On Xinmao day, the gentleman named Lang Xiaolian divined about the imperial examination (the metropolitan examination). (Guo's Divination Case)

丁丑年二月辛卯日亥將丑時郎孝廉名燈者占會試。 郭氏占案

In the year of Dingchou, second lunar month, on the day of Xinmao, the month general is Hai (Dengming), placed on the Chou hour to cast the divination. The person seeking the divination is a candidate named Lang Deng, asking about his performance in the current imperial examination. This case is from Guo's "Divination Cases."

合朱蛇貴 卯辰巳午 虎龍貴陰 父 己丑 龍 勾寅 未后 亥丑午申 子 丁亥 虎 龍丑 申陰 丑卯申辛 兄 乙酉 玄 子亥戌酉 空虎常玄

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals: Chou is乘 by Qinglong, Yin is乘 by Gou Chen, Mao is乘 by Liu He, Chen is乘 by Zhuque, Si is乘 by Teng Snake, Wu is乘 by Guiren, Wei is乘 by Tianhou, Shen is乘 by Taiyin, You is乘 by Xuanwu, Xu is乘 by Taichang, Hai is乘 by Bahu, Zi is乘 by Tiankong - Guiren is on Wu. The heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, Day Stem Xin (with its lodging palace in Xu) has Shen on it, Shen is乘 by Taiyin; the second lesson, Shen has Wu on it, Wu is乘 by Guiren; the third lesson, Day Branch Mao has Chou on it, Chou is乘 by Qinglong; the fourth lesson, Chou has Hai on it, Hai is乘 by Bahu. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Ji Chou, representing the parents' yao,乘 by Qinglong; the middle transmission is Ding Hai, representing the children's yao,乘 by Bahu; the final transmission is Yi You, representing the brothers' yao,乘 by Xuanwu. In the year Dingchou, the heavenly stem is Chou, which is also the burial place of Xin metal, and it falls exactly on the first transmission. The three transmissions, Chou, Hai, and You, decline in reverse order, all being yin branches, so the following text refers to the pattern as "Extreme Yin."

郭御青曰：命上乘日祿，行年上乘幕貴，本為好處，嫌課名九丑，格名極陰。太歲作墓神為龍夾克，不美。果不中。

Guo Yuqing said: The native's destiny is riding on the day stem's luck god, and the year's destiny is riding on the curtain nobleman, which are both good signs; unfortunately, the name of the lesson is called 'Nine Disgraces', and the pattern is called 'Extreme Yin'. The sovereign also serves as the tomb god and is controlled by the azure dragon, which is very inauspicious. Later, he indeed failed the examination.

丁丑年二月辛卯日亥將子時歸孝廉名起光者占會試。 郭氏占案

In the year of Dingchou, second lunar month, on the day of Xinmao, the month general is Hai (Dengming), placed on the Zi hour to cast the divination. The person seeking the divination is a candidate named Guī Qǐguāng, asking about his performance in the current imperial examination. This case is from Guo's "Divination Cases."

朱蛇貴后 辰巳午未 龍勾陰玄 父 己丑 龍 合卯 申陰 丑寅申酉 子 戊子 空 勾寅 酉玄 寅卯酉辛 子 丁亥 虎 丑子亥戌 龍空虎常

A flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals: Chen is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, Si by the Teng Snake, Wu by the Nobleman, Wei by the Heavenly Empress, Shen by Tai Yin, You by the Black Tortoise, Xu by Tai Chang, Hai by the White Tiger, Zi by Tian Kong, Chou by the Azure Dragon, Yin by Gou Chen, and Mao by Liu He. The Nobleman is located on Wu, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Xin (located on Xu) has You, which is accompanied by the Black Tortoise; the second lesson, You has Shen, which is accompanied by Tai Yin; the third lesson, the day branch Mao has Yin, which is accompanied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson, Yin has Chou, which is accompanied by the Azure Dragon. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Ji Chou, representing the parents' yao, accompanied by the Azure Dragon; the middle transmission is Wu Zi, representing the children's yao, accompanied by Tian Kong; the final transmission is Ding Hai, representing the children's yao, accompanied by the White Tiger. The禄神 of Xin metal is on You, which is currently suppressed by the Black Tortoise on the day stem; the three transmissions, Chou, Zi, and Hai, retreat step by step, gradually draining the energy of Xin metal.

郭御青曰：干上祿神為玄武所奪，遁得丁馬，為辛日之害，雖簾幕在宅，與日上年命俱無干，三傳盜氣，日辰夾住，欠一戌字，而為命上神補足，命上戌臨作闕隔斷，皆非吉象，後果抱屈。

Guo Yuqing said: The禄神 on the day stem was taken by the Black Tortoise; the hidden stem obtained a Ding, becoming a Ding horse, which is precisely the harmful god of the辛 day. Although the nobleman is located on the day branch, it is unrelated to the day stem, the year stem, and the native stem. The three transmissions continuously steal my energy, and are further trapped between the day stem and day branch. In the middle, only the character 戌 is missing, which is exactly filled by the native stem; however, the position of 戌 on the native stem becomes an image of "阙", indicating a blockage. These are all ominous signs. Later, he indeed suffered injustice and failed the examination.

戊申年十二月辛卯日丑將寅時葉七秀才丁卯生四十二歲占終身。 方本占案、口鑑

In the year of Wushen, during the twelfth lunar month, on the day of Xinmao, the Month General is "Chou" (Daji), placed on the Yin hour to cast the divination. The person seeking the divination is Ye Qixiu, born in the year of Dingmao, aged forty-two this year, asking about his life's fortune and misfortune. This case is recorded in the Fang Ben "Zhan An" and "Kou Jian."

