Zheng Tianmin's critical notes

《大六壬心鏡》 [唐]徐道符/著[清]程樹勳/手錄

This book is titled The Mind Mirror of Great Liuren, authored by Xu Daofu of the Tang dynasty and copied by Cheng Shuxun of the Qing dynasty. Following this are the collation notes by Zheng Tianmin, the preface by Zhang Weizhen, Cheng Shuxun's own inscription, and then Xu Daofu's preface and the main text of the book.

《大六壬心鏡》八卷，唐不欲子徐道符撰，宋元迄今，壬家奉為土臬，因其擬經作歌，用之無不驗也。然世苦無全本，餘求之十餘年不可得。今年春，壬友呂君漢楓出寫本壬書十數本示余，《心鏡》其一，私心喜焉。惜轉寫訛誤甚多，適程偉堂先生過舍縱談壬術，亦以未觀《心鏡》全書為恨。自謂曾客維揚，於《通神集》集出一冊，又未知有遺漏與誤摘他文否。餘以呂君抄本質之，程君雀躍後，即以其所集本與餘校對，其本頗善，足以訂正原文。

The Mind Mirror of Great Liuren consists of eight volumes and was written by Xu Daofu, a Tang dynasty scholar who did not wish to be known by his name. From the Song and Yuan dynasties up to the present day, those who study Liuren have regarded it as the standard reference, because Xu compiled it in the form of classical texts into rhymed verses, which are used for divination without any failure. Unfortunately, the world has long suffered from the lack of a complete edition. I have searched for it for more than ten years but have not succeeded. This spring, Mr. Lü Hanfeng, who shares my interest in Liuren, showed me several hand-copied versions of Liuren texts, and The Mind Mirror was one of them. I was secretly delighted. However, this copy has been passed down through many hands and contains many errors. Fortunately, Mr. Cheng Weitang visited my humble home and discussed the art of Liuren with me. He also expressed regret that he had not seen the complete edition of The Mind Mirror. He himself said that when he was a guest in Yangzhou, he had compiled a volume from the Tongshen Ji. However, he was unsure whether there were any omissions or whether he had mistakenly included text from other books. I showed him Mr. Lü's copy, and Mr. Cheng was so pleased that he jumped up in excitement. He then compared his compiled version with mine. His version was quite accurate and sufficient to correct the errors in the copied text.

然首例起九歌，非徐君之文，又《月將起例》、《十干課起例》、《天將順逆》三歌，茲本無，未敢定為《心鏡》。又《天將旦暮起例》一歌，茲載在《雜將門》之首；又《占怪?六丁歌》是他書而誤採入；兵占一門，全未集入。程君語余依其序而復以臆裒輯。《序》未言及兵占，故遺漏誤入不免也。

The "Nine Songs" listed at the beginning of this volume are not the words of Xu Daofu. Also, the three rhymes "The Monthly General's Rules," "The Rules for the Ten Heavenly Stems," and "The Heavenly General's Ascending and Descending" are not found in the Lü version, so it is not certain that they originally belonged to the "Heart Mirror." The rhyme "The Heavenly General's Morning and Evening Rules" is placed at the beginning of the "Miscellaneous Generals" section in this book. The "Six Ding Song" on "Divination of Strange Events" is from another book and was mistakenly included. As for the section on "Military Divination," the Cheng version has completely omitted it. Mr. Cheng told me that he compiled the book according to the categories listed in Xu Daofu's "Preface," and by his own speculation. Since the "Preface" did not mention "Military Divination," it is inevitable that some items were omitted or mistakenly included.

餘對校一過程本，郇應清注與《心鏡》原本多同。余曾抄有明徐華胥子《六壬入式》一書，所引多《心鏡》之注，間採其歌訣，故知之昭然者依正之；未審者應稱郇注，附各條下，不分注；歌中其他書，足發明《心鏡者》者，如郇注例；鄙見則以“愚按”二字別之，俾不混原注也；至兵占門，則以《六壬兵機三十占》校之，並採其注，亦如郇注例；又後附《渡河涉水》等四歌，則是餘之管見。

I have checked the Cheng Ben Tong edition thoroughly and found that Xun Yingqing's annotations are mostly the same as the original text of the Xin Jing. I once copied the book Liunin Rushi by Xu Huaxu zi from the Ming dynasty, which cites many of the old annotations from the Xin Jing and also includes its verses. Therefore, whenever I could clearly determine that something belonged to the original text, I used it to correct the text; whenever I could not determine, I marked it as "Xun's annotations" and attached it below each entry, keeping it separate from the original annotations. For the verses that quoted other books and explained the meaning of the Xin Jing, I also handled them in the same way as "Xun's annotations." My own opinions are marked with "Yu An" to avoid confusion with the original annotations. As for the section on "Military Divination," I used the Liunin Bing Ji San Shiyi to check and also included its annotations, following the same format as "Xun's annotations." At the end of the book, I also added four verses: "Du He Shi Shui," which are my own shallow opinions.

