Bingchen day

四月丙辰申將丑時丙寅人占。 一字訣玉連環

In the fourth lunar month on the Bingchen day, with 'Shen' (Chuansong) as the Month General, the class is started on the Chou hour. The person asking the question was born in the Bingyin year. He did not state the specific inquiry, but asked the diviner to deduce his intention from the class. This case is from the "One Character Decree Yu Lianhuan."

合勾龍空 子丑寅卯 玄朱陰合 兄 戊午 玄 朱亥 辰虎 午亥未子 子 丑 勾 ◎ 蛇戌 巳常 亥辰子丙 財 庚申 后 ⊙ 酉申未午 貴后陰玄

The flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals associated with the twelve earthly branches: Zi (子) is associated with Liu He (六合), Chou (丑) with Gou Chen (勾陈), Yin (寅) with Qing Long (青龙), Mao (卯) with Tian Kong (天空), Chen (辰) with Bai Hu (白虎), Si (巳) with Tai Chang (太常), Wu (午) with Xuan Wu (玄武), Wei (未) with Tai Yin (太阴), Shen (申) with Tian Hou (天后), You (酉) with Gui Ren (贵人), Xu (戌) with Teng Snake (螣蛇), and Hai (亥) with Zhu Que (朱雀). Since the time is Chou (丑) hour, which is night, and on a Bing (丙) day, the night nobleman (贵人) is located on You (酉), the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order from there. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Bing (丙) (with its lodging palace in Si (巳)) with Zi (子) on it, which is associated with Liu He (六合); the second lesson has Wei (未) on Zi (子), which is associated with Tai Yin (太阴); the third lesson has Hai (亥) on the day branch Chen (辰), which is associated with Zhu Que (朱雀); the fourth lesson has Wu (午) on Hai (亥), which is associated with Xuan Wu (玄武). Within the four lessons, the instances where Chen (辰) overcomes Hai (亥) and Hai (亥) overcomes Wu (午) are both cases of lower overcoming upper. According to the rule, the one with the same yang nature as the day stem Bing (丙), which is Wu (午), is selected for the initiating transmission. Therefore, the text says "the hexagram is in the state of mutual assistance." The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wu (戊) Wu (午), a brother's element, associated with Xuan Wu (玄武); the middle transmission is Chou (丑), a son's element, associated with Gou Chen (勾陈), with "◎" indicating that on a Jia Yin (甲寅) decade, the Zi (子) and Chou (丑) are empty; the final transmission is Geng (庚) Shen (申), a wife's wealth element, associated with Tian Hou (天后), with the adjacent "⊙" being an additional mark from the original engraving.

徐次賓曰：來意主與鄰右無子婦女暗合事敗，不到官，至戊午日辰時，無事。

Xu Cibin said: His intention was to have an affair with a neighbor's woman who had no children, but the matter had already been exposed; however, it would not reach the authorities, and by the Wuwu day's辰 hour, it would be resolved.

何知鄰右？卦得比用。何知無子婦人暗合？蓋丑時為日干三合，傳送為日干六合，帶天后主厭翳，六合為私門，又用起元武，名泆女卦，豈不是陰暗私通，申為嗣部，上得天后子水為旬空，故知無嗣婦人也。何知事敗？緣日上神后水為鬼，初傳玄武、末傳天后水，共來剋日，焉得不敗。何知終不到官，日上鬼空，又時空亡也。何知戊午日辰時無事？緣值事門與中傳大吉上得勾陳二土克水為今日救神，戊午日戊和勾陳大吉三土俱旺，至辰時水氣絕墓，觀二字加辰故知辰時無咎也。

How do we know the person is a neighbor? Because this divination shows "Comparison of Use." How do we know it is about an unmarried woman committing adultery? At the time of the second hour (Chou), it forms a Triple Harmony with the day stem, and the transmission (Chuansong) at Shen forms a Liu He with the day stem. Shen also carries the Heavenly Empress, which governs concealment and covering up. Liu He is the god of private matters. The initiating transmission starts from Gou Chen, which is called "the卦 of the promiscuous woman," clearly indicating the image of secret adultery. Shen is the position governing descendants, and on top of it is the Heavenly Empress, whose associated water is exactly in the旬空 (void). Thus, we know it is an unmarried woman without children. How do we know the matter will be exposed? Because the water of the Heavenly Empress, which is the ghost of the day stem's fire, is attacked by both the initial transmission Gou Chen and the final transmission Heavenly Empress, which are both water. How could it not be exposed? How do we know it will not reach the authorities? Because the ghost of the day stem is in the void, and the time of the divination is also in the void. How do we know that on the day of Wuwu, there will be no trouble? Because the gate involved and the middle transmission Daji at Chou both have Gou Chen, and two earth elements come to overcome the water, which is the saving deity of the day. On the day of Wuwu, the earth Wu, Gou Chen, and Daji at Chou all become strong and prosperous. At the time of Chen, the water reaches its end and is buried, so when these two are added to Chen, we know there will be no harm at that time.

順治戊子八月丙辰日，餘住金陵時右方伯東省孫興功老師寫本日辰時，又寫酉時占兩人鄉試。 指南

In the fifth year of Shunzhi, on the Wuzi year, in the eighth lunar month, on the Bingchen day. At that time I, Chen Gongxian, was living in Jingling. Sun Xinggong, the Right Provincial Governor from Shandong, wrote to me two hours—the present day's Chen hour and You hour—asking me to predict the success or failure of two candidates taking the local examination. This case is recorded in the "Six壬 Guide."

