On the Renyin day, Zhao Zicai divined his future prospects (Fang Ben Divination Case, Oral Mirror).

戊申年九月二十一壬寅日辰將酉時邵梓材戊寅三月初一辰時生三十一歲占前程。方本占案口鑑

In the year of Wushen, ninth month, twenty-first day, at the hour of Renyin, the time of the day is Chén (the hour of the dragon). The heavenly stem is placed at the position of You (the hour of the rooster). Zhao Zicai, born on the first day of the third lunar month in the year of Wuyin at the hour of Chén, is thirty-one years old and seeks divination about his future. This example is found in the "Fang Ben Zhan An" and "Liu Ren Kou Jian". When Chén is added to You, the branches on the heaven plate are placed seven positions ahead on the earth plate.

朱蛇 六子丑寅卯貴 陳亥 辰后 后空朱玄 財 甲午 玄 龍戌 巳陰 辰酉丑午 鬼 辛丑 朱 空酉申未午玄 酉寅午壬 父 丙申 虎 虎常

Left block: Heaven and Earth plates. The Heaven plate branches are placed on the Earth plate branches seven positions ahead. The Heaven plate branches are added to the Earth plate branches in the following order: Zi on Si, Chou on Wu, Yin on Wei, Mao on Shen, Chen on You, Si on Xu, Wu on Hai, Wei on Zi, Shen on Chou, You on Yin, Xu on Mao, Hai on Chen. The twelve Heavenly Generals follow the Heaven plate branches: Liu He on Zi, Vermilion Bird on Chou, Teng Snake on Yin, Nobleman on Mao, Heavenly Empress on Chen, Tai Yin on Si, Black Tortoise on Wu, Tai Chang on Wei, White Tiger on Shen, Tian Kong on You, Azure Dragon on Xu, Gou Chen on Hai. The Nobleman is on Mao, which is the Yin position of the Earth plate, so the twelve generals move in reverse. Middle block: Four Lessons from right to left. First lesson: Day Stem Ren (Lodging Palace Hai) has Wu. Second lesson: Wu has Chou. Third lesson: Day Branch Yin has You. Fourth lesson: You has Chen. The generals on the heavenly spirits of the four lessons, starting from the first lesson, are Black Tortoise (Wu), Vermilion Bird (Chou), Tian Kong (You), Heavenly Empress (Chen). Right block: Three transmissions. First transmission: Wu, hidden stem Ji, riding Black Tortoise, representing wife wealth. Second transmission: Chou, hidden stem Xin, riding Vermilion Bird, earth overcoming water, representing official ghost. Third transmission: Shen, hidden stem Bing, riding White Tiger, metal generating water, representing parents.

邵彥和曰：此課名四絕，且干支自刑，又名六害，其不利者有三：一者居偏室無正位，二者妻宮不利，三者眼不明，因他父墳不利，皆是白蟻，左畔已虛空矣，前程非惟不遠，又且壽夭，九年將屋基作田園，家破碎，貴賤皆因酒而敗也。

Shao Yanhe interpreted the divination: This reading is called "Four Extremes." The day stem and day branch also involve self-punishment, and additionally commit the offense of six harms. There are three unfavorable aspects: first, he can only live in a side room, not in the main position; second, the wife's palace is unfavorable; third, his eyes are not clear. All these are because his father's tomb is not good, with many white ants in the tomb, and the left side has already become hollow and collapsed. His future prospects will not go far, and his lifespan is short. After nine years, he will have to change the foundation of the house into farmland, and the family will decline and disintegrate. Whether rich or poor, it will all be due to alcohol leading to ruin.

邵解元聞先生言，欲啟父墳，因兄弟眾多不肯行，妻不生子，常有血氣，至辛亥年病眼武壬皆亥，夾克午，故主亥年而應，男女皆因酒而敗，乙卯年眾拆屋一半作田，一半作園。邵氏居於店屋水死於卯，又卯上得戌作鬼，故卯年應，戊午身喪，己未啟父墳，果骨為蟻食矣。

Shao Jieyuan listened to his teacher's words and wanted to open his father's grave for a new burial, but his brothers did not agree and it could not be done. His wife was unable to have children and often had blood disorders. In the Xinhai year, he got an eye disease. The Black Tortoise and the壬 water both belong to亥, and they sandwich the day stem's午 (which represents the eyes), so it should happen in the亥 year. All his children and grandchildren were ruined by drinking alcohol. In the Yimao year, everyone tore down the house, half of it was changed into farmland and the other half into a garden. Shao lived in a shop house, the壬 water died in卯, and卯 was also supported by戌 as the official ghost, so it should happen in the卯 year. In the Wuwu year, he himself died. It was not until the Jiwei year that the father's grave was opened, and indeed the bones were completely eaten away by white ants.

蓋壬以申為父，父在墓守白虎，主白蟻。日上午為目為妻，火絕於亥，故不利。丑加午六害，丑為田園，午為層，水克午而屋壞，土克水而以屋成田園，宅上見酉，壬敗於酉，故為所敗，又是破碎，主男婦皆因酒敗也。

The principle is that the壬 water uses the申 metal as its parents, and since申 is in the墓 (grave) and guards the White Tiger, the White Tiger represents insects, so it is concluded that there are termites in the tomb. The day stem's 午, which represents both the eyes and the wife, is weakened by fire in the亥, so both the eyes and the wife are not favorable. The丑 added on top of 午 forms the six harms; 丑 represents farmland, and 午 represents the advancement of the house, so water overcoming 午 causes the house to be damaged, while earth overcoming water turns the house into farmland. The presence of 酉 in the residence indicates that 壬 water is in its败 (decline) position at 酉 (a place of decline), so it is said to be defeated by it. 酉 also carries the破碎 (shattered) evil star, which indicates that men and women will all ruin their families due to alcohol.

辛未年卯月壬寅日戌將寅時某占甲子生八歲子病。　牧夫占驗／勾合朱蛇／丑寅卯辰　后虎朱陰　鬼 戊戌 虎／龍子　巳貴　午戌卯未　財 甲午 後／空亥　午后　戌寅未壬　子 壬寅 合／戌酉申未／虎常玄陰

In the year Xinwei, during the month of Mao, on the day Renyin, the divination was cast using the month general Wu added to the hour Yin. Someone consulted about the illness of a child born in the year Jiazi, who was eight years old. This example is from "The Farmer's Divination Verification." The heaven and earth plates were arranged with Wu as the general added to the hour Yin. The heaven plate branches successively overlaid the earth plate branches: Wu overlaid Yin, Hai overlaid Mao, Zi overlaid Chen, Chou overlaid Si, Yin overlaid Wu, Mao overlaid Wei, Chen overlaid Shen, Si overlaid You, Wu overlaid Xu, Wei overlaid Hai, Shen overlaid Zi, You overlaid Chou. The twelve heavenly generals were arranged in reverse order: Gou Chen occupied Chou, Liu He occupied Yin, Zhu Que occupied Mao, Teng Snake occupied Chen, Nobleman occupied Si, Heavenly Empress occupied Wu, Tai Yin occupied Wei, Xuan Wu occupied Shen, Tai Chang occupied You, Bai Hu occupied Xu, Tian Kong occupied Hai, Qing Long occupied Zi. The four lessons were arranged from right to left: the first lesson was Wei added to the day stem Ren (Ren's lodging palace is Hai) occupied by Tai Yin, the second lesson was Mao added to Wei occupied by Zhu Que, the third lesson was Wu added to the day branch Yin occupied by Bai Hu, the fourth lesson was Wu added to Xu occupied by Heavenly Empress. The third lesson's Yin wood was robbed by the upper god Wu earth, so Wu was taken as the initiating transmission. The first transmission was Wu, with the hidden stem Wu Xu, which was the official ghost for the day stem Ren water, occupied by Bai Hu; the middle transmission was Wu, with the hidden stem Jia Wu, which was the wife wealth for Ren water, occupied by Heavenly Empress; the final transmission was Yin, with the hidden stem Ren Yin, which was the son for Ren water, occupied by Liu He. The three branches Yin, Wu, and Xu formed a fire trinity, which is exactly the "Inflamed Lesson" mentioned in the Six壬 system.

