On the Guimao day, Wang Huaiyin divined about losing a horse (guidance).

順治庚寅十月癸卯庚申時王懷蔭占失馬。　指南／勾六／龍子丑寅卯朱　貴虎朱玄　子 癸卯 朱／空亥　辰蛇　巳戌卯申　官 戊戌 白／虎戌　巳貴　戌卯申癸　財 乙巳 貴／常酉申未午後／玄陰

In the year Gengyin of the Shunzhi era, on the tenth lunar month, the day Guimao, and the hour Gengshen, Wang Huayin divined about a lost horse. This case is from the "Six壬 Guide." After the Frost Descent in the tenth lunar month, the卯 general is used. This lesson is the卯 general added to the hour Gengshen: the Heaven Plate Zi is over the Earth Plate Si, Chou is over Wu, Yin is over Wei, Mao is over Shen, Hai is over Chen, Chen is over You, Xu is over Mao, Si is over Xu, You is over Yin, Shen is over Chou, Wei is over Zi, and Wu is over Hai. The twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order: the Azure Dragon is on Zi, the Gou Chen is on Chou, the Liu He is on Yin, the Vermilion Bird is on Mao, the Teng Snake is on Chen, the Nobleman is on Si, the Tian Kong is on Hai, the White Tiger is on Xu, the Tai Chang is on You, the Black Tortoise is on Shen, the Tai Yin is on Wei, and the Heavenly Empress is on Wu. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson is Shen added to the day stem Gui (which is located on Chou) with the Black Tortoise; the second lesson is Mao added to Shen with the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson is Xu added to the day branch Mao with the White Tiger; the fourth lesson is Si added to Xu with the Nobleman. The second and third lessons are both lower spirits stealing from the upper spirits. The two upper spirits, Mao and Xu, are of the Yin and Yang respectively, and the day stem Gui is of the Yin. Therefore, the Yin branch is taken as the basis, so the initiating transmission is Mao. The first transmission is Mao, with the hidden stem Gui Mao, representing the son, riding the Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission is Xu, with the hidden stem Wu Xu, representing the official ghost, riding the White Tiger; the final transmission is Si, with the hidden stem Yi Si, representing the wife's wealth, riding the Nobleman; Si is both the empty place of this ten-day period and the post-horse of the day Gui Mao.

陳公獻曰：此馬青黑色，在西北山崗，三日必獲。蓋因末傳之馬（此以驛馬為馬）而乘旬中之空，必俟出旬乙巳日填實，方能得馬也。何以知其色為青黑？因馬陰神見子乘青龍，故知色青黑。何以知其在西北山崗也？因馬居戌地故知在西北。果三日後自劉家集尋得。（陰神為形狀，地盤為方向。）

Chen Gongxian said: This horse is black and blue in color, and it is on a hill in the northwest, and it will certainly be found back within three days. Because the final transmission is the post-horse, and it is considered as a horse here. It is riding on the empty of this ten-day period, so it must wait until after this ten-day period, until the day of Yisi, to fill the empty and then the horse can be recovered. How do we know the horse is black and blue? Because theYin Spirit of the post-horse at巳 is 子, and 子 is riding on the Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon belongs to wood, which is blue, and 子 belongs to water, which is black, so it is concluded to be black and blue. How do we know it is on a hill in the northwest? Because the post-horse at巳 falls on the戌 position of the earth plate, and戌 is in the northwest, so it is concluded to be in the northwest. Later, indeed, the horse was found back from Liu Family Village three days later. (The阴神 determines the shape, and the earth plate determines the direction.)

愚按：自干陰而傳歸支，自外入內之象，故尋得。

The compiler of this book notes: This lesson is about the transmission starting from the yin spirit of the day stem, and the three transmissions return to the day branch. This is an image moving from outside to inside, so the horse can return.

乙酉年十月癸卯日寅將辰時曹將仕丙午生六十四歲占謀干。　方本占案／蛇貴／朱卯辰巳午後／六寅　未陰　空陳常空　官 辛丑 陳／陳丑　申玄　亥丑酉亥　兄 己亥 空／龍子亥戌酉常　丑卯亥癸　父 丁酉 常／空虎

In the year Yiyou, tenth month, day Guimao, the month general was寅 added to the time of辰. Cao Jiangshi (born in the year Bingwu, aged sixty-four) asked about seeking advancement in his affairs. This case is from the "Fang Ben Zhan An." The heaven and earth plates were arranged with the general寅 added to the time of辰. The branches on the heaven plate successively occupied the earth plate:寅 occupied辰,卯 occupied巳,辰 occupied午,巳 occupied未,午 occupied申,未 occupied酉,申 occupied戌,酉 occupied亥,戌 occupied子,亥 occupied丑,子 occupied寅,丑 occupied卯. The twelve heavenly generals were arranged in reverse order: the nobleman occupied巳, the teng snake occupied辰, the vermilion bird occupied卯, the liu he occupied寅, the gou chen occupied丑, the azure dragon occupied子, the tian kong occupied亥, the white tiger occupied戌, the tai chang occupied酉, the xuan wu occupied申, the tai yin occupied未, and the heavenly empress occupied午. The four lessons were arranged from right to left: the first lesson was亥 added to the day stem癸 (which is temporarily placed on丑) with the tian kong, the second lesson was酉 added to亥 with the tai chang, the third lesson was丑 added to the day branch卯 with the gou chen, and the fourth lesson was亥 added to丑 with the tian kong. The third and fourth lessons are both lower spirits stealing from the upper spirits. The two upper spirits,丑 and亥, are both yin, so the method of involving harm is used to determine the initiating transmission. Since丑 is located on卯, which is one of the four central points, the initiating transmission is丑. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is丑, with the hidden stem Xinchou, representing the official ghost, riding on the gou chen; the middle transmission is亥, with the hidden stem Jihai, representing the brother, riding on the tian kong; the final transmission is酉, with the hidden stem Dingyou, representing the parents, riding on the tai chang.

邵彥和曰：支上丑作勾陳，自宜用舊，未利謀新。況三傳四課皆陰，豈宜進干？若陽則宜進干，豈不聞《心鏡》曰：大吉臨干為死舊，天罡加日是生新。《心鏡》全以陰陽二字，分別陽宜動，為生、為新、為德；陰宜靜，為殺、為舊、為刑也。

Shao Yanhe said: When the day branch is Chou and it is occupied by Gou Chen, it naturally should follow the old situation, and it is not favorable to seek new paths. Moreover, the upper gods of the three transmissions and four lessons are all yin branches, so where is the suitability for going out to seek favor and advancement? If it were a yang branch, then it would be suitable for advancement. Have you not heard the "Six Rén Heart Mirror" which says: When Daji (Chou) is on the day stem, it is "death" and "old"; when Tiangang (Chen) is added to the day, it is "birth" and "new." The entire "Heart Mirror" distinguishes with the two characters yin and yang: yang is active, belonging to birth, new, and virtue; yin is static, belonging to killing, old, and punishment.

同年月日時第五直壬戌生四十八歲占捕逃有罪人同得此課。　方本占案　口鑑　張本占案／蛇貴／朱卯辰巳午後／六寅　未陰　空陳常空　官 辛丑 陳／陳丑　申玄　亥丑酉亥　兄 己亥 空／龍子亥戌酉常　丑卯亥癸　父 丁酉 常／空虎

In the same year, same month, same day, and same time, a person born in the year of Renxu at the age of forty-eight asked about capturing a fugitive criminal and received the same divination lesson. This example is recorded in the "Fang Ben Zhan An", "Kou Jian", and "Zhang Ben Zhan An". The divination chart is identical to the previous case where Cao Jiangshi sought advice on a matter of governance. The chart shows the hour of Yin with the addition of Chen, the Heaven Plate Yin is placed on the Earth Plate Chen, Mao on Si, Chen on Wu, Si on Wei, Wu on Shen, Wei on You, Shen on Xu, You on Hai, Xu on Zi, Hai on Chou, Zi on Yin, and Chou on Mao. 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: Hai added to the Day Stem Ji (which is temporarily placed on Chou) with Tian Kong, You added to Hai with Tai Chang, Chou added to the Day Branch Mao with Gou Chen, and Hai added to Chou with Tian Kong. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Chou (Xinchou) representing official ghost with Gou Chen, the middle transmission is Hai (Jihai) representing brothers with Tian Kong, and the final transmission is You (Dingyou) representing parents with Tai Chang.

