In the 24th year of the Kangxi era, fifth month, Bingyin day, Wu Gongwang asked about his entire life (fragmentary text).

吳公望問終身，即以生年月日時演課斷之，康熙二十四年乙丑歲五月初七丙寅日申將酉時。殘篇

Wu Gongwang asked about his destiny. The diviner used his birth year, month, day, and hour to cast the divination. The time was the 24th year of the Kangxi era, with the stem-branch cycle being Yichou. On the 7th day of the fifth lunar month, Bingyin, the diviner set the hour as Shen and added You for the time. This example comes from a fragmentary text.

龍勾合朱 　辰巳午未　玄常空龍　官 甲子 玄 空卯　申蛇　子丑卯辰　官 　亥 陰 ◎ 虎寅　酉貴　丑寅辰丙　子 　戌 后 ◎⊙ 　丑子亥戌 　常玄陰后

The divination plate. The general is at the hour of You, with the Heaven Plate moving one position behind the Earth Plate. The arrangement of Heaven and Earth Plates is the same as the previous example: Chen added to Si, Si added to Wu, Wu added to Wei, Wei added to Shen, Shen added to You, You added to Xu, Xu added to Hai, Hai added to Zi, Zi added to Chou, Chou added to Yin, Yin added to Mao, Mao added to Chen. The difference here is that this lesson uses the night nobleman. The Heavenly General starts from the nobleman at You, moving clockwise: You is at the Earth Plate position Xu, which is yin, so it moves in reverse. Teng Snake is at Shen, Zhu Que at Wei, Liu He at Wu, Gou Chen at Si, Qing Long at Chen, Tian Kong at Mao, Bai Hu at Yin, Tai Chang at Chou, Xuan Wu at Zi, Tai Yin at Hai, and Tian Hou at Xu. The four middle lessons are arranged from right to left: the day stem is Bing, which is in the lodging palace Si. The first lesson has Si with Chen, riding Qing Long; the second lesson has Chen with Mao, riding Tian Kong; the third lesson has the day branch Yin with Chou, riding Tai Chang; the fourth lesson has Chou with Zi, riding Xuan Wu. The three transmissions on the right side: the first transmission is Zi, which is official ghost, hidden stem Ji, riding Xuan Wu; the middle transmission is Hai, also official ghost, riding Tai Yin, and is in the旬空; the final transmission is Xu, which is son, riding Tian Hou, and is in the旬空. The Chen on the day stem and the Chou on the day branch are both the burial places of water, so the official star is buried, which is the key to this lesson regarding fame and status.

黃斷曰：初傳旬儀，二十歲以前自在愉活之場，有無邊之樂事，干支上神雖係龍常各載鬼墓，鬼亦官也，官星入墓，功名有不蹭蹬者乎。宜其十赴？而悲於不遇到耳，況甲科最要廉幕貴人得力，中傳亥幕貴也，兼是官星，乃又旬空，空則無力也。欲填實除是有亥年之恩科則填補而可望，又或有巳年之恩科沖實亦可望，否則不能矣。末傳子息又空乃是天將后加後妻也，空而尚能育子乎，故須覓一肖夫之妾以填補之，鄧攸之哭，吾知其可免矣。

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: Heavenly Empress = Tian Hou Azure Dragon = Qing Long First Transmission = Chu Chuan Middle Transmission = Zhong Chuan Final Transmission = Mo Chuan Heavenly General = Tian Jiang Nobleman = Gui Ren Day Stem = Ri Gan Day Branch = Ri Zhi Storage = Mu Ku Kongwang = Kong Wang Tai Chang = Tai Chang A certain person named Huang interpreted the divination: The first transmission is "Xun Yi," indicating that before the age of twenty, the person was in a place of ease and happiness, with endless joys. Although the gods on the day stem and day branch are riding the auspicious generals Qing Long and Tai Chang, they are each carrying a ghostly tomb; the ghost is the official star, and when the official star enters the tomb, how can one's official career not be full of difficulties? It is no wonder he took the examination ten times (the original text has a missing character for "ten times"), each time feeling heartbroken due to lack of opportunity. Moreover, the most important thing for passing the examination with a first-class rank is to have the support of "Lian Mu Gui Ren." The middle transmission, which is亥, is exactly the Mu Gui, and it is also the official star, but it falls into the旬空, making it ineffective. To fill this vacancy, one must wait for an imperial examination in the year of亥, which would allow the vacancy to be filled; or an imperial examination in the year of巳, which would fill the vacancy by opposing亥 through the principle of冲. Otherwise, it would not be possible. The final transmission is the son's branch, which also falls into Kongwang, and the heavenly general is Tian Hou added to Tian Hou, indicating a second wife. Since it falls into Kongwang, can a son be born? Therefore, one must find a concubine with the same zodiac sign as the husband to fill this vacancy. In this way, the sorrow of Deng You, a Jin dynasty man who had no sons and wept bitterly, can be avoided.

某占失麥面，丁卯日卯將戌時。

A man's house lost some wheat flour. On Dingmao day, he took the卯将 and set the lesson at the戌 hour to divinate who stole it.

蛇朱合勾 　戌亥子丑　勾后常合　兄 己巳 常 貴酉　寅青　丑申巳子　子 　戌 蛇 ◎ 后申　卯空　申卯子丁　父 丁卯 空 ⊙ 　未午巳辰 　陰玄常虎

The divination plate. The time is戌 (Dog) with the general at卯 (Rabbit). The Heaven Plate advances five positions ahead of the Earth Plate:戌 is added to巳 (Snake),亥 (Horse) to午 (Goat),子 (Rat) to未 (Sheep),丑 (Ox) to申 (Monkey),寅 (Tiger) to酉 (Rooster),卯 to戌,辰 (Dragon) to亥,巳 to子,午 to丑,未 to寅,申 to卯,酉 to辰. The Heavenly General starts from the Nobleman at酉 (Rooster) and proceeds in a clockwise direction: Teng Snake is on戌, Vermilion Bird on亥, Liu He on子, Gou Chen on丑, Azure Dragon on寅, Tian Kong on卯, Bai Hu on辰, Tai Chang on巳, Xuan Wu on午, Tai Yin on未, Heavenly Empress on申. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the Day Stem is丁 (Ding), which is located in the Lodging Palace of未 (Sheep). The first lesson has子 (Rat) on未, riding Liu He; the second lesson has巳 (Snake) on子, riding Tai Chang; the third lesson has申 (Monkey) on卯 (Rabbit), riding Heavenly Empress; the fourth lesson has丑 (Ox) on申, riding Gou Chen. The three transmissions on the right side are: the first transmission is巳 (Snake), representing a brother's yao, with the hidden stem己 (Ji), riding Tai Chang; the middle transmission is戌 (Dog), representing a son's yao, riding Teng Snake, and is in the旬空 (empty period); the final transmission is卯 (Rabbit), representing a parent's yao, with the hidden stem丁 (Ding), riding Tian Kong. In divination for lost items, it is customary to blame Xuan Wu, but in this case, Xuan Wu is not used, and the thief is instead determined from the first transmission, which is in accordance with the ancient method as mentioned later.

