Question 37 · Geography is not a minor discipline

三十七問曰：士大夫家，以讀書求名為重，將葬親大事，付於術士之手。今聆吾子所言，純以《周易》為主，然則地理非小數也。

A student asked: The literati families value reading for official rank, yet they entrust the important matter of burying their parents to geomancers. Now, hearing the teacher say that geomancy is entirely based on the Zhou Yi, this discipline is not a minor skill at all.

答：《周易》包羅萬象，大者不外乎天地人三才而已。通天文者，可以知四時代謝，水旱災祥，以養生；明地理者，可以知九運往來，趨吉避凶，以立命。人能為貞吉之君子，勿為悔吝之小人，以與天地參。

Ma Taiqing answered: The Zhou Changes encompass everything, but the greatest among them are the Three Principles of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Those who understand astronomy can know the changing of the four seasons, droughts and floods, and thus preserve their lives. Those who understand geography can know the coming and going of the nine cycles, and avoid misfortune to secure their destiny. If a person can become a virtuous gentleman who follows the right path and brings good fortune, rather than a petty person who brings regret and hardship, he can stand alongside Heaven and Earth as the third principle.

孟子曰：惟送死，可以當大事。誰謂地理為小數耶。彼術士既無真實學問，不能不苟悅取容，望門求售，無怪乎富豪役之如同廝僕，道以人卑，故以末流小數視之。

Mencius said: Only the matter of burial rites deserves the term "great affair." Who could say that geomancy is a minor discipline? It is only because those geomancers themselves lack genuine knowledge that they have to flatter and go door to door selling their services, which is why wealthy families treat them like servants. The study of geomancy is looked down upon because the people who practice it are of low status, and thus the world regards geomancy as a minor skill.

三十八問曰：天文地理人事，即此地理以配三才乎？

A student asked: Heavenly phenomena, earthly features, and human affairs—does this mean using this kind of geography to match the three elements?

答：何嘗不是。大龍大干，到頭處，形止氣蓄，鍾靈毓秀，以誕帝王聖賢；大江大河，回合處，建都設邑，控制八方，以居君國卿相。得其氣運，則國泰民安；失其氣運，則時衰世亂。人但知萬事皆由天定，孰知地理亦有主持乎。遷豳卜洛，晉絳楚郢，國之興廢因之。若山川險阻，戰守所憑；土壤瘠肥，農桑所持，乃孟子所謂地利，非地理也。

Ma Taiqing answered: Indeed, that is true. A great dragon reaches the end of its path, its form stops but its energy accumulates, gathering the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, thus giving rise to emperors and sages. Great rivers and lakes converge and encircle, making it suitable to build the capital and establish cities, controlling all directions, thus becoming the residence of monarchs and ministers. Gaining the favorable energy brings national prosperity and people's peace; losing it leads to decline and chaos. People only know that all things are determined by heaven, but they do not realize that geography also plays a dominant role. When the Zhou people moved to Bin, and the Duke of Zhou selected the site for the capital in Luoyi, and when the state of Jin had its capital at Jang and the state of Chu at Ying, the rise and fall of a country were determined by this. As for mountains and rivers, and dangerous terrain, which are relied upon for attack and defense, and the fertility or barrenness of the soil, which supports agriculture and sericulture, these are the "geographical advantage" mentioned in the "Mengzi," not the geography discussed here.

三十九問曰：地理所關者禍福，世人遂因求福而後謀地。至有道學先生，力矯其弊，遇地即葬，可以為世法否？

A student asked: The relationship between geography and fortune and misfortune concerns people's fate. Therefore, people seek to obtain a piece of land in order to seek blessings. As a result, some scholars of Confucianism have tried to correct this flaw, advocating that whenever a suitable piece of land is found, one should bury the deceased there. Is this approach suitable as a standard for people to follow?

