Tianwen Xun (Treatise on Celestial Patterns)

太陰所建，蟄蟲首穴而處，鵲巢鄉而為戶。太陰在寅，朱烏在卯，勾陳在子，玄武在戌，白虎在酉，蒼龍在辰。

In the place where Taiyin is established, hibernating insects pull their heads into their burrows and magpies turn the doors of their nests toward that direction. When Taiyin is at yin, the Vermilion Bird is at mao, Gouchen is at zi, Xuanwu is at xu, the White Tiger is at you, and the Azure Dragon is at chen.

寅為建，卯為除，辰為滿，巳為平，主生；

Yin is Establish, mao is Remove, chen is Full, and si is Balance, and they govern life;

午為定，未為執，主陷；

wu is Fix and wei is Hold, and they govern falling;

申為破，主衡；

shen is Break and governs the balance;

酉為危，主杓；

you is Danger and governs the handle;

戌為成，主少德；

xu is Success and governs lesser virtue;

亥為，主大德；

hai is (the original seems to have a gap here; for the twelve spirits of Establish and Remove, it should be "Receive"), and governs great virtue;

子為開，主太歲；

zi is Open and governs Taisui;

醜為閉，主太陰。

chou is Close and governs Taiyin.

太陰在寅，歲名曰攝提格，其雄為歲星，舍鬥、牽牛，以十一月與之晨出東方，東井、輿鬼為對。

When Taiyin is at yin, the year is named Shetige; its male is Jupiter, lodged at Dou and Qianniu, and in the eleventh month appears with it in the east in the morning; Dongjing and Yugui are opposite.

太陰在卯，歲名曰單閼，歲星舍須女、虛、危，以十二月與之晨出東方，柳、七星、張為對。

When Taiyin is at mao, the year is named Shan'e; Jupiter lodges at Xunu, Xu and Wei, and in the twelfth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Liu, Qixing and Zhang are opposite.

太陰在辰，歲名曰執，歲星營室、東壁，以正月與之晨出東方，翼、軫為對。

When Taiyin is at chen, the year is named Zhixu (the original has "Zhi" only); Jupiter is at Yingshi and Dongbi, and in the first month appears with it in the east in the morning; Yi and Zhen are opposite.

太陰在巳，歲名曰大荒落，歲星舍奎、婁，以二月與之晨出東方，角、亢為對。

When Taiyin is at si, the year is named Dahuangluo; Jupiter lodges at Kui and Lou, and in the second month appears with it in the east in the morning; Jiao and Kang are opposite.

太陰在午，歲名曰敦，歲星舍胃、昴、畢，以三月與之晨出東方，氐、房、心為對。

When Taiyin is at wu, the year is named Dunzang (the original has "Dun" only); Jupiter lodges at Wei, Mao and Bi, and in the third month appears with it in the east in the morning; Di, Fang and Xin are opposite.

太陰在未，歲名曰協洽，歲星舍觜、參，以四月與之晨出東方，尾、箕為對。

When Taiyin is at wei, the year is named Xieqia; Jupiter lodges at Zi and Shen, and in the fourth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Wei and Ji are opposite.

太陰在申，歲名曰涒灘，歲星舍東井、輿鬼，以五月與之晨出東方，鬥、牽牛為對。

When Taiyin is at shen, the year is named Tuntan; Jupiter lodges at Dongjing and Yugui, and in the fifth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Dou and Qianniu are opposite.

太陰在酉，歲名曰作鄂，歲星舍柳、七星、張，以六月與之晨出東方，須女、虛、危為對。

When Taiyin is at you, the year is named Zuo'e; Jupiter lodges at Liu, Qixing and Zhang, and in the sixth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Xunu, Xu and Wei are opposite.

太陰在戌，歲名曰閹茂，歲星舍翼、軫，以七月與之晨出東方，營室、東壁為對。

When Taiyin is at xu, the year is named Yanmao; Jupiter lodges at Yi and Zhen, and in the seventh month appears with it in the east in the morning; Yingshi and Dongbi are opposite.

太陰在亥，歲名曰大淵獻，歲星舍角、亢，以八月與之晨出東方，奎、婁為對。

When Taiyin is at hai, the year is named Dayuanxian; Jupiter lodges at Jiao and Kang, and in the eighth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Kui and Lou are opposite.

太陰在子，歲名曰困敦，歲星舍氐、房、心，以九月與之晨出東方，胃、昴、畢為對。

When Taiyin is at zi, the year is named Kundun; Jupiter lodges at Di, Fang and Xin, and in the ninth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Wei, Mao and Bi are opposite.

太陰在醜，歲名曰赤奮若，歲星舍尾、箕，以十月與之晨出東方，觜雟、參為對。

When Taiyin is at chou, the year is named Chifenruo; Jupiter lodges at Wei and Ji, and in the tenth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Zi and Shen are opposite.

太陰在甲子，刑德合東方宮，常徙所不勝，合四歲而離，離十六歲而復合。所以離者，刑不得入中宮，而徙於木。太陰所居德，辰為刑。德，綱日自倍因，柔日徙所不勝。刑，水辰之木，木辰之水，金、火立其處。

When Taiyin is at jiazi, punishment and virtue meet in the eastern palace, and constantly move to the place they cannot overcome; after four years joined they separate, and after sixteen years apart they join again. The reason they separate is that punishment cannot enter the central palace, and moves to Wood. Where Taiyin dwells is virtue, and the branch is punishment. Virtue on yang days doubles itself and follows its course, on yin days moves to what it cannot overcome. Punishment: a Water branch goes to Wood, a Wood branch goes to Water, and Metal and Fire stand in place.

凡徙諸神，朱鳥在太陰前一，鉤陳在後三，玄武在前五，白虎在後六，虛星乘鉤陳而天地襲矣。

In all movements of the various spirits, the Vermilion Bird is one position ahead of Taiyin, Gouchen is three positions behind, Xuanwu is five positions ahead, the White Tiger is six positions behind, and the Xu star rides on Gouchen so that Heaven and Earth overlap each other.

凡日，甲剛乙柔，丙剛丁柔，以至於癸。

For all days, jia is hard and yi is soft, bing is hard and ding is soft, and so on through gui.

木生於亥，壯於卯，死於未，三辰皆木也。

Wood is born at hai, strong at mao, and dies at wei; these three branches are all Wood.

火生於寅，壯於午，死於戌，三辰皆火也。

Fire is born at yin, strong at wu, and dies at xu; these three branches are all Fire.

土生於午，壯於戌，死於寅，三辰皆土也。

Earth is born at wu, strong at xu, and dies at yin; these three branches are all Earth.

金生於巳，壯於酉，死於醜，三辰皆金也。

Metal is born at si, strong at you, and dies at chou; these three branches are all Metal.

水生於申，壯於子，死於辰，三辰皆水也。

Water is born at shen, strong at zi, and dies at chen; these three branches are all Water.

故五勝生一，壯五，終九，五九四十五，故神四十五日而一徙；以三應五，故八徙而歲終。

So the five overcomings: birth is at one, strength at five, and end at nine; five nines are forty-five, so the spirits move once every forty-five days; using three to match five, they move eight times and the year ends.