王牧夫曰：戌為白虎又是火局，內有積滯關隔不通火，無力以化之，不能保。凡炎上得后合獻翳之神附之，主炎上不暢。后臨午又相沖，火既受沖，其局散矣。況八歲行年見巳，末傳寅命上申，合成三刑，長生絕矣。七月上辰沖破炎上戌土，此病不得遇也，此病甚凶，極驗。

Wang Mufu said: The first transmission is戌, which is occupied by the White Tiger. The third transmission, with寅, 午, and 戌, forms a fire triad. When divining a child's illness, we usually use the son's爻 and the year's destiny as the useful gods. In this case, the final transmission's寅 wood is exactly the son's爻. Within the fire triad, there is a blockage and obstruction, and the fire energy is not strong enough to dispel it, so this life is doomed. Whenever there is an intense fire lesson, if dark and obscure heavenly generals such as the Heavenly Empress and Liu He attach to it, the fire energy cannot flow smoothly. The Heavenly Empress is originally a water deity, but now it is riding on the午 fire, causing water and fire to clash. Since the fire is attacked, the entire fire triad becomes scattered. Moreover, the child's age of eight meets巳 (the age is in酉, and the heaven plate on酉 is巳), the final transmission is寅, and the original destiny of Jiazi has申 on the Zi position. The combination of寅,巳, and申 forms the three punishments, cutting off the growth energy. By July, the heaven plate on申 is辰, which conflicts with the戌 earth of the fire triad, and the illness cannot be overcome. This illness is extremely dangerous, and it later fully came true.

戊申年九月二十一壬寅日辰將未時鄧省干癸未年十月初七申時生二十六歲占前程。方本占案　口鑑／朱蛇／六寅卯辰巳貴／陳丑　午后　玄空貴玄　財 空巳 貴／龍子　未陰　申亥巳申　子 壬寅 六／空亥戌酉申玄　亥寅申壬　兄 己亥 空／虎常

In the year of Wushen, ninth lunar month, twenty-first day, on the day of Renyin, with the month general at Chen added to the hour of Wei, Deng Xinggan (born at Shen hour on the tenth day of the tenth lunar month in the year of Guiwei, aged twenty-six) divined about his future. This case is recorded in the "Fang Ben Zhan An" and "Kou Jian." The heaven and earth plates have not yet been arranged with the month general at Chen added to the hour. The branches of the heaven plate are arranged in order over the earth plate: Chen is over Wei, Si over Shen, Wu over You, Wei over Xu, Shen over Hai, You over Zi, Xu over Chou, Hai over Yin, Zi over Mao, Chou over Chen, Yin over Si, and Mao over Wu. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order: the nobleman is on Si, the teng snake on Chen, the vermilion bird on Mao, the liu he on Yin, the gou chen on Chou, the azure dragon on Zi, the tian kong on Hai, the white tiger on Xu, the tai chang on You, the black tortoise on Shen, the tai yin on Wei, and the heavenly empress on Wu. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Shen added to the day stem Ren (lodging palace Hai) with the black tortoise; the second lesson is Si added to Shen with the nobleman; the third lesson is Hai added to the day branch Yin with the tian kong; the fourth lesson is Shen added to Hai with the black tortoise. The fire of Si is overcoming the metal of the following Shen, which is the upper god overcoming the lower god, so the starting transmission is Si. The first transmission is Si, representing wife wealth, and it is at the time of the empty (the day of Renyin belongs to the Jiawu decade, with the empty at Chen and Si), with the nobleman; the middle transmission is Yin, with the hidden stem Renyin, representing son, with the liu he; the final transmission is Hai, with the hidden stem Jihai, representing brother, with the tian kong.

邵彥和曰：此課與前課大不同，干支皆受上生，日上得申長生，卻即去生寅，初巳貴人作財，日上長生學堂，盡可取功名。但嫌貴空，又為玄所滯，只運司解發而不能及第。初任管銅鐵，次任管坑冶，三任水船官而止。鄧果初任鑄錢有功，再任坑冶司檢踏官，次得明州船塢，歸家而死。蓋申來生壬為長生學堂，故壬子年發解，初巳作貴為德神加學堂上，寅又加巳生貴生德，故終得前程。銅鐵者，申金也；坑冶司者，巳加申也，水船場者，江湖臨於寅上也。寅木未成船，而卯已成船，故主舡場修造也（直指云：寅作六合為船）。

Shao Yanhe said: This lesson is quite different from the previous one. The day stem and day branch are both generated by their respective superior deities. The day stem Ren is generated by Shen, which is the place of growth for Ren water, and this life qi then goes on to generate Yin wood. The first transmission Si is riding on the nobleman and acts as the day's wealth. The Shen on the day stem is both growth and a school, so success in official examination is entirely possible. Unfortunately, the Si ridden by the nobleman falls into Kongwang, and the Shen on the day stem is blocked by the Black Tortoise, so he can only be sent by the transfer office for examination, but cannot achieve the imperial examination success. The first position is in charge of copper and iron, the second position is in charge of mining and metallurgy, the third position is an official in charge of waterway and ship affairs, and that is the end. Deng Xinggan later indeed first served in casting coins with merit, then served as an inspector in the mining and metallurgy office, and then received a post in the shipyard in Mingzhou, and died at home. This is how the prediction was made: Shen generates Ren water, which is both growth and a school, so he passed the provincial examination in the Renzi year. The first transmission Si, riding on the nobleman, becomes the virtuous deity, and is also placed above the school Shen. Yin wood is added to Si, which both generates the nobleman and the virtuous deity, so he eventually achieved success. Speaking of copper and iron refers to Shen metal. Speaking of the mining and metallurgy office refers to Si fire placed on Shen metal, using fire to refine metal. Speaking of waterway and ship affairs refers to Hai water rivers and lakes appearing on Yin. Yin wood is still original wood and not yet a ship, while Mao wood is already a finished ship, so it refers to the construction of shipyards. (The Six Rats Straight Pointer says: Yin riding the六合 is a ship.)

嘉慶己未年六月壬寅日未將戌時占選期。　說約／朱蛇／六寅卯辰巳貴／陳丑　午后　玄空貴玄　財 空巳 貴／龍子　未陰　申亥巳申　子 壬寅 六／空亥戌酉申玄　亥寅申壬　兄 己亥 空／虎常

In the year Jiwei of the Jiaqing era, on the day Renyin of the sixth month, with the month general Jiwei added to the hour Xu, the divination was made to inquire about the date for a civil service appointment. This example is taken from "Renshu Sayue." The configuration of the month general Jiwei added to the hour Xu is identical to the previous case where the month general Chen was added to the hour Wei. The Heaven Plate branches successively align with the Earth Plate branches as follows: Chen aligns with Wei, Si with Shen, Wu with You, Jiwei with Xu, Shen with Hai, You with Zi, Xu with Chou, Hai with Yin, Zi with Mao, Chou with Chen, Yin with Si, and Mao with Wu. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order: the nobleman is on Si, the Teng Snake on Chen, the Vermilion Bird on Mao, Liu He on Yin, Gou Chen on Chou, the Azure Dragon on Zi, the Tian Kong on Hai, the White Tiger on Xu, the Tai Chang on You, the Black Tortoise on Shen, the Tai Yin on Jiwei, and the Heavenly Empress on Wu. The four lessons, arranged from right to left, remain: Shen added to the day stem Ren (which is in Hai) with the Black Tortoise, Si added to Shen with the nobleman, Hai added to the day branch Yin with Tian Kong, and Shen added to Hai with the Black Tortoise. The three transmissions are as follows: the first transmission is Si, representing the wife's wealth, which falls into Kongwang and is ridden by the nobleman; the middle transmission is Renyin, representing the son, ridden by Liu He; and the final transmission is Jihai, representing the brother, ridden by Tian Kong.