答：墳猶樹根也，人猶枝葉也。有地脈處，則根肥葉茂；無地脈處，則樹瘦枝枯。若以安祖宗之骨為念，則可；若以邀己身之福為心，則不可。避風、避水，乾暖之地，則可；若故欲矯俗隨意，從省埋葬，則不可。如程邵朱蔡，非大賢耶，而於葬事其難其慎，亦不過欲安先人之靈，盡其心焉已爾。

Ma Taiqing answered: A grave is like the roots of a tree, and a person is like the branches and leaves. In a place with good earth energy, the roots become strong and the branches and leaves flourish; in a place without good earth energy, the tree becomes weak and the branches and leaves wither. If the intention is to properly bury the ancestors' remains, that is acceptable; if the intention is to seek blessings for oneself, that is not acceptable. Choosing a place that is sheltered from wind and water, dry and warm, is acceptable; but if one hastily and carelessly buries the body just to correct the prevailing customs, that is also unacceptable. Men such as Cheng Yi, Shao Yong, Zhu Xi, and Cai Yuanping, are they not great sages? Yet they were extremely cautious about burial matters, regarded them as difficult, and only wished to ensure the spirits of the ancestors were at peace, giving their best effort.

四十問曰：南方有高山、大壟、平崗，北方有平原、平陽，水鄉有平洋。而高山大壟平原，居高臨下，則多幹流；平岡坦緩，則多水繞；平陽寬，則以溝以路為用；平洋低，則就水立局。其理氣異同？

A student asked: In the south there are high mountains, large ridges, and flat ridges; in the north there are plains and flat lands; in water areas there are flat plains. High mountains, large ridges, and plains are elevated and overlook downwards, mostly being dry rivers without water; flat ridges have gentle terrain and are often surrounded by water; flat lands are wide and use ditches and roads as water channels; flat plains are low-lying and rely on water to establish the layout. Are their principles and energies the same or different?

答：高山大壟，平岡平原，不過有高峻平坦之異，而開幛過峽，成局結穴，朝案護砂，俱是一樣看法；有水無水，是一樣用法。俗眼不知，每以穴高水低為嫌者，謬也。平洋之地，行龍處，雖不見有龍，而兩水相夾，中即是龍；結穴處，不見有砂，而水灣即有砂灣，砂遶才有水遶，所謂兩山之間必有水，兩水之間必有山，正是謂此。

Ma Taiqing answered: High mountains, large ridges, and flat ridges and plains are merely differences in elevation and flatness; as for the features such as opening screens, passing ridges that constrict energy, forming a complete structure and a converging point, and the facing mountains, case mountains, and protective sands, the way to interpret them is exactly the same; whether there is water or not, the method of application is also the same. Common people do not understand this principle and often complain that the site is too high and the water is too low, which is wrong. In flat land, although the dragon path is not visible, there are two streams on both sides, and the middle one is the dragon; although the ridges are not visible at the converging point, wherever the water bends, the ridges also bend, and the ridges surrounding the area will have water surrounding them. What is meant by "between two mountains, there must be water; between two waters, there must be mountains" is exactly this meaning.

若山壟岡原，何用說耶。其平陽以路為用者，路必深至數尺，淺者亦必尺餘，依形就氣而用之，一樣發福；倘深不滿尺，即或用之，亦無效驗。所以然者，行龍結穴，乃陰氣所凝之處；溪澗溝路，乃陽氣所行之處。陰逢陽界即止，山環水繞，即是陰陽交媾，天地鍾靈毓秀之區。山壟、崗原、平陽、平洋，都無二致，雖舉天下之地，不能出此圍範。

As for mountain ridges and hilltops, there is no need to elaborate further. In flat and sunny areas, where roads are treated like water, the road surface must be several feet deep, with the shallowest being more than a foot; by following the form and utilizing the energy, it can still bring good fortune. If the road is not deep enough, even if it is usedwith difficulty, it will not produce the expected results. The reason is that when a dragon-like terrain forms a hill or a site, it is a place where yin energy converges; while streams, ditches, and roads are where yang energy flows. Yin energy stops at the boundary of yang energy. When mountains encircle and water surrounds, it represents the meeting of yin and yang, which is the area where heaven and earth gather the essence of beauty and virtue. Mountain ridges, hilltops, flat lands, and plains are all the same in this regard; even if all the land in the world is considered, it cannot go beyond this scope.

四十一問曰：理氣純以九運為主，又以年月日時為用，為克應之期，其八千四維十二支，將無用耶？

A student asked: Since the principles and energies are purely based on the nine periods, and the years, months, days and hours are used for determining the timing, then are the eight dry branches, four cardinal directions and twelve earthly branches on the compass not of any use?

