Volume Two · Examples of the Three Layers of Divination in the Through-the-Mountain and Through-the-Earth Divination

或問：天地之理必無兩是，地理則不變，則當有一定之說。乃遍觀群書，或此是而彼非，謬無定見；同此穿山，同此透地，而或以審龍，或以坐穴，紛然驟頌，學者何以適從。答曰：《天機貫旨》所由作也。《青囊奧語》有《青囊序》，即地理之學《庸》《論》《孟》也，人人能言之，人人不能言之，以至穿山透地三七八從無定解。其實穿山、透地、坐穴截然三事：穿山者，穿來龍逐節之山也；透地者，透入穴中之氣也；坐穴者，坐四十八局之穴也。氣有真偽，穴有醇疵，非三者則不能決所從，是以三盤例必須熟察。

Someone asked: The principles of heaven and earth cannot have two correct answers. Since geography is unchanging, there should be a definite explanation. However, when looking through various books, one school says yes, another says no, which is absurd and lacks consistency. All of them talk about penetrating mountains and understanding the earth, yet some use it to examine dragon lines, others to situate a site, and there is a cacophony of opinions. How can a scholar know which to follow? The answer is: This book, The Heavenly Principles, was written precisely for this purpose. The Esoteric Words of the Green Satchel and the Preface to the Green Satchel are like the Analects, the Mencius, and the Doctrine of the Mean in the study of geography. Everyone can recite a few lines, yet none fully understand them, leading to the lack of a fixed interpretation for terms like penetrating mountains, understanding the earth, and the three-seven and two-eight principles. In reality, penetrating mountains, understanding the earth, and sitting on a site are entirely different things: penetrating mountains refers to passing through the sections of the dragon line; understanding the earth refers to the qi entering the site; and sitting on a site refers to choosing one of the forty-eight sites. Qi can be true or false, and sites can be pure or flawed. Without these three layers, it is impossible to decide which to follow. Therefore, the examples of the three discs must be thoroughly studied.

後之人因奉國禁，諱言平分遂有盈縮，言七十二遂有一百二十分金，諱言穿山審龍遂有七十二為穿山。始而奉禁，得訣者明知其偽；既而相沿傳者浸妄其初喪，轉傳偽之所由始也。楊曾之旨，龍有生穴雖歸一卦，審龍有坐穴又分三層，故七十二之外原有穿山。謂七十二既其名，若遂以審龍，則八干四維皆虛位，其義將何屬。

Later people, due to compliance with court prohibitions, avoided the term "half division of sixty dragons," so they invented the "expansion and contraction of sixty dragons"; they avoided "seventy-two dragons," so they created the "one hundred and twenty parts of gold"; and they avoided using the method of mountain penetration to examine dragons, so they simply took the seventy-two dragons as the mountain penetration disk. At first, it was out of necessity for the prohibitions, and those who knew the true method were well aware these were false. However, over time, as they passed the knowledge down, they gradually lost the original true meaning—this was the beginning of spreading errors. The original intention of Yang and Zeng was that although the dragon and the site it produces belong to the same trigram, examining the dragon and sitting at the site should be considered in different layers. Therefore, beyond the seventy-two dragons, there was originally another mountain penetration disk. Since the seventy-two dragons already had another name, if one insisted on using them to examine dragons, then the eight heavenly stems and the four directions of heaven and earth would all become empty positions; where then would their meanings belong?

且透地之外另有坐穴。若以坐穴為透地，則氣從左來穴何以居右，氣從右來穴何以居左，二說藏有谷等之之半耳。今考甲子止有三層，而用之則為三盤。穿山尋宗問祖也，透地則到頭審氣也，用平分六十挨星，雖換而不外震兌坎離，故曰用先天以統龍；坐穴者饒減放棺也，耑用七十二作，雖巧而不外申子辰、寅午戌、亥卯未、已酉丑，故曰後天所以佈局。

Moreover, in addition to the concept of transpiring through the earth, there is another layer called the sitting and burial site. If one treats the sitting and burial site as the transpiring through the earth, then when the qi comes from the left, why can the site be seated on the right? When the qi comes from the right, why can the site be seated on the left? These two approaches each contain only half the truth. Now, examining the sixty jiazi, there are only three layers, which become three plates: the mountain penetration plate is used for tracing the ancestral lineage and the origin of the dragon; the transpiring plate is used at the head to examine the qi, employing the evenly divided sixty dragons' star system, although there are changes, they do not go beyond the four trigrams of zhen, dui, kan, and li, so it is said 'using the earlier heaven to unify the dragon'; the sitting and burial plate is used for adjusting the coffin placement and making minor adjustments to the coffin position, exclusively using the seventy-two dragons, although it is refined, it does not go beyond the four major triple harmony formations of shenzi Chen, yinwu Xu, haimao Wei, and siyou Chou, so it is said 'the later heaven is used for layout'.

總之葬乘生氣，有穿山而無透地，其氣必不真；有透地而無穿山，其福必不久；有穿山透地而坐穴不知，其消納砂水不能化殺生權。故坐穴所以乘此氣，是為既至之氣；透地所以迎此氣，是為將至之氣；穿山所以槒此氣，是為未至之氣。於此醒悟，則三盤不待外求而得矣，其餘《青囊》《玉尺》《天玉》探麗珠在手矣。

In summary, burial is about capturing life qi. If there is only a mountain penetration without ground penetration, the qi is certainly not genuine. If there is only ground penetration without mountain penetration, the fortune will not last long. If both mountain and ground penetration are present but the site selection is not understood, then when dealing with the terrain and water, it will not be possible to transform evil qi into power. Therefore, site selection is used to capture this qi, capturing the qi that has already arrived; ground penetration is used to welcome this qi, welcoming the qi that is about to arrive; mountain penetration is used to guide this qi, guiding the qi that has not yet arrived. Once this is understood, the method of the three layers does not need to be sought outside, and the precious insights from the "Qingang Jing," "Yuzhe Jing," and "Tianyu Jing" will all be in one's possession.

三七審龍、二八坐穴，皆從二十四山之多寡，認取渾天五行，其用之法秘而不傳。《玉涵經》序有云：庚子土山坤申水朝為吉，壬子木山坤申水朝為凶。地理家千言萬語，無非發明此義。所恨謬種偽傳，以至一卷之書不勝互異。餘作《天機貫旨》而融會貫通，無往不合，一索萬錢自始至今能免此非彼是甲乙之患矣。

Using the division of three and seven to examine the dragon (dragon line) and the division of two and eight to situate the site (穴), both methods should be based on the scores assigned to each of the twenty-four mountains, recognizing the Five Phases according to the浑天 system. This method has always been kept secret. The preface of the "Yuhan Jing" says: "For Gengzi (庚子) earth mountain, water coming from the directions of Kun and Shen is auspicious; for Renzi (壬子) wood mountain, water coming from the directions of Kun and Shen is inauspicious." The same water coming from Kun and Shen directions results in opposite fortune depending on the Nayin sound element of the dragon. Geomancers speak endlessly, all aiming to clarify this principle. It is regrettable that false methods have been widely spread, leading to contradictions within the same book, with inconsistencies too numerous to count. In my "Tianji Guanzhi," I integrate these methods, and everything fits perfectly. From now on, this eliminates the problem of a single verse of诀 being worth ten thousand coins, while different people say different things, some saying this is right and others saying that is wrong.

