On the Jimao day, divination regarding pregnancy and childbirth (from the Farmer's Verification of Divination)

戊辰年閏七月己卯日巳將酉時占胎產。（牧夫占驗）

On the Ji Mao day of the leap July in the Wu Chen year, the lesson was cast by placing the Month General on Si and adding it to the hour of You. The divination was about pregnancy and childbirth. This example comes from Wang Mu Fu's records of divination. The term "divination of pregnancy and childbirth" refers to asking about the auspiciousness of the pregnant woman giving birth: whether mother and child will be safe, whether the childbirth will be smooth, and the gender of the child.

青空虎常／丑寅卯辰　后合合虎　兄癸未後／勾子　巳玄　未亥亥卯　官己卯虎／合亥　午陰　亥卯卯己　財乙亥合／戌酉申未／朱蛇貴後

This is a flat-printed divination board divided into three sections. The first section is the Heaven and Earth Plates: the Heavenly General is placed at You (酉), with the Heaven Plate four positions behind the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate, the position of Si (巳) is occupied by the Heaven Plate position Chou (丑), which is accompanied by the 'Azure Dragon'; the position of Wu (午) is occupied by Yin (寅), accompanied by 'Heavenly Void'; the position of Wei (未) is occupied by Mao (卯), accompanied by 'White Tiger'; the position of Shen (申) is occupied by Chen (辰), accompanied by 'Tai Chang'; the position of You (酉) is occupied by Si (巳), accompanied by 'Black Tortoise'; the position of Xu (戌) is occupied by Wu (午), accompanied by 'Tai Yin'; the position of Hai (亥) is occupied by Wei (未), accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'; the position of Zi (子) is occupied by Shen (申), accompanied by 'Nobleman'; the position of Chou (丑) is occupied by You (酉), accompanied by 'Teng Snake'; the position of Yin (寅) is occupied by Xu (戌), accompanied by 'Vermilion Bird'; the position of Mao (卯) is occupied by Hai (亥), accompanied by 'Liu He'; the position of Chen (辰) is occupied by Zi (子), accompanied by 'Gou Chen'. On an Ji (己) day, the night Nobleman is at Shen (申), and since the time of You (酉) is considered night, the 'Nobleman' is placed on the Heaven Plate at Shen (申). The position of Shen (申) is on the Earth Plate at Zi (子), which is in a forward direction, and the twelve Heavenly Generals are arranged in order, matching perfectly with the board. The second section is the Four Lessons, read from right to left: the day stem Ji (己) is in the lodging palace of Wei (未), and the position of Wei (未) is occupied by Mao (卯), making the first lesson Mao (卯) added to Ji (己), accompanied by 'White Tiger'; the second lesson Hai (亥) added to Mao (卯), accompanied by 'Liu He'; the third lesson is the day branch Mao (卯) occupied by Hai (亥), also accompanied by 'Liu He'; the fourth lesson is Wei (未) added to Hai (亥), accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'. The third section is the Three Transmissions: the first transmission is Wei (未), with the hidden stem Gui Wei, which is the brother's yao on a Ji day, accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'; the middle transmission is Mao (卯), with the hidden stem Ji Mao, which is the official's yao, accompanied by 'White Tiger'; the final transmission is Hai (亥), with the hidden stem Yi Hai, which is the wife's wealth yao, accompanied by 'Liu He'. The combination of Hai (亥), Mao (卯), and Wei (未) forms a Wood trinity, making it a 'Qu Zhi' lesson. In divination for childbirth, 'Heavenly Empress' represents the pregnant woman, 'Liu He' represents the fetus, 'White Tiger' represents the danger of bloodshed during childbirth, and 'Teng Snake' represents fear and alarm. In this lesson, 'Heavenly Empress' initiates the transmission and 'White Tiger' is in the middle, which is the key point for determining the safety of mother and child.

王牧夫曰：占產雖易，但生難存，母卻無礙。蓋此課秋占木局為鬼干日，此凶微也。己日未乃其身，由身傳鬼自克，故先產後凶。母能保者，傳比日支也，支辰又乘亥水長生，故母無恙，產亦易也。後為初傳，又屬厭翳，木衰而朽，主女，而不吉也。

Wang Mufu said: This divination concerns childbirth. The actual delivery is easy, but the child is difficult to survive. The mother is not harmed. Because this divination was cast in autumn, the three transmissions of Hai, Mao, and Wei form a wood trinity. Wood comes to overcome the earth, which is the official ghost of the day stem. However, in autumn, the wood energy is in prison and dying, so the danger is only slight. The lodgment palace of the day stem Ji is Wei. Wei represents the pregnant woman. From "self" (Wei) to "ghost" (Mao), it is as if the self invites the overcoming, so delivery is smooth at first, but danger appears after childbirth. The mother remains unharmed because the first transmission, Wei earth, is the same as the day stem Ji earth, and thus is a companion deity helping the self. Moreover, the day branch Mao is occupied by Hai water, and Hai is the place of birth for wood, so the life energy is continuous, and thus the mother is unharmed and the delivery is easy. As for the gender of the child: "Heavenly Empress" is a yin deity, representing the woman in divination of childbirth. Now "Heavenly Empress" is on the first transmission Wei, which is an image of yin obscuration. Also, Wei is the storage place of wood, and wood has already decayed and entered storage, so it is judged to be a female child, and this pregnancy is not auspicious.

儀徵吳兄占產，其母年帶死氣白虎，生後當不保，果厄於產。

A friend from Yizheng named Wu came to consult about childbirth. The woman giving birth had a dead qi in her year pillar, and also had the White Tiger. In divination for childbirth, the White Tiger indicates blood-related calamity and danger, while dead qi signifies the cutting off of vitality. Both signs appearing together, I predicted that the mother would not survive the childbirth. Later, she indeed died from complications during labor.

程秀田兄夫人當產期，腹痛己有欲下意，來占。余曰：尚未旬日，後方是產期。初不信，至夜痛止，果隔旬日而生，日時俱不差。其課遺失，秀兄每嘆其異驗也。

Cheng XiuTian's wife had reached her due date, and she was experiencing pain in her abdomen, indicating that the baby was about to be born. Cheng came to consult the divination. I said that there were still ten days left before the actual delivery date. At first, he did not believe me, but during the night the pain stopped, and indeed ten days later she gave birth, with the exact day and time matching perfectly. The divination chart for this case has been lost. XiuTian often remarked on how remarkably accurate the prediction was.

儀徵朱禮山兄，浯村人，其先乃族後，故亦以宗緒相稱。曾於揚州取側室七年不孕，欲遣之，問數於餘。餘為占之曰：此數來年二月必懷孕，去此不過三個月耳，如數不驗，再遣何如。禮曰：吾己帶來揚矣。余謂之曰：七年可待，三個月反不能待耶。禮笑而允之。至次年二月果懷孕，十一月生男。臘月至余寓謝，謂余曰：君何數神如此。其課遺失，附記於此。

Yizheng's Zhu Lishan brother is from Wucun. His ancestors were originally descendants of our same clan, so the two families also regarded each other as relatives. He once married a concubine in Yangzhou, but after seven years, they had no children. He intended to send her away, and first came to me to consult the divination. I cast the divination for him and said: According to this divination, she will definitely become pregnant in February of next year, which is not more than three months away from now; if it does not come true, then send her away later. Lishan said: I have already brought her to Yangzhou. I told him: We have waited seven years, why can't we wait three months? Lishan laughed and agreed. In the following February, the concubine indeed became pregnant and gave birth to a son in November. In the twelfth month, he came to my residence to thank me, and said to me: How divine your divination is. The divination chart for this case has been lost, so I will just record the event here.