邵彥和曰：此課干來加支，即發用，退歸西北，其人逃往買賣人汪家後空豬圈內藏匿，亥四丑八，去此三十二里，有婢在宅前著孝衣洗酒器，不在可問之，在崩敗東廁內，可往擒之。水日見亥，亥內有壬，壬加水，汪姓也。酉加亥為酒器，酉又為婢，作破碎，乘太常為孝服。七臺河陳剋日，追逃必獲也。此二句照張本補。

Shao Yanhe said: In this case, the day stem's lodging palace, Chou, is added to the day branch, Mao, and then the initiating transmission begins. The three transmissions proceed in reverse order and return toward the northwest. The person had hidden behind a deserted pigpen at the back of a merchant's house called Wang. The number of Hai is four, and the number of Chou is eight. Four multiplied by eight equals thirty-two, so the distance is thirty-two li from here. There is a servant girl in front of the house wearing mourning clothes washing wine vessels; if the person is not there, one can ask her. The person is actually hiding in the collapsed and ruined eastern toilet, so one can go there to capture him. Why is it determined to be the Wang family? Because the day stem is癸 water and sees Hai, which contains Ren water. Adding the water radical to the character 'Ren' forms the character 'Wang'. Adding You to Hai represents wine vessels, and You also represents a servant girl, and it also signifies broken things. It is accompanied by Tai Chang, which represents mourning clothes. The original text continues with 'Qitaihe Chen Ke Ri', but the text is clearly corrupted and missing (the initiating transmission Chou is actually riding Gou Chen and overcoming the癸 water day stem). The general meaning is that Gou Chen overcomes the day stem, so the pursuit of the fugitive will certainly result in capture. These two sentences were added according to the 'Zhang Ben Zhan An'.

愚按：當是天網課利於捕亡。

The compiler's note: This lesson should be considered as the "Heavenly Net lesson," for the Heavenly Net covers all directions and is most favorable for capturing fugitives.

三月甲辰日，酉將未時，越王占歸國。（《吳越春秋》）空、虎、常、玄。未、申、酉、戌；虎龍龍合；財，甲辰，合。龍——午，亥——陰；申午午辰；子，丙午，龍。勾——巳，子——後；午辰辰甲；鬼，戊申，虎。辰、卯、寅、丑；合、朱、蛇、貴。

On the 15th day of the third month, on a Jia Chen day, the month general You was placed on the time of Wei to start the divination. King Goujian of Yue asked whether he could return to his homeland. This example comes from the "Wuyue Chunqiu." Below is the divination chart. The outer circle is arranged according to the twelve earthly branches, with each branch noting the heavenly general it carries: on Wei there is "Tian Kong," on Shen there is "Bai Hu," on You there is "Tai Chang," on Xu there is "Xuan Wu," on Hai there is "Tai Yin," on Zi there is "Tian Hou," on Chou there is "Gui Ren," on Yin there is "Teng Sha," on Mao there is "Chu Quan," on Chen there is "Liu He," on Si there is "Gou Chen," and on Wu there is "Qing Long." "Gui Ren" is on Chou, and the twelve heavenly generals proceed from there. The middle column is the "Four Lessons," read from right to left: the first lesson is Jia day with its lodging palace on Yin, which has Chen, carrying Liu He; the second lesson is on Chen, which has Wu, carrying Qing Long; the third lesson is on the day branch Chen, which also has Wu, carrying Qing Long; the fourth lesson is on Wu, which has Shen, carrying Bai Hu. The right column is the "Three Transmissions": the first transmission is Chen, with the ten heavenly stems moving through the cycle to arrive at Jia Chen, carrying Liu He, and Chen earth is the "wife wealth" of Jia wood; the middle transmission is Wu, with the ten heavenly stems moving through the cycle to arrive at Bing Wu, carrying Qing Long, and Wu fire is the "son" of Jia wood; the final transmission is Shen, with the ten heavenly stems moving through the cycle to arrive at Wu Shen, carrying Bai Hu, and Shen metal is the "official ghost" of Jia wood. The original edition printed the heaven and earth plates, the four lessons, and the three transmissions in three columns side by side, and when flattened into text, they are arranged in alternating lines, requiring reading by columns.

吳王赦越王歸國，越王登車，范蠡執御，至三津之上，仰天嘆曰：「嗟乎！孤之屯厄，誰念復生渡此津也？」謂范蠡曰：「今三月甲辰，時加日昳，孤蒙上天之命，還歸故鄉，得無後患乎？」范蠡曰：「大王勿疑，直眡道行，越將有福，吳當有憂。」

King Wu of Wu pardoned King Goujian of Yue and let him return to his country. King Goujian got on the carriage, with Fan Li holding the reins for him. As they approached the Sanjin Ferry, King Goujian looked up and sighed, saying, "Alas! When I was in困境, who could have thought I would live to cross this ferry again?" He then said to Fan Li, "Today is the third month, Jiachen day, and the time is day昳, which is the hour of Wei, when the sun is leaning west. I have been favored by Heaven and have been allowed to return to my homeland. But will there be further troubles ahead?" Fan Li replied, "Your Majesty need not worry. Just proceed straight ahead on the road. The state of Yue will have good fortune, while the state of Wu is destined for misfortune."

筆塵解曰：按三月甲辰，酉將加未，乃「斬關課」，大利逃亡也。

The explanation from "Bi Chen" states: According to this divination, it is on the third month Jiachen day, with the酉 (You) general placed on the Wei (Wei) hour, resulting in the "Zhangguan lesson." Zhangguan signifies cutting off the pass and breaking through obstacles, making it most favorable for matters of escape and evasion. Therefore, the ability of the King of Yue to successfully escape from Wu was achieved smoothly.

愚按：斬關卦，諸書只雲利於逃亡及藏遁形跡等事，殊不知利於治國，亦利行師。觀越王此歸之後，終能霸越治吳，固為顯證。

Cheng Shuxun remarks: The lesson of cutting the gate, as mentioned in various books, is said to be favorable for fleeing and concealing one's whereabouts, but it is not known that it is also beneficial for governing the country and leading military campaigns. Looking at the case of the King of Yue returning to his country, eventually becoming the hegemon of Yue and subduing Wu, this itself is clear evidence.

嘗讀柳柳州《龍城錄》云：上皇始平禍亂，在宮所與道士馮存澄，因射覆，得卦曰「合因」，又得卦曰「斬關」，又得卦曰「鑄印乘軒」。存澄啟謝曰：「昔此卦，三靈為最善，黃帝勝炎帝而筮得之，所謂合因、斬關、鑄印乘軒，始當果斷，終得嗣天。」上皇掩其口曰：「止矣，默衰識之矣。」後即位，應其術焉（上皇即明皇也）。

I once read Liu Zongyuan's "Longcheng Lu," which records that when Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty was quelling disturbances, he was in the palace with the Daoist Feng Cuncheng and played a game of shooting covers to divinate. He first obtained a divination called "He Yin," then "Zhan Guan," and then "Zhu Yin Cheng Xuan." Feng Cuncheng remarked with congratulations, saying, "In the past, these three divinations were the most auspicious among the three spirits. When the Yellow Emperor defeated the Yan Emperor, he also obtained these same divinations. What 'He Yin,' 'Zhan Guan,' and 'Zhu Yin Cheng Xuan' mean is that one should act decisively at the beginning and ultimately inherit the mandate of heaven." Emperor Xuanzong hurriedly covered Feng Cuncheng's mouth and said, "Enough, just keep it in your mind." Later, Emperor Xuanzong indeed ascended the throne, fulfilling the prophecy of his divination. (In the text, "Shanghuang" refers to Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang Minghuang.)