張江村曰：有為人占一事而其人性情、事業以及日下、將來之景況一一皆現於課中者，此時或有之。如己未夏間，餘附糧舟回南，同舟一人已得官，占選期。六月壬寅日戌時未將，三傳巳寅亥。余曰：“選期視長生，申作長生臨干，亦臨亥，主亥年得選。”此本事，餘細推，干上見申作馬，申主躁動，作馬尤甚，此人性情必躁，申作長生乘元武，元武卑鄙齷齪，其官必不由正路得。

Zhang Jiangcun said: When divining for someone about an affair, the person's character, career, and current and future circumstances often appear clearly in the divination. Such situations sometimes indeed occur. For example, in the Jiwei year, in the summer, I traveled back to the south on a grain boat, and there was a man who had already obtained an official position on board. He consulted about the date of the examination. The day was the sixth month, Renyin day, Xu hour, with the month general being Wei. The three transmissions were Si, Yin, and Hai. I said: "To determine the examination date, we look at the growth. Shen is the growth of Ren water, which is present on the day stem and also on Hai, indicating that the person will be selected in the Hai year." This was merely the main point of the question. I then proceeded to analyze further: The day stem had Shen, which was also the驿马 of that day. Shen naturally signifies restlessness, and when it serves as the驿马, it becomes even more restless, indicating that the person's character is certainly impetuous. Shen is both the growth and is accompanied by theBlack Tortoise, which is the god of deceit and corruption. Therefore, his official position must not have been obtained through proper channels.

申作馬而干歸支，其行而歸家乎？支上亥為日祿，本是充裕之家，今天空，殆無蓄矣。支陰重見申馬，歸家後又必出行。申與用神巳六合，巳作日財乘貴人，行必投貴人求財。但巳值空亡，又是絕神，必無遇。中傳寅脫氣，末傳亥仍歸支上，徒勞往返，仍回家中耳。又推申為干之長生，巳又為申之長生，此人必祖與父俱在堂，但值空亡，其祖恐不久。巳又為妻，值空亡，當尚未娶。

Shen is the Post-horse, and the three transmissions return from the day stem to the day branch, so it seems he is about to leave home. The day branch's Hai is the禄神 of the壬 day stem, which should indicate a wealthy family, but now Hai is riding the Tian Kong, suggesting there is probably no savings left. The Yin spirit on the day branch again meets Shen, indicating that after returning home he will have to go out again. Shen forms a Liu He with the useful god巳, which is also the day's wealth and rides the Nobleman, so this trip is definitely to seek wealth by relying on the Nobleman. However,巳 is in the Kongwang and is also the绝神 of the壬 water, so he will certainly not meet anyone. The middle transmission寅 wood drains the energy of the day stem, and the final transmission亥 returns to the day branch, meaning it is just a wasted trip and he will end up back home. Looking further: Shen is the long life of the day stem, and巳 is the long life of Shen, so his grandfather and father should still be alive; however, since巳 is in the Kongwang, his grandfather may not live long. At the same time,巳 also represents the wife, which is in the Kongwang, indicating he has not yet married.

當時萍聚，日久見其浮躁，無一刻閒，詢其出身，由供事議敘得官，供事卑鄙，其非正路的矣。今欲歸家，家中昔開布行，久歇。擬歸後往投四川某知府。祖父俱在堂，祖已八十外，定親未娶，一一皆準。然投貴無濟，恐不能久，二節別後不知，第已往皆準，恐未來亦必驗也。

At that time, they were just meeting by chance, but after some time, it became clear that he was restless and never at peace. When asked about his background, he was found to have obtained his position through a low-ranking official post, which was promoted by recommendation, indicating he was not from the proper official path. He was now about to return home, saying that his family had previously run a cloth shop, which had long since closed down. He intended to go to Sichuan to rely on a certain magistrate. Both his grandfather and father were still alive, with the grandfather already over eighty years old. His marriage had been arranged but not yet celebrated. Each of these matters was accurately predicted. However, relying on the nobleman would be of no use, and this official position might not last long. After two seasonal periods, his whereabouts would be unknown. However, all that has already happened has been accurately predicted, and it is certain that what will happen in the future will also come to pass.

己酉年正月二十三壬寅日子將寅時，鄭三公辛亥年四月一日未時生，五十九歲占墳地。方本占案　口鑑　捷要／後陰／貴卯辰巳午玄／蛇寅　未常　龍六常空　鬼 戊戌 龍／朱丑　申虎　戌子未酉　父 丙申 虎／六子亥戌酉空　子寅酉壬　財 甲午 玄／陳龍

In the year Jiyou, on the twenty-third day of the first lunar month, on the day Renyin, with the month general Zi added to the time of寅, Zheng San Gong (born on the sixth day of the fourth lunar month in the year Xinhai, at the time of Wei, aged fifty-nine) divined about a burial site. This example is found in the texts "Fang Ben Zhan An", "Kou Jian", and "Jie Yao". The heaven and earth plates are arranged with Zi as the general added to the time of寅. The branches of the heaven plate are arranged in order over the earth plate: Zi is over寅, Chou over Mao, Yin over Chen, Mao over Si, Chen over Wu, Si over Wei, Wu over Shen, Wei over You, Shen over Xu, You over Hai, Xu over Zi, and Hai over Chou. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order: the nobleman is on Mao, the teng snake on寅, the vermilion bird on Chou, the liu he on Zi, the gou chen on Hai, the qing long on Xu, the tian kong on You, the bai hu on Shen, the tai chang on Wei, the xuan wu on Wu, the tai yin on Si, and the tian hou on Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is You added to the day stem Ren (which is located at Hai) with tian kong, the second lesson is Wei added to You with tai chang, the third lesson is Zi added to the day branch Yin with liu he, and the fourth lesson is Xu added to Zi with qing long. The Xu earth branch overcomes the Zi water below, which is the upper god overcoming the lower god, so Xu is taken as the initiating transmission. The first transmission is Xu, with the hidden stem Wu Xu, representing the official ghost, riding the qing long; the middle transmission is Shen, with the hidden stem Bing Shen, representing the parents, riding the bai hu; the final transmission is Wu, with the hidden stem Jia Wu, representing the wife's wealth, riding the xuan wu. The three transmissions Wu, Shen, and Wu form a reverse interval transmission.

邵彥和曰：此課艮山行龍，坎山落穴，不是正龍，左邊無山，右有兩重白虎，第三重為案，主子孫貪淫好酒，後為酒家傭，婦人不正，隨人淫奔，且墓內棺中有泥，白蟻食尸，右邊有水，末主人為道童，自身為酒所敗，老無妻，以他人之妾為妻，六年患酒病，更三年終矣。

Shao Yanhe said: This piece of land is where the dragon pulse comes from the Gen direction (Northeast) and stops in the Kan direction (Due North), but it is not a straight dragon. There is no mountain on the left, but there are two layers of White Tiger terrain on the right, with the third layer serving as the case mountain. This indicates that the descendants will be greedy, lustful, and fond of alcohol, and in the future they will have to work as laborers in a wine shop. The women in the family will behave improperly and will run away with other men. Moreover, within the tomb, the coffin will be filled with mud, and white ants will eat the bones. There is also flowing water on the right. In the end, there will be a Taoist child born in the family. As for the person who owns the land, he will be ruined by alcohol, will be without a wife in old age, and will have to marry another man's concubine. He will suffer from an alcohol-related illness for six years, and then after three more years, he will die.

鄭三公乍富，教子讀書，指望及第，故請先生占之，其地果艮山來，坎山落穴，無正山，以過山為主，右兩重白虎，案山亦從右邊來，似乎三重。三公日夜飲酒，後二年妻死，娶徐知府之妾為妻，又行事不正，三公死後，次子伴徐氏賣酒，妻與媳被外人領走，子孫不成器，一向非為。三公六十四有酒病，六十七上終。皆如先生之言也。左邊無者，傳不行也。申作白虎，午加申上，又是虎，故兩重來為案山，子午作玄合，故主子孫邪淫。壬日酉作天空，故主酒敗，子孫為酒家傭，亦主婦人為淫，酉六數，故主六年酒敗，更三年死，酉增一半也。

Zheng San Gong was newly wealthy and sent his son to study, hoping he would pass the imperial examination. Therefore, he consulted Master Shao about this piece of land. Indeed, the land had a dragon coming from the Gen direction and a burial site coming from the Kan direction, with no main mountain, so they used a passing mountain as the main mountain. On the right side, there were two layers of White Tiger ridges, and the case mountain also came from the right, appearing as three layers. The three elders drank day and night. Two years later, his wife died, and he married a concubine from Governor Xu's family, and his conduct became improper. After the death of San Gong, his second son followed the Xu family to sell wine, and his wife and daughter-in-law were taken by outsiders, and his descendants were not capable, always engaging in improper activities. San Gong got a drinking illness at the age of sixty-four and died at sixty-seven, all exactly as Master Shao had said. The reason there was no mountain on the left was because the three transmissions were reversed and did not proceed forward. The Sheng position was occupied by the White Tiger, and the Wu position was added on top of Sheng, still being the Tiger's energy, so two layers of Tiger ridges came to serve as the case mountain. The Zi position was occupied by Liu He, and the Wu position was occupied by Xuan Wu, so it indicated that the descendants would be immoral. On the Rén day, the You position was occupied by Tian Kong, so it indicated failure due to alcohol, the descendants working as servants in wine shops, and women being unchaste. The number of You is six, so it indicated a six-year illness from alcohol; after three more years, he died, which was adding half of the number of You.

