Question 68 · Can changing the direction and the door bring about a transformation from misfortune to good fortune?

六十八問曰：舊墳舊宅，改向改門，可以轉禍為福否？

A student asked: Can changing the orientation of an old tomb or an old house and moving the entrance bring misfortune into good fortune?

答：陽宅能，陰地不能。陽宅以門路通陽氣出入，故門路在衰敗之方不吉，可移就旺運之方，則化凶為吉矣。至若陰地，以水口為門，以元辰水為路者也。若土冢之上，立碑為向，非門非路，可通出入，僅將其碑改立一向，焉能轉移禍福。此皆鄙陋俗師，希圖謝禮，登人之山，即令其改碑換向；人人之宅，即使之搭灶修方，千人一轍，無不皆然。揆諸其心，原屬為己，非為人也。而陰地之可以更改者，惟平陽以路為水，或小小溝渠立局，可以改就旺方，如陽宅之改門改路。

Ma Taiqing answered: A Yang dwelling is acceptable, but Yin land is not. A Yang dwelling relies on its gate and path to allow the flow of Yang energy in and out. Therefore, if the gate and path are located in a declining direction, it is not auspicious. They can be moved to a prosperous direction, thus transforming misfortune into good fortune. As for Yin land, it uses the water mouth as the gate and the original stream as the path. A stone tablet erected on top of a mound to indicate the orientation is neither a gate nor a path, and there is no energy flowing in or out from it. Simply changing the direction of the tablet can hardly alter fortune or misfortune. These are all tricks invented by ignorant and mediocre teachers to collect fees: once they climb onto someone's graveyard, they tell people to change the tablet and adjust the direction; once they enter someone's house, they tell them to build a stove and adjust the layout. They all follow the same pattern, without exception. Investigating their motives, they are only thinking of themselves, not the main family. Among Yin land, the only things that can be altered are flat and level areas: there, the path is treated as water, or the site is established based on a small ditch, and it can be adjusted to a prosperous direction, just like changing the gate and path in a Yang dwelling.

蓋陽宅之門，即水口也；路即水氣也。平陽之改水口溝渠，與陽宅同；或四圍置牆安門，迎生就旺，亦是此意。若係山壟崗原，砂纏水繞，高低顯然，天地生定，無可改移，豈扭轉一碑，即能免殃造福耶。喜為是說者，皆三合洪範撥砂輔星之流，以二十四向為主，改一向，則滿盤之生旺死絕全變。請以理度之，豈有一片石碑，能使龍穴砂水，天地之氣，隨之為吉凶乎，不待深究，而可知其罔也。

Because the door of a yang house is equivalent to a water mouth, and the road is equivalent to water qi. Changing the water mouth and ditches in flat land is based on the same principle as changing the door of a yang house; or building walls on all sides and choosing a direction to install the door in order to welcome life qi and favorable qi, which means the same thing. If it is a mountain ridge or a hilltop area, with sand surrounding the water and clear distinctions in height, these are all naturally formed by heaven and earth, and there is no way to change them. How could turning a single stone monument be able to avoid disasters and bring blessings? Those who talk like this are all from the school of Sanhe, Hongfan, Boshan, and Fuxing; they mainly use the twenty-four directions, and changing one direction would completely alter the entire situation of birth, prosperity, decline, and extinction. Please use reason to judge: how can a single stone monument make the dragon, site, sand, water, and the qi of heaven and earth change from auspicious to inauspicious? There is no need to go into detail; it is clear that this is a deception.

六十九問：昨同遊三處，坐向砂水皆同，何以一處指其發富綏，而敗亦遲；一處指其應富豪，而於孫不孝；一處指其主富貴，而閨門不潔。退而詢之，皆然，是從何處分判？

A student asked: Yesterday we visited three burial sites together, and their orientation, terrain, and water flow were all the same. Why did the master say the first site would bring wealth slowly but also decline slowly; the second site would make a wealthy family but the descendants would be unfilial; and the third site would bring prosperity but the women in the family would be unscrupulous? After returning and checking, it turned out all the predictions were accurate. How did the master distinguish them?

