On Gengchen day, Chen the clerk divined about the official's position and whether it was auspicious or inauspicious (Oral Mirror · Fang's Divination Case)

己酉年十月庚辰日寅將辰時，陳主簿戊寅生，三十二歲，占官任吉凶，及問升遷。（口鑑　方本占案）

In the year Jiyou, during the tenth month, on the day Gengchen, the class of the month was set with the stem Yin added to the time of day to cast the divination. Chen the Clerk (born in the year Wuyin, aged thirty-two in the current year) consulted about the fortune of his current official position and whether he could be promoted. "Main Clerk" is an official in the county administration responsible for managing documents and records. This case is recorded in the "Koujian" and "Fangben Zhan'an."

朱合勾青／卯辰巳午　后蛇合青　官壬午青⊙／蛇寅　未空　子寅辰午　父庚辰合／貴丑　申虎　寅辰午庚　財戊寅蛇／子亥戌酉／後陰玄常

The spread-out lesson board. Heaven and Earth plates: the general is placed on the Chén (辰) branch, and the Heaven plate is two positions behind the Earth plate. On the Earth plate, the Heaven plate is placed on the Mǎo (卯) branch, accompanied by the Vermilion Bird; on the Wǔ (午) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Chén (辰) branch, accompanied by the Liu He; on the Wèi (未) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Mǎo (卯) branch, accompanied by the Gou Chen; on the Shēn (申) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Wǔ (午) branch, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; on the Yǒu (酉) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Wèi (未) branch, accompanied by the Tian Kong; on the Xū (戌) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Shēn (申) branch, accompanied by the White Tiger; on the Hài (亥) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Yǒu (酉) branch, accompanied by the Tai Chang; on the Zǐ (子) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Xū (戌) branch, accompanied by the Black Tortoise; on the Chǒu (丑) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Hài (亥) branch, accompanied by the Tai Yin; on the Yín (寅) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Zǐ (子) branch, accompanied by the Heavenly Empress; on the Mǎo (卯) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Chǒu (丑) branch, accompanied by the Nobleman; on the Chén (辰) branch, the Heaven plate is placed on the Yín (寅) branch, accompanied by the Teng Snake. On a Geng day, the Nobleman is in the Chǒu (丑) branch during the day, and the Chén (辰) hour belongs to the day, so the Nobleman is placed on the Heaven plate at the Chǒu (丑) branch. The Chǒu (丑) branch sits on the Earth plate at the Mǎo (卯) branch, which is in the forward direction, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is placed on the Shen (申) branch, and the Shen (申) branch has the Wǔ (午) branch, the first lesson is Wǔ (午) added to Geng, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the second lesson is Chén (辰) added to Wǔ (午), accompanied by the Liu He; the third lesson is the day branch Chén (辰) branch having the Yín (寅) branch, accompanied by the Teng Snake; the fourth lesson is Zǐ (子) added to Yín (寅), accompanied by the Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wǔ (午), hidden dry branch Renwu, which is the official ghost爻, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the middle transmission is Chén (辰), hidden dry branch Gengchen, which is the parents爻, accompanied by the Liu He; the final transmission is Yín (寅), hidden dry branch Wuyin, which is the wife's wealth爻, accompanied by the Teng Snake. The Wǔ (午), Chén (辰), and Yín (寅) branches move backward in sequence, which is called 'retreating', also known as 'looking back' in the Six Rén system. This kind of transmission that moves backward continuously is most unfavorable for predicting promotion.

邵彥和曰：日上發傳，退入支上，又是顧祖，末又見本命入宅，須是差出，經過鄉里而有是非（寅為支馬，故主經過；又是本命，所以主自蒙差出，而後經鄉里也）。不然須是有甚不到處，不合日上退歸本命入宅，為蛇所擾，又是共屋人之事也。蓋主簿族大房多，因爭分家產財，遂告臺部。十一月文書下，令知州差人押歸，分折後再赴任。陳被押歸，分未及半，因占房產又入狀監司，奏罷管押，始分成。

Shao Yanhe said: The first transmission originates from the day stem, the middle transmission retreats to the day branch, which is called "looking back to the ancestor"; the final transmission again sees the person's original birth branch falling into the house position, which certainly indicates being sent out on a mission, passing through the hometown and causing disputes. The reason is that the birth branch is the post-horse of the day branch's shen (element) belonging to the water triad of Shen-Zi-Chen, and the post-horse governs movement, so it indicates passing through. The birth branch is also the person's own, so it indicates the person being sent out. Then he passes through the hometown. If not, it must be that something is not properly handled. Because the day stem's shen should not retreat all the way, and the birth branch falling into the house position, and being troubled by Teng Snake, which indicates disputes with people living in the same house. Originally, the chief clerk's family was large with many branches, and they fought over property and money, and even filed a complaint with the higher authorities. In November, the official document came down, ordering the local magistrate to send him back home to divide the property, and then return to his post. The chief clerk was sent back, but only divided less than half of the property, and then again filed a complaint with the supervisory authority over the property issue. Only after requesting to be exempted from being sent back did the property division finally take place.

蓋日上午為堂屋，又為官鬼，乘龍加申為退鱗，主歡中生悲，退財損身之兆。初午已是不好，末寅又生午火，只管克庚；命又戊寅，是我反去生火，畢竟自己不是，致令如此。青龍為官品，午乃官星，宜乎極利，不知午入空亡，不能作官；寅本助官，今作地帶馬克宅，及宜斷不吉，不宜作助官斷也。況在任只要升轉，今初傳自上降下，中末又自外回家，豈不倒退？又名顧祖，夫復何疑？況庚以寅為財，是爭財也；本命作財，我與彼爭也；蛇在寅，我被撓也。行年乘夜貴，晝作天空閉口，是官未可告也。夜貴廢職也；未為眷屬，天空主爭，是因眷屬而爭也；貴人閉口，告貴無用也。

The day stem's heavenly stem is at the position of Wu, which in the house image represents the main hall, and in the six relations it is the official ghost. Wu is riding on the Azure Dragon and is placed on the earth plate position of Shen. The dragon moves westward against its scales, which is called "retreating scales," indicating joy turning into sorrow, a sign of losing wealth and harming the body. The first transmission is Wu, which is already unfavorable, and the final transmission is寅 wood, which again generates Wu fire, only continuing to overcome Geng metal. Moreover, his own birth stem is Wuyin, which is equivalent to me going against the fire that overcomes me, so ultimately it is my own fault that has led to this situation. The Azure Dragon is the god of official rank, and Wu is also an official star, so by principle it should be very favorable. However, Wu is placed on Shen, which is precisely the empty position of this ten-day cycle. An official star sitting in an empty position cannot achieve official status.寅 wood, which originally could support the official star, is now on the earth plate, accompanied by the post-horse, and is attacking the house, so it should be judged as unfavorable, not as supporting the official star. Moreover, those in office only seek promotion, but now the first transmission has descended from the day stem to the branch, and the middle and final transmissions are coming back from outside to the house, which is not advancing, but retreating. This is called "looking back to ancestors," so there is nothing to doubt. Furthermore, Geng takes寅 as its wife's wealth, and now it is precisely the wealth being contested. The birth stem has become the wealth hexagram, indicating that I am contesting with others. The Teng Snake is riding on寅, indicating that I am being纠缠 by others. His year stem falls on You, and You has the position of Wei. Wei is the night nobleman for Geng day, but since this is a daytime divination, the position of Wei is occupied by Tian Kong, forming "nobleman closed mouth," so this lawsuit cannot be filed. The night nobleman has lost its function; Wei in the six relations represents relatives, and Tian Kong represents contention, together indicating a dispute over relatives. "Nobleman closed mouth" means that even if the case is brought to the nobleman, it will be of no use.

