Earth's Growth is in Shen but not in Yin.

或問曰：土長生在申，一作在寅，未知誰是？余曰：土長生自宜在申，不宜在寅。如戊己日寅木克干，無救者凶，其證也。昔者李覺子《卜易》以天時而參驗，五行見土父母，有應申日雨者，有應子日雨者；又見土為子孫，有應申日晴者，有應子日晴者。蓋申為長生，子為帝旺，是又一證也。

Someone asked: There are two different opinions regarding the long life (长生) of earth; one says it is in Shen (申), and the other says it is in Yin (寅). Which one is correct? I answered: The long life of earth should naturally be in Shen, not in Yin. For example, on a Wu day or Ji day, if Yin wood is strong and overcomes the day stem, and there is no saving god, it will result in misfortune. This is clear evidence. In the past, Li Juexi's "Boyi" (卜易) used weather to verify: when earth is considered as the parent爻 (yao), there are cases where rain occurs on Shen day and also on Zi day; when earth is considered as the son爻 (yao), there are cases where the weather clears on Shen day and also on Zi day. The reason is that Shen is the long life of earth and Zi is the prosperity of earth — this is another piece of evidence.

或曰：“淩氏《畢法賦》以六戊六己日干上子正月占，主有孕故曰‘戊己當絕在亥懷，明知子上是胞胎’，此非土長生在寅乎？”予曰：“此淩氏兩歧之言也。彼不云‘妻財作生氣，縱不作胎神，亦可用’乎？”然則戊日己日干上子，正月占主有孕妻財故也。況其孕止其一端，而戊日己日以申為長生，以子為帝旺，以辰為墓庫，以酉為敗神，以寅為鬼賊，為吉為凶，未可悉數。試取古人占案用語、己所常占者驗後而細詳之，當亦憬然而悟矣。

Someone asked: "Ling Fuzhi's 'Bi Fa Fu' says that on six Wu days and six Ji days, when the day stem is seen with Zi, in the first lunar month it indicates pregnancy. Therefore, it says, 'Wu and Ji reach their decline at Hai, yet they are pregnant in Zi.' But if soil's growth is in Yin, how can Hai be a decline and Zi be a fetus?" I replied: This is a contradiction in Ling's own statements. He also said, "The wife and wealth hexagram can be considered as life qi, even if it is not regarded as the fetal hexagram, it can still be used." According to this, the reason for predicting pregnancy on Wu and Ji days when Zi is present is because Zi is the wife and wealth hexagram of Wu and Ji, not necessarily related to the fetal hexagram. Moreover, pregnancy is just one of many methods of divination. On Wu and Ji days, Shen is the growth, Zi is the prosperity, Chen is the storage, You is the failure, and Yin is the ghost thief. From these, there are countless implications of good and bad fortune. It is advisable to refer to the divination cases from ancient times, as well as one's own daily divinations, and compare them after they come true, and one will naturally understand clearly.

予友吳稼雲先生嘗云：“《周易》言象而不言生克，故六壬家亦宜觀象定吉凶，而不可以生克定吉凶。”此稼雲先生一家之言也。夫《周易》不盡言五行，故不論生克；六壬專言五行，則不能離生克。十二神將之所屬，即象也。或生焉，或克焉，即象之吉凶者也。古人又患人之情偽，事之變幻，非生克兩字可盡也，於是曰德，曰合，曰刑，曰沖，曰破，曰官，曰祿，曰刃，曰旺，曰墓，曰死，曰絕，曰胎，曰養，曰敗，所以參其象而盡其變也。然後吉凶悔吝無所逃於三傳四課中矣。

My friend Wu Jiayun once said, "The Zhou Changes only discusses hexagrams and not the generating and overcoming relationships, so the Six Rens should determine fortune and misfortune by observing the images, not by using generating and overcoming relationships." This is Mr. Jiayun's personal opinion, and I think we should consider it separately. The Zhou Changes does not entirely focus on the Five Phases, so it is acceptable to not discuss generating and overcoming relationships; however, the Six Rens specifically deals with the Five Phases, so it naturally cannot be separated from generating and overcoming relationships. Moreover, each of the Twelve Heavenly Generals has a Five Phase affiliation—Teng Snake belongs to fire, White Tiger belongs to metal, and so on. This affiliation itself is an "image"; their mutual generating, assisting, overcoming, or fighting are the manifestations of good and bad fortune within the image. Therefore, observing images and discussing generating and overcoming relationships are not two separate paths; generating and overcoming relationships are originally contained within the images. Ancients also worried about the authenticity of human emotions and the changes of situations, which cannot be fully explained by just the terms "generating" and "overcoming." Therefore, they established a series of terms such as virtue, harmony, punishment, conflict, destruction, official, fortune, blade, strength, burial, death, extinction, fetal, nurturing, and failure, to combine with the four lessons and three transmissions, to exhaust all possible variations. With these, there is nothing in fortune, misfortune, regret, or hardship that can escape the scope of the four lessons and three transmissions.

稼雲先生學問淵博，深於古文，嘗與予談六壬，經日不倦，其法重初傳，重丁神，以神機兆於動，既得其動，然後融會全課體象而斷之，不可枝枝節節。蓋初傳與丁神皆課中之動者也。先生此言，最為微妙，是佛家上乘工夫，予愧未能造到此境也。庚午春，予自維揚回，見先生於崖市，送寓言談，侃侃仍如往年，今則宿草悽悽矣，悲夫！

Master Jia Yun was highly learned and had profound expertise in classical texts. He once discussed the Six壬 (Six Changes) with me for an entire day without tiring. His approach emphasized the first transmission and the Ding Shen, believing that the divine mechanism is always revealed in the "movement." One should first grasp that movement, then integrate the overall atmosphere of the entire lesson to make a judgment, rather than analyzing piece by piece in a fragmented way—because the first transmission and the Ding Shen are precisely the "moving" elements within a lesson. These words of Master were most refined, belonging to the superior practice described by Buddhism. I feel ashamed that I have not yet reached such a level. In the spring of the Gengwu year, I returned from Yangzhou and met Master once in the崖市 (Cliff Market). When I accompanied him back to his lodging, our conversation was as vigorous as before. Now, the grass on the tomb has already turned withered and sad, how lamentable!