三月壬寅日酉將戌時卜生產。　一針見血／蛇朱合勾／辰巳午未　玄陰空虎　兄 庚子 玄／貴卯　申龍　子丑酉戌　兄 己亥 常／後寅　酉空　丑寅戌壬　鬼 戊戌 虎／丑子亥戌／陰玄常虎

On the day of RENYIN in the third month, the month general YOU is added to the戌 hour. This example is from "One Needle Sees the Point." The heaven and earth plates are arranged with YOU as the general added to the戌 hour. The branches on the heaven plate are successively placed on the earth plate: YOU is on戌,戌 is on亥,亥 is on子,子 is on丑,丑 is on寅,寅 is on卯,卯 is on辰,辰 is on巳,巳 is on午,午 is on未,未 is on申,申 is on酉. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in order: the nobleman is on卯, the treading snake is on辰, the vermilion bird is on巳, the six harmonies are on午, the hook heaven is on未, the azure dragon is on申, the heavenly void is on酉, the white tiger is on戌, the great constant is on亥, the black tortoise is on子, the great yin is on丑, and the heavenly empress is on寅. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is戌 added to the day stem REN (which is in亥) with the white tiger, the second lesson is酉 added to戌 with the heavenly void, the third lesson is丑 added to the day branch寅 with the great yin, and the fourth lesson is子 added to丑 with the black tortoise. Both the third and fourth lessons are lower spirits stealing from the upper spirits. The two upper spirits,丑 and子, are both yin and yang respectively, while the day stem REN is yang. Therefore, the branch that is the same type as the day stem, which is yang, is taken as the use. Hence, the initiating transmission is子. The first transmission is子, with the hidden stem GENGZI, representing a brother, riding the black tortoise; the middle transmission is亥, with the hidden stem JIHAI, representing a brother, riding the great constant; the final transmission is戌, with the hidden stem WUXU, representing a ghost official, riding the white tiger. The sequence子,亥,戌 is a reverse retreat chain.

劉日新曰：日辰皆陽，壬屬水，用玄武水傳入三淵，皆水。子是女宿，主生女（愚按：下克上亦是女）。支為母，不受克，母平安。干為兒，受戌克，玄武加子發用為武入三淵，末傳仍歸戌虎克干，兒不吉故生女而棄水死。河魁加日主迅速，故當日生。

Liu Rixin says: The day stem and day branch are both yang, and Ren is also water. The initiating transmission is the White Tiger riding on the water of Zi, which flows into the deep water, all being water qi. Zi belongs to the female mansion among the twenty-eight constellations, which indicates giving birth to a girl (the editor of this book notes: when the lower god overcomes the upper god and initiates the transmission, it also indicates giving birth to a girl). The day branch represents the mother, and it is not overcome, so the mother is safe; the day stem represents the infant, but it is overcome by Xu earth. The White Tiger is added on top of Zi and initiates the transmission, which is the image of the White Tiger entering the deep water; the final transmission returns to Xu, and Xu rides on the White Tiger to overcome the day stem, which is not auspicious for the infant, so the child is a girl who is abandoned and drowns in water. Hekui (Xu) is added on top of the day stem's lodging palace, indicating that things happen quickly, so the child is born on the same day.

七月癸卯日巳時占來意。　一字訣玉連環／蛇貴后陰／辰巳午未　空龍空龍　官 癸丑 勾／朱卯　申玄　亥子亥子　兄 壬子 龍／合寅　酉常　子丑子癸　兄 辛亥 空／丑子亥戌／勾龍空虎

On the day ofGuimao (Guimao) in the seventh month, at the hour of巳 (Si), divination was performed to inquire about the intent of the person coming. This example is taken from the text "Yizijue Yulianhuan." The original text does not record the month general. According to the relationship between the Heaven and Earth plates, the Heaven plate is 辰 (Chen) over the Earth plate巳 (Si), meaning 辰 general is added to the hour of巳. The branches in sequence are: 辰 over巳, 巳 over午, 午 over未, 未 over申, 卯 over辰, 申 over酉, 寅 over卯, 酉 over戌, 丑 over寅, 子 over丑, 亥 over子, 戌 over亥. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order: the nobleman is on巳, the Teng Snake on辰, the Vermilion Bird on卯, the Liu He on寅, the Gou Chen on丑, the Azure Dragon on子, the Tian Kong on亥, the White Tiger on戌, the Tai Chang on酉, the Black Tortoise on申, the Tai Yin on未, and the Heavenly Empress on午. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is丑, with the hidden stemGuichou, which is the official ghost of癸 water, riding on Gou Chen; the middle transmission is子, with the hidden stemRenzi, which is the brother, riding on the Azure Dragon; the final transmission is亥, with the hidden stemXinhai, which is the brother, riding on Tian Kong, forming a reverse retreat and connected transmission. Regarding the four lessons, the original text is printed as the upper layer "亥子亥子" and the lower layer "子丑子癸." The third and fourth lessons are completely repeated with the first and second lessons. The day branch ofGuimao day is卯, so according to this plate,卯 should have寅, which is the same as in the lesson "Chongzheng Bingzi year, eleventh month,癸卯 day,子 general, hour of丑, divination about the person coming," where the four lessons are "丑寅亥子／寅卯子癸," which can be compared. Therefore, the original text's four lessons here must have an error or omission. Now, the original is recorded as is, without any correction.

徐次賓曰：來意因當日丑時三人巡更，與地方中姓馬人相爭。來日申官。因一姓孫司吏為鬼，三人並遭杖責。何知當日丑時？發用大吉，便為今日丑時。何知三人夜巡？今日癸水與式中子亥等輩，便為三人。言丑時相爭，便言夜巡也。

Xu Cibin said: The purpose of the person coming is because on that day at the hour of Chou there were three people on night patrol, and they had a quarrel with a man named Ma from the local area. The next day they intended to report the matter to the authorities. Because a clerk named Sun became their ghostly obstacle, the three people were all beaten with sticks. How do we know it was at the hour of Chou? Because the initiating transmission is Daji (Chou), which refers to the current hour of Chou. How do we know there were three people on night patrol? Today's day stem is Gui, which belongs to water. The divination pattern also includes Zi and Hai, which are also water, making a total of three, representing three people. Since it is said that they quarreled at the hour of Chou, it also means they were on night patrol during the night.

何知姓馬人相爭？直事門勝光，為姓馬人，勝光為日下之財。何言相爭？與日為六害，又發用勾陳為鬼，豈不相爭也？何知姓孫人吏？緣發用大吉，場面為佃絲，中傳神后與子相配成孫字，大吉與勾陳剋日，故知忘吏孫姓人。何知三人俱受杖責？以今日癸與子亥俱屬水，為大吉所克。又勾陳為杖棒，末傳雖有天空亦克今日，故言俱受杖責也。

How do we know it is a conflict involving someone with the surname Ma? The door of the matter is Shengguang (Wu), and Wu in the twelve animals is the horse, so it refers to someone with the surname Ma. Shengguang is also the wealth god beneath the day stem. Why do we say there is a conflict? Wu and the day stem Gui's lodging palace Chou form the sixth harmful relationship. The initiating transmission Chou also rides Gou Chen and becomes the day ghost, so how could there be no conflict? How do we know the clerk has the surname Sun? Because the initiating transmission is Daji (Chou), and Chou's symbolic meaning is silk and mulberry, while the middle transmission Shenhou (Zi) matches with silk (xi), forming the character for Sun (Sun). Daji also brings Gou Chen to attack the day stem, so we know the clerk has the surname Sun. How do we know all three people will be beaten with sticks? Because today's Gui and the elements Zi and Hai in the lesson all belong to water, and they are all attacked by Chou soil from Daji. Gou Chen is the god of sticks and rods, and although the final transmission is Tian Kong, Tian Kong belongs to earth, which also attacks today's water. Therefore, all three people will be beaten with sticks.

