On the Wuchen day, Yao Changzuo divined about his post (Tuo family divination case).

山西姚君昌祚於崇正丁丑年五月戊辰日未將辰時，占任所。

A man from Shanxi named Yao Changzuo, in the tenth year of the Chongzhen era (Dingchou, 1637, "Chongzheng" is the euphemistic way to write Chongzhen), asked a divination on the fifth month's Wuchen day to inquire about where he would be assigned to serve in official duty. He used Wei as the month general and started the calculation at the辰 hour.

龍勾合朱 申酉戌亥 合空朱龍 財 亥 朱 ◎ 空未 子蛇 戌未亥申 官 丙寅 后 ⊙ 虎午 丑貴 未辰申戊 父 己巳 常 巳辰卯寅 常玄陰后

After the lesson board is laid out as above. The heaven and earth plates are arranged with the general of Wei added to the time of Chen. The heaven plate advances three positions ahead of the earth plate: on the earth plate, the position of Si is matched with Shen, Wu with You, Wei with Xu, Shen with Hai, You with Zi, Xu with Chou, Hai with Yin, Zi with Mao, Chou with Chen, Yin with Si, Mao with Wu, and Chen with Wei. The twelve heavenly generals are: Qinglong (Azure Dragon) rides Shen, Gouchen (Hook Star) rides You, Liuhe (Six Harmonies) rides Xu, Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) rides Hai, Tiankong (Heavenly Void) rides Wei, Baihu (White Tiger) rides Wu, Tengshe (Coiling Snake) rides Zi, Guiren (Nobleman) rides Chou, Taichang (Supreme Harmony) rides Si, Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) rides Chen, Taiyin (Supreme Yin) rides Mao, and Tianhou (Heavenly Empress) rides Yin. The time of Chen belongs to the day, and on the fifth day of earth, the nobleman is in Chou, 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 lodging palace of Si, and Si is matched with Shen, which is ridden by Qinglong; the second lesson, Shen is matched with Hai, which is ridden by Zhuque; the third lesson, the day branch Chen is matched with Wei, which is ridden by Tiankong; the fourth lesson, Wei is matched with Xu, which is ridden by Liuhe. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Hai, the middle transmission is Yin, and the final transmission is Si. The first transmission Hai falls in the empty position of the Jiazi (甲子) ten days, without a hidden stem, marked with 「◎」, and on the day of Wu earth, it represents the wife and wealth, ridden by Zhuque; the middle transmission Yin has the hidden stem of Bing, which represents the official ghost, ridden by Tianhou, marked with 「⊙」; the final transmission Si has the hidden stem of Ji, which represents the parents, ridden by Taichang. Hai generates Yin, Yin generates Si, and Si again generates the day stem Wu earth, forming a chain of generation in the three transmissions. The post-horse of the Wu Chen day is in Yin, which is the same position as the official ghost.

郭御青曰：此課天上行年加申，為山西分野，豈有選本省之理。官馬加臨衛，初臨燕，余初斷非衛即燕。後選新野周分，傳課全無影響。餘後詳課情數日夜，乃得之：蓋四課暗拱地盤周地也。此斷在官祿馬行年之外。餘後占劉夢巖任所，日干上見癸亥，法從此出。課體隱現無窮，執一便謬，後遇占任所又不必盡照此法也。

Guo Yuqing said: In this divination, the heavenly plate shows Yao Jun's age placed on Shen, which belongs to Jin, exactly the territory of Shanxi. How could there be a selection within the same province? The official ghost combined with the post-horse, the寅, is placed on Hai, which belongs to Wei, and寅 itself belongs to Yan. So I initially concluded that it must be either Wei or Yan. But the result was Xinye, which belongs to Zhou. None of the three transmissions and four lessons corresponded. After thinking over the case for several days and nights, I finally realized that the upper spirits of the four lessons secretly supported and enclosed the one on the earth plate that belonged to Zhou. This method is beyond the usual symbols such as official star,禄神, post-horse, and age. Later, when I divined Liu Mengyan's appointment, I used the method derived from this. The manifestation of the lesson pattern is infinite, and sticking to one method will lead to mistakes. In the future, when divining appointments, there is no need to follow this method entirely.

愚按：占任所或占官職，以支上測之多驗。然取初交未將，非新乎？合之非新野乎？如此取象，難乎不難乎。

Editor's note: When predicting one's official position or assignment, using the heavenly stem on the day branch to make a guess often proves accurate. However, here Guo takes the just-entered Wei Jiang, which is the beginning of the Wei period. 'Just-entered' means 'new', and 'Wei' signifies fields, so together they form 'Xinye'. This method of breaking down characters to derive meaning is not as difficult as it seems.

十月戊辰日寅將亥時，占來意。一字玉連環。

On the Wuchen day of the tenth month, using Yin as the Month General and starting the divination at the亥 hour, the question is about why the visitor has come. This passage is from the "One Character Yulianhuan."