己酉年正月初一庚辰日子將寅時，劉監倉庚午生，三十九歲，生於庚午年四月二十九日。（本邵案　口鑑）愚按：正月初一未交己酉年春，故作三十九歲占年內事。

On the first day of the first lunar month in the Jiyou year, the day was Gengchen. Using the month general Zi placed on the hour Yin to cast the divination, Liu Jiancang (born on the 29th day of the fourth lunar month in the Gengwu year, aged thirty-nine at that time) came to seek divination. "Jiancang" refers to an official in charge of granaries. This example is found in the "Song Edition Shao'an" and "Koujian." Cheng Shuxun notes: On the first day of the first lunar month, the year Jiyou had not yet entered the beginning of spring, so the age was still counted as thirty-nine based on the previous year, and the divination concerned matters within the current year.

勾合朱蛇／卯辰巳午　虎青合蛇　官壬午蛇⊙／青寅　未貴　子寅辰午　父庚辰合／空丑　申后　寅辰午庚　財戊寅青／子亥戌酉／虎常玄陰

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: The day branch is added to寅, the Heaven plate is two positions behind the Earth plate, and the arrangement of the twelve branches is exactly the same as the previous lesson with Chen Zhubu, except that the time has shifted from day to night, and the Heavenly General has changed. On the Earth plate,巳 is paired with the Heaven plate卯, riding on「Gou Chen」; 午 is paired with 辰, riding on「Liu He」; 未 is paired with 巳, riding on「Zhu Que」; 申 is paired with 午, riding on「Teng Snake」; 酉 is paired with 未, riding on「Nobleman」; 戌 is paired with 申, riding on「Heavenly Empress」; 亥 is paired with 酉, riding on「Tai Yin」; 子 is paired with 戌, riding on「Xuan Wu」; 丑 is paired with 亥, riding on「Tai Chang」; 寅 is paired with 子, riding on「Bai Hu」; 卯 is paired with 丑, riding on「Tian Kong」; 辰 is paired with 寅, riding on「Qing Long」. On the night of 庚, the nobleman is at 未, and at 寅 time, which is night, the nobleman is located at Heaven Plate 未. 未 is on the Earth plate 酉, which is in reverse order, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: 午 is paired with 庚, riding on「Teng Snake」; 辰 is paired with 午, riding on「Liu He」; the day branch 辰 is paired with 寅, riding on「Qing Long」; 子 is paired with 寅, riding on「Bai Hu」. The three transmissions: the first transmission is 午, hidden stem Renwu, which is the official ghost爻, riding on「Teng Snake」; the middle transmission is 辰, hidden stem Gengchen, which is the parent爻, riding on「Liu He」; the final transmission is 寅, hidden stem Wuyin, which is the wife and wealth爻, riding on「Qing Long」. The three transmissions still follow the sequence of 午, 辰, 寅, which is「retreating and returning to the ancestor」. The initial transmission's ghost is on the middle transmission's residence, and the final transmission's 寅 wood is returning to nourish the ghost, which is the key point for this lesson.

邵彥和曰：日鬼傳歸宅上，宅上卻又生鬼。一防倉庫有火，二防當直人走或非理死，三防妻有暴風之疾。正月小子防有飛災退失，二月因省墓起山林之擾，三月妻擾，四月官長追迫，五月當直人有失，六七月防火，八月因閒聞貴內擾，九月進橫財，財中有失，十月婢妾陰私酒色上有失，十一月僕走，十二月媳婦有服。

Shao Yanhe said: When the official ghost of the day stem transmits to the house position, and the final transmission of the house position, which is the wood of the寅, turns back to nourish this ghost, there are three things to be cautious of: first, beware of a fire in the granary, second, beware of the on-duty officer fleeing or dying an untimely death, third, beware of the wife suffering from a sudden stroke. Furthermore, according to the month, in the first ten days of the first month, be careful of unexpected calamities and financial loss. In the second month, due to tomb sweeping, there will be disturbances in the mountains and forests. In the third month, the wife will have an incident. In the fourth month, there will be pressure from the superior. In the fifth month, the on-duty officer will have an accident. In the sixth and seventh months, beware of fire. In the eighth month, due to idle talk reaching the nobleman's ears, there will be internal disturbances. In the ninth month, there will be an unexpected fortune but also loss within the finances. In the tenth month, there will be loss in matters of servants' private affairs and indulgence in wine and women. In the eleventh month, the servant will flee. In the twelfth month, the daughter-in-law will have a mourning event.

果本年七月二十三日倉鄰失火，竟焚倉。經曰：火鬼春歸午，夏月逐雞飛，三秋尋鼠穴，冬月免相期。今本身值火星（愚按：未交立春，何故以午為火星），又傳從火上起，支上與末傳寅又生火也。五月十四夜一當直人差去捉人，暗中墮深坑死。三月初七日妻偶中風，遂成重疾。其餘十二月分，禍福悉應。蓋午為倉庫火鬼，來乘克身，故應。九月妻之兄弟爭分家財，劉在官處請假半月，為伊調停，分得田產財物二千餘緡，遣人往行內買米，為賊所劫，始信數有前定如此。

Later indeed, on the 23rd day of the seventh lunar month, the neighbor's warehouse caught fire, and the warehouse itself was also burned down. The classic text says: the fire spirit returns to the position of Wu in spring, follows the rooster (You) in summer, goes to the rat's hole (Zi) in the third month of autumn, and meets the rabbit (Mao) in winter. Now, the person himself is exactly under the fire star (Cheng Shuxun notes: the first day of the first lunar month has not yet entered the beginning of spring, so why use Wu as the fire star, there is doubt here), and the three transmissions start from fire. The day branch's spirit and the final transmission's寅 wood also come to generate fire. On the 14th day of the fifth lunar month, a night watchman was sent to arrest someone, but he fell into a deep pit in the dark and died. On the 7th day of the third lunar month, his wife had an accidental stroke and became seriously ill. The fortune and misfortune of the other months also came true one by one. Therefore, this outcome occurs because the position of Wu is the fire spirit of the warehouse, which attacks and harms the day stem itself. In September, the wife's brother argued over dividing the family property. Liu Jiance took a half-month leave from the office to mediate for them, thus receiving two thousand multiple of land and property. He sent someone to buy rice from the grain market, but on the way, the goods were robbed by thieves. At this point, he finally believed that fate is indeed already predetermined.

己酉年正月初一庚辰日子將子時，趙將仕丁巳命，生於六月初七日亥時，五十二歲，占武職前程。（口鑑　朱本邵案）

In the year Jiyou, on the first day of the first lunar month, on the day Gengchen, using the month general Zi placed on the time Zi to cast the divination, Zhao Jiangshi (born at the hour Hai on the 7th day of the sixth lunar month in the year Dingsi, aged fifty-two at the time) consulted about his prospects in a military position. "Jiangshi" refers to Jiangshi Lang, the lowest rank among the civilian honorary titles. When the month general coincides with the time, and the heaven plate and earth plate overlap and remain stationary, this is called the "Fuyin" lesson. This example is found in the "Koujian" and "Zhuben Shao An."