按徐君擬經作歌，復以經自注於歌下，使後學易於誦記而易曉文義，故注中多稱“經云”。其卷數篇次，悉依舊觀。古書無刻本，其制如今手卷，故曰卷一、卷二，書少而卷多，若書多而卷不，恐不便於展讀也。《通志》、《浙江省書目》皆稱三卷，蓋後人約略分卷數，不足為據，書中之訛錯，十去六七，仍有者俟佼；倘呂程二君又有善本見示，則是書之福，實學者之惠也。

What should be noted is that Xu Daofu compiled a rhymed verse following the style of the classic text, and also wrote the original text as commentary beneath the verse, making it easier for later scholars to memorize and understand the meaning. Therefore, the commentary frequently uses the phrase "the classic says." The number of volumes and the order of the chapters have all been kept exactly as in the old edition, without any changes. Ancient books did not have printed editions, and their form was like today's hand scrolls, so they were referred to as Volume One, Volume Two. It was common for a book with little content to be divided into many volumes. If a book had a lot of content but few volumes, it would be inconvenient to read when unrolled. Both the "Comprehensive Annals" and the "Zhejiang Book Catalogue" state that this book consists of three volumes, which was probably a rough division by later scholars and therefore not reliable. In this edition, about six or seven tenths of the errors have been corrected, and the remaining ones will have to wait for future revisions. If Mr. Lü and Mr. Cheng have any good copies to show, it would be a blessing for this book and indeed a fortunate event for scholars.

嘉慶十九年，歲在甲戌，孟夏二十二日鄭天民校記

In the nineteenth year of the Jiaqing era, the stem-branch calendar year was Jiaxu. "Mengxia" refers to the first month of summer, which corresponds to the fourth lunar month. On the twenty-second day of this month, Zheng Tianmin wrote the collation note mentioned above.

予少喜三式之學，以六壬切於日用，尤篤好之。奈資性鈍拙拙，又未得從海內名師遊，故望洋竊嘆，數十年茫無端緒也。歲甲戌，予友筱軒張君盛稱程偉堂先生，當世隱君子，談壬式輒奇中，予俛筱軒介紹，得親豐範，先生談數，悉依事闡理，每卜一課，所見之象苟於事無所當從，不略生枝節，於切中其事之理，罔弗反覆，詳究一過，一一符合。

When I was young, I was fond of the study of the Three Systems, which are Taiyi, Qimen, and Liuren, three kinds of divination. Among these, Liuren is most closely related to daily life, so I especially cherished it. Unfortunately, due to my dull nature and the fact that I could not study under renowned masters throughout the country, I could only look on in admiration, and after decades, I remained confused and without clear understanding. In the year Jiaxu, my friend Zhang Xiaoxuan strongly recommended Mr. Cheng Weitang, saying he was a reclusive gentleman of the present age, and that whenever he spoke about Liuren, his predictions were often remarkably accurate. I then asked Xiaoxuan to introduce me, and thus had the opportunity to be close to his manner. When Mr. Cheng explained divination, he always explained the principles based on specific matters. For every divination, if the observed hexagrams did not match the question, he would never arbitrarily add irrelevant interpretations. However, wherever the divination truly matched the situation, he would thoroughly investigate and carefully examine it, and the results would always correspond perfectly.

予信先生學問之深，不能不疑先生有獨得之奇也。先生言壬式之書，詭僻之說，訖無一驗，抑或同此一門，臚列數解，亦無所取。今年春，出手錄《心鏡》見示，予受而卒業，深服先生搜索之苦心，註釋之確當，可謂度盡金針矣。因勸付之剞劂，以公同好。

I have great confidence in the depth of Cheng Xiansheng's learning, yet I cannot help but wonder if he has his own unique insights. He said that the strange and obscure statements in the Six Rats book have never been verified; even some books that list several interpretations within the same category are also not worth taking seriously. This spring, he showed me a hand-copied version of the "Heart Mirror," which I read through and deeply admired his painstaking efforts in collecting and his precise annotations. He has truly passed on the "golden needle" to others, revealing completely the secret techniques of his craft. Therefore, I advised him to publish the book for the benefit of fellow enthusiasts.

夫以先生學貫天人，令早年蜚聲藝苑，功業自必爛然。然與予南北各天，何從親質？今先生名場念絕，又久客邗江，予得時時過從，析疑問難，豈非幸耶：茲既喜《心鏡》之得窺全豹，並喜先生之相指引，似有前緣也。爰為序。

With Master Cheng's scholarship that connects heaven and humanity, if he had gained fame early in the literary world, his achievements would naturally have been brilliant. But then, he and I would have been on opposite sides of the country, and I would have had no way to personally seek his guidance. Now that Master has given up the pursuit of official rank, and has been living in the area around Hangjiang for a long time, I have been able to visit him often, discuss difficulties face to face, and seek his guidance. This is surely a fortunate circumstance. At present, I am delighted that the book "Heart Mirror" has finally revealed its full picture, and also delighted to have Master's guidance by my side. It seems there is some predestined connection here. Thus, I have written this preface.

嘉慶二十二年季春穀旦，江都後學張維楨題於石蘿山房

On a propitious day in the late spring of the 22nd year of the Jiaqing era, "Jichun" refers to the last month of spring, which is the third lunar month, and "Gudan" means a good and auspicious day. Zhang Weizhen, a young scholar from Jiangdu, inscribed this preface at the Stone Lotus Pavilion.