吉凶成敗，雖有德合等之繁，究竟以生克為主，如壬寅日伏吟，雖曰干支上下相合，無如支辰脫干；乙酉日伏吟，亦是干支上下相合，無如鬼臨三四，脫氣鬼克，安得為吉？昔族兄廉階先生精於醫學而不遇時，有鄭姓之友，許為其榆楊傳醫道廣行，先生因索占於予，得壬寅日伏吟課，予曰：“干支上下相合，究竟脫干，所謂有言不信，況巳貴空亡，何益之有？”後果如所占，此壬子年五月十五日所占課也。

Although the fortune of success or failure may involve many factors such as virtue and harmony, in the end it is mainly determined by the relationship of generation and overcoming. For example, in the case of a hidden chant lesson on the day of RENYIN, although the heavenly stem and earthly branch are in mutual union, the day branch drains the energy of the day stem. In the case of a hidden chant lesson on the day of YIYOU, the heavenly stem and earthly branch are also in mutual union, but the official ghost falls in the third and fourth lessons, which both drain energy and are subject to the ghost's overcoming; how can this be considered auspicious? In the past, my cousin, Lianjie, was skilled in medicine but had poor fortune. A friend named Zheng promised to help him spread his reputation and promote the practice of medicine. Lianjie came to me for a divination, and the result was a hidden chant lesson on the day of RENYIN. I said, "Although the heavenly stem and earthly branch are in mutual union, they ultimately drain the energy of the day stem, as the saying goes, 'words may sound good but are not reliable.' Moreover, the nobleman in the position of SI is also in the empty position, how can there be any benefit?" Later, it indeed turned out as predicted. This divination was made on the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month in the year RENZI.

諺云：“熟讀王叔和，不如見症多。”故六壬家亦如己所占驗者，信而有據。古人多好奇之論、信筆之言，如《管子神書》，有天官天將斷不相兼者；《指掌賦》有斷無此三傳者，有天官斷不臨此處者，乃作者居然作之，注者居然注之，不可解也。他書信筆指鹿為馬者更難悉數焉。今將順逆連數課中無此三傳列於左：

A proverb says, "Even if one reads Wang Shuhe's medical texts thoroughly, it is still better to see more kinds of diseases in person." The same applies to the Six壬 school; only those divinations personally verified can be trusted and have evidence. Many ancient people made curious remarks and wrote them down casually, such as in The Divine Book of Guanzi, which says that certain heavenly officials and heavenly generals will never appear together on the same day; in The Zhizhang Fu, it says that certain three transmissions will never occur, and also says that a certain heavenly official will never be located in a certain place. The writers wrote these things down, and the commentators followed suit, which is really hard to understand. There are countless other books that contain statements that are clearly incorrect. Now I list below the three transmissions that cannot appear in the classes of consecutive and reverse connections.

子丑寅、卯辰巳、巳午未、戌亥子，無以上順連。亥戌酉、酉申未、辰卯寅（惟乙巳日邵氏取此三傳）、寅丑子，以上逆連數。逆連茹間傳無此三傳者：午申戌、戌子寅，無以上順；申午辰、辰寅子、子戌申，無以上逆。順逆三合課無此三傳者：丑巳酉、巳酉丑、午戌寅、戌寅午、卯未亥，無以上順；辰子申、丑酉巳，無以上逆。

In the course of the continuous sequence, there are four groups of three transmissions that cannot be arranged: Zi-Chou-Yin, Mao-Chen-Yisi, Yisi-Wu-Wei, Xu-Hai-Zi. In the reverse continuous sequence, there are four groups that cannot be arranged: Hai-Xu-You, You-Shen-Wei, Chen-Mao-Yin (only on the Yisi day has Shao Yanhe used this group), and Yin-Chou-Zi. "Reverse continuous transmission" refers to the intermediate transmission where the transmissions are passed by skipping positions. In the forward sequence, the groups Wu-Shen-Xu and Xu-Zi-Yin cannot be arranged. In the reverse sequence, the groups Shen-Wu-Chen, Chen-Yin-Zi, and Zi-Xu-Shen cannot be arranged. In the courses of triple harmony, in the forward sequence, the groups Chou-Yisi-You, Yisi-You-Chou, Wu-Wu-Yin, Wu-Yin-Wu, and Mao-Wei-Hai cannot be arranged. In the reverse sequence, the groups Chen-Zi-Shen and Chou-You-Yisi cannot be arranged. Any occurrence of these three transmissions in books is fabricated by the authors and cannot be used as a basis for establishing rules.

十二天官中，惟貴人天空無處不臨，其餘有臨有不臨。螣蛇不臨戌亥，白虎不臨辰巳，朱雀不臨酉戌亥子，太常不臨卯辰巳午未，青龍不臨戌亥，天后不臨辰巳，勾陳不臨酉戌亥子，太陰不臨卯辰巳午。以上皆指不臨地盤而言，若天盤惟貴人天空不乘辰戌，六合元武不乘丑未，其餘無支不乘。

Among the Twelve Heavenly Generals, only the Nobleman and Tian Kong can be present in any palace. The other generals have specific palaces they can and cannot occupy: Teng Snake cannot be in Xu or Hai, Bai Hu cannot be in Chen or Si, Zhu Que cannot be in You, Xu, Hai, or Zi, Tai Chang cannot be in Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, or Wei, Qing Long cannot be in Xu or Hai, Tian Hou cannot be in Chen or Si, Gou Chen cannot be in You, Xu, Hai, or Zi, and Tai Yin cannot be in Mao, Chen, Si, Wu. The above refers to the Heavenly Generals not being able to be in these Earthly Branch palaces. If we consider the Heaven Plate, only the Nobleman and Tian Kong cannot be in Chen or Xu. Liu He and Xuan Wu (the original text says 'Yuan Wu') cannot be in Chou or Wei. The other generals can be in any Earthly Branch.

《心鏡占同居人為賊歌》云：“一家之內十人居，一人失物九人籲。未知盜者定是誰，欲占先以將加時。若有人年元武下，此人盜去更無疑。”此說未可從也，何也？元武不臨寅卯辰巳午未，豈為賊者皆行年在申酉戌亥子丑耶？依此推斷，恐反誣良，不若仍以元武初傳、官鬼參看為穩，推而言之。《指南》占驗，以元武臨戌，風水在西北山岡，亦是偶中，特據此推斷，豈無在東南方之風水乎？若《中黃經》之占盜賊不盡看元武所臨，而必參之以生克，測之以三傳，可謂得其三味矣。

The "Heart Mirror · Song on the Same Household Being a Thief" says: "Within a family living with ten or so people, one person loses something and nine others claim innocence. To know who the thief is, first place the Month General on the time of the divination; if someone's year pillar falls exactly under the Black Tortoise, then that person is the thief without doubt." This statement should not be trusted. Why? The Black Tortoise does not appear in the six palaces of寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未. How could the thief's year pillar just happen to fall in申, 酉, 戌, 亥, 子, 丑? Using this method for deduction might even wrongly accuse the innocent. It is better to still combine the Black Tortoise, the First Transmission, and the Official Ghost for a more reliable judgment. By extension, in the divination examples in the "Six Yin Guide," the statement that the Black Tortoise being in 戌 indicates the风水 is in the Northwest Hill is just a coincidence. If one relies solely on this, would there not be风水 located in the Southeast? As for the "Middle Yellow Classic" in divining thieves, it does not rely solely on the position of the Black Tortoise, but must combine the principles of generation and overcoming, and consider the three transmissions, to truly grasp the essence.