答：即從形勢理氣上分判。其發緩敗遲老，來然懶坦，向中又是幹流。（按：向首雖合旺水，若不見水光者，不論是幹流，或是低空，俱主發緩而財小；同時緩龍緩接，雖合丁星到坐山，而添丁亦遲。）其富豪而不孝者，來然粗雄，向中又見反水。（玄空向星挨利向首，不論水之來去皆主發財，大水大發，小水小發，惟水反無情者，主不孝，及寡倩。）

Ma Taiqing answered: It is distinguished from both form and qi energy aspects. The place that develops slowly and declines slowly has a slow and flat dragon coming from the rear, and the water at the front is a dry stream without water reflection. (Note: Although the front water may be in the旺 water direction, if there is no water reflection, whether it is a dry stream or a low-lying area, it indicates slow development and small wealth; at the same time, the dragon coming from the rear is slow, and the reception of qi is also slow. Even if the Ding star is exactly at the main mountain, the increase of descendants will be delayed.) The place that becomes wealthy but produces unfilial children has a large and fierce dragon coming from the rear, and the front also sees reverse bow water. (Note: When the heavenly star of the direction reaches the front and benefits, whether the water comes or goes, it indicates wealth. Large water brings large wealth, small water brings small wealth; but if the water shape is opposite and无情, it indicates unfilial children and events of being alone and destitute.)

其富貴而閨門不潔者，來龍有峽有帳，向水又見之玄，獨於然虎之內，皆是沖田，左手辰巽上有水塘一口，右手酉辛上有一水塘一口，乃外局美，而又得運，內水雜，而又失運，以至有此。（按：此三穴必係二黑運所葬之壬山丙向，合七星打劫，向首有水者皆發，惟酉辛方捱得風火家人，純是陰星，該方有水塘一口，又屬失元之水，當主婦女淫亂。）三合家，只知生旺墓庫，看水來去，豈知有敗運之水在內，為害匪細，倘是合運之水，當作吉斷矣，舉世懵懵，烏足以語。

That place is said to be auspicious for wealth but the inner area is unclean. The dragon line has a bend and an opening, and the water flowing upward takes the shape of a 'Z' and a 'Xuan' character. However, within the area between the Blue Dragon and White Tiger ridges, there are all shooting fields. On the left side, in the direction of Chen and Xun, there is a pond, and on the right side, in the direction of You and Xin, there is also a pond: this is an external situation that is good and in harmony, but the internal water is mixed and out of harmony, hence such events occur. (Note: these three burial sites must have been buried during the Second Black Star period, facing Nen mountain and facing Bing direction, forming the 'Seven Stars Robbery' pattern. Those with water at the front will prosper. However, the direction of You and Xin coincides with the Hexagram of Family, which is purely a yin star. Since there is a pond in that direction, it belongs to water that has lost its original energy, which will lead to disorder among women.) The Triple Harmony school only knows about the birth, prosperity, tomb, and reservoir of water, and only looks at the flow of water, without realizing that there is hidden water that brings misfortune within the pattern, which is extremely harmful. If they encounter water that is in harmony with the current period, they would mistakenly consider it as auspicious. Everyone in the world is confused, and it is really impossible to explain these things to them.

七十問曰：據談陰地者，則以幹旋造化，全在陰地，而不管陽宅；其談陽宅者，則以挽回天心，全仗陽宅，而不顧陰地。以二者較之，孰為重輕？

A student asked: Those who talk about阴地 say that turning the course of destiny entirely depends on阴地, and they don't care about阳宅 at all. Those who talk about阳宅 say that restoring the heavenly will entirely relies on阳宅, and they don't pay any attention to阴地. Compared to these two, which is more important?

答：陰宅猶樹之土壤也；陽宅，猶樹之雨露也。若植根肥壤，縱雨露愆期，莫枝葉暫時憔悴，終久滋榮，乃陰地佳，陽宅否者是也；若植根瘠區，縱雨露調勻，其枝葉暫時繁華，終必枯槁，乃陽宅佳，陰地否者是也。如此譬之，最為至當。細考二者之力，陰地當居十之七八，陽宅當居十之二三而已。

Ma Taiqing answered: A good阴宅 is like the soil in which a tree's roots are planted, while a good阳宅 is like the rain and dew that nourish the tree. If the roots are planted in rich soil, even if rain does not come for a while, the branches and leaves will only temporarily wither and eventually recover and flourish again — this is the situation where the阴宅 is good but the阳宅 is not. If the roots are planted in poor soil, even if the rain and dew are evenly distributed, the branches and leaves will only temporarily flourish and eventually wither — this is the situation where the阳宅 is good but the阴宅 is not. This analogy is most appropriate. Upon closer examination of their influence, the阴宅 accounts for about seven or eight tenths, while the阳宅 accounts for only two or three tenths.