己酉年十月初四己卯日寅將丑時，童知丞乙亥生，三十五歲，占赴任吉凶。（口鑑　方本占案）

On the fourth day of the tenth lunar month in the Jiyou year, which falls on the Jimao day, the divination was started by placing the Month General Yin on the time of Chou. Tong Zhi Cheng, born in the Yihai year and aged thirty-five at that time, came to inquire about the auspiciousness of his appointment. This case is recorded in the "Koujian" and "Fangben Zhan'an." "Zhi Cheng" is an assistant official in a prefecture or county. At that time, he had already received an official appointment and was asking about the smoothness of his journey to take up his post.

朱蛇貴後／午未申酉　合勾后貴　兄庚辰勾／合巳　戌陰　巳辰酉申　父辛巳合／勾辰　亥玄　辰卯申己　父壬午朱／卯寅丑子／青空虎常

The flat divination board. The heaven and earth plates are combined: the general is placed on the丑 (Chou) at寅 (Yin), and the heaven plate advances one position ahead of the earth plate. On the earth plate's巳 (Si), the heaven plate's午 (Wu) is placed, marked with the Vermilion Bird; on the earth plate's午 (Wu), the heaven plate's未 (Wei) is placed, marked with the Teng Snake; on the earth plate's未 (Wei), the heaven plate's申 (Shen) is placed, marked with the Nobleman; on the earth plate's申 (Shen), the heaven plate's酉 (You) is placed, marked with the Heavenly Empress; on the earth plate's酉 (You), the heaven plate's戌 (Xu) is placed, marked with the Tai Yin; on the earth plate's戌 (Xu), the heaven plate's亥 (Hai) is placed, marked with the Black Tortoise; on the earth plate's亥 (Hai), the heaven plate's子 (Zi) is placed, marked with the Tai Chang; on the earth plate's子 (Zi), the heaven plate's丑 (Chou) is placed, marked with the White Tiger; on the earth plate's丑 (Chou), the heaven plate's寅 (Yin) is placed, marked with the Tian Kong; on the earth plate's寅 (Yin), the heaven plate's卯 (Mao) is placed, marked with the Azure Dragon; on the earth plate's卯 (Mao), the heaven plate's辰 (Chen) is placed, marked with the Gou Chen; on the earth plate's辰 (Chen), the heaven plate's巳 (Si) is placed, marked with the Liu He. The nobleman is on申 (Shen) at night, and since丑 (Chou) belongs to the night, the nobleman is placed on the heaven plate's申 (Shen). The earth plate's申 (Shen) is on未 (Wei), which is in reverse order, and the twelve generals are arranged in reverse, matching the board. The four lessons are combined, from right to left: the lodgment palace is未 (Wei), with申 (Shen) on it, the first lesson is申 (Shen) added to己 (Ji), marked with the Nobleman; the second lesson is酉 (You) added to申 (Shen), marked with the Heavenly Empress; the third lesson is the day branch卯 (Mao) with辰 (Chen) on it, marked with the Gou Chen; the fourth lesson is巳 (Si) added to辰 (Chen), marked with the Liu He. The three transmissions are combined: the first transmission is辰 (Chen), the hidden stem is Geng Chen, which is the brother's yao on the己 (Ji) day, marked with the Gou Chen; the second transmission is巳 (Si), the hidden stem is Xin Si, which is the parent's yao, marked with the Liu He; the third transmission is午 (Wu), the hidden stem is Ren Wu, which is the parent's yao, marked with the Vermilion Bird. The sequence of辰 (Chen),巳 (Si),午 (Wu) progresses in order, indicating the image of advancing.

邵彥和曰：此課因禍成福。本路除一監司，合主迴避，迴避中卻有好處，終久此貴人不歷此任，而我已別除了。童曰：何等貴人。曰：必提刑與知丞是親，乘此得請職，因得周旋文字改官。初傳辰卯六害，勾亦辰，主遲滯，所以先主迴避；中傳驛馬乘龍，飛騰豹變，行年上白虎乘丁，其勢必動；末傳午祿在馬上，其職不停。巳為爐冶，六合為模範，主坑冶干官之屬。午與朱雀並，主文書職事在爐冶中也。

Shao Yanhe said: This divination indicates a fortunate outcome from a misfortune. A senior official is about to be appointed, and according to the official system, you will need to step down and be transferred. However, within this transfer there is actually a benefit - in the end, this nobleman will not be assigned to your current jurisdiction, and you have already been given a different post. Tong Zhi Cheng asked: What kind of nobleman is this? Shao Yanhe said: It must be the newly appointed inspector who is related to you by kinship. You can then use this relationship to request a transfer, thus being transferred through the exchange of official documents. The first transmission, Chen, is placed on the day branch Mao, so Chen and Mao are in conflict. Chen is also occupied by the 'Gou Chen' which signifies delay, so the initial delay in the transfer is indicated. The middle transmission, Si, is theThe Post-horse of the day branch Mao, which is part of the wood trinity of Hai-Mao-Wei. TheThe Post-horse is activated, like a leopard's sudden leap. The year branch is at Zi, and Zi is occupied by Chou with the 'Bai Hu', which is also the 'Ding Shen' of this ten-day cycle. The 'Bai Hu' and 'Ding Shen' are both active, so movement is inevitable. The final transmission, Wu, is the禄 of Ji day, and Wu itself is the horse in the twelve earthly branches.禄 sitting on a horse indicates that the official position will not be stagnant. Si belongs to fire, which signifies smelting and forging. The 'Liu He' on Si indicates the mold for casting, so the judgment is that the position will be that of an official in charge of mining and metallurgy. The final transmission Wu is also in the same position as the 'Zhu Que', which signifies official documents. Therefore, the position is a clerical role within the bureau of metallurgy and mining. (Note: The interpretation mentions that the middle transmission驿马 'rides a dragon', but on the chart, Si is occupied by 'Liu He'. Later it says 'Liu He is the model', which is inconsistent. The word 'rides a dragon' may be a mistake.)

此課初四日占，二十二日妻父許郎中除提刑，童遂迴避，改都城提點坑冶司鑄錢。此缺人人所喜，所謂因禍成福也。童即受職，而提刑遭章參劾罷官以去。庚戌年又差諸路鹽司，辛亥改官。蓋日上貴人長生，乃尊長父母之屬，作空亡是前妻父也。申金為刑官，是提刑也，不久罷去，亦空亡也。一雲日上貴人長生，故得此周旋文字改官，必竟空亡脫氣，所以此任合主迴避。吳稼云曰：此課不用青龍官星，全以三傳支干作斷，最合規矩，惜乎後人不知取法也。

This lesson was cast on the fourth day of the tenth lunar month. By the twenty-second day, Tong Zhi Cheng's father-in-law, Xu Langzhong, was indeed appointed as the official in charge of judicial review. Tong Zhi Cheng then withdrew from his post and was transferred to serve as a casting money official in the capital's bureau of mining and metallurgy. This position is highly desirable, which perfectly matches the phrase "turning misfortune into good fortune." Tong Zhi Cheng immediately took up his new post, but the official in charge of judicial review was soon impeached by a memorial and dismissed from office. In the year Gengxu, he was again assigned to various salt bureaus across the country, and in the year Xinhai, he was transferred again. This accurate prediction was made because the heavenly stem of the day was supported by the "nobleman" (a divination term), and the position of the nobleman was in the "growth" position, which indicates a high-ranking elder, specifically the father-in-law. The position of the nobleman was in the empty position, indicating that this was the previous father-in-law, who held the position for a short time. The position of the nobleman belongs to the metal element, which represents punishment and execution, thus symbolizing the judicial official. The judicial official was soon dismissed because the position was in the empty position. Another interpretation is that the nobleman sitting on the "growth" position of the day stem allows for the possibility of changing posts through official correspondence, but since it is in the empty position and loses strength, this position still requires avoidance and transfer. Wu Jia Yun said: This lesson does not rely on the "Azure Dragon" or the official star, but instead uses the three transmissions and the day stem and branch for the judgment, which fully conforms to the principles of the Six壬 system. Unfortunately, later generations have not understood how to follow this method.

