The Improved and Revised Book of Divination, authored by the Wild Crane Elder

野鶴曰：卜易之道，乃伏羲、文王、周公、孔子四大聖人之心法也。得其精者可以參天量地；粗知其理亦可趨吉避凶。凡學卜者可以深求，亦可淺學。淺學者只要先學裝卦，知道動變及卦之六沖、卦變六沖，看熟《用神章》中占何人、占何事以何爻為用神；再看何為旬空、月破及春夏秋冬四時衰旺、生克沖刑，即知決斷禍福。

The Wild Crane Elder said: The art of divination through the Book of Changes was passed down by the four sages Fuxi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius. Those who understand its subtle aspects can assist in harmonizing heaven and earth and measure all things. Even those who only grasp its basic principles can avoid misfortune and seek good fortune. Therefore, those who study divination may pursue it deeply or simply learn it at a basic level. Those who learn it superficially should first learn how to "set up the hexagram," that is, to assign the World Line, the Response Line, the earthly branches, and the Six Relations to the six lines of the hexagram. Then they should understand what "movement" and "transformation" mean, which hexagrams are "Six Clashes Hexagrams," and which become Six Clashes after movement and transformation. Next, they should thoroughly study this book's "Chapter on Useful Gods" and know which line to take as the "Useful God" when divining about a person or an event. Further, they should understand what "decade emptiness" and "month break" mean, as well as the strength and decline of the Five Phases in the four seasons, and the relationships of generation, overcoming, conflict, and punishment. Once they reach this level, they will already be able to judge fortune and misfortune.

假令占功名者得旺官持世，或動爻作官星生合世爻，求名如拾芥耳。倘遇子孫持世，或子孫動於卦中，不拘占入場占升遷悉如水中撈月。占求財若得財星持世，或日月動爻作子孫生合世爻，或官鬼持世財動生之，或父母持世財動克之世，皆許求財之易如摘枝耳。若遇兄弟持世及兄弟爻動於卦中，或世臨旬空月破，何異緣木求魚。

For example, when divining about official rank, if the official ghost line is prosperous and strong and is located on the world line, this is called 'prosperous official holding the world line'; or if a moving line in the hexagram transforms into an official star to generate and harmonize with the world line, then seeking official rank is as easy as bending down to pick up a blade of grass. Conversely, if the children line is on the world line, or if the children line is active in the hexagram—the children are the spirits that overcome the official ghost—then whether divining about entering an examination or seeking an official promotion, it is like trying to catch a moon in water, a complete waste of effort. When divining about wealth, if the wife and wealth line is on the world line, or if the day branch, month builder, or a moving line transforms into the children line to generate and harmonize with the world line (since children can generate wealth), or if the official ghost holds the world line and the wealth line is active to generate the official ghost, or if the parents hold the world line and the wealth line is active to overcome the world line, these situations all indicate that seeking wealth is easy, like reaching out to pluck a branch. However, if the siblings line is on the world line, or if the siblings line is active in the hexagram—the siblings are the spirits that seize wealth—or if the world line is exactly in 'shen kong' or 'month breaker', then seeking wealth is like trying to catch fish from a tree, with absolutely no hope.

如占一年月令現任官者，宜官星持世，財動生之，皆許吉慶。若遇官鬼相剋，日月動爻作子孫沖剋世爻，或作官鬼沖剋世爻，或世空世、官破官空，或世動化回頭克及子孫持世皆為凶兆。士民而占流年者，最喜財爻及子孫爻持世，管許一歲亨通。若遇官鬼持世，得日月動爻作財星生合世爻者，必見災非。倘世破世空及鬼動克世多見凶災。兄動克世，口舌破財。

If divining the annual fortune of a current official, it is best for the official star to be on the world line, and for the wealth line to move and generate the official star. These signs indicate a prosperous year. If the official ghost reverses to control the world line, or if the day branch, month builder, or moving line transforms into the children line to clash and control the world line, or transforms into the official ghost to clash and control the world line, or if the world line is empty, or the official star meets destruction and emptiness, or if the world line moves and transforms into a line that controls itself, or if the children line is on the world line—this is most unfavorable for a current official, as the children line controls the official—these are all ominous signs. For common people divining their annual fortune, they prefer the wealth line or the children line to be on the world line, ensuring a smooth year. If the official ghost is on the world line, and the day branch, month builder, or moving line transforms into the wealth line to generate and harmonize with the world line, then wealth generates the ghost, and the ghost harms the body, disaster and legal troubles are certain. If the world line meets destruction and emptiness, or if the official ghost moves to control the world line, there is likely to be danger and misfortune. If the siblings line moves to control the world line, it indicates disputes and financial loss.