六陳 朱辰巳午未龍 蛇卯 申空 后貴空虎 父 己丑 后 貴寅 酉虎 丑寅申酉 子 戊子 陰 后丑子亥戌常 寅卯酉辛 子 丁亥 武 陰玄

A flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals: Chen is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, Si by Liu He, Wu by Gou Chen, Wei by the Azure Dragon, Shen by Tian Kong, You by the White Tiger, Xu by Tai Chang, Hai by the Black Tortoise, Zi by Tai Yin, Chou by the Heavenly Empress, Yin by the Nobleman, and Mao by the Teng Snake. The Nobleman is located on Yin, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order, differing from the counterclockwise arrangement in previous lessons. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Xin (located on Xu) with You, which is accompanied by the White Tiger; the second lesson has You with Shen, which is accompanied by Tian Kong; the third lesson has the day branch Mao with Yin, which is accompanied by the Nobleman; the fourth lesson has Yin with Chou, which is accompanied by the Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Ji Chou, representing the parent's yao accompanied by the Heavenly Empress; the second transmission is Wu Zi, representing the son's yao accompanied by Tai Yin; the third transmission is Ding Hai, representing the son's yao accompanied by the Black Tortoise (the original text reads 'Wu', which is a shortened form of the Black Tortoise). Chou is both the burial place of Xin metal and the parent's yao, and the following interpretation of the ancestral tomb will be based on this position.

邵彥和曰：你堂上所葬，乃丑加寅，艮山地也。水便陡瀉自西北上出去，庚上有一石山，其形甚丑，必主人要錢而死。你因妻起家妻財作貴之故，不是六年是七年喪妻，自此退耗。一則男女債，二乃子不成器，三有水壞田，九年大退，十三年當患氣而卒。葉母艮山坤向丑上乘天后，故主乎母，水從脅下流去西北，庚上有一山，生來皆是怪石。壬子年妻弟來家相訪因要錢入城，中途腹痛而死。甲寅年喪妻，年內賣產嫁女，長子賭錢好色，卯年大水，溪邊田盡壞。丙辰十一月疝氣而亡。

Shao Yanhe said: The grave of your ancestors is a mountain of Gen, with the branch Chou added to the branch Yin. Water flows straight down from the side of the grave and flows toward the northwest. There is a stone mountain at the position of Geng (southeast of due west), which has an ugly shape and will certainly lead to someone dying for money. You have built your family through your wife, because the wife's wealth line is riding on the nobleman. Either in the sixth or seventh year, your wife will die, and from then on, the family will decline. First, there is the debt from marriage; second, the son is not capable; third, floods have ruined the fields. In the ninth year, there will be a great retreat, and in the thirteenth year, there will be a death from a disease of the breath. Later, all these predictions came true: the grave of the Ye family's mother is a mountain facing the earth, with the branch Chou riding on the Heavenly Empress, so it refers to the mother. Water flows down from the side of the mountain toward the northwest, and indeed there is a mountain at the Geng position, which is naturally full of strange stones. In the year Renzi, the wife's younger brother came to the family as a guest, went into the city to borrow money, and died of stomach pain on the way. In the year Jiayin, the wife died, and during that year, the family sold property to marry off their daughter, and the eldest son was addicted to gambling and women. In the year Mao, there was a great flood, and all the fields by the stream were destroyed. In the year Bingchen, in November, Ye Qi died of hernia.

蓋丑土生辛金，故為母。辛以寅為妻，故因妻起家。寅艮方，丑加之，故艮山墳地。金絕於寅，故主妻死。傳見子亥，金水相生，傳見退脫，是以退也。辛以子為子，亥為女，太陰男不明，元武女多賠耗，亥四子九，四九三十六，亥為腎，元武主疝氣，金死於子，故十三年疝氣而亡。沈曰：丑為辛墓，又是父母，是以主堂上墳。然不發用，不可亂斷。水便陡瀉，自西北上出去者，子亥逆入西北，是以言陡瀉也。

The basis of the divination is: the earthy branch Chou (Ox) generates the metal Xin (Silver), so it is taken as the mother. Xin metal takes Yin wood as wife and wealth, so it is predicted that he will become prosperous through his wife. Yin is located in the direction of Gen (Mountain), and Chou is placed above Yin, so the grave site is considered to be a Gen mountain. Metal is in decline at Yin, so it indicates the wife's death. In the three transmissions, the presence of Zi (Rat) and Hai (Pig) indicates a mutual generation of metal and water, showing a continuous retreat and depletion, so the family's fortune will decline. Xin metal takes Zi water as son and Hai water as daughter; Zi is covered by Tai Yin, indicating the son will not achieve success, while Hai is covered by Xuan Wu, indicating the daughter will spend heavily. Hai corresponds to the number four, and Zi corresponds to nine; multiplying four by nine gives thirty-six, which is used to calculate the time of the event. Hai governs the kidney, Xuan Wu governs hernia, and metal is in decline at Zi, so it is predicted that he will die from hernia in the thirteenth year. Shen氏 says: Chou is the tomb of Xin metal and also the parent's yao, so it indicates the grave of the ancestors in the family; however, since it does not initiate the transmission, it should not be misinterpreted. The phrase 'water rushes steeply and flows from the northwest' is because Zi and Hai, when reversed, fall exactly in the northwest direction, indicating a steep and rapid flow.

庚辰年三月辛卯日戌時傅姓者占六甲。 指南

On the Xinmao day of the Gengchen year in the third lunar month, the class was cast at the Xu hour. The person asking the question is surnamed Fu, and the query concerns pregnancy and childbirth. In the Six壬 system, the subject of pregnancy and childbirth is referred to as "Liujia." This case is from the "Liujin Zhi Nan." Observing the lesson diagram, the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate are completely overlapping, indicating that the Month General at that time was also Xu. Since the Month General coincides with the time of casting the class, it forms a Hidden Chant situation.