或問：夫婦、雄雌、牝牡，《玉尺》之所謂陰陽也。議者以八卦屬天干屬陰，故艮丙、巽辛、兌丁為陰陽相見。先賢云：陰陽相見，福祿永貞；陰陽相棄，禍咎臨門。《玉尺》又云：陰偶陽而非其類，號曰陽差；陰見陰而失其偶，名陰錯。其同其異孰從而辨之。

Someone asked: "Male and female, male and female, male and female, are what the Book of Jade Measure calls yin and yang. Those who discuss it say that the Eight Trigrams belong to yang and the Heavenly Stems belong to yin, so Gen (Mountain) is paired with Bing (Yang), Xun (Wind) with Xin (Yin), and Dui (Lake) with Ding (Yin), called 'yin and yang meeting.' The ancients said: 'When yin and yang meet, blessings and longevity follow; when yin and yang are abandoned, calamity and misfortune arrive.' The Book of Jade Measure also says: 'Yin is even and yang but not of its kind, called yang difference; yin meets yin and loses its pair, called yin error.' What are the similarities and differences among these statements, and on what basis should they be distinguished?"

答曰：先賢之所謂陰陽，即《天玉經》之陰陽也，唯不知看雌雄，遂強為之解耳。天地合而萬物興，故葬乘生氣總不離陰陽。所謂陰用陽朝、陽用陰應，以乙辛丁癸之水配甲庚丙壬之龍也。夫婦之道求其生育，未有不唱隨而能生育者。甲庚丙壬四龍神俱屬陽干，順行歸於墓；乙辛丁癸四龍神俱屬陰干，逆行而歸於墓。則以癸配甲、以丁配庚、以乙配丙、以辛配壬，生旺同歸，共成三合，如夫婦之一唱一隨。

The ancients spoke of yin and yang, which is the same yin and yang discussed in the "Tianyu Jing." It is only because later generations did not understand "seeing the yin and yang," that they made alternative explanations. When heaven and earth meet and combine, myriad things flourish, so burial must take advantage of life qi, which cannot be separated from yin and yang. The saying "yin uses yang to face, and yang uses yin to respond" refers to using the water of the yin stems, namely yi, xin, ding, and gui, to match the dragons of the yang stems, namely jia, geng, bing, and ren. The relationship between husband and wife is for the purpose of producing offspring; there is no way to have offspring without mutual response and harmony. The four yang stems, jia, geng, bing, and ren, are all yang stems and follow the direction to the storage place. The four yin stems, yi, xin, ding, and gui, are all yin stems and go against the direction to the storage place. Thus, gui matches jia, ding matches geng, yi matches bing, and xin matches ren. The directions of birth and prosperity converge at the same place, forming triple harmony, just like the mutual response between husband and wife, where one sings and the other follows.

若甲龍本配癸水，而局中反見乙辛丁水，則曰陰錯；癸水本配甲龍，而後換庚丙壬龍，則曰陽差，是為兄妹不交。如初二三節合而後龍不合，後二三節合始終不合，是夫婦路遇。又如本龍本出未坤而至戌方出，則為過亢；火龍本出戌乾而至丁未即出，是為不及。其所謂不取也，非沖生破旺，則必遇病死墓絕之水也。

If the Jia dragon should be paired with Gui water, but instead the Yi, Xin, and Ding waters appear in the chart, this is called "yin error"; if Gui water should be paired with the Jia dragon, but instead the Geng, Bing, and Ren dragons appear, this is called "yang error," just like siblings who cannot marry. Another example is when the first, second, and third sections are harmonious, but the dragon does not match; or when the second and third sections are harmonious, but the beginning and end do not match, this is called "husband and wife meeting by the road," meaning they only meet on the way. Also, if the dragon and water mouth of the chart should be at Wei or Kun, but instead they appear at Xu, this is called "excessive excess"; if the fire dragon's water mouth should be at Xu or Qian, but instead it appears at Ding or Wei, this is called "insufficient." These are not acceptable because they are either conflicting, generating, or breaking the strong, or they must encounter the water in the directions of sickness, death, mourning, or decline.

《鐵彈子》之山運水運，彈子之四龍四局，皆乙辛丁癸配甲庚丙壬。蓋婦從夫猶相其夫，故水火木之相配妙在相生，而五金不能成器，獨以相剋為配，生成雖異，相夫則一。是玄竅相通即為陰陽相見，玄竅不通即為陰陽相乖。所謂雌碓牝牡之外別無陰陽，正所謂楊公養老看雌雄，天下諸書對不同。

The *Tie Danzi* discusses mountain and water movements, as well as the four dragons and four layouts, all of which use the heavenly stems Yi, Xin, Ding, and Gui to pair with the stems Jia, Geng, Bing, and Ren. The wife follows the husband and also supports him, so the combination of water, fire, and wood is effective because they generate each other. The special aspect is mutual generation. However, metal cannot become a finished object without being refined by fire, so it is paired through mutual control. Although the methods of generation differ, the principle of supporting the husband remains the same. Therefore, when the hidden窍 are connected, it is called "yin and yang meeting," and when they are not connected, it is called "yin and yang conflicting." This shows that apart from the distinction of male and female, there is no other form of yin and yang. This is exactly the meaning of "Yang Gong养老 looks at the female and male, and all other books differ in their approaches."

或問：周公作指南車必用正針，正無縫針，《玉髓經》子午論為有理。余謂為中針、針，皆為造葬之用，然則《玉髓經》非歟。《金彈子》云：大中針內乘生氣。是乘氣以用中針也。厲公云：先將子午定山崗，卻把中針細較量，更加三七與四八，莫與時師說短長。所謂三七二八又在中針之外，千古疑團從何下手。

Someone asked: The compass used by the Duke of Zhou to make the south-pointing chariot must have been the true needle, since there was no sewing needle at that time. Therefore, the "Yuzhui Zhenjing" only discusses the true needle's directions of the beginning and end of the day, which seems reasonable. However, you say that both the central needle and the sewing needle are used in burial practices, so does that mean the "Yuzhui Zhenjing" is wrong? The "Jindanzizi" says: "The central needle carries the life qi." This suggests that carrying the qi requires the central needle. Li Beshaos says: "First determine the mountain's direction with the beginning and end of the day, then carefully measure with the central needle. Add three and seven, or four and eight, and do not argue with other masters." The terms three and seven, or four and eight, are outside the central needle. This ancient confusion, where should we start to resolve it?

答曰：正針不始於周公而始於黃帝。當其戰琢鹿之野，蟄尤作大露，士卒昏迷，黃帝乃作指南車以辨四方，遂克蟄尤。後至越裳來貢，歸路莫辨，周公仍從其制，皆為地理子午而設，此中針縫針所以不著於當日。文明漸啟，俯察之學必仰觀，然後知天地之關會、氣運之轉移，是知上古之縫針，然地理鏠針一其自不同，未可以昔日之無遂非今日之有。

The response said: The true needle was not first used by the Duke of Zhou, but by the Yellow Emperor. Long ago, when the Yellow Emperor was fighting the Chiyou at ZhuLu, Chiyou raised a great fog, causing the soldiers to be confused and unable to tell directions. The Yellow Emperor then invented the south-pointing chariot to determine the four directions, and finally defeated Chiyou. Later, when the Yueshang kingdom came to present tribute, the envoys could not find their way back, so the Duke of Zhou still used the old device of the Yellow Emperor to make a chariot for them. All these were for determining the directions of the earth, so the central needle and the true needle had not yet appeared at that time. Only when civilization gradually developed, and the study of geography had to be combined with the observation of celestial phenomena, did people come to understand the key of the meeting of heaven and earth, and the mechanism of the movement of qi and destiny. It was then that the true needle came into being. Although there were similar things in ancient times, the true needle used in geography was different from them. One should not deny what we have today simply because it did not exist in the past.