以上官府士民占流年者，合世之月則吉，沖世之月則凶。皆不宜世爻變鬼及化回頭之克定見凶危。又不宜財動化父，父化財爻，鬼化父母必有長上之災。弟兄變鬼，鬼變弟兄，防手足之厄。財化鬼，鬼化財，財化兄，兄化財，主傷克妻妾婢僕。子化鬼，鬼化子，父化子，子化父，小口有傷。青龍天喜持世生世而有喜。虎鬼發動主孝服。騰蛇朱雀臨兄，鬼動而克世者，須防口舌。玄武臨兄，鬼動而克世者，防賊盜及陰人。

If officials and common people divinate the current year, any month that harmonizes with the world line is auspicious, while any month that conflicts with the world line is inauspicious. It is generally not advisable for the world line to produce an official ghost, nor should the transformed爻 turn back to harm the world line; encountering these two situations indicates danger. Also, it is not advisable for the wealth爻 to produce parents, for parents to produce wealth, or for official ghosts to produce parents; these situations indicate misfortune for the family elders. If the siblings爻 produces an official ghost or an official ghost produces siblings, one should be cautious of troubles among close relatives. If the wealth爻 produces an official ghost, an official ghost produces wealth, the wealth爻 produces siblings, or siblings produce wealth, it indicates harm to the wife, concubine, and servants. If the children爻 produces an official ghost, an official ghost produces children, parents produce children, or children produce parents, it indicates injury to the family's children. When the Azure Dragon or Heavenly Joy is present on or generates the world line, there will be good fortune. If the White Tiger is present on the official ghost and activates, there will be mourning and funerals in the family. If theTeng Snake or Vermilion Bird is present on the siblings爻, and the official ghost activates to harm the world line, one should be cautious of disputes and litigation. If the Black Tortoise is present on the siblings爻, and the official ghost activates to harm the world line, one should be cautious of theft and also of private matters involving women.

如占避訟防非、仇人為害及行江漂海、深入險地旅店孤眠，窮鄉僻壤，投寺宿廟，或營中貿易，錯買盜物，或見鄰家火起，或聞瘟疫流行，防虎狼，防盜寇，或夜行早起，或險偷關，或已入是非之場，心憂禍患，或欲管閒事，恐惹災非，或人病家以防沾染，或誤服毒物恐致傷生，或已定重罪而盼郝，或已得險病病而防危，或問此物此藥可以服否，或問歹人烈馬傷害我否，凡遇一切防火慮患者，但得子孫持世及子孫動於卦中，或世動變出子孫，或世動化回頭相生，或官鬼動以相生，即使身坐虎口，管許安如泰山，唯忌官鬼持世，憂疑不解。鬼克世災禍必侵。世動化鬼及化回頭克者，禍已及身，避之不及，唯世爻空者無憂，世爻破者不利。