邵彥和曰：據此課象是人力勾引來偷去，後知果是人力與對門面店博士合偷。蓋巳為爐灶，又鑄印課，太常為博士，亦主酒食，中傳戌為人力，末傳天空，亦是人力，是兩人力合偷也。申為麥面，陰神丑土墓之，而作勾陳，故主勾引也。《方本》。愚按：此課不用元武斷賊而以初傳斷賊，兼以中末？之，最合古法。

Shao Yanhe interpreted the divination: According to this divination pattern, the theft was committed by the household servant who was lured by an outsider. Later investigation confirmed that it was indeed the servant who conspired with the assistant from the adjacent shop to commit the theft. The reasoning is: the branch Si is associated with the stove, and the lesson pattern is "casting a seal" lesson. Tai Chang governs assistants and also food and drink. The middle transmission Wu indicates the servant, and the final transmission Tian Kong also refers to the servant, so it is two servants who conspired to steal. The branch Shen is associated with wheat and flour, but its hidden deity Chou earth restrains it, and Chou is governed by Gou Chen, which governs connection and linkage, so it is said that the thief was lured. This case is from "Fang Ben Zhan An". Cheng Shuxun commented: This lesson does not use Xuan Wu to determine the thief, but instead determines the thief from the first transmission, and then confirms it with the middle and final transmissions (the missing character in "兼以中末？之" is taken as the original text's missing character), which is most consistent with ancient methods.

某占訟己巳年五月丁卯日未將丑時乙酉生四十五歲。《牧夫占驗》

A person consulted about legal matters, the time being in the year Jisi, fifth month, day Dingmao. The divination was started with the hour of You added to Chou. The person seeking the divination was born in the year Yiyou, aged forty-five. This example is taken from "The Farmer's Divination Verification."

朱合勾龍 　亥子丑寅　空貴陰勾　父 丁卯 空 蛇戌　卯空　卯酉未丑　財 癸酉 貴 貴酉　辰虎　酉卯丑丁　父 丁卯 空 　申未午巳 　后陰玄常

The divination plate. The month general is at You, added to the Chou hour. The month general and the time of divination are in opposition. The heaven plate advances six positions ahead of the earth plate, forming a 'returning echo' lesson. The heaven plate positions are: Hai added to the earth plate Si, Zi added to Wu, Chou added to Wei, Yin added to Shen, Mao added to You, Chen added to Xu, Si added to Hai, Wu added to Zi, Wei added to Chou, Shen added to Yin, You added to Mao, Xu added to Chen. The heavenly general starts from You, riding the nobleman, moving in a clockwise direction: Teng Snake rides Xu, Vermilion Bird rides Hai, Liu He rides Zi, Gou Chen rides Chou, Azure Dragon rides Yin, Tian Kong rides Mao, Bai Hu rides Chen, Tai Chang rides Si, Xuan Wu rides Wu, Tai Yin rides Wei, Tian Hou rides Shen. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the day stem Ding is in the lodging palace Wei, the first lesson is on Wei with Chou, riding Gou Chen; the second lesson is on Chou with Wei, riding Tai Yin; the third lesson is on the day branch Mao with You, riding the nobleman; the fourth lesson is on You with Mao, riding Tian Kong. The three transmissions on the right side: the first transmission is Mao, representing the parent's yao, hidden stem Ding, riding Tian Kong; the middle transmission is You, representing wealth yao, hidden stem Ji, riding the nobleman; the final transmission is again Mao, still hidden stem Ding, riding Tian Kong. The interaction between Mao and You indicates mutual opposition, which corresponds to the description of 'repetition without end' mentioned later.

王牧夫曰：此訟乃見貴而起罪重落獄遣戌也。蓋發用天空，天傳反覆是卯酉。卯酉乃私門也，貴人坐此一官未了，又換一官，反覆不止一次。喜太歲上神亥克丁，乃是今日德神，年上辰戌為牢獄，乘白虎，故主落獄，陰神戌與命作合，罪止遣戌而已，且貴臨卯酉，占訟多牽他人，後果一一如占。

Wang Mufu interpreted that this case arose from a court appearance, and the charge was serious, leading to imprisonment and exile. The initiating transmission was accompanied by Tian Kong, and the three transmissions moved only between卯 and酉;卯 and酉 are positions of private matters, with a nobleman sitting there. One official had not yet concluded the case when another took over, and this repeated several times. Fortunately, the god at the year's stem,亥, was able to overcome the day stem Ding, and亥 was also the moral god of the day. The year's stem,辰 and戌, indicate imprisonment, and they were accompanied by the White Tiger, so imprisonment was indicated. The hidden god戌, which is yin, harmonized with the personal stem, so the charge would end with exile. Moreover, the nobleman was present at the private positions of卯 and酉, and in divination about lawsuits, it often involves others. Later, everything turned out exactly as predicted.

某占家宅正月丁卯日子將卯時。《方本占案》

A person divined the fortune of their home, with the time being the Dingmao day of the first month. The calculation started with the Zi general added to the Mao hour. This example is found in the "Fang Ben Zhan An."