七十一問曰：陽宅書中有云，人家子孫不旺者，遷其父母之床，其子孫即旺，有驗與否？

A student asked: The book on阳宅 says that if a family's descendants are not thriving, simply moving the parents' bed can make the descendants thrive. Is this true?

答：所云者，老八宅之法，遷其父母之床，於生氣延年，天醫之方耳，不能十分效驗。餘元空術中，亦有是用法。蓋床乃生人八尺之穴，二六時中，有六時坐臥其上；死骨之冢，尚可蔭其後人，活親之床，豈不能蔭其子息。余曾識為兩人催，入泮甚準。

Ma Taiqing answered: What he was talking about was the old eight houses system, which suggests moving the parents' bed to the auspicious directions of "Sheng Qi," "Yan Nian," and "Tian Yi." However, the results are limited. In my system of Xuan Kong, there are similar applications. One must know that the bed is a place of eight feet in length, lying under a living person, and during the twelve hours of a day, six of them are spent lying or sitting on it. Even a deceased person's grave can benefit descendants, so how could the bed where a living parent sleeps not benefit their children? I once used this method to help two people, and they both passed the examination to become xiucai, and the results were very accurate.

七十二問曰：挨星之法，既少真傳，如是乎，三合家，有三匝貪狼之挨星，有輔星游年翻卦之挨星；元空家，又有各種之挨星。獨範宜賓之挨星圖，《風水一書》中遵之，《地理錄要》中收之，《地理三字經》極贊之，然則挨星圖，近乎真耶？

A student asked: Since the method of sequential stars (ai xing) has few true transmissions, the Triple Harmony school has "three circles of Tanlang" sequential stars, and "Fu star touring years turning the compass" sequential stars. The Xuan Kong school also has various other methods of sequential stars. However, Fan Yibin's sequential star chart is followed by "One Book of Fengshui," included in "Essentials of Geography," and highly praised in "Three-Character Classic of Geography." So does this sequential star chart come close to the true method?

答：是則是，非則非，焉有似是而非，近乎真之理，徒足以亂真耳。其所分者，子什卯酉、乾坤艮巽入天元，寅申巳亥、乙辛丁癸八人元，辰戌丑未、甲庚壬丙入八地元，從山挨一局，從向挨一局，共成四十八局。將貪、巨、綠、文、武、破、輔、弼，挨加天元之八方，地元之八方，人元之八方，以廉貞入中，惟有八星左旋右旋，以貪巨武為三吉，挨加於砂水之上，倘有如是地，即如是挨。此法與生旺墓庫，游年翻卦死板格局，有何分別。

Ma Taiqing answered: Right is right, wrong is wrong; there is no such thing as "somewhat right, somewhat wrong" or "close to the truth." Such things only confuse the truth. He divided them as follows: the directions of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You, along with the trigrams Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun, belong to Tianyuan. The directions of Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai, along with the stems Yi, Xin, Ding, and Gui, belong to Renyuan. The directions of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, along with the stems Jia, Geng, Ren, and Bing, belong to Deyuan. From the mountain direction, they are arranged in sequence to form one set, and from the upper direction, they are arranged in sequence to form another set, making a total of forty-eight sets. Then the eight stars, namely Tanwang, Jumen, Luchun, Wenqu, Wuchu, Pojun, Zuo Fu, and You Bi, are added one by one to the eight directions of Tianyuan, Deyuan, and Renyuan. The star Lianzhen is placed in the Central Palace. The eight stars rotate left and right. The three good stars, Tanwang, Jumen, and Wuchu, are added to the ridges and waters. Depending on the terrain, they are added accordingly. This method has no difference from the rigid patterns of Shengwang Muku and Younian Fangua.

真正挨星訣法，雖欽定《協紀辨方》中，亦僅存三元九星之文，不得所用訣，附刻存之，以備參考。以國家之旁求博採，亦只與之以文，不語之以訣，足見前賢之秘，一至於此。

The true method of the Star Arrangement诀, even in the officially sanctioned book "Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu," is only preserved in the form of the three periods and nine stars, without the actual oral诀 used in practice. It was only appended there for reference. Despite the state's efforts to search widely and collect information, people were only willing to provide the written text, not the oral诀 — this clearly shows how strictly the predecessors guarded their secrets, to such an extent.