張子微著書自論《玉髓》，某形必某條，某物必下其穴，庸夫牧覽局為奇，孰知貽笑大方。考諸《天玉》《青囊》從無所說。厲伯韶因鷓鴣飛起處卜得佳穴，即號鷓鴣飛，以此命名，原非取象於此，則子微陋可知。子微論《玉髓》出自門人，故有指南車而抹殺縫針也。

Zhang Ziwei wrote a book called "Yusui Zhenjing," stating that certain shapes must be matched with certain rules and that certain objects must be associated with certainsite. Common people and shepherds found this strange and novel, but in fact, it was ridiculed by professionals. When studying the "Tianyu Jing" and "Qingang Jing," there is never such a statement. Li Bioshao once saw a bush pigeon flying from a certain place, and he chose a good site there, so he named that place "Zhegu Fei." This was just a name based on the event, not derived from the image of the bird. This shows how shallow Zhang Ziwei's views were. The "Yusui" discussed by Zhang Ziwei was actually written by his disciples, which is why there is only a mention of the south-pointing chariot and a dismissal of the needle technique.

天之漸西有歲之漸東，旋轉同而東西不同。經所謂渾天寶鏡，金水日月逢皆子，是取之。是以鏠針又不可無中針。今徽州經有一層分一板，蓋以漸東漸西終古無定位，故設此盤便於轉移，尚不失古人之遺意。

The celestial sphere gradually moves westward each year, while the solar terms gradually move eastward each year. Both move in the same direction, but differ in their east-west displacement. The classic text refers to "the celestial sphere mirror, with gold and water, sun and moon meeting at Zi" meaning exactly this. Therefore, there is a needle for the seam, but there must also be a central needle. Now, compasses made in Huizhou add one layer and divide into one board, because the westward and eastward movements never have a fixed position, so this compass is set up to allow for constant adjustment. This still retains the original intention of the ancients.

其用針之法，既以子午定其山崗，即以中針縫針審其星緾節氣，然後以本龍之三七、本穴之二八再三禘視，觀其合有不合。合則天之吉氣交環，一山不合則上下不交，純陰不生長。不獨造葬之時以此定吉凶，即行至後龍亦可以此是禍福。如地氣決於啼鶻，天星鑑於盤水，皆以天道之變觀地氣之常。

The method of using needles is: first use the main needle's Zi and Wu to determine the direction of the mountain ridge, then use the middle needle and the sewing needle to examine the degree of the star mansions and the solar terms. Then take the three-seventh fraction of the dragon and the two-eighth fraction of the site and carefully examine them to see if they match. If they match, the auspicious qi from heaven will encircle and embrace; if even one mountain does not match, the qi above and below will not connect, resulting in a purely negative qi that cannot support life. This method is not only used in determining auspiciousness and inauspiciousness during the construction and burial of a tomb, but also can be used to judge misfortune and fortune when looking at distant dragon mountains. For example, ancients used the cry of the hawk to determine the earth's qi, and used the reflection of water in a basin to examine the stars in the sky, all of which were methods of observing the regular state of the earth's qi through the changes of heaven.

此九天玄女之妙用，所以奪神功改天命，實有聖賢之前同歸至理。自魏孝文收葬書，唐一行倒裝五行，精地理者更詳天文，正以中針縫針開其端，久之而成絕學。耑用正針，已非立法之本意；至於縫針之法等於餼手，則楊曾廖賴之全能終古不著於天下矣。

This is the profound application of the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven, enabling one to seize divine power and alter destiny. It truly aligns with the ultimate principles taught by ancient sages and virtuous men. Since the Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen confiscated The Book of Burial, and during the Tang dynasty, Yixing the Chan master deliberately reversed the order of the Five Phases, those skilled in geography have become even more focused on astronomy. This began with the use of the central needle and the sewing needle, and over time, it became a lost art. Using only the central needle already deviates from the original intent of the system. If one treats the sewing needle method as an optional gift to be casually discarded, then the complete skills of Yang Yunsong, Zeng Wenchuan, Liao Yu, and Lai Wenjun will never be fully recognized and spread throughout the world.

天與地是一非一，是二非二。知其是一非一，故用正針之後必用中針縫針；知其是二非二，故用中針縫針之時即用正針。所謂中針乘氣者，天與地合則為生，不合則為死。《鐵彈子》云：地無精氣，以星光為精氣；地無吉凶，以星氣為吉凶。實為楊曾必旨，是以舉其端而竟不明其說。先賢見一名山，即預知其某元甲子中出，至此而天地始合。楊文敏公祀墳二百年始生文敏，前此天光未照也。宇宙大關會氣運為先，而氣運之轉移繫乎天星之照臨也。

Heaven and Earth are said to be one, yet not entirely one; said to be two, yet not entirely two. Knowing that it is 'one yet not one,' after using the main needle, one must still use the middle needle and the sewing needle. Knowing that it is 'two yet not two,' when using the middle and sewing needles, one must still use the main needle. The middle needle is said to ride on Qi, meaning that when Heaven and Earth combine, it is life Qi; when they do not combine, it is death Qi. The Iron Bullet says: 'The earth has no refined Qi, using star light as its refined Qi; the earth has no auspicious or inauspicious, using star Qi as its auspicious or inauspicious.' This is indeed the essence of Yang and Zeng, but unfortunately, only the hint is given, and the true meaning is not clearly explained. The ancients, upon seeing a famous mountain, could foresee that it would produce a person in a certain yuán and jiazi. At that time, the Qi of Heaven and Earth would truly combine. Yang Wenmin's family ancestral tomb, after being buried, produced Yang Wenmin two hundred years later; before that, the heavenly light had not yet reached. The great turning points in the universe are first determined by the movement of Qi, and the movement of Qi depends on the illumination of the heavenly stars.

此為兼用三針者知之，而耑用正針者不能知之也。然則地盤挨星是不足乎。非也。天地者一家之夫婦也，然水者一身之陰陽也。譬如閨中女子，其耳目必聰明，血氣必和平，然後可以迎祥集福；若其破旺沖生則陰陽不和，不待于歸早已知其發生百病矣。是以奪神功改天命須用三針，如果乘氣坐穴必先用正針為主。後之學者知天地有轉移而地運應之，則分天地為二亦可，合天地為一亦無不可也，其於三針兼用之理思過半矣。如其不然，亦唯迎生趨旺，以俟天地之自合而已。

This level of understanding is only grasped by those who use all three needles, and those who rely solely on the main needle will not comprehend it. Does that mean the Earth Plate and its star arrangements are insufficient? Not at all. Heaven and Earth are like a husband and wife in a family, while Dragon and Water are like the yin and yang within a person's body. For example, a woman in seclusion must have sharp senses and balanced vital energy before she can invite good fortune; if she herself has broken prosperity and conflicting yin and yang, she can already be judged to suffer from many illnesses before she marries. Therefore, to seize divine power and change destiny, one must use all three needles; but when it comes to riding the qi and sitting at the site, the main needle must still be the primary. Later scholars only need to understand that heaven and earth change and the earthly cycle responds accordingly. Thus, dividing heaven and earth into two parts is acceptable, as is combining them into one, and they will have grasped most of the principle of using all three needles. If they cannot reach this level, then they can only stick to the four words "welcome the thriving and seek the prosperous" and wait quietly for the qi of heaven and earth to naturally converge.