蛇朱合勾 申酉戌亥 合貴勾蛇 財 亥 勾 ◎ 貴未 子龍 戌未亥申 官 丙寅 虎 ⊙ 后午 丑空 未辰申戊 父 己巳 陰 巳辰卯寅 陰玄常虎

After the lesson disk is laid out as above. The heaven and earth plates are set with the hour of Yin as the starting point, and the heaven plate advances three positions ahead of the earth plate. The heaven and earth plates are exactly the same as in the previous case: on the earth plate, the position of Si is occupied by Shen, Wu by You, Wei by Xu, Shen by Hai, You by Zi, Xu by Chou, Hai by Yin, Zi by Mao, Chou by Chen, Yin by Si, Mao by Wu, Chen by Wei. The heavenly generals are different: Teng Snake is on Shen, Vermilion Bird on You, Liu He on Xu, Gou Chen on Hai, Nobleman on Wei, Heavenly Empress on Wu, Azure Dragon on Zi, Tian Kong on Chou, Tai Chang on Si, Tai Yin on Chen, Tai Yin on Mao, and Bai Hu on Yin. The hour of Hai is night, and the nobleman for the fifth day is on Wei, and the nobleman moves in order. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Wu is in the lodging palace of Si, and on Si is Shen, which is occupied by Teng Snake; the second lesson, on Shen is Hai, which is occupied by Gou Chen; the third lesson, the day branch Chen is on Wei, which is occupied by Nobleman; the fourth lesson, on Wei is Xu, which is occupied by Liu He. The three transmissions are still Hai, Yin, and Si: the first transmission is Hai, which is empty in the ten heavenly stems, marked with '◎', representing wife's wealth, occupied by Gou Chen; the middle transmission is Yin, which is concealed by the stem of Bing, representing official ghost, occupied by Bai Hu, marked with '⊙'; the final transmission is Si, which is concealed by the stem of Ji, representing parents, occupied by Tai Yin. The general of Hai is called 'Dengming', and the general of Yin is called 'Gongcao'. The following interpretation is based on these two generals.

徐次賓曰：來意主西北上出入干財，有李姓人無髮鬢者暗為鬼賊，其事自解，其財不得而空，主回也。何以知西北上出入干財？先鋒與發用皆亥，亥主西北，又為日財，日為也。

Xu Cibin said: The person coming is seeking wealth by entering and exiting in the northwest direction; there is a man surnamed Li, who has no hair, secretly causing trouble, but this matter will resolve itself naturally; the wealth sought cannot be obtained, it is empty, and he will return empty-handed. How do we know that the person is seeking wealth by entering and exiting in the northwest? The time of the divination and the initiating transmission (first transmission) both fall on亥, which is associated with the northwest direction. Also, it is precisely the wife's wealth in the戊 day (the last three characters 'day of also' seem to be a possible omission in the original text).

何以知李姓人無髮鬢者為鬼賊？蓋中傳功曹為木，下臨壬水，配合為李字也。白虎主無髮鬢人，為日下之鬼，故知此人為害也。言自解者，經云鬼自受制，憂將自救。寅木為日之鬼，上得白虎金剛制之，故曰自解也。其財不得而主空回者，蓋發用登明為空亡，雖為日下之財，而進亦空亡，豈不是空回也。

How do we know that the person named Li, who has no hair on his temples, is a malevolent spirit? The Middle Transmission is in the寅 (Yin) position, and the general there is called Gongcao (Yin). The Five Phases belong to wood, and below it is the Earth Plate's亥 (Hai), which corresponds to the water of壬 (Ren). Wood above and water below form the character for Li. The White Tiger governs those with no hair on their temples, and寅 is the official ghost of the day stem戊 (Wu) soil. Therefore, we know this person is coming to cause harm. The statement that the matter will resolve itself is because the classic says, "The ghost is restrained by itself, and the worry will be resolved by itself." The寅 wood is the ghost of the day stem, and the White Tiger, which belongs to metal, is directly on top of it. Metal can overcome wood, so it is self-resolving. The reason for not being able to obtain wealth and returning empty-handed is because the Initiating Transmission is亥, and the general there is called Dengming (Hai). However,亥 is in the旬空 (decade void), even though it is the wealth爻 of the day stem, it is trapped in the void, which is why one returns empty-handed.

乾隆丁丑年亥月己巳日日卯將辰時，占走失十二歲。

In the twenty-second year of the Qianlong era, Dingchou (1757), on the Jisi day of the亥 month, using Mao as the month general and starting the divination at the Chen hour, the case concerns the whereabouts of a twelve-year-old child who has gone missing.

勾龍空虎 辰巳午未 合勾龍空 官 丁卯 合

This is the remaining upper half of the lesson board after it has been flattened, with the final transmission and the lower half of the board not included in this section. The heaven and earth plates start with the卯 general added to the辰 hour, and the heaven plate is one position behind the earth plate: on the earth plate, the辰 has the卯, the巳 has the辰, the午 has the巳, the未 has the午, the申 has the未, and the酉 has the申. The heavenly generals listed here include Gou Chen riding the辰, Qinglong riding the巳, Tiankong riding the午, and Baihu riding the未; the remaining heavenly generals are found in the lower half. The four lessons here only show the four upper deities in the top row:卯, 辰, 巳, 午 and their respective deities: Liuhe, Gou Chen, Qinglong, Tiankong, and the lower row of the four lessons is not included in this section. The three transmissions only show the initial transmission of卯, with the hidden stem being Ding, which belongs to the official ghost in the己 earth day, riding Liuhe. The lower half of the earth plate and the lower row of the four lessons belong to the part of the lesson board that was cut off after flattening; therefore, it is not appropriate to make assumptions and complete them.

合卯　申常　卯辰巳午　官 丙寅 朱 朱寅　酉玄　辰巳午己　兄 乙丑 蛇 　丑子亥戌 　蛇貴后陰

This is the latter half of the divination chart for the case "Qianlong Dingchou Year,亥 month, Ji Si day, Mao general, Chen hour divination for a missing person," the former half having been mentioned earlier. On the left side: the Earth Plate at the Chen position has the Heaven Plate "Mao" riding on "Liu He"; the Earth Plate at the Mao position has the Heaven Plate "Yin" riding on "Zhu Que." On the right side: the Earth Plate at the You position has the Heaven Plate "Shen" riding on "Tai Chang"; the Earth Plate at the Xu position has the Heaven Plate "You" riding on "Xuan Wu." Below, the two lines show the Earth Plate positions of Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai, with the Heaven Plate above them in the order "Chou," "Zi," "Hai," and "Xu," and the corresponding Heavenly Generals riding on them being "Teng Snake," "Heavenly Emperor Nobleman," "Heavenly Empress," and "Tai Yin." In the middle, the two lines show the upper and lower gods of the four lessons, which should be read from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Ji (with its lodging palace at Wei) with "Wu" above it, the second lesson has "Wu" with "Si" above it, the third lesson has the day branch Si with "Chen" above it, and the fourth lesson has "Chen" with "Mao" above it. On the right column are the three transmissions, with the middle and final transmissions present here: the middle transmission is "Yin," belonging to the Six Relations as official ghost, with the hidden stem being "Bing Yin" riding on "Zhu Que"; the final transmission is "Chou," belonging to the Six Relations as brother, with the hidden stem being "Yi Chou" riding on "Teng Snake." Combined with the previously mentioned initial transmission "Mao" riding on "Liu He," the three transmissions are "Mao," "Yin," and "Chou," each moving backward in sequence, which is exactly the "Lian Ru" retreat pattern mentioned in the following interpretation.

