Chapter on Flight · Divination One

占驗一、庚寅四月乙酉辛巳時，彎子街二人來占子逃看何方找尋、何日得見，元首、九丑、潤下。（午未空，戌亥落空） 朱蛇 六 酉戌亥子 貴 虎后 貴勾 官 甲申 勾 勾 申 丑 后 巳丑 子申 父 戊子 貴 龍 未 寅 陰 丑酉 申乙 財 壬辰 常 空 午巳辰卯 玄 虎常

In the year Gengyin, fourth month, day Yiyou, hour Xinsi, a divination was performed. Two people from Wanzizi Street came to inquire about their son who had run away. They wanted to know in which direction to search and on which day they might see him again. The lesson pattern belongs to the category of "Yuan Shou," and it also violates the "Jiu Chou" pattern. The three transmissions form a water assembly, resulting in the "Run Xia" pattern. In this旬, the empty position is in Wu and Wei. The heavenly generals Wu and Hai fall into the empty position. The following is the current lesson chart: the twelve branches are on the grid as the heaven plate, the twelve heavenly generals are noted outside, and the four lessons are listed from right to left in the middle. On the right, the initial, middle, and final transmissions are listed from top to bottom, along with their six relations, hidden heavenly stems, and heavenly generals. In this lesson, the initial transmission is Jiashen, representing the official star riding on Gou Chen; the middle transmission is Wuzi, representing the parents riding on the nobleman; the final transmission is Renchen, representing the wealth爻 riding on Tai Chang. The characters Shen, Zi, and Chen form a water assembly, so it is called Run Xia. In the following analysis, it is concluded that the person who ran away lives near water. The direction and distance are also determined from this lesson chart.

斷：此子逃於西南四十八里親戚之家，其家近水樓房，門前有羊二隻，柳數株，爾子與金山僧往來，尋之丙丁日可見。蓋申為金，加辰為山又水局圍繞，豈非金山乎？玄卯居亥即近水樓房，亥支居未，上下相乘，即西南四十八里；玄陰未加卯，門內有鬼柳二宿，故言門前有羊有柳。後四日，其子方自金山回，於所云處見之。

Chen Gongxian explained: This child has fled to the southwest forty-eight miles away to a relative's house, which is a building by the water, with two sheep and several willow trees in front of the door; your son has had contact with the monks of Jinshan Temple, and he can meet them on the third and fourth days of the Bing and Ding stems. Why is this so? The Shen stem belongs to metal, placed on the Chen stem forms a mountain, and is surrounded by water, which is not exactly Jinshan? The Xuanwu and Tai Yin are located on the Wei stem, which represents a building by the water; the Wei stem falls on the Hai stem, which is the location of the building. The Hai stem's branch falls on the Wei stem, and the upper and lower numbers multiplied together are exactly forty-eight miles to the southwest. The Xuanwu and Tai Yin on the Wei stem combined with the卯 stem, the door corresponds to the Ghost Mansion and Willow Mansion, so there are sheep and willows in front of the door. Four days later, his son returned from Jinshan, and indeed he found him at the place mentioned.

占賊行藏須視鬼，玄神生克看加臨。卜贓失得憑財斷，子孫休旺定追尋。 玄武來方看所佇，地支臨處知賊去（謂玄武所臨地盤之支遊於何方也）。穿戶越窗是懸繩，鑿壁逾牆因馬御（玄乘驛馬）。 玄居夜地越關梁，午在晝方（申）身莫藏。丁馬交加遁必遠，太陽照曜捉還鄉。 旬首乘玄度四獲，河魁度亥隔難捕。游都之下訪賊人，公勝盜時官克武。 宅逢盜脫人家竊，鬼乘生氣去來頻。子孫出現為趕賊，鬼遇刑沖自敗擒。 發用為偷即賊身，中傳為贓末捕人。一數至陰詳數目，五行生處物藏真。

The Song Thief Chapter verse says: To determine the whereabouts of a thief, first look at the official ghost; the birth and death of the Black Tortoise, the thief's deity, depends on where it is placed. To determine the loss or gain of stolen property, rely on the wealth hexagram; whether it can be recovered depends on the strength and decline of the son hexagram. The direction where the Black Tortoise comes from is where the thief stays; by looking at which branch it is placed on the earth plate, one can know where the thief is going. Breaking through doors and windows is indicated by a suspended rope; digging through walls and climbing over fences is due to the Black Tortoise riding the post-horse. When the Black Tortoise is in the night position, the thief will cross borders and flee far away; if the Wu hexagram is in the day position at the Shen branch, the thief cannot hide. If the Ding deity and the post-horse are combined, the thief definitely flees far; if the sun shines, the thief can be captured. If the first day of the ten-day period is occupied by the Black Tortoise, after passing four positions, the thief can be captured; if the Hekui deity reaches the Hai branch, there will be difficulty in capturing. Go to the place where the wandering deity is located to search for the thief; when the official ghost overcomes the Black Tortoise, it is the time when the authorities win and the thief is caught. If the house is experiencing a loss of energy, it is a case of family members stealing; if the official ghost is riding the life energy, the thief comes and goes frequently. If the son hexagram appears, someone is chasing the thief; if the official ghost is subjected to punishment or conflict, the thief will be exposed and captured. The first transmission represents the thief himself, the middle transmission represents the stolen property, and the final transmission represents the person capturing the thief. Counting from one to the hidden deity can determine the number of thieves; the place where the five elements are generated is where the stolen property is truly hidden.

歲月克玄彌年月，日時傷彼期日時。首尾相加問不說，財爻空陷贓難尋。 六處無武難妄擬，貴順玄藏自失憂。課見螣蛇鄉邑寇，年乘玄武室人偷。 循環周遍去復來，羅網破敗失資財。鬼脫乘玄遭盜竊，伏支前後返沖排（伏吟貴順支前一位捕之，逆支後一位尋。返吟賊在玄武對沖處也）。 貴人順治終玄捉（玄武末傳），天乙逆行初武尋（玄武初傳）。初將比和賊安處，玄神內戰分贓爭。 歲勾朱虎應自首（如玄陰見太歲勾朱虎主自首官），龍合陰丁助有神。玄武三傳日辰士，賊人還歸莫告陳。

The sovereign year and month builder both harm the black tortoise, so catching the thief will take a year or so; if the day branch and time harm it, then the thief can be caught on a specific day and time. In the case of the first and last transmissions being added together, even if the thief is caught, he will not speak; if the wealth爻 is empty and trapped, the stolen goods will be hard to find. If the four lessons and three transmissions do not show the black tortoise, it is difficult to make assumptions; if the nobleman moves in the same direction and the black tortoise is hidden, the owner need not worry. If the lesson contains the teng snake, it indicates a thief from the local area; if the current year is occupied by the black tortoise, it is a family member who stole. If the lesson forms a cycle and covers all areas, the thief will leave and return again; if caught in a net and the situation breaks down, the wealth will eventually be lost. If the official ghost is accompanied by a weakened energy and rides the black tortoise, there will be theft; for a hidden chant lesson, search for the thief before or after the day branch; for a reversed chant lesson, look for the thief at the opposite position. For a hidden chant lesson, if the nobleman moves forward, search for the thief one position before the day branch; if the nobleman moves backward, search one position after the day branch. For a reversed chant lesson, the thief is at the place opposite the black tortoise. If the nobleman moves forward, the thief will be caught at the end of the black tortoise's transmission; if the heavenly general moves backward, search for the thief at the beginning of the black tortoise's transmission. If the first transmission heavenly general is harmonious with the thief, the thief is well hidden; if the black tortoise fights internally, it indicates the thief is fighting over the stolen goods. If the sovereign year, gou chen, vermilion bird, and white tiger are in harmony, the thief will surrender; if the azure dragon, liuhe, tai yin, and ding spirit assist, there will be divine help. If the black tortoise is connected to all three transmissions and belongs to the day branch, it is a family member who stole, and the stolen goods will be returned naturally, so there is no need to report to the authorities.