或問：陰龍旺相、陽龍孤虛，《玉尺經》說也。後之論者謂乾坤辰戌龍俱發大福，歷觀古墳所在皆然，然則《玉尺》非歟。陰龍最貴者莫如真亥，《梅花院纂》云：亥無鱗甲不堪扦。豈真亥龍不足貴歟。

Someone asked: "Yin Long is prosperous and strong, while Yang Long is isolated and deficient," according to the Jade Measure Classic. However, later commentators said that the four Dragon lines of Qian, Kun, Chen, and Xu can bring great blessings, and examining ancient tombs everywhere indeed confirms this. So is the Jade Measure Classic wrong? Furthermore, among Yin Longs, none is more valuable than the true Hai, but the Meihua Yuan Zuan says: "Hai lacks scales and armor and is not suitable for burial." Is the true Hai Dragon not worth valuing after all?

答曰：天道有陽必有陰，人之道抑陰而扶陽。分陰分陽者，其體也；抑陰扶陽者，其用也。是以乙丑乙未納音之位在辛，而龍之生旺墓仍從庚；丁卯丁酉納音之位在丁，而龍之生旺墓仍從丙。律以呂為妻，則陰從陽也；地統乎天，母從乎父，是說也。

The response says: The heavenly way has yang necessarily accompanied by yin, but in human affairs, we suppress yin and support yang. Distinguishing between yin and yang speaks to the fundamental nature; suppressing yin and supporting yang speaks to application. Therefore, although the nayin sound elements of Yichou and Yiwei are located at Xin, the calculation of the dragon's birth, prosperity, and burial still begins with Geng; similarly, although the nayin sound elements of Dingmao and Dingyou are located at Ding, the calculation of the dragon's birth, prosperity, and burial still begins with Bing. In the theory of musical scales, "Lv" is regarded as the wife of "Lu," which is yin following yang; the earth is subordinate to the sky, and the mother is subordinate to the father, which is exactly this principle.

金木水火土分旺於四時，並行而不悖，惟方位則各有旺相孤虛，則以卦畫論。乾卦六畫皆奇，其陽既極，故乾之甲王為孤，而非謂天地四時之甲王皆孤；坤卦六書皆偶，其陰既極，坤之癸乙為虗，而非謂天地四時之癸乙皆虗。一百二十分金必去其孤虗，只存丙庚丁辛旺相，不合四十八局，乃《銅涵經》之偽設，此以混四十八局之真，而非孤虗之實論。如果甲壬為孤、癸乙為虗，則是天地止有西南而無東北、有夏秋無春冬，有是理乎。

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth each flourish in their respective seasons, and they operate without conflict; however, in terms of direction, each element has distinctions of prosperity, strength, isolation, and emptiness. These distinctions should be determined according to the trigrams. The Qian trigram consists entirely of yang lines, indicating extreme yang energy, so the heavenly stems Jia and Ren associated with the Qian position are called "isolation" (孤). This does not mean that all Jia and Ren in the universe are isolated. The Kun trigram consists entirely of yin lines, indicating extreme yin energy, so the heavenly stems Gui and Yi associated with the Kun position are called "emptiness" (虚). This does not mean that all Gui and Yi in the universe are empty. The 120 divisions of metal must eliminate isolation and emptiness, leaving only the four groups of Bing, Geng, Ding, and Xin as prosperous and strong. This does not align with the 48 divisions, and it is fabricated by the "Tonghan Jing," used to confuse the true method of the 48 divisions. It is not the true meaning of isolation and emptiness. If Jia and Ren were truly all isolated, and Gui and Yi truly all empty, then the universe would have only the Southwest and no Northeast, only summer and autumn and no spring and winter. How could such a thing be possible?

二十四位半屬陰、半屬陽，其數實相等，乃成其為天地。謬種偽傳以為反氣，故有取乎陰，不知候氣於黃泉既為陰之極，必求諸十二陰龍，揆之配偶之義則不均，揆之抑陰扶陽之理，則以陽為君子、陰為小人，踵謬承偽，不待智者而知之矣。發明楊曾之吉莫如《玉尺》，所以貴陽賤陰、三吉六秀者，孰卦氣而言之。其結句云：例難執乎納甲，法莫妙於變通。明以玄空為主，而陰陽故有終。餘洩天機之秘，收函石室，無非隱而不發也。未又云：造化關通，神文自見，俟其人耳。

There are twenty-four positions, half belonging to yin and half to yang, with equal numbers, thus matching heaven and earth. However, erroneous false transmissions treat them as opposing forces, focusing only on the yin aspect. They do not realize that in the underworld, the yin has already reached its extreme. If one continues to search solely among the twelve yin dragons, it would be unbalanced according to the principle of pairing. Moreover, according to the principle of restraining yin and supporting yang, yang is the gentleman and yin is the petty person. Following such erroneous doctrines blindly is something even the clever can see through. The best exposition of Yang and Zeng's theories is found in the "Juyi Jing," which discusses the value of yang over yin and the three auspicious and six excellent directions, all based on the principles of trigram qi. It concludes by saying, "It is difficult to adhere strictly to the method of Najia, but the best method is flexibility." This clearly emphasizes the importance of Xuan Kong, while the theory of yin and yang naturally finds its conclusion. I have revealed the secret of heaven's mechanism, which should have been sealed away in a stone chamber as the ancients did, merely to keep it hidden. At the end, it says, "The workings of nature are interconnected, and the divine text will reveal itself naturally." It is simply waiting for the right person.

審氣篇云：乾坤到頭雖發福，而終歸敗絕；辰戌兩龍入，縱利達而世受孤寒。時師因此遂謂四龍不可用，殊不知葬乘生氣，得生旺而富貴雙全，若衰沐病墓絕行龍，以上之格在所不取。蓋乾之乙亥乃是絕鄉，坤之丙申乃是病地，戌之庚戌乃是衰位，辰之丙辰壬辰乃是墓方，皆指六十龍言。舊注以為老亢四金不可，然則丁亥為臨官、甲申為長生、甲辰為冠帶、戊戌為養，亦將盡舉棄之。所謂臨胎冠養生旺位，不須更論陰陽，不幾大相刺謬乎。

The *Yu Zhe Jing · Shen Qi Pian* says: "Although the Dragon of Heaven and Earth eventually bring blessings, they ultimately lead to decline and failure; when the Dragons of Chen and Xu enter, even if one achieves success, the family will suffer from isolation and poverty." Today, geomancers see this and say that the Dragons of Heaven, Earth, Chen, and Xu should not be used. But they do not realize that burial should only seek to ride the Life Qi: if the Dragon is in a state of birth and prosperity, then wealth and honor will be complete; if the Dragon moves toward decline, bathing, illness, tomb, or death, such a pattern is not desired. Originally, the Dragon of Heaven has Yihai as its death place, the Dragon of Earth has Bingshen as its illness place, the Dragon of Xu has Gengxu as its decline place, and the Dragon of Chen has Bingchen and Renchen as its tomb places—these are all referring to the sixty dragons. Old annotations mistakenly consider "old亢 four metals" as unusable; if that is the case, then Dinghai is officialdom, Jiashen is birth, Jiachen is capping, and Wuxu is nourishment, would they not also need to be discarded? The text clearly states that "officialdom, infancy, capping, nourishment, birth, and prosperity do not need to be further discussed in terms of yin and yang," which is not contradictory at all.