王牧夫曰：連茹之課，當數人同行，今已退歸，不能遠去。干上午屬姤卦，姤者遇也，午陰得日支青龍，少刻即是。驗甚。近事爭遂，看天罡，天罡臨宅，加孟亦不礙，當即見也。

Wang Mufu said: This is a "Lian Ru" divination lesson, where the three transmissions are in retreat. The missing person was originally traveling in a group, but now has turned back and will not have gone very far. The day stem is Ji, and its upper god is "wu." Wu pairs with the lower god to form the hexagram "Gou," whose meaning is meeting. The hidden god of "wu" (i.e., the god at the position of the earth plate's "si" where the heaven plate's "wu" is located) is exactly the day branch "si," and it is also accompanied by the auspicious general "Qinglong." Therefore, they will meet soon. This prediction proved to be very accurate. When determining whether something can be obtained or if it will proceed smoothly, one should look at where the "Tiangang" (i.e., Chen) is located. In this case, the heaven plate's "Chen" is exactly on the earth plate's "si," which is the day branch's position, meaning the Tiangang is at the residence. Although "Chen" is placed on the "four Meng" positions (Yin, Shen, Si, Hai), it does not cause any obstruction, and the person can be found immediately.

六合朱科院在西南社壇廢址白站起宅第，斯人富豪權勢，竟往縣中請佃，蓋欲陰當。彼處有人妒其所為者，往邵提刑卜課，問其起宅吉凶。

In Luhe County, Zhu Keian selected a piece of abandoned land at the southwest altar and began building a residence there. This man was both wealthy and powerful, and he even went to the county office to apply for the lease of the land, intending to secretly claim it as his own. Some locals resented his actions and went to seek Shao Tingxing's divination, asking whether building a house there would be auspicious or inauspicious. Shao Tingxing was a famous expert in the Six壬 system of the Song Dynasty.

空虎常玄 　午未申酉　虎空玄常　子 壬申 常 龍巳　戌陰　未午酉申　子 壬申 常 勾辰　亥后　午巳申己　父 庚午 空 　卯寅丑子 　合朱蛇貴

The course plate is laid out in a row as above. In this course, the Heaven Plate is one position ahead of the Earth Plate. The Earth Plate positions of Zi, Wu, Wei, and Shen are at the top, with the Heaven Plate positions above them in order as Wu, Wei, Shen, and You. The Heavenly Generals accompanying these are Tian Kong, Bai Hu, Tai Chang, and Xuan Wu respectively. The Earth Plate positions of Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai are at the bottom, with the Heaven Plate positions above them in order as Mao, Yin, Chou, and Zi. The Heavenly Generals accompanying these are Liu He, Zhu Que, Teng Snake, and Tian Yi Gu Ren respectively. On the left side, the Earth Plate position of Chen has the Heaven Plate position of Si, accompanied by Qing Long; the Earth Plate position of Mao has the Heaven Plate position of Chen, accompanied by Gou Chen. On the right side, the Earth Plate position of You has the Heaven Plate position of Xu, accompanied by Tai Yin; the Earth Plate position of Xu has the Heaven Plate position of Hai, accompanied by Tian Hou. The middle three rows are the Four Lessons, which must be read from right to left: the first lesson has the Day Stem Ji (with its lodging palace at Wei) encountering 'Shen', accompanied by Tai Chang; the second lesson has Shen encountering 'You', accompanied by Xuan Wu; the third lesson has the Day Branch Si encountering 'Wu', accompanied by Tian Kong; the fourth lesson has Wu encountering 'Wei', accompanied by Bai Hu. On the right column are the Three Transmissions: the first transmission is 'Shen', with the Six Relations as descendants, the hidden stem is Ren Shen, and the accompanying Heavenly General is Tai Chang; the middle transmission is still 'Shen', with the same Six Relations, hidden stem, and Heavenly General; the final transmission is 'Wu', with the Six Relations as parents, the hidden stem is Geng Wu, and the accompanying Heavenly General is Tian Kong. There is no mutual control between the upper and lower lessons of the Four Lessons, and Ji Si is a yin day, so it is taken as the 'Mao Xing' course pattern, with the three transmissions as Shen, Shen, and Wu.

邵提刑曰：課得昴星，三傳申申午，犯重？金神白虎，舊址上神祗往來之處，又值火旺。本人辛亥生，火克金，犯初傳，又犯本命，又犯歲君。然西南方有佛地，亦被他害，屋宇未十分完備，不及一年傷害宅母並中子。本人因南首有火發，飛火近燎於本宅，新屋片瓦不存。本人驚後得患，半月後亦死矣。

Shao the Inspector said: This divination takes the form of the "昴星" lesson. The three transmissions are Shen, Shen, and Wu, which heavily conflict with each other. The conflict involves the metal god and the White Tiger. The original site chosen was a shrine for the local deity, which is naturally a place where the local gods pass through and are worshipped. Now it coincides with a time when the fire element is at its peak. The person who asked the divination was born in the Xinhai year, which belongs to the fire element. Fire can overcome metal, so it conflicts with the initial transmission which belongs to metal, conflicts with the person's own destiny, and also conflicts with the current year's heavenly stem. Although there is another area in the southwest with a Buddhist temple that can be relied upon, it is also harmed by this evil energy: the house was not completely built, and within a year, the main wife and the middle son in the family were both injured. Later, because the house to the south caught fire, the fire spirit flew over and quickly spread to this house, leaving not a single tile of the newly built house remaining. After being frightened, the person who asked the divination got sick and died after half a month.