三傳玄神賊居處，初中有克末神尋。行年上神傷武盜，發使追求早見擒。 盜神末虎勾蛇合，不死遭官被吏捉。更將玄武三傳算，上克下賊即敗旋。 天乙順行賊遊走，逆行方識賊藏瞞。裡數但知玄武上，上下相乘數若干。 大賊亡神天目星（如捕大賊視此二神），賊居其下莫教驚。亡神旬內甲居乙，天目春辰順季行。

In the three transmissions, wherever the Black Tortoise is located, that is where the thief is hiding. If there is a conflict in the first and middle transmissions, look for the thief in the final transmission. The god of the year can injure the Black Tortoise, which represents the thief. If people are sent to capture the thief, they can apprehend him quickly. If the thief's god is in the final transmission and combines with the White Tiger, the Gou Chen, or the Teng Snake, the thief will either die or be captured by officials. To calculate the number, look at the palace where the Black Tortoise is located, and multiply the numbers above and below. To catch a major thief, look at the Wangshen and Tianmu Star. The thief is located under these two gods, so do not disturb him. The Wangshen moves from Jia to Yi within the current ten-day period, while the Tianmu Star starts from the辰 (Chen) in spring and moves in order by season.

占驗一、丙寅四月丙寅日庚寅時，維揚關外建龍寺僧麗天在藍園住靜，偶晤求占，涉害、周遍。（戌亥空，巳午落空） 朱六 蛇 子丑寅卯 勾 虎貴 常蛇 鬼 甲子 蛇 （雖寅時，仍用晝貴） 貴 亥 辰 龍 辰酉 未子 子 辛未 常 后 戌 巳 空 酉寅 子丙 父 丙寅 六 陰 酉申未午 虎 玄常

In the year of Bingyin, fourth lunar month, day of Bingyin, and hour of Gengyin, a Buddhist monk named Litian from Long Temple outside Yangzhou's gate was meditating in Lanyuan when they met by chance and asked for a divination. The lesson pattern belongs to the category of "involved harm," and the structure forms a complete cycle. In this旬, the empty position is in Xu and Hai. The Heaven Plate's Si and Wu are located in the empty positions. The following is the divination board at that time: the twelve branches are in the square grids as the Heaven Plate, the twelve Heavenly Generals are noted outside, and the four lessons are listed from right to left in the middle. On the right, from top to bottom, are the first, middle, and final transmissions, along with their six relations, hidden stems, and Heavenly Generals. Next to the three transmissions, it is noted that although the divination was done at the hour of Yin, the daytime nobleman was still used. The first transmission, Jiazi, is the official ghost riding the Teng Snake; the middle transmission, Xinwei, is the son's relation riding the Tai Chang; the final transmission, Bingyin, is the parent's relation riding the Liu He. The day stem's Zi is the beginning of the旬, and the day branch's You is the end of the旬. The beginning and end meet, forming the image of a complete cycle.

斷曰：神后蛇鬼臨干發用，必有陰人往來纏擾。僧默然久之，曰：凶吉若何？曰：干支首尾相見（此甲子旬課，干上子為旬首，支上酉為旬尾。），一時不能拆離；且河魁加卯命，驛馬臨行年，必有相攜而逃之意。然而傳將互克，提防有人攻訐事。因而眾施主送僧渡江，後復來揚，

Chen Gongxian explained: Shenhou and Teng Snake ghost are present on the day stem and initiating transmission, indicating there will certainly be a woman纠缠. The monk remained silent for a long time and asked: is this a good or bad omen? I replied: the day stem and day branch meet at the beginning and end of the Jiazi decade, which cannot be resolved at once; furthermore, Hekui is added to the卯 year of the person's birth, and the Post-horse is present on the year of the person's age, indicating a desire to run away together. However, the three transmissions and Heavenly General are in mutual control, so one must be cautious of someone making accusations. Later, the various benefactors sent this monk across the river, and after that he returned to Yangzhou.

此課的判斷，主要集中在三個象上： 一是干上蛇鬼發用；二是課為一旬周遍；三是末傳逢六合。

The commentator says: The judgment of this lesson mainly focuses on three aspects — first, the ghost of Teng Snake arising from the day stem; second, the lesson completes a full cycle of ten days; third, the final transmission meets Liu He. The following will explain these three points one by one.

干上蛇鬼發用，蛇虎為最凶之將，蛇虎作鬼凶甚，只是虎鬼如排山倒海，見血封喉；蛇鬼似零刀碎斫，於驚恐萬狀之中慢慢喪失一切。所以，故人以蛇為纏繞之煞，取其初來神不知鬼不覺，然越纏越緊，無以解脫。子作蛇鬼，“子作內房，婦女鬼神兼洩瀉。”被婦人所纏繞，沉迷於溫柔鄉中不能自拔，壞多年修行，也算極凶了。

The commentator explains the first image in detail: the day stem has a snake ghost initiating the transmission. The Teng Snake and White Tiger are the most凶ous heavenly generals. When the snake and tiger become official ghosts, the situation becomes even more dangerous. The tiger ghost is like mountains collapsing and waves surging, causing immediate and severe harm; the snake ghost, however, is like cutting off pieces gradually, making a person lose everything slowly while being in a state of extreme fear. Therefore, ancient people regarded the Teng Snake as a缠绕 evil spirit. It is subtle at first, unnoticed by both gods and ghosts, but it tightens gradually, making it impossible to escape. When the Zi (rat) is the snake ghost, the divination texts say, "Zi as inner chamber, women's ghosts and deities also leak and discharge." Being trapped by women, one becomes addicted to the comforts of life and cannot escape, ruining years of cultivation, which is extremely凶ous. This layer refers to monks being trapped by desires, appearing calm on the surface but actually sinking deeper and deeper.

一旬周遍，首尾相見，如環之無端，無頭亦無其尾，宜成事不宜散事，所以不能拆離也。 六合為天地之私門，遇之則有逃竄之事。陳公說河魁居卯命，驛馬臨行年，但河魁旬空，驛馬坐墓，主有“相攜而逃之意。”我們寧願認為，本命卯作丁神，加馬星申上，卯臨申為絕，二馬相重；又初末引從行年，這個逃象就非常明顯了。另外，“眾施主送僧渡江”裡，這個引從之象最切“送”字。 至於三傳遞克，眾人攻訐；寅既為丙之長生，又是遞克之源，故成也蕭何，敗也蕭何，可有兩解，僧因施主之賜而得名聲財利，又因施主而黯然離揚；僧因此婦之合和而受眾人之攻，又因私門逃走而得與其婦在一起。這些象在課中也至為顯明。