崇正丙子年十一月癸卯日子將丑時占行人。　郭氏占案／蛇朱合勾／辰巳午未　陰后常玄　鬼 辛丑 陰／貴卯　申龍　丑寅亥子　兄 庚子 玄／後寅　酉空　寅卯子癸　兄 己亥 常／丑子亥戌／陰玄常虎

In the year Bingzi (丙子) of the Chongzhen era, on the eleventh month and the day Guimao (癸卯), with the month general (月将) at Zi added to Chou time, the divination was made concerning a person away from home. This example is taken from the "Guo氏 Zhan An" (郭氏占案). The heaven and earth plates are arranged with the Zi general added to the Chou hour. The heaven plate branches successively fall upon the earth plate: Zi falls upon Chou, Chou upon Yin, Yin upon Mao, Mao upon Chen, Chen upon Si, Si upon Wu, Wu upon Wei, Wei upon Shen, Shen upon You, You upon Xu, Xu upon Hai, and Hai upon Zi. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in order: the nobleman (贵人) is on Mao, the Teng snake (螣蛇) on Chen, the Vermilion bird (朱雀) on Si, the Liu He (六合) on Wu, the Gou Chen (勾陈) on Wei, the Azure dragon (青龙) on Shen, the Tian Kong (天空) on You, the White tiger (白虎) on Xu, the Tai Chang (太常) on Hai, the Black tortoise (玄武) on Zi, the Tai Yin (太阴) on Chou, and the Heavenly Empress (天后) on Yin. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Zi added to the day stem (日干)癸, with the Black tortoise (玄武) as its occupant, and the day stem癸's lodging palace (寄宫) is Chou; the second lesson is Hai added to Zi, with Tai Chang as its occupant; the third lesson is Yin added to the day branch (日支) Mao, with the Heavenly Empress (天后) as its occupant; the fourth lesson is Chou added to Yin, with Tai Yin as its occupant. The first and fourth lessons are both lower spirits (下神) stealing from upper spirits (上神). The two upper spirits Zi and Chou are of yang and yin respectively, and the day stem癸 is yin, so the yin branch is taken as the initiating transmission (发用), which is Chou. The three transmissions begin with Chou, which is the hidden stem (遁干) Xinchou, representing the official ghost (官鬼), occupied by Tai Yin; the middle transmission is Zi, which is the hidden stem Gengzi, representing the brother (兄弟), occupied by the Black tortoise (玄武); the final transmission is Hai, which is the hidden stem Jihai, representing the brother (兄弟), occupied by Tai Chang. The sequence Chou, Zi, Hai is an inverse retreat (逆退连茹).

郭御青曰：東鹿王宏宇者，為衡水令主諱詢占行人。三傳退茹，即斷為歸，所望行人乃貴人也。類神臨辰主明日到，果於甲辰日到。凡望行人，期候最難，此其準者也，附之此課干上天馬，初末引從子水墓於辰，所以辰日到。

Guo Yuqing said: A person named Wang Hongyu from Donglu asked on behalf of the magistrate of Hengshui County (the magistrate's name was "Xun") to divinate when a person away would return. The three transmissions were Chou, Zi, and Hai, which formed an inverse and retreating sequence with continuous connection. At once, it was decided that the traveler would return; the person awaited was himself a nobleman. The spirit associated with the traveler was located at the Chen position, indicating arrival on the next day. Later, he indeed arrived on the day of Jiachen. Whenever one awaits a traveler, it is the most difficult to determine the return date, and this case was accurately divined. As an additional explanation for this case: the day stem was riding the Heavenly Horse, and the first and last transmissions led the middle transmission's Zi water in sequence. Since the burial place of water was at Chen, it was concluded that the traveler would arrive on the day of Chen.

建炎己酉年九月癸卯日辰將卯時徐丞務丁未生六十三歲占墳地。　方本占案　捷要　口鑑／陳龍／六午未申酉空／朱巳　戌虎　朱蛇貴后　鬼 空辰 蛇／蛇辰　亥常　巳辰卯寅　財 空巳 朱／貴卯寅丑子玄　辰卯寅癸　子 甲午 六／後陰

In the year Jiyou of the Jianyan era, on the ninth month, on the day Guimao, the month general was Chen added to the卯 hour. Xu Chengwu, who was born in the year Dingwei and was sixty-three years old, consulted about a burial site. This case is found in the "Fang Ben Zhan An", "Jie Yao", and "Kou Jian". The heaven and earth plates were arranged with the month general Chen added to the卯 hour. The branches of the heaven plate were arranged in order over the earth plate: Chen over卯, Si over Chen, Wu over Si, Wei over Wu, Shen over Wei, You over Shen, Xu over You, Hai over Xu, Zi over Hai, Chou over Zi, Yin over Chou, and Mao over Yin. The twelve heavenly generals were arranged in order: the nobleman was on Mao, the Teng Snake on Chen, the Vermilion Bird on Si, Liu He on Wu, Gou Chen on Wei, Azure Dragon on Shen, Tian Kong on You, Bai Hu on Xu, Tai Chang on Hai, Xuan Wu on Zi, Tai Yin on Chou, and Tian Hou on Yin. The four lessons were arranged from right to left: the first lesson was Yin added to the day stem Gui (which was placed on Chou), with Tian Hou; the second lesson was Mao added to Yin with the nobleman; the third lesson was Chen added to the day branch Mao with Teng Snake; the fourth lesson was Si added to Chen with Vermilion Bird. The third lesson had the wood of Mao stealing the heavenly stem Chen, so Chen was taken as the initiating transmission. The three transmissions were: the first transmission was Chen with Teng Snake, representing official ghost; the second transmission was Si with Vermilion Bird, representing wife wealth; both transmissions were in the empty position (on the day of Guimao, which belongs to the Jiawu decade, the empty positions were on Chen and Si); the third transmission was Wu, with the hidden stem Jiawu, and with Liu He, and its six relations were identified as descendants. Chen, Si, and Wu formed a continuous sequence in the forward direction.

邵彥和曰：此地甚好，但恐此時不可得而葬。徐曰：如何？先生曰：前後左右皆有空穴，山側又有一陰人墳，如何葬得？須於中陪錢去之，然後可葬，必出貴人，最好是水合星辰，山川清秀，文筆雙峰，必是卯龍入首，作乙山辛向也。夫辰為墳地，作空亡而發用，故主有空穴，戌亦是墓，加酉，酉作天空，亦是虛墳，以初傳為主山穴，對前戌墓也。卯為子孫作貴人，不為脫氣也。

Shao Yanhe said: This land is very good, but it is afraid that we cannot bury here at the moment. Xu Chengwu asked: Why is that? The master said: This land has empty holes in front, behind, left and right. There is also a woman's grave on the mountain side. How can we bury here? We must spend money to move it away first, then we can bury. In the future, there will certainly be a nobleman. The best part is that the water flow conforms to the stars, the mountains and rivers are elegant and refined, and there are two peaks like writing brushes in front. The coming dragon must come from the卯 direction and be established at the乙 mountain and辛 direction. Why do I make this judgment? Chen is the god of graves, now it falls on Kongwang and is used as the initiating transmission, so it indicates empty holes. Xu is also a grave god, it is placed on You, and You is also Tian Kong, which is also an empty grave. Taking the first transmission as the hole of the main mountain, it is directly facing the Xu position's grave in front.卯 is the son of the day stem, and it is also the nobleman of the癸 day, so it cannot be considered as a leakage.