虎常 空巳午未申玄 青青勾勾 比 丁巳 勾 青辰 酉陰 辰辰巳巳 財 庚申 玄 勾卯 戌后 辰辰巳丙 父 甲寅 六 六寅丑子亥貴 朱蛇

This is the lesson pattern diagram for a lesson at the辰 (Chen) hour. The month general, Chen, is placed on the Chen hour, and the twelve earthly branches are each placed in their respective positions on the heaven plate, making it a "Hidden Chant" lesson. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals riding the twelve earthly branches:巳 (Si) rides Tian Kong,午 (Wu) rides Bai Hu,未 (Wei) rides Tai Chang,申 (Shen) rides Xuan Wu,酉 (You) rides Tai Yin,戌 (Xu) rides Tian Hou,亥 (Hai) rides Gui Ren,子 (Zi) rides Teng Snake,丑 (Chou) rides Zhu Que,寅 (Yin) rides Liu He,卯 (Mao) rides Gou Chen, and辰 (Chen) rides Qing Long. The Chen hour belongs to the day time, and on a丙 (Bing) day, the day's nobleman is used for the day time, so the nobleman is placed on Hai. The heavenly generals are then arranged in sequence from there. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Bing (with its lodging palace at Si) shows Si; the second lesson, Si still shows Si; the third lesson, the day branch Chen shows Chen, with Chen riding Qing Long; the fourth lesson, Chen still shows Chen. The three transmissions: the first transmission, Ding Si, is a fellow stem爻, the middle transmission, Geng Shen, is a wife wealth爻 riding Xuan Wu, and the final transmission, Jiayin, is a parent爻 riding Liu He. The heavenly general at the Si position, on the outer circle, is marked as Tian Kong, but both the four lessons and the three transmissions mark it as Gou Chen. In the case of "A Case of Divination on a Ding Hai Day Concerning Childbirth" later in this book, the lesson pattern is exactly the same, and there the heavenly generals at the four lessons are correctly marked as "Qing Long, Qing Long, Tian Kong, Tian Kong," which proves that the mark "Gou Chen" here is an error, and the actual heavenly general at Si should be Tian Kong.

陳公獻曰：辰時者前，列酉時者次之。蓋緣天罡為領袖之神，從魁幕貴在後（天罡乘龍為前五，從魁乘陰為後二），故云。及排辰時課，三傳巳申寅，干乘德祿，支見月將青龍（八月將在辰，乘龍臨支），又祿馬入傳（巳祿寅馬），凡士子已試後得伏吟，必中。

Chen Gongxian said: The lesson at the hour of Chen comes first, and the lesson at the hour of You comes next. The reason is that Tiangang (Chen) is the leader who commands all the spirits, while Congkui (You) is the nobleman who is above the curtain. The position of Congkui is later. The note says: Tiangang rides the Azure Dragon, and is the fifth position before the nobleman; Congkui rides Tai Yin, and is the second position after the nobleman. Therefore, the order is determined in this way. Now looking at the lesson at the hour of Chen: the three transmissions are Si, Shen, and Yin. The day stem is accompanied by the day's virtue and day's wealth. The day branch meets the month general, the Azure Dragon (the month general in August is Chen, the Azure Dragon rides Chen and is present at the day branch). The wealth god and the post-horse are both in the three transmissions (Si is the wealth of Bing, Yin is the post-horse). If a scholar who has finished the examination takes theHidden Chant lesson, he will certainly pass.

六勾青空 子丑寅卯 朱亥 辰虎 玄朱陰六 甲子 六 蛇戌 巳常 午亥未子 己未 陰 酉申未午 亥辰子丙 甲寅 青（似應是三傳午丑申） 貴后陰玄

This is the lesson diagram for a lesson at the You hour. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals governing the twelve branches: Zi is governed by Liu He, Chou by Gou Chen, Yin by Qing Long, Mao by Tian Kong, Chen by Bai Hu, Si by Tai Chang, Wu by Xuan Wu, Wei by Tai Yin, Shen by Tian Hou, You by Gu Ren, Xu by Teng Snake, and Hai by Zhu Que. The You hour belongs to the night, and on a Bing day, the night nobleman is used; since the nobleman is on You, the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson shows Zi on the day stem Bing, with Zi governed by Liu He; the second lesson shows Wei on Zi, with Wei governed by Tai Yin; the third lesson shows Hai on the day branch Chen, with Hai governed by Zhu Que; the fourth lesson shows Wu on Hai, with Wu governed by Xuan Wu. The three transmissions are written as Jia Zi (governed by Liu He), Ji Wei (governed by Tai Yin), and Jia Yin (governed by Qing Long). The initial transmission Zi is exactly the current year's heavenly stem and falls in the empty旬. The small note beside it, 'It should be the three transmissions Wu, Chou, Shen,' is a note from the original edition expressing doubt about the way the three transmissions were written.

酉時三傳子未寅也。初傳太歲空戰，墓貴又入墓庫（用夜貴酉，故亥為幕貴，臨辰為入庫），故次之。放榜時，辰時者陸可球中二十二名，酉時者常熟趙姓中副卷，此二者俱以時斷中也。

The three transmissions for this class at the hour of You are Zi, Wei, and Yin. The first transmission, Zi, is the current year's sovereign, but it falls in the empty period and is attacked; the nobleman is also in the storage position. The note explains: this class uses the night nobleman at You, so Hai becomes the nobleman, and Hai is on Chen, indicating it is stored. Therefore, this class is placed after the hour of Chen. When the results were announced, the person who had divined at the hour of Chen, Lu Keqiu, ranked twenty-second, while the person who had divined at the hour of You, a man of the Changshu surname, only ranked as a supplementary candidate. The difference in their success or failure was determined by the hour they had chosen.

甲戌年十月丙辰日寅將午時占開店。 牧夫占驗

In the year of Jiaxu, on the day of Bingchen in the tenth lunar month, the Month General is 'Yin' (Gongcao, Yin), placed on the 'Wu' hour to cast the divination for the business of opening a shop. This case is from the "Pastoral Divination Verification."