餘少時肄業於金華，伯兄屏山雅好六城，購得《指南》一書，而不能盡解。業師家寄巢先生因出《六壬通神集》，兩相討論，其書題曰“邵康節先生撰，堯都郇應清注。”實則《心鏡》內雜占歌訣，不知何人手錄而託名邵子焉。按鄭樵《通知》所載，有《心鏡歌》三卷，《心鏡拾遺》一卷，《六經歌》一卷，皆為徐道符撰。據《心鏡?自序》，知為詔肅宗時人，乃《唐志》又未載入，宋人凌福之稱其擬經作歌，名曰《心鏡》，乃假令諸例占法，以證三經，使人昭然易曉。

When I was young, I studied in Jinhua. My elder brother, Bingshan, had always been fond of the Six壬 system. He bought a copy of the "Six壬 Guide," but could not understand it. The teacher from the family, Jiechao, then took out the "Six壬 Comprehensive Collection," and we discussed the two books together. The book was titled "Composed by Master Shao Kangjie, Annotated by Xuyun Yingqing of Yao Capital," but in fact its content was just the miscellaneous divination verses from the "Heart Mirror," and it was unclear who had copied them and falsely attributed them to Shao Yong. Checking Zheng Qiao's "Comprehensive Records," there were three volumes of "Heart Mirror Songs," one volume of "Heart Mirror Supplements," and one volume of "Six Classics Songs," all attributed to Xu Daofu. According to the "Self-Introduction" of the "Heart Mirror," Xu was a person from the reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang dynasty, but the "Tang Book of Art and Literature" did not record him. Ling Fuzhi of the Song dynasty said that he compiled the verses in the style of classical texts, naming it the "Heart Mirror," using various hypothetical examples and methods of divination to verify the three main classics of the Six壬 system, so that people could understand it at a glance.

先是，嘉祐年間，有元軫者，為仁宗占邊事，明引《心鏡》云：“游都量相干支畏，賊勢憑凌難守持。”建炎年間，有邵彥和者，為伊妻占病，明引《心鏡》云：“受氣於秋何以決，妻在子兮夫立申。”今《心鏡》中實皆有此歌句，則書出道符當無可疑，殆書成於唐，而盛行於宋也。

Before this, during the Song Dynasty's Jia You period, there was a person named Yuan Zhen who divined for Emperor Renzong about border defense matters, clearly citing the "Heart Mirror" saying: "The ghost city measures the heavenly stems and earthly branches, fearing the enemy's strength which is hard to hold." In the Jianyan period of the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a person named Shao Yanhe who divined for his wife's illness, also clearly citing the "Heart Mirror" saying: "Receiving qi in autumn, how can it be decided? The wife is at the son, and the husband is at Shen." Now, these two lines indeed appear in the "Heart Mirror" book. Therefore, there is no doubt that this book was written by Xu Daofu. It was probably composed in the Tang Dynasty and became popular in the Song Dynasty.

曩見浙江所進書目，載有此書三卷，然則歷年雖久，全部尚未遺亡。余遊歷蘇杭，遍求肆中，渺不可得，僅於家鵬南裁定本內，見《心鏡自序》一篇及各門歌訣。然支離龐雜，難以校讐，至於《集粹》、《銀河棹》諸書，間雜載其雜占之歌，而其餘不錄。郭御青《大全》內又獨採其卦象並神將之歌，而盡棄其雜占。且豕亥魯魚，各本皆不一而足。

I once saw a list of books presented from Zhejiang to the imperial court, which recorded this book in three volumes, showing that although the era is long past, the entire work has not been lost. When I traveled in Suzhou and Hangzhou, I searched extensively in bookshops, but found no trace of it. I only saw a single chapter titled "Heart Mirror Self-Introduction" and the rhymed verses for each section in my family's edition compiled by Cheng Pengnan. Unfortunately, this edition was scattered and disordered, making it unsuitable for collation. As for books such as "Ji Cui" and "Yin He Zhao," they only included some of the miscellaneous divination rhymes from this work, omitting the rest entirely. In Guo Yüqing's "The Complete Liuren," only the rhymes discussing hexagrams and divine generals were selected, while all the miscellaneous divination content was discarded. Moreover, errors such as "shi" being mistakenly written as "hai" and "lu" as "yu," caused by similar characters, are common in many editions.

惟少時所見《能神集》歌與注，頗稱完善，當日因習舉子業，未及鈔竟而罷，後伯兄遠宦雲南，業師又歌梁木，餘則息影衡門，盤飧苜蓿。庚戌癸丑雖一再往金華，而有事繫心，未遑及此。迨乙丑初冬，重往訪於其家，始知此書久遭鼠損，不勝惋惜，猶幸往年予所抄者尚存別駕陳公寓內，乃於己巳年冬歸而往取之，然校原書不過五分之有三耳。

I had only seen the "Neng Shen Ji" when I was young, and both the song verses and annotations were quite complete. At that time, I had not copied it all because I was preparing for the imperial examination and left it unfinished. Later, my elder brother went to Yunnan for an official post, and my teacher also passed away. The term "song liang mu" refers to a story from Confucius' final song, "Would the Tai Shan mountains collapse? Would the liang mu trees break?" I myself lived in a humble alley, living on simple tea and plain food. In the years of Geng Xu and Gui Chou, although I went to Jinhua several times, I was preoccupied with other matters and had no time to pay attention to this book. It was not until the winter of Yichou year that I visited his home again and learned that the book had already been damaged by rats, which was very regrettable. Fortunately, the part I had copied earlier was still kept in the residence of the official Chen Gong. So when I returned home in the winter of Jisi year, I retrieved it. However, when I compared it with the original, only about five-sixths of it remained.

比年作客維揚，恆多暇日，嘗臚列六壬各書，互相參考，見《心鏡》措辭簡要，顯而易知，爰將各本中歌訣裒而抄之，因無原目，不能如舊編次，僅以意為先後，並歸一冊，以便誦讀，尚有遺珠，當俟補也。

In recent years, I have been living in Yangzhou, with many idle days. I once arranged various books on the Six Changes divination system and cross-referenced them. I found the "Heart Mirror" to be concise and easy to understand, so I collected and copied the rhyming verses from different versions. Since there was no original table of contents, I could not arrange them in the traditional order, so I simply arranged them according to my own understanding, compiling them into a single volume for easy recitation. There must still be some valuable texts that I have missed, which I will try to complete in the future.