勾青 六巳午未申空 蛇蛇常常 財 辛卯 蛇 朱辰 酉虎 卯卯戌戌 子 戊子 陰 蛇卯 戌常 卯卯戌辛 財 辛卯 蛇 貴寅丑子亥玄 后陰

The flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals:巳 is occupied by Liu He,午 by Gou Chen,未 by Azure Dragon,申 by Tian Kong,酉 by White Tiger,戌 by Tai Chang,亥 by Black Tortoise,子 by Tai Yin,丑 by Heavenly Empress,寅 by Nobleman,卯 by Teng Snake,辰 by Vermilion Bird. The Nobleman is located on寅, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem辛 (which is in戌), shows戌, which is occupied by Tai Chang; the second lesson, on戌, still shows戌, still occupied by Tai Chang; the third lesson, on the day branch卯, shows卯, which is occupied by Teng Snake; the fourth lesson, on卯, still shows卯, still occupied by Teng Snake. The heaven plate and earth plate are completely overlapping, forming a Hidden Chant lesson. The three transmissions: the first transmission isXinmao, which is the wife's wealth hexagram occupied by Teng Snake, the middle transmission is戊子, which is the son's hexagram occupied by Tai Yin, and the final transmission is againXinmao, the wife's wealth hexagram occupied by Teng Snake. In a Hidden Chant lesson on a yin day, the transmission starts with the god on the day branch, then follows the principle of mutual punishment to determine the middle and final transmissions.卯 is punished by子, and子 is punished by卯, so the three transmissions are卯,子,卯. The戌 on the day stem is Hekui, and the overlapping卯 on the day branch is the fetal god. The following interpretation of twin male children comes from here.

陳公獻曰：此必雙胎，皆男子也，主八月戌日辰時生，母子清吉。何以知為雙胎？以月建重疊，作胎神乘旺氣故也（此必二月建，以金胎在卯故也）。何以知為兩男？卯屬震為長男，日上河魁，乾宮所屬，亦男也。何以知八月生，酉沖卯胎，戌日辰時者，戌為養神，俟辰來沖干上戌也。占男女，以干上之支所寄之卦之陰陽斷之，非以支之陰陽為斷也。

Chen Gongxian said: This must be twins, both boys, born on the day of Xu in the morning hour of Chen in the eighth month, with mother and child safe. How do we know they are twins? Because the month builder overlaps and acts as the fetal god, riding on the strong energy (this must be the month builder of the second month, because the nurturing position of metal is on Mao). How do we know they are two boys? Mao belongs to the trigram Zhen, which represents the eldest son; the day stem's Xu is Hekui, belonging to the Qian palace, which also governs males. How do we know they were born in the eighth month? Because You can stir up Mao, the fetal god. How do we know it was on the day of Xu in the morning hour of Chen? Because Xu is the nurturing god, and we need to wait for Chen to stir up the Xu on the day stem, so that the fetal energy can be activated. When predicting the gender of a child, one should look at the trigram associated with the branch on the day stem to determine if it is yin or yang, rather than just looking at the yin or yang of the branch itself.

建火庚戌年六月壬辰日午將巳時葉解元丁丑生三十四歲占病。 方本占案

On the day of Renchen in the sixth month of the year Gengxu, the month general is Wu (Shengguang), placed on the hour of Si to cast the divination. The person seeking the divination is Ye, a top scholar, born in the year Dingchou, thirty-four years old, inquiring about his own illness. This case is from Fang Ben's "Divination Cases."

朱六 蛇午未申酉陳 貴巳 戌龍 蛇貴常虎 鬼 己丑 常 后辰 亥空 午巳丑子 子 庚寅 玄 陰卯寅丑子虎 巳辰子壬 子 辛卯 陰 玄常

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals: Wu is accompanied by Teng Snake, Wei by Vermilion Bird, Shen by Liu He, You by Gou Chen, Xu by Azure Dragon, Hai by Tian Kong, Zi by White Tiger, Chou by Tai Chang, Yin by Black Tortoise, Mao by Tai Yin, Chen by Heavenly Empress, and Si by Nobleman. The Nobleman is located on Si, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Ren (with its lodging palace at Hai), shows Zi, which is accompanied by White Tiger; the second lesson, on Zi, shows Chou, which is accompanied by Tai Chang; the third lesson, on the day branch Chen, shows Si, which is accompanied by Nobleman; the fourth lesson, on Si, shows Wu, which is accompanied by Teng Snake. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Jiachou, an official ghost爻 accompanied by Tai Chang, the middle transmission is Gengyin, a son爻 accompanied by Black Tortoise, and the final transmission is Xinmao, a son爻 accompanied by Tai Yin. The day Renchen falls in the Jiashen decade, with the void in Wu and Wei. The three transmissions, Chou, Yin, and Mao, proceed in a continuous sequence, which is referred to as '迤逦进脱' in the text.

邵彥和曰：此課本身雖堅固，不合傳進迤邐脫氣，子與丑合作常，因與人相會飲酒食，而喜樂太過，遂惑風邪。今已七八分了，以行年退一步而就祿，壬水又旺，玄又同途，水既太盛，雖生木不為害，但只補元氣，其風自退。宅上見絕神，三傳丑寅卯，若非行年退卻一步，定見進脫，不可療矣。

Shao Yanhe said: The original energy of this divination is still strong, but the three transmissions proceed forward step by step, gradually draining the energy of the day stem. Zi and Chou combine, with Chou receiving Tai Chang, which governs feasting and drinking. Therefore, the illness arises from excessive revelry and eating with others, thus inviting wind pathogen. The illness is now recovering about seven or eight parts, because the year stem has retreated one step and is now on its own luck position, with Ren water being strong and Xuanwu accompanying it. Although water is too strong, it does not become harmful even if it generates wood. As long as the original energy is replenished, the wind pathogen will naturally retreat. The day branch shows the绝神, and the three transmissions proceed through Chou, Yin, and Mao. If the year stem had not retreated this step, it would have formed an "advancing loss" situation, which would be incurable.