一針見血。愚按：此課不載月將正時，未可執一。

This example is found in "One Needle Sees the Essence." Cheng Shuxun remarks: this lesson does not record the used Month General and the time of divination, so it cannot be mechanically applied with a fixed pattern.

揚州錢陰陽一日與堂叔爭分家私，因毆死其叔，受陷於囹圄已及二載。一日鄰人攜其子往邵提刑占問六壬，犯罪者甲辰生。

There was a man named Qian, a practitioner of yin and yang, in Yangzhou. One day he quarreled with his uncle over dividing the family property and beat his uncle to death, thus being imprisoned and having been held for two years. One day a neighbor brought his son to visit the official Shao to cast a six壬 divination. This criminal was born in the year Jiachen.

空虎常玄 　午未申酉　虎空玄常　子 壬申 常 龍巳　戌陰　未午酉申　子 壬申 常 勾辰　亥后　午巳申己　父 庚午 空 　卯寅丑子 　合朱蛇貴

The course plate is laid out in a row as above, identical to the previous example. On the earth plate, the heavenly plate on the positions of巳, 午, 未, and 申 are 「午」, 「未」, 「申」, and 「酉」, respectively, with the accompanying divinatory signs of Tian Kong, Bai Hu, Tai Chang, and Xuan Wu. On the earth plate positions of 寅, 丑, 子, and 亥, the heavenly plate positions are 「卯」, 「寅」, 「丑」, and 「子」, respectively, with the accompanying divinatory signs of Liu He, Zhu Que, Teng Snake, and Tian Yi Gu Ren. On the earth plate position 辰, the heavenly plate is 「巳」 with the sign of Qing Long. On the earth plate position 卯, the heavenly plate is 「辰」 with the sign of Gou Chen. On the earth plate position 酉, the heavenly plate is 「戌」 with the sign of Tai Yin. On the earth plate position 戌, the heavenly plate is 「亥」 with the sign of Tian Hou. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Ji (with its lodging palace at 未) showing 「申」 with the sign of Tai Chang. The second lesson on 申 shows 「酉」 with the sign of Xuan Wu. The third lesson on the day branch巳 shows 「午」 with the sign of Tian Kong. The fourth lesson on 午 shows 「未」 with the sign of Bai Hu. The three transmissions are: initial transmission 「申」 (son, Renshen, Tai Chang), middle transmission 「申」 (same as above), and final transmission 「午」 (parent, Gengwu, Tian Kong). It remains the same as the 'Mao Xing' course of a yin day.

邵公曰：己巳日得申申午，昴星雲虎視眈眈，此課險惡。且喜天乙乘天馬，合起皇恩，天將又吉。然末傳火，反克用神之金。火生人旺於午，合寅午戌，寅上日德朱雀，末又救神值天后（愚按：此句有訛），他日朝廷必有恩赦，至期人恐被喝，而出獄無罪。半月後果有赦至，乃高宇宴駕，孝宗登極，此赦書輕重罪囚釋放得脫。

Shao Gong said: On the day of Jisi, the three transmissions were Shen, Shen, and Wu, forming the "Mao Star" lesson. The lesson text describes it as "the tiger stares intently," which is a dangerous lesson. Fortunately, Tianyi Guiren rode the Heavenly Horse, connecting and activating the "Imperial Grace" deity. The heavenly generals accompanying it were all auspicious generals. However, the final transmission belonged to fire, which in turn restrained the useful god, Shen metal. The person was a fire destiny, with fire strong in Wu, and also forming a fire trinity with Yin and Xu. Yin was the day virtue, riding the Vermilion Bird, and the final transmission also met the saving deity, with the value of Heavenly Empress (Cheng Shuxun noted: there is an error in this sentence). Therefore, it was concluded that the court would soon issue an amnesty, and at that time, although the person would suffer a scolding and a shock, he would ultimately be released without guilt. Half a month later, the amnesty order indeed arrived—originally, Emperor Gaozong had died, and Emperor Xiaozong had ascended the throne. This amnesty decree released all prisoners, both light and heavy offenders, and thus the person was able to escape.

一針見血。愚按：此課亦不載月將正時，然玩此斷語，當是紹興壬午年四月申將未時占。

This example is found in "One Needle Sees the Essence." Cheng Shuxun notes: This lesson does not record the Month General or the time of divination, but upon careful examination of this interpretation, it should have been cast in the fourth month of the Renwu year in Shangyuan, using the Shen General and the Wei time.

正月己巳日子將酉時占宅中景象。方本占案

On the 14th day of the first lunar month, using 'Zi' as the Month General, the time of divination is in You. The question concerns the situation within the family residence. This example is taken from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

勾合朱蛇 　申酉戌亥　蛇勾后朱　子 壬申 勾 龍未　子貴　亥申丑戌　財 　亥 蛇 ◎ 空午　丑后　申巳戌己　官 丙寅 陰 ⊙ 　巳辰卯寅 　虎常玄陰

The divination board is laid out in rows as shown above. The heavenly plate is three positions ahead of the earthly plate. On the earthly plate, the heavenly plate on the positions of巳, 午, 未, and 申 are respectively 申, 酉, 戌, and 亥, with the accompanying trigrams being Gou Chen, Liu He, Zhu Que, and Teng Snake. On the earthly plate, the heavenly plate on the positions of 寅, 丑, 子, and 亥 are respectively 巳, 辰, 卯, and 寅, with the accompanying trigrams being Bai Hu, Tai Chang, Xuan Wu, and Tai Yin. On the earthly position 辰, the heavenly position is 未, accompanied by Qing Long. On the earthly position 卯, the heavenly position is 午, accompanied by Tian Kong. On the earthly position 酉, the heavenly position is 子, accompanied by Tian Yi Gu Ren. On the earthly position 戌, the heavenly position is 丑, accompanied by Tian Hou. The middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson is on the day stem Ji (with its lodging palace at 戌), showing 戌, accompanied by Zhu Que; the second lesson on 戌 shows 丑, accompanied by Tian Hou; the third lesson on the day branch Si shows 申, accompanied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson on 申 shows 亥, accompanied by Teng Snake. On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is 申, with the six relations being the son, the hidden stem is Ren Shen, accompanied by Gou Chen; the middle transmission is 亥, with the six relations being the wife's wealth, since the day stem Ji is in the Ji Si day, which is in the Jia Zi cycle, and the cycle's empty position is in Xu and Hai, so Hai is the actual empty position (marked by ◎ as the empty position), accompanied by Teng Snake; the final transmission is 寅, with the six relations being the official ghost, the hidden stem is Bing Yin, accompanied by Tai Yin.