The commentator continues explaining the last two images: one cycle is fully covered, with the beginning and end meeting, like a circle with no starting point, neither head nor tail. It is suitable for completing matters but not for dispersing them, hence it cannot be broken apart. Liu He is a private door between heaven and earth; encountering it indicates an act of fleeing. Chen Gongxian says that Hekui is in the year of Mao of the person's birth and the post-horse is in the current year, but Hekui is exactly in the旬空 (empty旬), and the post-horse is sitting on the墓 (grave) position, so he only mentions the thought of fleeing together. The commentator prefers to see it this way: the person's birth year of Mao is the Ding god, placed on the horse star Shen, with Mao in Shen being a dead position, two layers of horse stars overlapping; plus the initial and final transmissions leading from the current year, the image of fleeing is very clear. Moreover, the part about many donors sending a monk across the river fits perfectly with the character 'send'. As for the three transmissions successively overcoming each other, it indicates disputes among many people; Yin is both the long life of Bing fire and the source of the successive overcoming, so it can be interpreted in two ways: the monk gains reputation and wealth from the donors' offerings, but also leaves Yangzhou because of them; the monk is attacked by many people due to his relationship with the woman, yet escapes because of the private door and can be with her. These images are all clearly present in the divination. The commentator's meaning is that Chen Gongxian only concluded there was a thought of fleeing together, but from the Ding god, horse star, and the initial and final transmissions leading from the current year, it is actually a fact of leaving. The two interpretations can complement each other.

金宜二麥不宜他，水本稻粱須種禾。火防亢旱宜黍豆，土生萬物自溫和。 早中晚田三傳別，旺相空亡刑害詳，勝光蠶命忌見子，太乙加午憂自僵。 戌黃亥死丑則危，寅之兆不申為絲，辰薄相生本是吉，婦命傷午凶隨之。

The Field and Sericulture Chapter says: If the divination belongs to the Metal element, it is suitable to plant barley and wheat but not other crops; if it belongs to the Water element, it represents rice and millet, so it is suitable to plant seedlings; if it belongs to the Fire element, one should be cautious of severe drought, and it is suitable to plant millet and beans; if it belongs to the Earth element, it can nurture all things and naturally brings warmth and ease. Early, middle, and late planting are determined by the initial, middle, and final trigrams respectively, and further examination of the prosperity, weakness, emptiness, and harm of each trigram is needed. Shengguang is the Wu element, which is the true destiny of the silkworm, and it is most dangerous to see Zi element conflicting with it. If Taiyi is placed on Wu, it is worrying that the silkworm will die. Xu element indicates the silkworm turning yellow, Hai element indicates the death of the silkworm, and Chou element indicates danger; Yin element is an inauspicious sign, while Shen element indicates obtaining silk; Chen element indicates thin silk, and if it is mutually generating, it is auspicious. If a woman's destiny is harmed by Wu element, misfortune will follow.

楚魚（巳）周鹿（午）伏星稽，宋兔秦鷹暗曜棲。捕捉狼（戌）熊（亥）分魯衛，獵田狐（卯）雉（酉）遁東西。 戌為犬兮寅屬貓，雞是酉兮馬在午。丑牛未羊喜逢龍，卯騾亥豬怕見虎。旺相為吉不墓凶，六畜繁生可日見。

The Six Domestic Animals Chapter says: In the region of Chu, the branch Si (Snake) corresponds to fish, and in the region of Zhou, the branch Wu (Horse) corresponds to deer; both should be observed according to the hidden star. In the region of Song, the branch Mao (Rabbit) corresponds to a rabbit, and in the region of Qin, the branch You (Rooster) corresponds to an eagle, which resides beneath the hidden star. To hunt wolves and bears, look at the branch Xu (Dog) of Lu and the branch Hai (Pig) of Wei. To hunt foxes and pheasants, observe the branch Mao (Rabbit) and You (Rooster) to see where they flee east or west. Xu is a dog, Yin is a cat, You is a rooster, and Wu is a horse. The ox of Chou and the sheep of Wei like to meet the Azure Dragon; the mule of Mao and the pig of Hai fear the White Tiger. If the governing deity is prosperous and strong, it is auspicious; if it does not enter the tomb, it is not inauspicious. Thus, the breeding and growth of the six domestic animals can be seen day by day.

占驗一、庚寅十月癸卯庚申時，同鄉王懷蔭問失馬向何方、何日得，知一、斫輪。（辰巳空，亥子落空） 勾六 龍 子丑寅卯 朱 貴虎 朱玄 子 癸卯 朱 空 亥 辰 蛇 巳戌 卯申 官 戊戌 白 虎 戌 巳 貴 戌卯 申癸 財 乙巳 貴 常 酉申未午 后 玄陰

The divination was performed on the day of Guimao in the tenth month of the year Gengyin at the hour of Gengshen. A fellow townsman named Wang Huayin asked about the direction in which his lost horse had gone and on which day it could be found. The lesson pattern belongs to "Knowing One," and the formation is "Cutting the Wheel." In this旬, the empty position is in Chen and Si, and the Heaven Plate's Hai and Zi are located in the empty position. The following is the divination board: the twelve branches are in the square grid as the Heaven Plate, the twelve Heavenly Generals are noted outside, and the four lessons are listed from right to left in the middle. On the right, the first, middle, and final transmissions are listed from top to bottom, along with their six relations, concealed dry branches, and Heavenly Generals. The first transmission, Guimao, is the son's element riding the Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission, Wuxu, is the official star riding the White Tiger; the final transmission, Yisi, is the wealth element riding the Nobleman. The final transmission's Si is exactly the Post-horse, and it also falls in the empty position of this旬. Therefore, the day to find the horse is determined by the filled day. The color and direction of the horse are also taken from the divination board.

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

Chen Gongxian explained: This horse is black and blue, on a hill in the northwest, and will certainly be found within three days. Because the final transmission's horse (here taking the post-horse as the horse) is riding on the empty of this ten-day period, it must wait until after this ten-day period, when on the Yisi day the empty is filled, to get the horse. How do we know the color is black and blue? Because the horse's yin spirit appears when it meets the zi, and rides the Azure Dragon, so we know it is black and blue. How do we know it is on a hill in the northwest? Because the horse resides in the xu, so we know it is in the northwest. Indeed, three days later, the horse was found from the Liu family settlement. Here, the yin spirit represents the shape, and the earth plate represents the direction.

占驗一、己巳十一月丁酉日庚戌時偶有扣門聲，隨占一課，蒿矢，辰巳空、未申落空。 貴后 蛇 申酉戌亥 陰 空玄常后 官 庚子 玄 朱 未 子 玄 卯子丑戌 父 癸卯 空

On the day of Dingyou in the 11th lunar month of the year Jisi, at the hour of Gengxu, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Chen Gongxian immediately cast a divination. The lesson pattern belongs to the category of Hao Shi. In this旬, the empty position is in Chen and Si. The Heaven Plate's Wu and Shen deities fall into the empty position. The first few lines of the lesson disk are as follows: the twelve branches are in the square, with the twelve Heavenly Generals noted outside. In the middle, from right to left, are the four lessons. On the right, from top to bottom, are the three transmissions—initial transmission Gengzi is an official star riding on the Black Tortoise, middle transmission Guimao is the parents but falls into the empty position. The remaining line of the lesson disk and the interpretation will be given below.