四月己卯日申將午時，丁丑人占來意。（一字玉連環）

In the fourth month on the day of Ji Mao, the month general Shen is placed on the hour Wu to cast the divination. A person born in the year Ding Chou comes to inquire about "coming intent," which means the person does not state the purpose of their inquiry, and the diviner deduces what the person is thinking about based solely on the lesson pattern. This example is taken from Xu Cibin's "One Character Jade Linked Ring."

龍勾合朱／未申酉戌　龍虎蛇合　財乙亥蛇⊙／空午　亥蛇　未巳亥酉　兄丁丑後／虎巳　子貴　巳卯酉己　官己卯玄／辰卯寅丑／常玄陰后

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: the general is stationed on the horse (申) and added to the horse (午), the Heaven plate advances two positions ahead of the Earth plate. On the Earth plate, the Heaven plate is on the snake (巳) and gets the dragon (青龙); on the horse (午) it is on the monkey (申), getting the Gou Chen; on the monkey (未) it is on the rooster (酉), getting the Liu He; on the rooster (申) it is on the dog (戌), getting the Vermilion Bird; on the dog (酉) it is on the pig (亥), getting the Teng Snake; on the pig (戌) it is on the rat (子), getting the Nobleman; on the rat (亥) it is on the ox (丑), getting the Heavenly Empress; on the ox (子) it is on the tiger (寅), getting the Tai Yin; on the tiger (丑) it is on the rabbit (卯), getting the Black Tortoise; on the rabbit (寅) it is on the dragon (辰), getting the Tai Chang; on the dragon (卯) it is on the snake (巳), getting the White Tiger; on the snake (辰) it is on the horse (午), getting the Tian Kong. On the day of Ji (己), the nobleman in the daytime is on the rat (子). At the noon hour, which is daytime, the nobleman is on the rat (子) in the Heaven plate. The rat (子) is on the dog (戌) in the Earth plate, which is in reverse order, and matches the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Ji is assigned to Wei, and on Wei it gets You, the first lesson is You added to Ji, getting the Liu He; the second lesson is Hai added to You, getting the Teng Snake; the third lesson is the day branch, which is Mao, getting Si on Mao, getting the White Tiger; the fourth lesson is Wei added to Si, getting the Qing Long. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Hai, the hidden stem is Yi Hai, which is the wife's wealth in the day of Ji, getting the Teng Snake; the middle transmission is Chou, the hidden stem is Ding Chou, which is the brother's element, getting the Heavenly Empress; the final transmission is Mao, the hidden stem is Ji Mao, which is the official's ghost, getting the Black Tortoise. The circle mark (⊙) next to the first transmission is a mark on the original book's divination board. The whole book does not explain the rules, so it is recorded here without interpretation. Later there is another mark (◎), and any transmission marked with this is in the empty position of the ten days. The days of Geng Chen, Ji Mao, etc., all belong to the Jia Xu ten-day period, and the empty position is in Shen and You.

徐次賓曰：來意主人外和合，中虛詐不實，所論必邪僻之事；又主財上驚恐之象，財卻為姓牛人、衣青衣者所取，並有驢一頭，亦被姓牛人所有；意欲遠行，緣心有所畏，緊速而歸也。蓋時為日干六合，主外和合；值事門上見天空，主虛詐不實也。日上從魁即三交，為隱匿不明，上得六合，主私門，故言邪僻之事。發用登明，為日干之財，上見螣蛇主驚恐。中傳大吉為牛，上見卯為青衣。大吉取登明為財，故財為姓牛人所取。何知連驢亦為姓牛人所取。蓋命上見太沖，為驢，上見元武，為賊神，卯又為大吉之陰神也。先鋒門勝光主道路，用神立酉，中傳大吉為丁神，主動，與日刑並故，意欲遠行。末傳為？太沖為日之鬼，上見元武為賊人，故心有所畏，欲速而歸也。

Xu Cibin said: The meaning of the person coming is that the surface appears harmonious and united, but inside it is hollow and deceitful, and the matter to be discussed is certainly improper. It also indicates alarm regarding money, and this money will be taken by a man surnamed Niu who wears blue clothes, along with a donkey, which will also fall into the hands of this man surnamed Niu. The person originally intended to go on a long journey, but due to fear in his heart, he hurriedly returned. The reasoning for this conclusion is as follows: At the time of the divination, the hour stem Wu and the day stem Ji's lodging palace have not formed Liu He, so it indicates the surface is harmonious. Among the three gates, the 'affair gate' has 'Tian Kong', which signifies something hollow and not genuine. The heavenly stem on the day stem is You, which is 'Congkui', also known as 'Sanjiao', indicating something hidden and unclear. You is also accompanied by 'Liu He', which signifies private and obscure matters, so it is said to be something improper. The initiating transmission is亥, which is 'Dengming', and亥 water is the wife wealth of Ji earth. 亥 is accompanied by 'Teng Snake', which indicates fear, hence there is alarm regarding wealth. The middle transmission is丑, which is 'Daji', and丑 is the ox, so it refers to a man surnamed Niu. The position of丑 is accompanied by卯, which is wood, and the color is blue, hence the man wears blue clothes. The earth丑 can overcome the water亥, meaning 'Daji' takes 'Dengming' as wealth, so it is concluded that this wealth is taken by the man surnamed Niu. How do we know that the donkey also falls into the hands of the man surnamed Niu? Because the person's birth stem is丑, and on the position of丑 there is卯, which is 'Taichong', and in Six Rats,卯 is the donkey.卯 is also accompanied by 'Black Tortoise', which is the god of thieves. And卯 is the hidden god of the transmission丑, so the ox and the donkey are together, hence both are taken. Among the three gates, the 'vanguard gate' is the hour stem Wu, which is called 'Shengguang', indicating travel. The initiating transmission亥 is placed on the earth plate You, and the middle transmission丑 is the heavenly stem of this week, which is active. The position of丑 and the lodging palace of the day stem Ji's 未 are in conflict, so it is concluded that he originally intended to travel far. The final transmission (the original text is missing one character, marked as '?') is卯, which is 'Taichong', and卯 wood overcomes Ji earth, which is the official ghost of the day stem.卯 is also accompanied by 'Black Tortoise', which is the thief, so he has fear in his heart and is hurrying to return.

正月己卯日亥將未時，某占失羊。（方本占案）

In the first lunar month on the day of Jimao, the class of the month is Dengming Hai, so the Hai is used as the month general. The divination is started by placing Hai on the hour of Wei. Someone comes to inquire about a lost sheep. This example is from the "Fang Ben Zhan An."