七十三問：蔣公羅盤，四正卦，每卦兩陰一陽；四隅卦，兩陽一陰。蔣公立法如此，范氏陽順陰逆，依法挨加，其錯在何處？

A student asked: Master Jiang's compass has the four cardinal trigrams each consisting of two yin lines and one yang line, and the four corner trigrams each consisting of two yang lines and one yin line. Since Master Jiang established the system in this way, Fan Yibin followed the rule of flying yang in the order of clockwise and yin in the order of counterclockwise, arranging them according to the method. Where was his mistake?

答：蔣公所謂陽順陰逆者，謂各宮陰陽，當是如此，以此為法，非死定在本位者。如二黑運內，二黑入中，一白在巽，則辰巽已三向，要用一白壬子癸之陰陽，不用辰巽巳之陰陽；三碧在幹，則戌乾亥三向，要用三碧甲卯乙之陰陽，不用戌乾亥之陰陽。八宮九運，皆是如此運用，元妙無窮。茲特舉天心正運，下卦起星之大綱，若誤信偽術，此處一錯，則滿盤皆錯矣。

Ma Taiqing answered: Master Jiang's statement about yin and yang moving in accordance with the yang and against the yin refers to the proper yin and yang for each palace, which should be treated as a rule; it is not about fixing yin and yang in their original palace positions and keeping them stationary. For example, in the second black period, the second black star enters the central palace, and the first white star flies to the Xun palace. Then, for the directions of Chen, Xun, and Si, we should use the yin and yang of the first white star, which corresponds to Ren, Zi, and Gui, rather than the yin and yang of Chen, Xun, and Si themselves. Similarly, when the third green star flies to the Qian palace, the directions of Xu, Qian, and Hai should use the yin and yang of the third green star, which corresponds to Jia, Mao, and Yi, rather than the yin and yang of Xu, Qian, and Hai themselves. All eight palaces and nine periods follow this method, which is profound and mysterious. Here, only the general principles of the central palace's correct movement and the lower trigram's star movement are outlined. If one wrongly believes in false methods, a single mistake in one place will lead to complete errors throughout.

七十四問：羅經有中縫正三針，今蔣法只用正針，其中縫二針，竟無用耶？

A student asked: The compass has three layers: the central needle, the interwoven needle, and the main needle. Now Master Jiang's method only uses the main needle. Then are the central needle and the interwoven needle of no use?

答：余昔曾學三合，讀《羅經解》，研究三針作用，歷試之皆不及三元之驗。雖三合有正針偏東三分之說，而縫針向西，又不在三分之上；西洋士圭測影，亦有正針偏東之說，其縫針既不合正位，且用之無驗。蔣公用正針，試之既靈，一依正針為是。至於中針，益偏往東，更屬不經，毋庸置議。正針之源，始自黃帝周公，中縫兩針，託名楊賴，以之驚愚則可，施之於用，則誤人多矣。

Ma Taiqing answered: I once studied Triple Harmony, read the "Lu Jing Jie", and researched the use of the three needles, testing them one by one, but none were as effective as the Three Yuan method. Although Triple Harmony has the saying of "the main needle deviating east by three parts", the sewing needle is actually biased westward, and the deviation is more than three parts. The Westerners use the gnomon to measure the shadow of the sun, and they also have the concept of the main needle deviating eastward. Since the sewing needle does not conform to the correct position, it does not work effectively. Master Jiang used the main needle, and it worked immediately, so he entirely relied on the main needle as the standard. As for the middle needle, it deviates even more eastward, becoming even more absurd and not worth discussing. The origin of the main needle comes from the Yellow Emperor and the Duke of Zhou, while the middle needle and sewing needle are merely fabricated under the names of Yang Yunsong and Lai Buyi. They can be used to scare the ignorant, but if used seriously, they would mislead many people.

七十五問：賴公二十八宿撥砂法，《鉛彈子穿透真傳》，張九儀專成一家之言，極誇其神奇，痛詆玄空為無用，其撥砂法，果有驗否？

A student asked: Lai Buyi's method of using the twenty-eight constellations for sand manipulation, as described in the "True Transmission of Lead Bullet," led Zhang Jiuyi to develop his own system based on it. He strongly praised it as miraculous and bitterly criticized the Xuan Kong method as completely useless. So is his system of sand manipulation really effective?