合勾龍空 　寅卯辰巳　陰蛇朱龍　官 甲子 蛇 朱丑　午虎　酉子丑辰　財 癸酉 陰 蛇子　未常　子卯辰丁　兄 庚午 虎 　亥戌酉申 　貴后陰玄

The divination board shows that the Heavenly General is placed on the卯 (Mao) position at the time of the卯 (Mao) hour. The Heaven Plate moves ahead of the Earth Plate by nine positions:寅 (Yin) is placed on巳 (Si),卯 (Mao) on午 (Wu),辰 (Chen) on未 (Wei),巳 (Si) on申 (Shen),午 (Wu) on酉 (You),未 (Wei) on戌 (Xu),申 (Shen) on亥 (Hai),酉 (You) on子 (Zi),戌 (Xu) on丑 (Chou),亥 (Hai) on寅 (Yin),子 (Zi) on卯 (Mao), and丑 (Chou) on辰 (Chen). The Heavenly General starts from亥 (Hai) with the Nobleman, moving in a clockwise direction: Teng Snake is on子 (Zi), Vermilion Bird on丑 (Chou), Liu He on寅 (Yin), Gou Chen on卯 (Mao), Azure Dragon on辰 (Chen), Tian Kong on巳 (Si), White Tiger on午 (Wu), Tai Chang on未 (Wei), Black Tortoise on申 (Shen), Tai Yin on酉 (You), and Heavenly Empress on戌 (Xu). The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the Day Stem is丁 (Ding), which is located in the宫 (palace) of未 (Wei). The first lesson has辰 (Chen) on未 (Wei), with Azure Dragon as its general. The second lesson has丑 (Chou) on辰 (Chen), with Vermilion Bird as its general. The third lesson has子 (Zi) on卯 (Mao), with Teng Snake as its general. The fourth lesson has酉 (You) on子 (Zi), with Tai Yin as its general. The three transmissions on the right side are: the first transmission is子 (Zi), which is the official ghost of the Day Stem, hidden as Jia, with Teng Snake as its general. The middle transmission is酉 (You), which is the wealth element, hidden as Gui, with Tai Yin as its general. The final transmission is午 (Wu), which is the brother element, hidden as Geng, with White Tiger as its general. The子 (Zi) is placed on the Day Branch卯 (Mao), and午 (Wu) is placed on酉 (You). The twoInauspicious General (malevolent generals), Teng Snake and White Tiger, are directly over the卯 (Mao) and酉 (You) positions, which are the gate positions.

愚按：鄭本雲正月占不宜出路，似此方於子午道路之神句有著落，鄭云子酉午皆屬婦人，子午為道路，酉為天鬼，恐是婦人在道路中染了疫氣至家，以致滿門受傷也。愚按邵公最嫌天鬼，鄭君補出此層甚是。

Cheng Shuxun remarked: According to Zheng Tigong's explanation, if one draws this divination during the first lunar month, it is not advisable to go out. In this way, Shao Yanhe's statement that "zi and wu are the deities of roads" makes sense. Zheng also said that zi, you, and wu can all indicate women. Zi and wu represent roads, while you is the heavenly ghost. Perhaps a woman in the family caught an epidemic while traveling, bringing it back home and causing harm to the whole family. I further remarked: Shao Yanhe particularly disliked the heavenly ghost. Zheng's addition of this point is correct.

邵彥和曰：此課占宅，主門戶幽暗，有重喪。又陰小有災，蓋子作蛇入宅為用，午作虎在酉上為末。以子午道路之神而作蛇虎臨卯酉之上，是蛇虎加二八門也，故主重喪。又子加卯相刑也，午作虎死氣也，安得不凶乎，當年其人果死，其孫又亡。

Shao Yanhe interpreted the divination: This reading concerns the dwelling, indicating darkened gates and serious mourning within the family. Women and young children are also affected by misfortune. This is because the child's trigram is riding on Teng Snake and entering the dwelling position as the initiating transmission, while the horse's trigram is riding on White Tiger and falling on You as the final transmission. The child and horse are originally the deities of roads, but now they are riding on Teng Snake and White Tiger over Mao and You, which are the positions of the second and eighth months, representing the gate positions. Therefore, it indicates consecutive deaths. Moreover, the child's trigram added to Mao is mutually harmful, and the horse's trigram riding on White Tiger is accompanied by death qi, how could it not be ominous? Indeed, the person in question died, and his grandson later also passed away.

乾隆丙子年九月丁卯日辰將丑時，都轉盧雅雨先生辛未生，六十六歲，占遷官否。牧夫占驗。

In the 21st year of Qianlong's reign (1756), in the ninth month, on a Dingmao day, the calculation was made with the hour of Chen as the month general and the time of Chou. The question was asked by Lu Yayu, the salt transport commissioner of the two Huai regions. "Duzhuan" is a short form for "Duzhuan yun yan shi si yun shi," meaning the commissioner of the salt transport bureau. He was born in the year Xinwei and was sixty-six years old at the time. He asked whether he could be promoted. This case is recorded in Wang Mufu's records of divination practices.

蛇貴后陰 申酉戌亥 貴合常后 財 癸酉 貴 朱未 子玄 酉午丑戌 官 甲子 玄 合午 丑常 午卯戌丁 父 丁卯 空 巳辰卯寅 勾龍空虎

This passage describes the text of the spread-out divination board. The Heaven and Earth plates start with the general of Chen (辰将) added to the hour of Chou (丑时). The Heaven plate deities are each three positions ahead of the Earth plate branches: on the branch Si (巳), the Heaven plate gets Shen (申); on Wu (午), it gets You (酉); on Wei (未), it gets Xu (戌); on Shen (申), it gets Hai (亥); on You (酉), it gets Zi (子); on Xu (戌), it gets Chou (丑); on Hai (亥), it gets Yin (寅); on Zi (子), it gets Mao (卯); on Chou (丑), it gets Chen (辰); on Yin (寅), it gets Si (巳); on Mao (卯), it gets Wu (午); on Chen (辰), it gets Wei (未). The twelve Heavenly Generals are in order: Teng Snake (螣蛇) is on Shen (申), Nobleman (贵人) is on You (酉), Heavenly Empress (天后) is on Xu (戌), Tai Yin (太阴) is on Hai (亥), Xuan Wu (玄武) is on Zi (子), Tai Chang (太常) is on Chou (丑), Bai Hu (白虎) is on Yin (寅), Tian Kong (天空) is on Mao (卯), Qing Long (青龙) is on Chen (辰), Gou Chen (勾陈) is on Si (巳), Liu He (六合) is on Wu (午), Zhu Que (朱雀) is on Wei (未). Nobleman is on You (酉) and moves backward, indicating the night nobleman for the day of Ding (丁). The four lessons are read from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ding (丁) is in the lodging palace of Wei (未), and on Wei (未) is Xu (戌), which is occupied by Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, on Xu (戌) is Chou (丑), which is occupied by Tai Chang; the third lesson, on the day branch Mao (卯) is Wu (午), which is occupied by Liu He; the fourth lesson, on Wu (午) is You (酉), which is occupied by Nobleman. The three transmissions are: initial transmission You (酉), middle transmission Zi (子), and final transmission Mao (卯). The initial transmission You (酉) is concealed by the stem Gui (癸), which on the day of Ding (丁) fire is the wife and wealth, and is occupied by Nobleman. The middle transmission Zi (子) is concealed by the stem Ji (甲), which is the official and ghost, and is occupied by Xuan Wu. The final transmission Mao (卯) is concealed by the stem Ding (丁), which is the parents, and is occupied by Tian Kong. You metal generates Zi water, Zi water generates Mao wood, and Mao wood in turn generates the day stem Ding fire. The three transmissions generate one after another, which is called "reciprocal generation" or "successive generation."