徐宅問汪家買山，汪兄弟三分其二分，將來買長兄一分，故將空棺自埋其內。先前亦有三四個虛穴，皆不葬。徐丈齎錢問汪長兄買之。庚戌年九月葬妻，以後子孫皆中舉及第，皆此地發也。巳加辰作貴，巳主雙，故有雙峰，號為文筆星。宅又得貴人，癸見卯不可為脫氣，乃子孫貴人也。申酉為今日水母，故水來去皆合星辰，巳為雙女，故出雙貴人也。

The Xu family bought a mountain from the Wang family, and the Wang brothers divided the mountain into three parts. The Xu family first bought two of the parts and intended to purchase the eldest brother's share later. Therefore, the eldest brother first buried an empty coffin in his own share to claim it. Previously, there were already three or four empty graves there, but no one had actually been buried. Later, Xu Laozhang brought money to buy the eldest brother's share. In the Gengxu year, September he buried his wife. After that, his descendants all passed the imperial examinations and achieved success, all due to this land. The term巳 is placed on top of辰, forming a favorable omen. Since巳 also signifies "double," there are two peaks, known as the literary pen stars. The residence also receives the favor of a nobleman. On a癸 day, the卯 is not considered as a loss of energy, because卯 is precisely the position of descendants and nobleman.申 and酉 are the mothers of today's癸 water, so the flow and movement of water conform to the stars. Since巳 belongs to the palace of twin women, it is destined to produce a pair of noblemen.

按：此課斷法似出勉強，疑有錯誤，後見一針見血作癸亥日卯時占，似較此為確，當因並存之。

The compiler of this book notes: The method of divination in this lesson seems somewhat forced, and there is suspicion that the transmission may be incorrect. Later, upon seeing "One Needle Sees the Essence" which records it as a divination on Guihai day and Mao hour, it seems more appropriate. Therefore, both versions are presented here.

天啟甲子年四月癸卯日申將午時占來意。　指南／六勾／朱未申酉戌青　朱貴貴陰　鬼 乙未 朱／蛇午　亥空　未巳巳卯　父 丁酉 勾／貴巳　子虎　巳卯卯癸　兄 己亥 空／後辰卯寅丑常／陰玄

In the year Jiazi of the Tianqi era, fourth month, day Guimao, with the month general Shen added to the hour Wu, the divination is about the intention of a visitor. This example comes from the "Six Rats Guide." The Heaven and Earth plates are arranged with the month general Shen added to the hour Wu. The branches on the Heaven plate are successively placed on the Earth plate: Shen is on Wu, You on Wei, Xu on Shen, Hai on You, Zi on Xu, Chou on Hai, Yin on Zi, Mao on Chou, Chen on Yin, Si on Mao, Wu on Chen, and Wei on Si. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in order: the nobleman is on Si, the Teng Snake on Wu, the Vermilion Bird on Wei, Liu He on Shen, Gou Chen on You, Azure Dragon on Xu, Tian Kong on Hai, White Tiger on Zi, Tai Chang on Chou, Black Tortoise on Yin, Tai Yin on Mao, and Heavenly Empress on Chen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Mao added to the day stem Gui (which is placed on Chou) with Tai Yin, the second lesson is Si added to Mao with the nobleman, the third lesson is Si added to the day branch Mao with the nobleman, and the fourth lesson is Wei added to Si with the Vermilion Bird. The second and third lessons are the same, so the four lessons actually consist of only three, which is referred to as "four lessons not complete" in the divination; there is no mutual control between the four lessons, except that the upper god Wei earth of the fourth lesson can remotely control the癸 water, so the Wei is taken as the initiating transmission, which belongs to the "Hao Shi lesson" in remote control. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Wei, with the hidden stem Yi Wei, representing the official ghost, riding the Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission is You, with the hidden stem Ding You, representing the parents, riding Gou Chen; and the final transmission is Hai, with the hidden stem Ji Hai, representing the brother, riding Tian Kong.

陳公獻曰：予訪徽州戴義宇，請占來意，戴曰：時為日之胎神（陳公獻用五行長生，占時午為癸之胎財，畢法云“胎財生氣妻懷孕”），必為六甲占也。余曰：然，男乎？抑女也？曰：干上卯屬震，長男之象。又是幕貴，三傳四課純陰極度陽，生貴兒必矣。且支加干，俯首見子，生必順利。但四課不備，未能足月。生於何時？曰：六月生。果一一如所斷。餘又細看之，子沖胎神，子上見寅，子日寅時生。

Chen Gongxian said: I went to Huizhou to visit Dai Yiyu and asked him to divinate my purpose. Dai said: At the time of the divination, the noon hour was the position of the day stem's fetal qi. Chen Gongxian used the Five Phases Longevity Rule to calculate, and found that the noon hour was both the fetal position of癸 water and the wealth hexagram. The "Bi Fa Fu" says "fetal wealth and life qi, wife is pregnant." Therefore, it must be about the matter of pregnancy. I said: Exactly. Then, is it a boy or a girl? Dai said: The卯 of the day stem belongs to the Zhen hexagram, which represents the elder son. The卯 is also the night nobleman for癸 day. All three transmissions and four lessons are yin branches. When yin reaches its extreme, it turns into yang. Therefore, a noble son will be born. Moreover, the day branch is added to the day stem, which is the image of bowing, and the presence of descendants indicates a smooth delivery. However, the four lessons are incomplete, so there is a fear that the child may not be born full term. I asked when the child would be born. Dai said: In June. Later, everything turned out exactly as he predicted. I then looked again at this divination: The子 comes to冲 the fetal qi of午, and on the earth plate's子 position, there is寅, so the child was born on a子 day at寅 hour.

乾隆己卯年寅月癸卯日子將酉時占走失。　牧夫占驗／合勾龍空／申酉戌亥　勾蛇朱后　父 丁酉 勾／朱未　子虎　酉午未辰　兄 庚子 虎／蛇午　丑常　午卯辰癸　子 癸卯 陰／巳辰卯寅／貴后陰玄

In the year Jia Mao of the Qianlong era, during the寅 month and theGuimao day, with the hour of酉, the divination was performed to seek information about a missing person, as recorded in the "Pastoral Divination Verification." The Heaven and Earth plates were arranged with the子 general added to the酉 hour. The Heaven Plate branches successively occupied the Earth Plate branches:子 occupied酉,丑 occupied戌,寅 occupied亥,卯 occupied子,辰 occupied丑,巳 occupied寅,午 occupied卯,未 occupied辰,申 occupied巳,酉 occupied午,戌 occupied未, and亥 occupied申. The Twelve Heavenly Generals were arranged in order: the Nobleman occupied巳, the Teng Snake occupied午, the Vermilion Bird occupied未, the Liu He occupied申, the Gou Chen occupied酉, the Azure Dragon occupied戌, the Tian Kong occupied亥, the White Tiger occupied子, the Tai Chang occupied丑, the Black Tortoise occupied寅, the Tai Yin occupied卯, and the Heavenly Empress occupied辰. The Four Lessons were arranged from right to left: the first lesson had辰 added to the day stem癸 (which is located at丑) and occupied the Heavenly Empress; the second lesson had未 added to辰 and occupied the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson had午 added to the day branch卯 and occupied the Teng Snake; the fourth lesson had酉 added to午 and occupied the Gou Chen. The fire of午 was stolen by the metal of酉, so the酉 was taken as the initiating transmission. The first transmission was酉, with the hidden stem Ding You, representing the parents, and occupied by the Gou Chen; the middle transmission was子, with the hidden stem Geng Zi, representing the brothers, and occupied by the White Tiger; the final transmission was卯, with the hidden stem Gui Mao, representing the children, and occupied by the Tai Yin.

王牧夫曰：此人非走失，乃因酒後誤落水中，已死矣。沿流尋其尸可也。其人曰：素問王先生數學精妙，故特來請教，此是餘鄰居，若果如此，何處？余曰：數也，無可如何。蓋此課干乘鬼墓，發用是酉，癸是見酉，乃酒字也。墓為鬼與作合，三傳遞生，末見閉口，子卯相刑，豈非因酒誤事乎？且死氣在支，閉口亦在支，凡占事課凶得閉口者，必死。落水死者，辰為水庫，天后乘之墓神作鬼，故也。即往尋之，果得其尸。

Wang Mufu said: This person is not missing, but fell into the water after drinking alcohol and died. Follow the current to look for his body. The person who came to consult said: I have heard that Mr. Wang's divination is very accurate, so I specially came to ask. This is my neighbor. If it is indeed the case, where is he? I said: This is fate, there is nothing to be done about it. In this lesson, the day stem is on top of the Chen, which is both the day ghost and the water tomb. The initiating transmission is You, with the side of Gui water combined with You, which forms the character for 'wine'. The Chen tomb is both the day ghost and combines with You; the three transmissions are You generating Zi, Zi generating Mao, and so on, successively generating each other. The final transmission shows the image of a closed mouth (Mao is covered by Tai Yin, indicating inability to speak). Zi and Mao also mutually harm each other, which is exactly due to the wine causing trouble. Moreover, the death qi of Gui water is exactly on the day branch Mao, and the image of a closed mouth also falls on the day branch. Whenever a lesson has an inherently bad pattern and meets the image of a closed mouth, it must be death. The conclusion that he died by drowning is because Chen is the water reservoir, the water deity Tianhou is riding on it, and the tomb deity also acts as the day ghost. The person went to search immediately and indeed found the body.