凡占事之重大者，課體最重。若課體不吉，即有一二吉神，無補於課體之疵也。甲戌年十二月初三日，諸公在鄭典五翁花園內為鮑右曾先生預饌大壽，右曾先生從院上來，鹽臺何公囑其占拜奏摺旨意報回若何，生意、鹽務若何，得己未日井欄格，予曰：“巳火皇恩發動生干生支，天后為恩澤之神，又在干支之上，入中末兩傳，必蒙恩允，且有疊疊賞賜。但井上架木，易欹易斜。且一火陷於眾土之中，為力不久，恐鹽務仍無起色耳。”後果一一如占。

Whenever divining about important matters, the most crucial thing is to examine the overall lesson pattern. If the lesson pattern is not auspicious, even if there are one or two auspicious deities among them, they cannot compensate for the inherent defects of the lesson pattern. On the 3rd day of the 12th lunar month in the Jiwu year, many people were preparing a birthday banquet for Mr. Bao Youceng in the garden of Zheng Dianwu's residence. Mr. Bao had just come from the official office. The salt commissioner He Gong asked him to cast a divination: what would be the outcome of the imperial decree on the memorial he had submitted, and how would his business and salt affairs fare. The divination was cast on Jiwei day, forming the "Well Opening" pattern. I said, "The fire of Si is the deity of imperial grace, which when activated, both supports the day stem and the day branch. The Heavenly Empress, who is naturally the deity of grace, is seated above the stem and branch, and enters both the middle transmission and the final transmission. This matter will surely receive imperial favor, and there will be successive rewards. However, the 'Well Opening' pattern is like placing a wooden beam on the well opening, which is easily tilted and unstable. Moreover, a single fire is submerged among many earths, its strength is short-lived, so the salt affairs may still not improve." Later, all these predictions came true.

今人占課，除家宅、風水、婚姻、六甲、官訟、謀干外，往往不看支辰，此大錯也。須知干支為兩儀，不可偏廢，如占天雨，以干為天，以支為所占之地；占考試，干為舉子，支為場屋；占求官，干為求官之人，支為所歷之任；占謀事求財，干為我，支為我所求之人；占出行，干為此處，支為彼處，餘依此推。故每一課演成，先省察干支上神，心中便有把握，然後詳觀三傳，則事之始終定矣。

Modern people who cast divination charts often neglect the day branch when they divinate matters other than family, feng shui, marriage, childbirth, legal cases, and seeking opportunities. This is a great mistake. One must understand that the day stem and day branch are like the two principles of heaven and earth, neither can be missing. When divining about rain, the day stem represents heaven and the day branch represents the specific place being divined; when divining about exams, the day stem represents the examinee and the day branch represents the examination hall; when divining about seeking official positions, the day stem represents the person seeking office and the day branch represents the position to be taken up; when divining about seeking opportunities and wealth, the day stem represents oneself and the day branch represents the person one is seeking; when divining about travel, the day stem represents the current place and the day branch represents the destination. All other cases can be similarly inferred. Therefore, whenever a chart is cast, one should first examine the heavenly stems and earthly branches riding on the day stem and day branch, and then have a clear understanding in mind. Only after that should one carefully examine the three transmissions, and thus the beginning and end of the matter will be determined.

崇正丁丑年五月戊辰日未將辰時，郭公御青為姚君占任所，干上青龍申金，支上未土天空，三傳亥寅巳，郭公以為官馬臨亥，亥為衛；巳祿臨寅，寅為燕，任所非衛即燕。後選周之新野，課體全無影響。詳玩數日，方知四課暗拱地盤周之故。郭公此斷，未免牽強，須知支為任所，支上未土，天空土即野也，是日初交夏至，太陽初到未宮，即新也。丁丑年五月戊辰朔子正一刻夏至，見於崇正萬年書。若清朝萬年書，則○○日。新野二字，其象如此。

In the year Dingchou of the Chongzhen era, on the fifth month, fifth day, wuichen day, at the hour of wei (the hour of the goat), Master Guo Yuqing divined for Yao's future official post. The day stem was the Azure Dragon riding on Shen metal, and the day branch was Tian Kong riding on Wei earth. The three transmissions were Hai, Yin, and Si. Master Guo believed that the official star and the post-horse were on Hai, which could represent Wei; the禄 of Si was on Yin, which could represent Yan, so the official post was either Wei or Yan. However, Yao was later appointed to a new post in Xinye, a place in Zhou, which had nothing to do with the divination. Master Guo pondered over it for several days and finally said that the four lessons secretly formed the character for Zhou on the earth plate. This interpretation seems forced. In fact, the day branch represents the official post: the day branch was Wei earth with Tian Kong, and earth represents 'wild'; on that day, the summer solstice was just beginning, and the sun had just entered the Wei palace. 'Initial arrival' means 'new'—the imagery of 'Xinye' should be interpreted this way. (The summer solstice occurred at the first moment of the first day of the fifth month in the year Dingchou of the Chongzhen era, as recorded in the perpetual calendar of the Chongzhen dynasty; if calculated according to the Qing dynasty's perpetual calendar, the date would differ, and the original text leaves this blank.)