合朱蛇貴／酉戌亥子　蛇青玄蛇　兄癸未青／勾申　丑后　亥未卯亥　財乙亥蛇／青未　寅陰　未卯亥己　官己卯玄／午巳辰卯／空虎常玄

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth Plates: The Heaven Plate is four positions ahead of the Earth Plate, with the Heaven Plate酉 (You) on the Earth Plate巳 (Si), riding the 'Liu He' (Triple Harmony); the Heaven Plate戌 (Xu) on the Earth Plate午 (Wu), riding the 'Vermilion Bird'; the Heaven Plate亥 (Hai) on the Earth Plate未 (Wei), riding the 'Teng Snake'; the Heaven Plate申 (Shen) on the Earth Plate子 (Zi), riding the 'Nobleman'; the Heaven Plate酉 (You) on the Earth Plate丑 (Chou), riding the 'Heavenly Empress'; the Heaven Plate戌 (Xu) on the Earth Plate寅 (Yin), riding the 'Tai Yin'; the Heaven Plate亥 (Hai) on the Earth Plate卯 (Mao), riding the 'Black Tortoise'; the Heaven Plate子 (Zi) on the Earth Plate辰 (Chen), riding the 'Tai Chang'; the Heaven Plate丑 (Chou) on the Earth Plate巳 (Si), riding the 'White Tiger'; the Heaven Plate寅 (Yin) on the Earth Plate午 (Wu), riding the 'Tian Kong'; the Heaven Plate卯 (Mao) on the Earth Plate未 (Wei), riding the 'Azure Dragon'; the Heaven Plate辰 (Chen) on the Earth Plate申 (Shen), riding the 'Gou Chen'. On a day of Ji (己), the nobleman is at Zi (子) in the daytime, and the time of Wei (未) is considered daytime, so the nobleman is at Zi (子) on the Heaven Plate, which is at Shen (申) on the Earth Plate, which is in reverse order, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Ji (己) is associated with Wei (未), and Wei (未) has Hai (亥), so the first lesson is Hai (亥) over Ji (己), riding the 'Teng Snake'; the second lesson is Mao (卯) over Hai (亥), riding the 'Black Tortoise'; the third lesson is the day branch Mao (卯) over Wei (未), riding the 'Azure Dragon'; the fourth lesson is Hai (亥) over Wei (未), riding the 'Teng Snake'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wei (未), hidden stem Gui Wei, representing a brother's yao, riding the 'Azure Dragon'; the second transmission is Hai (亥), hidden stem Yi Hai, representing a wife's wealth yao, riding the 'Teng Snake'; the third transmission is Mao (卯), hidden stem Ji Mao, representing an official's ghost yao, riding the 'Black Tortoise'. The combination of Hai (亥), Mao (卯), and Wei (未) forms a triple harmony of wood, and in the first month, wood is strong, making this a timely 'Qu Zhi' (curved and straight) lesson.

邵彥和曰：春占曲直課，未加卯作龍為用，其羊不失，乃走入他人羊群中，往東方尋之必見。果於東方園內羊群中尋見。蓋初傳是類神，作青龍而加支辰，故不失。

Shao Yanhe said: This is a "Qu Zhi" divination case obtained in spring, with the Wood element in its prime; the first transmission does not fall on the day branch Mao. The hexagram "Wei" is also riding on the "Azure Dragon" and initiating the transmission. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sheep has not been lost, but has entered another person's flock, and it can certainly be found by going east. Later, it was indeed found in a flock of sheep in a garden to the east. The reason for this conclusion is that the first transmission "Wei" in the Six Rats system is exactly the symbol of the lost sheep; it itself represents the lost object. It is riding on the "Azure Dragon," a favorable deity, and is placed on the day branch - the day branch represents the "home," and the object's image returns to the home position, so it is concluded that the sheep has not been lost. The direction to the east is indicated because the day branch Mao belongs to the eastern Wood position.

乾隆辛未年閏五月庚辰日未將卯時，占壬申綱窩價長否。（牧夫占驗）

In the year Xinwei of the Qianlong era, on the Gengchen day of the leap fifth month, the divination was cast by placing the Month General "Wei" on the卯 (Mao) position to determine the course of the Renshen group's "wojia" (price of the right to transport salt). During the Qing dynasty, merchants needed to hold an official document called "woben" (salt permit) to transport salt. The "gang" referred to a batch of salt permits assigned in order, and "wojia" was the price at which the right to transport salt was sold on the market. This example comes from Wang Mufu's records of divination cases.

勾合朱蛇／酉戌亥子　蛇龍玄蛇　父庚辰玄／龍申　丑貴　子申辰子　兄　申龍◎／空未　寅后　申辰子庚　子丙子蛇⊙／午巳辰卯／虎常玄陰

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: On the day of Geng, the Heaven plate is added to Mao, and the Heaven plate advances four positions ahead of the Earth plate. On the Earth plate Si, the Heaven plate酉 is placed, riding on 'Gou Chen'; on Wu, the Heaven plate 戌 is placed, riding on 'Liu He'; on Wei, the Heaven plate 亥 is placed, riding on 'Zhu Que'; on Shen, the Heaven plate 子 is placed, riding on 'Teng Snake'; on You, the Heaven plate 丑 is placed, riding on 'Nobleman'; on Xu, the Heaven plate 寅 is placed, riding on 'Heavenly Empress'; on Hai, the Heaven plate 卯 is placed, riding on 'Tai Yin'; on Zi, the Heaven plate 辰 is placed, riding on 'Xuan Wu'; on Chou, the Heaven plate 巳 is placed, riding on 'Tai Chang'; on Yin, the Heaven plate 午 is placed, riding on 'Bai Hu'; on Mao, the Heaven plate 未 is placed, riding on 'Tian Kong'; on Chen, the Heaven plate 申 is placed, riding on 'Qing Long'. On the day of Geng, the nobleman is in Chou during the day. At the time of Mao, which is daytime, the nobleman is on the Heaven plate Chou. Chou sits on the Earth plate You, which is in reverse, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng's lodging palace is on Shen. On Shen, the lesson is Zi, so the first lesson is Zi added to Geng, riding on 'Teng Snake'; the second lesson is Chen added to Zi, riding on 'Xuan Wu'; the third lesson is the day branch on Chen, which is Shen, riding on 'Qing Long'; the fourth lesson is Zi added to Shen, riding on 'Teng Snake'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Chen, hidden stem Geng Chen, which is the parent爻 on the day of Geng, riding on 'Xuan Wu'; the middle transmission is Shen, on the day of Geng, which is in the Jia Xu cycle, and the cycle's empty position is on Shen and You. Since Shen is empty, there is no hidden stem here, so it is marked with '◎' indicating the cycle's emptiness. Shen is the brother爻, riding on 'Qing Long'; the final transmission is Zi, hidden stem Bing Zi, which is the child爻, riding on 'Teng Snake'. Shen Zi Chen form a triple harmony of water, which is the 'Run Xia' lesson. Geng metal generates water, and the whole chart is a pattern of releasing the day stem's energy.

王牧夫曰：此占古之所無，以利之權不操於商也。古之鹽法，商人支鹽，其窩在官，商無所利，故前人亦無成斷章楷，致使後學無可執憑。然財利之占，古多成法，未始不可通變而詳之也。窩價長落之占，財關鉅大，身家所繫，何可漫言。且財乃國用之流通，得失關乎命運，未可視為輕忽，得與不得有數存焉。

Wang Mufu said: This kind of divination method is not found in ancient texts, because in ancient times the power to gain profit did not lie in the hands of merchants. In ancient times, the regulation of salt was such that merchants would receive salt goods from official granaries, and the control of the "wo ben" (capital investment) for distributing salt was held by the government. Merchants could not gain much profit from it, so previous generations did not leave behind established methods or examples (this sentence seems to have some errors or omissions), leaving later scholars without any basis to rely on. However, when divining about wealth and profit, ancients had many established methods, which could still be adapted and elaborated upon with careful consideration. Divination concerning the rise and fall of prices for commodities involves very large sums of money, and the fate of an entire family depends on it. How can one speak carelessly about it? Moreover, wealth is the channel through which the state's resources flow, and the gain or loss is connected to people's destinies. It cannot be treated lightly. Whether one can obtain it or not is determined by a fixed destiny.