答：伏羲畫卦，只有八卦，其十二支，亦上應天之舍次。古人製造羅經，分析八方，為三八二十四字，子午卯酉所占之位，即坎離震兌之宮，子坎同是水，卯震同是木，酉兌同是金，故用子午卯酉，不必更言坎離震兌也。

Ma Taiqing answered: Fuxi drew the eight trigrams, originally only the eight trigrams. As for the twelve earthly branches, they also correspond to the positions of the twenty-eight constellations in the sky. Ancient people made the compass, dividing each of the eight directions into three parts, resulting in twenty-four characters. The positions occupied by Zi, Wu, Mao, and You are the four palaces of Kan, Li, Zhen, and Dui: Zi and Kan both belong to water, Mao and Zhen both belong to wood, You and Dui both belong to metal, so once Zi, Wu, Mao, and You have been used, there is no need to repeat Kan, Li, Zhen, and Dui.

乾坤艮巽，正當十二支之隙，又是本卦正位，不必更假名字。其子午卯酉，左右隙處，以壬癸屬水，故附於坎宮；以甲乙屬木，故附於震宮；以丙丁屬火，故附於離宮；以庚辛屬金，故附於兌宮，原屬一體同氣之義，甚屬顯然。

The four trigrams Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun precisely fill the gaps among the twelve earthly branches, and they themselves are the correct positions of the primary hexagram, so there is no need to borrow other names. As for the empty positions on the left and right sides of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You: Ren and Gui belong to water, so they are attached to the Kan palace; Jia and Yi belong to wood, so they are attached to the Zhen palace; Bing and Ding belong to fire, so they are attached to the Li palace; Geng and Xin belong to metal, so they are attached to the Dui palace. This is simply a matter of the same essence and nature, clearly evident.

然人從而穿鑿，甲不為木，而納於乾金；乙不為木，而納於坤土。如此等類，使五行各失其性，甚至甲或附於寅，而為寅午成局；或附於卯，而為亥卯未局。以至有乙丙交而趨戌，辛壬會而聚辰，土牛納庚丁之氣，金羊收癸甲之靈，生旺墓庫，左旋右旋，令學者至死不悟。其實所繫者，全在乎元運，與太歲所纏之宮主之。

But later scholars insisted on making forced connections: they did not consider Jia as Wood, but instead assigned it to Qian (Heaven), which belongs to Metal; they did not consider Yi as Wood, but instead assigned it to Kun (Earth). Such practices caused the Five Phases to lose their original nature. Even further, they attached Jia to Yin, forming the Fire trinity of Yin, Wu, and Xu; or attached it to Mao, forming the Wood trinity of Hai, Mao, and Wei. Thus, they invented phrases like 'Yi and Bing meet and head toward Xu', 'Xin and Ren meet and gather at Chen', 'Earth Ox absorbs the energy of Geng and Ding', and 'Metal Sheep gathers the spirit of Ji and Gui'. Combined with the concepts of birth, strength, burial, and storage, along with left and right rotations, these have confused scholars to the point of lifelong confusion. In reality, what truly matters is the original cycle and the position of the current year's sovereign.

如一白坎當令，即地支之子，逢太歲在申子辰午四年應之。子年為填實，午年為沖動，申辰為催合，吉則應吉，凶則應凶。如犯一支，則四年應之；犯二支，八年應之；犯三支，則十二年中，無休歇矣。

For example, if the Trigram Kan (Water) is in power and corresponds to the Earthly Branch Zi (Rat), then when the Tai Sui (Celestial Stem) arrives at the years of Shen, Zi, Chen, and Wu, the effect will manifest. The year of Zi is called "filling up," the year of Wu is called "impelling," and the years of Shen and Chen are called "promoting union." If something is originally auspicious, it will bring auspicious events; if it is originally inauspicious, it will bring inauspicious events. If only one Earthly Branch is involved, there will be a response in four years; if two Earthly Branches are involved, there will be a response in eight years; if three Earthly Branches are involved, then within twelve years there will be no moment of rest.