又癸亥日辰將丑時，為劉公占任所，干上天后辰，支上元武寅，三傳辰未戌，以為干支上神拱地盤子，子為山東，子上卯為草，必有草頭之處，查現出之缺，有莘縣、蓬萊，必是蓬萊，以子又為水鄉也。後果選蓬萊，殊不知支為任所，支上元武寅木亦草木之象也。況元武乘寅加亥水，蓬萊乃登州府，屬東北，皆海。寅為東北，元武水、亥水即海也。又元武乘寅加亥長生為道士，寅為山，復道家有蓬萊方丈之山在海中，為神仙所居，是亦其象也。若云干支上神拱地盤，殊不知癸亥日辰無論上乘何神，皆拱地盤子。

In another case, on the day of Guihai, with the time of Chou, the master was asked to predict the place of appointment for Liu Gong. The day stem had the Heavenly Empress riding on Chen, and the day branch had the Black Tortoise riding on Yin. The three transmissions were Chen, Wei, and Xu. The traditional method of interpretation believed that the heavenly stems and earthly branches combined to point to the Earth Plate's Zi, which represented Shandong. Zi was also associated with Mao, which symbolized grass, so the appointment must be in a place with a name containing the radical for grass. At that time, there were two places with such names: Xin County and Penghai. The prediction concluded that it must be Penghai, because Zi also represented water areas. Later, Penghai was indeed appointed. However, this method did not grasp the essential point: the day branch is the key to the appointment place. The Black Tortoise riding on Yin, which is the day branch, itself symbolizes grass and trees. Moreover, the Black Tortoise on Yin added to the亥 water, and Penghai belonged to the Dingzhou Prefecture, located in the Northeast, surrounded by the sea. Yin is associated with the Northeast, the Black Tortoise belongs to water, and亥 is also water, which is the image of the sea. Furthermore, the Black Tortoise on Yin added to亥, which is the long life of Yin, indicating a Daoist master. Yin also represents mountains, and Daoist legends say that there are mountains such as Penghai and Fangzhang in the sea, which are the dwelling places of immortals. These are all the symbolic images of Penghai. As for the idea that the heavenly stems and earthly branches combined to point to the Earth Plate, this is even less reliable. On the day of Guihai, regardless of what deity was riding on the day stem, it would always point to the Earth Plate's Zi, with no distinction.

憶昔壬子年巳月己卯日，鄭君衡翁占乃叔辛未命部選省分，得伏吟課，彼時予尚不悟支為任所之理，只看日祿臨午，當在南方，次年選在福建，分野在丑，課中全無影響，逮後悟得支為任所之理，支上卯作六合為門，福建為八閩，固有門字也。

I remember once in the year Renzi, fourth lunar month, day Jimao, Zheng Hengweng divined for his uncle, who was born in the year Xinwei, about which province the official selection would send him to. He got the Hidden Chant lesson. At that time I had not yet understood the principle that the Day Branch represents the place of appointment. I only saw the Day's禄 (favorable position) on Wu, and therefore concluded that he would be sent to the southern province. However, the next year he was assigned to Fujian, and the territory of Fujian is associated with Chou. There was no correspondence between this and what was seen in the divination. It was only later, after I understood that the Day Branch represents the place of appointment, that I realized: the卯 (Mao) on the Day Branch was multiplied by Liu He (六合), and Liu He signifies 'gate'. Fujian is known as 'Ba Min' (Eight Gates), and the character 'Min' itself contains the character for 'gate'.

又辛丑日未將寅時，鮑石曾先生占尊人柳堂先生當升何官，予曰：“支上卯，干上午，一旬周遍格。午為禮儀，又作旬儀，上得太常，其太常寺正卿乎？”果應。

Again, on the day of Xinchou, at the hour of Yin, Master Bao Shizeng consulted about the official rank his father, Master Liu Tang, would attain. I said, "The day branch is Mao, and the day stem is Wu, forming the pattern of 'a complete cycle.' Wu represents ceremony, and also serves as the current旬's 旬仪. It is occupied by Tai Chang—perhaps he will become the chief officer of the Tai Chang Temple?" Later, it indeed came true.

占逃亡，古法以支為宅，予嘗以支為所逃之處，往往應驗。往年裡人名長六者，占子逃亡，予用李九萬法，以卯為類神，加於未，斷其逃於西南，支上午，午為街市，崖市在吾裡之西南方，命其往崖市尋之，果於崖市見。

Divination for missing persons traditionally uses the Day Branch to represent the home, but I often use the Day Branch to indicate the direction the person has fled, and this method often proves accurate. Years ago, a man named Chang Liu came to consult about his son who had run away. I used Li Jiowan's method, taking Mao as the "class god," and found that Mao was placed over Wei. I predicted he had fled southwest. I also noticed that the Day Branch was Wu, which signifies the market, and there is a market called Ya Shi located southwest of our village. I told him to look for his son in Ya Shi, and indeed he was found there.

又辛亥年除夕，廉階先生占一鄰婦因爭鬥而逃出赴水者，得庚午日昴星課，並無凶煞，河不覆井，知其未赴水矣。太陰為類神加申，尚在西南，支上未貴生太陰，未得老婦，當有老婦勸回。果逃出遇西南方之老尼，拉往尼庵一宿，元旦送回。予始悟貴人為神佛，未為華蓋，故在尼庵耳。

Again, on New Year's Eve in the Xinhai year, Lian Jie Master divined for a neighbor's woman who had quarreled with someone and ran away; her family feared she might commit suicide by drowning. The divination resulted in the Gengwu day with the昴 star lesson. There were noInauspicious Sha in the lesson, nor was there an image of 'the river does not cover the well' which signifies drowning. This indicated that she had not committed suicide by drowning. Tai Yin is the deity associated with women, and it was placed on the Shen position, still in the Southwest direction. The Wei position on the day branch had a Nobleman assisting to generate Tai Yin. The Wei position can also represent an old woman, so it was concluded that an old woman would persuade her to return. In fact, after she ran away, she met an old nun in the Southwest direction, was taken to a monastery and stayed overnight, and was returned on New Year's Day. It was then that I realized: the Nobleman can represent a deity or Buddha, and Wei is Huagai. The combination of these two signs indicated that the place would be a monastery.

又癸亥年七月，江愷堂先生占門人走失，己得寅時，己未日八專課，干支上皆太陰乘戌，初傳亥為閉口，皆是藏匿之象，不主走颺。但閉口發傳，無人肯言。太陰為老婦，又為神佛，無向僧寺尼庵中尋雲。誰知此門人是被老乳媼藏於香火櫥內，所以恐嚇先生不敢督責耳，為蒙師者難矣哉。

Again, in the Guihai year, seventh month, Mr. Jiang Kaitang divined the case of a student who had gone missing. The report was that it happened at the寅 hour. The divination result was a Jiwei day with an eight-special lesson. The day stem and day branch both had Tai Yin riding on Xu. The first transmission was亥, which was 'closed mouth'—the water of亥 was hidden, indicating silence and not speaking out. The entire lesson showed signs of concealment, not indicating the person had run away far. However, since 'closed mouth' was the initiating transmission, no one was willing to tell the truth, and no matter how much was asked, nothing could be obtained. Tai Yin, as a general, signifies an old woman and also deities and Buddhas, so I advised him to look around temples and monasteries. Unexpectedly, the student had been hidden by an old nursemaid in a shrine cabinet, intending to scare the teacher and make him stop being strict in the future. Being an启蒙 teacher is truly difficult!