For example, this type of divination involves questions about avoiding lawsuits, preventing trouble, guarding against harm from enemies; crossing rivers or sailing the sea, entering dangerous places; staying alone in a roadside inn; being in a remote and desolate area; staying overnight in a temple; doing business in a military camp; buying stolen goods by mistake; seeing a neighbor's house on fire; hearing about an epidemic spreading; being cautious of tigers, wolves, thieves, and bandits; traveling at night or leaving early in the morning;冒险偷越关卡; already involved in a dispute and worried about misfortune; wanting to meddle but fearing trouble; visiting a sick person's home and fearing infection; mistakenly taking poison and fearing death; having been sentenced to a serious crime and hoping for pardon; having a dangerous illness and fearing danger; asking whether a certain object or medicine can be taken; asking whether a dangerous person or a fierce horse will harm oneself. All such questions concerning prevention of disaster and careful consideration of danger, if in the hexagram the 'Children' line is on the 'World Line', or if the 'Children' line is active within the hexagram, or if the 'World Line' becomes the 'Children' line through change, or if the 'World Line' becomes active and the changing line supports the 'World Line', or if the 'Official Ghost' line becomes active and then supports the 'World Line', then even if a person is sitting on the edge of a tiger's mouth, he will be as safe as Mount Tai. The only thing to be cautious about is when the 'Official Ghost' line is on the 'World Line', which indicates an unresolved worry. If the 'Official Ghost' line overcomes the 'World Line', disaster will certainly come to oneself. If the 'World Line' becomes active and turns into the 'Official Ghost' line, or if the changing line overcomes the 'World Line', it means that disaster has already come to oneself and there is no way to escape. Only when the 'World Line' falls into 'Ten Empty' can one be free from worry, because emptiness means it is not currently being overcome; if the 'World Line' meets 'Month Breaker', it will eventually be unfavorable.

占病者如自占病，若得世爻旺相或日月動爻生合世爻，或子孫持世，或子孫動於卦中，不拘久病近病，或求神或服藥，立保安康。近病者世值旬空或世動化空，或卦逢六沖及卦變六沖，不須服藥，即許安痊。久病者官鬼持世，遇休囚，或遇日月動爻克世，或值旬空月破，世動化空化破或卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，或世動化鬼及化回頭克者，速宜救治，遲者扁鵲難醫。

Divination for illness. First, one should divinate their own illness. If the World Line is prosperous and strong, or if the Day Branch, Month Builder, or a moving line supports and harmonizes with the World Line, or if the Children line is on the World Line, or if the Children line in the hexagram moves, then regardless of whether the illness is old or new, seeking divine help or taking medicine will ensure immediate safety. For a newly acquired illness, if the World Line is in the "ten-day void," or if the World Line moves and the resulting line falls into the void, or if the original hexagram is a "six clashes" hexagram, or if the transformed hexagram becomes a six clashes hexagram, the illness will heal without needing medicine—six clashes indicate dispersion, and a new illness encountering this will naturally disperse the illness. For someone with a long-standing illness, the situation is exactly the opposite: if the Official Ghost is on the World Line and is weak and confined, or if the Day Branch, Month Builder, or a moving line attacks the World Line, or if the World Line is in the ten-day void or the month breaker, or if the World Line moves and turns into the void or the month breaker, or if the hexagram is a six clashes hexagram or transforms into a six clashes hexagram, or if the World Line moves and transforms into the Official Ghost and the transformed line attacks the World Line, one must seek immediate treatment. Delaying will even prevent the famous physician Qian Zhongshu from being able to cure it.

占父母病以父母爻為用神。若得父爻旺相，或日月動爻生父母，或父動化旺，不拘久病近病，求神服藥立見安寧，近病者父爻值旬空，父動化空，或卦逢六沖，不藥而痊。久病者父爻值旬空月破，父動化空、化破，父動化財，財化父母，卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，或父爻休囚又出被日月動爻沖剋，為子者須宜急急求醫，親嘗湯，勿遠離也。

When divining about the illness of parents, the parents' line in the hexagram is considered the "useful god." If the parents' line is prosperous and strong, or if the day branch, month builder, or moving line supports the parents' line, or if the parents' line becomes active and becomes prosperous, then regardless of whether the illness is long-standing or new, seeking divine help and taking medicine will lead to quick recovery. For new illnesses, if the parents' line is in the旬空 (empty period), or if the parents' line becomes active and turns into旬空, or if the hexagram encounters six clashes, then even without taking medicine, the illness will recover. However, for long-standing illnesses, one must be cautious: if the parents' line is in旬空 and also meets the month breaker, or if the parents' line becomes active and turns into旬空 or breaks, or if the parents' line becomes active and turns into the wealth line, or if the wealth line turns into the parents' line — since wealth can control the parents, it is the parents' hostile god — or if the hexagram encounters six clashes or changes into six clashes, or if the parents' line itself is weak and confined and is further controlled by the day branch, month builder, or moving line. In such cases, the children should urgently seek medical help, personally try the medicine before giving it to the parents, and not leave the parents' side.