答：余昔亦學之，及乎既明玄空之後，考竅之，終是合得玄空之旺砂則吉，不合者不驗。而其中最不經者，莫過於日月之八宿。凡二十八宿，周佈於羅盤之四方，每方七宿，以木金土日月火水七政配之。按天文書，日月自有日月之本性，張九儀以房虛昂星四日宿為火，既屬牽強；月則與水同類者，心危畢張四月宿，亦指之為火，遂謂火星當有十二宿，用之最利。彼特不自知其謬誤，而極詆玄空，多見其不知自量也。

Ma Taiqing answered: I once also studied it. But when I finally understood Xuan Kong, I went back to examine it, and found that wherever it coincided with the Xuan Kong旺sand, it would be auspicious, and where it did not coincide, it would not be effective. Among the most absurd things, was to regard the eight constellations of the sun and moon as all belonging to fire. The twenty-eight constellations are distributed around the compass, seven in each direction, and are paired with the seven governing elements: wood, metal, earth, sun, moon, fire, and water. According to the astronomical texts, the sun and moon each have their own nature. Zhang Jiuyi classified the four constellations of Fang, Xu, Mao, and Xing as belonging to the sun, which was already quite forced. The moon originally belongs to water, yet he classified the four constellations of Xin, Wei, Bi, and Zhang, which belong to the moon, as fire, and thus claimed that the fire star should have twelve constellations, which is most advantageous to use. He himself did not know where he was wrong, yet he strongly criticized Xuan Kong, showing his lack of self-awareness.

七十六問：俗稱黃泉水法云『八個黃泉能救人，八個黃泉能殺人。』其能救人殺人，莫非即是元空？

A student asked: The common saying in the worldly Yellow Water method states, "Eight Yellow Waters can save people, eight Yellow Waters can kill people." Since it can both save and kill, perhaps it refers to Xuan Kong?

答：玄空誠能救人殺人，卻非是黃泉。其《黃泉歌》云：『庚丁坤位是黃泉，乙丙須防巽水先，甲癸向中憂見艮，辛壬水路怕當幹。』不過庚丁向不宜見坤水，乙丙向不宜見巽水，甲癸向不宜見艮水，辛壬向不宜見乾水而已。使見之而吉，則呼為救人黃泉；見之而凶，則指為殺人黃泉，全屬反覆無憑之言。又有解作，來水為殺人黃泉，去水為救人黃泉，純是胡猜亂摸而已。若依玄空，只取天地生就之形勢，往來消長之氣運，立向消水，不問其為黃泉也。

Ma Taiqing answered: Xuan Kong can indeed save people or kill people, but that is not the Yellow Spring. Their "Song of the Yellow Spring" says: "For those facing Geng and Ding, the Kun direction is the Yellow Spring; for those facing Yi and Bing, they should first prevent water from the Xun direction; for those facing Jia and Gui, they should fear the Gen direction; for those facing Xin and Ren, the water path should avoid the Qian direction." In reality, it simply means: those facing Geng and Ding should not see water from the Kun direction; those facing Yi and Bing should not see water from the Xun direction; those facing Jia and Gui should not see water from the Gen direction; and those facing Xin and Ren should not see water from the Qian direction. If it brings good fortune when it appears, they call it "saving Yellow Spring"; if it brings misfortune, they call it "killing Yellow Spring" — it is entirely just empty talk that goes back and forth without any basis. Some people interpret it as incoming water being "killing Yellow Spring" and outgoing water being "saving Yellow Spring," which is purely guesswork. According to Xuan Kong, one only takes the natural forms of heaven and earth and matches them with the waxing and waning of the qi over time, then sets the direction and controls the water flow accordingly, without ever questioning whether it is Yellow Spring or not.

七十七問：乾坤艮巽四黃泉，既不足為憑；又有乾坤艮巽四御街，亦不足為據。則元空之可憑可據者，何在？

A student asked: Since the four underground streams of Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun are not reliable, and the four imperial avenues of Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun are also not trustworthy, where exactly is the basis and reliability of Xuan Kong?

答：即以庚丁坤位是黃泉而論，庚在七宮，可在九宮，坤乃二宮。若作庚向，使向中之水，兼見坤流，是由七兼二也；作丁向，使向中之水，兼見坤流，是以九兼二也。依元空論之，論非一元，謂之駁雜不純，再交離運，焉得不敗，焉得不殺人。

Ma Taiqing answered: Take the phrase "Geng Ding Kun position is Yellow Spring" for example: Geng belongs to the seventh palace, Ding to the ninth palace, and Kun to the second palace. If one faces Geng and the water flowing towards the direction also comes from the Kun direction, then it is the seventh palace combined with the second palace; if one faces Ding and the water flowing towards the direction also comes from the Kun direction, then it is the ninth palace combined with the second palace. According to the theory of Xuan Kong, the discussion does not belong to the same wu, which is called "mixed and impure." When it reaches the Li era, how can it not fail, how can it not kill people?