又乙丑年三月二十日午時，有占妾逃亡者，得甲辰日干上午，支上申，三傳申子辰，予曰：“支上會成印局，申屬坤之為母，是必逃亡母家。”妾逃責酉與太陰，皆臨長生之地，但不入課傳，而合中犯煞，雖尋得而不能合矣。因即往稻田伊母家尋之，伊母堅雲未歸，直至酉時，母家著人來報云“已於大六望亭尋得首飾也。”

Again, on the day of Yichou in the third lunar month at the fifth hour, someone came to consult about a maid who had run away. The divination was done on the day of Jiachen: the day stem was Wu, the day branch was Shen, and the three transmissions were Shen, Zi, and Chen. I said, "The day branch forms an official seal pattern. Shen belongs to Kun, and Kun represents the mother. She must have run back to her mother's house." For a consultation about a maid running away, one should inquire about You and Tai Yin. In this divination, both of these are located in the growth position, but they are not present in the four lessons or three transmissions, and they also involve a凶煞 (auspicious and inauspicious) conflict. Therefore, although the person can be found, they cannot be reconciled. Immediately, I went to search her mother's house in the rice fields, but her mother denied that she had returned. Until the hour of You, the mother's family sent word saying, "She has already been found at Da Liuwang Pavilion, and her jewelry is also there."

又汪天賜兄占妻舅走失，戊子日申將未時，癸巳生二十一歲，行年戌作元武臨酉為西方，支貴人乘丑，在神廟內無疑。況陰神功曹又帶雷煞也。但驛馬發傳為順連珠，亦不定在一處。干上午為過馬，行年戌，初傳寅成三合，尋之可見。是人初逃往靈山天竺閣蹲一夜，次日逃於崖鎮之下廟，因而遇得之。

Another case, where Wang Tianci's brother divined the loss of his brother-in-law: On the day of Wuzi, with the hour of Shen and the time of Wei, the missing person was born in the year Guisi, aged twenty-one. His year pillar was Xu, riding on the Black Tortoise, which was located on You. You represents the west. The nobleman was on the day branch, riding on Chou. It can be concluded that he must be in a temple. Moreover, the hidden spirit Gongcao accompanied by the thunder demon further indicates the image of a temple. However, the post-horse initiating the transmission formed a consecutive chain, indicating he would not remain in one place. The day stem's Wu was 'over the horse,' and together with the year pillar Xu and the first transmission寅, they formed a triple harmony, indicating that he would be found. This person first hid in the Ling Mountain Tianzhuo Pavilion for the night, and the next day moved to the lower temple in Yatown, hence being discovered and recovered.

占家宅須分新宅舊宅，或求宅得失，或人宅吉凶，不可混同。以干為人，以支為宅，此常經也。若問新舊兩宅誰吉，則又以日上神為舊寬，支上神為新宅，故不可混同也。大概占宅吉凶，支上克干，便為不吉。鬼臨三四更凶。

When divining about a house, it is essential to distinguish whether it is a new or an old house, and whether the question is about whether the house can be obtained or about the fortune of the person living in it. Different types of questions should not be confused. Generally, the day stem represents the person, and the day branch represents the house. If the question is about which of the new or old house is more auspicious, then the heavenly stem above the day stem should represent the old house and the heavenly stem above the day branch should represent the new house. Therefore, they cannot be treated as the same. In general, when divining the auspiciousness of a house, if the heavenly stem above the day branch overcomes the day stem, it is considered inauspicious. If the official ghost falls in the third or fourth lesson, it is even more ominous.

予往年曾卜一宅可居否，得甲戌日干上丑，支上酉，鬼臨三四，畏之而不敢居，因畢法有“鬼空無畏”之說，觀亥水長生在傳，仍還居之，誰知自甲寅至癸未十年，雖財窘而人口平安，且添二丁，至甲子年亥水長生一空，予便大病，辛未年妻又大病，庚午、壬申連喪二子，癸酉又因他事耗財，皆由此十年長生即空則申酉之鬼為患也。甲戌年後方安，因長生又實耳。予既自誤，敢告同人，且以自警。

I once divined whether a house was suitable to live in, and the day was Jia Xu. The day stem was Chou, and the day branch was You. Officials and ghosts were present in the third and fourth lessons, making me afraid and unwilling to move in. Later, I saw in the "Bifa" that "if ghosts fall into Kongwang, there is no need to fear," and also noticed that the water of Hai was in the growth position within the three transmissions. Eventually, I decided to move in. However, during the ten years from Jiayin year to Guiwei year, although I was financially strained, my family remained safe and even had two sons. But when the growth of Hai water fell into Kongwang in Jiazi year, I fell seriously ill. In Xinwei year, my wife also fell ill. In Gengwu and Renshen years, two sons died consecutively. In Guiyou year, I suffered financial loss due to other matters. All these were because after those ten years, when the growth fell into Kongwang, the officials and ghosts of Shen and You took advantage of the situation to cause trouble. It was only after Jia Xu year that things stabilized again, as the growth was filled again. Since I have personally suffered these losses, I dare to share this with fellow enthusiasts, and also serve as a warning to myself.

邵彥和先生為人占求宅基，庚寅日寅將酉時，干上丑，支上未，三傳子巳戌，斷云：“大凡占求宅基，須看支辰，今支上空亡，此宅不可得而圖也。”是知有宅可指，須看支辰，及云“中傳巳乃長生，作太陰，是買得老婦人店業，便是宅基”，是知傳中既有長生，便可舍彼而圖此，善學者悟之！一切取舍趨避之道，皆可得而知矣。豈第求宅云乎哉？

Master Shao Yanhe once divined for someone seeking a place to build a house on Gengyin day, with Yin as the general and You hour: the day stem was Chou, the day branch was Wei, and the three transmissions were Zi, Si, and Xu. He interpreted: "When seeking a house, one must look at the day branch. Now the day branch falls on Kongwang, meaning this house cannot be obtained, nor can it be acquired." From this we know that whenever a specific house is involved, one must look at the day branch. He then continued: "The middle transmission Si is the Growth, and it is also accompanied by Tai Yin, which indicates buying a shop from an old woman, and that is the house that can be obtained." From this we also know that if the three transmissions show Growth, one should abandon the original house and instead seek this one. Those who are good at learning should understand this. All the principles of what to take and what to abandon, what to pursue and what to avoid, can be known from this, not only concerning the matter of seeking a house.