朱合勾龍 丑寅卯辰 玄蛇陰朱 鬼 ◎子 蛇 蛇子 巳空 申子酉丑 財 庚申 玄 貴亥 午虎 子辰丑丙 子 丙辰 龍 戌酉申未 后陰玄常

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals associated with the twelve earthly branches: Chou (丑) is associated with Vermilion Bird (朱雀), Yin (寅) with Liu He (六合), Mao (卯) with Gou Chen (勾陈), Chen (辰) with Azure Dragon (青龙), Si (巳) with Tian Kong (天空), Wu (午) with White Tiger (白虎), Wei (未) with Tai Chang (太常), Shen (申) with Black Tortoise (玄武), You (酉) with Tai Yin (太阴), Xu (戌) with Heavenly Empress (天后), Hai (亥) with Nobleman (贵人), and Zi (子) with Teng Snake (螣蛇). The time is noon, which is daytime, and on a Bing day, the daytime nobleman is used, with the nobleman located on Hai. The heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Bing (寄宫 in Si) with Chou, which is associated with Vermilion Bird; the second lesson has Chou with You, which is associated with Tai Yin; the third lesson has the day branch Chen with Zi, which is associated with Teng Snake; the fourth lesson has Zi with Shen, which is associated with Black Tortoise. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Zi, representing the official ghost爻, associated with Teng Snake, with 「◎」 indicating that on a Bing Chen day, the Zi position is empty in the Jiayin cycle; the middle transmission is Geng Shen, representing the wife's wealth爻, associated with Black Tortoise; the final transmission is Bing Chen, representing the son's fortune爻, associated with Azure Dragon. Shen, Zi, and Chen form a triple harmony water formation, which is referred to as the "water official ghost formation" mentioned later.

王牧夫曰：此開店之占，而得潤下官鬼之局，不甚旺相，雖有財，不見財。開了歇，歇了開，無利益也。問之，曰：三傳皆水有旋轉之象。此何店也？曰：豆腐店，故有象如此。三傳蛇傳龍，龍生蛇，故主開了歇，歇了開。到底是官鬼局，不成才也。

Wang Mufu said: This is a divination about opening a shop, but the result shows the official ghost water pattern of the lower branch, which is not prosperous and strong. Although there is a wealth hexagram, the real wealth is not visible; the shop opens and closes repeatedly, and cannot gain any real benefit. When asked how he came to this conclusion, he said: The three transmissions are all water, indicating a cycle and an unstable situation. When asked what kind of shop it is, he said: It is a tofu shop, so such an image appears. The three transmissions go from Teng Snake to Azure Dragon, and Azure Dragon then returns to generate Teng Snake, indicating that the shop opens and closes repeatedly. In the end, it is the official ghost forming a pattern, and it will never achieve any significant success.

甲戌年十月丙辰日寅將巳時占風水。 牧夫占驗

In the year of Jiaxu, on the day of Bingchen in the tenth lunar month, the month general is Gongcao (Yin), placed on the Si hour to cast the divination. The case concerns the fortune of a burial ground. This case is from the "Pastoral Divination Verification."

合勾龍空 寅卯辰巳 后朱貴合 鬼 癸亥 貴 朱丑 午虎 戌丑亥寅 財 庚申 玄 蛇子 未常 丑辰寅丙 兄 丁巳 空 亥戌酉申 貴后陰玄

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals associated with the twelve earthly branches:寅 is accompanied by Liu He, 卯 by Gou Chen, 辰 by Azure Dragon, 巳 by Tian Kong, 午 by White Tiger, 未 by Tai Chang, 申 by Black Tortoise, 酉 by Tai Yin, 戌 by Heavenly Empress, 亥 by Nobleman, 子 by Teng Snake, and 丑 by Vermilion Bird. The time of巳 is daytime, and on a丙 day, the daytime nobleman is used. The nobleman is located on亥, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem丙 (with its lodging palace in巳), shows寅, which is accompanied by Liu He; the second lesson, on寅, shows亥, which is accompanied by Nobleman; the third lesson, on the day branch辰, shows丑, which is accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, on丑, shows戌, which is accompanied by Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions: the first transmission,Guihai, is the official ghost hexagram, accompanied by Nobleman; the second transmission,Gengshen, is the wife's wealth hexagram, accompanied by Black Tortoise; the third transmission,丁巳, is the brother hexagram, accompanied by Tian Kong. On the day branch辰, there is丑, and on丑 there is戌, all of which are earth, which is referred to as 'pure earth' in the following text.

王牧夫曰：此地當有橋樑庵觀，但地形不周正耳，亦可用也。夫占風水，以支為地，干為人，干乘長生六合，支見純土，風水不礙，純土故可用。況三傳初貴末祿，夾財不見刑傷，其平穩之地可知也，但其間暗中要得財，始能成交耳。蓋丑乘朱雀，橋也；寅合亥，庵觀樓臺之象也；丑見戌相刑，主其地不周正也；暗中有人慾得財者，天空帶丁，寅亥閉口也。末傳為歸結，故言其象如此。

Wang Mufu said: There should be a bridge and a temple or hermitage on this piece of land, but the terrain is not sufficiently square and regular. However, it can still be used. In the general practice of divination, the day branch represents the land, and the day stem represents the person using it. Now, the day stem is riding the long life god and the six harmonies, and the day branch shows all earth, so there is no obstruction in the fengshui; the pure earth image indicates it is usable. Moreover, in the three transmissions, the first transmission rides the nobleman, the final transmission is the day's fortune, and in between there is a wealth yao without any punishment or injury, indicating that this is a peaceful place; however, some money must be secretly involved to make this transaction possible. To elaborate: the丑 (Chou) is riding the Vermilion Bird, which represents a bridge; the寅 (Yin) and亥 (Hai) are in harmony, which represents the image of a temple or hermitage and pavilions; the丑 (Chou) and戌 (Xu) are in conflict, indicating that the terrain is not regular; the reason for someone secretly demanding money is because the sky is accompanied by the Ding god, and the寅 (Yin) and亥 (Hai) form a closed mouth image. The final transmission is the conclusion of a lesson, so the situation is determined as such.