大凡壬日行丑寅卯，迄邐進脫，支上又見絕神，必不可治，不問老少皆以死論。惟此課行年在後一位，引退就祿。雖然進其實就退，只不合初傳本命來與子合，太常為燕樂神，過餘遂使風邪入內，以致生病。然喜時令在秋，壬癸水秋生，得亥子相併旺相，必不至死。主今冬得子。若是來年正月節生必貴子。內有暗貴人故也。目下主服，初丑破碎作常是以主之。

In general, if on a day of the Jia water stem, the three transmissions progress through the Chou, Yin, and Mao branches, each step advancing but eventually losing strength, and if the day branch also shows the绝 (cut-off) god, it is certainly not curable, regardless of age. Only in this case, the year of birth falls on the next branch, which is like leading the body back, retreating to the禄 (favorable position). It seems like progress, but in reality it is retreat. Fortunately, the first transmission is exactly the person's own stem, which combines with the Zi (water) stem, and the Tai Chang (god of music and entertainment) is the god of joy. Excessive joy allows evil winds to enter the body, causing illness. Fortunately, the season is autumn, and the Jia and Yi water stems gain strength from the autumn metal. There are also the Hai and Zi branches in the旺相 (prosperous and strong) positions, so death is not certain. This indicates that a son will be born this winter. If born after the beginning of the next year's lunar January, it will certainly be a noble son, as the lesson contains an hidden nobleman. Currently, there is also an indication of mourning for a parent. The first transmission, Chou, carries the Broken Fragments evil star and is accompanied by Tai Chang, so this is the conclusion.

十月壬辰日寅將戌時占逃亡。 精蘊

On the Renchen day in the tenth month, using 'Yin' (Gongcao) as the Month General, the calculation starts at the 'Xu' hour. The divination is about a person who has fled. This case is from the "Six Nines Essence."

勾龍空虎 酉戌亥子 虎合朱陰 鬼 ◎未 朱 合申 丑常 子申未卯 兄 丁亥 空 朱未 寅玄 申辰卯壬 子 辛卯 陰 午巳辰卯 蛇貴后陰

Flat lesson pattern chart. The outer circle consists of twelve branches with their respective heavenly generals: Si (Snake) is accompanied by the Nobleman, Wu (Dragon) by the Teng Snake, Wei (Earth) by the Vermilion Bird, Shen (Monkey) by the Liu He, You (Rooster) by the Gou Chen, Xu (Dog) by the Azure Dragon, Hai (Pig) by the Tian Kong, Zi (Rat) by the White Tiger, Chou (Ox) by the Tai Chang, Yin (Tiger) by the Black Tortoise, Mao (Rabbit) by the Tai Yin, and Chen (Dragon) by the Heavenly Empress. The Nobleman is located on Si, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Ren (with its lodging palace at Hai), shows Mao (Rabbit) accompanied by the Tai Yin; the second lesson, on Mao, shows Wei (Earth) accompanied by the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, on the day branch Chen, shows Shen (Monkey) accompanied by the Liu He; the fourth lesson, on Shen, shows Zi (Rat) accompanied by the White Tiger. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wei (Earth), representing the official ghost爻 accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, with the symbol "◎" indicating an empty position in the ten-day cycle; the middle transmission is Ding Hai, representing the brother爻 accompanied by the Tian Kong; the final transmission is Xin Mao, representing the grandson爻 accompanied by the Tai Yin. On the day of Ren Chen, it belongs to the Jiashen ten-day cycle, with the positions of Wu (Dragon) and Wei (Earth) being empty, so an empty mark is added on Wei. The three transmissions, Wei, Hai, and Mao, are in reverse order of the triple harmony of Hai, Mao, and Wei, forming a wooden trinity.

斷曰：小吉加卯為用，主門戶動搖。將得朱雀，主為詞訟交加，文書口舌。中見登明，將得天空，必因欺詐而逃。甲申旬以午未為孤虛，逃亡終不可獲。末見太沖，得太陰，復臨日上，辰上見傳送，將得六合，為天門，冬日占，太陰臨生門，逃亡必遠去也。

The interpretation states: Xiao Ji (Wei) is placed on Mao and initiates the transmission, indicating instability and unrest in the household. Above it is the Vermilion Bird, suggesting lawsuits and being entangled in legal matters and verbal disputes. The middle transmission shows Dengming (Hai), riding on Tian Kong, indicating that the person must have fled due to fraud and deception. On Renchen day, which belongs to the Jiashen decade, the positions of Wu and Wei are isolated and weak, so the fugitive will never be captured. The final transmission shows Taichong (Mao), riding on Tai Yin, and it turns back to be on the day stem. The day branch, Chen, has Chuansong (Shen) riding on Liu He, which is the heavenly gate. It is also winter, and Tai Yin is on the gate of life, indicating that the fugitive has definitely fled far away.

崇正庚辰年十一月十五壬辰日申時占孟津。 課經集

In the Gengchen year of the Chongzheng era, on the 15th day of the 11th lunar month, on the Renchen day, the divination was cast at the Shen hour. The question was about returning to one's hometown in Mengjin. This case is from the "Ke Jing Ji." The original text only records the time of the divination but does not specify the month general; the month general for the 11th lunar month is Chou (Daji). By placing Chou on the Shen hour, the resulting lesson pattern matches exactly with the one recorded in the text.