若庚丁向水，專在坤宮，左不兼丁，右不兼庚，清純不雜，再交吉運，焉得不興，焉得不救人。若坤向見庚丁水，亦如此，所以謂之御街，乃水法清純，又乘吉運故也。倘乘離運，一樣為禍。其犯駁雜者，乃七九得運，二宮失運之時；即至二宮得運，七九為失運之時，永無全吉之日。彼不知所以然，遂呼為殺人黃泉而已。

In reverse, if the water from the direction of Geng and Ding flows exclusively towards the Kun palace, without combining with Ding on the left or Geng on the right, being pure and unadulterated, and then meets a favorable fortune, how could it not flourish and how could it not save people? If the direction is set towards Kun and water comes from the directions of Geng and Ding, the principle is the same. The so-called 'Yu Jie' (Autumn Street) is precisely because the water is pure and it coincides with a favorable fortune; if it coincides with the Li (Fire) fortune, it would still bring disaster. As for those that are mixed and chaotic, it is when the seven and nine palaces are in favorable fortune while the second palace is not; when the second palace becomes favorable, the seven and nine palaces turn back to being unfavorable—there will never be a completely auspicious day. People do not understand this principle, so they simply call it '杀人黄泉' (killing people in the Yellow Spring).

七十八問：古今帝王無數，焉得如許天子地以葬之？

A student asked: Throughout history, there have been countless emperors, yet where can one find so many "emperor lands" to bury them?

答：葬天子者，非天子地也。如世冑創業之家，其起初必是一大富貴之地，可自白衣而致卿相；以後有一平穩之地，即可保其一代富貴。帝王之地亦然，必其頭一代帝王之祖若父，葬於正幹正穴，真帝王地，生得帝王，開基建國；以後但得龍真穴的之地，含元合運，自然四海昇平，萬方底定矣。

Ma Taiqing answered: The land for burying a Son of Heaven is not necessarily the land of a Son of Heaven. For example, a prominent family starting from scratch must first have a land that is rich and prosperous, enabling them to rise from commoners to high officials; afterwards, as long as they have a stable land, it is sufficient to maintain the family's wealth and status for one generation. The same applies to the land of a king: it must be that the land of the founding emperor's grandfather or father is located on the main dragon line's main tomb, which is the true land of a king, giving rise to a king, establishing a dynasty, and founding a country; afterwards, as long as they obtain a land with a true dragon and accurate tomb, containing the original essence and harmonizing with the era, it will naturally bring peace throughout the land and stability in all directions.

古今來，惟中幹龍，所出帝王，能混一宇內。中幹龍，昔連泰岱，今隔黃河；南幹龍，則割據及草竊而已，雖建國亦不能久，史鑑具在，可為證也。

From ancient times to the present, only emperors who emerged from the central dragon ridge have been able to unify the whole country. The central dragon ridge was once connected to the Mount Tai range, but now it has been separated by the Yellow River. Those who came from the southern dragon ridge have been mere regional warlords or rebels, and even if they established dynasties, they could not last long. The historical records of all dynasties are available as evidence.

七十九問：平民地有吉凶，關乎一家；帝王地有吉凶，關乎天下。使處擾亂之時，平民地將無權耶？

A student asked: The burial grounds of common people have both auspicious and inauspicious aspects, affecting their family; the burial grounds of emperors also have both auspicious and inauspicious aspects, affecting the whole country. Then, in times of war and chaos, is the burial ground of common people of no significance?

答：不然。當賊冠縱橫之際，其地吉者，雖頻遭劫掠，終能獲全；其地凶者，雖遠避他鄉，不遇殺戮，亦入死囚。此親目所擊之事，非徒託空言欺人者。彼言地理者，曾有留心考驗，如是者耶。

Ma Taiqing answered: Not so. When bandits run rampant, the families with good land will, although often robbed, ultimately preserve their lives; while families with bad land, even if they flee far away, although they escape the swords and killings, still inevitably fall into prison and die in captivity. These are all things I have personally witnessed, not empty talk to deceive people. Have those who talk about geography paid such close attention to investigation and verification?