獨乾坤艮巽四宮之內，皆得老友兩位，沖合填實當有八年，遇吉砂吉水，太歲值年，世人見其發之速而且久，莫知其所以然，遂呼曰：乾坤艮巽號御街，四大尊神在內排。不問氣運之得失，故亂用之，一遇凶禍，又呼乾坤艮巽為殺人黃泉矣。

Only the four directions of Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun each contain two earthly branches, so the combinations of conflict, harmony, and filling up together account for eight years. If these four directions happen to have auspicious sand and water, and also coincide with the year of the sovereign's age, people see quick and long-lasting benefits, but do not understand the reason behind it. Thus they created a mnemonic phrase: "Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun are called the Imperial Street, with the four great deities arranged within." They ignore whether the qi fortune is gained or lost, and use them recklessly; once encountering misfortune, they then reverse the meaning of Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun, calling them "the killer of the Yellow Spring."

四十二問曰：大運六十年，小運二十年，何以一白有百六十年，二黑有百四十年，三碧有百二十年之說？

A student asked: The great cycle is sixty years, the small cycle is twenty years, so why is there a saying that the first white (water) governs one hundred and sixty years, the second black (water) governs one hundred and forty years, and the third green (wood) governs one hundred and twenty years?

答：一白與九紫相對，必九紫當運，則一白之地方敗。如上元甲子甲戌二十年，一白正當運，大發；至二黑三碧運內，則一向尚餘氣，故仍發；至四、五、六、七、八運內，運雖過亦無凶，故云百六十年。

Ma Taiqing answered: The one white and nine purple are opposite to each other. It must wait until the nine purple is in its period of influence before the one white's period will decline. For example, during the twenty years of the upper original Jiazi and Jiaxu, the one white was in its period and flourished greatly; during the two black and three green periods, the one white still had residual influence, so it could still flourish; until the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth periods, although the period had passed, there was no misfortune. Calculated this way, it totals one hundred and sixty years.

若甲申甲午二十年，二黑主運固發，在一白運內，同是上元，已可用之，二與八相對，交八白管運即敗，故云百四十年；若甲辰甲寅二十年，三碧主運，交一白運，已可用之，至本運大發，三與七相對，交七赤管運，三碧始敗，故云百二十年。中下二元之地，皆仿此。總之上元六十年，三運之地，皆可用，必至本運而後發耳，中下兩元之地，用法同此。

Now looking at the twenty years of Jiashen and Jiawu, the second black star is in charge, and although it is certainly beneficial, during the first white star period, since they belong to the upper yuan, the second black star's land has already been usable. The second and eighth stars are opposite, so when the eighth white star takes over, the second black star will decline, hence the total period is one hundred forty years. Similarly, for the twenty years of Jiachen and Jiayin, the third green star is in charge; during the first white star period, the third green star's land was already usable, and during its own period it will flourish greatly. The third and seventh stars are opposite, so when the seventh red star takes over, the third green star will decline, hence the total period is one hundred twenty years. The lands of the middle yuan and lower yuan are also applied in the same way. In summary, during the sixty years of the upper yuan, the lands of the three periods can all be used, but they will only flourish when they reach their own period; the lands of the middle yuan and lower yuan are used in the same way.

四十三問曰：巽幹於中元運內，何以各五十年？

A student asked: Why do Xun and Qian each occupy fifty years in the middle yuan period?

答：各卦本運只二十年，惟中五運二十年，前甲申十年屬之巽，三碧運內，四綠之地已可用，故有五十年；後甲午十年屬之幹，七赤運內，六白之地，尚有餘氣，故亦有五十年。然一白九紫兩運之內，四綠六白之地，亦各有二十年旺運，用得者大發，用錯者大敗。此一說，惟李師知之，余考驗之，信然。

Ma Taiqing answered: The original period of each trigram lasts only twenty years, but the middle five period, which also lasts twenty years, needs to be divided. The first ten years, Jiashen, belong to Xun, and during the four green period, the four green energy has already been used, combining to make fifty years. The latter ten years, Jiawu, belong to Qian, and during the seven red period, the six white energy still has residual power, combining to make fifty years again. However, during the one white and nine purple periods, the four green and six white energies each have twenty years of prosperity. If used correctly, great fortune comes; if used incorrectly, great defeat occurs. This knowledge is known only by Li's teacher, and I have tested it in practice, and it is indeed true.

四十四問曰：五行一訣非真術，城門一訣最為良，何所指？

A student asked: The text says "The Five Phases are not true divination, but the City Gate method is most beneficial." What exactly does "City Gate" refer to?