龍空虎常 戌亥子丑 玄勾勾后 子 庚寅 玄 勾酉 寅玄 寅酉酉辰 鬼 ◎未 朱 合申 卯陰 酉辰辰壬 兄 戊子 虎 未午巳辰 朱蛇貴後

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals:巳 is occupied by the Nobleman,午 by the Teng Snake,未 by the Vermilion Bird,申 by Liu He,酉 by Gou Chen,戌 by the Azure Dragon,亥 by Tian Kong,子 by the White Tiger,丑 by Tai Chang,寅 by the Black Tortoise,卯 by Tai Yin,辰 by the Heavenly Empress. The Nobleman is located on巳, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ren (which resides on亥) is accompanied by辰, which is occupied by the Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, on辰 is酉, which is occupied by Gou Chen; the third lesson, on the day branch辰 is酉, which is occupied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson, on酉 is寅, which is occupied by the Black Tortoise. The day branch辰 is directly placed on the day stem, with辰 earth overcoming Ren water, and辰 is also the burial place of Ren water, which is referred to later as "branch adds to stem, overcomes stem, and buries stem." The three transmissions: the first transmission isGengyin, which is the son爻 occupied by the Black Tortoise; the second transmission is未, which is the official ghost爻 occupied by the Vermilion Bird and is in the旬空; the third transmission isWuzi, which is the brother爻 occupied by the White Tiger.

郭御青曰：揆臺王公覺斯，北都至懷慶，擬次日渡河。回原籍孟津。餘占得此課，支加干，克干，墓干，卑凌尊，下犯上，為上門亂首，大凶之象，餘痛止之。王公云：二人在堂，急欲往省。餘勸以迎至河北，王公尚猶豫。次早，夫馬駢集署門，餘授書又止之，公始聽餘言不行，迎其椿萱至覃懷，不十數日，而遭內艱，又春正念一日，賊陷洛陽，危哉，設王公至家，即遇太夫人之變，將奈何也？

Guo Yuqing said: The minister Wang Juesi (Wang Duo, from Mengjin) from the cabinet was traveling from Beijing to Huaiqing, planning to cross the Yellow River the next day to return to his hometown of Mengjin. I divined for him and found that the day branch added to the day stem both overcame the day stem and was its墓 (burial place), which signifies a situation where the inferior rises above the superior and the lower position offends the upper position, called "shang men luan shou," which is a major凶 (auspicious) omen. I strongly advised him against it. The minister said that his parents were still alive and he urgently needed to return to visit them. I advised him to bring his parents to the north of the Yellow River, but he was still hesitant. The next morning, his carriage, attendants, and servants had already gathered at the official gate. I then handed him another letter and strongly advised him again, and the minister finally listened to my advice and did not leave, instead bringing his parents to Tanhuai (Huaiqing). Less than ten days later, he suffered the loss of his mother; by the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, bandits attacked Luoyang. How dangerous it was! If the minister had returned home that day and coincidentally met the death of his mother, what would have happened?

甲申年秋壬辰日巳將子時陳殿元占謫官衢州。 方本占案、一針見血

In the year of Jiashen autumn, on the day of Renchen, using the trigram Si (Taiyi) as the Month General, the calculation starts at the Zi hour. The person seeking the divination is Chen, a top-ranking scholar, inquiring about his appointment to an official post in Quzhou after being demoted. This case is recorded in the Fang Ben "Zhan An" and "Yi Zhen Jian Xue."

陳六 龍戌亥子丑朱 空酉 寅蛇 蛇空空后 子 庚寅 蛇 虎申 卯貴 寅酉酉辰 鬼 空未 常 常未午巳辰后 酉辰辰壬 兄 戊子 六 玄陰

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals:卯 is乘 by the Nobleman,寅 is乘 by the Teng Snake,丑 is乘 by the Vermilion Bird,子 is乘 by Liu He,亥 is乘 by Gou Chen,戌 is乘 by the Azure Dragon,酉 is乘 by Tian Kong,申 is乘 by the White Tiger,未 is乘 by Tai Chang,午 is乘 by the Black Tortoise,巳 is乘 by Tai Yin, and辰 is乘 by the Heavenly Empress. The Nobleman is located on卯, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Ren (which resides on Hai) with辰, which is乘 by the Heavenly Empress; the second lesson has辰 with酉, which is乘 by Tian Kong; the third lesson has the day branch辰 with酉, which is乘 by Tian Kong; the fourth lesson has酉 with寅, which is乘 by the Teng Snake. The earthly spirits of the four lessons are the same as in the previous case, but the heavenly generals they are乘 by are different. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Gengyin, which is the son爻乘 by the Teng Snake; the middle transmission is Wei, which is the official ghost爻乘 by Tai Chang and is in the旬空; the final transmission is Wuzi, which is the brother爻乘 by Liu He.

邵彥和曰：寅作蛇加酉為用，蛇入雞穴而破腸，未加寅為中傳，是鬼宿入鬼門，子加未作末傳乘六合，是勢害也。那又辰加壬作天后，刑勝德，此課三不吉。內有天后乘喜為恩神，雖帶恩動而過多，加官不起，後謫官編官柳州而死。經曰：魁罡若向日辰遊，貶出天涯地角頭，此之謂也。陳殿元后果編官柳州而死。

Shao Yanhe said: When Yin is multiplied by Teng Snake and initiates the transmission on You, it is called "the snake enters the chicken's nest and breaks the intestines"; when Wei is placed on Yin as the middle transmission, it indicates the ghost mansion entering the ghost gate; when Zi is placed on Wei as the final transmission and multiplied by Liu He, it is the image of "powerful harm." Furthermore, when Chen is placed on Ren and multiplied by Heavenly Empress, it indicates punishment exceeding virtue. This divination has three unfavorable aspects. Although there is Heavenly Empress multiplying the joyful god to act as a benevolent deity, the benevolence is present but excessive, so official status cannot be attained. Later, he was indeed demoted and exiled to Liuzhou where he died. The classic says: If the魁罡 moves towards the day branch, one will be exiled to the farthest corners of the world, which exactly describes this situation. Chen Dianyuan later indeed died in exile to Liuzhou.