八十問：陰陽二家之言，既如是矣，至臨事之時，無不慎重選擇，謂選擇稍差，能使陰陽二宅，轉吉成凶，減其福力。其擅選擇之長者，誇大其辭，真謂選擇之法，只須動土修方，可使凶地凶宅，立致吉祥。倘三家之言並行，將何所適從？

A student asked: Since the theories of yin dwellings and yang dwellings are already established, why do people take it very seriously when choosing a day for an event? They say that even a slight mistake in choosing the day can turn a yin dwelling or yang dwelling from auspicious to inauspicious, and reduce their blessings. Those who are good at choosing days even exaggerate, saying that merely choosing a good day for breaking ground or repairing the direction can immediately change a bad place into a good one. If the theories of yin dwellings, yang dwellings, and choosing days are all presented together, which one should we follow?

答：陽宅之力，不敵陰地之半，於第七十問，已詳言之，而選擇又其末焉者矣。其大略，避卻太歲三煞、歲月時之空破，與化命祭主之刑沖、克害足矣。

Ma Taiqing answered: The power of a yang dwelling is no more than half that of a yin site, which has already been explained in question seventy; and choosing a day is even a minor detail. Its general principles are simply to avoid the Tai Sui, the three evils, the empty and broken aspects of the year, month, and hour, as well as the branches that are in conflict, opposition, mutual control, or harmful to the deceased (huaming) and the main worshipper. That is sufficient.

至若七政四餘選法，分恩用仇難，以為扶助趨避，楊公《造命歌》，備言其旨。而遠省僻縣，臺曆難致，精者其稀，即或用之，轉滋詑異。鄉曲愚人，咸奉《鰲頭》《象吉》等書，拘泥各種不經之神煞，雖有欽定《協紀辨方》，闢其謬妄，而庸俗信之自若。

As for the method of selecting auspicious days known as the Seven Stars and Four Excesses, it involves distinguishing between the Favorable Star, the Useful Star, the Enemy Star, and the Difficult Star, in order to assist or avoid them. Yang Yunsong's "Song of Fate Making" explains this point in detail. However, in remote provinces and small counties, it is difficult even to obtain a single astronomical calendar, and those who are skilled in this field are even rarer. Occasionally, people try to use it勉强, but this often leads to more strange and peculiar interpretations. In the countryside, the ignorant take books such as the "Comprehensive Book of the鳌Head" and the "Comprehensive Book of Auspicious Signs" as the standard, clinging rigidly to various absurd and superstitious divine symbols. Although the officially sanctioned "Discerning the Correct and the Wrong in the Book of Records" refutes these erroneous views, ordinary people still firmly believe in them.

餘方考新舊名墓，以及村落墳厝，只據形勢理氣，以決禍福，無不了然，並不問其何月日時，神煞吉凶，可見選擇之力，不敵二宅之形勢理氣。且世家巨族，高碑大冢，其選擇非不慎重講求，何以葬非其地，補救無靈，其惑不待辯而自明矣。

Over the years, I have examined both old and new tombs as well as graves in the countryside, determining fortune and misfortune solely based on the form and qi of the site. There has never been any ambiguity, and I have never considered the month, day, or time of burial, nor have I paid attention to the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of divine omens. This clearly shows that the influence of choosing a favorable day is less powerful than the form and qi of the heavenly and earthly structures. Moreover, for prominent families with large, prominent tombs, the selection of a day is certainly taken very seriously. So why, if the burial site is inappropriate, does any attempt at compensation fail? This confusion does not need to be debated; it becomes clear on its own.

但見世俗卜葬課單，置形勢理氣之真吉凶不論，專講日干之扶山補龍。扶之補之之法，夫墳永遠長久之地，惟形勢理氣是憑，豈一日之干支，即扶補龍山，使之永長不替乎。余每為人扞葬，是吉地則用，是凶地則不用，只依《協紀辨方》，避卻刑沖剋害，葬於合運之地，無有不吉。願天下嗜斯道者，亟宜勤求形勢，精習理氣，毋使本末倒置而已。

I have seen that common burial divination charts focus only on using the day stem to "support the mountain and supplement the dragon," ignoring the true auspicious and inauspicious aspects of form and qi. Moreover, regardless of the method of support and supplementation itself—since a tomb is a place meant for long-term rest, the only reliable factors are form and qi. How could a single day's stem and branch be able to support the mountain and supplement the dragon, ensuring perpetual prosperity? Every time I select a site for burial, I use a good site if it is auspicious, and avoid a bad one. For choosing the day, I rely only on the "Coordinated Records of Direction and Time," avoiding punishment and clash, and placing the person in a site that aligns with the current era. There is no inauspicious outcome. I hope that those who love this discipline will quickly study form and master qi theory, and not reverse the fundamental principles.