朱蛇貴後／巳午未申　合合後后　兄　申後◎⊙／合辰　酉陰　辰辰申申　財戊寅青／勾卯　戌玄　辰辰申庚　官辛巳朱／寅丑子亥／青空虎常

The flat divination board. The day branch is added to itself, and each branch on the Heaven Plate is placed directly over the same branch on the Earth Plate, forming a 'Hidden Chant' (伏吟). On the Earth Plate, the branch Si (巳) is occupied by 'Vermilion Bird' (朱雀); Wu (午) is occupied by 'Teng Snake' (螣蛇); Wei (未) is occupied by 'Nobleman' (贵人); Shen (申) is occupied by 'Heavenly Empress' (天后); You (酉) is occupied by 'Tai Yin' (太阴); Xu (戌) is occupied by 'Black Tortoise' (玄武); Hai (亥) is occupied by 'Tai Chang' (太常); Zi (子) is occupied by 'White Tiger' (白虎); Chou (丑) is occupied by 'Heavenly Void' (天空); Yin (寅) is occupied by 'Azure Dragon' (青龙); Mao (卯) is occupied by 'Gou Chen' (勾陈); Chen (辰) is occupied by 'Liu He' (六合). The nobleman (贵人) is located on Wei (未) at night, and since Zi hour belongs to night, the nobleman is on Wei, which is the same as the Earth Plate's Wei, indicating a reverse movement, which matches the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is placed on Shen (申), and Shen remains on Shen, so the first lesson is Shen added to Geng, occupied by 'Heavenly Empress' (天后); the second lesson is Shen added to Shen, also occupied by 'Heavenly Empress' (天后); the third lesson is the day branch on Chen (辰), which is occupied by 'Liu He' (六合); the fourth lesson is Chen added to Chen, also occupied by 'Liu He' (六合). The three transmissions: the first transmission is Shen, which falls into a void, so there is no hidden stem, marked with '◎' indicating a void, representing a brother's yao, occupied by 'Heavenly Empress' (天后); the middle transmission is Yin (寅), with the hidden stem Wuyin (戊寅), representing a wife's wealth yao, occupied by 'Azure Dragon' (青龙); the final transmission is Si (巳), with the hidden stem Xinsi (辛巳), representing an official ghost yao, occupied by 'Vermilion Bird' (朱雀). The mutual formation of Shen, Yin, and Si constitutes the three punishments (三刑), which is the usual method for initiating transmission in a 'Hidden Chant' (伏吟) lesson. The禄 (lucky branch) of Geng is on Shen (申), but both Shen on the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate fall into the void (空亡), which serves as the basis for the conclusion that military positions will not be successful.

邵彥和曰：將仕之祿，乃虛祿也。夫武職兵權，惟要金盛，無金何武？此課無武有文，今任必不赴，必改岳廟之職，就彼處宜讀書取科第，本年中舉，來年庚戌及第，二甲二十一名。蓋武職主兵，金旺為宜，今天地盤之申俱空，是武職無位也，而申祿又虛，太常又不入傳，故不可為武。寅上青龍入廟，天后為恩澤之神，故宜習文。末傳巳作朱雀為長生，學堂又為官星，故主科甲。宜岳廟者，宅上見辰，辰為山崗，寅為廟，故宜就岳廟讀書而取功名也。趙不信，後果不能赴廣南任，遂授潭州岳廟，因邀數人同讀書，本年投國子監中舉，庚戌年登科。

Shao Yanhe said: The official position of the candidate for appointment is empty. Generally, military officials hold military power, and as long as the metal energy is strong, how can there be military power without metal. This divination lacks military power and has only literary aspects. He certainly cannot go to the current post, and will certainly be transferred to an idle official post in the temple of the mountain deity. At that place, it is most suitable for studying and taking the imperial examination. He will pass the examination this year, and in the year Gengxu, he will be successful in the imperial examination, ranking twenty-first in the second class. Therefore, the conclusion is: military officials are associated with weapons and warfare, and it is suitable when metal is strong. However, today both the Heaven Plate and the Earth Plate have the trigram Shen falling into Kongwang, which means the military position has no basis. The day's official position is Shen, which is also empty, and the "Tai Chang" which governs the official seal and rank does not appear in the three transmissions, so he cannot hold a military post. The trigram Yin is occupied by "Qinglong", which belongs to wood, and Yin is the original position of wood, which is called entering the temple. The first transmission is also occupied by "Tianhou", which is a god of grace and favor, so it is suitable for studying literature. The final transmission is occupied by "Zhuque" on Si, which governs literature, and Si is both the long life and the school of the metal庚, and also the official star, so it indicates success in the imperial examination. The conclusion that he should go to the mountain deity's temple is because the position of his residence shows Chen, which is a mountain, and Yin is a temple, so a temple is in the mountain, thus it is suitable for him to go to the mountain deity's temple to study and seek official rank. At that time, Zhao the candidate for appointment did not believe it, but later he indeed could not take up the post in Guangnan, and was instead transferred to the temple of the mountain deity in Tanzhou, and thus invited several people to study together. He passed the examination by the National University this year, and was successful in the imperial examination in the year Gengxu.

同年月日時唐丞務占一年事，亦得此課。（口鑑，宋本邵案）

In the same year, month, day, and hour, Tang Chengwu came to seek divination about events within a year, and the same hexagram was produced. "Chengwu" refers to a rank of a literary official. The same hexagram being used for different people, yet the interpretations differ, is an example of the Six壬 (Liuren) divination system taking images according to human affairs. This example is found in the "Koujian" and the "Song Ben Shao An."

朱蛇貴後／巳午未申　合合後后　兄　申後◎⊙／合辰　酉陰　辰辰申申　財戊寅青／勾卯　戌玄　辰辰申庚　官辛巳朱／寅丑子亥／青空虎常

The divination chart and the case of Zhao Jiangshi are identical: on theHidden Chant chart,巳 is乘 by「Vermilion Bird」,午 is乘 by「Teng Snake」,未 is乘 by「Nobleman」,申 is乘 by「Heavenly Empress」,酉 is乘 by「Tai Yin」,戌 is乘 by「Black Tortoise」,亥 is乘 by「Tai Chang」,子 is乘 by「White Tiger」,丑 is乘 by「Tian Kong」,寅 is乘 by「Azure Dragon」,卯 is乘 by「Gou Chen」,辰 is乘 by「Liu He」; the four lessons are: 申 with庚乘 by「Heavenly Empress」, 申 with申乘 by「Heavenly Empress」, day branch on辰 with辰乘 by「Liu He」, and辰 with辰乘 by「Liu He」; the three transmissions are: 申 (brother,乘 by「Heavenly Empress」, falling in the旬空),寅 (wife's wealth,乘 by「Azure Dragon」),巳 (official ghost,乘 by「Vermilion Bird」). The previous case was about a military official's career prospects, so the focus was on申's禄 falling in theKongwang. This case is about family affairs within a year, so the focus shifts to the initiating transmission「Heavenly Empress」—「Heavenly Empress」represents the wife, and if it falls in theKongwang, the wife's position is the first to change.

邵彥和曰：天后發用而空亡，主喪妻；中傳得妻財爻，主又娶妻；妻財作青龍，後妻必有財也。末傳巳為店，作朱雀為爭，官鬼爻為訟，主爭店事而起訟，有四人遭刑，以巳之數四，三傳成三刑也。巳為長生，又為尊長，巳又為廚屋，主與尊長爭廚屋地基，亦以巳作朱雀故也。唐於三月果喪妻，十一月再娶，乃客人之妻，甚有財，遂以財開店，與原欠債人相打官司，四人杖二十，次年七月與叔爭廚屋地，卻得理。

Shao Yanhe said: "Heavenly Empress" represents the wife. Now "Heavenly Empress" is initiating transmission and falls on Kongwang, indicating the loss of a wife. The middle transmission receives the wife's wealth爻, indicating the need to remarry. The wife's wealth is accompanied by the Azure Dragon, which represents wealth, so the second wife is certainly wealthy. The final transmission is巳, which in the category of spirits represents a shop. 上乘 the Vermilion Bird indicates disputes over words.巳 is also the official ghost爻, and official ghosts indicate legal disputes. Combined, this means legal disputes over the shop. Four people will be punished, because in Six Rats divination the number four is associated with巳, and the three transmissions of申,寅, and巳 form the three punishments.巳 is also the long life of庚 metal and represents elders, and it also represents the kitchen. Thus, it also indicates a dispute over the foundation of the kitchen with elders. This is again because巳 is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird. Tang Chengwu indeed died his wife in the third month, married again in the eleventh month, marrying a widow of a merchant who was wealthy, and used this money to open a shop. Later, he had legal disputes with those who owed him money, and four people each received twenty lashes. In the following year, in the seventh month, he disputed the foundation of the kitchen with his uncle, but won the case.