六 午 丑 常 子酉戌丁 比 甲午 六 勾 巳辰卯寅 虎 青空

This passage is the end of the divination chart for the previous example (Jisi year, eleventh lunar month, Dingyou day, Gengxu hour, with Chou general added to Wu hour to form the Hao Shi lesson). On the left is the lower half of the Heaven Plate circle: at the Mao position of the Earth Plate, the Heaven Plate has Wu, riding the Liu He (which governs marriage, trade, and harmony); at the Xu position of the Earth Plate, the Heaven Plate has Chou, riding Tai Chang (which governs clothing, wealth, and feasting); the bottom row, at the positions of Yin, Chou, Zi, and Hai of the Earth Plate, are successively covered by the Heaven Plate positions Si, Chen, Mao, and Yin, with the ends riding Gou Chen and Bai Hu, while the middle Heaven Plate positions Chen and Mao ride Qing Long and Tian Kong. In the middle, "Zi You Xu Ding" is the lower part of the "Four Lessons," meaning that at the day branch You, Zi is present, and at the day stem Ding, Xu is present. On the right, "Bi Jia Wu Liu" refers to the final transmission of the "Three Transmissions," which is Wu, with the ten heavenly stems hidden as Jia, and the Six Relations as Bi Jian, riding the Liu He.

斷曰：來扣門者必因盜賊之事。及開門時，是遲王兩父師相召，往見之，坐下即云：彼鄉有一舉人做亂。予袖傳一課答之曰：敗擒，無煩過慮。蓋因干支上乘死墓，玄鬼臨於敗地，日上神又制之，是以不能持久，一交土旺時自休息矣。又問家宅安否，曰：然繫何命？曰：乙亥、戊子者。予云：亥年驛馬貴人，子年乘河魁，又二貴拱夾亥命，曰功名而未成，子乃科舉中人，俱遷居他處矣。曰：亥命家兄是秀才，子命舍弟是舉人。果不十二月，為亂者事敗，家中安堵。

Chen Gongxian judged that the person knocking at the door must have come for matters related to bandits. When the door was opened, it turned out to be two teachers, Che and Wang, who had sent someone to invite him to meet them. As soon as they sat down, they said that there was a candidate in the neighboring village who had gathered people to cause disturbances. I then used the divination lesson I had brought in my sleeve to answer: the disturbers will ultimately be defeated and captured, so there is no need to worry too much. This is because the day stem and day branch both carry death qi and tomb spirits, and the official ghost represented by the black tortoise is located in a position of defeat. The day stem spirit even turns around to subdue it, so the disturbance cannot last long and will naturally subside in the month when earth is strong. The two then asked if their homes were safe. I asked which two birth years they were referring to, and they answered yihai and wuzi. I said: the birth year of hai has the post-horse and nobleman, and the birth year of zi is riding on hekui (xu), with two noblemen supporting from both sides. This indicates that the person born in the year of hai is seeking official rank but has not yet achieved it, while the person born in the year of zi is someone who passed the imperial examination. Both families have moved to live elsewhere. The other person said: the one born in the year of hai is the elder brother, still a candidate; the one born in the year of zi is the younger brother, who has already passed the examination. Soon after, within twelve months, the disturbers failed and were executed, and both families remained safe and unharmed.

占驗二、己丑三月乙丑日丁亥時，廣儲門外普賢庵僧敏若半夜亥時因鴉鳴占得此課，來問主何吉凶，重審、退茹，戌亥空、酉戌落空。 六朱 勾 辰巳午未 蛇 玄常空青 父 甲子 常 青 卯 申 貴 亥子寅卯 父 乙亥 玄 空 寅 酉 后 子丑卯乙 財 甲戌 陰 虎 丑子亥戌 陰 常玄

The second example: On the day of Jichou in the year of Jichou, third month, day of Yichou, and hour of Dinghai, the monk Minruo at Puxian Temple outside Guangchu Men heard crows calling at midnight, and therefore cast a divination to inquire about the fortune of this event. The divination was set up with the general of Xu added to the hour of Hai. The pattern of the lesson belongs to "Chong Shen" (re-examination). The three transmissions are Zi, Hai, and Xu, each following the previous one in retreat, known as "Tui Ru" (retreating consumption). In this旬, the "kongwang" (void) falls on the branches Xu and Hai. The two deities of the heaven plate, You and Xu, exactly cover the two void positions of the earth plate, Xu and Hai. The four lessons are arranged from right to left as follows: the day stem Yi is lodged in the palace Chen, with Chen having Mao, Mao having Yin, the day branch Chou having Zi, and Zi having Hai. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Zi with Tai Chang as its deity and the six relations as parents; the middle transmission is Hai with the deity Xuan Wu (which governs thieves, loss, and obscure matters) still as parents; the final transmission is Xu with Tai Yin as its deity and as wife wealth. The outer circle of the circular diagram marks the positions of the twelve heavenly generals: Liu He, Zhu Que, Gou Chen, Teng Snake, Qing Long, Nobleman, Tian Kong, Tian Hou, Bai Hu, Tai Yin, Tai Chang, and Xuan Wu.

斷曰：主有賊八九人，自東北來劫鄰人衣物銀錢，遂渡河而去，汝庵無妨。蓋因游都賊符臨干支，右見驛馬玄武，左見劫煞賊符，故有此象，提防復至，然五日後獲。但子發用，賊必東北而來，因子加丑乃八九之數，五日獲者，因勾陳居支前五辰，遙克玄武，又魁渡玄陰，賊何所逃乎？果次日北關門外行劫，遂獲二名。

Chen Gongxian judged that this divination indicated that there would be eight or nine thieves coming from the northeast direction, robbing clothes and money from their neighbors, then crossing the river to escape. However, the monastery where you reside would not be affected. This is because the two divine spirits representing the leader and the group of thieves, "You Du" and "Zei Fu," are precisely located on the day stem and day branch. On the right side, "Yi Ma" and "Xuan Wu" are present, and on the left side, "Jie Sha" and "Zei Fu" are also present, thus forming this image. One should also be cautious of their possible return, but they will certainly be captured within five days. The initial transmission is taken from Zi, and the action begins with Zi, indicating that the thieves will definitely come from the northeast. Zi is placed on Chou, which corresponds exactly to the number eight or nine. The prediction that they will be captured within five days is based on "Gou Chen" (which governs capturing, disputes, and lawsuits) being located five positions before the day branch, thus remotely controlling Xuan Wu. Additionally, "He Kui" (Xu) presses down on Xuan Wu and Tai Yin, so where can the thieves escape to? The next day, the thieves were indeed caught robbing at the northern gate outside the city, and two of them were captured immediately.

占驗三、己丑六月乙未日丁亥時，天寧寺半夜內外人驚，江南吳一三占此課，問予主何應候，元首、曲直，辰巳空、子丑落空。 空虎 青 丑寅卯辰 常 六白貴勾 鬼 癸卯 白 勾 子 巳 玄 亥卯申子 父 己亥 六 六 亥 午 陰 卯未子巳 財 乙未 后 朱 戌酉申未 后 蛇貴

Third example: On the day of Ji Chou in the sixth month of the year Ji Chou, at the hour of Ding Hai, people inside and outside Tianning Temple were startled in the middle of the night. A man from Jiangnan named Wu Yisan divined this case and came to ask me what this portends. This divination is set up with the general of the month being Wei, added to the hour of Hai. The pattern of the lesson belongs to "the head of the state." The three transmissions form a wood trinity with Hai, Mao, and Wei, known as "curved and straight." In this旬, the empty positions are Chen and Si. The heavenly plate's Zi and Chou deities are exactly on the earth plate's Chen and Si, which are the empty positions. The four lessons, arranged from right to left, are: the day stem Yi lodges in Chen, Chen has Zi, Zi has Shen; the day branch Wei has Mao, Mao has Hai. The first transmission is Mao riding the white tiger, representing official ghosts; the middle transmission is Hai riding Liu He, representing parents; the final transmission is Wei riding Heavenly Empress (governing private matters and women's affairs), representing wife and wealth. The final transmission Wei is also the month's general and the month's builder, thus having the strongest momentum.