今妄言一課，以證高明。以干支論，則庚金而生潤下之水，脫氣也，生財之源也。將得元武青龍，水將也，樂育也。干支為財矣，安有不長者乎。潤下舒緩之象，由漸而長也。脫盡干長亦大也，數不過八，以庚數八，脫盡庚身而止矣。甲子旬必有更變，以子乘蛇坐末故耳。後果由數分長至八錢，甲子旬為官司所禁而止。然窩之長落最疾，不可以月計也；而課之休象又繁，不可以一途視也。諺云：富則為金穴，失則為禍胎。此釋窩字之義最妙，而所關又在呼吸之間。存此一課，以見數理之難，正不易占也。

Now I will roughly interpret this divination lesson, and I hope that those with greater knowledge will verify it. From the day stem and day branch, we see that the metal of Geng is drained by the "Runxia" water trinity of Shen, Zi, and Chen, which is a sign of depletion. The source of wealth is being drained, and the price naturally rises. The heavenly general carries "Xuanwu" and "Qinglong"—"Xuanwu" belongs to water, representing the water deity; "Qinglong" governs growth and transformation. Since both the day stem and day branch are draining and controlling wealth, it is natural for the price to rise. "Runxia" indicates a slow flow of water, so the price rises gradually. When the day stem is completely drained, the increase reaches its peak. The number does not exceed eight, because in the Six Rens system, Geng corresponds to eight, and when it is completely drained, the increase stops. By the time it reaches the Jiazi decade, there must be a change, because the final transmission of Zi is the beginning of the Jiazi decade, and Zi is occupied by "Tengsnake," which signifies change. Later, the price indeed rose from several fen to eight cash, but it stopped when it reached the Jiazi decade and was banned by the authorities. However, the fluctuation of prices is very rapid and cannot be measured by months. Within a single lesson, the signs of fortune and misfortune are very complex and cannot be interpreted from a single perspective. There is a saying: "If you obtain it, it is a golden site; if you lose it, it is a curse." This saying best explains the meaning of "wo" (a term for a price fluctuation). The difference between gain and loss is only a breath away. I leave this lesson here to show the difficulty of numerical calculations and the difficulty of divination.

愚按：以支所克者為財，古原有此法。行商看干克之財，坐賈看支克之財。固窩與坐賈同，自當看支所克者。三傳脫干而斷其價長，以脫盡庚身而止，斷其數不過八，此則牧夫先生之心得者耶。

Cheng Shuxun remarked: Using the yao that is overcome by the day branch as wealth is an ancient method. For itinerant merchants engaged in trade, one should look at the wealth indicated by the day stem; for shopkeepers who operate a fixed establishment, one should look at the wealth indicated by the day branch. Since holding a monopoly on salt or running a trading enterprise is similar to that of a shopkeeper, it should naturally be based on the water overcome by the day branch. The herdsman inferred from the three transmissions that the energy of the day stem would be released, thus predicting a price increase, and further deduced that the number would not exceed eight by considering the complete release of the metal element. This is probably his own insight and understanding.

建炎戊申年六月二十七庚辰日午將寅時，邵巡檢癸亥生，九月初九子日酉時生，四十六歲，占家宅。

In the fifth year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song dynasty, on the 27th day of the sixth month, which was a Wushen day, the Month General was Gengchen. The divination was started by placing the Month General at Wu and adding it to the time of Yin. A person named Shao Xunjian, born in the Guihai year, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month at the酉 hour, aged forty-six at the time, came to inquire about his family residence. Divination for a family residence involves questioning the safety of a house, the well-being of its inhabitants, and whether to move or stay. The original text mentions 'initial nine on a Zi day' which does not fit the context, suggesting a possible error in the text.

朱合勾青／酉戌亥子　青蛇玄青　父庚辰玄／蛇申　丑空　子申辰子　兄　申蛇◎／貴未　寅虎　申辰子庚　子丙子青⊙／午巳辰卯／後陰玄常

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth Plates: The general is stationed at寅 on午, and the Heaven Plate advances four positions ahead of the Earth Plate. On巳 of the Earth Plate, the Heaven Plate has酉, accompanied by the Vermilion Bird; on午, it has戌, accompanied by the Liu He; on未, it has亥, accompanied by the Gou Chen; on申, it has子, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; on酉, it has丑, accompanied by the Tian Kong; on戌, it has寅, accompanied by the White Tiger; on亥, it has卯, accompanied by the Tai Chang; on子, it has辰, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; on丑, it has巳, accompanied by the Tai Yin; on寅, it has午, accompanied by the Heavenly Empress; on卯, it has未, accompanied by the Nobleman. At the time of the night, the nobleman is at未, and the time of寅 belongs to the night, so the nobleman is at未 on the Heaven Plate. The Earth Plate has卯 on未, which is in the order of progression, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is庚, which is stationed at申, and on申, it has子, so the first lesson is子 added to庚, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the second lesson is辰, which is stationed at子, so the second lesson is辰 added to子, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; the third lesson is the day branch, which is on辰, and on辰, it has申, so the third lesson is申 added to辰, accompanied by the Teng Snake; the fourth lesson is子, which is stationed at申, so the fourth lesson is子 added to申, accompanied by the Azure Dragon. The three transmissions: the first transmission is辰, which is the hidden stem ofGengchen, representing the parent's yao, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; the middle transmission is申, which falls into the empty position of the ten days, so there is no hidden stem, marked with「◎」to indicate the empty position, representing the brother's yao, accompanied by the Teng Snake; the final transmission is子, which is the hidden stem of丙子, representing the son's yao, accompanied by the Azure Dragon. The combination of申,子, and辰 forms the water trinity of「Runxia」, and the previous lesson's stem and branch are the same, but the heavenly general is different.

邵彥和曰：金日得水局，三傳日辰皆子孫爻，脫處見青龍，生處見元武，祿上見螣蛇。一生彼子息作吵，一個死了，一個又生，取盡父母氣力了方休，家計亦被子孫磨滅。此宅十二年後出怪，住不得，必別遷。初受任日，兵卒不合，未後卻吉。後任必在水陸之處，更後在水邊屯，三任六十三難過也。

Shao Yanhe said: On a day with the stem Geng Metal, the day branch is Shen, and the trine of water is formed by Shen, Zi, and Chen. The three transmissions together with the day stem and day branch are all the grandson yao. On the water Zi, there is the Qinglong, which drains the energy; on the earth Chen, there is the Xuanwu, which generates metal; and on the day's禄 position Shen, there is the Teng Snake. This person will be troubled by his children: one dies, another is born, until the parents' energy is completely exhausted, and the family's fortune will be worn down by the children. This house will have strange occurrences twelve years later and will be uninhabitable, requiring a move. At the beginning of his appointment, he will have conflicts with the soldiers in the camp, but later it will turn favorable. His future posts will certainly be at the confluence of water and land, and later he will be stationed at a village by the water. He will serve for three posts, and at the age of sixty-three, he will face difficulties.

邵娶宗女為妻，得被恩澤，前後生八子，或三歲、二歲、一歲即死；及妾生三子，亦然；再納一婢，又生二男一女，前後果被子息壞盡心血。及巡檢任滿，果授英州水陸巡檢，本州島駐箚。至紹興十五年乙丑四月初三作古，果年六十三矣。

Shao Xunjian married a daughter of a royal family, thus benefiting from the court's favor. He had eight sons in total; some died at three, some at two, and some at one. Later, his concubine gave birth to three more sons, who met the same fate. He then took in a servant girl, who gave birth to two sons and a daughter. Indeed, his life was consumed by his children. When his term as xunjian ended, he was indeed appointed as the water and land xunjian of Yingzhou, and stationed in the same state. He died on April 3rd of the fourth month in the year of Yichou, 1155, at the age of sixty-three.