斷曰：主家中有婦人損了牙齒，近又新修廚灶，地上用新磚鋪砌。蓋申加巳作勾發用，巳為雙女，申為骨牙，乘勾陳主損折，且又傳破也。巳為爐灶，乘旺相主新修。果其人有乃妹缺口齒，而灶新修。

The interpretation states that there is a woman in the family who has damaged her teeth, and recently a new kitchen stove was built, with the floor newly paved with bricks. This is because the 'Shen' is placed on top of 'Si', and with Gou Chen forming the initiating transmission: 'Si' represents two women, indicating a female; 'Shen' signifies bones and teeth; riding on Gou Chen indicates breakage, and there is also a clash among the three transmissions. 'Si' also symbolizes the stove, and riding on a prosperous and strong energy indicates recent construction. Later, it was indeed found that the person's sister was missing a front tooth, and the family had recently built a new stove.

六月己巳日午將酉時占來意。指歸靈文論

In June on the Jisi day, using 'Wu' as the Month General, the time of divination is in You. The question is about the purpose of the visitor's coming. This example is taken from the "Zhi Gui Ling Wen Lun."

朱合勾龍 　寅卯辰巳　后朱蛇勾　官 丙寅 朱 蛇丑　午空　亥寅丑辰　財 　亥 后 ◎ 貴子　未虎　寅巳辰己　子 壬申 常 ⊙ 　亥戌酉申 　后陰玄常

The divination board is laid out in a horizontal row as above. At the hour of Wu with the general at You, the Heaven Plate is three positions behind the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate positions Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen, the Heaven Plate has in sequence Yin, Mao, Chen, and Si, each accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, Liu He, Gou Chen, and Azure Dragon respectively. On the Earth Plate positions Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai, the Heaven Plate has in sequence Hai, Xu, You, and Shen, each accompanied by the Heavenly Empress, Tai Yin, Black Tortoise, and Tai Chang respectively. On the Earth Plate position Chen, the Heaven Plate has Chou accompanied by Teng Snake; on the Earth Plate position Mao, the Heaven Plate has Zi accompanied by Tian Yi Nobleman; on the Earth Plate position You, the Heaven Plate has Wu accompanied by Tian Kong; on the Earth Plate position Xu, the Heaven Plate has Wei accompanied by Bai Hu. The middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the Day Stem Ji (with its lodging palace at Wei), shows Chen, accompanied by Gou Chen; the second lesson, on Chen, shows Chou, accompanied by Teng Snake; the third lesson, on the Day Branch Si, shows Yin, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, on Yin, shows Hai, accompanied by Heavenly Empress. On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is Yin, with the six relations as official ghost, hidden stem Bingyin, accompanied by Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission is Hai, with the six relations as wife wealth, falling into the empty旬, accompanied by Heavenly Empress; the final transmission is Shen, with the six relations as son grandson, hidden stem Renshen, accompanied by Tai Chang.

斷曰：發用在天乙前，中末在天乙後，此名傳陽入陰。申主道路，又為足神，末傳為足，發用朱雀，主先見外來遠信，遠處官員遣人送書至，亦主官員罷職之信至也。

The interpretation states: When the initiating transmission (first transmission) falls before the heavenly virtue nobleman, and the middle and final transmissions fall after the heavenly virtue nobleman, this is called "transmission of yang entering yin." "Shen" signifies roads and is also the deity governing the feet. The final transmission itself corresponds to the position of the feet. The initiating transmission is governed by the Vermilion Bird, indicating that one will first receive a letter from afar, implying that an official from a distant place will send a messenger. It also signifies that a certain official will be dismissed from his post.

康熙乙巳年二月十二己巳日戌將申時高郵王周士都司不說某事代占友人壬子生四十四歲。捷錄

In the second month of the year Kaiqing Yisi, on the day Jisi, with the hour animal Xu as the Month General, the time of divination was in Shen. Wang Zhoushi, a military officer from Gaoyou, refused to disclose the matter being asked about and instead divined for his friend. This friend was born in the year Renzi and was forty-four years old. This example is taken from the "Jielu."