斷曰：主有賊船東來，無攻城破邑之虞。蓋因游都賊符臨干支，自支發用，故主東有賊船至。初中二傳休囚，末傳太陽月建，故主城邑無虞。己亥日報賊自東方來，水陸並進，人民驚走，餘以申時占課，三傳戌酉申為返駕，初旺生末，雖有奸人勾引，不戰自退。官兵出，賊遂奔散。

Chen Gongxian judged that this divination indicated there would be a band of thieves coming from the east, but there would be no danger of attacking the city or destroying the town. This is because the two malevolent stars, You Du and Ze Fu, were exactly on the day stem and day branch, and also initiated the first transmission from the day branch. Therefore, it was concluded that there would be a band of thieves coming from the east. The first and middle transmissions were in weak and confined positions, while the final transmission was the current month general and month builder, so the city and town would not be lost. On the day of Jihai, indeed, someone reported that the enemy forces came from the east, advancing by both water and land routes, causing the people to panic and flee. At the time of Shen, I divined again, and the three transmissions were Xu, You, and Shen, gradually retreating, which was called "returning to the carriage." The first transmission was prosperous and strong, giving birth to the final transmission, indicating that although there were traitors inside inciting and assisting, the enemy forces would retreat without fighting. Later, when the official troops moved out, the rebels scattered and fled.

時為己丑年六月己亥日申時未將，昴星、返駕，辰巳空、卯辰落空 龍空 勾 辰巳午未 虎 六 卯 申 常 玄陰龍空 比 戊戌 陰 朱 寅 酉 玄 酉戌巳午 子 丁酉 玄 蛇 丑子亥戌 陰 戌亥午己 子 丙申 常 貴後

This lesson begins on the day of Jihai in the sixth month of the year Jichou at the hour of Shen. The general of the sixth month, Wei, is placed above the hour of Shen. The lesson pattern belongs to "Mao Star." The three transmissions are Xu, You, and Shen, each successively retreating, which is called returning to the chariot. In this旬, the empty position is in Chen and Si. The Heaven Plate's Mao and Chen deities are directly over the Earth Plate's Chen and Si empty positions. The four lessons, arranged from right to left, are: the day stem Ji lodges in Wei, Wei gets Wu, Wu gets Si; the day branch Hai gets Xu, Xu gets You. The deities on the four lessons, You, Xu, Si, and Wu, ride respectively on Xuanwu, Taiyin, Qinglong, and Tiankong. The first transmission is Xu riding Taiyin as a peer, the middle transmission is You riding Xuanwu as a son, and the final transmission is Shen riding Taichang still as a son. This is exactly the lesson mentioned in the previous paragraph.

占驗四、庚寅十月辛巳朔甲午時，日有食之，莊公遠占當主何應，彈射、病胎、勵德。 六朱 勾 寅卯辰巳 蛇 白勾朱后 財寅勾 龍 丑 午 貴 亥寅辰未 子亥虎 空 子 未 后 寅巳未辛 兄申陰 白 亥戌酉申 陰 常玄

Fourth example: On the first day of the tenth month in the year Gengyin, a solar eclipse occurred on the day Xinsi at the hour Jiawu. ZHUANG Gongyuan divined to inquire which event this eclipse would signify. The divination was set up with the trigram Yin added to the hour Wu, forming a lesson pattern classified as "Spring Shooting," combined with the patterns "Disease and Fetus" and "Moral Cultivation." The four lessons, arranged from right to left, are: the day stem Xin is located in the palace Xu, with Xu having Wei, Wei having Chen; the day branch Si has寅, with寅 having Hai. The heavenly spirits on the four lessons are Hai,寅, Chen, and Wei, respectively, each riding on White Tiger, Gou Chen, Vermilion Bird, and Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is寅 riding on Gou Chen, representing wife's wealth; the middle transmission is Hai riding on White Tiger, representing children; the final transmission is Shen riding on Tai Yin, representing brothers. The day Xinsi belongs to the Jiaxu decade, with Kongwang falling on Shen and You, so the final transmission Shen is a fallen spirit.

公遠斷曰：太歲做游都（丙辛只向功曹上，故寅為游都）臨翼軫（巳地）發用，且乘勾陳，披刑帶煞，楚地當有戰爭之象。彈射有丸，憂驚必重，中傳虎馬居支，陰沖剋日支，末傳太陰刀乘歲破沖剋太歲，然是旬空，陰謀必敗。又河覆井、玄武入穴、虎出林、乘年（辰加未為河覆井，武乘酉臨子為入穴，虎乘亥臨寅為出林，虎臨寅歲上為乘年），定主風多澇患，奈何雷公雷煞並見，以作病胎，氣不收斂，民生多病之征也。次日，雷電大作，次年水澇為災。餘占亦驗。

Zhuang Gongyuan judged that this year's Tai Su is寅, which also serves as the 'You Du'. Since the 'You Du' is fixed on the position of Gongcao寅 for丙 and辛 days, therefore寅 is the 'You Du'. It is used as the first transmission on the巳 ground, which is governed by the constellations Yi and Zhen. It is also accompanied by Gou Chen, and carries with it punishments and凶煞. There will be signs of war in the area of Chu. The divination resembles a projectile being shot out, indicating deep worries and alarms. The middle transmission is on亥, with White Tiger, which is also the驿马, located at the position of the day branch. Its hidden spirit回头冲克 the day branch. The final transmission is申, which is Tai Yin, indicating the image of weapons and warfare. It is riding on the broken year's energy toclash and control the Tai Su. Fortunately,申 is in the旬空, so the conspiracy will ultimately fail. Moreover, the divination also includes four images: 'He Fu Jing', 'Xuan Wu Ru Xue', 'Bai Hu Chu Lin', and 'Bai Hu Cheng Nian' (Chen added to Wei is 'He Fu Jing', Xuan Wu riding on You and arriving at Zi is 'Ru Xue', Bai Hu riding on Hai and arriving at Yin is 'Chu Lin', and Bai Hu is on the Tai Su寅, which is 'Cheng Nian'). There will certainly be much wind and flooding. Unfortunately, 'Lei Gong' and 'Lei Sha' appear together, forming the 'Bing Tai' pattern. The energies of heaven and earth cannot be contained, which is a sign of many people falling ill. The next day there was indeed a great thunderstorm, and the following year there was flooding and disaster. I also cast another divination, which also came true.

雷煞，月煞也，寅亥申巳四輪，天盜雷公下逆寅。雷公，亥申巳寅四輪，獄門酒網女雷劫。

Here are two additional methods for calculating divine malefics. Thunder Sha belongs to the category of Month Sha. It is calculated by rotating through the four positions of寅, 亥, 申, and 巳 in sequence. The mnemonic says "Heavenly Thief Thunder God descends in reverse from寅," meaning it is calculated by counting backwards from the寅 position. Thunder God is calculated by rotating through the four positions of亥, 申, 巳, and 寅, and it belongs to the same category as狱门, 酒网, 女雷, and 雷劫.