茲今時師矢口而談者，莫如真亥龍，然亥則不離乾壬也。《玉尺經》云：許通一路。癸亥乃水之臨官，已亥乃木之長生，是以許通一路也，方為楊曾之嫡泒。既無鱗甲，乃是正亥，縱有融結乃是病龍，所以到頭囚謝、入首衰微，雖發大福，故不堪扦。又云用心扦者何也。入首辛亥，坐西北向東南，易於沖生，難以立向，先賢所以審於扦寡龍也。經又云：巽地怕逢辰已，只愛單行。巽者辛已也，兼辰則兼已已，兼已則為癸已，龍居病絕皆所不取，此生旺休囚之說也。

Nowadays, when geomancers begin to speak, they often mention "true亥 dragon." In reality,亥 always relates to乾 and壬. The "Yuzhi Jing" says "allow only one path":Guihai is the official position of water, andJihai is the growth position of wood, so only these two are allowed to travel along this path, which is truly the inheritance of Yang and Zeng. If one says "no scales," that refers to the straight亥 line, even if there is a fusion and consolidation, it is still a sick dragon, so in the end it becomes confined and weak, and at the beginning it is weak and declining. Even if it brings great fortune temporarily, it is ultimately unsuitable for a site. The text also says "use the mind to choose the direction." What does this mean? If the dragon at the entrance isXinhai, facing southeast from northwest, it easily conflicts with the growth position, making it difficult to choose the direction. Therefore, the ancients were especially cautious about choosing such isolated dragons. The text also says: "The wind direction fears meeting辰 and巳, and only likes to go alone." Here,巽 refers toXinsi; if it is combined with辰, it becomesJisi, and if combined with巳, it becomesGuisi. These two dragons fall into the positions of sickness and decline, so they are all not chosen—this is still the theory of growth, prosperity, rest, and decline.

即駁換之義亦明指納音。如壬駁癸、癸駁壬，乃是水駁水；丁駁丙、丙駁丁，乃是木駁木。以至壬為壬寅、甲為已卯、艮為戊寅，去水來山取用不同，何堪並至；惟庚酉辛則皆水土，乃可雙行。《天玉》云玄空為主，而重在不出卦，後人讀之多不能解，《玉尺·審氣篇》乃其確注也。

Even the term 「驳换」 clearly refers to the Nayin sound element. For example, when壬 is exchanged with癸 or癸 is exchanged with壬, it is water exchanging with water; when丁 is exchanged with丙 or丙 is exchanged with丁, it is wood exchanging with wood. As for the position of壬 beingRenyin, the position of甲 beingJimao, and the position of艮 beingWuyin, their use in taking water coming from the mountain varies, so they cannot be used together. Only the positions of庚, 酉, and 辛, which all belong to water and earth, can be used together. The Classic of Heaven and Jade says that the main principle is the Xuan Kong, and emphasizes 「not going out of the hexagram」. However, later people have mostly failed to understand this. The chapter 「Reviewing the Qi」 in the Classic of Jade Measure is the most accurate explanation of it.

但丙屬木而云火氣相須，蓋隨俗以丙丁屬火尚隱而不發耳。《天機賦》云：年少蜚聲科第，必是水來寅甲。後又云：寅甲水來那堪瘋疾纏身。一篇之內自相矛盾，無非天機玄妙，必須分別五行生衰旺。後之學者思其何以矛盾，則知山山有生旺、山山有休囚，倘在病死墓絕之鄉，不獨陽不取而陰且必不嫌，又何貴陰賤陽之是哉。

But the stem Bing is originally associated with wood in the nayin system, yet the "Jade Measure Classic" says it requires the fire element. This seems to be following common practice by still treating Bing and Ding as fire, or perhaps it is keeping this aspect hidden. The "Heavenly Mechanism Treatise" states: "A young man who gains fame and success in the imperial examinations must have water coming from the寅 and 甲." Later it says: "If water comes from寅 and 甲, how can one endure the torment of madness and illness?" Within the same text, there is contradiction, which shows the subtlety of heavenly mechanisms. One must distinguish the generation, decline, and strength of the five phases. Later scholars should think about why there is contradiction, and thus understand that each mountain has its generation and strength, as well as its decline and weakness. If a mountain falls into the areas of disease, death, mourning, or decline, not only is the yang dragon not suitable, but the yin dragon cannot escape either. How then can there be any distinction between valuing yin and despising yang?

左右關之說自古有之，如陽亥龍甲木、陰亥龍乙木，吳公《教子書》、劉賴《玉尺經注》莫不皆然。子獨言龍有甲庚丙壬而無乙辛丁癸，水有乙辛丁癸而無甲庚丙壬，豈前此之成書一切可廢乎，而子之臆見獨可信乎。

Some people say that the concept of left and right gates has existed since ancient times. For example, a yang亥 dragon is calculated as Jia wood, while a yin亥 dragon is calculated as Yi wood. Both Wu Gong's "Teaching His Son" and Liu Bingzhong and Lai Wenjun's "Commentary on the Jade Measure" all state this. Yet you alone insist that dragons are only Jia, Geng, Bing, and Ren, and not Yi, Xin, Ding, or Gui, and that water is only Yi, Xin, Ding, and Gui, and not Jia, Geng, Bing, or Ren. Is it really the case that all the existing works can be discarded, and only your personal opinion is trustworthy?

答曰：此非餘之臆說，乃《玉尺經注》之說也。《玉尺》云：乙辛丁癸之婦，而配甲庚丙壬之夫。明以龍屬陽、水屬陰。又曰：左陽右陰分兩片，而陽順陰逆氣本一原。本一原者，木即甲木生、金即庚金。又陽龍左旋從生趨旺，陰龍右旋自旺朝生。自旺朝生者，自卯逆數至亥也。若以陰龍亥為乙木，則自午逆數至卯，仍是從生趨旺，奚言自旺朝生也。

The response was: This is not my own speculation, but exactly what the "Commentary on the Jade Measure Classic" says. The "Jade Measure Classic" states: "A wife of the Yin stems, namely Yi, Xin, Ding, and Gui, should be paired with a husband of the Yang stems, namely Jia, Geng, Bing, and Ren." It clearly distinguishes the Yang as dragon and the Yin as water. It also says: "Left Yang and Right Yin divide into two parts, while Yang moves in a clockwise direction and Yin moves counterclockwise, yet their origin is the same." The phrase "originating from the same source" means that wood comes from Jia wood and metal comes from Geng metal. Furthermore, Yang dragons turn left, moving from Growth to Prosperity; Yin dragons turn right, moving from Prosperity back to Growth. The term "self-prosperity leading to birth" refers to moving counterclockwise from the卯 position to the亥 position. If the Yin亥 dragon is considered as Yi wood, then one would have to move counterclockwise from the午 position to the卯 position, which is still moving from birth to prosperity, how could it be called "self-prosperity leading to birth"?