答：即穴後入首束氣之處，與穴前放水出口之處也，乃形勢兼理氣而言。對待元運，皆任於此；吉凶禍福之柄，亦無不在此。

Ma Taiqing answered: This refers to the place where the qi converges at the entrance of the ridge after the burial site, and the place where water is released in front of the burial site; this is a discussion combining form and qi theory. The relationship of front and back and the alignment with the original period and its usage entirely depend on these two places; the power to determine good fortune and misfortune is also entirely determined by these two points.

四十五問：天機妙訣本不同，八卦只有一卦通，如何謂之一卦通？

A student asked: The text says, "The heavenly mechanism and secret techniques are fundamentally different, but the Eight Trigrams only share one trigram in common." How is this called "one trigram in common"?

答：本是說得明明白白，被後人越解越錯，竟有說是以此一卦，去通那八卦，以至愈迷愈謬，盡為理氣言也。所謂一卦通者，乃是當運之一卦，用之最吉，謂之通，言八卦不能皆通也，即餘前篇所云，某卦之當運二十年，是也。

Ma Taiqing answered: This sentence was originally clear and straightforward, but later people interpreted it more and more incorrectly, even suggesting that this hexagram was used to connect with the other eight trigrams, leading to greater confusion. In fact, the entire sentence refers to the concept of "li qi" (principles and energies). The term "one hexagram is in harmony" refers to the hexagram that is most auspicious during its time, hence called "tong" (harmony); it means that the eight trigrams cannot all be in harmony at the same time. This is exactly what I mentioned earlier: a particular hexagram is in harmony for twenty years, referring precisely to this matter.

四十六問：何謂合得天心造化工？

A student asked: What does 「harmonizing with the heavenly mind to create the workings of nature」 mean?

答：世人但以點穴處橫直度量，十字相交為天心；又以明堂水聚為天心，是形勢之天心，非理氣之天心也。理氣之天心，乃某元某運管事，則某元某運，即是真天心。識得天心，以此察人間禍福，用此趨吉避凶，奪天命，改造化，全繫乎此。即以此運入中，按陰陽順逆飛吊，所謂顛顛倒者，所謂星辰流轉要相逢者，又用中之用，不經口授，烏能知之。

Ma Taiqing answered: People only regard the point where thesite is located, measured horizontally and vertically, as the heavenly center, and also consider the place where all the waters converge in the bright hall as the heavenly center. These are all the heavenly centers in terms of form, not in terms of principle and qi. The heavenly center in terms of principle and qi refers to which yuans and yuns are currently in power, and that particular yuan and yun is the true heavenly center. Once one recognizes the heavenly center, one can use it to observe human misfortunes and blessings, to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune; to seize the heavenly mandate and change the workings of nature, all depend on this. Then one should place the stars of this yun into the central palace, and arrange them according to the forward and backward movement of yin and yang. The classic's mention of "upside down and reversed" and "the stars flow and meet" refers again to the "use of the central," which cannot be known without the master's oral transmission and personal instruction.

四十七問曰：凡結地之處，或數十里而結一穴，或十數里而結一穴，或三五里而結數穴者，不等。究之遍地皆人所葬，不盡得穴，小康者有之，自給者有之，亦不皆絕，子孫相繼，間有繁衍者，地之力耶？運之力耶？

A student asked: In areas where graves are located, some places have a burial site every几十 miles, some every十几 miles, and others have several burial sites within three or five miles. The number varies. However, in reality, there are graves everywhere, and not all are located on true burial sites. Some families are only moderately prosperous, some barely make a living, and not everyone has no descendants. The descendants continue from generation to generation, and sometimes there are even very prosperous families. So is it the power of the land or the power of destiny that determines this?