嗚呼！予之重於金華訪求也，於今已八年，家居聞人有善本，輒懷餅以就抄，初不憚其寒暑也，於今或十九年，或二十三年，當其負笈從師，壎篪吹和，一簾花影，半夜書聲，則已三十五年矣。韶華不再，歲月如流，因輯此書，追思曩昔，使餘何以為情也？

Alas! I have once again visited Jinhua to seek books, and it has already been eight years since I came; when I was living in my hometown, whenever I heard that someone had a good edition, I would take some dry food and go to copy it, regardless of the cold or heat. That was already nineteen or twenty-three years ago; as for carrying a bookcase to follow my teacher for study, with brothers like the xun and chi flutes harmonizing with each other, and the days when the flowers outside the curtain cast moving shadows and there was still the sound of reading at midnight, those have now passed thirty-five years. Youth does not return, and time flows like water. Now, because I am editing this book and recalling the past, how can I bear the feelings?

嘉慶壬申正月念四日偉堂程樹勳自識

In the Renshen year of the Jiaqing era, on the 24th day of the first lunar month, "Nian Si" was the old way of writing the 24th day. Cheng Shuxun, known as Weitang, wrote this note himself.

此餘五年前裒集《心鏡而記也，今年四月，餘友鄭休功先生以所校《心鏡》全本寄予，為之捧誦數過，既喜慰予飢渴，又喜考校精詳，爰以一月之功抄畢，而仍錄此記於後者，以見予之雅慕是書匪朝夕。往年求全本而不得，未免零星補湊，蕭艾雜採，可笑人也。丙子夏五又記。

The passage above was my note written five years ago when I was compiling the "Heart Mirror." Here, the original text has a missing book title mark in the phrase "裒集《心镜而记也," resulting in some omissions; I have still copied it as it is without correction. This April, my friend Mr. Zheng Xiugong sent me his corrected version of the complete "Heart Mirror." I read through it several times, feeling both delighted that it fulfilled my long-standing desire and pleased by its meticulous and thorough editorial work. I spent a month copying it entirely. I still append the old note at the end to indicate that my admiration for this book is not a fleeting matter. In the past, unable to obtain the complete text, I had to collect fragments from various sources, gathering both good and poor materials, which I know is quite laughable. Written in the summer of the year Bingzi.

此抄固照鄭君原本，而微不同者，亦有三焉，鄭君以郇注併入式等注，匯錄於歌訣之後，不混原注，此法甚善。餘歷不便檢閱，仍分錄於各歌句之下，然恐其混原注，故以圈隔之，此其一也。

This copy is indeed based on Master Zheng's original text, but there are three slight differences. First, Master Zheng combined the annotations from "Xun's Commentary" and "Liuren Shish" with the rhyming verses, compiling them after the verses rather than mixing them with the original annotations, which is a good approach. However, it is inconvenient for me to refer to them, so I have recorded them separately beneath each verse. To avoid confusion with the original annotations, I have used circles to separate them.

鄭君原本凡出鄭君之意者，皆錄“愚按”，今歸於手錄，理合改為“鄭按”，至出餘之一知半解，則直書賤名焉，此其二也。

The second point is that in the original text of Zheng Jun, all his own interpretations were marked as ``Yu An''; now, since they have been included in my hand-written version, by reason they should be changed to ``Zheng An'' in order to distinguish them. As for my own partial understanding, I will directly write my name and mark it as ``Weitan An''.

行人一門，郇注與入式皆失歌中本旨，今餘引《龍首經》注之，似較二書為確。兵占一門，余昔未集，今鄭君以《兵機三十占》校之，並採其注予又兼採刊本中《百鍊金》之注，其《不可用日章》照刊本大全增入四句，此其三也。

The third section, concerning 'travelers', the annotations by Xun and the Liuren Entry Style have not grasped the true meaning of the verse. Now I have adopted the annotations from the Longshou Classic, which seem more accurate than those two. As for the section on military divination, I had not previously collected it. Now Zheng has used the thirty military divinations from the Liuren Military Strategy and corrected them, incorporating their annotations. I have also included annotations from the printed edition of the Bailian Jin. In the section 'On Days Not Suitable for Use', four lines have been added according to the printed edition of the Complete Liuren.

往年聞得某公有《心鏡》一書，註釋最為淵博，從其借觀而竟不可，作廢既得此本，可以無求於彼矣，某公之與鄭君吝不吝何如也？六月初三又書。

Last year I heard that a certain gentleman had a copy of the "Heart Mirror," whose annotations were most profound. I tried to borrow it but he refused repeatedly, so I had to give up. Now that I have obtained this version from Master Zheng, I no longer need to rely on him. Comparing this gentleman with Master Zheng, one is stingy and the other is generous. Which one is superior? Recorded again on the third day of the sixth lunar month.

昔軒轅黃帝，元女降斯神式，往授三篇，既獲之，藏之於金櫃計二卷，後賢鷺起，穿鑿著述漸多。如《靈轄》、《神樞》、《連珠式》、《花瓶記》、《元女青華》、《璧玉》、《龍首》、《金匱》、《雕科》，殊途同歸，術繁難究。

In the time of the Yellow Emperor, the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven descended and transmitted this marvelous system of methods in one single session, imparting three chapters. After obtaining it, the Yellow Emperor stored it in the Golden Chest, making a total of two scrolls. Later, as virtuous persons emerged, they each interpreted and elaborated upon it, leading to an increasing number of writings. Works such as The Lingxia, The Shenshu, The Lianzhu Shi, The Huaping Ji, The Yuannü Qinghua, The Biyu, The Longshou, The Jin Gui, and The Diao Ke appeared. Although their principles may differ, they all ultimately converge, yet their methods are complex and intricate, making them difficult to fully comprehend.

