以之配戊，看當屬何名詞，如見甲為比肩，見乙為傷官之類。支藏人元，亦如是推，惟日主遇己庚者，仍作己庚論。試再列式於下以明之。

Yuan Shushan explains the use of this table: whenever a person's destiny falls into the category of transformed elements, first transform the day stem into the correct Five Phases. For example, if the day stem is Jia and it combines with Ji, then write the character 'Wu' next to the Jia. This is because Jia and Ji combine to form earth, and since Jia is yang, it is considered yang earth, and Wu is the yang earth in the Five Phases. Then, the heavenly stems of the year, month, and hour columns are sequentially transformed according to the table, and they are matched with this Wu to determine their names. For instance, if it is Jia, it is considered a same-king; if it is Yi, it is considered a damaging official. The hidden heavenly stems in the earth branches are also determined in the same way. However, if the day stem itself is Ji or Geng, it is still discussed according to Ji or Geng itself (because Ji transforming into earth remains Ji, and Geng transforming into metal remains Geng; there is no change before and after transformation). Below are two examples to illustrate this. The key point is: after the transformed elements pattern is established, all ten heavenly stems in the entire chart must be re-labeled according to the 'day stem after transformation,' and they can no longer be labeled according to the original day stem.

某武員外造 化比 甲申 化食煞印 化劫 己巳 化食財印 日主 作戊 甲子 化印 化劫 己巳 化食財印 初七庚午，十七辛未，廿七壬申，卅七癸酉，四七甲戌，五七乙亥，六七丙子，七七丁丑。

The first example: The birth chart of a military official. The day stem is Jiazi, with Jia wood as the day ruler. The Jia wood combines with the heavenly stem of the month and hour, which is Ji earth, transforming into earth. Therefore, the day ruler is noted as "transformed into Wu earth," and the entire chart is calculated based on the yang earth Wu. The year pillar is Jia Shen: the heavenly stem Jia combines with Wu as a twin, so it is noted as "transformed into twin." Shen contains hidden stems of Geng, Ren, and Wu, which correspond to food god, biased wealth (originally marked as evil and official, based on the transformed stem), and twin, so the original chart notes it as "transformed into food, evil, and official." The month pillar is Ji Si: the heavenly stem Ji combines with Wu as a thief, so it is noted as "transformed into thief." Si contains hidden stems of Bing, Wu, and Geng, which correspond to official, twin, and food god, so the original chart notes it as "transformed into food, wealth, and official." The day pillar is Jiazi, with the heavenly stem as the day ruler, noted as "transformed into Wu." Zi contains hidden stem of Gui, which transforms into Ding as fire, corresponding to official for Wu earth, so it is noted as "transformed into official." The hour pillar is Ji Si, same as the month pillar. The big run of destiny: at seven years old, Geng Wu; at seventeen, Xin Wei; at twenty-seven, Ren Shen; at thirty-seven, Gui You; at forty-seven, Jia Xu; at fifty-seven, Yi Hai; at sixty-seven, Bing Zi; at seventy-seven, Ding Chou.

吳君造 化印 甲戌 化傷財煞 化劫 乙亥 化財印 日元 作庚 庚午 化財印 化食 丙子 化官 初九丙子，十九丁丑，廿九戊寅，卅九己卯，四九庚辰，五九辛巳，六九壬午，七九癸未。

The second example: Wu Jun's birth chart. The day stem is Gengwu, with Geng metal as the day ruler. It combines with the month stem Yi wood to form a metal combination, so it is noted as "as Geng" — Geng transforming into metal remains Geng, which conforms to the rule mentioned earlier, "the day ruler encountering Ji and Geng is still considered Ji and Geng." The year pillar is Jiaxu: Jia transforms into Wu as earth, earth generates metal, which benefits Geng, so it is noted as "transforming into a nourishing element." Xu contains Xin, Ding, and Wu, which transform into wounds, wealth, and malefic, so it is noted as "transforming into wounds, wealth, and malefic." The month pillar is Yihai: Yi transforms into Xin as metal, which is the same as Geng, so it is noted as "transforming into a rival." Hai contains Ren and Jia, which transform into wealth and nourishing elements. The day pillar Gengwu is noted as "as Geng"; Wu contains Ding and Ji, which transform into wealth and nourishing elements. The hour pillar Bingzi: Bing transforms into Ren as water, which is generated by Geng metal, so it is noted as "transforming into food." Zi contains Gui, which transforms into official. The eight-year progression: at nine years old, the year is Bingshi; at nineteen, Dingchou; at twenty-nine, Wuyin; at thirty-nine, Jimao; at forty-nine, Gengchen; at fifty-nine, Xinsi; at sixty-nine, Renwu; at seventy-nine, Guiwei. By comparing the two examples, the entire procedure of marking the ten heavenly stems in the transformed qi pattern is clearly understood.