王牧夫曰：憲臺不能升遷，安榮此任甚久。公曰：三傳遞生人舉薦，何故不能？曰：遞生雖屬舉薦，但是閉口不能顯薦，況公年命皆空，不能著實。三傳是大概之象，年命方切於己耳。且丁神心動身動，實有所望，奈自乘墓，又與支神作合，所以安榮此任不能？遷者也。後果不能升遷，壬午冬告休而回。

Wang Mufu said: The magistrate will not be promoted, but will remain in his current position for a long time. Lu Gong asked: The three transmissions are all in a sequence of mutual generation, which is the image of someone recommending him, so why can't he be promoted? Wang Mufu answered: Although mutual generation is indeed the image of recommendation, the life qi is closed and not flowing, so the support can only be given secretly, not openly recommended; moreover, your birth stem and age are both in kongwang. Your birth stem is Xinwei, and your age of sixty-six also reaches Wei. The Wei is occupied by Xu, which is the empty of the Jiazi cycle, empty and not real, not able to reach a real position. The three transmissions are only the general outline, but the birth stem and age are what truly relate to the person being divined. Moreover, the "Ding Shen" that the day stem Ding has escaped has both heart and body moving, you indeed have hope in your mind, but the day stem itself is riding on the tomb god - the tomb of Ding fire is on the god Xu on the stem; Xu also forms Liu He with the day branch Mao, being caught by the combination and unable to move, so you can only enjoy your current position and cannot be transferred. (The character below "cannot" is missing in the original text). Later, he indeed did not get promoted, and retired in winter of the 27th year of Qianlong (1762) and returned to his hometown.

乾隆乙亥年八月丁卯日辰將子時，占督院文書批發何如。牧夫占驗。

In the twentieth year of the Qianlong era, Yihai (1755), in the eighth month, on a Dingmao day, the divination was cast with Chen as the month general, starting at the Zi hour. The case concerns the outcome of a document submitted to the governor's office (the "dushu" or governor's headquarters) receiving a reply. This case is recorded in Wang Mufu's divination records.

貴后陰玄 酉戌亥子 陰朱空陰 官 亥 陰 ◎ 蛇申 丑常 亥未卯亥 父 丁卯 空 ⊙ 朱未 寅虎 未卯亥丁 子 辛未 朱 午巳辰卯 合勾龍空

After the lesson disk is laid out flat as above. The Heaven and Earth plates start with the hour of Chen and the Heavenly General. The Heaven plate advances four positions ahead of the Earth plate: the Earth plate's Si position corresponds to You, Wu to Xu, Wei to Hai, Shen to Zi, You to Chou, Xu to Yin, Hai to Mao, Zi to Chen, Chou to Si, Yin to Wu, Mao to Wei, and Chen to Shen. The Twelve Heavenly Generals are: the Nobleman is on You, the Heavenly Empress on Xu, Tai Yin on Hai, Black Tortoise on Zi, Tai Chang on Chou, White Tiger on Yin, Tian Kong on Mao, Azure Dragon on Chen, Gou Chen on Si, Liu He on Wu, Vermilion Bird on Wei, and Teng Snake on Shen. The hour of Zi is night, and the nobleman in the night of Ding is on You, and the nobleman moves in reverse. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Ding is in the lodging palace of Wei, and Wei corresponds to Hai, which is occupied by Tai Yin; the second lesson, Hai corresponds to Mao, which is occupied by Tian Kong; the third lesson, the day branch Mao corresponds to Wei, which is occupied by Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, Wei corresponds to Hai, which is occupied by Tai Yin. The three transmissions are Hai, Mao, and Wei, which form the triple harmony of wood: the first transmission, Hai is the official ghost, as it falls in the empty position of the Jiazi cycle, so it does not carry a hidden stem, and is marked with 「◎」 for the empty position, occupied by Tai Yin; the middle transmission, Mao carries the hidden stem of Ding, which is the parent, occupied by Tian Kong, marked with 「⊙」; the final transmission, Wei carries the hidden stem of Xin, which is the child, occupied by Vermilion Bird.

王牧夫曰：省中文字不能如意，鹽窩當大退。丙丁之日批成，戊巳之日到。果於丁日批，巳日到。批語與生意甚無益也，連日大退數錢，甚驗。凡占？？大位，俱以歲破為用。歲破之上生酉，正沖木局，故不能如意也。正時與朱雀六害，與卯相刑，何能有望，？？是以必退耳。朱雀為批辭，遁辛克支，為？？受墓受克，安得有好語乎。丙丁之日批者，未即丁，又辛與丙合，以丙丁而為期。戊己之日到者，馬帶巳又合戊也。

Wang Mufu said: The official document from the provincial government will not be satisfactory, and the business of the salt fields will suffer a big drop. It will be approved on the days of Bing and Ding, and delivered on the days of Wu and Ji. Later, it was indeed approved on the day of Ding and delivered on the day of Si. The approval comments brought no benefit to the business, and the price dropped several units in the following days, which was extremely accurate. Whenever one divines matters such as taking a high position, the "year destruction" is taken as the useful god. In the year of Yihai, the year destruction is in Si. On the earth plate, Si is exactly where the heaven plate酉 is. The metal of酉 clashes and controls the central god of the triple harmony wood circle, which is卯. The wood circle is thus scattered, so the matter will not go smoothly. When divining, Zi does not form the six harms with the bird Vermilion, but Zi is in conflict with the day branch卯. Where is there any hope, so the business must decline. The bird Vermilion governs official documents and comments. The hidden stem of the final transmission, which is Wei, is Xin. The metal of Xin controls the day branch卯 wood. Wei is also the storage of wood, which is both trapped in the storage and controlled, where can there be good words. It is said that the approval will be on the days of Bing and Ding because the day stem Ding is lodged in Wei, and Wei represents Ding. The hidden stem of the final transmission, which is Xin, is in harmony with Bing, so Bing and Ding are taken as the time of response. It is said that the delivery will be on the days of Wu and Ji because the post-horse is in Si, and Si contains Wu, which is in harmony with Wu.

雍正乙卯年五月丁卯日未將卯時，阮帝臣老占求孔公司委買之事允否。殘編。

In the thirteenth year of the Qing Yongzheng era, which was the Yimao year (1735), in May, on a Dingmao day, the class was cast with the hour of卯 (Mao) and the month general of未 (Wei). The old gentleman, a former official, was divining whether he could obtain an assignment from Kong Gong to be in charge of purchasing goods. This entry is taken from a fragmentary compilation.