予不揣固陋，遍求眾賢奧旨，編次雜占，刪定文理，計備格一百八十一篇，分為八卷，排門定類，條節昭然。若能明此於心，射彼吉凶如鏡，故以“心鏡”為號，將閱同人耳。

I have no measure of my own limitations and have widely consulted the profound teachings of various sages. I have reorganized and arranged various miscellaneous divination texts, edited and refined their sentences and meanings, compiling a total of one hundred eighty-one patterns, divided into eight volumes. They are arranged by categories and defined by types, with clear headings and sections. If one can fully understand these principles, then predicting good or bad fortune would be as clear as seeing in a mirror. Therefore, I have taken the term "Heart Mirror" as the title of this book, intending it for fellow practitioners to refer to.

大唐者符歲首，不欲子東海徐元道符自序

The Tang Dynasty's year of Fu Nian began in the first month, and it was not desired for the son of the Eastern Sea, Xu Yuandao, to compose this preface. "Fu Nian" is the era name, and "sui shou" refers to the beginning of the year, which is the first month.

鄭按：原本道符上有元字，疑是道符之名，道符或其字歟？然才諸書，無稱徐元者，即《神定》所引亦稱道符，茲未敢刪，存之以俟博覽之君子定焉。

Zheng Tianmin notes: Originally, there was a character "Yuan" above the two characters "Dao Fu," and he suspects that "Yuan" might be his given name, while "Dao Fu" could be his courtesy name. However, after checking various sources, there is no record of him being called "Xu Yuan." Even the cited text in the "Shen Ding Jing" refers to him as "Dao Fu." Therefore, I dare not arbitrarily delete the character "Yuan," and I will temporarily retain it, awaiting judgment from learned and knowledgeable scholars.

偉堂按：程鵬南裁定本，明題者元，此呂君漢楓所得之本則題者符，一為肅宗年號，一為僖宗年號，相距一百十六年參，乃浙江所進之本又云宋徐疲乏符撰，殆傳抄之誤歟？

Cheng Weitan remarked: Cheng Pengnan's judgment record clearly states the year as "Zeyuan", but the copy obtained by Lü Hanfeng先生 is marked as "Zefu" year. The former is the era name of Emperor Suzong of the Tang dynasty, while the latter is the era name of Emperor Xizong of the Tang dynasty, with a gap of 116 years between them. The version presented from Zhejiang states that this book was written by Xu Daofu of the Song dynasty. In this text, the original says "Song Xu Pi fa Fu zhuàn", which contains an error; "Pi fa" should be a mistake for "Dao". The text is copied as is without correction. These discrepancies are probably caused by errors from copying over generations.

四課之中一克下，便是初傳立用神經云：“比言者，又謂之神次也。”鄭按：注“經云”，不知出何經，今仍之下注，無此二字，亦不補。

After arranging the four lessons, if only one lesson has the upper god overcoming the lower god, then take this upper god as the 'first transmission', which is also the 'useful god' of the entire lesson. In the Six Rats system, this is called 'initiating transmission'. The verse below says: 'The one that follows is also called the god in sequence.' Zheng Tianmin notes: The text referred to as 'the classic says' in the annotation is unknown to be from which specific classic; nowadays it is still recorded as is. Any original annotations that do not contain the words 'the classic says' are not supplemented with them.

上下相參而克賊鄭按：六壬之式作克下，又逢賊上至，取其賊上作初因經云：“上克下名曰克下，克上名曰賊。”獨有一上克下，便是用神。如又有下賊，即無取上克，便取下賊上為用也。“下克上名曰賊”六字，偉堂據《神樞經》補。鄭按：因者，因安裝本位上神為中傳，因中本位上神為末傳。

Again, compare the upper deities (上神) and lower deities (下神) of the four lessons (四课) to see if there is any "clash" (克) or "stealing" (贼). Zheng Tianmin notes: In the system of Liuren (六壬), when the upper deity clashes with the lower deity, it is written as "clash below" (克下); if at the same time the lower deity also clashes with the upper deity, then the deity that steals the upper deity from the heaven plate (天盘) is taken as the initial transmission (初传). The verse below quotes the classic text: "When the upper deity clashes with the lower deity, it is called 'clash below'; when the lower deity clashes with the upper deity, it is called 'stealing above' (贼)." Among the four lessons, there is only one instance of the upper deity clashing with the lower deity, and that upper deity is the useful deity (用神); if there is another instance of the lower deity stealing from the upper deity, then we do not take the upper deity clashing with the lower deity, but instead take the deity that steals from the upper deity as the initiating transmission (发用). The six characters "下克上名曰贼" were added by Cheng Weitang based on the Shenshu Jing (神枢经). Zheng Tianmin further notes: The term "因" refers to following the heaven plate deity of the initial transmission's position to take as the middle transmission (中传), and then following the heaven plate deity of the middle transmission's position to take as the final transmission (末传). In the original text, it reads "因安装本位上神," but the words "安装" do not make sense in the context, and are likely a transmission error. The text is recorded as is without correction.