又讀歐陽公《五代史》賀環傳云：事鄆州朱宣，為都指揮使。梁太祖攻朱瑾於兗州，宣遣環與何懷寶、柳存等，以兵萬人救兗州。環趨待賓館，欲絕梁餉道。太祖略地至中都，得降卒，言環等趨待賓館矣，以六壬占之，得「斬關」以為吉，乃選精兵，夜急馳百里，期先至待賓以逆環。而夜黑兵失道，旦至鉅野東，遇環兵擊之，環兵大敗。環走，梁兵急追之。環顧路窮，登塚上大呼曰：「我賀環也，可弗殺我！」太祖馳騎取之。凡此皆足資考證。是此兩課，皆不載月將日時，無式可演，特因論斬關卦，而附載之於此。

I also read Ouyang Xiu's biography of He Huan in the History of the Five Dynasties, which says: He Huan served as the commander of all troops under Zhu Xuan in Yunzhou. When Liang Taizu Zhu Wen attacked Zhu Jin in Yanzhou, Zhu Xuan sent He Huan, He Huaibao, Liu Cun, and others with an army of ten thousand to rescue Yanzhou. He Huan went to the waiting guest house, intending to cut off the grain supply line of the Liang army. When Liang Taizu captured the area and reached Zhongdu, he captured surrendered soldiers who informed him that He Huan and others had already moved towards the waiting guest house. Therefore, he used the Six壬 divination method, and got the "Cutting the Gate" divination, which he considered auspicious. He then selected his elite troops and marched urgently for one hundred miles during the night, intending to arrive at the waiting guest house first to attack He Huan. However, the night was too dark, and the troops got lost. When it was daylight, they arrived east of Juye City, just encountering He Huan's troops. A battle ensued, and He Huan suffered a great defeat. He Huan fled, but the Liang troops pursued him relentlessly. He Huan looked back and found no way to escape, so he climbed a grave and shouted, "I am He Huan, do not kill me!" Liang Taizu rode forward and captured him. All these events are sufficient to illustrate the use of the "Cutting the Gate" divination. However, these two accounts do not mention the Month General, the Day Branch, the time, or the moment, so they cannot be used to arrange the divination formula. I only mention them here because I was discussing the "Cutting the Gate" divination.

甲辰日，辰將寅時，占信。（《玉連環》末卷）貴、後、陰、玄。未、申、酉、戌；後蛇蛇合；財，甲辰，合。蛇——午，亥——常；申午午辰；子，丙午，蛇。朱——巳，子——虎；午辰辰甲；鬼，戊申，後。辰、卯、寅、丑；合、勾、龍、空。

On the day of Jiachen, using the hour of Yin to cast a divination, the question is about a letter or message. This example comes from the last volume of "Yu Lianhuan." The divination chart shows: on Wei, there is "Nobleman"; on Shen, "Heavenly Empress"; on You, "Tai Yin"; on Xu, "Black Tortoise"; on Hai, "Tai Chang"; on Zi, "White Tiger"; on Chou, "Heavenly Void"; on Yin, "Azure Dragon"; on Mao, "Gou Chen"; on Chen, "Liu He"; on Si, "Vermilion Bird"; on Wu, "Teng Snake." The Nobleman is located on Wei, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals are arranged in reverse order from there. The four lessons are read from right to left: the first lesson, which is the day's lodging palace on Yin, has Chen with the influence of Liu He; the second lesson on Chen has Wu with the influence of Teng Snake; the third lesson, which is also on the day's branch Chen, has Wu with the influence of Teng Snake; the fourth lesson on Wu has Shen with the influence of Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Chen, with the ten thousand changes indicating Jiachen, and the influence of Liu He, which represents the wife and wealth of Jia wood; the second transmission is Wu, with the ten thousand changes indicating Bingwu, and the influence of Teng Snake, which represents children; the third transmission is Shen, with the ten thousand changes indicating Wushen, and the influence of Heavenly Empress, which represents official ghosts.

雪心曰：三傳日同初，辰同中。占望信，責朱雀。今朱雀乘巳臨印，名「朱雀臨門」，又曰「雀騰空」。巳為子孫，是卑小信來，應在乙巳、戊申日到。蓋巳乃朱雀神，申乃朱雀之六合也。

Snow Heart says: In this lesson, the god on the day stem is the same as the first transmission, both being Chen; the god on the day branch is the same as the middle transmission, both being Wu. When divining about expecting letters or messages, one should focus specifically on the class of god called 'Zhu Que', because Zhu Que governs documents and messages. Now Zhu Que is riding on Si and is located on the official position. The pattern of the lesson is called 'Zhu Que at the Gate' or 'Zhu Que Flying in the Void'. For Jia day, Si fire is the son爻, so the message comes from a younger relative. The time of the response should be on Yisi day or Wushen day, because Si is the original position of Zhu Que (Zhu Que belongs to fire, which resides in Si), and Shen forms theLiu He with Si, which is the combined god of Zhu Que.

甲辰日，未將丑時，父占子。（張本占案）勾、龍、空、虎。亥、子、丑、寅；玄合虎蛇；兄，◎寅，虎。合——戌，卯——常；辰戌寅申；鬼，戊申，蛇。朱——酉，辰——玄；戌辰申甲；兄，◎寅，虎。申、未、午、巳；蛇、貴、後、陰。

On the day of Jiachen, using the general of Wei placed on the hour of Chou to cast the divination, a father is casting the divination for his son, as seen in Zhang's case. The course of the divination: on Hai, 'Gou Chen'; on Zi, 'Qing Long'; on Chou, 'Tian Kong'; on Yin, 'Bai Hu'; on Mao, 'Tai Chang'; on Chen, 'Xuan Wu'; on Si, 'Tai Yin'; on Wu, 'Tian Hou'; on Wei, 'Gui Ren'; on Shen, 'Teng Snake'; on You, 'Zhu Que'; on Xu, 'Liu He'. The nobleman is located on Wei. The twelve heavenly generals proceed in order. The four lessons are read from right to left: Jiachen's lodging palace is on Yin, on Yin there is Shen, riding Teng Snake; the second lesson on Shen has Yin, riding Bai Hu; the third lesson on the day branch Chen has Xu, riding Liu He; the fourth lesson on Xu has Chen, riding Xuan Wu. The four lessons are mutually added upon each other, forming a 'reverse echo' course. The three transmissions: the first transmission is on Yin riding Bai Hu, Yin wood is the brother of Jiachen wood. Yin is marked with '◎', indicating that in this cycle (Jiachen cycle), the empty palace is on Yin and Mao, so this Yin is empty. The middle transmission is on Shen, the hidden cycle gives Wushen, riding Teng Snake, which is an official ghost. The final transmission returns again to the empty Yin, riding Bai Hu, with the beginning and end fluctuating without stability.