己酉年正月初一庚辰日子將亥時，韓省干乙亥生，三十四歲，占赴任及歲中事。（宋本邵案　口鑑）

In the year Jiyou, on the first day of the first lunar month, on the day Gengchen, using the month general Zi placed on the hour Hai to cast the divination, Han Xinggan (born in the year Yihai, thirty-four years old in the current year) consulted about taking office and the fortune for the current year. "Xinggan" refers to the official position of handling administrative affairs in the various departments of the Ministry of Works. This example is found in the "Song Edition Shao An" and "Kou Jian."

蛇貴后陰／午未申酉　蛇朱玄陰　官壬午蛇／朱巳　戌玄　午巳戌酉　父癸未貴／合辰　亥常　巳辰酉庚　兄　申後◎／卯寅丑子／勾青空虎

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: The heavenly plate is added to the earthly plate starting from Zi. The heavenly plate advances one position ahead of the earthly plate. On the earthly plate Si, the heavenly plate Wu is placed, marked with "Teng Snake"; on Wu, the heavenly plate Wei is placed, marked with "Nobleman"; on Wei, the heavenly plate Shen is placed, marked with "Heavenly Empress"; on Shen, the heavenly plate You is placed, marked with "Tai Yin"; on You, the heavenly plate Xu is placed, marked with "Black Tortoise"; on Xu, the heavenly plate Hai is placed, marked with "Tai Chang"; on Hai, the heavenly plate Zi is placed, marked with "White Tiger"; on Zi, the heavenly plate Chou is placed, marked with "Heavenly Void"; on Chou, the heavenly plate Yin is placed, marked with "Azure Dragon"; on Yin, the heavenly plate Mao is placed, marked with "Gou Chen"; on Mao, the heavenly plate Chen is placed, marked with "Liu He"; on Chen, the heavenly plate Si is placed, marked with "Vermilion Bird". The nobleman is at Wei on the night of Geng, and since the亥 hour belongs to the night, the nobleman is placed on the heavenly plate Wei. The earthly plate at Wei is Wu, which is in reverse order, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is placed on Shen, and on Shen, the heavenly plate You is placed, so the first lesson You is added to Geng, marked with "Tai Yin"; the second lesson Xu is added to You, marked with "Black Tortoise"; the third lesson is on the day branch Chen, which gets Si, marked with "Vermilion Bird"; the fourth lesson Wu is added to Si, marked with "Teng Snake". The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wu, the hidden stem Renwu, which is the official ghost爻, marked with "Teng Snake"; the second transmission is Wei, the hidden stem Guiwei, which is the parents爻, marked with "Nobleman"; the third transmission is Shen, which falls into the empty period without a hidden stem, marked with "◎" indicating an empty period, which is the brothers爻, marked with "Heavenly Empress". The day branch is Chen, and the day stem is placed on Shen. The three transmissions Wu, Wei, and Shen are exactly between this branch and stem, which is what is referred to later as "the branch and stem enclosing the three transmissions".

邵彥和曰：支干夾定三傳，更三四課及初傳俱是鬼，有官人慾赴任，為催官符，上任必在三月盡四月初。奈何末祿卻空亡，上任不久，必主尊堂服動，子又病。蓋日辰夾定，凡事皆緊，只不合夾鬼與空亡耳。韓乃運使之子，授得鹽倉官，果於三月文字來催，四月赴任，韓信先生言不去，六月十七日丁母憂，二月子大病。《玉成歌》曰“日鬼加臨辰兩位，門中官病兩相侵”，占赴任人卻名催官符，只不合日辰夾住，又空亡臨身，太陰乘之，所以喪母。愚按：干支乘羅網，有官人占之亦主丁艱。庚以子為子息，為虎所逼，又加子息亥上，故主只病，幸不刑傷，所以不死（愚按：子不入課傳，何得斷及之，邵公蓋因其加命故耳）。大凡日辰夾定有鬼，鬼應有空，空應俱有則俱應矣。

Shao Yanhe said: The day stem and day branch enclose the three transmissions in between, and with the third and fourth lessons as well as the first transmission all being official ghosts, this indicates that someone who holds an official position is divining. This is called "cui guanfu" (prompting the official symbol), and taking office will certainly happen in the end of March or the beginning of April. Unfortunately, the final transmission's day's luck falls into kongwang (void), so taking office will not last long, and there will certainly be the death of the mother, and the son will also fall ill. Because the day branch and day branch enclose the situation tightly, everything is urgent and cannot be relaxed, but what is enclosed is the ghost and kongwang. Han Xinggan, the son of a transport commissioner, was appointed as a salt warehouse official, and indeed, the official appointment came in March, and he took office in April. Han Xinggan believed Shao's words (the words "not go" do not fit the meaning, and it is suspected that there is an error or omission in the text). On June 17th, he suffered the mourning for his mother, and in February, his son fell seriously ill. The "Yucheng Ge" says, "The day ghost is added to the two positions of the hour, the gate and the official both involve illness," and for those divining about taking office, this is called "cui guanfu." However, it is unfortunate that the day stem and day branch enclose, and kongwang is on the self. Kongwang is also covered by "Tai Yin," so it indicates the death of the mother. Cheng Shuxun commented: When the day stem and day branch are covered by the heavenly net and earthly net spirits, those who hold official positions will also be indicated to be in mourning and observing the mourning period. The庚 metal takes the Zi water as offspring, and the Zi is covered by "Baihu" (White Tiger) and is forced, and the Zi is also added on the亥, which is the same water as the Zi. The亥 is exactly Han Xinggan's birth star. Therefore, it only indicates illness, and fortunately, there is no punishment or injury, so it does not lead to death. (Cheng Shuxun also commented: The Zi does not enter the four lessons or the three transmissions, so how can it be used to make a judgment? It is likely that Shao Gong judged it because it was added to the birth star.) In general, when the day stem and day branch enclose and there is a ghost, the ghost will respond; when there is kongwang, kongwang will respond; if both exist, both will respond.

何省干己未生，生於閏月十三日丑時，五十一歲，於建炎己酉年正月庚辰日占應試，子將酉時。（宋本邵案　方本占案　口鑑　捷要）

Who is He Shenggan, born on the twelfth day of the leap month in the sixth year of the Jiyou era, at the Chou hour, when he was fifty-one years old? In the first month of the Jiyou year of the Southern Song dynasty, he consulted on the Gengchen day about taking the imperial examination, using the Month General Zi placed on the hour of You to cast the divination. This case is recorded in all four books, found in The Song Edition of Shao's Cases, The Fang Edition of Divination Cases, The Oral Guide, and The Essentials.