答：其地雖不得穴，亦必地勢高燥平穩，無凶砂惡水沖射，即能自給；有得運低小，砂水顧照，即可小康，而子孫繁衍矣。然亦當以人事參之：倘其人庸懦，縱有吉砂旺水蔭墳，亦只平平；倘其人勤能，但無凶砂惡水浸墳，亦足自立。此以天時、地理、人事，參合之妙，千百中不爽毫髮。

Ma Taiqing answered: Although that piece of land does not have a true qi point, as long as the terrain is high, bright, dry, and stable, without any凶sand or evil water shooting at it, it is sufficient for self-sufficiency; if it also happens to have a slight good fortune, the sand and water will turn back to protect it, then it can achieve a moderate level of prosperity, and the descendants can also multiply. However, it is still necessary to consider human factors: if the family is mediocre and weak, even with auspicious sand and strong water protecting the tomb, it will only be average; if the family is diligent and capable, as long as there is no凶sand or evil water harming the tomb, it is enough to establish a family. This is the wonderful combination of heaven's timing, geographical features, and human factors. After thousands of verifications, it never deviates by even a fraction.

四十八問曰：繼父之墳，能發承祧之子乎？

A student asked: Can the grave of a stepfather bring prosperity to the son who was adopted to inherit the family?

答：何獨不然。試觀人家不利女丁者，或產難，或淫奔，不特其女應之，即其媳亦應之。雖庵剎、寺院、僧道之墳，尚能蔭其招養之徒，豈有繼父不能蔭承祧之子孫耶。但媳之吉凶，母家與夫家參看；而承祧子之吉凶，亦當本生與過繼者同看，俱關係兩家故也。

Ma Taiqing answered: How could it be impossible? Let us look at those families whose burial grounds are unfavorable to female relatives: either they suffer from difficult childbirth or their daughters run away and lose their chastity. Not only does the daughter herself suffer, but the daughter-in-law also suffers. Even the graves of monks and nuns in temples and monasteries can protect and nurture their disciples they have taken in. How then could an adoptive father fail to benefit his adopted son? However, the fortune of the daughter-in-law must be considered together with both her maternal and marital families; the fortune of the adopted son must also be considered together with both his biological parents' family and his adoptive parents' family—because they are connected to both families.

四十九問曰：今人皆欲謀大地，甚至謀得極不堪之地，轉不若不求大地，得一干暖之地，無凶砂惡水沖射，用之好否？

A student asked: Now everyone wants to seek a good piece of land, but often ends up with very poor land. It would be better not to seek land at all, but to find a place that is dry, warm, and free from harmful sand and water flowing towards it. Is this a good approach?

答：較之胡求大地而得禍者，亦不失為中策。但貧人得之，仍如是貧；富人得之，仍如是富。地稍有一分好處，則富者必加一分富，貧者必減一分貧；倘地有一分壞處，亦然。勿作妄想，但求安親，勸得痴人醒，亦是無量功德。

Ma Taiqing answered: Compared to those who recklessly seek a good burial ground and end up bringing misfortune, this at least counts as a middle ground strategy. However, even if a poor person buries his ancestors here, he remains poor; and even if a rich person buries his ancestors here, he remains rich. If the land has a slight advantage, the rich will gain a little more wealth, and the poor will lose a little more poverty; if the land has a slight disadvantage, the situation is the same. As long as one does not harbor improper desires and is solely focused on properly settling the deceased, that is good. Being able to wake up one person who is foolishly obsessed with seeking a good burial ground is also immeasurable merit.

五十問曰：北省人死，即殯即葬；南省人死，厝棺不葬，甚至停留數代，積累十餘棺，以待圖謀風水。所厝不吉，遂愈久愈貧，至不能葬，或夭絕無人，固毋論矣；間或有力者，一舉而葬數代之墳，其吉凶當如何斷？

A student asked: People in the north bury the dead immediately after death, but people in the south keep the coffin for a long time, sometimes for several generations, accumulating dozens of coffins, waiting for a good place for burial. If the place where the coffin is kept is not auspicious, they become increasingly poor, poor to the point of being unable to afford burial, or even dying young, dying out, with no one to take care of them, which is naturally not worth discussing. Occasionally, those with sufficient means will bury all the ancestors of several generations at once. How can we determine the fortune and misfortune in such cases?

答：只看其現在之人，近身父母之墳，與遠祖之墳：同吉，作吉斷；同凶，作凶斷。若遠墳吉近墳凶，仍作凶斷；遠墳凶，近墳吉，仍作吉斷，近者最要故也。

Ma Taiqing answered: One only needs to consider the graves of the closest parents and the distant ancestors who are currently alive. If both places are auspicious, then it is judged as auspicious; if both are inauspicious, then it is judged as inauspicious. If the distant grave is auspicious but the near one is inauspicious, it is still judged as inauspicious; if the distant grave is inauspicious but the near one is auspicious, it is still judged as auspicious—because the nearer grave is more important.