蓋金日得潤下局，及干支上神各為脫氣。庚以子為真氣，子息乘青龍脫氣，又有元武螣蛇二凶，與青龍三個皆水獸，只管盜其真氣，故一子死，一子又來。日臨辰非蛇，日申七數，辰五數，併成十二年。螣蛇主變異，所以出怪擾害，遂遷寺中居住。六十三上死者，蓋子加申，子九數，申七數，七九共六十三也。

Therefore, the divination can be made as follows: On the day of Geng metal, the "Runxia" water pattern is present. The heavenly stem and earthly branch of the day both have spirits that drain the energy. Geng metal takes Zi water as its true essence. The son爻 is riding the "Qinglong" and drains the energy. In addition, the "Xuanwu" and "Tengshe" - twoInauspicious General - are also present. The "Qinglong," "Xuanwu," and "Tengshe" all belong to the water animals in the Six Rats system, continuously stealing the true essence of the day's heavenly stem. Hence, one dies and another comes. The day's heavenly stem is lodged in the "Chen" branch, with the "Shen" riding on it (the "Shen" on "Chen" is actually riding the "Tengshe," the original text's "fei she" is likely a mistake for "cheng she"). In the Six Rats system, "Shen" is seven and "Chen" is five. Seven plus five makes twelve, so the prediction is twelve years. "Tengshe" signifies change and strangeness, hence the house had strange occurrences, and he later moved to a temple. The prediction of his death at sixty-three is because Zi is placed on Shen. The number of Zi is nine and the number of Shen is seven. Seven multiplied by nine equals sixty-three.

三月庚辰日酉將辰時，某因親友筵會失銀？占之。（方本占案）

On the Gengchen day in the third lunar month, the divination was started by placing the Month General You (from the branch You) on the hour stem. Someone came to inquire because they had lost silver at a relative's banquet (the original text is missing one character, marked as '?'). The Month General for the third month is You, so the You general was used. This example is from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

合朱蛇貴／戌亥子丑　后勾虎貴　財戊寅後⊙／勾酉　寅后　寅酉午丑　父癸未空／青申　卯陰　酉辰丑庚　子丙子蛇／未午巳辰／空虎常玄

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: the general is placed on the Chou branch, with the Heaven plate advancing five positions ahead of the Earth plate. On the Earth plate Si, the Heaven plate Wu is placed, accompanied by 'Liu He'; on Wu, the Heaven plate Hai is placed, accompanied by 'Vermilion Bird'; on Wei, the Heaven plate Zi is placed, accompanied by 'Teng Snake'; on Shen, the Heaven plate Chou is placed, accompanied by 'Nobleman'; on You, the Heaven plate Yin is placed, accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'; on Xu, the Heaven plate Mao is placed, accompanied by 'Tai Yin'; on Hai, the Heaven plate Chen is placed, accompanied by 'Black Tortoise'; on Zi, the Heaven plate Si is placed, accompanied by 'Tai Chang'; on Chou, the Heaven plate Wu is placed, accompanied by 'White Tiger'; on Yin, the Heaven plate Shen is placed, accompanied by 'Tian Kong'; on Mao, the Heaven plate You is placed, accompanied by 'Azure Dragon'; on Chen, the Heaven plate You is placed, accompanied by 'Gou Chen'. On a Geng day, the nobleman in the daytime is on Chou. The time of Chen belongs to the daytime, so the nobleman is placed on the Heaven plate Chou. Chou sits on the Earth plate Shen, which is in reverse order, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is placed on Shen, with Shen having Chou, the first lesson Chou added to Geng, accompanied by 'Nobleman'; the second lesson Wu added to Chou, accompanied by 'White Tiger'; the third lesson, the day branch is on Chen, with You added to Chen, accompanied by 'Gou Chen'; the fourth lesson Yin added to You, accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Yin, hidden dry branch Wu Yin, which is the wife and wealth hexagram on a Geng day, accompanied by 'Heavenly Empress'; the middle transmission is Wei, hidden dry branch Gui Wei, which is the parents hexagram, accompanied by 'Tian Kong'; the final transmission is Zi, hidden dry branch Bing Zi, which is the sons and grandsons hexagram, accompanied by 'Teng Snake'. The lost item is silver, which belongs to metal. In this lesson, the category god of the lost item is the You on the Earth plate Chen.

邵彥和曰：寅作后加酉，后為隱蔽；酉為類神加支上，日上有丑墓之。寅為用神，未又作墓覆其上，凡見墓則為收藏，有類神則物不失。墓作天空，主汙穢。辰作元武，酉作勾陳太陽而加元武之上，又為元武之敗神，故主尋之必得。

Shao Yanhe said: The trigram Yin (寅) is riding on the Heavenly Empress (天后) which is placed on You (酉). The Heavenly Empress is a hidden and covering deity, indicating that things in the east and west are concealed. You is the deity of silver, and now it is placed on the day branch Chen (辰), which represents the family dwelling. The deity on the day stem is Chou (丑), which is exactly the burial place of metal. This You is thus hidden away. The first transmission Yin is the useful god, and the middle transmission Wei (未) soil is also the burial place of wood, covering Yin above it. Whenever there is a burial, it indicates that things are collected and not scattered. Since the deity is present and then hidden, the thing will not be lost. On top of the burial is Tian Kong (天空), which governs filth, so the thing is hidden in an unclean place. The trigram Chen (辰) on the earth plate亥 is riding on Xuanwu (玄武), which is the thief deity. Meanwhile, You is riding on Gou Chen (勾陈), and You is also the month general of this month. The month general is where the sun is located. Now this You is placed above Chen, which is like the sun covering Xuanwu. Moreover, water in You is a place of decline and washing, and You is exactly the declining deity of Xuanwu. The thief deity is thus restrained, so it is concluded that the thing can be found easily.

尋銀未見，其子再占。三月庚辰日酉將午時。（方本占案）

The silver was searched for but not found. The owner's son then cast another divination. It was still on the third month, Gengchen day. This time, the Month General You was placed on the time of Wu to cast the divination. This example is from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

青勾合朱／申酉戌亥　合空后朱　財戊寅後／空未　子蛇　戌未寅亥　官辛巳常／虎午　丑貴　未辰亥庚　兄　申青◎／巳辰卯寅／常玄陰后

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: the general is酉 (You) and the day branch is午 (Wu), with the Heaven plate advancing three positions ahead of the Earth plate. On the Earth plate, the Heaven plate is on巳 (Si) and is乘「青龙」(Azure Dragon); on午 (Wu) is酉 (You),乘「勾陈」(Gou Chen); on未 (Wei) is戌 (Xu),乘「六合」(Liu He); on申 (Shen) is亥 (Hai),乘「朱雀」(Vermilion Bird); on酉 (You) is子 (Zi),乘「螣蛇」(Teng Snake); on戌 (Xu) is丑 (Chou),乘「贵人」(Nobleman); on亥 (Hai) is寅 (Yin),乘「天后」(Heavenly Empress); on子 (Zi) is卯 (Mao),乘「太阴」(Tai Yin); on丑 (Chou) is辰 (Chen),乘「玄武」(Black Tortoise); on寅 (Yin) is巳 (Si),乘「太常」(Tai Chang); on卯 (Mao) is午 (Wu),乘「白虎」(White Tiger); on辰 (Chen) is未 (Wei),乘「天空」(Tian Kong). On a庚 (Geng) day, the nobleman is in丑 (Chou) during the day. At the午 (Wu) hour, which is daytime, the nobleman is on the Heaven plate at丑 (Chou). The Earth plate at丑 (Chou) is戌 (Xu), which is in reverse order, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: 庚 (Geng) is in申 (Shen), with亥 (Hai) on申 (Shen), so the first lesson is亥 (Hai) over庚 (Geng),乘「朱雀」(Vermilion Bird); the second lesson is寅 (Yin) over亥 (Hai),乘「天后」(Heavenly Empress); the third lesson is the day branch on辰 (Chen) with未 (Wei),乘「天空」(Tian Kong); the fourth lesson is戌 (Xu) over未 (Wei),乘「六合」(Liu He). The three transmissions: the first transmission is寅 (Yin), with the hidden stemWuyin (Wu Yin), which is the wife and wealth爻,乘「天后」(Heavenly Empress); the middle transmission is巳 (Si), with the hidden stemXinsi (Xin Si), which is the official and ghost爻,乘「太常」(Tai Chang); the final transmission is申 (Shen), which falls into the empty旬, so there is no hidden stem, marked with「◎」to indicate the empty旬, which is the brother and sibling爻,乘「青龙」(Azure Dragon). Compared with the previous lesson, the first transmission is the same寅 (Yin) with「天后」(Heavenly Empress), so the interpretations of the two lessons are largely consistent.