審向篇云：四生三合是天機，雙山五行全秘訣。言五行在雙山之下，而三合以四生為主，實指甲庚丙壬。若有一龍則有一生，龍有八則生有八，胡為正言四者何也。雙山乃指二十四山之道，稱六十甲子設於雙山之下，而丑行始分，戌乾、亥壬皆為雙山，不止乾亥、甲卯、丁未也。

The *Yu Zhi Jing* *Shen Xiang Pian* says: "Four generations and triple harmony are heavenly secrets, dual mountains and five phases hold the complete secret." This means that the five phases are arranged beneath the dual mountains, and triple harmony is based on the four generations of growth. In reality, it refers specifically to the four stems: Jia, Geng, Bing, and Ren. If there is one dragon, there is one generation of growth; if there are eight dragons, there should be eight generations of growth. So why does the classic specifically mention "four generations"? The term "dual mountains" refers to the arrangement of the twenty-four mountains. The sixty Jiazi are placed beneath the dual mountains, and only from the Chou position can they be distinguished. Xu and Qian, Hai and Ren are also considered dual mountains, not only Qian and Hai, Jia and Mao, Ding and Wei.

《天玉經》云：甲庚丙壬為四龍神，俱屬陽干行。不及陰干者，以其為水神也。人但知龍有陰陽，遂以乙辛丁癸亦為龍。故《雅》詩所言相其陰陽、觀其流泉，實地理之祖語。是以橫說豎說、分說合說，總不外陰陽合龍。有水而言，則龍屬陽而水屬陰；水之順行者亦謂之陽，龍之逆行者亦謂之陰。龍水之陰陽既相配，而陽龍取陰水、陰龍取陽水，無非孤陰不生、獨陽不長也，故雌雄必期於交會。

The Tianyu Jing says: "Jia, Geng, Bing, and Ren are the four dragon spirits, all belonging to the yang stems." It does not mention the yin stems because the yin stems belong to the water spirits. People only know that dragons have yin and yang, so they also regard Yi, Xin, Ding, and Gui as dragons. The Shijing, Da Ya, Gong Liu says, "Examine its yin and yang, observe its flowing springs," which is truly the original saying of geomancers. Therefore, whether speaking horizontally or vertically, dividing or combining, it is always about the combination of yin and yang to form dragons. If water is also considered, then dragons are yang and water is yin; the flowing water is called yang, and the reversing dragon is called yin. Since the yin and yang of dragons and water are matched, yang dragons should take yin water, and yin dragons should take yang water. This is because isolated yin cannot produce life, and isolated yang cannot grow, so the male and female must be sought to meet.

余初學堪輿，亦泥陽亥陰亥之說，歷觀古墳並無陰亥出戌乾，始悟其非。即今時師所習之《青囊》《玉尺》《天玉》而經文本的註釋，則以偽傳偽。後之學者能通解羅經，即當遍觀古墳名墓，用心揣摩其乘氣坐穴之法，皆可授古證今。至於汗牛充棟之書，即閉目不觀未為不可也。

When I first started studying feng shui, I was rigid in my belief about the concepts of Yang Hai and Yin Hai. I examined many ancient tombs, but never saw any Yin Hai dragon lines with water mouths flowing towards Xu or Qian. This made me realize that those ideas were wrong. Even today's classics such as the Qingnang Jing, Yuzhi Jing, and Tianyu Jing have correct texts, but their commentaries have passed down errors. Later scholars should understand the compass well and study famous ancient tombs, carefully analyzing the methods of capturing qi and sitting the grave. They can use the ancients to verify today's practices. As for the piles of books, even if one closes his eyes and does not read them, it is not a problem.

或問曰：閉戶造車，輪出門合轍跡，天下之道路固無不同；至於山水之融結處處奇，安能執古人之成格而謂某水口必係某龍、某龍必係某向。山水有靈，未必盡合撤於楊曾也。汗牛充棟之書千古相傳，而子無師承，恐是承偽踵謬語。孰是熟非，安得起楊曾而問之。

Someone asked: If you build a cart in a closed room and when you take it out, it fits perfectly with the road, that's because the roads in the world are all the same. But the convergence of mountains and water is always new and unique; how can we insist on the fixed patterns of ancient people, saying that a certain water mouth must match a certain dragon, and that a certain dragon must match a certain direction? Mountains and water have their own spirit, and they may not all conform to the patterns of Yang and Zeng. Moreover, there are mountains of books passed down through the ages, yet you have no teacher or lineage, so you might be inheriting mistakes. Who is right and who is wrong in all this? How can we bring Yang and Zeng back to ask them directly?

答曰：太古之初有師有承，聖人之所師者天地而已。當其仰觀俯察，見其天之道如此，則聞其說為天文，是千歲之日至可坐而致；是乎地之道如此，則闡其說為地理，是量山萬水百里江山一向間。蓋木旺於東，必胎養於西；金旺西，必胎養於東；火旺南，必胎養於北；水旺於北，必胎養於南。旺於偶然即為天地之變，楊曾心法用其常不用其變，乃人聽命於天地，非天地聽命於人也。

The answer says: In the very beginning, there were teachers and a tradition passed down. The sages only followed the pattern of heaven and earth. By observing the heavenly phenomena and examining the earthly features, they saw the way of heaven and called this study astronomy. Thus, even thousands of years later, the winter solstice could be calculated. By understanding the way of earth, they explained this as geography, so that measuring thousands of mountains and rivers, and hundreds of miles of land, could all be contained within a single compass. Wood is strong in the east, so it must be nurtured in the west; metal is strong in the west, so it must be nurtured in the east; fire is strong in the south, so it must be nurtured in the north; water is strong in the north, so it must be nurtured in the south. If something happens elsewhere by chance, that is an exception in heaven and earth. Yang and Zeng's methods only use the regular patterns, not the exceptions, because people must follow heaven and earth, not heaven and earth following people.

余幼時不信風水，藏書雖富總不寓目。自乙已冬，有祖墳傍穴老母所分得，而伯姆爭之，餘跪地哀勸，懇其義讓老母，只得強從，而終不說離亂。之後每語及讓塚，不勝嗚咽，餘自是有私心焉。歷觀祖墳聚散向背之間確有私意，心自惴是或一道也。乃遍延術士，不惜金錢，不憚跋涉，言之登山不能辨穴，陰陽有無問之羅經，不明線路挨加，不知為物。於是搜討群書，日夜不遑，思維求得其說，奈此是彼非，漫無頭緒，常廢書而嘆。念及老母，憂從中來，則又挽首卒讀，一知半解，按圖索駟又無一驗，蓋夙興夜寐反側於斯者十餘年。

When I was a child, I did not believe in feng shui. Although there were many books in our family, I never read them. Since the year Yisi, in winter, there was a certain site near our ancestors' tomb that my mother had been assigned, but my aunt-in-law came to claim it. I knelt on the ground and pleaded with her, begging her to give it to my mother according to reason. Only then did she reluctantly agree, but she never truly accepted it in her heart. After that, whenever we spoke about this matter of giving up the tomb site, my mother would always weep uncontrollably. From then on, I began to have a lingering worry. I carefully examined the gathering and dispersing of the ancestral tomb's energy, and the orientation of the mountains and waters, and realized there was indeed some principle involved. I secretly thought that this must be a genuine discipline. Therefore, I invited various diviners everywhere, not sparing money or effort, and did not mind the hardship of traveling. They went up the mountain, but could not identify the site. When I asked them about yin and yang, they could only look at the compass, and had no idea about the direction or alignment. They could not even explain what it was. Thus, I began to collect various books and thought about them day and night, hoping to find some truth. However, each family had its own opinion, and there was no clear direction, so I often gave up reading and sighed in frustration. Whenever I thought of my mother, sorrow would rise from my heart, and I had no choice but to continue reading. I understood only a little, and followed the maps and hints, but nothing ever worked out. I spent over ten years getting up early and going to bed late, tossing and turning, trying to find an answer.