朱蛇貴后 酉戌亥子 貴勾常貴 官 亥 貴 ◎ 合申 丑陰 亥未卯亥 父 丁卯 常 ⊙ 勾未 寅玄 未卯亥丁 子 辛未 勾 午巳辰卯 龍空虎常

After the lesson plate is laid out as above. The heaven and earth plates are arranged with the general of the hour (未) added to the卯 hour. The heaven plate moves four positions ahead of the earth plate, and the heaven and earth plates are exactly the same as in the previous case: the earth plate has酉 on巳,戌 on午,亥 on未,子 on申,丑 on酉,寅 on戌,卯 on亥,辰 on子,巳 on丑,午 on寅,未 on卯,申 on辰. The arrangement of the heavenly generals differs from the previous case: the Vermilion Bird is on酉, the Teng Snake on戌, the Nobleman on亥, the Heavenly Empress on子, the Tai Yin on丑, the Black Tortoise on寅, the Tai Chang on卯, the White Tiger on辰, the Tian Kong on巳, the Azure Dragon on午, the Gou Chen on未, and the Liu He on申. The卯 hour belongs to the day time, and on a丁 day, the nobleman is in亥 during the day, and the nobleman moves in reverse. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the丁 lodges in未, and the未 has亥, which is occupied by the nobleman; the second lesson, the亥 has卯, which is occupied by the Tai Chang; the third lesson, the day branch卯 has未, which is occupied by the Gou Chen; the fourth lesson, the未 has亥, which is occupied by the nobleman. The three transmissions,亥,卯, and未, form a wood trinity: the first transmission,亥, is the official ghost, located in the empty position, marked with「◎」, and occupied by the nobleman; the middle transmission,卯, is the hidden heavenly stem丁, which is the parent, occupied by the Tai Chang, marked with「⊙」; the final transmission,未, is the hidden heavenly stem辛, which is the child, occupied by the Gou Chen. Seeking official position and wealth should focus on the nobleman, but the nobleman is on the empty position亥.

黃斷曰：求貴不宜貴空，空則無力。且夏令得木局，乃休氣。休氣者，廢也，不成之象。果於七月另委他人矣。

Huang's interpretation states that seeking assistance from a nobleman is most unfavorable when the nobleman is in an empty position, as the nobleman's influence is ineffective in such a case. In this case, the first transmission falls on the亥 (Hai) which is empty for the current ten-day period, and the nobleman is precisely occupying that position. Furthermore, in the fifth lunar month, which is the summer season, fire is dominant. However, the triple harmony forms a wood pattern instead. Wood generates fire, and the one that generates me is called 'rest,' which indicates a state of decline. Wood in summer is considered to be in a state of rest, which is a sign of inefficiency and inability to accomplish tasks. Later, indeed, in the seventh lunar month, this task was assigned to someone else.

揚州某氏子求占父柩在何處，己巳年巳月戊辰日酉將丑時。

A son from a family in Yangzhou came to seek divination: where should the father's coffin be placed. The time is the Jisi year, Si month, Wuchen day. Use You as the month general and start the lesson from Chou hour.

空虎常玄 丑寅卯辰 蛇龍朱空 財 甲子 龍 龍子 巳陰 申子酉丑 子 壬申 蛇 勾亥 午后 子辰丑戊 兄 戊辰 玄 戌酉申未 合朱蛇貴

After the lesson board is laid out flat as above. The heaven and earth plates are set with the hour of You (酉) as the general and the time of Chou (丑) as the starting point. The heaven plate advances eight positions ahead of the earth plate: the earth plate's Si (巳) corresponds to Chou (丑), Wu (午) corresponds to Yin (寅), Wei (未) corresponds to Mao (卯), Shen (申) corresponds to Chen (辰), You (酉) corresponds to Si (巳), Xu (戌) corresponds to Wu (午), Hai (亥) corresponds to Wei (未), Zi (子) corresponds to Shen (申), Chou (丑) corresponds to You (酉), Yin (寅) corresponds to Xu (戌), Mao (卯) corresponds to Hai (亥), and Chen (辰) corresponds to Zi (子). The twelve heavenly generals are: Tiankong (Sky Void) is on Chou (丑), Baihu (White Tiger) is on Yin (寅), Taichang (Great Constancy) is on Mao (卯), Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) is on Chen (辰), Taiyin (Great Yin) is on Si (巳), Tianhou (Heavenly Empress) is on Wu (午), Guiren (Nobleman) is on Wei (未), Tengshe (Teng Snake) is on Shen (申), Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) is on You (酉), Liuhe (Six Harmonies) is on Xu (戌), Gouchen (Hook Heaven) is on Hai (亥), and Qinglong (Azure Dragon) is on Zi (子). The time of Chou (丑) belongs to the night, and on the fifth day of the earth, the nobleman is on Wei (未), and the nobleman moves in the order of the heavenly stems. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Wu (戊) is in the lodging palace of Si (巳), and Si (巳) corresponds to Chou (丑), which is occupied by Tiankong (Sky Void); the second lesson, Chou (丑) corresponds to You (酉), which is occupied by Zhuque (Vermilion Bird); the third lesson, the day branch Chen (辰) corresponds to Zi (子), which is occupied by Qinglong (Azure Dragon); the fourth lesson, Zi (子) corresponds to Shen (申), which is occupied by Tengshe (Teng Snake). The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Zi (子), the middle transmission is Shen (申), and the final transmission is Chen (辰). The first transmission, Zi (子), corresponds to the hidden stem Jiā (甲), which represents the wife and wealth on the day of Wu (戊) earth, occupied by Qinglong (Azure Dragon); the middle transmission, Shen (申), corresponds to the hidden stem Rén (壬), which represents the son and grandson, occupied by Tengshe (Teng Snake); the final transmission, Chen (辰), corresponds to the hidden stem Wu (戊), which represents the brother and sibling, occupied by Xuanwu (Black Tortoise). The three characters Zi (子), Shen (申), and Chen (辰) are exactly the triple harmony of Shen (申), Zi (子), and Chen (辰), forming the water trinity.

王牧夫曰：尊人之柩在北門寺庵中，庵前有河一條，詢之僧人便知。此占因柩失，非問墓也，不可以墓論。發用青龍子水在申，申乃死氣，而蛇居之。子由辰上發用，子為北，辰為關，故曰北門外。龍丑辰上，主寺觀。申與僧同音，故曰詢之僧人。前有河一條者，申子辰合成水局也。

Wang Mufu said: Your father's coffin is in a temple monastery outside the northern gate. In front of the monastery there is a river; one should ask the monks there to find out. This divination is about the unknown location of the coffin, not about the tomb, so it cannot be interpreted using the methods for divining tombs. The initiating transmission (first transmission) is the Jia Wood (Qinglong) riding on the Zi Water. Zi is supported by Shen, and Shen is the death qi of water. Also, the Teng Snake resides on Shen. Zi initiates from the earth plate Chen, and Zi belongs to the northern direction. Chen governs pass and gate, so it is said to be outside the northern gate. Qinglong, along with Chou and Chen, represents the image of temples, monasteries, and shrines. "Shen" and "monk" have the same sound, so it is said to go and ask the monks. The river in front of the monastery is because the three characters Shen, Zi, and Chen form a water pattern.