占兄弟病者，若得兄爻旺相，或臨日月動爻相生，或動化旺化生，不拘病之遠近，立許全安。近病者，兄爻值旬空及動而化空，卦逢六沖，服藥即愈。久病者兄爻值旬空月破及動而化空化破，卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，兄動化鬼，鬼動化兄，或兄爻休囚被日月動爻沖剋，急急服藥求神，遲則難調理。

Divining about a sibling's illness, the sibling line is the useful god. If the sibling line is prosperous and strong, or exactly meets the day branch or month builder and has a moving line that generates and supports it, or if the sibling line becomes prosperous and strong or transforms into a line that generates and supports, then regardless of how long the illness has lasted, it can be determined that the person will fully recover. For a new illness, if the sibling line is in the旬空 period, or if it moves and becomes empty, or if the hexagram meets the six clashes, taking medicine will be sufficient. For a long-term illness, if the sibling line is in the旬空 period and also meets the month breaker, or if it moves and becomes empty and broken, or if the hexagram meets the six clashes or transforms into the six clashes, or if the sibling line moves and transforms into the official ghost, or the official ghost moves and transforms into the sibling line, or if the sibling line is weak and confined and is clashed and controlled by the day branch, month builder, and moving line, then one must take medicine and pray to the gods immediately; otherwise, it will be difficult to treat.

占子孫病者，子孫爻旺相，或臨日月，或日月動爻生合，或子孫爻化回頭生，化旺，不拘病之新久，服藥求神即愈，近病者子孫爻值旬空及動而化空，卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，不藥而癒，出痘者不宜六沖，久病者子孫逢旬空月破及動而化空化破，卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，子孫動而化鬼，鬼化子孫，父化子，子化父及日月動爻沖剋者，速宜服藥，心則難於治矣。

When divining about a child's illness, theChildren Line (Children line) is considered the Useful God (Useful God). If theChildren Line is prosperous and strong, or if it is exactly the day branch or month builder, or if the day branch, month builder, or moving line comes to generate and harmonize with it, or if theChildren Line moves and the changing line comes back to generate it and becomes prosperous and strong, then regardless of whether the illness is new or long-standing, taking medicine or seeking divine help will lead to recovery. For new illnesses, if theChildren Line is in the旬空 (decade void), or if it moves and becomes void, or if the hexagram meets Six Clashes (Six Clashes) or changes into Six Clashes, the child will recover without needing medicine; however, this does not apply to children with smallpox, as smallpox is most忌 (to be avoided) by Six Clashes. If the hexagram encounters Six Clashes, the smallpox will not subside. For long-standing illnesses, if theChildren Line meets 旬空 or Month Breaker (month breaker), or if it moves and becomes void or broken, or if the hexagram meets Six Clashes or changes into Six Clashes, or if theChildren Line moves and turns into Official Ghost (Official Ghost), or if Official Ghost turns into Children, or if Parents turns into Children, or if Children turns into Parents —— Parents is the Hostile God (Hostile God) that controls Children —— and is also controlled by the day branch, month builder, or moving line, then medicine must be taken immediately; otherwise, the illness will be difficult to treat. (The original text says 「心则难于治矣」, where 「心」 is a mistake for 「迟」.)

占妻妾病者，以財爻為用神，財爻旺相或臨日月，或日月動爻相生，或財爻化子孫及化帝旺者，不拘久病近病，治之即愈，近病者妻財逢旬空及動而化空，或爻逢六沖，卦變六沖，何須服藥，即許災除。久病者財爻逢旬空月破及動而化空化破，卦逢六沖，卦變六沖，或財動化鬼，鬼化財爻，兄動化財，財化兄弟，名醫亦難取效。

Divination for the illness of a wife or concubine uses the wife's wealth line as the useful god. If the wealth line is prosperous and strong, or exactly matches the day branch or month builder, or if the day branch, month builder, or moving line supports it, or if the wealth line moves and transforms into children (children generate wealth) or reaches the prosperity position, then regardless of whether the illness is long-standing or new, it can be cured in one treatment. For new illnesses, if the wealth line is in the empty period, or moves and becomes empty, or the hexagram meets six clashes or transforms into six clashes, no medicine is needed, and the illness will naturally disappear. For long-standing illnesses, if the wealth line is in the empty period and also meets the month breaker, or moves and becomes empty and broken, or the hexagram meets six clashes or transforms into six clashes, or if the wealth line moves and transforms into official ghost, official ghost transforms into wealth, siblings move and transform into wealth, or wealth transforms into siblings (siblings are the hostile god that harms wealth), then even the most skilled physician will find it difficult to make progress.