取舍趨避之道，莫妙於《管子神書》之總論，其首章云：“干支傳課作提綱，先審安命無所傷，事業一生經歷處，存亡隱現莫明詳。”項章云：“干祿得地守求加，略有些傷支用尋。壬到好邊方住腳，有些疑惑不堪停。”三章云：“或財或比或生身，要把無傷細酌尋。得個穩中方住腳，莫令衰敗又無存。”四章云：“先從干上作原因，次把用神配合存。初不行傳須看日，方知此事得何神。”既此四章意，又以日祿、日財、相比、長生為吉，須擇其無傷者而趨之也。

The explanation of choosing, rejecting, moving towards, and avoiding is nowhere more refined than in the general discussion of the "Spirit Book of Guanzi." Its first chapter says: "Take the day stem, day branch, three transmissions, and four lessons as the main points. First examine one's own destiny to ensure it is secure and unharmed; clearly distinguish all the places one's career will go through, as well as matters of life and death and hidden or visible things." The second chapter (the original text says "next" but is mistakenly written as "item") says: "If the day's wealth is in a favorable position, hold onto it, seek it, and add to it; if there is slight damage, then look for it in the day branch and the useful god. Only when reaching a good side can one establish a firm position; if there is any doubt, one must not stay." The third chapter says: "Whether it is wealth, a companion, or the god that supports life, one must carefully choose those that have not been harmed; only after finding a secure place can one establish a firm position, avoiding situations that are both declining and without support." The fourth chapter says: "First find the cause of the matter from the day stem, then combine it with the useful god for analysis; if the first transmission is not suitable, one must look back at the day stem to determine which god this matter falls upon." Summarizing the meaning of these four chapters, one must choose the favorable elements such as day's wealth, day's fortune, companions, and growth, and go towards those that have not been harmed.

吳稼雲先生以邵公“丙戌日子將未時為乙亥人占終身課”是全案中最得意之作，熟玩乃見其精，蓋取其斷法靈活，不專在生克處講求耳。

Master Wu Jiayun believes that Shao Yanhe's lesson on "Bingxu day and hour, replacing Wei time for Yihai year-born individuals to predict their entire life" is the most satisfying case in all divination. One must study it repeatedly to appreciate its subtlety. What he values most is the flexibility of this method, which does not rely solely on the principles of generation and overcoming.

休寧程先生精六壬，有叩求其學者，九圭云：“是全須精神。”吾嘗澄心息慮，以先天之靈，得自然之妙，其所言者，百不失一。心有所寄，而強為人斷，雖有數學詩書，終不驗矣。

Master Cheng from Xiu Ning is skilled in the Six壬 (Liuren) divination method. When someone came to seek his guidance, Cheng Jiugui said, "This discipline relies entirely on spirit. I often clear my mind, hold my breath, and eliminate all distractions, using my innate clarity to grasp the subtle workings of nature. What I say is never wrong. If my mind is preoccupied with other matters and I force myself to give a judgment, then even if I have extensive knowledge of divination and literary talent, it will never come true."

族伯吟園先生，名庭和，字用修，善六壬，嘗與眾友同舟赴鄉試，共占一課，以占諸人誰中。其吉神吉將，咸在己年命之上，先生喜曰：“惟予得解元，諸公無望也。”眾友共譏笑之，及榜發，乃中第一名副榜。此中必有元微，先生未探討耳。

My cousin uncle Yin Yuan, whose name was Ting He and courtesy name Yong Xiu, was skilled in the Six壬 system. He once traveled by boat with some friends to take the local examination, and they all cast a divination to see who among them would pass. In the divination, all the auspicious deities and generals were gathered at his own year and destiny, and the master was delighted, saying, "Only I can become the top scorer, and none of you have any hope." The friends all laughed at him. But when the results were announced, he actually came first in the supplementary list. There must be some subtle distinction in the divination that the master did not deeply explore at that time.

先生嘗卜地葬親，曰：“可發一榜。”後辛卯科其侄仲升先生果中第十九名舉人。

The master once selected a burial site for his relative and said, "This land can bring forth one who ranks among the top candidates." Later, in the Xinmao imperial examination for the county-level exam, his nephew Zhongsheng indeed ranked nineteenth as a juren.

吟園先生吾未及見，嘗聞其設賬於褒家旦，一日，東君戲問曰：“先生知今午之餚乎？”先生占曰：“是必風雞也。然公不可回，回則不驗矣。”少頃，東君託故他往，實回家省視，果是風雞。命易以烹魚，復進館。及午，僕人送烹魚至，東君笑曰：“先生課亦不驗耶？”先生曰：“硯下有紙，公可讀之。”乃“風雞變魚”數字，主賓大笑。惜乎先生不留存案，予嘗問仲升先生何以知風雞變魚，仲升先生曰：“往年得聞吾伯雲‘因課中有丁馬，故知其動而必變。’”

I was unable to meet Master Yinyuan. I heard that he once taught at the Bao family's academy. One day, the master of the house jokingly asked him, "Can you tell me what dish we will have for lunch today?" Master Yinyuan cast a divination and said, "It must be wind chicken. However, you cannot go home to check, because once you go home, it will no longer be accurate." A while later, the master of the house made an excuse to go out, actually going home to check. Indeed, it was wind chicken; he then ordered it to be changed to braised fish and returned to the academy. At noon, the servant brought the braised fish, and the master of the house laughed and said, "Master's divination is not always accurate." Master Yinyuan said, "There is a piece of paper under the inkstone; please take it and see." The paper wrote exactly the four characters "wind chicken becomes fish." The host and guest looked at each other and laughed heartily. Unfortunately, Master Yinyuan did not preserve this divination for record. I once asked Master Zhongsheng how he knew that wind chicken would turn into fish. Master Zhongsheng said, "I heard from my uncle long ago. It was because the divination had the Ding spirit and the Post-horse, so I knew something would change. Once something moves, it must change."

《畢法》有論丁神，不過金日或虎遁丁而已，及《管子神書》則觸類旁通，其法大備。然丁神不過如卦爻中之重，其吉凶仍在神將，不可不知。

In the "Bi Fa," the discussion on Ding Shen is limited to cases where it is on a metal day or when the White Tiger rides the hidden Ding; it is only in the "Guan Zi Shen Shu" that the application of Ding Shen is fully explained. However, Ding Shen is equivalent to the "Chong" line in the hexagram lines, serving as a mark of initiative and transformation. Whether it is auspicious or inauspicious still depends on the Heavenly General it rides upon, a point that must not be overlooked.