占者父亡，時只數歲，後隨姐遷於他處。及長，因母亡，欲逄柩合葬，其父柩在北門外庵中，只一姐夫知之，而庵中柩累累。詢之僧人，乃得其父柩，即逄合殯。占者得此數甚異之。王氏占驗。愚按：王公不責白虎而論三傳，極？邵公之法合。

The person who was divining had just a few years old when his father died, and later followed his sister to live elsewhere. When he grew up, his mother also passed away, and he wanted to move his father's coffin for a joint burial. The father's coffin was already in a temple outside the northern gate, but only his brother-in-law knew about it. However, the coffins in the temple were placed next to each other, making it impossible to distinguish them. According to Wang Mufu's suggestion, he asked a monk, and indeed found his father's coffin, then proceeded to move it for a joint burial. The diviner was greatly surprised by the accuracy of this divination. This case comes from Wang's verified records. The editor's note: Wang did not consult the White Tiger (a conventional practice for divining matters related to death), but instead based his judgment on the Three Transmissions, which is very consistent with the method of Master Shao Yanhe.

葉某庚戌生，五十九歲，占宅。建炎戊申年六月戊辰日未將酉時。口鑑。

Ye was born in the Geng Xu year and is now fifty-nine years old. He came to divinate his family's residence. The time was the second year of the Jianyan era of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song, the Wu Shen year (1128), in the sixth month on the Wu Chen day. The month general was Wei, and the lesson was cast for the You hour. This case is from Shao Yanhe's "Kou Jian."

勾合朱蛇 卯辰巳午 虎青空勾 兄 乙丑 空 青寅 未貴 子寅丑卯 財 亥 常 ◎ 空丑 申后 寅辰卯戊 子 癸酉 陰 ⊙ 子亥戌酉 虎常玄陰

After the lesson disk is laid out as above. The Heaven and Earth plates are arranged with the "Wei" general added to the "You" hour. The Heaven plate is two positions behind the Earth plate: the Earth plate's "Si" position corresponds to "Mao", "Wu" to "Chen", "Wei" to "Si", "Shen" to "Wu", "You" to "Wei", "Xu" to "Shen", "Hai" to "You", "Zi" to "Xu", "Chou" to "Hai", "Yin" to "Zi", "Mao" to "Chou", and "Chen" to "Yin". The Twelve Heavenly Generals are: Gou Chen on "Mao", Liu He on "Chen", Vermilion Bird on "Si", Teng Snake on "Wu", Nobleman on "Wei", Heavenly Empress on "Shen", Tai Yin on "You", Black Tortoise on "Xu", Tai Chang on "Hai", White Tiger on "Zi", Tian Kong on "Chou", and Azure Dragon on "Yin". The "You" hour belongs to the night, and on the fifth day of the fifth month, the nobleman is located at "Wei", and the nobleman moves in reverse. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem "Wu" is in the "Si" position, and "Si" corresponds to "Mao", which is occupied by Gou Chen; the second lesson, "Mao" corresponds to "Chou", which is occupied by Tian Kong; the third lesson, the day branch "Chen" corresponds to "Yin", which is occupied by Azure Dragon; the fourth lesson, "Yin" corresponds to "Zi", which is occupied by White Tiger. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is "Chou", which corresponds to the hidden stem "Yi", representing a brother, occupied by Tian Kong; the middle transmission is "Hai", which falls in the empty position of the Jiazi cycle, so there is no hidden stem, marked as "◎", representing a wife's wealth, occupied by Tai Chang; the final transmission is "You", which corresponds to the hidden stem "Gui", representing a son, occupied by Tai Yin, marked as "⊙". The sequence of "Chou", "Hai", and "You" moves in reverse, entering the northwest阴 area, which is referred to as the "extreme yin lesson" mentioned later.

邵彥和曰：丑亥酉為極陰課，幸中末旬空，故雖有災危，尚不至不測。只是子孫多門戶事擾，遂消折財本，晚年主不得意而死。不合土塞東門，壁外又不合堆木板；太陰乘酉加亥，敗處乘空，母患酒病死，家業衰矣。

Shao Yanhe said: The three transmissions of Chou, Hai, and You are called "extreme Yin lesson." Fortunately, both the middle transmission and the final transmission are accompanied by empty periods, so although there is disaster and danger, it does not lead to unforeseen calamity. However, there are many descendants and a miscellaneous household, with continuous domestic troubles, thus causing loss of capital, and in old age, one will end up dissatisfied and unhappy. Moreover, there is mud blocking the eastern gate, and wooden boards are piled outside the walls. Tai Yin is riding You and added to Hai, earth fails at You, and You is seated on the empty period Hai, indicating that the mother will die from alcohol-related illness, and the family business will thus decline.

葉宅東邊有門，果有泥土，乃戊辰干支皆土，丑土又加卯門之上發用，故主土塞東門。二木克干支二土，故知壁外有木板。課得極陰，主災變，最喜空亡可解。今中末空，不入亥地陰極之處，故不至大災。然畢竟陰耗財物也。

The eastern gate of the Ye family's house indeed has a door, and there are actually piles of soil at the entrance: this is because the day stem and branch, Wu and Chen, both belong to earth, and the first transmission, Chou, is also earth. Moreover, the initiating transmission is on the earth plate at Mao, which is the eastern gate, so it is interpreted as soil blocking the eastern gate. Among the four lessons, the wood deities Yin and Mao are overcoming the two earth deities Wu and Chen of the day stem and branch, so it is known that there are wooden planks piled outside the walls. The lesson pattern becomes extremely yin, indicating a calamity, and the most favorable situation is for Kongwang to resolve it. Now, both the middle and final transmissions carry Kongwang (the middle transmission, Hai, is itself in the empty period, and the final transmission, You, is added on top of the empty Hai), so it does not sink into the extreme yin place of Hai, thus no major disaster occurs, but there will still be hidden loss of wealth.