蛇朱合勾／申酉戌亥　合貴虎勾　財戊寅虎／貴未　子青　戌未寅亥　官辛巳陰／後午　丑空　未辰亥庚　兄　申蛇◎／巳辰卯寅／陰玄常虎

The flat divination board. Heaven and Earth plates: Zi (rat) is added to You (rooster), the Heaven plate advances three positions ahead of the Earth plate. On the Earth plate Si (snake), the Heaven plate gets Shen (monkey), riding on 'Teng Snake'; on Wu (horse), the Heaven plate gets You (rooster), riding on 'Vermilion Bird'; on Wei (sheep), the Heaven plate gets Xu (dog), riding on 'Liu He'; on Shen (monkey), the Heaven plate gets Hai (pig), riding on 'Gou Chen'; on You (rooster), the Heaven plate gets Zi (rat), riding on 'Azure Dragon'; on Xu (dog), the Heaven plate gets Chou (ox), riding on 'Tian Kong'; on Hai (pig), the Heaven plate gets Yin (tiger), riding on 'Bai Hu'; on Zi (rat), the Heaven plate gets Mao (rabbit), riding on 'Tai Chang'; on Chou (ox), the Heaven plate gets Chen (dragon), riding on 'Xuan Wu'; on Yin (tiger), the Heaven plate gets Si (snake), riding on 'Tai Yin'; on Mao (rabbit), the Heaven plate gets Wu (horse), riding on 'Heavenly Empress'; on Chen (dragon), the Heaven plate gets Wei (sheep), riding on 'Nobleman'. On the night of Geng, the nobleman is on Wei. The time of You is night, and the nobleman is on Wei of the Heaven plate. Wei sits on Chen of the Earth plate, which is in the order of progression, matching the board. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Geng is located on Shen, and Shen gets Hai, so the first lesson is Hai added to Geng, riding on 'Gou Chen'; the second lesson is Yin added to Hai, riding on 'Bai Hu'; the third lesson is the day branch on Chen getting Wei, riding on 'Nobleman'; the fourth lesson is Xu added to Wei, riding on 'Liu He'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Yin, the hidden stem is Wuyin, which is the wife and wealth hexagram, riding on 'Bai Hu'; the second transmission is Si, the hidden stem is Xinsi, which is the official and ghost hexagram, riding on 'Tai Yin'; the third transmission is Shen, which falls into the empty position of the ten days, marked with '◎' indicating an empty position, which is the brother and sibling hexagram, riding on 'Teng Snake'. When divining about an examination, one should look at the hexagram that represents the main subject of the article and its relationship with the day stem. In this case, the hexagram on the day stem is the water hexagram亥, which releases the metal of Geng, and it rides on the slow-moving 'Gou Chen', which is the key point indicating that the person will not pass the examination.

邵彥和曰：何丈已兩次赴試，今次卻又不中，惟令郎中二十八名。吾丈暮秋雖有喜，又有悲，十月防有炊血之夢，及至五十七歲後方能得官，然過一二年便當壽阻，不能度甲子一周矣。何當時望中甚切，臨場病阻；其子入場，將舊文雜湊而成，全不得意，及放榜，果中二十八名。蓋日上亥是庚之子孫，來奪庚之氣，又作勾陳，不落第矣，所以子得中式。亥四申七，四七二十八也。亥為水道，勾乃滯神，加日上，故本身痢病。庚以寅為妻，加盜氣上，臨於十月，又作白虎，所以喪妻。寅財加亥，雖脫氣，卻六合而長生，不合作白虎，故邵公開此口。

Shao Yanhe said: You have already taken the examination twice, and this time you still fail, while your son is admitted in the twenty-eighth place. Although you have good news in late autumn, you also have sad events; in October you should beware of a nightmare involving blood. You will not get an official position until after the age of fifty-seven, but within a couple of years your life span will be obstructed, and you will not live a full Jiazi cycle of sixty years. He Shenggan was very eager for official rank, but in the examination he was prevented by illness. His son took the examination, and used old articles to compose a new essay, which he himself was not satisfied with. When the list was published, he indeed got the twenty-eighth place. The reasoning behind this prediction is: the water element on the day stem,亥, is the son trigram of the metal element,庚, and thus it takes away the energy of the metal. On top of 亥, there is the 'Gou Chen' which signifies delay, so he is bound to fail. However, since the son trigram is present and strong, his son is admitted. The rank is calculated by the number of 亥, which is four, and the number of 申, which is seven, and four multiplied by seven gives twenty-eight. 亥 is the water channel, and 'Gou Chen' is the god of obstruction, placed on the day stem, so he suffers from dysentery. The wife of the metal element,庚, is the wood element,寅. The wood element,寅, is placed on the leaking 亥, and it is also in the month of亥, October. On top of寅, there is the 'White Tiger', which indicates the loss of wife. However, although the wood element,寅, is on the leaking 亥, the combination of寅 and亥 is a harmoniousLiu He, and 亥 is the place of growth for wood, so it should not be considered as a凶 sign of the 'White Tiger'. However, since the 'White Tiger' is indeed on the寅, Shao was able to make this prediction.

愚按：庚辰日己酉年元旦尚未立春，仍是戊申太歲，己未生人止作得五十歲，行年在卯，上得午為弔客；本命未上得戌為喪門，喪吊全逢，主孝服。寅作妻財，乘虎，弔客上又作天后，故即以喪妻斷之。夜貴在宅乘未閉口，恰是本命，故將來雖得官，不久即死。愚按：申祿空，雖有官而不能享祿。後何公五十七歲登科，五十九歲死矣。未雖夜貴加宅，然其子既中則宅於先矣，而邵公復云何君自中，何也，蓋未繫何公本命故耳，不可不知。

Cheng Shuxun remarked: On this Gengchen day, which is the first day of the Jiyou year, the solar term of Start of Spring has not yet arrived, so the supreme ruler is still Wushen. A person born in Jiwei year is only fifty years old. A man of fifty has his age in Mao. The branch Mao is associated with Wu, and Wu is the "soul of the deceased" in relation to the supreme ruler Wushen. His native branch Wei is associated with Xu, and Xu is the "mourning-and-condolence spirit." Thus, both the mourning-and-condolence spirit and the soul of the deceased are involved, indicating a matter concerning mourning attire. Yin is the wife's wealth, but it is occupied by the White Tiger. The soul of the deceased Wu is occupied by the Heavenly Empress, which governs the wife, so it is directly concluded that he will lose his wife. The night nobleman for Geng day is Wei, which is placed on the day branch Chen (residence) to form the image of the nobleman being silent. This Wei is also his native branch, so it is concluded that although he will eventually attain an official position, he will die soon. Cheng Shuxun remarked again: The day's wealth is in Shen, which falls into Kongwang, so although he holds an official position, he will not receive his salary. Later, He Gong indeed passed the imperial examination at fifty-seven and died at fifty-nine. As for the Wei, although it is the night nobleman and is placed on the residence, since his son passed the examination, this nobleman's influence on the residence will first manifest in his son. Shao Gong, however, said that He Jun himself could also pass, which is because Wei is his native branch. This point is important to understand.

己酉年七月初四庚辰日午將卯時，應秀才乙亥生三十五歲占前程。（一針見血）

In the year Jiyou, on the fourth day of the seventh lunar month, the day was Gengchen. Using the Month General at Wu placed on the hour of Mao to cast the divination, a case is presented where a scholar (born in the year Yihai, aged thirty-five at the time) seeks divination about his future. This example is taken from the book "One Needle Sees the Essence." There are discrepancies between different versions of the record regarding the year, month, and the time of the divination. The commentary by Cheng Shuxun specifically addresses and verifies these differences.

此課《口鑑》《捷要》俱有而錯，作己酉元旦。餘向喜疑之。今丙子年？日，借得揚州張繼唐先生《一針見血》書，始知是己酉年午將卯時，占乙亥命三十五歲，心始渙然。謹誌之不忘所自。程樹勳識。

This is a note by the compiler Cheng Shuxun. The lesson above is included in both the "Six壬 Oral Mirror" and the "Six壬 Quick Essentials," but the time is incorrectly recorded as having been cast on the first day of the first lunar month of the Jiyou year. I have always suspected this record. On a certain day in the Bingzi year (the source text here is missing one character, marked as "?"), I borrowed the book "One Needle Sees the Essence" from Mr. Zhang Jitang in Yangzhou and learned that the actual case was cast in the Jiyou year, with the Wu general added to the Mao hour, and the person involved was born in the Yihai year, aged thirty-five at the time. My doubts were then completely resolved. I carefully record this incident to remember its origin. Cheng Shuxun records.