乾隆壬午年未月癸卯日午將卯時詹經歷戊午生二十五歲佔有差遣否？　牧夫占驗／龍空虎常／申酉戌亥　空合勾蛇　父 丁酉 空／勾未　子玄　酉午未辰　兄 庚子 玄／合午　丑陰　午卯辰癸　子 癸卯 貴／巳辰卯寅／朱蛇貴後

In the year Renwu of the Qianlong era, during the month of Wei and on the day of Guimao, with the hour of Mao, Zhan Jilu (born in the year Wuwu, aged twenty-five) asked about the possibility of being assigned a post. This example is taken from "The Divination Verification of the Herdsman." The Heaven and Earth plates are arranged with the general of the month, Wu, added to the hour of Mao. The branches of the Heaven plate are successively placed upon the Earth plate: Wu is on Mao, Wei on Chen, Shen on Si, You on Wu, Xu on Wei, Hai on Shen, Zi on You, Chou on Xu, Yin on Hai, Mao on Zi, Chen on Chou, and Si on Yin, which is the same as the previous case of a lost person. The twelve Heavenly Generals are arranged starting from the nobleman on Mao in a clockwise order: the nobleman is on Mao, the Teng Snake on Chen, the Vermilion Bird on Si, Liu He on Wu, Gou Chen on Wei, Azure Dragon on Shen, Tian Kong on You, Bai Hu on Xu, Tai Chang on Hai, Xuan Wu on Zi, Tai Yin on Chou, and Tian Hou on Yin. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Chen added to the day stem Gui (which is located on Chou) with the Teng Snake; the second lesson is Wei added to Chen with Gou Chen; the third lesson is Wu added to the day branch Mao with Liu He; the fourth lesson is You added to Wu with Tian Kong. The initiating transmission is still taken from the酉 (You) in the fourth lesson. The first transmission is You, with the hidden stem Dingyou, representing parents, riding Tian Kong; the middle transmission is Zi, with the hidden stem Gengzi, representing brothers, riding Xuan Wu; the final transmission is Mao, with the hidden stem Guimao, representing children, riding the nobleman.

王牧夫曰：日內即有差遣，不順過慮也。問是何差遣？余曰：太歲作財在支上乘六合，其財逢旺甚大，主萬數，當是解餉之差。公曰：上下運氣甚平常。余曰：運氣春夏原平常，但公才幹能抵擋，何畏？是日晚，即接運司批命，解京餉數萬。蓋此數，今日癸卯明日甲辰，辰在干，雖是墓氣，然是次日旬首解愁眉也。正時與支皆卯，又屬貴人制鬼，故時下能振墓脫否也。三傳天空遞生，主有推薦，末又是日支，故主今日有差遣也。數以理斷，其驗如此。

Wang Mufu said: There will be an assignment within these days, there is no need to worry too much. Zhan Gong asked what kind of assignment it was. I said: In the year of Renwu, the Tai Su (Great Year) is at Wu, which is the day's wealth, falling on the day's branch and riding on Liu He (Six Harmonies). This wealth is at its prosperous and strong stage, the amount is very large, in the tens of thousands, it should be the task of escorting silver funds. Zhan Gong said: My fortune has been quite ordinary. I said: Your fortune in spring and summer has always been ordinary, but you have ability to withstand it, so what to fear? That night, he received an official document from the Transport Office, ordering the transportation of tens of thousands of taels of silver to the capital. The reason I could predict this amount is: today is Guimao, tomorrow is Jiachen, Chen is on the day's stem, although it is a burial stage, but it is the beginning of the Jiachen decade on the second day, which can relieve the worry; the time and the day's branch are both Mao, Mao is riding on the Nobleman to control the ghost, so at present it can revive the burial stage and remove the blockage. In the three transmissions, Tian Kong (Heavenly Void) is transmitted in mutual generation, indicating that someone will recommend from the side; the final transmission is exactly the day's branch, so I concluded that there will be an assignment today. Divination should be based on reason for deduction, and the verification is like this.

崇正辛未年六月癸卯日未將卯時臺中王旋官先生占上疏。　指南／龍空／勾酉戌亥子虎　空朱勾貴　父 丁酉 勾／六申　丑常　亥未酉巳　鬼 辛丑 常／朱未　寅玄　未卯巳癸　財 乙巳 貴／蛇午巳辰卯陰／貴後

In the year Xinwei (1631) of the Chongzhen era, on the day Guimao (April 23) of the sixth lunar month, the month general was Wei added to the hour Mao. Wang Xuan Guan, an official serving at the Imperial Inspection Office, consulted a divination regarding submitting a memorial. This example is taken from the "Six壬 Guide." The Heaven and Earth plates were arranged with the month general Wei added to the hour Mao. The branches on the Heaven plate were successively placed upon the Earth plate: Wei on Mao, Shen on Chen, You on Si, Xu on Wu, Hai on Wei, Zi on Shen, Chou on You, Yin on Xu, Mao on Hai, Chen on Zi, Si on Chou, and Wu on Yin. The twelve heavenly generals were arranged in order: the Nobleman rode on Si, the Teng Snake on Wu, the Vermilion Bird on Wei, Liu He on Shen, Gou Chen on You, Azure Dragon on Xu, Tian Kong on Hai, White Tiger on Zi, Tai Chang on Chou, Black Tortoise on Yin, Tai Yin on Mao, and Heavenly Empress on Chen. The four lessons were arranged from right to left: the first lesson was Si added to the day stem Gui (which is located in Chou) with the Nobleman; the second lesson was You added to Si with Gou Chen; the third lesson was Wei added to the day branch Mao with Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson was Hai added to Wei with Tian Kong. The first, second, and third lessons were all lower spirits stealing from upper spirits, and the three upper spirits Si, You, and Wei were all yin, making it impossible to distinguish them from the yin day stem. Therefore, the method of involving harm was used to determine the initiating transmission. Since You was located on Si, which is one of the four Meng (younger) branches, You was chosen as the initiating transmission. The first transmission was You, with the hidden stem Dingyou, representing parents, riding on Gou Chen; the middle transmission was Chou, with the hidden stem Xinchou, representing officials and spirits, riding on Tai Chang; the final transmission was Si, with the hidden stem Yisi, representing wife and wealth, riding on the Nobleman. The three branches Si, You, and Chou formed a metal trinity.

陳公獻曰：傳將遞生，有疏薦人乎？曰：非也，有疏參人耳。余曰：雖三傳遞生，嫌初末逢空，獨存中傳 ，歲破為鬼。又朱雀乘太歲剋日；太歲君也，歲破相也，恐得罪於君相，於公不利。後果以上章薦人，下獄擬配。

Chen Gongxian said: The three transmissions and the heavenly general mutually generate and nourish each other, does this mean recommending someone? Wang先生 said: No, it means accusing someone. I said: Although the three transmissions generate each other successively, it is regrettable that the first and final transmissions both fall into kongwang. Only the middle transmission stands firm. However, the branch of the middle transmission, chou, corresponds to the year Xinwei, which is the year's breaking point, and also acts as the day ghost. The Vermilion Bird is riding on the year's ruler, which does not attack the day stem. The year's ruler symbolizes the sovereign, the year's breaking point symbolizes the prime minister. I fear that offending the sovereign and the prime minister would be detrimental to you. Later, he indeed was imprisoned for submitting a memorial recommending someone and was sentenced to exile.