二三或四交相剋經云：“或有二上、三上、四上克下者，或有二下、三下、四下賊上者，或二上克下，或二下賊上，三上克下，或三下賊上者，皆取今日比者為用。”，擇其比者作均分經云：“擇其今日比者，陽日以陽神為比，陰日以陰神為比。集之以類兮繫之以均。”。常將天日比神用，陽日用陽陰同陰此二句鄭據二式補入。

If there are two, three, or even four instances of mutual control among the four lessons, one cannot simply determine the useful god based on "mutual control." The commentary states: "When there are two upper gods controlling the lower ones, three upper gods controlling the lower ones, or four upper gods controlling the lower ones; there are also cases where two lower gods control the upper ones, three lower gods control the upper ones, or four lower gods control the upper ones. In all such cases, one should select the god that is of the same type as the day stem to serve as the useful god." The phrase "choose the one that matches the day stem for equal distribution" is explained as: "Identify the god that is of the same type as the current day stem. On a yang day, use the yang god as the matching one; on a yin day, use the yin god as the matching one. Group them by type and assign them accordingly." In summary, the usual practice is to select the god from the heaven plate that matches the day stem for use: on a yang day, use the yang god; on a yin day, use the yin god. The last two sentences were added by Zheng Tianmin based on two versions of the "Six Rats Entry."

或有俱比俱不比經云：“今日有二陰神俱比俱不比，又有二陽神俱比俱不比。”，涉害最深為用始經：“以其受克、克害日最深者用之。”。有時涉害比相似，剛看日上柔支起經：“涉害復等，剛日以日上，柔日以辰上為用。”。從此即便是三傳，學者求之須達理。

Sometimes several useful gods have the same relationship with the day stem, either both being similar or both not similar, making it impossible to determine the "useful god" clearly. The commentary below cites the classic text: "If there are two yin gods that are both similar or both not similar, or two yang gods that are both similar or both not similar, on the same day, then the 'involved harm' method should be used instead. Take the one that has been harmed the most in relation to the current day as the initiating transmission. The text says: 'Take the god that has been harmed the most on the current day as the useful god.' If the depth of harm is equal among the involved ones, then on a yang day, look at the god above the day stem, and on a yin day, look at the god above the day branch. The text says: 'If the depth of harm is again equal, on a yang day, use the god above the day stem, and on a yin day, use the god above the day branch.' Once the useful god is determined, the middle and final transmissions can be derived in sequence, forming the three transmissions. Scholars studying this method of selection must truly understand its principles, rather than memorizing it mechanically.

陰陽上下無相剋一作“四課之中”，其中擇取遙相賊。賊日之神為用神，棄日之克切須知經云：“四課一神賊今日干，今日干復克四課一神，即取賊今日之神為用，被今日所克之神勿用也”。

If the yin and yang of the four lessons do not clash with each other, this passage originally reads 'among the four lessons,' then one should select the 'remote ruler' from within the lesson. Any god that is in a position apart from the day stem and controls it is called 'thief,' and this god is taken as the useful god. The god that is controlled by the day stem should be discarded. This point must be clearly remembered. The commentary below cites the classic text saying: 'If among the four lessons there is one god that is in a remote position and controls the day stem, and the day stem also controls another god in a remote position within the four lessons, then the god that controls the day stem is taken as the initiating transmission, and the god controlled by the day stem is not used.'

如無克賊於今日，被日克神方用之經云：“四課中無神克今日，好取今日遙克之神為用也”。或有日克於兩神，復有兩神來賊日經云：“日遙克神名克，神遙剋日名賊”。看其比者用為良比與不比者，依前篇，依此課之情不失。

If among the four lessons there is no god that can overcome the day stem, then we take the god that is remotely overcome by the day stem as the useful god. The classic says: "If there is no god in the four lessons that overcomes the day stem, take the god that is remotely overcome by the day stem as the useful god." If the day stem remotely overcomes two gods, or if two gods remotely overcome the day stem, the classic says: "When the day stem remotely overcomes another god, it is called 'overcoming'; when another god remotely overcomes the day stem, it is called 'stealing.'" In such cases, we still return to the method of "comparison," taking the one that is of the same type as the day stem for comparison. The distinction between comparison and non-comparison is based on the previous section on "comparison." By following this reasoning, the meaning of this lesson will not be mistaken.

四課又無遙相剋，當須仰觀伏昴星。剛看酉上為初用，柔視從魁何處停經云：“剛日仰視酉上神為用，柔日年從魁所臨神為用”。假若從魁臨亥地，用神當即是登明。中末乃附日辰上，剛日先辰後日雲經云：“剛日以辰上神為中傳，日上神為末傳”。柔日先日後辰上經云：“柔日以日上神為中傳，辰上神為末傳”，虎視如何不免驚？

Among the four lessons, if there is no remote control, one should look up to the hidden "昴星" (Hairy Head mansion), which corresponds to the Earthly Branch "You" (酉) in the Six Rens system. On a yang day, look at the Heaven Plate's You position and take the deity there as the first transmission; on a yin day, look at "Congkui" (from the Heaven Plate's You deity) and see which Earthly Branch it falls on, taking that branch as the first transmission. The classic text says: "On a yang day, look up at the deity above You to use it; on a yin day, take the deity that Congkui is resting upon as the useful god." If Congkui falls on the亥 position, the useful god is "Dengming" (登明)亥. The middle and final transmissions are taken from the Heaven Plate deities above the Day Stem and Day Branch. On a yang day, first take the deity above the辰 position, then the deity above the Day Stem. The classic text says: "On a yang day, take the deity above the辰 as the middle transmission and the deity above the Day Stem as the final transmission." On a yin day, first take the deity above the Day Stem, then the deity above the辰. The classic text says: "On a yin day, take the deity above the Day Stem as the middle transmission and the deity above the辰 as the final transmission." This lesson is also called "Hǔshì" (虎视), symbolizing the White Tiger looking up with its head, which is why divining this is so alarming.