蛇朱合勾 申酉戌亥 六空后朱 財 戊寅 后 貴未 子青 戌未寅亥 官 辛巳 常 后午 丑空 未辰亥庚 兄 申 青 ◎ 巳辰卯寅 陰玄常虎

This is a flattened layout of the divination board, divided into three sections. The first section is the Heaven and Earth Plate, placing the twelve Heavenly Generals on the twelve branches of the Heaven Plate: the position of the branch Wei (未) is marked with "Nobleman," the branch Shen (申) with "Teng Snake," the branch You (酉) with "Vermilion Bird," the branch Xu (戌) with "Liu He," the branch Hai (亥) with "Gou Chen," the branch Zi (子) with "Azure Dragon," the branch Chou (丑) with "Heavenly Void," the branch Yin (寅) with "White Tiger," the branch Mao (卯) with "Tai Chang," the branch Chen (辰) with "Black Tortoise," the branch Si (巳) with "Tai Yin," and the branch Wu (午) with "Heavenly Empress." This arrangement places the Nobleman on Wei and arranges the twelve generals in a clockwise order. The second section is the Four Lessons, read from right to left: the first lesson is Hai (亥) added to Geng (庚), with Geng day's lodging palace on Shen (申), so Hai (亥) is on Shen (申); the second lesson is Yin (寅) added to Hai (亥); the third lesson is Wei (未) added to Chen (辰), with Chen (辰) being the day branch; the fourth lesson is Xu (戌) added to Wei (未). The Heavenly Generals riding on the deities of the four lessons are: on Xu (戌) is Liu He, on Wei (未) is Heavenly Void, on Yin (寅) is Heavenly Empress, and on Hai (亥) is Vermilion Bird. The third section is the Three Transmissions: the first transmission is Yin (寅), hidden dry branch Wuyin (戊寅), which is the wife's wealth on Geng day, riding on Heavenly Empress; the middle transmission is Si (巳), hidden dry branch Xinsi (辛巳), which is the official ghost, riding on Tai Chang; the final transmission is Shen (申), which is the brother, riding on Azure Dragon, with a note of "◎" indicating it falls in the void (Geng Chen day belongs to the Jia Xu decade, with the void in Shen and You). Note: The Heavenly Generals noted in the four lessons and three transmissions are arranged by placing the Nobleman on Chou (丑) and arranging them in a counterclockwise order, which does not match the previous Heaven and Earth Plate arrangement (where the Nobleman is placed on Wei and arranged clockwise). The following commentary by Shao Yanhe is based on the four lessons and three transmissions, suggesting that the Heavenly Generals in the previous Heaven and Earth Plate may be incorrect.

邵彥和曰：先失後得，先虛後實，耗廢盡了，卻得妻財來助起家。因水利中得財，不可不知。若求功名，不可得也。須是敗盡再發，兄弟並星散，所可喜者，妻與子成家，末年享福有壽，就店房居住，宅舍無氣也。蓋日上見亥，金生水而脫氣，自身受脫不能發也。

Shao Yanhe said: This lesson's pattern is first losing then gaining, first empty then solid -- first exhausting the family's resources, then relying on the wealth brought by the wife to start over. This fortune comes from business related to water, which is something not to be overlooked. If asking about official rank, it cannot be obtained. One must wait until everything is completely lost before it can rise again; brothers scatter and go their separate ways, but it is fortunate that wife and children can establish their own households. In old age, there is happiness and longevity, living in a shop facing the street, while the main house lacks life qi. The reason for this is that the day stem is Geng metal, and its controlling heavenly stem is亥 water. Metal generates water, and the qi of the day stem is drained away, itself being drained, so it cannot rise on its own.

愚按：朱雀乘脫氣，故不能得名。又寅財在脫上發用，脫上逢脫，必詩書荒廢，家道空虛。初見妻宮，引歸中傳長生，中又引歸末傳，卻見本身，是破敗後方得妻子起家，因之有福。應一心只思及第，自後讀書不成，家計敗盡，方得妻家做酒生意，果然諧子皆好，日漸豐足，遂享福而壽終。

The case of Cheng Shuxun: The Vermilion Bird, which represents the name, is riding on the亥 water that is losing its strength, so success in officialdom cannot be obtained. Moreover, the first transmission is the寅 wood, which represents wife's wealth, and it is also originating from a place of loss, so loss meets loss again, inevitably leading to neglect of studies and decline of family fortune. The sequence of the three transmissions is: first seeing the wife's wealth palace (the first transmission寅), leading to the middle transmission巳 fire, which is the long life of the庚 metal; the middle transmission then leads to the final transmission申 metal, which is exactly the original self of the day stem庚 metal. This indicates that one must first experience decline, then rely on wife and children to start anew and gain blessings. At first, this person was solely focused on passing the imperial examinations, but later could not complete his studies and his family business was completely ruined, and he only relied on his wife's family's wine business. Indeed, both wife and children were good, and the family fortune gradually became abundant, eventually enjoying happiness and dying in old age.

蓋日上初傳俱脫，卻得妻爻引歸生路；寅上巳乃庚金長生也。末傳申加巳，是得生路在末傳，故主晚年亨福也。愚按：巳為店，作太常為酒食，既為長生又有日祿加其上，故因做酒生意而起家，因之享福。申祿不論空者，以得未建之生也。

The day stem's heavenly stem and the first transmission both indicate places where energy is drained, but the wife and wealth hexagram brings the energy back to a path of growth: above the wood of寅 is the fire of巳, and巳 is the growth position for the metal of庚. The final transmission, the metal of申, is placed on巳, so the path of growth falls on the final transmission, indicating prosperity in old age. Cheng Shuxun explains:巳 represents a shop, and the hexagram of Tai Chang on巳 also indicates food and drink; since巳 is the growth position for庚 metal, and the day's official (庚's official is in申) is also present on it, this person started his career by making alcohol and thus enjoyed prosperity. Although the final transmission申 is the day's official but falls on Kongwang, it is still considered as the day's official because it receives the earth of the month builder 未 to nourish it (this divination uses the general of午, which corresponds to June, with the month builder in 未).

未年四月庚辰日申將酉時占來意。苗公達斷經。

In the year of Wei, fourth month, on the day of Gengchen, using the hour of Shen as the Month General and starting the divination with the time of You, the question was about what the visitor was thinking. (The character 'Wei' is the terrestrial branch of the Supreme Ruler, and 'Shen' is the Month General used for the fourth month.) This example is from the "Miao Gongda Divination Classic."

合勾龍空 辰巳午未 蛇朱龍空 財 己卯 朱 朱卯 申虎 寅卯午未 財 戊寅 蛇 蛇寅 酉常 卯辰未庚 父 丁丑 貴 丑子亥戌 貴后陰玄

The Heaven and Earth plates section: The Nobleman starts on the Chou branch, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals proceed in order—Chou has the Nobleman, Yin has the Teng Snake, Mao has the Vermilion Bird, Chen has Liu He, Si has Gou Chen, Wu has the Azure Dragon, Wei has Tian Kong, Shen has the White Tiger, You has Tai Chang, Xu has the Black Tortoise, Hai has Tai Yin, and Zi has the Heavenly Empress. The four lessons are read from right to left: the first lesson is Wei with Geng (Geng's lodging palace is on Shen, so Shen position gets Wei), the second lesson is Wu with Wei, the third lesson is Mao with Chen (Chen is the day branch), and the fourth lesson is Yin with Mao. The heavenly generals on the four lessons are Teng Snake on Yin, Vermilion Bird on Mao, Azure Dragon on Wu, and Tian Kong on Wei. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Mao, with the hidden stem Ji Mao, representing wife's wealth, riding the Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission is Yin, with the hidden stem Wu Yin, representing wife's wealth, riding the Teng Snake; the final transmission is Chou, with the hidden stem Ding Chou, representing parents, riding the Nobleman. The three transmissions, Mao, Yin, and Chou, move backward step by step and are connected to each other, forming a pattern of "connected roots" moving backward. This lesson's Heaven and Earth plates and the heavenly generals noted in the four lessons and three transmissions are completely consistent.