十月初一丙辰日卯將巳時占邊事。 一針見血

On the first day of the tenth lunar month, on the Bingchen day, using 'Mao' (Taichong) as the Month General, the calculation starts at the 'Si' hour. The divination concerns military affairs at the border. This case is from "One Needle Sees the Essence."

勾龍空虎 卯辰巳午 蛇合朱勾 子 ◎丑 朱 合寅 未常 子寅丑卯 鬼 癸亥 貴 朱丑 申玄 寅辰卯丙 財 辛酉 陰 子亥戌酉 蛇貴后陰

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals associated with the twelve earthly branches:卯 is associated with Gou Chen, 辰 with Qinglong, 巳 with Tiankong, 午 with Baihu, 未 with Taichang, 申 with Xuanwu, 酉 with Taiyin, 戌 with Tianhou, 亥 with Guiren, 子 with Tengshe, and 丑 with Zhuqiao. The time is巳, which belongs to the daytime, and on a丙 day, the daytime nobleman is used. The nobleman is located on亥, and the heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem丙 (with its lodging palace in巳) has卯, which is associated with Gou Chen; the second lesson, on卯 is丑, which is associated with Zhuqiao; the third lesson, on the day branch辰 is寅, which is associated with Liuhe; the fourth lesson, on寅 is子, which is associated with Tengshe. The three transmissions: the first transmission is丑, representing the grandson爻, associated with Zhuqiao, marked「◎」indicating an empty period; the middle transmission isGuihai, representing the official ghost爻, associated with Guiren; the final transmission isXinyou, representing the wife's wealth爻, associated with Taiyin. The sequence of丑, 亥, 酉 moves in a counterclockwise direction, forming a lesson of 'retreating and consuming', and since all three transmissions are yin, the following text refers to it as 'extreme yin'.

祝泌奏曰：此課得退，名極陰，以此占邊，旄頭大煞在初傳，其占頌曰：丑卯求吉，吉凶便臨。則主邊疆平定之旨。今日再來游都，貴人在日後已隔三辰，虜已退，但上下游都皆入傳課，恐無厭再來，期在十二月。三傳一確定性無凶，宜不至大害，而不可忽也。

Zhu Bi submitted a report stating: This lesson is of the type "Tui Ru," named "Ji Yin." Using it to predict matters concerning the frontier, the Great Sha (Maotou) is located in the first transmission. The divination verse says, "At the time of Chou and Mao seeking good fortune, good or bad fortune will arrive," indicating that the frontier can be pacified. Today, the spirit of You Du has once again appeared. The Nobleman is three positions away from the Day Branch, showing that the Hu Lu have already retreated. However, both the upper You Du and lower You Du have entered the three transmissions and four lessons, suggesting they are greedy and may return again, with the time being in the twelfth month. Overall, the three transmissions do not show any ominous signs (the original text reads "the three transmissions have no definite凶," the term "definite" is nonsensical and likely a mistake), so it should not lead to major harm, but it should not be neglected.

丙子年十一月丙辰日寅將奪及時雨占生產。 郭氏占案

In the year Bingzi, on the eleventh month's Bingchen day, the divination was cast with 'Yin' (Gongcao) as the month general, concerning a matter of childbirth. The time of divination is recorded as 'dēng jí shí yǔ' (literally 'seizing timely rain'). In this book, whenever it refers to 'dēng suǒ shí' (seizing a certain time), it means the time that is taken as the starting point for the divination. However, in this case, the character for time is missing or corrupted, making it difficult to determine precisely. By analyzing the lesson pattern, it can be inferred that the time used was the third watch (Chen time). This case is taken from Guo's 'Divination Cases'.

勾龍空虎 卯辰巳午 蛇合朱勾 子 ◎丑 朱 合寅 未常 子寅丑卯 鬼 癸亥 貴 朱丑 申玄 寅辰卯丙 財 辛酉 陰 子亥戌酉 蛇貴后陰

The lesson pattern is exactly the same as the previous case (divination about border affairs). The outer circle:卯 is multiplied by Gou Chen, 辰 by Qinglong, 巳 by Tiankong, 午 by Baihu, 未 by Taichang, 申 by Xuanwu, 酉 by Taiyin, 戌 by Tianhou, 亥 by Guiren, 子 by Tengshe, 丑 by Zhuque, 寅 by Liuhe. The four lessons, read from right to left: the day stem Jiā has 卯, which is multiplied by Gou Chen; 卯 has 丑, which is multiplied by Zhuque; the day branch Chen has 寅, which is multiplied by Liuhe; 寅 has 子, which is multiplied by Tengshe. The three transmissions: the first transmission is 丑, a son/daughter yao multiplied by Zhuque and falling into the empty period; the middle transmission is Guihai, an official ghost yao multiplied by Guiren; the final transmission is Xinyou, a wife's wealth yao multiplied by Taiyin. The following analysis of this pregnancy's gender and due date focuses on the 卯 on the day stem, the 寅 on the day branch multiplied by Liuhe, and the first transmission 丑 as the abdomen yao falling into the empty period.

郭御青曰：餘為凌九弟占生產據常法，干上不比，三傳俱陰，似女。豈知太陽照宅，上乘六合，小兒之象。又干上卯，初傳丑夾月將於中，下臨本辰。丑為腹神，空，速產之象。若非本日必戊日。何也？天上丙寄申，下臨戊戌，丙火生戌土，乃真父子相見，果於本日丙辰戊戌時生男。

Guo Yuqing said: I divined for Ling's younger brother about childbirth. According to the usual method, the heavenly stem on the day stem does not harmonize with the day stem, and all three transmissions are yin branches, which seems to indicate a female child. But I did not expect the month general, the sun, to be directly shining on the house, and the寅 on the house to be accompanied by Liu He, which is the image of a child. Looking further, the day stem is卯, and the first transmission is丑, with the month general寅 in between, and below寅 is the day branch辰.丑 is the abdomen god, but it falls in the旬空, indicating imminent childbirth. If not born on this day, it must be on a Wu day. Why? On the heaven plate, the Bing fire is located in申, and below申 is Wu Xu. The Bing fire generates Wu earth, which is truly the meeting of father and son. Later, the child was indeed born on the day of Bing Chen at the hour of Wu Xu, and it was a boy.