戊申年十一月壬辰日寅將未時徐通判戊午生（生於二月初二日未時）五十一歲占赴任及前程。 方本占案 口鑑作丑將午時錯

On the Renchen day of the Wu Shen year in the 11th lunar month, using 'Yin' (Gongcao) as the month general, the calculation starts at the 'Wei' hour. The person seeking the divination is Xu Tongpan, born in the Wu Wu year (on the second day of the second lunar month at the 'Wei' hour), who is fifty-one years old. He is asking about his appointment to office and future prospects. This case is recorded in Fang Ben's "Zhan An"; "Kou Jian" mistakenly records it as 'Chou' general at the 'Wu' hour.

陳六 龍子丑寅卯朱 空亥 辰蛇 后空陳後 財 空午 后 虎戌 巳貴 午亥丑午 鬼 己丑 陳 常酉申未午后 亥辰午壬 父 甲申 玄 玄陰

The flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals:巳 is occupied by the Nobleman, 辰 by the Teng Snake, 卯 by the Vermilion Bird, 寅 by the Liu He, 丑 by the Gou Chen, 子 by the Azure Dragon, 亥 by the Tian Kong, 戌 by the White Tiger, 酉 by the Tai Chang, 申 by the Black Tortoise, 未 by the Tai Yin, and 午 by the Heavenly Empress. The Nobleman is located on巳, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ren (which resides on亥) has 午, which is occupied by the Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, 午 has 丑, which is occupied by the Gou Chen; the third lesson, the day branch Chen has 亥, which is occupied by the Tian Kong; the fourth lesson, 亥 has 午, which is occupied by the Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions: the first transmission is 午, representing the wife's wealth爻, occupied by the Heavenly Empress and falling into the旬空; the middle transmission is 己丑, representing the official ghost爻, occupied by the Gou Chen; the final transmission is 甲申, representing the parents爻, occupied by the Black Tortoise. On the day of Renchen, it belongs to the Jiashen旬, with 午 and 未 falling into the旬空, so a mark of "空" is placed on 午. The following analysis of the servant harming the master is based on the Tian Kong being on the dwelling, the Heavenly Empress indicating licentiousness, and the ghost 丑 being placed on the wealth 午.

邵彥和曰：課名亂首，日後因到官中取財，為僕所持，妻被僕姦淫，本身則死於僕手。其父墓玄武不垂頭，拒尸之故。若速移此墳，可保佑性命，否則戊午年必見凶也。

Shao Yanhe said: This lesson is called "Disorder at the Beginning." In the future, you will be caught accepting bribes while in office, and your servant will have evidence against you. Your wife will be violated by your servant, and you yourself will die in the hands of your servant. The root of the disaster lies in the part of your father's tomb where the Black Tortoise is located, which refuses to bow down, forming the image of "Rejecting the Corpse." If you can quickly move this tomb, you may still preserve your life; otherwise, by the Wuwu year, you will certainly meet misfortune.

徐辛亥赴任，權州事，有一婦人打死一婢，徐得二千貫，從輕發落，後新知州怪其用度過多，遂與不足，而徐有僕童吉，常持二十千以挾其主，遂奸其妻，夫知竟不敢明責。乙卯升池州，不帶此僕去，僕每恨之，戊午僕來池州，僕持刃刺徐於門。

Later events showed that Xu took office in the Xinhai year, acting as acting governor of the state. A woman killed a servant girl, and Xu accepted two thousand guan of money and dealt with the case leniently. Later, the new governor governor was jealous of his extravagant spending and stopped giving him full allowance. Xu had a servant named Tong Ji, who often used the matter of the two thousand guan to threaten his master and eventually raped his wife. Xu knew about it but dared not openly accuse him. In the Yimao year, Xu was transferred to Chizhou and did not take the servant with him, and the servant harbored resentment. In the Wuwu year, the servant followed him to Chizhou and killed Xu with a knife at the gate.

蓋其父墓坎山，元武七十餘丈，葬在六十丈，前面又有十餘丈，果不垂頭。亥加辰，乃自取亂首。天空僕犯主也。午為財，丑為鬼，丑鬼加午財上，故在任受財，午到亥，六陰終始，僕*其妻，壬乘午之故也。天后在上，主淫亂，壬以申為父，加丑是父墓，玄武長生而不垂頭為拒尸。午亥俱自刑，故僕傷，下犯上，亂首也。

The basis for the deduction is that his father's tomb is on a mountain of water, and the Black Tortoise section is over seventy feet long, but the tomb was placed at sixty feet, leaving more than ten feet in front, which indeed shows 'not hanging down'. The亥 is added on the辰, which is self-inflicted confusion. The Tian Kong is present at the position, indicating servants offending the master. The午 represents wife's wealth, and the丑 represents official ghosts; the official ghost is placed on top of the wife's wealth, so he will be involved in corruption while in office. Counting from午 to亥, there are six yin positions connected at the ends, and the servant has committed a disgrace against his wife (the original text is missing one character, replaced by a symbol). This is because the壬 water is riding on the午. The Heavenly Empress is in the upper position, indicating disorder. The壬 uses the申 metal as its parents, and the申 is placed on the丑, which is exactly the parents' storage place; the Black Tortoise is in the growth position but refuses to hang down, which is 'rejecting the corpse'. The午 and午, the亥 and亥 are all self-punishment, so it indicates being harmed by the servant; the lower position offending the upper position is exactly the sign of confusion.