四課不全三課備日辰上下只有三課，無克無遙別責例。剛日干合為初用剛日干合為用，柔日支辰三合位柔日支三合為用。皆以天上作初傳干支合處神為用，陰陽中末干中寄中末二傳皆在日上也。剛三柔六共九課辛丑、辛未各有兩課，丙辰、戊午、戊辰、丁酉、辛酉各有一課，此課先賢俱總秘。

If the four lessons are incomplete and only three can be formed, the annotation states that the day stem and day branch combined only make up three lessons, and there is neither mutual control between upper and lower nor remote control. This situation is classified as "Bie Ze." On a yang day, the heavenly stem that forms the five harmony with the day stem is used as the initiating transmission. The annotation says that on an odd day, the heavenly stem that harmonizes with the day stem is used. On a yin day, the heavenly stem that forms the triple harmony with the day branch is used as the initiating transmission. The annotation says that on an even day, the heavenly stem that harmonizes with the day branch is used. The method is to look at the heaven plate: find the heavenly stem that harmonizes with the day stem or forms a triple harmony with the day branch, and take the heavenly stem above it as the first transmission. The middle and final transmissions are all assigned to the heavenly stem above the day stem's lodging palace. The annotation says that the middle and final transmissions are both on the day stem. This type of lesson has three forms on yang days and six forms on yin days, making a total of nine lessons: Xin Chou and Xin Wei each have two lessons, Bing Chen, Wu Wu, Wu Chen, Ding You, and Xin You each have one lesson. The secret of this lesson has always been kept confidential by the ancients.

陽日例：假令八月戊午日卯時，戊課在巳，勝光加巳為日之陽神，第一課火土無克；小吉加午為日之陰神，第二課土火無克；小吉加午為辰之陽神，第三課土火無克；傳送加未為辰之陰神，第四課金土無克。四課不備，上下無克，又無遙克、遙相賊，以日干合為用。戊與癸合，癸課在丑，丑上功曹為初傳，中末歸於日上，是寅午午為三傳。

First consider an example on a yang day. Suppose a class on the day of Wuwu in the eighth month at the hour of Mao: The lodging palace of Wu is Si. The heaven plate 'Shengguang' (Wu) is placed on Wu and overlaid on the earth plate Si, becoming the yang spirit of the day stem. This is the first lesson, where Wu fire generates Si earth without mutual control. The heaven plate 'Xiaoji' (Wei) is placed on Wei and overlaid on Wu, becoming the yin spirit of the day stem. This is the second lesson, where Wei earth does not mutually control Wu fire. Xiaoji Wei on Wu also serves as the yang spirit of the day branch. This is the third lesson, again without mutual control. The heaven plate 'Chuansong' (Shen) is placed on Shen and overlaid on Wei, becoming the yin spirit of the day branch. This is the fourth lesson, where Shen metal does not mutually control Wei earth. The four lessons are not complete, and there is no mutual control above or below, nor any remote control or remote thief. Therefore, the initiating transmission is taken from the five harmony of the day stem. Wu and Gui harmonize, and Gui's lodging palace is Chou. The heaven plate spirit on Chou is 'Gongcao' (Yin), so Yin is taken as the initial transmission. The middle and final transmissions both return to the heaven plate spirit of the day stem, resulting in the three transmissions being Yin, Wu, and Wu.

陰日例：假令正月辛丑日申將，辛課在戌，大吉加戌為日上陽神第一課土金無克；天罡加丑為日之陰神第二課，土土無克；辰之陽神第三課同，；小吉加辰為辰之陰神第四課，土土無克，四課不備，上下無克，又無遙克賊，當取日支三合，巳丑為支合，太乙加寅為初傳，中末歸於日上，即巳丑丑為三傳矣。

Now consider an example of a yin day. Suppose the first month uses the Shen general, and the lesson is started on the Xinchou day: the lodgment palace of Xin is in Xu. The heaven plate 'Daji' (Chou) is placed on the earth plate Xu, becoming the yang spirit on the day stem, which is the first lesson. The earth plate Xu is generated by the earth plate Chou, and there is no mutual control. The heaven plate 'Tiangang' (Chen) is placed on the earth plate Chou, becoming the yin spirit on the day stem, which is the second lesson. The earth plate Chen is of the same type as the earth plate Chou, and there is no mutual control. The yang spirit of the day branch is the third lesson, which is the same as the second lesson. The heaven plate 'Xiaoji' (Wei) is placed on the earth plate Chen, becoming the yin spirit of the day branch, which is the fourth lesson. The earth plate Chen is generated by the earth plate Wei, and there is no mutual control. Since the four lessons are not complete, there is no mutual control above or below, and no remote control or remote thief, then we take the triple harmony of the day branch to initiate the transmission. Chou and Si belong to the same triple harmony of the Si-You-Chou metal trinity, so it is said 'Si and Chou are branch harmonies'. The heaven plate Si on the earth plate Si is placed on the earth plate Yin, taking it as the initial transmission. The middle and final transmissions both return to the spirit on the day stem, so Si, Chou, and Chou form the three transmissions of this lesson.