某丁亥生占生產七月丙辰日午將午時。

A person born in the year of Dinghai comes to seek divination about childbirth, the time being the seventh month on the day of Bingchen. Using "Wu" (Shengguang) as the month general, it is placed on the "Wu" hour to cast the divination. Since the month general and the time of divination are in the same position, the resulting lesson is a Hidden Chant lesson.

空虎常玄 巳午未申 龍龍空空 兄 丁巳 空 龍辰 酉陰 辰辰巳巳 財 庚申 玄 勾卯 戌后 辰辰巳丙 父 甲寅 合 寅丑子亥 合朱蛇貴

The flat lesson diagram. The twelve earthly branches on the Heaven Plate are in their original positions, forming a 'Hidden Chant' lesson. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals associated with each earthly branch:巳 is accompanied by Tian Kong,午 by Bai Hu,未 by Tai Chang,申 by Xuan Wu,酉 by Tai Yin,戌 by Tian Hou,亥 by Gui Ren,子 by Teng Snake,丑 by Zhu Qu,寅 by Liu He,卯 by Gou Chen,辰 by Qing Long. The time is noon, which is daytime, and on a丙 day, the daytime nobleman is used, with the nobleman located on亥. The heavenly generals are arranged in a clockwise order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem丙 (lodging palace in巳) has巳, which is accompanied by Tian Kong; the second lesson, still has巳 on巳; the third lesson, the day branch辰 has辰, which is accompanied by Qing Long; the fourth lesson, still has辰 on辰. The three transmissions: the first transmission isDingsi, representing a brother's yao, accompanied by Tian Kong; the middle transmission is庚申, representing a wife's wealth yao, accompanied by Xuan Wu; the final transmission isJiayin, representing a parent's yao, accompanied by Liu He. This lesson pattern is exactly the same as the one from the previous lesson on the eighth day of the eighth month of the fifth year of Shunzhi, which was on aBingchen day at the hour of辰. They can be compared with each other.

邵彥和曰：產必生男了，母無事。丙以巳為日德，又秋令以辰為天喜作青龍，各加干支，故也。中傳申為支之長生，末傳寅為干之長生，是厚德載物矣，故母子無事。

Shao Yanhe said: This child will certainly be a boy, and the mother will be safe and unharmed. Bing uses Si as its day virtue, and in autumn the Chen is considered Heavenly Joy, which is also riding on the Azure Dragon. These two positive influences are respectively placed over the day stem and day branch, hence this conclusion. The middle transmission Shen is the long life place of the day branch Chen, and the final transmission Yin is the long life place of the day stem Bing. This is a manifestation of great virtue bearing things, so both mother and child are unharmed.

己酉年九月丙辰日奪卯時伊伯一秀才壬申生三十八歲占家宅。 一針見血

In the year Jiyou, ninth month, on the day Bingchen, the divination was cast starting from the卯 hour. The person seeking the divination is the eldest scholar of the Yi family, born in the year Renshen, aged thirty-eight that year, asking about his family's house. This case is from the book "One Needle Sees the Essence."

龍勾合朱 午未申酉 龍空勾龍 鬼 癸亥 貴 空巳 戌蛇 午巳未午 兄 戊午 龍 虎辰 亥貴 巳辰午丙 兄 戊午 龍 卯寅丑子 常玄陰后

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals riding the earthly branches:午 rides the Azure Dragon, 未 rides Gou Chen, 申 rides Liu He, 酉 rides Vermilion Bird, 戌 rides Teng Snake, 亥 rides Nobleman, 子 rides Heavenly Empress, 丑 rides Tai Yin, 寅 rides Black Tortoise, 卯 rides Tai Chang, 辰 rides White Tiger, 巳 rides Tian Kong. The time is卯, which belongs to the day, and on a 丙 day, the day's nobleman is used, with the nobleman located on亥. The heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order from there. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem 丙 (with its lodging palace in 巳) has 午, which rides the Azure Dragon; the second lesson, 午 has 未, which rides Gou Chen; the third lesson, the day branch 辰 has 巳, which rides Tian Kong; the fourth lesson, 巳 has 午, which rides the Azure Dragon. The first and fourth lessons are repeated, so the four lessons form only three, making it a lesson of "别责". On a yang day, the day stem's combined deity (丙 combines with 辛, and 辛 is lodged in 戌) is on亥, which initiates the transmission. The middle and final transmissions both use the day stem's deity 午. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Guihai, which is the official ghost爻, riding the nobleman; the middle and final transmissions are both Wuwu, which are the brother爻, riding the Azure Dragon.

邵彥和曰：此課別責昴星，自亥至午，午至亥皆是老陰、少陰並不行陽道。喜得今年來年行年尚陽位，後年災生必有殃咎。將後老陰長壽，少陰可保，難為六十以下三十以上人。日上午上陽刃，午與未合又臨午上，眷屬亦難保。除是外者，可以居此。中年男女皆難保，除是更改，卻不見如此也。

Shao Yanhe said: This case is referred to as "Bie Ze" (also mentioning the name "Mao Star"). Counting from亥 to午 and then from午 back to亥, all the positions passed through are old yin and young yin, with no trace of yang. Fortunately, this year and next year his age position is still in the yang position, but by the following year, calamity will come together, and there will certainly be misfortune. In the future, the elderly yin people in the family can live long, and the young yin people can also be safe. The most difficult to protect are those between thirty and sixty years old. The午 on the day stem is a yang blade, and午 also combines with未, which is located on午, so the relatives will also be hard to preserve. Unless they are from another family, they can live in this house. Middle-aged men and women are also hard to preserve, unless they change their residence, they will not fall into this situation.