十二月壬辰日子將巳時某占因二人力打死一人，解官。 方本占案

In the twelfth lunar month on a Renchen day, using 'Zi' (Shenhou) as the Month General, the lesson is cast starting from the 'Si' hour. A person is divining about an incident where two people together killed someone, and the person is now being sent to the authorities. This case is recorded in the Fang Ben "Zhan An."

陳六 龍子丑寅卯朱 空亥 辰蛇 后空陳後 財 空午 后 虎戌 巳貴 午亥丑午 鬼 己丑 陳 常酉申未午后 亥辰午壬 父 甲申 玄 玄陰

The lesson pattern is exactly the same as the previous case: with the寅 (Yin) general at the未 (Wei) hour and the子 (Zi) general at the巳 (Si) hour, the Heaven Plate moves forward seven positions from the Earth Plate, so the four lessons and three transmissions are identical. Outer circle:巳 (Si) is occupied by the Nobleman,辰 (Chen) by the Teng Snake,卯 (Mao) by the Vermilion Bird,寅 (Yin) by the Liu He,丑 (Chou) by the Gou Chen,子 (Zi) by the Azure Dragon,亥 (Hai) by the Tian Kong,戌 (Xu) by the White Tiger,酉 (You) by the Tai Chang,申 (Shen) by the Black Tortoise,未 (Wei) by the Tai Yin, and午 (Wu) by the Heavenly Empress. The four lessons, moving from right to left: the day stem Ren (located at Hai) has Wu occupied by the Heavenly Empress; Wu has Chou occupied by the Gou Chen; the day branch Chen has Hai occupied by the Tian Kong; and Hai has Wu occupied by the Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wu, representing the wife's wealth爻, occupied by the Heavenly Empress and in the旬空 (decade void); the middle transmission is Ji Chou, representing the official ghost爻, occupied by the Gou Chen; the final transmission is Jiashen, representing the parents爻, occupied by the Black Tortoise. The Tian Kong is placed on the residence position, which serves as the basis for the conclusion that there is a widowed mother in the family; Wu represents the eyes and is overcome by Hai, which serves as the basis for the conclusion that a daughter suffers eye damage.

邵彥和曰：此課凶，然今次卻免難。六年後俱惡死矣。宅上有寡母，乃天空加宅也。又須有一女損目，午為目，被亥克也。天后為用，後遇恩赦免矣。果蒙恩赦而免死編管。六年上二人復打死人，一人自縊，一人刑死，蓋申金入墓也。

Shao Yanhe said: This lesson is ominous, but this time they will be spared from disaster. After six years, both of them will die violently. There is an elderly mother-in-law in the family, because Tian Kong is on the house position. There should also be a daughter with eye damage, as Wu (the hour of the eye) is being overcome by Hai water. Tian Hou initiates the transmission, and later they will encounter imperial clemency and be pardoned. Indeed, they were granted mercy and sentenced to be placed under control instead of executed. In the sixth year, these two people killed someone, one committed suicide by hanging, and the other was executed—this is exactly the fulfillment of Shen metal entering its tomb.

三月壬辰日酉將寅時占殺傷二人能遇赦否。 方本占案

In the third month on a Renchen day, using 'You' (Congkui) as the Month General, the course is cast starting from the 'Yin' hour. The question is whether two people who have been beaten to death or injured can encounter a pardon. This case is from Fang Ben's "Cases of Divination."

合朱蛇貴 子丑寅卯 玄勾朱玄 財 ◎午 玄 勾亥 辰后 午亥丑午 鬼 己丑 朱 龍戌 巳陰 亥辰午壬 父 甲申 虎 酉申未午 空虎常玄

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve earthly branches with their respective heavenly generals:卯 is occupied by the Nobleman,寅 by the Teng Snake,丑 by the Vermilion Bird,子 by Liu He,亥 by Gou Chen,戌 by the Azure Dragon,酉 by Tian Kong,申 by the White Tiger,未 by Tai Chang,午 by the Black Tortoise,巳 by Tai Yin, and辰 by the Heavenly Empress. The Nobleman is located on卯, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ren (residing in亥) has午, which is occupied by the Black Tortoise; the second lesson,午 has丑, which is occupied by the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, the day branch辰 has亥, which is occupied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson,亥 has午, which is occupied by the Black Tortoise. The three transmissions: the first transmission is午, representing the wife's wealth爻, occupied by the Black Tortoise, marked with「◎」indicating it is in the empty旬; the middle transmission isJichou, representing the official ghost爻, occupied by the Vermilion Bird; the final transmission isJiashen, representing the parents爻, occupied by the White Tiger. The day branch辰 is the Tiangang, also the storage for Ren water; the final transmission申, which is originally the place of birth for Ren water, is occupied by the White Tiger and thus falls into storage, indicating ominous signs are revealed here.