《清史稿世祖紀二》載“順治七年冬十月辛巳朔，日食七分太。……八年……八年春，嘉興、海鹽、桐鄉霪雨。五月，潞安霪雨八十餘日，傷禾稼，房舍傾倒甚多。六月，江陰霪雨六晝夜，禾苗爛死；吳平大雨傾盆，一晝夜方息；當塗大雨。秋，沁水大雨，東阿霪雨，青浦大雨彌日。”

The commentator cites the "Clear History: Shizu's Annals II" as evidence: On the Xinsi day of the tenth lunar month in the seventh year of Shunzhi, a solar eclipse occurred with an eclipse fraction of more than seven parts; by spring of the eighth year of Shunzhi, there was continuous rain in Jiaxing, Haiyan, and Tongxiang areas; in May, Lu'an experienced rain for more than eighty days, causing damage to crops and many houses collapsing; in June, Jiangyin had continuous rain for six days and nights, with all the crops submerged and ruined, while in Wuping area, there was heavy rain all through the day and night before it stopped, and Datong also suffered from heavy rain; by autumn, Qingshu water flowed heavily, and Dong'ao had continuous rain without stopping, while Qingpu experienced all-day rain. The description of flooding matches completely with the judgment given in the previous lesson.

十二地盤分野看，遊魯官鬼兵禍連。水澇火旱木風行，金主兵戈土瘟疫。剋日國家多憂難，克辰人民禍患連。 欲占流年是何術，太歲為君莫輕忽。太歲更有上神在，陰神生克定榮枯。 流月之法何以云，吉凶還當看陰神。生克比和皆為喜，若有刑害有凶餘。

The song for divining the country's fortune for a year says: one should look at the twelve Earthly Branches and their respective regions and states they govern; if the two evil stars, You Du and Lu Du, appear together with the official ghost, it indicates continuous military calamities. The nature of the deity involved determines the type of disaster: if it is water, it signifies floods; if fire, drought; if wood, strong winds; if metal, warfare; if earth, plague. If the superior deity controls the day stem, the country faces many troubles and hardships; if it controls the day branch, the people suffer continuous misfortunes. To inquire about the year's fortune, one must take the sovereign year (the Tai Su) as the main factor and must not be careless; above the Tai Su is the heavenly plate deity. One should then examine the relationship between the heavenly plate deity and the hidden deity, whether they generate, control, or harmonize with each other, to determine the year's prosperity or decline. As for the monthly divination, good or bad fortune is also determined by the hidden deity: if there is mutual generation, mutual control, or harmony, it is favorable; if there is punishment and harm, it brings misfortune.

功曹人山財官豹，太沖卯木宋林兔鹽。勾陳崗屠龍蛟魚，太乙楚文蛇蚓蟮。勝光血文馬樓張，小吉酒食羊鷹筵。傳送軍財猴猿晉，從魁屬吏雞並錢。天魁豺狼多防護，神密亥江豬吳蠅。燕蝠娼齊子圖畫，大腹禿頭糧丑田。

This passage is a mnemonic for the twelve Earthly Branches, detailing the people, things, and regions associated with each. Gongcao (Yin) governs people, mountains and forests, wealth, official positions, and tigers and leopards; Taichong (Mao) belongs to wood, with its region in Song, governing forests, rabbits, and salt; Gou Chen (Chen) governs hills, butchers, dragons and serpents, and fish; Taiyi (Si) has its region in Chu, governing documents, snakes, and earthworms; Shengguang (Wu) governs bloodshed, documents, horses, and buildings; Xiaoji (Wei) governs wine and food, sheep, eagles, and banquets; Chuansong (Shen) governs military affairs and wealth, monkeys, with its region in Jin; Congkui (You) governs officials, chickens, and money; Tiankui (Xu) governs jackals and wolves, requiring extra caution; Shenmi (Hai) governs rivers and lakes, pigs, and flies, with its region in Wu; Shenhou (Zi) governs swallows and bats, prostitutes, and paintings, with its region in Qi; and Dafu (Chou) governs bald people, grain, and fields.

凡占大運，以太歲上神為主，太歲參看；凡占歲內月令，以月支上神為主，月建參看；凡占幾日內運氣，以日建上神為主，日建參看。但必在三傳之範圍之下。

When divining a major long-term destiny chart, one should take the heavenly deity on the heaven plate above the current year's stem as the main reference, and also consider the stem of the current year. When divining a specific month within a year, one should take the heavenly deity on the earthly branch of that month as the main reference, and also consider the month builder. When divining the fate within a few days, one should take the heavenly deity on the day builder as the main reference, and also consider the day builder. However, all these approaches must be placed within the overall framework determined by the three transmissions, and one must not establish conclusions independently outside of the three transmissions.

占驗一、辛巳正月乙酉癸未時，程翔雲在新安，見雪寒極甚，途中凍餒甚多，因有感而占，知一、不備、亂首。 蛇貴 朱 戌亥子丑 后 青陰陰六 財 乙未 龍 六 酉 寅 陰 未寅寅酉 印 戊子 貴 勾 申 卯 玄 寅酉酉乙 子 癸巳 虎 龍 未午巳辰 常 空虎

The first example: On the day of Guiwei in the year Xinsi, during the first lunar month, on the day of Yiyou, at the hour of Guiwei, Cheng Xiangyun in Xin'an saw heavy snow and extreme cold, with many people dying from freezing and starvation on the road. Moved by this, he cast a divination. This lesson was set up with the zodiac animal of the rat added to the hour of Guiwei. The lesson pattern belongs to "knowing one," and also includes the patterns "incomplete" and "chaotic beginning." The four lessons, from right to left, are: the day stem Yi is lodged in the palace of Chen, with Chen having You, You having Yin, and the day branch You also having Yin, with Yin having Wei; the heavenly spirits on the four lessons, Wei, Yin, Yin, and You, are respectively occupied by Qinglong, Taiyin, Taiyin, and Liuhe. The three transmissions are: the first transmission, Wei, occupied by Qinglong, representing wife wealth; the middle transmission, Zi, occupied by Guiren, representing official seal; the final transmission, Si, occupied by Bahu, representing son. The day Yiyou belongs to the Jiashen decade, with the empty position in Wu and Wei. The heavenly spirits of Hai and Zi on the heaven plate exactly fall on the earth plate's Wu and Wei, which are the empty positions, so the first transmission Wei and the middle transmission Zi both carry the quality of being empty and trapped.

斷曰：今歲天氣亢旱，風大雨少，田禾欠熟，且有疫癘死亡之患。蓋因初中風伯會箕，神后空陷，末傳虎乘遁鬼。又因未為田園，自四課發用，即田莊交界，子屬稻穀亦空，故知田禾欠熟，又天鬼支來克干，此為上門亂首，種種凶象，而況劫煞入辰，三傳遞克，全無和氣，凶荒之征也。後果如占。

Cheng Xiangyun predicted that there would be a severe drought that year, with frequent winds and little rain, leading to poor harvests of crops in the fields, and also an outbreak of plague resulting in deaths. This is because the first and middle transmissions featured "Fengbo" (Wind God) meeting with Ji Xu (Winnowing Basket mansion), indicating wind; "Shenhou" (Zi) fell into an empty and weak position; and the final transmission had Baihu (White Tiger) riding on the official ghost coming from the ten-day cycle. Moreover, Wei represents farmland, and from the four lessons, the initiating transmission emerged as the first transmission, located at the boundary between farmland and fields, while Zi, which belongs to rice, fell into an empty position, thus confirming the poor harvest. There was also "Tian Gui" (Heavenly Ghost) coming from the day branch to control the day stem, which is called an approaching disturbance, and all these are ominous signs. Moreover, "Jiesha" (Sudden Death) entered the day branch, and the three transmissions were successively controlling each other, with no sign of harmony, which is exactly the omen of a year of famine and disaster. Later events indeed matched the prediction.