以上所陳，僅就化氣生克名詞而言，至看命之法，不可盡拘於忌官煞，喜財印之說，蓋有常有變，生剋制化，亦如正五行之變化無窮，神而明之，存乎其人也。

Yuan Shushan finally reminded: the above discussion is merely about the method of marking the names of generation and overcoming in the transformed qi pattern; as for the actual method of examining a person's destiny, one should not rigidly adhere to such established notions as "avoiding officials and evils, and favoring wealth and support." Because everything has both constant and variable aspects, the generation and overcoming in the transformed qi pattern are just as infinite and changeable as in the standard five phases. Whether one can integrate and apply them skillfully depends on one's own efforts. This passage is consistent with the annotations throughout the book: whenever Yuan Shushan finishes explaining a specific method, he always reminds the reader not to stick rigidly to the rules—methods are fixed, but their application is flexible.

凡推命宮，須以生月，（如過中氣，作次月之數推。）生時之數合算，（寅一、卯二、辰三……丑十二）得十四為本位。如月時之數，不滿十四者，當加之，（加之十四為止）即以所加至數為某宮，如加滿十四數者，當加至二十六為本位，即以所加之數為某宮。若推小限，須以命宮之數，與生年之數合算，再減本流年之數，即以所餘之數為某限。如命宮與生年之數合算，再不足減本流年之數者，當再加十二。若減本流年之數二有餘者，當再減十二，均以所餘之數為某限。

This is a quick calculation method for determining the destiny palace and the small limit without using the hands, relying instead on mental arithmetic with numbers. It is more convenient than the method described in section two, which uses the palm. First, assign numbers to the twelve earthly branches: Yin is one, Mao is two, Chen is three, and so on until Chou is twelve. To determine the destiny palace, add the number of the birth month (if the month has already passed the solar term, use the number of the next month) and the number of the birth hour. Use fourteen as the base: if the sum of these two numbers is less than fourteen, add the necessary number to reach fourteen; the earthly branch corresponding to that added number is the destiny palace. If the sum is more than fourteen, use twenty-six as the base and add the necessary number to reach twenty-six; the earthly branch corresponding to that added number is the destiny palace. To determine the small limit, add the number of the destiny palace and the number of the birth year, then subtract the number of the current year's flow year. The earthly branch corresponding to the remaining number is the small limit for that year. If the sum is not enough to subtract the flow year number, first add twelve before subtracting. If after subtracting the flow year number there is a remainder greater than twelve, subtract twelve again. In any case, the final remaining number determines the small limit. This method converts the palm technique into simple addition and subtraction, and once mastered, one can quickly determine the destiny palace and small limit without needing to use fingers.

星命之學，通人未必習，習之者未必皆通。人以其書或有文無訣，或有訣無文，究其訣與文，又類失之鄙俚，俗積學之士，不得其訣。遂厭其文，遊食者流，不講其文，專秘其訣，故學者難之。

This is the跋 at the end of the book, written by Liu Han Guang from Shu Nan. He first points out the difficulty in learning the art of star and destiny: enlightened people may not be willing to learn it, and those who are willing to learn may not necessarily be enlightened. The reason lies in the fact that the books on this subject have some that contain only written words but no oral formulas, and others that contain only oral formulas but no written words; even if one carefully examines both the oral formulas and the written words, they are mostly crude and vulgar. Therefore, learned scholars are unable to obtain the oral formulas, and even discard the written words altogether; while those who rely on this for a living do not emphasize written words, but keep the oral formulas secret. Thus, the two extremes squeeze the learners, making it natural for people to find the study difficult. These few sentences profoundly reveal the actual difficulties in the transmission of destiny studies before the Republic of China—refined scholars lack the formulas, while commoners keep the formulas secret, and there is no single book in between that can be self-taught from volume to volume.

袁君是書，舉前人之訣，悉發其秘，窮源竟委，了無餘蘊，雖無師傳，可以執卷而求，不致恍惚迷離，如墜五里霧中，茫然不知崖岸，其加惠後學，豈淺鮮哉。至文章淵雅，議論明通，滌盡鄙俚俾俗之跡，俾俗士讀之，絕無扦格之弊；通人讀之，益相賞於牝牡驪黃之外者，又其餘事也。丙辰八月，蜀南劉漢光緝熙甫謹跋

Liu Han Guang then praised this book: Mr. Yuan's work reveals all the previous oral formulas completely without reservation; it thoroughly explores the origins and details, discussing nothing left to be said. Readers even without a teacher can hold the book and seek knowledge on their own, without being confused or lost like being in a fog, not knowing where they are. It benefits later generations greatly, not something trivial. As for the writing being broad, profound, and elegant, and the arguments clear and penetrating, it removes the traces of crude and vulgar expressions, so that ordinary readers will not find it difficult to understand, and those who are knowledgeable will be able to appreciate its meaning beyond the words (the phrase "pen-mu li-huang" refers to the story in the "Liezi" about Jiufanggao identifying a horse, meaning to grasp the spirit while ignoring the form). This is just an extra merit of the book. In the Bingchen year (1916), August, Liu Han Guang, courtesy name Jixi Fu, wrote this postscript. This postscript precisely points out the position of "Tracing the Sources of Destiny Theory" in the history of destiny studies: it is the first work to systematically reveal the oral formulas of previous generations and enable readers to study it on their own.