苗公達曰：甲木旬空，巳為朽木，申金又克之，此子七歲以前，主驚風或起或僕，不能自立。寅數七，被申克，故主風。白虎亦主風。七歲以後，又申加寅，寅上亦作白虎，寅逢旬空，當是在前山七株樹下，遇一戲猴人，引索而走，受了一驚，害病幾死。猴，申也，蛇空故為斷索。辰投入宅，與申三合，拱生甲木，頗有生意。寅申七，辰戌俱五，蓋至二十四歲，人頗精彩。宅上見戌為財，辰戌沖斷，又為斬關，遂出外買賣。

Miao Gongda said: The Jia wood is in the empty position in this ten-day cycle. The Si position is the sickly place for Jia wood, making it like rotten wood. The Shen metal comes to attack it, so the child will suffer from a sudden illness before the age of seven, with symptoms that come and go, and instability in standing. The Yin is seven in number, and it is also attacked by Shen metal, so it indicates a wind illness. The White Tiger also indicates wind. After the age of seven, Shen again comes to attack Yin, and Yin is again occupied by the White Tiger, while Yin is in the empty position of the cycle. Based on this, it is inferred that he once met a monkey performer in front of the village on a mountain, and the monkey broke free from its rope and jumped out, causing the child a great shock and nearly costing him his life. The monkey represents Shen, and the Teng Snake is also in the empty position, so the image of the rope breaking is taken. Later, the Chen earth entered the dwelling position, forming a triple harmony with Shen metal, supporting and promoting the growth of Jia wood, and his condition improved. The numbers of Yin and Shen are both seven, and the numbers of Chen and Xu are both five. When combined, they reach the age of twenty-four, and the person becomes full of energy. The dwelling position shows Xu as the wealth element, and the conflict between Chen and Xu opens it up, forming the "cutting the gate" pattern, so he went out to do business.

戌上又見辰，為武合相併，主有陰私。一邊三個財，財多身弱，武為盜神，武乘辰龍則能變幻光怪，化為美婦，盜其精血，日後貪淫，一十五年。中傳申化為鬼，日夜跟隨，不離夢醒。寅為夜時，為夢醒。又見蛇虎纏繞。如此七年，三傳返吟來來往往，不得斷絕。申月寅日因天風吹倒大樹，壓在門前，中風而死，魂無所歸，安望歸乎？父子至情，徒生悲切耳。

On the戌 position there is also the辰, with the Black Tortoise and Liu He coming together in the same place, indicating hidden private affairs. On one side, three layers of wealth signs are arranged, but the wealth is abundant while the body is weak, unable to bear the burden. The White Tiger, being the god of thieves, when riding on the辰 and meeting the Azure Dragon, can transform into a strange and dazzling form, appearing as a beautiful woman, secretly stealing his essence. After that, he becomes addicted to lust, for a period of fifteen years. The Middle Transmission is the metal of the申, transforming into the official ghost, following him day and night, even not leaving him even when he wakes from dreams. The寅 is the time of night, also indicating the moment of waking from dreams; the lesson also sees the Teng Snake and White Tiger纠缠 without rest. After another seven years, the three transmissions form a return echo, coming and going continuously, unable to be cut off. By the month of申 and day of寅, because a great wind from heaven uproots a big tree, which falls on the front door, he dies of a stroke, his soul has nowhere to return, how can he talk about returning home? The deep affection between father and son eventually ends up in vain sorrow only.

丁卯年五月甲辰日，未將丑時，甲戌命，五十四歲，占子息。（牧夫占驗）勾、龍、空、虎。亥、子、丑、寅；玄合虎蛇；兄，◎寅，虎。合——戌，卯——常；辰戌寅申；鬼，戊申，蛇。朱——酉，辰——玄；戌辰申甲；兄，◎寅，虎。申、未、午、巳；蛇、貴、後、陰。

In the year of Dingmao, fifth lunar month, day of Jiachen, using the hour of Chou to start the divination, the person asking the question has a birth year of Jiaxu and is fifty-four years old. The question is about children. This example is from Wang Mufu's divination records. The divination chart is the same as the previous example: on Hai, there is Gou Chen; on Zi, Qinglong; on Chou, Tiankong; on Yin, Baihu; on Mao, Tai Chang; on Chen, Xuanwu; on Si, Taiyin; on Wu, Tianhou; on Wei, Guiren; on Shen, Tengsnake; on You, Zhuqiao; on Xu, Liuhe. Guiren is on Wei, and the twelve heavenly generals proceed in order. The four lessons are read from right to left: Jia lodges in Yin, with Shen riding on Tengsnake; Shen has Yin riding on Baihu; the day branch is on Chen with Xu riding on Liuhe; Xu has Chen riding on Xuanwu. The four lessons are interchanged above and below, forming a "returning echo" chart. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Yin riding on Baihu, which also meets the empty (marked with ◎), representing the brother's element; the middle transmission is Shen, with the ten heavenly stems遁 to Wu Shen, riding on Tengsnake, representing official ghosts; the final transmission is again Yin riding on Baihu, which is also empty.

王牧夫曰：此課占子息，主有子不育，直到五十六歲。偏胎之一子可許也。此課三傳無子，惟有遁出丙火子孫，又為日鬼克絕，木受金傷，則子孫何以托以為體？丙受克，則子孫何處以為生？此三傳之現在者，不得有所存也。支乘六合，六合乃子孫類神，居於沖墓之地，不得為旺，然五月火司其正，戌乃火墓，子孫臨庫旺鄉，尚有一子可許。若非五月火有氣，則支上之重土乃丘墳重累，主孤寡也。己巳之歲，胎見長生，又與命上生氣作合，酉為妾，卯為長子，故主是年偏胎生一子也。後果驗。

Wang Mufu said: This divination concerns offspring. The main indication is that the person has had children but they have not grown up, and it will not be until the age of fifty-six that he can be allowed to have a son from a concubine. In the three transmissions of this divination, there is no yao representing descendants. Only the jinghuo (prosperous fire) that emerges from the ten-day cycle is considered to represent descendants. However, this jinghuo is being overcome by the official ghost on the day's stem, which is in the state of extinction. Since wood is injured by metal, how can descendants take form? If jinghuo is being overcome, where will the life qi for descendants come from? Based on the three transmissions, it seems that they cannot be retained. The day's branch is occupied by Liu He, which is the class god of descendants, but it is sitting on a conflicting and buried place, so it is not strong. Fortunately, in the fifth month, fire is in its ruling position, and xu is the burial place of fire. Descendants are located in the storage place of fire, which is a flourishing area, so it is still possible to have a son. If it were not for the presence of fire in the fifth month, the repeated earth on the branch would form a layered grave, indicating a lonely and childless fate. By the year Jisi, the fetal god meets the growth of life, and it harmonizes with the life qi of the person's own birth. You represents the concubine, and mao represents the eldest son, so it is concluded that in this year the concubine will give birth to a son. Later, this prediction was fulfilled.

甲辰日，寅將申時，占官訟。（《一針見血》）朱、蛇、貴、後。亥、子、丑、寅；玄合後龍；兄，◎寅，後。合——戌，卯——陰；辰戌寅申；鬼，戊申，龍。勾——酉，辰——玄；戌辰申甲；兄，◎寅，後。申、未、午、巳；龍、空、虎、常。

On the day of Jiachen, using the寅 general placed on the申 hour to cast a divination, the case is about legal disputes. This example is from "One Needle Sees the Essence." The divination chart shows: on亥 there is the Vermilion Bird, on子 the Teng Snake, on丑 the Nobleman, on寅 the Heavenly Empress, on卯 the Tai Yin, on辰 the Black Tortoise, on巳 the Tai Chang, on午 the White Tiger, on未 the Tian Kong, on申 the Azure Dragon, on酉 the Gou Chen, and on戌 the Liu He. The Nobleman is on丑, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals are in reverse order. The four lessons are read from right to left: Jiachen is lodged in寅, with申 riding on the Azure Dragon; on申 there is寅 riding on the Heavenly Empress; the day branch is on辰 with戌 riding on Liu He; on戌 there is辰 riding on the Black Tortoise. The month general is six positions away from the hour, and the four lessons are added up and down, forming a "returning echo" chart. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is寅 riding on the Heavenly Empress, which is the brother of the Jia wood, and since it is in the empty position of the Jiachen cycle, it is marked with "◎"; the middle transmission is申, which in the cycle becomes Wu Shen, riding on the Azure Dragon, representing an official ghost; the final transmission returns to the empty寅 with the Heavenly Empress again.