憶崇禎庚午年間，有朱家瑗者登文質祖墳言福澤，既暫其後果驗，駭以為神，亟往審視。內出戌乾，外出未坤，而坐甲向庚兼卯酉，龍則火木相間，八節乃變甲寅數，其家世蔭七代，至八代而敗絕。餘豁然大悟，始信乎諸書皆妄，而破旺沖生不外乎六十龍、言七十二龍。執此以驗古墳，在在皆然。歸取《天玉》《青囊》《行程記》《紅囊經》讀之，如醉方醒，如夢初覺。得訣歸來好看書，是即余之師承也。雖不自附聞知之，而心疲力竭，爰取諸書而觀之，註釋盡為改正，豈敢故為好辨哉，亦為使天下仁人孝子皆避火坑而已。

I remember in the Gengwu year of the Chongzhen era, there was a man named Zhu Jiayuan who visited the ancestral tomb of the Wenzi family and predicted the family's fortune. Soon after, his prediction came true, and everyone was amazed, thinking he was a god. I hurried to examine it: the internal water mouth was at Xu and Qian, the external water mouth at Wei and Kun, the orientation was from Jia to Geng with a secondary direction of卯 and You. The coming dragon had fire and wood alternating, and only at the eighth section did it become the number Jiayin. This family had seven generations benefiting from the ancestral merit, but the eighth generation became extinct. At this point, I suddenly understood, and began to believe that all the writings of various schools were mere nonsense. The concept of breaking the prosperity and conflicting with the life force is nothing more than the sixty dragons and the seventy-two dragons. Using this principle to examine ancient tombs, everything matched perfectly. Returning home, I took out the Tianyu Jing, Qingnang Jing, Xingcheng Ji, and Hongnang Jing to read, and it was as if I had awakened from a drunken state or a dream. "After obtaining the secret, return home and read the books" — this is my inheritance. Although I dare not compare myself to those who know by hearing, I have exhausted my heart and effort. Therefore, I took the writings of various schools and corrected their annotations, not out of intentional argument, but merely to help all the benevolent and filial people avoid the fire pit.

堪輿之說，概而言之，不過龍穴砂水四法而已。然言龍則有祖宗、父母、枝幹、主從、退卸、博換、過峽、穿田等法；言穴則有穴星、穴形、穴情、太極圓暈、羅文土宿等法；言砂則有前朝、後坐、左龍、右虎、官鬼、禽星、曜、捍門、華表等法；言水則有來源、水口、水城、明堂等法。使不一一釋明於前，則不特不能入道，且不解讀古人之書矣。

Fengshui is essentially based on four main principles: dragon, site, terrain, and water. When discussing dragons, there are various terms such as ancestral mountains, parent mountains, branch dragons and main dragons, main mountains and secondary mountains, retreat, transformation, passage through a valley, and crossing fields. When discussing the site, there are terms like site star, site shape, site situation, Taiji circle, and Luo Wen Tu Su. When discussing terrain, there are terms like front mountains, rear mountains, left Azure Dragon, right White Tiger, official stars and ghost stars, bird stars, radiant energy, gatekeepers, and pillars. When discussing water, there are terms like water source, water mouth, water city, and bright hall. If these are not explained clearly at the beginning, one will not only fail to understand the basics but also be unable to comprehend ancient texts.

餘於龍則括之以星辰、枝幹、形格、化氣四種；於穴法則括之以正形正象、奇形怪穴二種；於葬法則括之以正葬、開鑿堆培二種；於砂法則括之以結作砂、用砂、秀砂三種；於水法則括之以配龍水、明堂、水城三種。四法各為專部，並不目力議論，俱取古仙最精最妙真如寶見之說，疏明於下，使人由此而了明山川之真性情、真結作。其人久久得悟，自難豁然於心、瞭然於目，覓然求穴探囊取物，始信地理果有一真道也。

I discuss dragons, summarizing them into four categories: stars, branches, form and structure, and transformed qi. I discuss grave sites, summarizing them into two categories: proper form and proper appearance, and strange form and strange grave sites. I discuss burial methods, summarizing them into two categories: proper burial and excavation and heap formation. I discuss terrain methods, summarizing them into three categories: consolidated terrain, use of terrain, and refined terrain. I discuss water methods, summarizing them into three categories: water matching the dragon, bright hall, and water city. Each of the four methods forms its own specialized section, not relying on mere eye observation to make arbitrary remarks, but all adopting the most refined and exquisite sayings of ancient sages, as if personally witnessing precious treasures. These are explained in detail below, enabling people to understand the true nature and genuine formations of mountains and rivers. Scholars, through prolonged study, will gradually gain insight. Even if they cannot immediately grasp the concept clearly in mind and see it clearly with their eyes, eventually when searching for graves, it will be as easy as reaching into a bag. Only then will they believe that geomancy indeed has a true path.

地理而不可解者，莫如《天玉經》。予獨擯斥諸書，侈談《天玉》，得毋近於隱怪乎。《天玉》楊曾之心法，其詞秘之而不宣，則楊曾之不得已也。帝王之興自有天命，是以金陵兩鳳交翅地，吳公曾為宋朝指而不能為宋朝下，明熙祖始下之。宋以前帝王不知此義，天文地理之禁甚嚴，楊公注《天玉經》不得不隱其詞。

The most difficult text to understand in geographical writings is the "Tianyu Jing." I deliberately focus on discussing the "Tianyu Jing" rather than other works, and I wonder if this seems like playing with mysticism. The "Tianyu Jing" is the core teaching of Yang and Zeng. Its wording is secret and not openly expressed, because Yang and Zeng had no choice but to do so. The rise of a dynasty is determined by heaven's mandate. For example, the "two phoenixes with wings crossing" land in Jingling was once pointed out by Wu Gong to the Song Dynasty, but he could not actually bury the emperor there. It was not until the Ming Dynasty's Xi Zu that the emperor was buried there. The emperors before the Song Dynasty did not understand this principle, and they strictly prohibited the study of astronomy and geography. When Yang Gong commented on the "Tianyu Jing," he had to express himself in a cryptic way.

迄宋而禁稍弛，朱蔡二公作《天表解》，即指明六十十龍，耑專以納音為主。納音者，後天之河圖也。有河圖即有五方，有五方即有五音，有五音即有六律，有六律即有六十甲子。東木西金南火北水中土，河圖之方位而為納音之祖，河圖見納音原始，故曰老五行。其金中有木、木中有金、水中有火、火中有水，即所謂識得五行顛倒顛，便是大羅仙。其同類娶妻隔八相生，取諸陰陽消長，即所謂乾遇巽兮觀月屈，地逢雷處見天根。聖人測天之時、候地之氣，胥是為準，是以審龍乘氣則首重乎分六十，而坐穴則用七十二。

By the Song Dynasty, restrictions were somewhat relaxed, and the two scholars Zhu Xi and Cai Yuanping compiled the "Tianbiao Jie," which clearly outlined the sixty dragons, focusing primarily on the Nayin sound element. The Nayin refers to the Later Heaven "He Tu" (Yellow River Chart). With the He Tu comes the five directions, with the five directions comes the five tones, with the five tones comes the six lu (laws), and with the six lu comes the sixty Jiazi (Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches). East is wood, west is metal, south is fire, north is water, and center is earth, which are the directional aspects of the He Tu, also the origin of the Nayin. From the He Tu, we can see the origin of the Nayin, hence it is also called "old Five Phases." Within metal there is wood, within wood there is metal, within water there is fire, within fire there is water, which is exactly what is said: "Recognizing the reversal of the Five Phases is to become a great immortal." It follows the principle of same elements marrying and generating through intervals of eight, reflecting the principle of yin and yang waxing and waning, which is also expressed as "When Heaven meets Xun, one sees the moon's cave; when Earth meets Thunder, one sees the root of Heaven." Sages measured the heavens and observed the earth's qi (vital energy) based on these principles. Therefore, examining dragons and their qi primarily emphasizes "evenly dividing the sixty dragons," while siting a dwelling requires the use of seventy-two dragons.