八十一問：今人看巒頭者，指楊公九星，為老九星，不以為重，而專言廖公九星，似勝於楊公九星。而子則專言楊公九星，必有所見而然耶？

A student asked: Now, those who study physical features call Master Yang's nine stars as "old nine stars," and do not value them much, focusing instead on Master Liao's nine stars, as if Master Liao's nine stars are superior to Master Yang's. Yet the master insists on focusing on Master Yang's nine stars, which must be because he has his own insight and reasons for doing so.

答：星何常有九，而又何止於九。蓋水曲、火尖、木直、金圓、土方，此五星之正形。楊公因其形之難拘於五，故耶北斗七星之名，而益之以弼，以為九，又慮其變化不定，故於《撼龍經》中，備言兼帶之形。自楊公以前，原只五星，無九星也。

Ma Taiqing answered: How can the stars be fixed at nine? There are not only nine. The water star is curved, the fire star is sharp, the wood star is upright, the metal star is round and solid, and the earth star is square. These are the proper forms of the five stars. Master Yang, because the mountain shapes cannot be limited to only five, used the name of the seven stars of the Big Dipper and added one more, the Right Assistant, to make nine stars. He also feared that mountain shapes are changeable, so he explained various combined forms in The Classic of Shaking the Dragon. Before Master Yang, there were originally only five stars, not nine.

廖公承楊公之後，亦因其變體，而立九星之名，復窮之九九八十一變之穴象，是皆恐後人之拘泥，而為之立說耳，其實總不離五行之正形而已。若景純《葬書》，何曾有是說，今人又強為分解，以楊公九星，為看龍之星；廖公九星，為點穴之星。

Liao Jinjing came after Master Yang and also established a separate system of nine stars because mountain shapes have various forms. He further developed eighty-one variations ofsite shapes based on these nine stars. These were merely methods to prevent later generations from being too rigid and inflexible. In reality, all of them still fall within the fundamental forms of the Five Phases. As for Guo Pu's "The Book of Burial," did it ever mention such distinctions? Yet modern people insist on separating them, saying that Yang's nine stars are used for observing the dragon lines, while Liao's nine stars are used for pinpointing thesite.

然楊公經中不云：『貪狼作穴是乳頭，巨門作穴窩中求，武曲作穴釵鉗覓，祿廉梳齒犁鋤頭，文曲穴來坪裡作，高處亦是掌心落，輔星作穴掛燈樣，縱有圓頭亦凹相。』

But isn't Master Yang's text clearly stating that the Tanchong star forms a nipple shape, the Jumen star forms a hollow shape, the Wuqu star forms a hairpin and tongs shape, the Luchun and Lianzhen stars form a comb tooth and plow head shape, the Wenqu star forms a flat shape, even if on a high place it looks like lying on a palm, the Zuo Fu star forms a hanging lamp shape, even if there is a round top it has a concave shape? This is not using the nine stars to explain the shape of the q穴?

此九星在龍身行度多者，即以此定結地穴形；否則，於祖山與父母之山龍身上見，而在立穴處見者，即窩鉗中之突，窩鉗中之暈是也。

If the nine stars appear frequently along the dragon's path, they are used to determine the shape of the site's depression and clamp. If not, they can also be found on the ancestral mountain and parent mountain's dragon. The actual features seen at the site of the grave are the protrusion in the depression and clamp, as well as the halo within the depression and clamp.

楊公九星，何嘗不可點穴，既主楊，不更言廖，恐立言駁雜，聞者易於混淆耳。是以嘗言，凡繫巒頭之書，不過不同小異，尚屬有憑有據之言，盡皆可看；至理氣，則東牽西就，左轉右旋，使五行失其常，八卦失其序，山水無言，其災禍萃於人身，而不之覺。餘不憚煩，以申述者，無非欲喚醒痴聾。

It is evident that Master Yang's nine stars are by no means incapable of being used to determine a site. Since I have chosen to focus primarily on Master Yang's methods, I will not discuss Master Liao's approach alongside it, for fear that my explanations may become mixed and confusing. Therefore, I often say: all books that discuss the form of mountains and waters are largely similar in their general principles, and as long as they are based on solid foundations, they can all be considered valid and useful. However, when it comes to the study of qi and its principles, there is often a tendency to wander from one thing to another, turning left and right, causing the Five Phases to lose their regular order and the Eight Trigrams to become disordered. Mountains and waters do not speak, yet misfortunes fall upon people, and people remain unaware. I repeatedly emphasize this point without tiring, merely to awaken those who are stubborn and deaf to reason.