龍勾合朱 　未申酉戌　合龍蛇合　財 　亥 蛇 ◎ 空午　亥蛇　酉未亥酉　兄 乙丑 后 ⊙ 虎巳　子貴　未巳酉己　官 丁卯 玄 　辰卯寅丑 　常玄陰后

The divination board is laid out in rows as shown above. With the hour of Xu and the general of Xu added to the hour of Shen, the Heaven Plate advances two positions relative to the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate, the Heaven Plate on the positions of Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen are respectively "Wei," "Shen," "You," and "Xu," accompanied by the divinatory animals Qinglong, Gou Chen, Liu He, and Zhu Que. On the Earth Plate positions of Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai, the Heaven Plate positions are respectively "Chen," "Mao," "Yin," and "Chou," accompanied by Tai Chang, Xuan Wu, Tai Yin, and Tian Hou. On the Earth Plate position of Chen, the Heaven Plate position is "Wu," accompanied by Tian Kong; on the Earth Plate position of Mao, the Heaven Plate position is "Si," accompanied by Bai Hu; on the Earth Plate position of You, the Heaven Plate position is "Hai," accompanied by Teng Snake; on the Earth Plate position of Xu, the Heaven Plate position is "Zi," accompanied by Tian Yi Gu Ren. The middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Ji (with its lodging palace at Wei), shows "You," accompanied by Liu He; the second lesson, on You, shows "Hai," accompanied by Teng Snake; the third lesson, on the day branch Si, shows "Wei," accompanied by Qinglong; the fourth lesson, on Wei, shows "You," accompanied by Liu He. On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is "Hai," with the six relations being wife wealth, falling into the empty position of the ten days, and since the year of Yi Si, the sovereign is in Si, and Hai is the year's breaking, accompanied by Teng Snake; the middle transmission is "Chou," with the six relations being brother, with the hidden stem Yi Chou, accompanied by Tian Hou; the final transmission is "Mao," with the six relations being official ghost, with the hidden stem Ding Mao, accompanied by Xuan Wu.

斷曰：日上乘官符，支上亦是官符，是占此人之訟也。訟因奸詭蔽匿，事干朝廷，鬼乘元武，巳入宅也。當破家蕩產，死中復生。蓋四下生上，為源消根斷，且破敗臨身，歲破發用，支神死氣，用起返魂也。訟累多官，三傳初中遁乙，末又鬼也，必須坐獄。

The interpretation says: The day stem is riding on "Guanfu," and the day branch is also riding on "Guanfu," indicating that the divination concerns this person's legal case. This lawsuit arises from deceit and concealment, involving the court. The official ghost is riding on the Black Tortoise, and "Si" has entered the dwelling position. Therefore, it is predicted that he will lose his family fortune, yet he will be revived from certain death. This is because all four lessons are lower generating upper, called "source exhausted and root cut off"; combined with the "broken decline" deity affecting him, the year's brokenness "Hai" is the initiating transmission, and the deity on the day branch is in the death qi position. The useful deity thus forms the "return soul" image. This lawsuit will involve many government offices; in the three transmissions, the first and middle transmissions are concealed as yi wood, and the final transmission is again the official ghost, so he will definitely be imprisoned.

法司械？。初旬空，中關神，命又乘寅鬼，奸吏為禍，故李撫臣起訟端。然始凶終救，必是恩赦，宥死發配，蓋酉加巳為配，且日上年上乘皇恩，命上見月德也。後方知賈象因李撫臣詐贓事，因盜窩以致朝廷罪譴。況午加辰為朱雀入勾陳，午加病符是舊事復發。

Are the official instruments already on the person? The first transmission falls in the empty旬, the middle transmission is the obstructing god, and the personal stem is occupied by the "寅" which represents an official ghost. This indicates that cunning clerks are stirring up trouble, so it was Li Futian who started this lawsuit. However, this divination begins with danger but ends with salvation, so it is certain that an imperial pardon will occur, reducing the death sentence to exile. This is because "酉" placed on "巳" is the image of exile, and both the day stem and the year stem are occupied by "Imperial Grace," while the personal stem also meets "Monthly Virtue." Later it was known that Jia Xiang was implicated in the case of Li Futian embezzling funds, and also involved in harboring thieves, leading to imperial punishment. Moreover, "午" placed on "辰" indicates the Vermilion Bird falling into Gou Chen; "午" also combines with "Bingfu," which is the image of an old matter being revived.

孫履安代姐占休咎。姐癸亥生，六十五歲。乾隆庚午年二月庚午日亥將卯時。

Sun Lian'an divined the fortune for his sister. His sister was born in the year Guihai, and she is now sixty-five years old. The time of divination was on the day of Gengwu in the second lunar month of the year Qianlong Gengwu. The month general was "Hai," and the time of divination was at "Mao."

貴后陰玄 　丑寅卯辰　合後蛇玄　子 甲子 蛇 蛇子　巳常　戌寅子辰　兄 壬申 龍 朱亥　午虎　寅午辰庚　父 戊辰 玄 　戌酉申未 　合勾龍空

The divination plate is laid out in rows as above. At the time of the hour of Hai with the general at Mao, the Heaven Plate is four positions behind the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate positions Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen, the Heaven Plate positions are in sequence 'Chou', 'Yin', 'Mao', and 'Chen', with the following deities: Tianyi Guiren (Heavenly Ethereal Nobleman), Tianhou (Heavenly Empress), Taiyin (Great Yin), and Xuanwu (Black Tortoise). On the Earth Plate positions Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai, the Heaven Plate positions are in sequence 'Xu', 'You', 'Shen', and 'Wei', with the following deities: Liuhe (Six Harmonies), Gouchen (Hook Star), Qinglong (Azure Dragon), and Tiankong (Heavenly Void). On the Earth Plate position Chen, the Heaven Plate position is 'Zi' with the deity Tengshe (Teng Snake); on the Earth Plate position Mao, the Heaven Plate position is 'Hai' with the deity Zhuque (Vermilion Bird); on the Earth Plate position You, the Heaven Plate position is 'Si' with the deity Taichang (Great Constancy); on the Earth Plate position Xu, the Heaven Plate position is 'Wu' with the deity Baihu (White Tiger). The middle three rows are the four lessons, read from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Geng (with its lodging palace at Shen), shows 'Chen' with the deity Xuanwu (Black Tortoise); the second lesson, on Chen, shows 'Zi' with the deity Tengshe (Teng Snake); the third lesson, on the day branch Wu, shows 'Yin' with the deity Tianhou (Heavenly Empress); the fourth lesson, on Yin, shows 'Xu' with the deity Liuhe (Six Harmonies). On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is 'Zi', with the six relations as descendants, the hidden stem Jiazi, and the deity Tengshe (Teng Snake); the middle transmission is 'Shen', with the six relations as brothers, the hidden stem Renshen, and the deity Qinglong (Azure Dragon); the final transmission is 'Chen', with the six relations as parents, the hidden stem Wuchen, and the deity Xuanwu (Black Tortoise). The three transmissions, Shen, Zi, and Chen, form a water trinity.