《明史》載“十三年，兩畿、山東、河南、山、陝旱蝗，人相食。……十四年春正月辛巳，祈谷，二月己酉，如以時事多艱，災異並見，痛自刻責，停今歲行刑，諸犯俱減等論。三月，禱雨。六月，兩畿、山東、河南、浙江、湖廣旱蝗，山東寇起。是月，臨清運河涸。京師大疫。”中原與東北均喪師失地。又“十四年四月癸丑，雷火起薊州西北，焚及趙家谷，延二十餘里。六月丙午，雷震宣府西門城樓。” 十四年七月，福州風潮泛溢，漂溺甚眾。十四年五月，南陽大風拔屋。七月乙亥，福州大風，壞官署、民舍。十四年三月戊寅，福建地震。四月丙寅，湖廣地震。五月戊子，甘肅地震。六月丙午，福建地震。九月甲午，四川地震。

The commentator cites the "History of the Ming Dynasty" as evidence: In the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen era, drought and locust plagues broke out simultaneously in the northern and southern capitals, as well as in Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, leading to people eating each other; in the first month of spring in the fourteenth year, on the day of Xinsi, a ceremony was held to pray for a good harvest; on the day of Jiyou in the second month, the emperor, due to the difficult circumstances and frequent natural disasters, severely blamed himself and ordered the suspension of executions for this year, with all criminals to be punished with reduced severity; in the third month, rain was prayed for again; in June, drought and locust plagues devastated the northern and southern capitals, as well as Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang, and Hubei and Hunan regions, with bandits emerging in Shandong. During this month, the canal near Linqing dried up, and a major plague broke out in the capital. At that time, both Central China and the Northeast were losing military campaigns and territory. It also records that on the day of Guichou in April of the fourteenth year, thunder and fire erupted in the northwest of Jizhou, burning the Zhaojia Valley and spreading over more than twenty li; on the day of Bingwu in June, lightning struck the western gate tower of Xuanfu; in July, a storm flooded Fuzhou, killing many people; in May, a strong wind overturned houses in Nanyang; in July, on the day of Yihai, a strong wind damaged government offices and civilian houses in Fuzhou; on the day of Wuyin in March, an earthquake occurred in Fujian; on the day of Bingyin in April, an earthquake occurred in Hubei and Hunan; on the day of Wuzi in May, an earthquake occurred in Gansu; on the day of Bingwu in June, an earthquake occurred in Fujian; and on the day of Jiwu in September, an earthquake occurred in Sichuan. The text refers to the two "Ji" regions as the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the northern and southern capitals. That year, drought, locust plagues, plague, thunder and fire, storm surges, and earthquakes occurred one after another, with both Central China and the Northeast suffering military defeats and territorial losses, which exactly corresponds with the previous divination's prediction of this year's severe drought, poor harvests, and deaths from plague.

占驗二、己卯亥月乙亥日未時卯將，有不速之女客來，坐下不言所事。 朱六 蛇 丑寅卯辰 勾 朱虎常貴 財 癸未 虎 貴 子 巳 龍 卯未申子 比 己卯 朱 后 亥 午 空 未亥子乙 父 乙亥 后 陰 戌酉申未 虎 玄常

Second example: In the year Ji Mao, month Hai, day Yi Hai, time Wei, using the卯 general placed on the Wei time to cast the divination, there was a female guest who arrived uninvited. After sitting down, she did not state her purpose. In the divination, the Heaven Plate is four places behind the Earth Plate. The four lessons, arranged from right to left, are: the day stem Yi is lodged in Chen, with Zi on Chen, Shen on Zi, and Wei on Hai, with Mao on Wei. The four heavenly spirits on the four lessons, in order, are Mao, Wei, Shen, and Zi, each riding the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Tai Chang, and Nobleman respectively. The first transmission is Mao riding the White Tiger as wife wealth, the middle transmission is Zi riding the Vermilion Bird as a companion, and the final transmission is Hai riding the Heavenly Empress as parents. The transmissions Mao, Wei, and Hai form a reverse wood trinity. The day Yi Hai belongs to the Jia Xu decade, with Kongwang in Shen and You.

斷曰：大凡不言所事者，先占其性情，日上貴人，為貴人及自我感覺良好之人，三傳木局逆合，必非善類。次占其時運，發用未與子害，此所謂合中犯煞蜜中砒，又是關墓並虎，運氣大不利。不利於何時？未加亥上，其劣運之時當以乙亥年最甚，亥為長生乘後，定有婚姻事，未乘虎必有腎病。但自墓傳生，今卯年，日祿乘朱雀，又為長生乘天后，必有喜事。何事，陰神為未虎，財爻乘財將，大發錢財也。但用與貴害，必求人不成，何事求人？陰見申官太常，為升遷事耳。

The judgment says: Whenever a person does not disclose the matter they are consulting about, first determine their nature. The day stem is connected with the nobleman, indicating a person who values status and has a good self-image; however, the three transmissions form a wooden trinity in reverse but harmonious, showing that they are not good people. Next, determine their fortune: the first transmission does not conflict with the day branch's deity, which is exactly what the "Bi Fa Fu" says, "harmony with a harmful influence, sweetness with poison." It also coincides with a critical period, a tomb deity, and the white tiger together, indicating an unfavorable fortune. In which year is this unfavorable? The hexagram is added to the亥, so the worst year is Yihai. The亥 is the place of growth for wood and is connected with the heavenly empress, so there must be a marriage matter in that year. Since the未 is not connected with the white tiger, there must be a kidney-related illness. However, this hexagram moves from the tomb to the place of growth. This year is the卯 year, the day stem's wealth is connected with the vermilion bird, and the place of growth is connected with the heavenly empress, so there must be good news. What kind of good news? The hidden deity of the first transmission is the未 with the white tiger, and the wealth deity is connected with the heavenly general who governs wealth, indicating a great gain of wealth. However, the first transmission conflicts with the nobleman, so seeking help from others will certainly fail. What is being sought? The hidden deity meets the official star on the申, connected with the tai chang, indicating a request for promotion.

其人閃爍再三，始道原委，現為某幼兒園副園長，今園長出缺，擬走動升遷，但辰月送禮，今尚無消息。九五年結婚、流產，大病三次。今年其夫包鹽場大發財利。（財陰為卯，卯木為鹽） 後其同學反饋，果未能升遷。

This female client hesitated several times before finally revealing the situation: she is currently the deputy head of a kindergarten, and now the position of head is vacant, so she is trying to make some moves to be promoted. She gave a gift in the辰 month, but has not yet heard anything. She got married in 1995, had a miscarriage, and suffered from serious illness three times. This year her husband took over a saltworks and made a lot of money (the hidden spirit of the wealth hexagram is卯, which belongs to wood and represents salt goods, which exactly corresponds to this matter). Later, her classmates gave her some information, and indeed she was not promoted.