子孫眾多者，戊辰一帶皆是東方，丑寅卯之旺氣也。甲子旬中乙丑丙寅丁卯乃真三奇，所以無災。不合退歸亥酉西北方，土敗於酉，三奇亦暗，夫日月星辰傾於西北，自然消折也。母患酒病，死於辛亥年者，太陰老婦象母，酉乘亥為酒，太歲填實，亥仍入極陰不空也。男女七人婚嫁所費，家業消缺乏矣。

The reason for many descendants is that the earthly branches of theWuchen period all belong to the east, which is the flourishing period of the丑, 寅, and 卯. In the Jiazi cycle, theYichou, Bingyin, and Dingmao are the true three marvels. With the three marvels protecting, there is no great disaster. However, the three transmissions retreat along the path of 亥 and 酉, which is the northwest. The earth is ruined at 酉, and the light of the three marvels also fades. As ancient people said, the sky tilts toward the northwest, and the sun, moon, and stars all move toward the northwest. Therefore, family fortune naturally declines. The mother died of a drinking illness in the Xinhai year, because the Tai Yin is the image of an old woman, which can be taken as the mother. 酉 is on 亥, and 亥 represents wine. In the Xinhai year, the heavenly stem fills the kongwang, so 亥 is no longer empty, and it falls again into the extreme yin place, so it happened in that year. The expenses for the marriage of seven children consumed the family's resources.

乾隆戊辰年九月戊辰日卯將寅時，程桐江甲申命，四十五歲，占月建休咎。牧夫占驗。

In the thirteenth year of the Qianlong era, Wuchen (1748), in the ninth month, on a Wuchen day, the divination was cast with the hour of Mao as the month general and the time of Yin as the starting point. The person seeking the divination was Cheng Tongjiang, born in Jiashen year, aged forty-five at the time, asking about the fortune and misfortune of this month. This case is recorded from Wang Mufu's divination records.

蛇貴后陰 午未申酉 蛇朱貴蛇 官 丙寅 龍 朱巳 戌玄 午巳未午 父 庚午 蛇 合辰 亥常 巳辰午戊 父 庚午 蛇 卯寅丑子 勾龍空虎

After the divination board is laid out flat as shown above. The Heaven and Earth plates are arranged with the卯 general added to the寅 hour. The Heaven plate moves one step ahead of the Earth plate: the Earth plate's巳 is paired with午, 午 with未, 未 with申, 申 with酉, 酉 with戌, 戌 with亥, 亥 with子, 子 with丑, 丑 with寅, 寅 with卯, 卯 with辰, and 辰 with巳. The Twelve Heavenly Generals are: 螣蛇 on午, 贵人 on未, 天后 on申, 太阴 on酉, 玄武 on戌, 太常 on亥, 勾陈 on卯, 青龙 on寅, 天空 on丑, 白虎 on子, 朱雀 on巳, and 六合 on辰. The寅 hour belongs to the night, and on the戊 day, the nobleman is on未, and the nobleman moves in reverse. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem戊 lodges in巳, and巳 is paired with午, which is occupied by 螣蛇; the second lesson, 午 is paired with未, which is occupied by 贵人; the third lesson, the day branch辰 is paired with巳, which is occupied by 朱雀; the fourth lesson,巳 is paired with午, which is occupied by 螣蛇. The first and fourth lessons both have午 added to巳, so the four lessons actually form only three. Therefore, the method of "别责" is used to determine the transmissions: on a yang day, the initial transmission is the god of the day stem's combined partner's lodging palace, which is the god above it. Since戊 and 癸 are combined, 癸 lodges in丑, and the Earth plate's丑 is paired with寅, so the initial transmission is寅. The middle and final transmissions both use the god above the day stem, which is午. The initial transmission寅 moves through the heavenly stems to become丙, which is the official ghost in the戊 earth day, occupied by Azure Dragon. The middle and final transmissions both have午 moving through the heavenly stems to become庚, which is the parent, occupied by Teng Snake.

王牧夫曰：此課平看，不過鬼克不利而已，然關係甚大。何以見之？今茲九月火潛之時，安得有此一派炎炎之氣？午為陽刃羅網纏身，疊見必有大纏繞事來累身。彼雲目下無甚事，那得至此。曰：本月內要見，然終無礙，先凶後吉。彼雲禍應主何人。曰：發用別責，青龍作鬼，乃由別事而起；青龍為官位，木為舟車之官，必因此而起事也。

Wang Mufu said: At first glance, this divination seems ordinary, merely indicating that the official ghost is overcoming the self and there is slight disadvantage. In reality, the matter is of great significance. How can one see this? Now is September, the time when the fire energy is hidden. Where should there be such intense fire? The four lessons and three transmissions contain many instances of巳 and午.午 is the yang blade of the戊 day, and the day branch is辰, which is the earth net. The blade and the net entangle the self, and the fire god appears repeatedly, which certainly indicates a major entanglement that will involve the person himself. Cheng Tongjiang said that there is nothing happening at present, how could it reach this situation? Wang Mufu said: The matter will be clear within this month, but ultimately it will not cause harm, it will first be凶 and then吉. Cheng Tongjiang asked again who will be affected by the misfortune. Wang Mufu said: The initiating transmission takes the 'alternative responsibility' method, and the azure dragon also serves as the official ghost, indicating that the misfortune is caused by something else. The azure dragon represents official position, and wood represents transportation and vehicles, so it must be caused by matters related to this area.

不數日，果為借河晌事波累及身，數月因審實無事。次年春月復占月建，獨未吉，囑慎防。後復為漕替所奏，幾付部讞，仲賴恩旨半路赦回。此課事關重大者，以太歲干支為日辰故也。火雖炎上，而火虛誕，中末相併不足，又兼生干，故有始無終，不須慮耳。凡螣蛇太旺則主驚疑，此以陽刃羅網為利害也。

A few days later, Cheng Tongjiang was indeed implicated in the matter of misappropriating silver for river works, but after several months the case was thoroughly investigated and found to be baseless. The next spring he came again to consult about the auspiciousness of this month, but that particular month was inauspicious, and Wang Mufu warned him to be cautious. Later he was indeed impeached by the granary transport authorities, almost reaching the level of being submitted to the ministry for trial, but he was pardoned and recalled on the way thanks to the imperial grace. This divination was significant because the stem and branch of the year's heavenly stem and the day's branch coincided (the Qianlong Wuchen year met with a Wuchen day), so the matter fell under the influence of the year's stem and branch. Although fire is strong and rising, it was actually a false fire: both the middle transmission and the final transmission formed the same 'wu' (noon), which lacked sufficient strength; moreover, the 'wu' fire turned back to nourish the day's stem 'wu' earth, so the matter began but did not end, and there was no need for excessive worry. Generally speaking, when the Teng Snake is too strong, the person experiences anxiety and unease, and the consequences of this divination lie between the yang blade and the network of Luo.