伏吟之卦見相剋，便以克處為用神。或視課中無克者，剛看日上柔取辰經云：“剛日日 上神為用，柔日辰上神為用”。迤邐刑之作中末，合肥市此《玉曆識其真》四經云：“先刑後沖為傳。《格合》、《玉曆》並迤邐相刑”。若也用神當自刑，次傳還與日辰並。次傳刑取將為末，如此課之佔有靈。次傳更復自刑者，從此沖取末為真。

"Hidden Chant" is a type of divination lesson where the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate are completely overlapping, with the twelve gods returning to their original positions. If a "Hidden Chant" lesson is cast and there is a mutual control among the four lessons, then the mutual control should be used as the initiating transmission. If there is no mutual control in the lesson, then on a yang day, the god above the day stem is used, and on a yin day, the god above the day branch is used. The classic text says: "On a yang day, the god above the day stem is used; on a yin day, the god above the hour stem is used." The middle transmission and final transmission are derived in sequence according to the order of the branch mutual punishments. The original text here reads "Hefei City this 'Yulì Zhí Qí Zhēn' four," but the text is corrupted and the words "Hefei City" do not fit the meaning, so it is recorded as is without correction. The classic text says: "First take mutual punishment, then take opposition, as the sequence for transmission; both 'Gehe' and 'Yulì' schools advocate mutual punishment in sequence." If the initiating transmission god happens to be a self-punishing branch, then the middle transmission should be changed to take the god above the day stem or the day branch; then take the branch punished by the middle transmission as the final transmission, so the divination becomes effective. If the middle transmission is also a self-punishing branch, then the final transmission should be taken according to the opposition relationship, only then is it considered accurate.

且如乙丑日天罡經云：“乙丑日用天罡加乙，下賊上為用。天罡神自刑，緣在日上，即不得言。陰值自刑，以辰上為初傳，所以卻來辰上將大吉為次傳，丑刑戌，河魁為末傳。”，天罡自刑將比方故舉此日比方其類。因何大吉將為次，刑取天魁為末場舉問。乙木為緣下賊上，所以次傳居丑鄉。餘即自刑陰日早，陽日次傳辰上張此問答解在前篇。

For example, on an Yichou day with a hidden chant, the initiating transmission is the Tiangang (Chen). The classic text says: "On Yichou day, the Tiangang (Chen) is placed on the lodging palace of Yi, which is used as the transmission, and this is considered a case of lower element attacking upper element. The Tiangang (Chen) itself is a self-punishing branch, because it falls on the day stem, it cannot be treated according to the usual rule; when a yin day encounters self-punishment, the initial transmission is taken from the heavenly stem above the day branch, so the middle transmission falls on the position of Chou with the Daji (Chou). Then from Chou, it is punished to Xu, and the final transmission is taken as Hekui (Xu). "On Yichou day, this case of Tiangang self-punishment is used as an example to help people understand similar cases. Someone may ask: why is the middle transmission taken as Daji (Chou), and the final transmission punished to Hekui (Xu)? The answer is: Yi belongs to wood and is attacked by the earth below, forming a case of lower element attacking upper element, so the middle transmission falls on the position of Chou. For other examples, on yin days when self-punishment occurs, the initial transmission is taken from the heavenly stem above the day branch, while on yang days, the middle transmission is placed on the heavenly stem above the day branch. The reasoning behind this question and answer has already been explained in the previous section."

返吟課得有相剋，比與涉害為用之。次傳還與初神對，末將卻來初上居言來去相沖，末傳在初上。來去相沖初共末，此卦通靈決不虛。假令辛巳遇返吟，太乙加亥作初傳。沖著登明為次將，末處還沖太乙言經云：“先刑後沖以為末，不言來去相沖。但以《玉曆》言。”。

"Return Echo" is a type of divination lesson where, after the month general is added to the time, the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate are in constant opposition throughout. If there is mutual control in such a lesson, the Useful God is still determined using the methods of "Comparison" and "Involvement of Harm." The Middle Transmission is taken as the one that opposes the First Transmission, and the Final Transmission returns to the position of the First Transmission. The commentary explains that this means coming and going in opposition, with the Final Transmission falling back onto the position of the First Transmission. The First and Final Transmissions oppose each other, and this lesson is extremely responsive and never false. For example, on a Xinsi day encountering a Return Echo, "Taiyi" (the Great One) is placed at Hai, taking Si as the First Transmission; the one opposing Si is "Dengming" (Dawn Brightness) at Hai, which becomes the Middle Transmission; the Final Transmission then returns to oppose Taiyi again at Si. The commentary cites a classic text saying: "First take punishment, then take opposition for the Final Transmission, and does not discuss coming and going in opposition; only the 'Jade Calendar' explains it this way."

返吟何課無相剋？惟有陰柔六個神。六個陰柔何日是？丑未配於丁己辛丁丑、丁未、己丑、己未、辛丑、辛未，此六日也。。須以辰沖井欄射，受敵上頭為用真丑日沖巳，未日沖亥。立用對沖作傳將立用神對沖，亦如上對沖法，傳將所刑為末神終是刑也。

In a return repetition divination, which of the types do not involve mutual control? Only six yin days. These six yin days are which ones? They are the two earthly branches Chou and Wei combined with the three heavenly stems Ding, Ji, and Xin, that is, Dingchou, Dingwei, Jichou, Jiwei, Xinchou, and Xinwei. On these six days, the day branch is used to冲 the position of 'well frame'. The god that is being冲 is taken, and the heavenly stem above it is used as the true useful god. The annotation says that on Chou day, it冲s Si, and on Wei day, it冲s Hai. Once the useful god is established, the middle transmission takes the one that is in mutual control with it. The annotation says that this method of taking the transmission is the same as the one mentioned earlier. The final transmission takes the branch that is刑 by the middle transmission. In the end, it still comes down to刑.