邵彥和曰：其物在廁屋左右。蓋寅加亥為用，亦乘天后隱蔽之將；末傳申是類神，加於巳長生之上，其物不失。辰作元武加金墓上，見天空，主汙穢處藏匿，故在廁屋左右。果申牌後於廁坑左右尋得，與前課不殊。

Shao Yanhe said: The thing is near the latrine. Because the first transmission is寅 added to亥 and initiates, and寅 is also riding on the hidden and concealed "Heavenly Empress"; the final transmission is申, which belongs to metal, exactly the spirit of silver, which is added to the earth plate at position巳, and巳 is the place where metal is born, so the spirit of silver can be born and continues, so the thing cannot be lost. The earth plate at position丑 has辰 riding on the "Black Tortoise", and丑 is the storage place of metal, the "Black Tortoise" is pressing on the metal storage; while the day branch at position辰 also sees "Tian Kong", "Tian Kong" governs filth, combined together it means hidden in dirty places, so it is concluded to be near the latrine. Later, it was indeed found after the hour of申 on the signboard, near the latrine pit, exactly the same as the previous lesson.

己酉年正月初一庚辰日子將巳時，錢通判丁巳生，十一月二十一日午時生，五十三歲，占前程。（宋本邵案　口鑑　方本占案）愚按：正月初一未交春，尚是戊申太歲。

On the first day of the first lunar month in the Jiyou year, the day was Gengchen. To cast the divination, the Month General Zi was placed on the time Dingsi. Qian Tongpan, born at noon on the 21st day of the 11th lunar month in the Dingsi year (now aged 53), came to consult about his official career. This case is recorded in the "Song Edition Shao Case," "Koujian," and "Fang Edition Zhan An." Cheng Shuxun notes: On the first day of the first lunar month, the spring equinox has not yet arrived, so according to the calculation of the Tai Su, it still belongs to the previous year's Wushen Tai Su. When calculating the year, the age, and the time, this should be taken into account.

蛇貴后陰／子丑寅卯　虎朱合陰　官壬午虎／朱亥　辰玄　午亥戌卯　父丁丑貴／合戌　巳常　亥辰卯庚　兄　申青◎／酉申未午／勾青空虎

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: Zi is added to Si, the Heaven plate is five places behind the Earth plate. On the Earth plate Si, the Heaven plate Zi is placed, riding on 'Teng Snake'; on the Earth plate Wu, the Heaven plate Chou is placed, riding on 'Nobleman'; on the Earth plate Wei, the Heaven plate Yin is placed, riding on 'Heavenly Empress'; on the Earth plate Shen, the Heaven plate Mao is placed, riding on 'Tai Yin'; on the Earth plate You, the Heaven plate Chen is placed, riding on 'Black Tortoise'; on the Earth plate Xu, the Heaven plate Si is placed, riding on 'Tai Chang'; on the Earth plate Hai, the Heaven plate Wu is placed, riding on 'White Tiger'; on the Earth plate Zi, the Heaven plate Wei is placed, riding on 'Heavenly Void'; on the Earth plate Chou, the Heaven plate Shen is placed, riding on 'Azure Dragon'; on the Earth plate Yin, the Heaven plate You is placed, riding on 'Gou Chen'; on the Earth plate Mao, the Heaven plate Xu is placed, riding on 'Liu He'; on the Earth plate Chen, the Heaven plate Hai is placed, riding on 'Vermilion Bird'. On a庚 day, the nobleman is in Chou during the day. The time of巳 is during the day, so the nobleman is on the Heaven plate Chou. Chou is on the Earth plate Wu, which is in reverse, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left:庚 is located in Shen, Shen has Mao, the first lesson is Mao added to庚, riding on 'Tai Yin'; the second lesson is Xu added to Mao, riding on 'Liu He'; the third lesson is the day branch on Chen with Hai, riding on 'Vermilion Bird'; the fourth lesson is Wu added to Hai, riding on 'White Tiger'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wu, the hidden stem is Renwu, which is the official ghost爻 on a庚 day, riding on 'White Tiger'; the second transmission is Chou, the hidden stem is Dingchou, which is the parent爻, riding on 'Nobleman'; the third transmission is Shen, which falls into the empty旬, marked with '◎' for empty旬, representing the brother爻, riding on 'Azure Dragon'. The禄 of庚 is in Shen, but the third transmission is this empty Shen, so it is a lesson of 'no禄'.

邵彥和曰：無祿課，雖受通判，必不能食祿。兼父母年高，先亡母，後亡父，下來又有別差遣，將及瓜而止。末傳又是祿作空亡入墓，亡在乙丑年六十九上，又蔭不得子也。錢乃奉議郎，受臨江軍通判，庚戌春至任，至三月三日作寒食會，母醉死；壬子冬又差南康通判；甲寅又丁父憂；丁巳受江南安撫司；己未避嫌，得主管台州崇道觀；壬戌再轉嶽州通判；乙丑五月本身喪矣。乙丑喪者，乙祿在卯，卯絕在申，而天盤申卻又入墓在丑，且是空亡。申是今日之庚，便是我身，身上有卯，卯中有乙，而庚金恰墓於丑，故乙丑年死。相次轉朝奉郎，止爭二日，不得萌子。可見無祿課中有許多事也。

Shao Yanhe said: This is a "no salary" divination. Although he was assigned the post of Tongpan, he would ultimately not receive the salary. Moreover, his parents were old, and the mother would die first, followed by the father. Later he would be assigned another post, and when his term was about to end, it would stop. The final transmission is both the day's salary and falls into Kongwang, entering the Storage. This indicates that the person would die in the year Yichou at the age of sixty-nine, and would not receive the favor of荫补 for his descendants. Qian Tongpan was originally a Fengyi Lang, and was assigned as Tongpan of Linjiang Jun. In the spring of Gengxu year, he arrived at his post. On the third day of the third month, he held a cold food festival banquet, and his mother died from drunkenness. In the winter of Renzi year, he was again assigned as Tongpan of Nanxiang. In Jiayin year, he experienced the mourning for his father. In Dingsi year, he was assigned a post by the Jiangnan Anfu Si. In Jiwei year, he avoided the post due to family relations and was given the position of managing the Taoist temple at Taizhou Chongdao Guan. In Renxu year, he was again transferred to be Tongpan of Yuezhou. He died in the fifth month of Yichou year. The reason for predicting his death in Yichou year is that the salary of the wood element 乙 is in the卯, but the卯 is dead in the申. The heaven plate's 申 is sitting on the丑, entering the metal Storage. Moreover, this 申 is also Kongwang. The 申 is the lodging palace of the day's 申, which represents himself. Above this is the卯, which contains the 乙 wood. The metal 庚 is buried in the丑. Both the 乙 and the丑 match, so it is predicted that he would die in the year Yichou. He was supposed to be promoted to Chaofeng Lang, but missed by two days, so he could not get荫补 for his son. It is evident that a "no salary" divination can include so many events.