《天玉》之挨星即花甲也，《天玉》之玄空即四局也，《天玉》之本卦即震兌坎離也，《天玉》之聯珠即三盤同歸一卦也，《天玉》之零神正神即三七二八也，《天玉》之雙山雙向即四十八局也，《天玉》之三卦二父母即從生趨旺、自旺朝生也，《天玉》之共路兩神為夫婦，即乙丙交而趨戌、辛壬會而趨辰、斗牛納丁庚之氣、金羊收癸甲炎靈也。此今刻本始於大全，不識挨星為何物也。興國有舊註名拆骨體，亦在疑似之間。餘反覆尋繹不啻二十年始悟為羅經解，凡《青囊》《玉尺》彈子書及前賢歌訣，無非發明《天玉》之旨，則《天玉》實為大宗，而諸書皆為餘緒，餘之所以廢群言而獨尊《天玉》也。

The "ai xing" mentioned in the "Tianyu Jing" refers to the sixty jia characters; the "xuan kong" refers to the four sectors of water, fire, wood, and metal; the "ben gua" refers to the trigrams Zhen, Dui, Kan, and Li; the "lian zhu" refers to the three sections of mountain penetration, ground penetration, and sitting at the site all converging into one hexagram; the "ling shen zheng shen" refers to the two types of fractions, three and seven, and two and eight; the "shuang shan xiang xiang" refers to the forty-eight sectors; the "san gua er fu mu" refers to the movement from birth to prosperity and self-prosperity facing birth; the "gong lu liang shen wei fu fu" refers to "Yi and Bing meet and head toward Xu, Xin and Ren meet and head toward Chen, the constellation Dou Niu absorbs the qi of Ding and Geng, and the golden sheep absorbs the spirit of Ji and Gui." The current commonly circulated editions of the text come from the "Dili Daquan," and they have no idea what "ai xing" really is. Xingguo has another old commentary called "Chieh Gu Ti," which is also ambiguous. After repeatedly searching and pondering for over twenty years, I finally realized that it is actually an explanation of a compass. All books such as the "Qingang Jing," "Yuzhi Jing," and those involving the golden and iron balls, as well as the verses of previous sages, are all elaborating on the main idea of the "Tianyu Jing." Therefore, the "Tianyu Jing" is the main text, and all other books are its continuation. This is why I have abandoned all other interpretations and exclusively revered the "Tianyu Jing."

或問：精於巒頭自合理氣，則知巒頭可以不必知理氣，羅經之設不贅瘤乎。答曰：巒頭猶人之肢體也，理氣則其脈息也。人固有一望而可知者，若其外貎可觀，而終身不能逆料，必胗其脈息始知；羅經審其脈息。歷觀古垣局，非不精奇，當貴不能驟至，而後龍出卦，終歸敗絕，此則天地自然之缺陷，定於羅經。如黃編修本出八代公卿，而一代不保；劉漢四世祖地本出屢世王侯，而兄弟做賊，皆由向背一差，反福為禍。然則全龍全穴而作用之妙尤有待於羅經。但知巒頭不知理氣，不惟後代禍福不能審擇，即現在之真龍正穴，或貪朝對，或嫌去水，必至破旺沖生，反福為禍，此羅經不可須臾離也。

Someone asked: If one is skilled in the form and structure of terrain, then naturally it conforms to the principles of qi, so understanding form is sufficient and there is no need to understand the principles of qi. Then, is the compass not an unnecessary burden? The answer is: Form is like the limbs and body of a person, while the principles of qi are like the pulse and breath. Although some people can judge good and bad at a glance, if the appearance is good but one cannot predict the fortune or misfortune of a lifetime, then one must examine the pulse to know. The compass is used precisely to examine this pulse. Looking at the ancient sites, the forms are not without excellence, but wealth and honor come slowly, and the dragon ridge is out of the correct pattern, eventually leading to decline — this is a natural deficiency in heaven and earth, which can only be determined by the compass. For example, the family of Huang Bianshuo was supposed to produce eight generations of officials and ministers, yet none of them could be preserved; the ancestral site of Liu Han was supposed to produce generations of kings and dukes, yet his brothers became thieves, all because the direction was slightly wrong, turning blessings into calamities. This shows that even if the dragon and the site are complete, the subtle application still depends on the compass. If one understands form but not the principles of qi, not only can one not judge the fortune or misfortune of descendants, but even if one sees a true dragon and correct site, or desires a proper front and rear arrangement, or is suspicious of the water flowing away, one will inevitably cause destruction of prosperity and conflict of generation, turning blessings into calamities. Therefore, the compass is indispensable at every moment.

要其所謂作用者，不過順其自然，正其差謬，而初非有矯揉。是以楊曾心法不須易地改穴，而分金一轉即能為人造福。古今避理氣者，或以巒頭為人、理氣為星命，已屬可笑；即以巒頭為體、理氣為用，猶岐而二之。其實太極未分先有是理，所難者一訣千金，妙處不傳，遂成千古疑團，夢中說夢。

In the end, what is called 'action' is simply following the natural flow of mountains and waters, correcting any deviations, and there is nothing artificial or forced about it. Therefore, the methods of Yang and Zeng do not need to change locations or points, only by turning the feng shui line (fen jin) can they benefit people. In ancient times, those who avoided the principles of feng shui sometimes said that form (lun tou) is like a person and principles (li qi) are like stars and destiny, which is already very laughable. Even if they said that form is the body and principles are the use, they still divided them into two separate parts. In reality, the principle existed before the Taiji split. The difficulty lies in the fact that a single line of oral instruction is worth a thousand gold, and the most effective part is unwilling to be passed on, thus becoming a mystery of thousands of years, with everyone dreaming about dreams.

經勘破即不登山，而一觀水口能知其龍向，但言山向而可定其吉凶，以其有一定之理也。巒頭則千變萬化，不可名狀，自非踏皮鐵鞋揣摩有素，雖父不能以傳子。今之時師不知理氣，輒以巒頭自負，彼豈知巒頭之難言有十倍於理氣者乎。今而後有以巒頭為難知者，吾則與之言理氣矣。

Once this principle is understood, even without going to the mountains, just by looking at the water mouth, one can know the dragon and its direction. As long as the mountain and direction are mentioned, one can determine its fortune or misfortune, because there is a fixed and unchanging principle involved. As for the form of the terrain, it is ever-changing and hard to describe. Unless one has spent years studying it diligently, even a father would not pass it on to his son. Now, geomancers do not understand the principles of qi, yet they boast of being skilled in terrain forms. They do not realize how difficult it is to explain terrain forms, which is ten times harder than understanding the principles of qi. If someone in the future thinks terrain forms are hard to understand, I would be willing to discuss the principles of qi with him.