斷曰：凡寅申入傳，多應舊事發動，雖有凶，結末小也。如秋冬占之，在正月方入；若春夏占之，在七月方出。其凶解者，德神在寅乘天后也。凡見德神，更行年有氣，空亡在傳，主無害矣。

The interpretation says: Whenever the branches of Yin and Shen appear in the three transmissions, it often indicates that old matters will be revisited; although there is some misfortune, the outcome is not severe. If this divination is cast in autumn or winter, official matters will only begin to be dealt with in the following year's first lunar month; if cast in spring or summer, they will only be resolved by the seventh lunar month. This misfortune can be resolved because the "De God" is located on Yin and is riding on the Heavenly Empress — on the first day of Jia, the day's De is on Yin. Whenever the De God appears in the divination, and the person seeking the divination has a strong and not waning year branch, and the Kongwang falls within the three transmissions, it indicates that they will not suffer harm.

二月甲辰日，戌將寅時，某占失狗。（方本占案）虎、常。空——丑、寅、卯、辰——玄。龍——子，巳——陰；蛇龍后六；財，庚戌，六。陳——亥，午——後；申子午戌；子，丙午，後。六——戌、酉、申、未——貴；子辰戌甲；兄，空寅，虎。朱、蛇。

On the day of Jiachen (甲辰) in the second lunar month, using the戌 general placed on the寅 hour to cast a divination, a person is seeking information about a lost dog, as seen in the case recorded in the Fang Ben divination manual. This divination chart is shaped like a square, with the earthly branches listed on each side and corner, and the heavenly generals that ride them written beside them: on Chou (丑) is Tian Kong, on Yin (寅) is Bai Hu, on Mao (卯) is Tai Chang, on Chen (辰) is Xuan Wu, on Si (巳) is Tai Yin, on Wu (午) is Tian Hou, on Wei (未) is Gui Ren, on Shen (申) is Teng Snake, on You (酉) is Zhu Que, on Xu (戌) is Liu He, on Hai (亥) is Gou Chen, and on Zi (子) is Qing Long. The nobleman is on Wei (未), and the twelve heavenly generals are in order. The four lessons are read from right to left: Jia is lodged in Yin (寅), with戌 on Yin, riding Liu He; on戌 is Wu, riding Tian Hou; on the day branch Chen is Zi, riding Qing Long; on Zi is Shen, riding Teng Snake. The three transmissions are: initial transmission is戌, with the ten-year cycle indicating Geng Xu, riding Liu He, and戌 earth is the wife wealth of Jia wood; middle transmission is Wu, with the ten-year cycle indicating Bing Wu, riding Tian Hou, which is the son; final transmission is Yin, riding Bai Hu, which is the brother. The character '空' indicates that Yin falls into Kongwang in the Jiachen ten-year cycle.

邵彥和曰：尋狗不見矣。蓋戌為類神，加日雖主自歸，奈何戌與寅雖作三合，又作六合，而寅反作虎在未傳克戌，故尋不得，定被殺矣。後知被木排上人殺而烹之。寅作虎克戌，寅木也，遂應木排上人，奇妙至此。蓋卯為排，夾克戌土故也。

Shao Yanhe said: This dog will not be found again. Xu is the divine representative of the dog, and it is placed over the day stem, which originally indicates that the dog would return on its own. However, although Xu and Yin form both a triple harmony and aLiu He, Yin is riding the White Tiger in the final transmission (the original text says "wei chuan," which should be "final transmission," referring to the third transmission) to attack Xu, so it cannot be found, and it must have been killed by someone. Later it was indeed confirmed that the dog was killed and cooked by people on a wooden raft. Yin riding the White Tiger to attack Xu, and Yin belongs to wood, so the result is connected to "people on a wooden raft." The reasoning is refined to this level. Because Mao also belongs to wood, it takes the image of a wooden raft, and Yin and Mao, both wood, enclose and attack Xu, the earth, thus resulting in this prediction.

天啟丁卯年八月乙巳日申時，金華何伴鶴訪陳公獻於揚州，陳母托占兩子武鄉試。（《指南》）朱、六。蛇——丑、寅、卯、辰——勾；玄蛇常貴；鬼，己酉，玄。貴——子，巳——青；酉丑申子；子，乙巳，龍。後——亥，午——空；丑巳子乙；財，癸丑，蛇。陰——戌、酉、申、未——虎。玄、常。

On the day of Dingmao in the eighth lunar month of the Jia卯 year, He Banh鹤, a native of Jinhua, visited Yangzhou to pay a visit to Chen Gongxian. Chen Gongxian's mother asked him to cast a divination for the two sons' military examination for the local level. This case is from the "Six Yin Guide." The divination chart shows: on Zi, there is "Nobleman"; on Chou, "Teng Snake"; on Yin, "Vermilion Bird"; on Mao, "Liu He"; on Chen, "Gou Chen"; on Si, "Azure Dragon" (originally written as "Qing" in the original edition); on Wu, "Tian Kong"; on Wei, "White Tiger"; on Shen, "Tai Chang"; on You, "Black Tortoise"; on Xu, "Tai Yin"; and on Hai, "Heavenly Empress." The Nobleman is located on Zi. The twelve Heavenly Generals proceed in order. The Month General for the eighth lunar month is Chen, with Chen added to Shen at the time of Shen. The Heaven Plate advances eight positions ahead of the Earth Plate. The four lessons are read from right to left: the day is Yi, with the Lodging Palace on Chen, which has Zi with the Nobleman; the second lesson on Zi has Shen with Tai Chang; the third lesson on the Day Branch Si has Chou with Teng Snake; and the fourth lesson on Chou has You with Black Tortoise. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is You, with the ten thousand changes leading to Jiyou, with Black Tortoise, where You metal is the official ghost of Yi wood, and the official star is used for the military examination; the middle transmission is Si, with the ten thousand changes leading to Yisi, with Azure Dragon, which is the son; and the final transmission is Chou, with the ten thousand changes leading to Guichou, with Teng Snake, which is the wife's wealth.

何伴鶴曰：昆弟皆中，午命在前，亥命在後。蓋因蒿矢見金，如箭有簇，自四發用，箭數合式。朱雀翱翔，文事武備皆得之矣。且貴臨貴位，必得兩貴周旋推薦。後果前後一一不爽。問何以分前後，因三傳逆合，又午命甲寅、亥命丁未，故知之。（《畢法》云：「兩貴相逢求兩貴。」誠不虛也。）

Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai Trigrams: Qian (Heaven), Dui (Lake), Li (Fire), Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Kun (Earth) Glossary: Zhuque = Vermilion Bird Sanchuan = Three Transmissions Sikuo = Four Lessons Guiren = Nobleman Fayong = Initiating Transmission Dingwei = Dingwei Jiayin = Jiayin He Banship said: Both brothers could pass the examination. The one whose birth year belongs to Wu came first, and the one whose birth year belongs to Hai came second. Because this lesson is the "Hao Shi Lesson" and the three transmissions involve metal, it is like an arrow fitted with an iron tip. Moreover, the transmission starts from the fourth lesson, so the number of arrows matches the lesson's pattern. The Hao Shi lesson signifies shooting, which is most appropriate for the military examination. The Vermilion Bird soars high, indicating both literary talent and military preparedness. Furthermore, the Nobleman is present at the Nobleman's position, so he would certainly receive support and recommendation from two Noblemen. Later, the order of their ranks was exactly as predicted. Someone asked how the order was determined. The answer was: because the three transmissions are in reverse order, and the one whose birth year belongs to Wu was born in Jiayin, while the one whose birth year belongs to Hai was born in Dingwei. From this, the order could be deduced. (The "Bi Fa Fu" says, "When two Noblemen meet, seek two Noblemen," which is indeed true.)