苗公達斷曰：據來意必有飛禽受不足之憂，目下已飛了，其飛卻不去，只在東南樹間住。本時有貴人將同一飛禽往來此處，二禽相見飛下相鬥捉得；其禽亦是好鬥之禽。何以言之？蓋發用見朱雀，又所居辰與生氣併，故知飛活之物。

Miao Gongda interpreted the divination as follows: According to the questioner's mind, there must be a flying bird that has gone wrong. The bird has already flown away, but it has not flown far, only resting among the trees in the southeast. During this divination, a nobleman will arrive with similar flying birds. When the two birds meet, they will fly down to fight. This is the right moment to catch them. The bird itself is a fighting bird. Why can we say this? Because the initial transmission (first transmission) is on the卯 (Mao) which is associated with the Vermilion Bird, an image of flying birds. Additionally, the earthly branch of Mao is in conjunction with 'life qi', so it is determined that the question refers to a living flying creature.

其禽受不足之憂者，以卦名天獄也；今飛了，為正時得鈅神也；其禽卻不去者，為日上見太歲，又年上見天地獄神也；更在朱雀之方，故不能去也。在東南樹間者住，蓋生氣之下是寅卯樹木之鄉也。有一貴人至本時，將同類物從此過者，二飛禽卻相爭飛去致斗，卻捉得此禽者，為日上見月厭，又為相生，又沖末傳，得貴人帶天殺也。斗本時者，發用辰上，更三傳連併，皆主疾速往來之象也。

This bird is said to have worries of loss because the lesson is called "Heavenly Prison," which implies being confined in a cage. It is said that the bird has already flown away because the correct time has the "Key God," and the key can open a lock. It is said that the bird flies but does not leave because the day stem has the "Too Young" spirit, and the year's destiny also has the "Heavenly Prison" and "Hell" two凶神, and the place where it stops is exactly where the Vermilion Bird is located, so it cannot escape. It is said that the bird stops in the southeast woods because the life qi is below, which is exactly the wood area of寅and卯, and wood is trees. It is said that there was a nobleman with a similar bird passing by at the time of the divination, the two birds fought and flew, and eventually were caught because the day stem's spirit "Too Young" is exactly the "Month Aversion" of the fourth month, the "Too Young" earth is compatible with the metal庚, and can stimulate the final transmission丑, and the nobleman on the final transmission丑 is accompanied by "Heavenly Killing." It is said that the fighting happened at the time of the divination because the initiating transmission卯 is exactly placed on the earth plate辰, and the three transmissions are connected in sequence, all showing a rapid movement image.

東京有僧仲褒，精通六壬。元豐八十年乙丑二月十七辛巳日，太學同人李明癸未生，四十三歲，求占，得申時亥將。一針見血。

In Tokyo's Bianliang, there was a monk named Zhongbao who was skilled in the Six Changes divination method. On the second十七 day of the second month in the year Yichou of the Yuanfeng era (the eighth year of Yuanfeng, 1085 CE; the original text's 'eighty years' is likely a mistake for 'eight years'), Li Ming, a student at the Imperial Academy, who was born in the year Guiwei and was forty-three years old, came to seek a divination. The divination was cast for the hour of Shen with the Hai general (Hai general added to the Shen hour). This example is from the book "One Needle Reveals the Essence."

愚按：元豐為神宗年號，是知仲褒在邵彥和先生之前也。

The case of Cheng Shuxun: Yuanfeng was the era name of Emperor Shenzong of Song, which indicates that the monk Zhongbao lived before Shao Yanhe.

朱合勾龍 申酉戌亥 龍朱陰虎 兄 申 朱 ◎ 蛇未 子空 亥申辰丑 子 乙亥 龍 ⊙ 貴午 丑虎 申巳丑辛 財 戊寅 常 巳辰卯寅 后陰玄常

The Heaven and Earth plates section: The Nobleman starts at Wu, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals proceed in order—Wu has 'Nobleman', Wei has 'Teng Snake', Shen has 'Vermilion Bird', You has 'Liu He', Xu has 'Gou Chen', Hai has 'Azure Dragon', Zi has 'Tian Kong', Chou has 'White Tiger', Yin has 'Tai Chang', Mao has 'Black Tortoise', Chen has 'Tai Yin', and Si has 'Heavenly Empress'. The four lessons are read from right to left: the first lesson is Chou added to Xin (on Xin day, the lodging palace is at Xu, so Xu position has Chou), the second lesson is Chen added to Chou, the third lesson is Shen added to Si (Si is the day branch), and the fourth lesson is Hai added to Shen. The heavenly generals on the four lessons are: Hai has Azure Dragon, Shen has Vermilion Bird, Chen has Tai Yin, and Chou has White Tiger. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Shen, which is a brother, riding Vermilion Bird, marked with '◎' indicating it falls in the empty period (on Xin Si day, which belongs to the Jia Xu period, the empty period is Shen and You); the middle transmission is Hai, with hidden heavenly stem Yi Hai, which is a son, riding Azure Dragon; the final transmission is Yin, with hidden heavenly stem Wu Yin, which is a wife's wealth, riding Tai Chang. This lesson's Heaven and Earth plates and the notes on the four lessons and three transmissions fully match.

仲褒曰：若占省試必主高中，只是不承恩命。省榜了，當殿試為犯御諱，遂不及第。李君再謂褒曰：春前之數己驗，不知異日如何？褒曰：且待別占。議曰：發用朱雀，傳入龍常，三傳皆臨長生，行年又得青龍，傳入太常，正屬省府。所乘功曹，本是青龍，春占為旺氣，與月建上神三合，貴人順冶發用在前，故主省試高發。以太歲為殿試，太歲不入傳，青龍正臨空亡，天罡加太歲，太歲加日上，作白虎，為墓庫，來刑日，故不承恩命也。

Zhongbao said: If you are asking about the Ministry of Rites examination, you will certainly pass, but you will not be able to accept the imperial favor. After the provincial list is published, by the time of the palace examination, you will have offended the emperor's name, and thus will not be admitted. Li Ming later told Zhongbao: Everything you said before spring has come true. I wonder what will happen afterwards? Zhongbao said: That requires another calculation. His deduction was: The initiating transmission is the metal of Shen, riding the Vermilion Bird. The middle and final transmissions turn into the Azure Dragon and Tai Chang. All three transmissions are in the position of growth. The year pillar also has the Azure Dragon, and then proceeds to Tai Chang. Tai Chang governs positions at the provincial and prefectural levels. The riding official is the wood of Yin, which is originally the domain of the Azure Dragon (the Azure Dragon belongs to the element of wood). In February, the wood is in its flourishing phase, and it combines with the upper god Wu (the month builder's卯) to form the triple harmony of Yin-Wu-Xu. Moreover, the nobleman proceeds in the right direction, and the initiating transmission is before the nobleman, so it indicates a high result in the provincial examination. As for the palace examination, it is based on the heavenly stem: the current heavenly stem is Chou, which does not appear in the three transmissions. The Azure Dragon is exactly in the position of Kongwang. The Tiangang Chen is placed on the heavenly stem Chou, and the heavenly stem Chou is placed on the day stem Xin. The upper god is the White Tiger. Chou is the storage place of metal, and Chou also harms the戌 palace where the metal Xin is located. Therefore, you will not be able to accept the imperial favor.

辛卯年正月辛巳日亥將申時，曹丙道再占來年省試。一針見血。

In the year of Xin Mao, first lunar month, on the day of Xin Si, using the hour of Hai as the starting point with the time of Shen, Cao Bing cast another divination for the provincial examination of the following year. This example is from "One Needle Sees the Essence."

愚按：辛卯當是徽宗政和元年，稱再占者，是日卯時己占過來年釋褐課也。

The Cheng Shuxun case: This Xinmao year should be the Political Harmony Year of Emperor Huizong of Song (1111 CE). It is called "a second divination" because on the same day, at the卯 (Mao) hour, a divination was already performed for the coming year's "Shihhe" (the first official appointment after passing the imperial examination). This is referred to as the lesson "Cao Bingdao Divined for the Coming Year's Shihhe" in the following sections of this book.