王牧夫曰：弟占姐，用起支上，得相氣之財，又居支，天后臨於其上，其家必富厚也。但嫌本合空亡，官星入墓，主早年守寡，然女利幽貞，不宜火局旺相。干支交互相剋，家庭中必主官非口舌，皆由無和氣而參商耳。末傳見天后，卻得好歸結。

Wang Mufu said: The younger brother divined on behalf of his sister, with the initiating transmission starting from the day branch. The result obtained was the wealth god of the current season, and wealth was sitting on the day branch. The heavenly empress was also sitting on top of it, indicating that this family must certainly be wealthy and prosperous. However, the combined god of the native's birth is falling into kongwang, and the official star (for female fate, the official ghost represents the husband) has entered the storage, indicating she will become a widow at an early age. However, for women, it is advantageous to be quiet and chaste, so it is not suitable to see a fire situation being strong. The day stem and day branch mutually control each other, indicating there will certainly be lawsuits and disputes in the family, caused by the family members not getting along, like the star Canopus and the star Antares, which rise and set alternately, and are incompatible with each other. Fortunately, the final transmission shows the heavenly empress, so ultimately a good ending can be achieved.

某占訟事。庚午日午將未時。

A person divined about a legal matter. On the day of Gengwu, the month general was 'wu' and the time of divination was in the hour of wei.

合勾龍空 　辰巳午未　合勾龍空　官 庚午 龍 朱卯　申虎　辰巳午未　官 己巳 勾 蛇寅　酉常　巳午未庚　父 戊辰 合 　丑子亥戌 　貴后陰玄

The lesson plate is laid out in rows as above. At the time of the fifth hour, the Heaven Plate is placed one position behind the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate positions of巳, 午, 未, and 申, the Heaven Plate respectively shows 辰, 巳, 午, and 未, with the accompanying elements of Liu He, Gou Chen, Qing Long, and Tian Kong. On the Earth Plate positions of 寅, 丑, 子, and 亥, the Heaven Plate respectively shows 丑, 子, 亥, and 戌, with the accompanying elements of Tian Yi GuRen, Tian Hou, Tai Yin, and Xuan Wu. On the Earth Plate position of 辰, the Heaven Plate shows 卯, with the accompanying element of Zhu Que. On the Earth Plate position of 卯, the Heaven Plate shows 寅, with the accompanying element of Teng Snake. On the Earth Plate position of 酉, the Heaven Plate shows 申, with the accompanying element of Bai Hu. On the Earth Plate position of 戌, the Heaven Plate shows 酉, with the accompanying element of Tai Chang. The middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson has the day stem Geng (with its lodging palace in Shen) showing 未, accompanied by Tian Kong; the second lesson has 未 showing 午, accompanied by Qing Long; the third lesson has the day branch 午 showing 巳, accompanied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson has 巳 showing 辰, accompanied by Liu He. On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is 午, with the six relations as official ghost, hidden stem Geng Wu, accompanied by Qing Long; the middle transmission is 巳, with the six relations as official ghost, hidden stem Ji Si, accompanied by Gou Chen; the final transmission is 辰, with the six relations as parents, hidden stem Wu Chen, accompanied by Liu He. The three transmissions, 午, 巳, and 辰, each successively retreat one position, indicating the image of retreating herbs.

斷曰：午作青龍，吉合在合，奈午是今日支辰，又是今日之刑，而德神遭刑之克。中傳巳加午又刑申，下又見午刑也。末傳辰加巳，又刑也。此之謂助刑伐德，事難小而必大，三者來攻。天上德又臨在酉，作白虎，以此占訟深為不利，即家國平安亦防寇盜也。

The interpretation says: The first transmission is "Wu" riding the Azure Dragon, which is a favorable general and also matches the Liu He, which is good. Unfortunately, "Wu" is exactly the day branch of today and also the criminal spirit committed today, so the day's virtue spirit is now subjected to punishment. The middle transmission "Si" is placed on "Wu", and "Si" also punishes the day stem's lodging palace "Shen". Below it is also "Wu" self-punishment. The final transmission "Chen" is placed on "Si", and "Chen" is also self-punishment. This is called "assisting punishment to attack virtue" — the power of punishment is continuously strengthened, while the power of virtue is continuously weakened. The matter was not serious at first, but it will certainly escalate because the first, middle, and final transmissions all attack together. The heaven plate's day virtue falls on "You" and rides the White Tiger. Using this lesson to predict legal matters is very unfavorable. Even if the country is peaceful and there are no incidents, one must still be cautious of thieves.

某占失銀，庚午日子將丑時。

A person divined about lost silver, on a Gengwu day. The 'Zi' was taken as the Month General, and the time of divination was in the Chou hour.

合朱蛇貴 　辰巳午未　合朱蛇貴　官 庚午 蛇 勾卯　申后　辰巳午未　官 己巳 朱 青寅　酉陰　巳午未庚　父 戊辰 合 　丑子亥戌 　空虎常玄

The lesson plate is laid out in a row as shown above. The heavenly general is placed on the hour of Chou. The heaven plate is one position behind the earth plate. The arrangement of the heaven and earth plates is the same as the previous example, except that the heavenly general differs. On the earth plate, the heaven plate in the positions of Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen are respectively "Chen", "Si", "Wu", and "Wei", with the accompanying elements of Liu He, Vermilion Bird, Teng Snake, and Heavenly Empress. On the earth plate, the heaven plate in the positions of Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai are respectively "Chou", "Zi", "Hai", and "Xu", with the accompanying elements of Tian Kong, White Tiger, Tai Chang, and Black Tortoise. On the earth plate at Chen, the heaven plate is "Mao" with Gou Chen; on the earth plate at Mao, the heaven plate is "Yin" with Qing Long; on the earth plate at You, the heaven plate is "Shen" with Tian Hou; on the earth plate at Xu, the heaven plate is "You" with Tai Yin. The middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the day stem Geng (lodging palace in Shen), shows "Wei" with Heavenly Empress; the second lesson, on Wei, shows "Wu" with Teng Snake; the third lesson, on the day branch Wu, shows "Si" with Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, on Si, shows "Chen" with Liu He. The right side has the three transmissions: the first transmission is "Wu", representing official ghost, hidden stem Geng Wu, with Teng Snake; the middle transmission is "Si", representing official ghost, hidden stem Ji Si, with Vermilion Bird; the final transmission is "Chen", representing parents, hidden stem Wu Chen, with Liu He.