壬子年一秀才，弟兄三人，有祖母及母在堂，父五十一歲，已喪，遂驚懼而移居。丙辰年，伯一秀才之妻又死，丁巳年方盡行遷移，祖母方死。先生謂三十以上，六十以下難保，果如是也。課中只有亥為老陰，午為少陰，惟老少可存，若中年人皆不上，課盡為昴星，虎視所食，自移居後卻有外嫁姊妹來居此屋無事。

Later events proved that in the Renzi year, the three brothers who were scholars were all living with their grandparents, but their father had already passed away at fifty-one, causing the family to become frightened and move house. In the Bingchen year, the wife of the eldest scholar died; it was not until the Dingsi year that the whole family had moved completely, and at that time the grandmother also passed away. Master Shao said that those aged thirty to sixty were hard to protect, and indeed it turned out that way. In the divination, only the亥 (Hai) was old yin and午 (Wu) was young yin, so only the elderly and the young could survive; as for middle-aged people, there was no mention at all in the divination. The entire divination showed the appearance of the昴 (Mao) star, like a White Tiger fixing its gaze on a prey it intends to devour. Since they moved away, there were already married sisters who came to live in this house, and they remained safe and uneventful.

戊申年十月丙辰日卯將子時自占動靜。本命乙巳年十月十八是亥時生，六十四歲。 方本占案、口鑑

On the day of Bingchen in the tenth month of the year Wushen, using the 'Mao' (Taichong) as the Month General, the course was cast starting from the 'Zi' hour. This was a self-observation by Shao Yanhe regarding whether to move or stay. His birth date was on the eighteenth day of the tenth month of the year Yisi, at the You hour. He was sixty-four years old that year. This case is recorded in the Fang Ben's "Zhan An" and "Kou Jian."

朱蛇 六申酉戌亥貴 陳未 子后 蛇陳貴六 財 庚申 六 龍午 丑陰 戌未亥申 官 癸亥 貴 空巳辰卯寅玄 未辰申丙 父 甲寅 玄 虎常

The flat layout of the lesson pattern. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals riding the earthly branches: Shen rides Liu He, You rides Vermilion Bird, Xu rides Teng Snake, Hai rides Nobleman, Zi rides Heavenly Empress, Chou rides Tai Yin, Yin rides Black Tortoise, Mao rides Tai Chang, Chen rides White Tiger, Si rides Tian Kong, Wu rides Azure Dragon, Wei rides Gou Chen. The Nobleman is on Hai, which is the daytime nobleman for a Jia day, and the heavenly generals are arranged in reverse order from there. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Ji (with its lodging palace in Si), shows Shen riding Liu He; the second lesson, on Shen shows Hai riding Nobleman; the third lesson, on the day branch Chen shows Wei riding Gou Chen; the fourth lesson, on Wei shows Xu riding Teng Snake. The three transmissions: the first transmission, Geng Shen, is the wife's wealth hexagram riding Liu He; the second transmission, Gui Hai, is the official ghost hexagram riding Nobleman; the third transmission, Jia Yin, is the parents' hexagram riding Black Tortoise. The positions Shen, Hai, Yin, and the day stem's lodging palace Si form a circle, each corresponding to the long birth of their respective elements (metal's long birth is in Si, water's long birth is in Shen, wood's long birth is in Hai, fire's long birth is in Yin). The following interpretation is based on this layer.

邵彥和曰：我自占動靜，今申生於巳，亥生於申，寅生於亥，巳生於寅，宅上又是勾陳入廟，至辛亥年十月方得身動。日往當往東北，近二百里。又轉西北晚處，終於東北之上，年六十九矣。果辛亥十月十七辛巳起行，過婺州，自鄉里行一百八十里，壬子年過嚴州，自鄉中從東北過西北，癸丑又到婺州，終於衙中。

Shao Yanhe said: I myself divined my own movements. Now, metal is in growth in Si, water is in growth in Shen, wood is in growth in Hai, and fire is in growth in Yin and Shen. Shen, Hai, Yin and Si, which is the day stem's lodging palace, are connected in mutual generation, forming a circle. The mansion also has Gou Chen in its prime, firmly holding on, so it was not until the year Xinhai in the tenth month that I could move. After moving, I should go to the Northeast, nearly two hundred li; then turn to the Northwest, and settle down in old age, finally dying in the Northeast. That came true: on the seventeenth day of the tenth month in the year Xinhai, starting from Xinsi, I set off, passing through Wu Zhou, traveling one hundred and eighty li from my hometown; in the year Renzi, I passed through Yanzhou, turning from the Northeast to the Northwest; in the year Guichou, I went back to Wu Zhou, and finally died in the official residence.

蓋丙以申為妻，巳與申合，又作六合，更未作勾陳，在本家所以戀家，卒難脫解。至辛亥年巳亥相沖，而寅申又沖，十月又是亥月，三個亥沖巳，又寅馬加亥，得沖而動，所以能行動於東北者，乃寅馬合亥，雖脫得沖則行也。癸丑死者，老人五行投生方也。一曰，未加辰宅，辰加丑上，辰為歲之墓也。直指引右鑑云：將為將為身，時為命。卯將子時乃卯六子九之數。

Explain the reason: Bing takes Shen as his wife's wealth, and Si and Shen are in harmony. Shen is also occupied by Liu He, and Wei is occupied by Gou Chen, guarding its own house. Therefore, he is attached to his home and finds it difficult to leave. In the Xinhai year, Si and Hai are in conflict, Yin and Shen are in conflict, and October is the month of Hai. Three Hais come to conflict with Si, and the post-horse on Yin is added to Hai, causing a disturbance and prompting him to leave. He first goes to the Northeast because Yin horse and Hai are in harmony; although he wants to leave, he moves when there is a conflict. The statement that he dies in Guichou year is due to the reason of the old person's five elements' birth direction. Another explanation: Wei is placed on the day branch Chen, which is the house position. Chen is also placed on Chou, and Chen is the storage of the sovereign. The "Six Rats Direct Point" cites the "Right Mirror" saying: the month general represents the body, and the time of the day represents the destiny. If Mao general is placed on Zi hour, then Mao is six and Zi is nine, combining to make sixty-nine, which exactly corresponds to his age.