六壬變化不可方物，即無丁神入傳，其變化說非一法可定，《磨鏡藥》、《精蘊》、《前知》等書，雖關白條暢，便於初學。微嫌拘泥太甚，更失之於信筆，非徵驗之書也。

The changes of the Six壬 system have no fixed form; even without the presence of the Ding spirit in the transmission, its variations cannot be confined by any single rule. The books "Mojing Yao," "Jing Yun," and "Qianzhi," although explaining clearly and conveniently for beginners, are somewhat too rigid and tend to be written carelessly, and thus cannot be considered as works derived from actual verification.

課名多有不可解處，如四上克下為無祿是矣，而四下賊上為絕嗣，其意何居？《訂訛》則云“下克上為絕嗣，以上不容下也，四下賊上，名無祿，位居下而不敢犯上，上必奪其祿也。”此說微有委曲。官應震則云：“此二課須交互言之。總之，一則犯上，一則陵下，皆屬不利。”

There are many parts in the lesson names that do not make sense. For example, the fourth lesson, where the upper part overcomes the lower part, is called "no salary" (无禄), which makes sense; but when the lower part steals from the upper part, it is called "no descendants" (绝嗣), and it is unclear why this is so. The "订讹" explains: "When the lower part overcomes the upper part, it is called 'no descendants,' because the upper position cannot tolerate the lower position; when the fourth lesson's lower part steals from the upper part, it is called 'no salary,' because the lower position dares not offend the upper position, and the upper position will certainly take away his salary." This explanation seems somewhat convoluted. Guan Ying Zhen says: "The names of these two lessons must be explained in relation to each other. In short, one is a case of subversion from below, and the other is a case of oppression from above, both being unfavorable."

乃《磨鏡藥》、《前知書》中占六甲，以之分男女，並不言其凶，何也？《心鏡》占男女歌云：“用神克下生男子。”范蠡三更奏越君，原注引《越復經》云：“越王四月辛巳日申將子時，召范蠡占鄭妃產。蠡曰‘上勝光克下必生男。’”《袖中金》則作四月辛巳日申將子時，巳火克酉金。若用《通龜》則作丁丑日申將子時，巳火克酉金。《御定六壬直指》因之，然予查《越絕書》、《吳越春秋》，亦無此占，所謂《越復經》者，予未之見，《袖中金》則有訛錯，但《磨鏡藥》等書，又云《心鐿》有此歌句而改為“四上克下賊上”，以為更準。初不計其凶災也。

But the books "Mo Jing Yao" and "Qian Zhi Shu" use these two lessons to determine the gender of a child in divination for childbirth, without mentioning where the凶 (misfortune) lies. Why is this so? The "Xin Jing" has a song about determining gender which says, "If the useful god (用神) overcomes the lower branch, it will be a male child." Regarding the story of "Fan Li's Three O'clock Night Report to the King of Yue," the original commentary cites "Yue Jue Jing" (the original text says "Yue Fu Jing") which states: "On the fourth month, on the day of Xinsi, at the hour of Shen with the time of Zi, King Yue summoned Fan Li to divinate the childbirth of Zheng Fei. Fan Li said: The upper god overcomes the lower, and it will certainly be a male child." The "Xiu Zhong Jin" records it as the fourth month, on the day of Xinsi, at the hour of Shen with the time of Zi, with the fire of Si overcoming the metal of You. The "Yu Ding Liu Ren Zhi Zhi" follows the account of "Tong Gui." However, I have searched through both "Yue Jue Shu" and "Wu Yue Chun Qiu," and found no such divination. The so-called "Yue Jue Jing" I have never seen. As for "Xiu Zhong Jin," its own day, branch, hour, and general (将) are already incorrect, so it is not reliable. Moreover, books like "Mo Jing Yao" claim that the "Xin Jing" originally had this verse, but they altered it to "Four upper gods overcoming the lower, the lower stealing the upper," believing this to be more accurate. They completely ignore the fact that these two lessons originally indicate a凶 (misfortune).

六甲占男女法，前人皆以曲直炎上為男，從革潤下為女，予試驗以來，惟曲直為男，從革為母，確不可易，至炎上潤下則不然也。竊思前人蓋以木東火南，東南為陽方，故生男；金西水北，西北為陰方，故生女。殊不知申子辰、寅午戌、巳酉丑、亥卯未，此局也，非方也。三合局中，究以仲謀作主，則子屬坎為男，午為離為女，此炎上潤下所以不然之故歟？往年西商王潔庵翁卜妾孕得炎上，斷其生男而得女，霞表弟占妾孕得潤下，予已悟破此理，斷其生男而不斷其生女，及今晚果得男。

Methods of divining the sex of a child have traditionally used "curved and straight" (Triple Harmony Wood) and "inflaming upward" (Triple Harmony Fire) to indicate a male, and "following transformation" (Triple Harmony Metal) and "moistening downward" (Triple Harmony Water) to indicate a female. From my own trials, only "curved and straight" indicating male and "following transformation" indicating female are certain and unchangeable (the original text mistakenly wrote "mother" instead of "female"). As for "inflaming upward" and "moistening downward," they do not work in this way. I privately suspect that previous scholars probably thought that wood is located in the east and fire in the south, and that the southeast is a yang direction, so they concluded that these indicate a male. They also thought that metal is located in the west and water in the north, and that the northwest is a yin direction, so they concluded that these indicate a female. But they did not realize that the Triple Harmony "circles" such as Shen Zi Chen, Yin Wu Xu, Si You Wei, and Hai Mao Wei are not the four cardinal "directions." In the Triple Harmony circle, the central element is the main one. Therefore, in the water circle, the element of Zi belongs to Kan and indicates a male, and in the fire circle, the element of Wu belongs to Li and indicates a female. This is probably why the "inflaming upward" and "moistening downward" circles do not follow the directional indications. In the past, a merchant from Shanxi named Wang Jie'an once consulted me about a concubine's pregnancy, and the result was the "inflaming upward" circle. I predicted a male, but the child was female. Later, my cousin Xie's brother consulted me about another concubine's pregnancy, which was the "moistening downward" circle. By then I had understood this principle, and I only predicted a male, not a female. That night, the child was indeed a boy.