建炎己酉年三月乙巳日，戌將亥時，邵百一秀才癸丑生，生於閏月十二日辰時，五十七歲，占家宅。（宋本邵案、《口鑑》）六、朱。陳——辰、巳、午、未——蛇。龍——卯，申——貴；龍陳空龍；財，甲辰，陳。空——寅，酉——後；卯辰寅卯；兄，空卯，龍。虎——丑、子、亥、戌——陰；辰巳卯乙；兄，空寅，空。常、玄。

In the year Jiyou of the Jianyan era, third month, day Yisi, using the戌 general placed on the亥 hour to cast the divination. The person seeking the divination is Shao Baiyi, a scholar, born in the year Guichou, on the twelfth day of a leap month at the hour of Chen. He is fifty-seven years old. He is asking about his family home. This case is found in the Song edition of Shao Yanhe's Divination Cases and the "Koujian." The divination chart shows: on the辰, there is Gou Chen; on the巳, Liu He; on the午, Zhu Que; on the未, Teng Snake; on the申, Nobleman; on the酉, Heavenly Empress; on the戌, Tai Yin; on the亥, Xuan Wu; on the子, Tai Chang; on the丑, Bai Hu; on the寅, Tian Kong; and on the卯, Qing Long. This divination uses the night nobleman, with the nobleman located on the申. The twelve heavenly generals are in reverse order. The戌 general is placed on the亥, with the heaven plate one step behind the earth plate. The four lessons are read from right to left: the乙 day's lodging palace is on the辰, with the卯, riding Qing Long; the second lesson on the卯 has the寅, riding Tian Kong; the third lesson on the巳 day branch has the辰, riding Gou Chen; the fourth lesson on the辰 has the卯, riding Qing Long. The three transmissions: the first transmission is on the辰, with the ten thousand years cycle reaching Jiachen, riding Gou Chen, representing wife's wealth; the middle transmission is on the卯, riding Qing Long; the final transmission is on the寅, riding Tian Kong. Both branches are brothers of the乙 wood, and both the寅 and卯 are in the empty position of the Jiachen ten thousand years cycle, so the word "empty" is marked.

邵彥和曰：凡傳用，若干支陰陽已先據其位，只以不備推測，不可重複取用。今第一課卯加辰，卯木辰內乙亦木，不克；第二課寅加卯，第三課辰加巳，俱不克；第四課卯加辰，乙已為干先據，何得重傳？是支課不足用也，當以日遙克為用，卦名「彈射」。如此占之主應。術人多以第四課發用為「元首」，傳用已差，占何得應？皆由用術不精，反雲六壬不靈，豈不誣哉？

Shao Yanhe said: Whenever taking the initiating transmission, if the yin and yang spirits of the heavenly stem and earthly branch have already occupied that position, one can only use the method of 'incomplete' to make predictions, and cannot take it again. Looking at the current lesson: the first lesson has卯 on top of辰,卯 is wood, and the earthly branch辰 contains乙 which is also wood, so there is no overcoming; the second lesson has寅 on top of卯, the third lesson has辰 on top of巳, and none of them overcome each other; the fourth lesson again has卯 on top of辰, but the乙 wood has already been taken by the day stem, so how can it be taken again for the initiating transmission? It is clear that the lessons on the earthly branches are insufficient, and one should instead take the 'remote overcoming' from the day stem for the initiating transmission, which is called 'shooting'. Only by starting the lesson in this way can there be accurate results. Most practitioners take the fourth lesson as the initiating transmission, treating it as the 'primary lesson'. If the initiating transmission is wrong, how can the divination be accurate? This is due to their lack of skill, yet they blame the Six Rats divination as ineffective, which is unjust to the Six Rats.

愚按：此課乙木克土，卯來害日，宅不容人。初傳辰，自宅上傳出，中仍歸卯位，此乃奪父之財祿。三傳不離支干，乙以卯為祿，寅為同類，必有兄弟出去了，後復歸來。辰為勾陳，主爭訟。課中不見父母，止同類自相吞併。占者與父母各居十六七年，至五十九、六十，行年到亥子，上見父母，則有服矣。後一一不爽。

Cheng Shuxun remarks: In this divination, the Yi wood overcomes the Chen earth, and the Mao wood also harms the day stem. This is an image of a house that cannot accommodate people. The first transmission, Chen, comes from the house position, while the middle transmission returns to the Mao position, which is an image of taking away the father's wealth and status. The three transmissions remain closely connected to the day stem and day branch throughout. The Yi wood takes Mao as its禄神 and Yin as its kindred brother, so there must have been a situation where brothers left home and later returned. The Chen position is occupied by Gou Chen, indicating disputes and litigation. The divination does not show the parents' yao, only conflicts among kindred. The person being divined should live separately from the parents for sixteen or seventeen years. At the age of fifty-nine or sixty, when the year reaches Hai or Zi, the parents' yao will appear, indicating a mourning event. Later, all these events occurred exactly as predicted.

乙巳日占家宅。（《一針見血》）朱、蛇、貴、後。午、未、申、酉；蛇朱朱合；財，丁未，蛇。合——巳，戌——陰；未午午巳；鬼，戊申，貴。勾——辰，亥——玄；午巳巳乙；鬼，己酉，後。卯、寅、丑、子；龍、空、虎、常。

On the day of Yisi, divining about the family residence, this example is taken from "One Needle Sees the Essence." The divination chart shows: on Wu there is the Vermilion Bird, on Wei there is the Teng Snake, on Shen there is the Nobleman, on You there is the Heavenly Empress, on Xu there is Tai Yin, on Hai there is the Black Tortoise, on Zi there is Tai Chang, on Chou there is the White Tiger, on Yin there is Tian Kong, on Mao there is the Azure Dragon, on Chen there is Gou Chen, and on Si there is Liu He. The Nobleman is located on Shen, the Twelve Heavenly Generals are in reverse order, and the Heaven Plate is only one step ahead of the Earth Plate. The four lessons are read from right to left: the first lesson, on the day of Yi, is in the lodging palace of Chen, which has Si and is occupied by Liu He; the second lesson, on Si, has Wu and is occupied by the Vermilion Bird; the third lesson, on the day branch Si, also has Wu and is occupied by the Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, on Wu, has Wei and is occupied by the Teng Snake. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wei, with the ten thousand changes leading to Ding Wei, occupied by the Teng Snake, representing wife and wealth; the middle transmission is Shen, with the ten thousand changes leading to Wu Shen, occupied by the Nobleman; the final transmission is You, with the ten thousand changes leading to Ji You, occupied by the Heavenly Empress. Shen and You, both metals, are the official ghosts of the day of Yi.

劉日新曰：四課純是火神，三、四課且乘蛇、朱，不免火災怪異，及出口眼有疾之人。巳支臨日而作六合，主進外口分食，及遇房不定、小口逃亡之事。未蛇加午，小口落井，蛇為怪異。陰神見申貴，是神佛為災。末財化鬼，主損妻。酉作天后，主以婢為妻，並刑及死，出寡婦人也。原本句法多顛倒，愚略為潤色之，文理較順。

Liu Rixin says: The four lessons are all occupied by fire deities, with巳, 午, 未 forming a continuous fire element. The third and fourth lessons are further occupied by Teng Snake and Vermilion Bird, inevitably leading to fire disasters and strange occurrences. There will also be people in the family suffering from speech disorders and eye diseases. The day branch巳 is placed upon the day stem, forming Liu He, mainly indicating an increase in people from outside the family, and there will be incidents of unstable housing and the escape of young children. The 未 is occupied by Teng Snake, placed upon 午, indicating a child falling into a well. Teng Snake itself is associated with strange occurrences. TheYin Spirit shows 申 occupied by the Nobleman, indicating divine or Buddhist interference causing disasters. The final transmission is transformed from wife wealth into official ghosts, indicating harm to the wife. The酉 is occupied by Heavenly Empress, indicating a servant girl acting as a wife, and there will be punishments leading to death, with the family producing widows. (The original text has many inverted sentence structures, and I have slightly revised it to make the meaning clear.)