愚按：邵公占動靜何故斷及六十九而終？老人五行投生方之句殊屬不祥，古鑑之言更無謂之極矣。辰為歲墓加丑亦似是而非。總之，是後人推測之語勉強附會也。

Cheng Shuxun remarked: Shao Yanhe's divination was about movement and stillness, so why did it lead to a prediction of dying at sixty-nine? The phrase "the five phases of the old person's rebirth" is very inauspicious. What is said in "The Ancient Mirror" is utterly without sense. As for "Chen is the resting place of the old age star and it is placed on Chou," this is also ambiguous and not quite correct. In summary, all these are words of later people's speculation, forced onto the text.

崇正辛未年四月丙辰日酉將午時萊陽遲公在京考選相會時偶占。 指南

In the year Xinwei (which is the year of Chongzheng, but referred to as Xinwei here to avoid taboo), fourth month, on the day Bingchen, the lesson was cast with "You" (Congkui) as the Month General, placed on the "Wu" hour. This lesson was cast by Chi Gong from Laoyang in Shandong while waiting for an examination in the capital, when he met with someone and cast it on the spot. This case is recorded in the "Liu Ren Zhi Nan".

朱蛇 六申酉戌亥貴 陳未 子后 蛇陳貴六 財 庚申 六 龍午 丑陰 戌未亥申 官 癸亥 貴 空巳辰卯寅玄 未辰申丙 父 甲寅 玄 虎常

The lesson pattern is exactly the same as the previous case—using the酉 (Metal Rooster) general with the午 (Fire Horse) hour, and the卯 (Wood Rabbit) general with the子 (Water Rat) hour, resulting in the same Heaven and Earth plates. Outer circle: 申 (Monkey) is accompanied by Liu He, 酉 (Rooster) by Vermilion Bird, 戌 (Dog) by Teng Snake, 亥 (Pig) by Nobleman, 子 (Rat) by Heavenly Empress, 丑 (Ox) by Tai Yin, 寅 (Tiger) by Black Tortoise, 卯 (Rabbit) by Tai Chang, 辰 (Dragon) by White Tiger, 巳 (Snake) by Tian Kong, 午 (Horse) by Azure Dragon, 未 (Sheep) by Gou Chen. The four lessons, read from right to left: the day stem 丙 (Bing) has 申 (Monkey) accompanied by Liu He; 申 (Monkey) has 亥 (Pig) accompanied by Nobleman; the day branch 辰 (Dragon) has 未 (Sheep) accompanied by Gou Chen; 未 (Sheep) has 戌 (Dog) accompanied by Teng Snake. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Gengshen (Gengshen), a wife's wealth hexagram accompanied by Liu He; the middle transmission is 癸亥 (Guihai), an official ghost hexagram accompanied by Nobleman; the final transmission is 甲寅 (Jiayin), a parent's hexagram accompanied by Black Tortoise. Wealth, official, and post-horse follow in sequence (申 is wealth, 亥 is official, 寅 is the post-horse for the day stem 丙), which is the basis for the following interpretation.

陳公獻曰：傳將財官驛馬（初傳申財，中傳亥官，末傳寅馬），城吏遞互相生，大吉。芝翁曰：曰：此公已攖重戮，付刑部獄，生全即出望外，矧敢非乎？曰：月德發傳，中傳貴絕，末見長生，此為絕處逢生，支上皇恩化戌，斗罡居命，指日出獄，難免謫戍，然後來仕途顯遠。思宗因旱祈雨，壬戌日赦文武大臣七人，此公在赦內。後知為張逢玄先生也。十二年後，果歷仕途顯要，今為少冢宰，尋轉大司空。

Chen Gongxian said: The three transmissions carry wealth, officialdom, and the post-horse. The first transmission is in the position of wealth, the middle transmission in the position of officialdom, and the final transmission in the position of the post-horse. The city god and the official god successively generate each other, which is a great auspicious omen. Zhi翁 said: This person has already committed a serious crime and is imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment. To survive is already unexpected, how could one dare to hope for anything else? Chen Gongxian replied: The monthly virtue is in the first transmission, the middle transmission has the nobleman although in a terminal position, but the final transmission shows growth, which is called meeting life in the midst of death. There is the grace of the imperial favor in the day branch, entering the position of Xu, and the star of the pole is in the original destiny. He will soon be released from prison, although he may have to be exiled to the border, his future career will be prominent and far-reaching. Later, when the Son of Heaven (Chongzhen Emperor) prayed for rain due to a great drought, he pardoned seven officials on the day of Renxu, and this person was among those pardoned. After the fact, it was known that he was the Master Zhang Fengxuan. Twelve years later, he indeed held important posts, and now he has reached the position of deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel (the lesser chief minister), and soon he will be transferred to the position of minister of the Ministry of Works (the great minister of works).

乾隆辛巳年七月丙辰日午將卯時江永蘭翁有鹽在場因連日風大恐有風潮托占之。 牧夫占驗

In the year Xinsi of the Qianlong era, on the day Bingchen of the seventh lunar month, the lesson was cast with "Wu" (Shengguang) as the Month General, placed on the "Mao" hour. Jiang Yong's Lan翁 had a pile of salt on the salt field, and due to continuous strong winds, he was worried that the wind might cause a tidal surge and wash away the salt. He asked someone to divinate this matter. This case is recorded in "Mu Fu Zhan Yan."