十一月癸卯日丑將酉時占來意。　一字訣玉連環／空虎常玄／酉戌亥子　常勾空朱　父 丁酉 空 ⊙／龍申　丑陰　亥未酉巳　官 辛丑 陰／勾未　寅后　未卯巳癸　財 巳 朱 ◎／午巳辰卯／合朱蛇貴

In the eleventh month on the day of Guimao, the month general is Chou added to the hour of You. The divination concerns the intention of the person who has come. This example is taken from the "One Character诀 Yu Lianhuan." The celestial and terrestrial plates are arranged with Chou as the general added to the hour of You, resulting in the same outcome as the previous example of Wang Xuan Guan's petition: Wei approaches Mao, Shen approaches Chen, You approaches Si, Xu approaches Wu, Hai approaches Wei, Zi approaches Shen, Chou approaches You, Yin approaches Xu, Mao approaches Hai, Chen approaches Zi, Si approaches Chou, and Wu approaches Yin. The divination is performed at the hour of You, using the night nobleman. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged from the nobleman starting at Mao in a clockwise order: nobleman rides Mao, Teng Snake rides Chen, Vermilion Bird rides Si, Liu He rides Wu, Gou Chen rides Wei, Azure Dragon rides Shen, Tian Kong rides You, Bai Hu rides Xu, Tai Chang rides Hai, Xuan Wu rides Zi, Tai Yin rides Chou, and Tian Hou rides Yin. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Si added to the day stem Gui (which is located at Chou), riding Vermilion Bird; the second lesson is You added to Si, riding Tian Kong; the third lesson is Wei added to the day branch Mao, riding Gou Chen; the fourth lesson is Hai added to Wei, riding Tai Chang. The three transmissions remain as follows: the first transmission is You, with the hidden stem Dingyou, representing parents, riding Tian Kong; the middle transmission is Chou, with the hidden stem Xinchou, representing official ghosts, riding Tai Yin; the final transmission is Si, representing wife and wealth, riding Vermilion Bird. The final transmission Si originally does not have a hidden stem but is marked with a circle on the side, indicating that Si is the empty position of the Jiawu decade to which the day of Guimao belongs. The first transmission You is also marked with a circle on the side, and both are recorded together.

徐次賓曰：來意主西南近寺，與姓周老陰人爭競，後移東北近廟居住。蓋先鋒門與日支沖而又發用，主宅不安，中傳大吉為日下之鬼 ，下臨酉為寺，合酉為佛為金仙，又酉為西方，大吉得太陰，主老陰人爭競，因此家宅不安，太陰主口舌事，大吉為土，地盤酉為兌，主口舌，以大吉下，見吉配合為周字，故曰西北近寺，與姓周老陰人爭也。

Xu Cibin said: The meaning of the person's situation is that his family lives near a temple in the southwest and has a dispute with an old woman surnamed Zhou. Later, they plan to move to the northeast near a temple. Why is this conclusion drawn? The first transmission (initial transmission) is You, which conflicts with the day branch Mao, and it is the initiating transmission, indicating that the residence is unstable. The middle transmission is Daji (Chou), which is a ghost and evil spirit under the day stem. It is below You, which represents a temple, and Chou combines with You. You itself symbolizes Buddha and golden immortals, and it is located in the west. Daji is riding on Tai Yin, which symbolizes an old woman. Therefore, there is a dispute with an old woman, causing instability in the residence. Tai Yin governs disputes and words, and Daji belongs to earth. The earth plate under Daji is You, which belongs to the Dui trigram, representing mouth and also disputes. Taking the character 'ji' (good) in Daji and combining it with the outer frame forms the character 'zhou', so it is said that the dispute occurs near a temple in the northwest with an old woman surnamed Zhou.

辰為宅，時既沖剋之，不安之象，何以移往東北近廟居住，蓋卦得從革，革故鼎新，從革本主西南，而運東北者何也？蓋大吉臨酉為日鬼，畏其鬼不敢往，末傳太乙，得朱雀為日下之財，下臨丑，丑主廟，故言往東北近廟居住，丑為天乙本家，故言廟也。

The day branch (卯) represents the residence. The hour of酉 both conflicts and overcomes it, indicating an unstable situation. So why is it predicted that he will move to a place near a temple in the northeast? Because the three transmits (巳酉丑) form a metal trinity, which corresponds to the concept of 'gold being malleable' mentioned in the Book of Documents, the Huafan. This signifies a transformation and renewal. Although metal usually governs the southwest, he moves to the northeast instead. This is because the large blessing (丑) is located on酉 and acts as a day ghost, which he fears and thus avoids going to the southwest. The final transmit is Taiyi (巳), which is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird and acts as a wealth god beneath the day stem. It is located on 丑, which represents temples. Therefore, it is predicted that he will move to a place near a temple in the northeast. 丑 is also the native of Tianyi Guiren, so it is called a temple.

正月癸卯日亥將巳時占宅。　張本占案／龍勾合朱／子丑寅卯　貴虎朱玄　子 癸卯 朱貴／空亥　辰蛇　巳戌卯申　鬼 戊戌 虎龍／虎戌　巳貴　戌卯申癸　財 ◎巳 貴陰／酉申未午／常玄陰后

In the month of January, on the day of Guimao, the month general is Gengyin added to Si hour, divining about a residence, this example is from "Zhang Ben Zhan An." The lesson disk printed here in the original text is exactly the same as the next example "Shunzhi Gengyin October Guimao Gengshen hour divining lost horse": the heaven plate Zi is over the earth plate Si, Chou over Wu, Yin over Wei, Mao over Shen, Hai over Chen, Chen over You, Xu over Mao, Si over Xu, You over Yin, Shen over Chou, Wei over Zi, and Wu over Hai; the twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order, with Qinglong riding Zi, Gouchen riding Chou, Liuhe riding Yin, Zhuque riding Mao, Tengshe riding Chen, Guiren riding Si, Tiankong riding Hai, Baihu riding Xu, Taichang riding You, Xuanwu riding Shen, Taiyin riding Wei, and Tianhou riding Wu. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: Shen added to the day stem Gui (located in Chou) riding Xuanwu, Mao added to Shen riding Zhuque, Xu added to the day branch Mao riding Baihu, and Si added to Xu riding Guiren; the three transmissions are initial transmission Mao (hidden stem Gui Mao) as son, middle transmission Xu (Wuxu) as official ghost, and final transmission Si as wife wealth falling into Kongwang. Two groups of heavenly generals are noted beside each transmission, the first group is arranged by day Guiren (Guiren riding Si), and the second group is arranged by night Guiren (Guiren riding Mao in reverse). However, the commentary by Shao Yanhe mentions "Wei riding Zhuque over the day stem" and "You riding Gouchen to attack Mao residence" and "the initiating transmission comes from below attacking above," which is exactly the reverse chant lesson of Hai general added to Si hour - the stem shows Wei, the branch shows You, and the three transmissions are Mao, You, Mao - which does not match the printed disk here. Therefore, there is a suspicion that the original disk has a printing error, and it is now recorded without alteration.

邵彥和曰：家內有私財，兄弟來爭之象。蓋卯酉為門戶，主陰私，加宅作克，而發傳用下賊上，是陰私財也。勾陳主爭訟，乘酉克宅，未為官鬼乘雀加干，未兄弟也。丑未相刑，小刑大，為賊亂之刑。丑年已曾爭競一番，今酉乘勾克卯，當復來爭競也。詢之，果胞弟爭財。

Shao Yanhe said: This indicates that there is hidden wealth in the family and brothers are coming to fight over it.卯 and 酉 are the gods of the gate, governing private matters; 酉 is placed on the day branch's house and is thus attacking it. The initiating transmission comes from the lower spirit to the upper spirit, showing that this is hidden wealth. Gou Chen governs disputes and lawsuits, and now it is riding on 酉 to attack the house. 未 is the official ghost, riding on the Vermilion Bird and placed on the day stem, and this 未 represents the brother. 丑 and 未 are in mutual conflict, with the smaller one attacking the larger one, which is a type of disorderly conflict. In the year of 丑, there was already a dispute, and now 酉 riding on Gou Chen is attacking 卯 again, indicating another dispute is coming. When asked, it was indeed his younger brother who was fighting over the family's property.