八月乙巳日，辰將寅時，占來意。（《指歸靈文論》）龍、勾、合、朱。未、申、酉、戌；合龍勾空；鬼，戊申，勾。空——午，亥——蛇；酉未申午；財，庚戌，朱。虎——巳，子——貴；未巳午乙；父，壬子，貴。辰、卯、寅、丑；常、玄、陰、後。

On the 14th day of the eighth lunar month, using the hour of Chen as the starting point, a divination was cast to determine the purpose of the visitor. This example is taken from the "Zhi Gui Ling Wen Lun." The divination board shows: on Wei, there is "Qinglong"; on Shen, "Gou Chen"; on You, "Liu He"; on Xu, "Zhu Que"; on Hai, "Teng Snake"; on Zi, "Guiren"; on Chou, "Tianhou"; on Yin, "Tai Yin"; on Mao, "Xuanwu"; on Chen, "Tai Chang"; on Si, "Bai Hu"; on Wu, "Tian Kong." The Guiren is located on Zi. The twelve heavenly generals are in reverse order. Chen is placed on Yin, with the Heaven Plate advancing two positions ahead of the Earth Plate. The four lessons are read from right to left: the day is Yi, with the lodging palace on Chen, which has Wu, riding Tian Kong; the second lesson is on Wu, with Shen, riding Gou Chen; the third lesson is on the day branch Si, with Wei, riding Qinglong; the fourth lesson is on Wei, with You, riding Liu He. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Shen, with the ten thousand hidden days as Wu Shen, riding Gou Chen, with Shen metal being the official ghost of Yi wood; the second transmission is Xu, with the ten thousand hidden days as Geng Xu, riding Zhu Que, representing wife wealth; the third transmission is Zi, with the ten thousand hidden days as Ren Zi, riding Guiren, with Zi water nourishing Yi wood, representing parents and official seals.

斷曰：來意是起官人道路往來，欲合婚姻，奈有所隔，而終不成。蓋申為夜貴，故云官人；申為道路，既作勾陳，則勾留不定，往往來來。乙日為占人，庚寄在申，乙與庚合，巳與申合，干支俱與初傳合，豈非欲合婚姻？中傳戌作朱雀，為奴婢，是官人慾買一妾，故道路往來也。奈申金畏干上午火，其妾家畏而不允，故終隔而不成也。

The interpretation says: The person coming to ask the question is trying to help an official travel back and forth on the road to arrange a marriage, but there are obstacles in between, so it ultimately fails. Why is it interpreted this way? The hour of Shen is the night nobleman for a day of Yi, so it is referred to as the official. Shen also represents roads, and now it is riding on Gou Chen, which signifies being tied up, moving back and forth without settling down. Yi day represents the person asking the question, and the metal庚 is lodged in Shen. Yi and Geng are in harmony, and Si and Shen are also in harmony. The day stem and day branch both harmonize with the first transmission, which clearly shows the intention to form a marriage. The middle transmission is in Wu, riding on the Vermilion Bird, which symbolizes servants, indicating that the official wants to buy a concubine, hence the person traveling back and forth on the road. Unfortunately, the metal Shen is afraid of the fire of the day stem's Wu, which is the female side, and the female side is afraid and unwilling to agree, so the marriage ultimately fails due to obstacles.

崇正己巳二月乙巳日辛巳時，楚黃洪半石先生占差，出一成課，已為何姓者批定大同餉部。（《指南》）蛇、貴。朱——戌、亥、子、丑——後；玄朱陰六；兄，甲寅，陰。六——酉，寅——陰；卯戌巳酉；財，丁未，龍。勾——申，卯——玄；戌巳酉乙；父，壬子，貴。龍——未、午、巳、辰——常。空、虎。

In the year Jisi of the Chongzhen era, in the second lunar month, on the day Yisi and at the hour Xinsi, Hong Banshi, a man from Huanggang in the Chu region, consulted about the official post he would be assigned. Previously, a master named He had already cast a divination and determined it would be a post in the finance department of Datong. This case is recorded in the "Six壬 Guide." The divination board shows: on the戌 position, there is the Vermilion Bird; on the亥 position, the Teng Snake; on the子 position, the Nobleman; on the丑 position, the Heavenly Empress; on the寅 position, the Tai Yin; on the卯 position, the Black Tortoise; on the辰 position, the Tai Chang; on the巳 position, the White Tiger; on the午 position, the Tian Kong; on the未 position, the Azure Dragon; on the申 position, the Gou Chen; and on the酉 position, the Liu He. The Nobleman is located on the子 position, and the Twelve Heavenly Generals are in reverse order. The month general for the second lunar month is戌. When戌 is added to the hour of巳, the Heaven Plate advances five positions ahead of the Earth Plate. The four lessons are read from right to left: the day is乙, so its lodging palace is on the辰 position, which has the酉 position, riding the Liu He; the third lesson is the day branch on the巳 position, which has the戌 position, riding the Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson is on the戌 position, which has the卯 position, riding the Black Tortoise. The second lesson was originally recorded as巳 adding to酉, but according to the calculation of the戌 general adding to the hour of巳, the酉 position should have the寅 position; and the original record notes that the heavenly general for this lesson is Tai Yin, which is exactly where Tai Yin is located at this time, and the first transmission of the three transmissions is also寅. Therefore, the character 「巳」 is likely a mistake for 「寅」—this is still recorded according to the original text without alteration. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is寅, with the ten-thousand-elimination cycle reaching Jiayin, riding the Tai Yin, representing brothers; the middle transmission is未, with the ten-thousand-elimination cycle reaching Dingwei, riding the Azure Dragon, representing wife and wealth; the final transmission is子, with the ten-thousand-elimination cycle reaching Renzi, riding the Nobleman, representing parents.

陳公獻曰：此南行數也。彼以祿臨戌上，故云北差；不知守土官則論祿，欽差官只論馬。今驛馬長生居午，必是南差。曰：明日堂上該先拈、後拈？予云：後拈得利。蓋以初傳、中傳空亡，末見貴人生日故也。次早關中張主政先拈得大同差，暴存九江鈔關洪先生得之。

Chen Gongxian said: This is the number for going south. The diviner said it was a northern post because the禄神 was on戌, but he did not know that the official responsible for guarding the territory discusses禄神, while the imperial envoy only considersThe Post-horse. Now theThe Post-horse is exactly on午, and午 is also the long life position of乙 wood, so it must be a southern post. Hong先生 asked: Tomorrow, when the officials draw lots in the hall, should I draw first or wait until later? I said: Drawing later is more advantageous — because the first transmission and middle transmission fall inKongwang (the empty position of this ten-day cycle is in寅 and卯, and the first transmission is exactly on寅), and the final transmission is when the nobleman comes to give birth to the day stem. The next morning, Zhang the chief official from Guanzhong drew first and got the post in Datong; the post at Jiujiang Customs indeed went to Hong先生. (The words '暴存' are difficult to understand, and there may be an error or omission in the original text; I have preserved them as they are.)

建炎五年正月乙巳日，亥將巳時，周氏占與羅氏交易。（方本占案）貴、後。蛇——亥、子、丑、寅——陰。朱——戌，卯——玄；虎蛇常朱；子，乙巳，虎。六——酉，辰——常；巳亥辰戌；父，辛亥，蛇。陳——申、未、午、巳——虎；亥巳戌乙；子，乙巳，虎。龍、空。

In the fifth year of the Jianyan era, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, using the亥 general placed on the巳 hour to cast a divination, Zhou family and Luo family were engaged in a trade. This case is recorded in Fang Ben's divination records. The divination chart shows: on亥 there is 'Teng Snake', on子 there is 'Nobleman', on丑 there is 'Heavenly Empress', on寅 there is 'Tai Yin', on卯 there is 'Black Tortoise', on辰 there is 'Tai Chang', on巳 there is 'White Tiger', on午 there is 'Heavenly Void', on未 there is 'Azure Dragon', on申 there is 'Gou Chen', on酉 there is 'Liu He', on戌 there is 'Vermilion Bird'. The Nobleman is located on子, and the twelve heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The亥 general is placed on巳, with the heaven plate and earth plate exactly six positions apart. The four lessons are mutually overlaid, forming a 'reverse echo' chart. Reading the four lessons from right to left: the乙 day's lodging palace is on辰, with戌 on辰, riding Vermilion Bird; the second lesson on戌 has辰, riding Tai Chang; the third lesson on the day branch巳 has亥, riding Teng Snake; the fourth lesson on亥 has巳, riding White Tiger. The three transmissions: the first transmission is on巳, with the ten thousand days cycle indicatingYisi, riding White Tiger, representing a son; the middle transmission is on亥, with the ten thousand days cycle indicatingXinhai, riding Teng Snake, representing a parent; the final transmission is again on巳, riding White Tiger, indicating an uncertain and fluctuating movement.