占失脫，須看內類神，故有支上神將而知所失之物者，此則予未嘗試驗，不敢妄言。古法又有以初傳為盜去之人者，此則有驗，亦未可盡拘。往年汪宅失一金飾，占得天后乘巳發用而剋制酉金，知其為婦人盜去。因年命上諸制巳火，斷其可得。

When divining about lost items, one must look at the "inner class god," which is the god representing the lost object itself. Therefore, some people can identify what was lost by observing the god riding on the day branch, but I have not personally tested this method, so I dare not speak without evidence. An ancient method also uses the first transmission to indicate the person who stole the item, and this has proven effective, but one should not rigidly adhere to it. In the past, a Wang family lost a piece of gold jewelry. The divination showed the Heavenly Empress riding on巳 and controlling酉 gold—the酉 is the class god for gold ornaments, and it was controlled by the巳 fire riding on the Heavenly Empress, indicating that a woman had taken it. Furthermore, since all the gods in the year and destiny could restrain the巳 fire, it was concluded that the item would be recovered.

又鮑宅失一玉猴，占得丙午日干上午，三傳申酉戌，予曰：“支加干，已出外矣。初傳申為猴，次傳酉為玉，明現此象，而入末傳之火庫戌，戌為奴作螣蛇，是奴僕盜去無疑，不必指初傳為盜也。考酉為太陽而臨申金上，干上午又制類神，必可得也。”二課俱驗。但徽州失去玉猴，次年從漢口賣貨處得之，不知何故。占失玉猴課是乙丑年三月二十一日酉將申時。

Another time, a family from the Bao clan lost a jade monkey. The divination was cast on Bingwu day: the day stem was Wu, and the three transmissions were Shen, You, and Xu. I said: "The day branch is added to the day stem, indicating that the thing has already left the house. The first transmission Shen represents a monkey, the middle transmission You represents jade, and both images are clearly present. However, they are included in the final transmission Xu, which is the fire store, and also signifies servants. Moreover, it is accompanied by Teng Snake, indicating that the servant stole it. Therefore, we should not consider the first transmission as the thief. Further examination shows that You is under the influence of the sun, and it is seated on Shen metal. The day stem Wu can control the class god, so the lost item will certainly be recovered." Both of these divinations later came true. However, the jade monkey lost in Huizhou was recovered the next year from a trading place in Hankou, and it is unclear why. The divination for the lost jade monkey was cast on the 21st day of the third lunar month in the year Yichou, with the You general and Shen hour.

指南占驗頗足效法，唯乙酉日占風水一課似有可榷。又有占官訟一課，日辰錯誤，竊意風水之占，與家宅大略相同，以課名而知其大概，以支辰為地，觀其上神與日干較生克沖合，而知其吉凶。以三傳神將知其更替之遲久速暫。以旺衰定丁財，以子孫財祿知參合，神將意義知其發何等人，看鬼殺之所臨知其支干中何命不利，果能是，是亦足矣。

The divination examples in the "Six壬 Guide" are well worth emulating. However, the one on divining风水 on Yiyou day seems questionable, and the one on legal cases has an incorrect record of the day branch. In my opinion, divining风水 is largely similar to divining the family residence. By the name of the lesson, one can get a general idea. Using the day branch to represent the land, one can judge its fortune by comparing the god riding on it with the day stem, looking at their mutual generation, overcoming, conflict, and harmony to determine good or bad fortune. By the heavenly generals riding on the three transmissions, one can know whether the effects after burial will come quickly or slowly. By the prosperity and decline of the five phases, one can judge the fortune of people and wealth. Combining the items of descendants and wealth, and considering the meaning of the heavenly general itself, one can know what kind of person this land will produce. Then by looking at where the official ghost and evil spirits fall, one can know which branch and which birth year of the family is unfavorable. If one can do these steps, it would be sufficient.

若必斷其何處山岡、何處來龍、為何龍虎、為何形象、如何山向、如何明堂、如何水法。徒然動人聽聞，畢竟依稀猜度。須知山川之形勢無定，類神之生克有學，未必一一合拍也。玉藻金英一書雖然詳細亦須節取（後有脫漏）

If one insists on determining which particular hill or ridge it is, which dragon line it comes from, what form the azure dragon and white tiger take, what overall shape it has, which direction the main hill faces, what condition the bright hall is in, and how the water flows, then it is merely a futile exercise that dazzles the listener's ears. In the end, it remains mere guesswork. One must know that the forms of mountains and rivers are ever-changing, while the principles of the interactions among the divine beings have their own systematic theory. These two aspects may not always correspond. Although the book "Juyao Jinying" discusses these matters in detail, one can only select the good and adopt the proper parts. (The original text has missing characters here, and the sentence is incomplete.)

元武，予亦常應六合。蓋六合為和合會合之象耳。往年有考驗行人一篇，皆四書集句，今已失之。占音信雖以朱雀為主，然勝光、信神、天雞皆可參看，得朱雀加於上，信到必速，加於干上反遲。凡朱雀入傳而見丁馬，朱雀三合之期必至。

The general Xuanwu often corresponds with Liu He in actual divination cases, because Liu He represents harmony and meeting, which is in harmony with the subtle connection and interaction of Xuanwu. I once wrote an article called "Testing the Traveler," which was entirely composed of sentences from the Four Books, but it has now been lost. Although the bird Alkaid (Zhu Que) is the main indicator for predicting messages, the victorious light (Wu), the messenger god (Xin Shen), and the heavenly rooster (Tian Ji) can also be considered. If Zhu Que is placed on the day branch, the message will arrive quickly; if it is placed on the day stem, the message will arrive later. Whenever Zhu Que appears in the transmission and also sees the Ding god and the post-horse, the message will definitely arrive by the triple harmony period of Zhu Que.

占疾病亦須兼看類神，若類神不現，則可照常法斷也。予昔年為人占母病，見官鬼旺而無制，以為不宜，復一月而全愈。復取課式詳云：蓋三傳官鬼生占人年命上之父母故也。因思《畢法賦》有“父母空亡，占父母病必死；占子息之病無畏。”之言，是占病要看類神，《畢法賦》已言之矣。

Divination regarding illness must also consider the class god; if the class god does not appear, then follow the usual rules for interpretation. In my early days, I once divined my mother's illness and saw the official ghost was strong and unrestrained, thinking it was not good, but a month later she recovered. Later, I re-examined the divination chart carefully and realized that the official ghost in the three transmissions exactly generated and supported the parent's hexagram in the seeker's birth year. From this, I thought of the saying in the "Bi Fa Fu" that "if the parent's hexagram falls into kongwang, predicting the illness of the parents means certain death; but predicting the illness of children does not need to be feared." This shows that when divining illness, one must consider the class god. The "Bi Fa Fu" has already said this.