邵彥和曰：此課大凶，蓋自取亂首也。日加辰作勾，上下交克。午作玄武為用，亦是交克，日辰上皆是自刑。宅上勾陳即是天罡。天罡是鬼，既是死奇又是日墓。末傳申是長生，又作虎入墓，其凶不可言，安能遇赦也？後果取決。

Shao Yanhe said: This lesson is extremely ominous, representing a situation where one brings disorder upon oneself. The day stem (Ren) is located in the亥 lodgment palace and is placed on the day branch Chen, then multiplied by Gou Chen. The upper and lower parts mutually control and attack each other. The Wu is multiplied by White Tiger and initiates the transmission, which is also a mutual control. The upper gods at both the day stem and day branch also suffer from self-punishment. The Gou Chen on the house is exactly on Tiangang Chen, which is the official ghost of Ren. It is both a dead oddity and the storage place of the day stem. The final transmission Shen, which originally is the growth of Ren water, is instead multiplied by White Tiger and enters the storage, resulting in an ominous situation that is hard to describe. How could there be any pardon? Later, he was indeed executed.

乾隆甲戌年七月壬辰日巳時申時占成合事。 牧夫占驗

In the Jiaxu year of the Qianlong era, during the seventh lunar month, a divination was cast starting from the Renchen day to inquire about the possibility of successfully arranging a match. The original text writes "Si hour and Shen hour." According to the lesson pattern as recorded, it is determined that "Si" (Taiyi) serves as the Month General, placed upon the Shen hour. This case is from Wang Mufu's "Zhanyan."

蛇貴后陰 寅卯辰巳 龍朱陰虎 財 癸巳 陰 朱丑 午玄 戌丑巳申 子 庚寅 蛇 合子 未常 丑辰申壬 兄 丁亥 勾 亥戌酉申 勾龍空虎

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the twelve branches with their respective heavenly generals:卯 is occupied by the Nobleman, 辰 by the Heavenly Empress, 巳 by Tai Yin, 午 by the Black Tortoise, 未 by Tai Chang, 申 by the White Tiger, 酉 by Tian Kong, 戌 by the Azure Dragon, 亥 by Gou Chen, 子 by Liu He, 丑 by the Vermilion Bird, 寅 by Teng Snake. The Nobleman is located on 卯, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ren (with its lodging palace in Hai) has 申, which is occupied by the White Tiger; the second lesson, 申 has 巳, which is occupied by Tai Yin; the third lesson, the day branch Chen has 丑, which is occupied by the Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, 丑 has 戌, which is occupied by the Azure Dragon. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Guisi, which is the wife's wealth hexagram occupied by Tai Yin; the middle transmission is Gengyin, which is the son's hexagram occupied by Teng Snake; the final transmission is Dinghai, which is the brother's hexagram occupied by Gou Chen. The three transmissions 巳, 寅, and 亥 are each successively retreated; the wife's wealth 巳 is also located in the three punishments. The term 'closed mouth' mentioned later refers precisely to this position.

王牧夫曰：占成合事，而財作閉口為用，雖三傳遞生，有人推薦，奈不能明言，況支辰純土，閉塞不通，多有阻隔，事無益矣。據餘看此數，今年宅中，尊長與妻宮，暨卑幼，皆有災咎，何也？干上長生，父母也。帶白虎凶殺，而支上又值歲刑，巳妻財又坐三刑中為閉口，閉口主凶兆。蛇為小兒，亦在刑內，支上為卑幼。種種不吉見於體用。況太歲在支陰刑沖而日支為墓鬼，家運如此，年境如此，豈能望事成合乎？尤防口舌爭競也。丑乘朱雀，為歲刑剋干，故主口舌，是年果見口舌死亡也。

Wang Mufu said: The divination shows that the matter is formed, but the wealth hexagram is acting as "closed mouth"; although the three transmissions are successively generating each other, it indicates that someone is recommending it, but he is unable to express himself clearly. Moreover, the day branch is entirely made up of earth, which is obstructed and unsmooth, leading to many obstacles, so there is no hope for this matter. In my opinion, this year's fate: the respected elders, wife, and younger members of the family all have misfortunes. Why? The day stem is the long life god, representing the parents, but it is accompanied by the White Tiger, a凶煞; the day branch is also suffering from the annual punishment; the巳 is the wife's wealth, but it is located in the three punishments and thus becomes "closed mouth," which itself indicates a凶兆. The Teng Snake represents the child, and it is also in the punishment, while the day branch originally represents the younger members. All these inauspicious signs are evident in the lesson pattern and the initiating transmission. Moreover, the sovereign year is in the hidden place of the branch and is punished and clashed with, and the day branch is also the tomb ghost of the day stem. The family's fate is like this, and the current year is also like this, so where can we expect the matter to succeed? Especially beware of disputes and quarrels. The丑 is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, which is both the annual punishment and attacks the day stem, so it indicates disputes. Indeed, this year there was a fatal incident caused by disputes.

此課之凶，在於鬼臨三四，且並歲刑太歲也。夫太歲為家長，既遭丑刑，自是不利。若曰：長生帶白虎，主父母不利。彼指掌賦曰：時雖惡，生我則其喜終至。注云：虎勾生我，其力尤雄。此又何以稱耶？況諸家壬癸日，晝貴成用巳，獨牧夫先生晝貴則用卯。若依諸家用巳貴，則申又不乘白虎凶神矣。

The danger in this lesson lies in the official ghost being present in the third and fourth lessons, along with the annual punishment and the year's ruler. The year's ruler represents the head of the family; since it is being attacked by Chou, it is naturally unfavorable. As for the statement "longevity accompanied by the white tiger indicates disadvantage to parents," the "Zhi Zhang Fu" says that although the time deity is evil, if it generates me, happiness will eventually come. The commentary also states that if the white tiger or Gou Chen generate me, the effect is especially strong. So how should we interpret this situation here? Moreover, different schools use the day's nobleman differently; for days of Ren and Gui, the daytime nobleman is taken as Si, but Master Mufu takes it as Mao. If we follow the method of taking Si as the nobleman, then the position of Shen would not be occupied by the white tiger, aInauspicious Spirit.