占驗一、辛巳八月甲寅日壬申時，浙紹範玄同袖筒包有物件，占問何物，予遂袖傳一課以射之，八專。 朱六 蛇 寅卯辰巳 勾 虎陰虎陰 丑貴 貴 丑 午 龍 申亥申亥 亥陰 后 子 未 空 亥寅亥甲 亥陰 陰 亥戌酉申 虎 玄常

The first example: On the day of Jiayin in the year Xinsi, in the eighth lunar month, at the hour of Renshen, a person from Shaoxing, Zhejiang named Fan Xuantong had something wrapped in his sleeve and asked to determine what it was. I then cast a divination lesson within his sleeve to guess the object. This lesson was set up at the time when the hour of Si was added to the hour of Shen. The day stem and branch were both Jiayin, making the lesson pattern belong to "Eight Specials." The four lessons, arranged from right to left, were: the day stem Jiayin was lodged in the palace of Yin, with Yin having亥, and亥 having Shen; the day branch Yin also had亥, and亥 had Shen, so the four lessons formed only two lessons. The upper spirits亥 and Shen each rode on Tai Yin and Bai Hu, repeating. In the Eight Specials lesson, since the stem and branch were in the same palace and the four lessons formed only two, the transmission was taken by a special method: on a yang day, the first transmission was taken by counting three steps from the upper spirit on the day stem in a clockwise direction, and the middle and final transmissions both used the yin spirit of the day stem. Therefore, in this lesson, the first transmission was丑, riding on the Nobleman, and the middle and final transmissions were both亥, both riding on Tai Yin. The day Jiayin belonged to the Jiayin decade, with the void in Zi and Chou, and the first transmission, Chou, exactly fell into the void of the decade.

斷：剛日發用，兼日上神射之發用，丑為牛，其色黃兼黑，亥為雙義，必是黃黑二件；又為日貴，必貴重之物，乘天醫必能治病，其數四八。範大服，開筒視之，是石黃二塊，每塊約重四分七八釐。

The judgment states: Jiayin is a yang day. In the eight specialized divination lessons, the first transmission is determined by counting three positions from the day stem's heavenly stem in a clockwise direction. Then, combining the day stem's heavenly stem with this first transmission, one can deduce the hidden object. The first transmission is Chou, which corresponds to the ox in the twelve earthly branches. The ox has a yellow color with a black tint. The middle and final transmissions are both Hai, which signify pairs, so the object must be two items of yellow and black color. Chou is also the nobleman for the Ji day, indicating it is a valuable item. The upper rider is Tianyi, meaning this object can treat illness. The number should be between four and eight. Fan Xuantong was very impressed, and upon opening his sleeve, he found two pieces of yellowish-black stone, each weighing about four and seven-tenths catties.

占驗二、丙寅丑月甲申癸酉時，南京陳開子、山右司化南相顧間，相問彼袖中是何物件，予袖傳一課以射之，涉害、顧祖。 朱六勾青 卯辰巳午 六龍玄后 子午龍 蛇 寅 未 空 辰午戌子 財辰六 貴 丑 申 白 午申子甲 兄寅蛇 子亥戌酉 后陰玄常

The second example: In the year Bingyin, month Chou, day Jiashen, and hour Guiyou, Chen Kaizi from Nanjing and Si Huanan from Shanxi were looking at each other idly and asking each other what was in their sleeves. I then transmitted the divination lesson in my sleeve to guess what was in their sleeves. In this lesson, the Heaven Plate is two places behind the Earth Plate, and the lesson pattern belongs to "Involving Harm." The three transmissions go in reverse order, each one skipping a position, which is called "Looking Back to Ancestors." The four lessons, arranged from right to left, are: the day stem Jiashen is lodged in the palace of Yin, with Yin having Zi, Zi having Xu, and the day branch Shen having Wu, Wu having Chen. The four heavenly spirits on the four lessons, namely Chen, Wu, Xu, and Zi, are respectively riding on Liu He, Qinglong, Xuanwu, and Tianhou. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is Wu, representing the son, riding on Qinglong; the middle transmission is Chen, representing the wife's wealth, riding on Liu He; and the final transmission is Yin, representing the brother, riding on Teng Snake.

斷曰：此必文書之類。化南云：何以知之是文書，乞講一理。予曰：用東方朔射覆斷本課。三傳純陽取遁申丁卯仰視丑字，陰神是亥，故取亥為初傳，三傳亥酉未，亥主圖書，又甲日文書爻。果透易書一冊。予曰；八十四頁。果然袁天罡本課。

The judgment said: This must be something related to documents. Si Huanan asked: On what basis do you conclude it is a document? I replied: I used Dongfang Shuo's method of shooting the cover to deduce this case. In this case, all three transmissions are yang branches, so I took the hidden branch added on the day of Shen with Ding and Mao, then looked back at the character Chou, whose hidden spirit is Hai, so I changed to take Hai as the first transmission. The three transmissions then became Hai, You, and Wei. Hai represents books and documents, and since it is on the day of Jia, Hai is also the document line. The person then took out a book on the I Ching, which was exactly what I predicted. I then said: This book has eighty-four pages. After counting, it was exactly correct, which is precisely the method of shooting the cover passed down by Yuan Tiangang.

增補課例： 占驗一、戊寅年未月己卯日未將丑時，同村學生劉傳祿手捏一物，命斷之。返吟。 六勾龍空 亥子丑寅 常陰朱勾 鬼 卯 虎 朱 戌 卯 虎 辰午戌子 子 酉 蛇 蛇 酉 辰 常 酉卯丑己 鬼 卯 虎 申未午巳 貴后陰玄

The first example is an added case by the commentator. It is in the year Wuyin, month Wei, day Jimao. The divination is started with the month general Wei added to the hour Chou. A student named Liu Chuanlu from the same village is holding an object and asks me to determine what it is. In this case, the month general and the time of divination are directly opposing each other. The heavenly and earthly plates are opposite each other, and the lesson pattern belongs to "returning echo." The four lessons are arranged from right to left as follows: the day stem Ji is lodged in the palace Wei, with Chou on Wei, and Wei on Chou. The day branch Mao has You on it, and Mao on You. (The original text lists the four lessons as "Chen, Wu, Xu, Zi," which does not fit the pattern of returning echo, so it is likely that the characters from the previous lesson have been mistakenly transferred here.) The three transmissions are as follows: the first transmission is Mao with the White Tiger, representing official ghost; the middle transmission is You with the Teng Snake, representing son and daughter; the final transmission is again Mao with the White Tiger, representing official ghost. The day Jimao belongs to the Jiaxu decade, with the void in Shen and You. The hour You itself is in the void, and the Mao is precisely on the void position of the earthly plate You.

斷曰：三傳皆空，此物中空之象。卯酉俱為門戶，必是多口之物。卯為竹木之屬，空乘白虎則必是樂器。而酉空，金空則鳴，《金口》入式云“克者為無從旺斷”，未月金得土氣，克卯木，應以鐵質而斷，斷是吹管或哨子之類。開手時，果是一哨子。

The judgment states: All three transmissions fall into an empty position, which represents an image of something hollow in the middle. Both卯 and酉 indicate doors and gates, so it is clear that there must be many openings.卯 belongs to bamboo and wood, and when it meets an empty position along with the White Tiger, it must be an instrument. Moreover,酉 metal meets an empty position, and hollow metal can produce sound. The entry song of the "Golden Mouth诀" says "when something is overcome, it is considered as non-existent; judge according to the flourishing state." In the month of未, metal gains strength from the earth element and becomes flourishing, and it then overcomes卯 wood. Therefore, it should be judged according to the metal quality, and it is concluded to be a wind instrument or a whistle. When he opened his hand, it turned out to be indeed a whistle.