朱蛇 六申酉戌亥貴 陳未 子后 蛇陳貴六 財 庚申 六 龍午 丑陰 戌未亥申 官 癸亥 貴 空巳辰卯寅玄 未辰申丙 父 甲寅 玄 虎常

The lesson pattern is the same as in the previous two cases—midday hour with the general at卯, and the Heaven Plate still advances three positions ahead of the Earth Plate. Outer circle: 申 rides the Liu He, 酉 rides the Vermilion Bird, 戌 rides the Teng Snake, 亥 rides the Nobleman, 子 rides the Heavenly Empress, 丑 rides the Tai Yin, 寅 rides the Black Tortoise, 卯 rides the Tai Chang, 辰 rides the White Tiger, 巳 rides the Tian Kong, 午 rides the Azure Dragon, 未 rides the Gou Chen. Four Lessons, from right to left: on the Day Stem 丙, 申 rides the Liu He; on 申, 亥 rides the Nobleman; on the Day Branch 辰, 未 rides the Gou Chen; on 未, 戌 rides the Teng Snake. Three Transmissions: first transmission is Gengshen, the wife's wealth hexagram riding the Liu He; middle transmission is Guihai, the official ghost hexagram riding the Nobleman; final transmission is Jiayin, the parents' hexagram riding the Black Tortoise. To determine the wind and tide, one should look at the Day Branch 辰, the upper god 未, and then 戌, which forms a pure earth line capable of controlling water. 亥 is the sea water, and it is combined with寅 wood above; also, 丑 and 戌 are in mutual conflict and both fall into the旬空.

王牧夫曰：海潮無礙，惟淮徐之地，恐有沖決。蓋支辰純土能制四維之水，三傳遞生箕星雖克支，支上未乃木墓，又土多不易剋制，故主漲潮無患也。亥為海水，上乘寅木作合，尚有和氣，亦不至是。淮徐之地恐有沖決者，傳生風伯，又是閉口，主風大傷人。丑戌相刑，又逢旬空，此處空虛，故風得搖盪。丑戌者，徐揚之分野也。次日，邵伯鎮倒口，果驗。

Wang Mufu said: The sea tide does not cause any trouble, but there might be a risk of breaches in the areas of Huai and Xu. The reason is that the day branch is Chen, which is all earth, and can control the four directions' water. Although the three transmissions successively generate and give rise to the wind star Ji, which is associated with wind, and the Ji star further attacks the day branch, the day branch's Wei is the burial place of wood, and there is a lot of earth qi, so it is not easily affected. Therefore, the rising tide does not pose a danger. The亥 is the sea, and it is supported by the寅 wood above, which forms a harmonious relationship, so it will not cause disaster. The fear of breaches in the areas of Huai and Xu is because the three transmissions generate the wind god, and it meets the closed mouth, which indicates a strong wind that can harm people. The丑 and戌 are in mutual conflict, and both fall into the empty period, so that area is in a state of emptiness, allowing the wind to move freely. The丑 and戌 correspond to the regions of Xu and Yangzhou. The next day, the mouth of Shao Bo town indeed broke, which verified the prediction.

淳祐七年八月初一丙辰日奉旨再占前月十二戊戌日事具奏，巳將子時。 一針見血

In the seventh year of the Chunyu era of Emperor Lizong of the Song dynasty, on the first day of the eighth lunar month, on the day of Bingchen, Zhu Bi followed the imperial decree to re-divine the matter divined on the twelfth day of the previous month, which was Wuxu, and to report it officially. He used 'Si' (Taiyi) as the month general, placing it on the 'Zi' hour to cast the divination. This case is recorded in "Yizhen Jianxue."

蛇朱合勾 戌亥子丑 龍貴空蛇 父 甲寅 龍 貴酉 寅龍 寅酉卯戌 子 己未 陰 后申 卯空 酉辰戌丙 鬼 ◎子 合 未午巳辰 陰玄常虎

The flattened lesson pattern diagram. The outer circle shows the heavenly generals riding the earthly branches:戌 rides Teng Snake,亥 rides Vermilion Bird,子 rides Liu He,丑 rides Gou Chen,寅 rides Azure Dragon,卯 rides Tian Kong,辰 rides White Tiger,巳 rides Tai Chang,午 rides Black Tortoise,未 rides Tai Yin,申 rides Heavenly Empress,酉 rides Nobleman. Since子 hour belongs to night, on a丙 day, the night nobleman is used, and the nobleman is located on酉, so the heavenly generals are arranged in sequence from there. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, day stem丙 (with its lodging palace in巳) has戌 riding Teng Snake; the second lesson, on戌 has卯 riding Tian Kong; the third lesson, on day branch辰 has酉 riding Nobleman; the fourth lesson, on酉 has寅 riding Azure Dragon. The three transmissions: the first transmission,Jiayin, is the parent爻 riding Azure Dragon; the middle transmission,Jiwei, is the child爻 riding Tai Yin; the final transmission,子, is the official ghost爻 riding Liu He, with「◎」indicating that子 is in the empty position of theJiayin decade.子 is the fetal god of丙 day, and Liu He is associated with children, which serves as the basis for the subsequent interpretation of 'national foundation in embryo'.

祝泌奏曰：子為今日六丙之胎，六合主小兒為陽生之胎，此在行年之上，若不入課猶未為奇，今在末傳，此課之收藏也，主國本胚胎。況發用青龍主喜慶，尋常寅加酉亦有喜事，又值月建之位仰，惟陛下親自卜筮，其課得此是誠為宗社之福。

Zhu Bi presented a memorial stating: "The 'Zi' is the nurturing deity of today's Bing fire, and Liu He governs children, which is exactly the beginning of yang energy's birth; this position is also located on the year's position. If it does not enter the four lessons and three transmissions, it is still not considered an oddity; now it happens to be in the final transmission. The final transmission is where one lesson is collected and concluded, indicating that the fundamental essence of the state is currently being cultivated. Moreover, the initiating transmission is occupied by the Azure Dragon, which signifies joy and celebration; normally, the寅 (Yin) is placed on the酉 (You) and also indicates good news; this position is also exactly where the month builder is located. May the emperor personally consult the oracle; if such a divination is obtained, it is truly a blessing for the ancestral temples and the state."