五十一問曰：越是富貴人，越喜厝棺不葬，彼意謂得力於遠墳，姑厝新棺，或在野或在家，何如？

A student asked: The richer and more powerful families tend to prefer keeping the coffin temporarily without burying it, believing that their family's success is due to the ancestors' graves. So they temporarily place the new coffin either in the wild or at home. What is the significance of this practice?

答：毋論遠近，只看頭上一棺，不拘墳厝，最為緊要。如父母在，即看祖父母之停葬處；祖在則看曾祖之停葬處，依運斷之。雖停棺在家，亦與墳厝同，察其禍福，如掌上觀紋。世人每以近棺未葬，有吉有凶，盡歸之遠墳，豈不大錯。

Ma Taiqing answered: Regardless of distance, one should only look at the nearest coffin on top, whether it has already been buried in the grave or is temporarily stored elsewhere. This is the most important point. For example, if the parents are still alive, one should look at where the grandparents' coffin is stored; if the grandparents are still alive, one should look at where the great-grandparents' coffin is stored, and deduce according to the original cycle of time. Even if the coffin is stored in one's own house, its effects are the same as if it were in a grave or temporarily stored. The consequences it brings are clear as the patterns on one's palm. People often wrongly attribute good or bad fortune to the graves of distant ancestors because the coffin is not yet buried, which is certainly a great mistake.

五十二問曰：嘗見淮水以北，有築圍牆以葬墳者，其法何如？

A student asked: I have seen people in the north of the Huai River building a circular wall to bury a tomb. What is the opinion on this method?

答：餘亦曾見之，惜乎彼所用者，俱是三合輔星之法。若依元空理氣用之，其力亦不減於真結。此平陽權宜之計，如水鄉平洋，亦可用之。蓋平陽平洋，無砂繞護，四望無收，擇得高燥寬敝之地，立穴於中，去墳四五丈，築牆齊肩，四面圍之，隔卻凶砂惡水，令墳上不見；開門於元運當令之方，照水口城門之例，亦能發福不替。

Ma Taiqing answered: I have also seen such methods, but unfortunately they all rely on the Triple Harmony and auxiliary star systems. If instead we follow the principles of Xuan Kong qi energy, its effectiveness is no less than that of naturally formed true land formations. This is a provisional method suitable for the Pingyang region; water towns and flat plains can also apply it. Because Pingyang and Pingyang areas lack surrounding hills to protect them, and they cannot be fully enclosed from all sides, one must select a high, dry, spacious and level site, and establish the tomb in the center. A wall of shoulder height should be built about five to seven zhang away from the tomb, surrounding it on all four sides to block out harmful hills and bad water. This way, the tomb will not see these harmful elements. Additionally, the gate should be opened in the direction corresponding to the current yuan yun, following the same method as the "chengmen" (city gate) used at the water mouth. This can ensure long-term prosperity without decline.

五十三問曰：墳地既可築圖，則建樓閣屋宇，以當護砂；挖池塘溝渠，以為界水，亦有效耶？

A student asked: Since a tomb site can be enclosed with a wall, is it equally effective to build pavilions and houses to serve as protective formations, and to dig ponds and ditches to act as boundary waters?

答：嘗見人家陰陽二宅之傍，別家改造屋宇，穿浚溝渠，而此家敗者，忽然而興；盛者忽然而衰，非職是之故歟。彼既有關乎禍福，則依運而造者，正所奪天命，改造他也。若於四鄰之墳宅無礙則可；倘有礙於四鄰墳宅，恐傷天理，切不可為。

Ma Taiqing answered: I often see that when someone nearby builds a house or digs a ditch, a family that was previously declining suddenly becomes prosperous, and a family that was previously prosperous suddenly declines. Is it not precisely because of this? Since human-made structures are related to misfortune and fortune, then constructing according to the original cycle of time is called "taking heaven's destiny and transforming the world." However, this can only be done if it does not interfere with the tombs and houses of the surrounding neighbors; if it does interfere with the tombs and houses of the neighbors, it would be against heaven's will and should absolutely not be done.