建炎戊申年六月戊辰日未將巳時，徐將仕辛卯命，三月三十日巳時生，一十八歲，占前程。口鑑。

In the second year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song dynasty, Wuchen (1128), on the sixth month, on the Wuchen day, the divination was cast with Wei as the month general and the time of the divination was the fourth hour (si). The question was about Xu Jiangshi, who was born at the fourth hour of the Xinmao year, on the thirtieth day of the third month, and was eighteen years old at the time. He was asking about his future career and official rank. This case is from Shao Yanhe's "Koujian."

空虎常玄 未申酉戌 虎青常空 子 壬申 虎 青午 亥陰 申午酉未 兄 戌 玄 ◎ 勾巳 子后 午辰未戊 財 甲子 后 ⊙ 辰卯寅丑 合朱蛇貴

After the lesson plate is laid out flat as shown above. The heaven and earth plates are arranged with the "un" (未) general added to the "si" (巳) hour. The heaven plate advances two positions ahead of the earth plate: on "si" (巳) the heaven plate shows "un" (未), on "wu" (午) it shows "shen" (申), on "wei" (未) it shows "you" (酉), on "shen" (申) it shows "xu" (戌), on "you" (酉) it shows "hai" (亥), on "xu" (戌) it shows "zi" (子), on "hai" (亥) it shows "chou" (丑), on "zi" (子) it shows "yin" (寅), on "chou" (丑) it shows "mao" (卯), on "yin" (寅) it shows "chen" (辰), on "mao" (卯) it shows "si" (巳), on "chen" (辰) it shows "wu" (午). The twelve heavenly generals are: "tian kong" (天空) on "un" (未), "bai hu" (白虎) on "shen" (申), "tai chang" (太常) on "you" (酉), "xuan wu" (玄武) on "xu" (戌), "qing long" (青龙) on "wu" (午), "gou chen" (勾陈) on "si" (巳), "tai yin" (太阴) on "hai" (亥), "tian hou" (天后) on "zi" (子), "liu he" (六合) on "chen" (辰), "zhu què" (朱雀) on "mao" (卯), "teng she" (螣蛇) on "yin" (寅), "gui ren" (贵人) on "chou" (丑). The "si" (巳) hour belongs to the day, and on a "wu" (戊) day, the nobleman is in "chou" (丑) during the day, and the nobleman moves in order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem "wu" (戊) is in the lodging palace "si" (巳), and on "si" (巳) the heaven plate shows "un" (未), which is occupied by "tian kong" (天空); the second lesson, on "un" (未) the heaven plate shows "you" (酉), which is occupied by "tai chang" (太常); the third lesson, the day branch "chen" (辰) is in the lodging palace "wu" (午), and on "wu" (午) the heaven plate shows "wu" (午), which is occupied by "qing long" (青龙); the fourth lesson, on "wu" (午) the heaven plate shows "shen" (申), which is occupied by "bai hu" (白虎). The three transmissions are: the first transmission is "shen" (申), which hides the stem "ren" (壬), representing the son and grandson, occupied by "bai hu" (白虎); the middle transmission is "xu" (戌), which falls in the empty position of the "jia zi" (甲子) ten-day cycle, without a hidden stem and marked with "◎", representing the brother, occupied by "xuan wu" (玄武); the final transmission is "zi" (子), which hides the stem "ji" (甲), representing the wife's wealth, occupied by "tian hou" (天后), marked with "⊙". The transmissions "shen" (申), "xu" (戌), and "zi" (子) proceed in order towards the northwest, which is referred to as "she san yuan" (涉三渊) in the text.

邵彥和曰：涉三淵課，主跋涉奔波，勞力無成。干支上午與未合，出身甚妙，歷事三授，兩丁上服。申為子孫，居午火陽刃上，而受下克，且乘白虎，主難為子息。中傳同類為兄弟，加子息上，日後當以弟為子。末傳妻爻坐空，天后？神加之，妻因產而亡。

Shao Yanhe said: This is a "Shi San Yuan" divination, indicating a life of continuous travel and effort without success. The day stem's heavenly stem does not form a Liu He with the day branch's heavenly stem Wu. The person was born into a good family and held three official appointments in his lifetime, but experienced two periods of mourning for his parents. The sheng (son's element) is Shen, which is located on top of Wu fire Yang Ren, being overcome by the fire below, and also riding the White Tiger, indicating difficulties in having children. The middle transmission Xu shares the same earth element with the day stem Wu, which is the brother element, placed above the son Shen. In the future, the son will be adopted from a younger brother. The final transmission Zi is the wife's wealth element, sitting on the empty position Xu, with the Heavenly Empress also riding on it, indicating the wife's death from difficult childbirth.

涉三淵數一傳遂一傳，又入空亡上去，主所授之差，一任遠，一任勞。戊辰年干支皆東南神，辛卯命又是東方，三傳反流入西方，那更涉三淵陷於西北，必主死於外州。傳既不回，即子亦不能歸也。四十五六歲行年到子丑，為過三淵之外，然而落空，雖過得此年，亦不濟事也。

The term "invading three depths" refers to the three transmissions following one after another, continuing to move into the Kongwang. This indicates that the person's assigned duties involve distant places and great hardship. On the day of Wuchen, the heavenly stem Wu resides in the palace of Si, and the day branch is Chen, both belonging to the Southeast. The person's birth stem is Xinmao, which belongs to the East. However, the three transmissions flow in the opposite direction, towards the West. Combined with "invading three depths" falling into the Northwest, it indicates that the person will die away from his native state. Since the three transmissions do not return, even his son will not come back. At the age of forty-five or forty-six, the year pillar reaches Zi and Chou, which is beyond the three depths, but again falls into the Kongwang. Even if he survives this year, it will ultimately be of no help.

徐二十五歲銓試中，當年授嶽州尉；二十七丁父憂，二十九授渾州尉，三十歲丁母憂，三十三授？州司戶，當年冬赴任；三十四妻因產亡，止有四女，而以小弟為子；任滿再授廣西提學干官，又授廣州東莞縣令，四十五歲終於任，繼子遂家於彼而不歸。

Later, Xu Mou passed the examination for official appointment at the age of twenty-five and was appointed as the county magistrate of Yuezhou. At twenty-seven, his father died, and he observed the mourning period. At twenty-nine, he was appointed as the county magistrate of Hunzhou. At thirty, his mother died, and he again observed the mourning period. At thirty-three, he was appointed as the county magistrate of a certain state (the name of the state is missing one character in the original text), and that winter he went to take up his post. At thirty-four, his wife died from complications during childbirth, leaving behind four daughters. He then adopted his younger brother as his son. After completing his term, he was appointed as an official in charge of education in Guangxi, and later as the county magistrate of Dongguan in Guangzhou. He died in office at the age of forty-five. His adopted son settled down in the local area and did not return to his hometown.