邵彥和曰：其物在南方，爐灶近水邊，溼泥土中藏之，或落水缸畔中，有楊樹枝及有水果處尋之。蓋南方爐灶者，發用午巳蛇雀也；近水溼泥者，乃午未上遁得壬癸也。類神酉臨火墓作太陰，是以銀不出去也。吳稼云曰：午發用南方也，傳入巳故在灶下也，末見辰作六合，乃水缸也。方本占案

Shao Yanhe said: This item is located to the south, near the stove, close to the water, hidden in damp soil, or fallen by the side of the water container. One should look for it where there are willow branches and where fruit is stored. The reason for the judgment in the south near the stove is that the initiating transmission is 'wu' and the middle transmission is 'si', both belonging to fire and located in the south. Moreover, they are accompanied by Teng Snake and Vermilion Bird, two fire generals. The reason for the judgment near water and dampness is that the heavenly stems 'ren' and 'gui' are hidden in the positions of 'wu' and 'wei'. The spirit of silver 'you' is located on theStorage of fire and is accompanied by Tai Yin, which governs concealment, so the silver has not been taken out. Wu Jiayun said: Because 'wu' is the initiating transmission, it is judged to be in the south; because the transmission enters 'si', it is judged to be under the stove; the final transmission sees 'chen' accompanied by Liu He, which is the water container. This example is taken from "Fang Ben Zhan An."

某尋銀未見再占。庚午日子將酉時。

A person was unable to find a silver ingot, so he cast another divination. The time was on Gengwu day, with 'Zi' as the Month General, and the hour was You.

龍勾合朱 　申酉戌亥　蛇勾后朱　兄 癸酉 勾 空未　子蛇　子酉寅亥　子 甲子 蛇 虎午　丑貴　酉午亥庚　財 丁卯 陰 　巳辰卯寅 　常玄陰后

The divination board is laid out in rows as above. With the initial hour of the day being You (酉), the Heaven Plate advances three positions ahead of the Earth Plate. On the Earth Plate positions Si, Wu, Wei, and Shen, the Heaven Plate shows in sequence 'Shen', 'You', 'Xu', and 'Hai', each accompanied by the following: Qinglong, Gou Chen, Liu He, and Zhu Que respectively. On the Earth Plate positions Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai, the Heaven Plate shows in sequence 'Si', 'Chen', 'Mao', and 'Zi', each accompanied by the following: Tai Chang, Xuan Wu, Tai Yin, and Tian Hou respectively. On the Earth Plate position Chen, the Heaven Plate shows 'Wei' accompanied by Tian Kong; on the Earth Plate position Mao, the Heaven Plate shows 'Wu' accompanied by Bai Hu; on the Earth Plate position You, the Heaven Plate shows 'Zi' accompanied by Teng Snake; on the Earth Plate position Xu, the Heaven Plate shows 'Chou' accompanied by Tian Yi GuRen. In the middle three rows are the four lessons, arranged from right to left: the first lesson, on the Day Stem Geng (with its lodging palace in Shen), shows 'Hai' accompanied by Zhu Que; the second lesson, on Hai, shows 'Yin' accompanied by Tian Hou; the third lesson, on the Day Branch Wu, shows 'You' accompanied by Gou Chen; the fourth lesson, on You, shows 'Zi' accompanied by Teng Snake. On the right side are the three transmissions: the first transmission is 'You', with the six relations being Brothers, and the hidden stem Gui You, accompanied by Gou Chen; the middle transmission is 'Zi', with the six relations being Children, and the hidden stem Jia Zi, accompanied by Teng Snake; the final transmission is 'Mao', with the six relations being Wife Wealth, and the hidden stem Ding Mao, accompanied by Tai Yin.

邵彥和曰：銀在南方爐灶前水溼處尋之，乃自家人盜耳。蓋辰作元武，當主僕輩；酉作類神，作勾加午；末傳更見太陰臨水，太陰亦類神也，故主在水溼處尋之。果然。

Shao Yanhe said that silver should be found in a damp and watery place near the southern furnace stove, and it was stolen by a family member. This is because "Chen" is associated with the Black Tortoise, which governs theft, and "Chen" also represents servants; "You" is the spirit associated with silver, riding on Gou Chen and added to "Wu," which belongs to the southern furnace stove. The final transmission also shows Tai Yin at the water position, and Tai Yin is also the spirit associated with silver. Therefore, it was concluded that the silver should be searched for in a damp and watery place. Later, this proved to be true.

凡占失物須看類神，類神在傳或加日辰？見傳日不出日，傳時不出時，宜秘之。方本。吳稼云曰：大抵類神並見者，則合而斷之，此秘訣也，今乃悟之矣。愚按：類神未見，則以初傳為方向類神；已見，則以類神所臨處為方向。

Whenever divining about lost items, one must consider the class god. If the class god appears among the three transmissions or is added upon the day branch, then the lost item can be found on the same day. If the transmission contains the day branch, the item can be found on the same day. If the transmission contains the time of the divination, the item can be found at that time. This secret should be kept confidential. The above is from "Fang Ben Zhan An." Wu Jiayun said: When several class gods appear simultaneously, they should be combined for interpretation, which is a secret technique I only recently understood. Cheng Shuxun remarked: If the class god does not appear, use the first transmission as the class god to determine the direction. If the class god does appear, use the place where the class god is located to determine the direction.