邵彥和曰：反吟體見凶將，必難成；又日上見財乘雀，必見爭鬧而後成。只是兩家俱有孝服。後來周姓果喪母，羅姓亦喪妻。又至後有三人來作鬧，丁丑日事成。其鬧者，乃過房子也。蓋乙以巳為兒，巳中丙戌，二姓主過房子來爭也。

Shao Yanhe said: When the lesson pattern is a returning sound and there is aInauspicious General, this matter is certainly difficult to complete. Moreover, the day stem has the wife's wealth but is occupied by the Vermilion Bird, so there must be a quarrel before the matter can be settled. However, both parties will suffer the loss of a relative. Later, the Zhou family indeed lost their mother, and the Luo family lost their wife. Afterwards, three people came to quarrel, and the matter was only settled on Dingchou day. These people were actually the adopted sons. Because the ethyl wood is considered to have the fire of巳 as its son, and the hidden heavenly stems in巳 are Bing and Wu (the original text says 'Bingxu', but 'xu' is likely a mistake for 'wu'), both families had adopted sons who were fighting over the inheritance.

七月乙巳日，亥將巳時，辛酉人占來意。（《一字訣》《玉連環》）合、勾、龍、空。亥、子、丑、寅；玄合常朱；子，乙巳，玄。朱——戌，卯——虎；巳亥辰戌；父，辛亥，合。蛇——酉，辰——常；亥巳戌乙；子，乙巳，玄。申、未、午、巳；貴、後、陰、玄。

On the 7th day of the seventh month, on an Ethereal Dog day, the divination is started with the亥 general placed on the巳 hour. A person born in the year of Xinyou comes to ask about the purpose of his visit, which is called "coming intention." This example is found in the "One-Character诀" and "Jade Linked Ring." The divination chart shows: on亥 there is "Liu He," on子 there is "Gou Chen," on丑 there is "Azure Dragon," on寅 there is "Tian Kong," on卯 there is "White Tiger," on辰 there is "Tai Chang," on巳 there is "Black Tortoise," on午 there is "Tai Yin," on未 there is "Heavenly Empress," on申 there is "Nobleman," on酉 there is "Teng Snake," and on戌 there is "Vermilion Bird." This lesson uses the night nobleman, with the nobleman located on申. The twelve heavenly generals are in order. The亥 general is placed on巳, with the heaven plate and earth plate separated by six positions, making it a "reverse echo lesson." The four lessons are read from right to left: the乙 day's lodging palace is on辰, with戌 on辰, riding the Vermilion Bird; the second lesson has辰 on戌, riding the Tai Chang; the third lesson has the day branch on巳 with亥 on巳, riding the Liu He; the fourth lesson has亥 on巳, riding the Black Tortoise. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is on巳, with the ten thousand years' movement resulting inYisi, riding the Black Tortoise, which is the child; the middle transmission is on亥, with the ten thousand years' movement resulting inXinhai, riding the Liu He, which is the parent; the final transmission is again on巳, riding the Black Tortoise.

徐次賓曰：來意家中內屬雞小兒病，心腹疼痛、血痢頻並，脈氣相反，病症反覆，身體羸弱，只得脾胃氣壯，而善進飲食，至九月節病勢反增，至甲子日，脾胃因不能進食不可救也。

Xu Cibin said: The person coming to consult is concerned about a child in the family who is born in the Year of the Rooster and is ill. The child has pain connecting the heart and the lower abdomen, and frequently passes bloody dysentery. The pulse does not match the condition, the illness keeps recurring, and the body is weak. Fortunately, the spleen and stomach still have strength, and the child can still eat. However, by the time of the September season, the condition worsens. By the day of Jiazi, the spleen and stomach will fail, the child will be unable to eat, and there will be no cure.

何知家內屬雞小兒病？蓋時為日支沖剋，主內動；又用起子孫爻死臨絕，故主小兒病。白虎臨酉，故知家內屬雞小兒病也。

How do we know the sick person is the child in the family who is a rooster? Because the time of divination conflicts and is mutually controlling with the day branch, indicating movement within the family. The initiating transmission starts from the grandson's爻, and the grandson's爻 is in a dead or doomed position, so it is determined that the child is sick. Further, the White Tiger is directly present on You, which corresponds to the生肖 of rooster, so we know the sick person is the child in the family who is a rooster.

何知心腹疼痛、血痢頻並？以巳為心胞絡，上得元武水，克於火，故知心腹疼痛也。巳主血應赤色，水主黑色，水火相雜故曰血痢。末傳又得巳，故知血痢頻並。脈氣相反者，用起火，故脈氣相反也。病症反覆者，卦得返吟也。身體羸困者，以值事門與中傳是亥，亥為幼子，見六合為棺財，又用起死氣，故知羸困也。

How do we know it is heart and abdomen pain and frequent bloody dysentery? The earthly branch巳 takes the image of the pericardium in the human body. Above it is the Black Tortoise (玄武), which belongs to water. Water comes to overcome fire, so it is determined that there is pain in the heart and abdomen. The branch巳 governs blood, and its color should be red; the color of water is black. Water and fire are mixed together, so it is called "bloody dysentery." The final transmission also falls on巳, so we know that the bloody dysentery recurs repeatedly. It is said "the pulse energy is opposite" because the initiating transmission starts with fire, which has an upward tendency, conflicting with the location of the illness. It is said "the condition recurs" because the lesson pattern is reverse repetition. It is said "the body is weak and exhausted" because the door of the matter and the middle transmission both fall on亥.亥 takes the image of a young child, and with the presence ofLiu He, it takes the image of a coffin. The initiating transmission also carries death qi, so it is determined that the person's body is weak and exhausted.

得脾胃氣吐壯而進飲食者，緣日上戌土，上得朱雀火，火生土，土主脾胃，故壯而進飲食也。何知九月病勢反覆增，緣中傳亥八月為解神，九月則非解故也。甲子日胃困不能飲食者，緣日上戌土主脾胃，甲子旬空亡而脾敗而無力也。言不可救者，所賴解神與胃氣，今既無解神，又脾胃氣落空亡，故云不可救也。

The statement "the spleen and stomach still have strong energy and can take in food" is because the day stem is戌 earth, and on戌 there is the Vermilion Bird which belongs to fire, fire generates earth, and earth represents the spleen and stomach, so the spleen and stomach are strong and able to eat (the original text's "气吐壮" has the character "吐" possibly as an addition). How do we know that the condition worsens in September? Because the middle transmission is亥, which serves as "Relief Deity" only in August, but by September it is no longer the Relief Deity. The statement that on the day of Jiazi the stomach energy is blocked and unable to eat is because the day stem戌 earth represents the spleen and stomach, and in the Jiazi decade,戌 falls on the position of Kongwang, leading to the failure of the spleen earth and lack of strength. The statement "it cannot be saved" is because the only things we can rely on are the Relief Deity and the stomach energy; now the Relief Deity has passed and the spleen and stomach energy has fallen into Kongwang, hence it is said to be unsalvageable.