朱合勾龍 申酉戌亥 龍朱陰虎 兄 申 朱 ◎ 蛇未 子空 亥申辰丑 子 乙亥 龍 ⊙ 貴午 丑虎 申巳丑辛 財 戊寅 常 巳辰卯寅 后陰玄常

This lesson is identical to the previous one where Li Ming divined the provincial examination, as the month general, the time of divination, and the day stem and branch are the same. The heavenly generals start at午 and proceed in order: 午 is the nobleman, 未 is the teng snake, 申 is the vermilion bird, 酉 is the liu he, 戌 is the gou chen, 亥 is the azure dragon, 子 is the heavenly void, 丑 is the white tiger, 寅 is the tai chang, 卯 is the black tortoise, 辰 is the tai yin, and 巳 is the heavenly empress. The four lessons are arranged from right to left as 丑 added to 辛, 辰 added to 丑, 申 added to 巳, and 亥 added to 申. The heavenly generals on the four lessons are: Azure Dragon on 亥, Vermilion Bird on 申, Tai Yin on 辰, and White Tiger on 丑. The three transmissions are 申 (brother, riding the vermilion bird, falling into the旬空), 亥 (Yihai, son, riding the azure dragon), and 寅 (Wuyin, wife's wealth, riding the tai chang).

邵彥和曰：三傳始末見天城天吏，作朱雀、太常，又是驛四馬，又朱雀火克身，本傳俱在長生學堂之上，定然得官。果次年壬辰三月榜出高甲及第。

Shao Yanhe said: When the three transmissions begin and end with the deities "Tian Cheng" and "Tian Li," they ride on the Vermilion Bird and Tai Chang respectively, and in the middle transmission, theThe Post-horse is found on Xinsi day, which corresponds to the亥 position, the middle transmission. The Vermilion Bird belongs to fire, which can overcome the metal of Xinsi, indicating a sign of literary fame and success. Moreover, all three transmissions fall on auspicious positions such as Growth and School, so one is certain to attain official rank. Later, indeed, in the second year, Renchen (Zhenghe Second Year), in the third lunar month, when the examination results were announced, he ranked high among the top candidates in the first class.

己酉年正月辛巳日子將酉時，時監院庚午生，四十歲，占謀動遷轉。宋本邵案。口鑑。

In the year Jiyou, first lunar month, on the day Xinsi, the divination was started with the hour of Zi added to the hour of You. The question was about a monk seeking a transfer and promotion. The person in question was born in the year Gengwu and was forty years old. This example is found in the Song edition of Shao Yanhe's "Zhan An" and in "Liu Ren Kou Jian."

空虎常玄 申酉戌亥 玄空朱后 兄 申 空 ◎ 青未 子陰 亥申辰丑 子 乙亥 玄 ⊙ 勾午 丑后 申巳丑辛 財 戊寅 貴 巳辰卯寅 合朱蛇貴

The Heaven and Earth plates section: The nobleman starts on寅 (the night nobleman on辛 day). The twelve heavenly generals proceed in order—寅 has 'Nobleman',卯 has 'Teng Snake',辰 has 'Vermilion Bird',巳 has 'Liu He',午 has 'Gou Chen',未 has 'Azure Dragon',申 has 'Tian Kong',酉 has 'White Tiger',戌 has 'Tai Chang',亥 has 'Black Tortoise',子 has 'Tai Yin', and丑 has 'Heavenly Empress'. The arrangement of the Heaven plate is the same as the previous lesson (both Heaven and Earth plates advance by three positions), but since the night nobleman is used, all the heavenly generals change. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has丑 added to辛, the second lesson has辰 added to丑, the third lesson has申 added to巳, and the fourth lesson has亥 added to申; the heavenly generals on the four lessons are:亥 has 'Black Tortoise',申 has 'Tian Kong',辰 has 'Vermilion Bird', and丑 has 'Heavenly Empress'. The three transmissions: the first transmission is申, which is a brother, riding on Tian Kong, falling into the empty term; the middle transmission is亥, with the hidden dry branch Yihai, which is a son and daughter, riding on Black Tortoise; the final transmission is寅, with the hidden dry branch Wuyin, which is a wife and wealth, riding on Nobleman.

邵彥和曰：此課守妻家，卒未能動身。今喜日墓帶丁，遂有變動之意。臨廟滿後，必得京局監當差遣，多是藥院之類。末傳寅在前引動墓，遂得出去。又是夜貴人，乃久困之貴人，今得起用於朝，因此可以引之。若見廚灶煮麵，僕子為湯所傷，即是喜事到之期。又主小兒落佛堂外水坑亦應也。

Shao Yanhe said: This divination indicates that this person has been staying at his wife's family and has not been able to move. However, it is pleasing to see that the day's墓 (burial) in丑 (Chou) contains the 丁 (Ding) spirit from the旬遁 (decade concealment), which suggests a change. After completing the current temple duty, he will certainly be assigned a position similar to that of the capital bureau supervisor, most likely in the pharmacy department. The final transmission寅 (Yin) wood in front leads theTomb Spirit (burial spirit), so he will be able to move. The divination also uses the night nobleman, which is a nobleman who has been long unused. Now he is being used by the court, so he can be relied upon to recommend this person. In the future, if one sees the kitchen making noodles or a servant getting burned by hot soup, it will be a day of good fortune. Also, it indicates that a child falling into a water pit outside the temple hall will occur at the same time.

時自二十三上就寄居妻家，是年欲謀動，占得此課。庚戌七月嶽祠滿，討得監和劑局，因乃嶽徐侍郎在九宮觀，遂得台州差遣。所云夜貴久困，即此人也。辛亥其女生日，廚下煮麵，其僕子托面出，被人沖在身，而被湯所傷。又宴客更深，親戚小兒戲於佛堂外，失足墜小池中，次日早文字來催赴任。

This monk, the head of the temple, had been living in his wife's family since he was twenty-three. That year, he wanted to seek a transfer, and he cast this divination. In the year Gengxu, during the seventh month, the temple duties he had been assigned at his wife's family were completed, and he obtained a position in the supervision and preparation bureau. Also, since his father-in-law, Xu the Attendant-Lord, was serving at the Jiugongguan, he was assigned to take office in Taizhou. The previous statement "the nobleman has been long confined" refers to this Xu the Attendant-Lord. In the year Xinhai, on the birthday of his daughter, the kitchen was making noodles, and a servant brought the noodles out, but was bumped into and scalded by hot soup. Another time, during a banquet that lasted until late at night, a child from a relative was playing outside the Buddha hall and fell into a small pond. The next morning, the official document summoning him to take office arrived.

蓋丑加辛作墓神，天后又是滯神，丑中有旬丁為搖動移換，申為醫藥加巳，巳為廚灶，申又為面，天空為僕，亥加申為元武，武乃水神為池，元武又為墮水，辛以亥為子息，主孩童墮此池中。末卻見貴人乘天門，便是赴任之期也。

The principle is: Chou is placed on the day stem Xin as the tomb god, and Chou is also occupied by the Heavenly Empress, who is a god of stagnation, so there is being confined and immobile; Chou contains the hidden Ding god of the ten-day cycle, and Ding governs movement and change, so there is also change. Shen governs medicine, placed on Si, which is the kitchen, and Shen also governs flour, so it should relate to the pharmacy and cooking noodles; Tian Kong represents a servant, so it indicates the servant is injured. Hai is placed on Shen with the Black Tortoise, which is the water god, governing ponds and drowning; Xin day takes Hai as offspring, so it indicates a child falling into this pond. The final transmission is on寅, but there is a Nobleman present, and寅 is directly placed on the Earth Plate Hai (Heaven's gate), which indicates the date for taking office.