二月庚辰日亥將辰時，某占男人病。（方本占案）

On the Gengchen day in the second lunar month, using the month general Hai to cast the divination for the time of day, someone consulted about a man's illness. The Hai general added to Chen and the previous lesson with the Zi general added to Si both retreat five positions, so the heavenly and earthly plates of both lessons are exactly the same. This example is from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

蛇貴后陰／子丑寅卯　虎朱合陰　官壬午虎／朱亥　辰玄　午亥戌卯　父丁丑貴／合戌　巳常　亥辰卯庚　兄　申青◎／酉申未午／勾青空虎

The spread-out divination board is exactly the same as the case of Qian Tongpan: on the Earth Plate, the branch Si has the Teng Snake, branch Wu has the Nobleman, branch Wei has the Heavenly Empress, branch Shen has the Tai Yin, branch You has the Black Tortoise, branch Xu has the Tai Chang, branch Hai has the White Tiger, branch Zi has the Tian Kong, branch Chou has the Azure Dragon, branch Yin has the Gou Chen, branch Mao has the Liu He, and branch Chen has the Vermilion Bird. The four lessons are Mao with Geng and Tai Yin, Xu with Mao and Liu He, the Day Branch Chen with Hai and Vermilion Bird, and Wu with Hai and White Tiger. The three transmissions are Wu (official ghost, with White Tiger), Chou (parents, with Nobleman), and Shen (brother, with Azure Dragon, empty term). Divination for illness differs from divination for career prospects: for illness, one must look at the ghost爻 and White Tiger. In this case, the initial transmission Wu fire overcomes Geng metal, which is the ghost, and Wu also carries the White Tiger, which signifies death and bloodshed. Therefore, the following interpretation focuses specifically on this point.

邵彥和曰：四課俱下賊上，絕陰之象。白虎乘午作鬼，男病至三日內死。何也，無陽氣也。既不合灸，又不宜服藥，此是血病。蓋午主心，心主血也。宅中有陰人死得不明（稼云曰：午加亥之故也），作鬼為禍。若要陰鬼退，須門前社廟作福（稼云曰：用支上亥制午鬼，午是陰人，乘虎作鬼故也）。又午是天之真火，主灸神，乘虎克日，故不宜灸；又是天醫，故不宜服藥。涉害深者為用，主久病。且火加水上，主寒熱往來剋日，主癆血也。

Shao Yanhe said: All four lessons are instances of lower spirits overcoming upper spirits, which is a sign of the interruption of yang energy. The "White Tiger" is riding on the午 fire to act as a ghost -- the午 fire overcomes the庚 metal, which is exactly the official ghost of the day stem. Therefore, the man's illness will result in death within three days. Why? Because there is no yang energy in the lesson. It is not suitable to use moxibustion or take medicine, this is a disease of the blood; the午 is in the human body associated with the heart, and the heart governs the blood, so it is concluded to be a blood disease. In the house, there is a woman who died in a mysterious way (Wu Jiayun said: this is because the午 is placed on the亥). She has become a ghost to haunt. If one wants to drive away the ghost, one must perform rituals at the gate's temple to pray for fortune (Wu Jiayun said: this is taking the亥 water from the day branch to overcome the午 ghost; the午 is that woman, the午 is riding on the "White Tiger" to become a ghost, so it is necessary to perform exorcism). Moreover, the午 is the true fire in the sky, governing the god of moxibustion; now it is riding on the "White Tiger" to overcome the day stem, so moxibustion is not suitable; the午 is also where the "Heavenly Physician" is located, and the Heavenly Physician is occupied by the tiger ghost, so taking medicine is also not suitable. In this lesson, all four lessons are instances of lower spirits overcoming upper spirits, according to the method of involving harm, take the one that is most heavily overcome as the first transmission, and the involved harm initiating transmission indicates a prolonged illness. Moreover, the午 fire is placed on the亥 water, water and fire are in conflict, leading to alternating chills and fever, and injuring the day stem, which is a severe illness such as tuberculosis and hemoptysis.

十月庚辰日寅將午時，李秀才占往元真觀訪紫衣張道士。（方本占案）

On the Gengchen day in the tenth month, using the Month General Yin placed on the time of Wu to cast the divination, Li Scholar asked whether he could meet the Taoist priest Zhang, who wears purple robes, when he goes to visit Yuanzhen Temple. This example is from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

貴后陰玄／丑寅卯辰　青蛇蛇玄　子丙子蛇／蛇子　巳常　申子子辰　兄　申青◎／朱亥　午虎　子辰辰庚　父庚辰玄⊙／戌酉申未／合勾青空

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: the general is placed at the hour of Yin, and the Heaven plate is four positions behind the Earth plate. On the Earth plate, the Heaven plate is placed on the position of Si, with the 'Nobleman' as its occupant; on the position of Wu, the 'Heavenly Empress' is on it; on the position of Wei, the 'Tai Yin' is on it; on the position of Shen, the 'Black Tortoise' is on it; on the position of You, the 'Tai Chang' is on it; on the position of Xu, the 'White Tiger' is on it; on the position of Hai, the 'Heavenly Void' is on it; on the position of Zi, the 'Azure Dragon' is on it; on the position of Chou, the 'Gou Chen' is on it; on the position of Yin, the 'Liu He' is on it; on the position of Mao, the 'Vermilion Bird' is on it; on the position of Chen, the 'Teng Snake' is on it. On a Geng day, the nobleman in the daytime is at Chou. The time of Wu belongs to the daytime, so the 'Nobleman' is at the Heaven plate position of Chou. The position of Chou is on the Earth plate at Si, which is in reverse order, and it matches the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is placed at Shen, and on Shen there is Chen, so the first lesson is Chen added to Geng, with the 'Black Tortoise' as its occupant; the second lesson is Zi added to Chen, with the 'Teng Snake' as its occupant; the third lesson is also Zi added to Chen, with the 'Teng Snake' as its occupant; the fourth lesson is Shen added to Zi, with the 'Azure Dragon' as its occupant. The second and third lessons have the same heavenly spirits above and below, so the fourth lesson actually forms only three lessons, hence the statement 'the lesson of Chen is insufficient'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Zi, with the hidden stem Bingzi, which is the son's yao, with the 'Teng Snake' as its occupant; the middle transmission is Shen, which falls into the empty position of the ten days, marked with '◎' to indicate the empty position, which is the brother's yao, with the 'Azure Dragon' as its occupant; the final transmission is Chen, with the hidden stem Gengchen, which is the father's yao, with the 'Black Tortoise' as its occupant. Shen, Zi, and Chen form the 'Run Xia' water trinity.

邵彥和曰：此課占訪人，其人在本處水火之傍，造墨為生計，事未畢，必然不出見也。蓋子發用，雖與日辰三合，奈辰課不足，必主事務未畢也。且今日庚金，子水發用，庚落空亡，不能生子，子反畏日上天罡，所以主不出見。罡加孟為在內，故主在家。言為生計者，庚為水之源而生神后，神后加辰，神后北方也，黑色，交合辰土，生計是造墨也。潤下卦有螣蛇火神為用，故曰近水火之傍也。李果訪之不見，後詢之，果因造墨未畢也。

Shao Yanhe said: This divination concerns seeking a person, who is located nearby, near water and fire. He makes a living by making ink, and his work is not yet finished, so he certainly will not come out to meet. Because the first transmission is the water trigram Zi, although it forms a triple harmony with the day stem's lodgment palace Shen and the day branch Chen, it is unfortunate that there are two repeated lessons among the four lessons, so the four lessons cannot be formed, meaning the matter is not completed. Moreover, today's day stem is Geng metal, and the initiating transmission is Zi water. Geng's lodgment palace is Shen, but Shen is in the empty position of the ten days, so it cannot move the Zi water. The Zi water is then afraid of the day stem's upper god Chen - Chen is called Tiangang, and the Chen earth controls the Zi water, so he will not come out to meet. Tiangang Chen is placed on the earth plate Shen, and Shen is one of the four Meng positions. When the Tiangang is on the Meng position, the person is inside and will not come out, so he is at home. He makes a living by making ink because Geng metal is the source of water, producing Shenhou Zi water, and the Zi water is placed on Chen earth. Shenhou belongs to the north, its color is black, and black combines with Chen earth, which is exactly the image of soot and glue mixed to make ink. The entire lesson is the water hexagram of Runxia, and the Zi water is covered by the fire Teng Snake, so he is near water and fire. Li Xiucai indeed went to visit but did not meet him. Later he asked and found out that it was indeed because the ink was not yet finished.