凡占三黨六親及官長、師生、婢僕諸人之病，皆於用神章內以取用神。占朋友、外人以應爻為用神，理之常也，往往多有不驗者何也？疑因不甚關切，不誠之故耳。

Whenever divining about illnesses of people in the father's family, mother's family, and wife's family, the three parties, the six relations, superiors, teachers, students, servants, and other kinds of people, one should refer to the chapter "Chapter of the Useful God" in this book to determine which line should be used as the useful god. As for divining matters concerning friends and outsiders, according to common sense, the response line should be used as the useful god. However, in practice, it often fails to be effective. This is probably because the person being divined is not closely related to the person asking the question, and the heart is not sincere when casting the divination, so the response is not genuine.

野鶴曰：客有問於予曰：“據爾之言，占卜極易事也，即如占功名得旺官持世以成名，子孫持世而失望。占疾病近病逢沖逢空，不藥而癒；外病逢沖逢空靈丹莫救。如若得此，顯然者自是不難知矣。倘占疾病不逢六沖，用神不遇旬空，旺不旺而衰不衰，凶不凶而吉不吉。又如占功名，官與子孫皆不持世，六爻亂動，財父同興，何以決之？”

The Wild Crane Elder once said: A guest once asked me, "According to your explanation, divination is really very easy. For example, when predicting success in official positions, if the official ghost is strong and present, then success is achieved; if children are present, then it is a failure. When predicting illness, if a new illness meets the six clashes or the ten-day void, it can recover without medicine. But if a long-term illness meets the six clashes and the ten-day void, even the most effective medicine cannot save the person. If the divination really shows such clear results, it is easy to judge. However, if the divination for illness does not meet the six clashes, and the useful god is not in the ten-day void, it is neither strong nor weak, not ominous nor auspicious. Or for example, when predicting success in official positions, if neither the official ghost nor the children are present, and all six lines are active together, with wealth and parents also active at the same time, how can one interpret this?"

予曰：爾若垂廉賣卜，每日數卜之占，未必盡得顯而易見之卦，凶中藏吉，吉處藏凶者有之，必須奧理深求，細心參悟，爾欲自知趨避者，必然卦不亂占，心無雜念，每遇一事，即刻卜之，神不欺人。如若間有卦之恍惚，次早潔誠再卜，再遇恍惚，還可再卜，自然響應，只不可心懷兩事而占，一念至誠則應，若占兩三事者，則不靈也。

I replied to him: If you are hanging a curtain to divinate for others, and have to cast many hexagrams in a day, naturally you won't be clear about each one. There are cases where misfortune hides good fortune and good fortune conceals misfortune, and in such cases you must probe deeply into the profound principles and carefully ponder. But if you are only using divination to judge for yourself, then you can certainly do it: do not cast hexagrams carelessly, keep your mind free from distractions, and when you meet with an event, cast the hexagram right away. The spirits will not deceive you. If by chance you cast a hexagram that is unclear and hard to understand, you can cast it again early the next morning with a clean and sincere heart. If it is still unclear, you can cast it again, and naturally you will get a clear response. However, you must never cast a hexagram with two matters in your mind at the same time. A single and sincere thought produces a responsive divination; if you ask about two or three matters in one hexagram, it will not be effective.

又如占疾病更容易耳，一人有病，一家俱可代占，但有一卦爻逢六沖或卦變六沖，或用神值旬空或用神動而化空者即愈，久病逢此者難治。又如防災慮患，但得子孫持世，便與霹靂同居，管許安然無恙，有何難耶？

When it comes to divining about illness, it becomes even easier: when a person is sick, any member of the family can take the divination for him. If any of the hexagrams is a hexagram of six clashes, or if the original hexagram changes into one that is a hexagram of six clashes, or if the useful god is in the empty period, or if the useful god moves and the resulting line falls into an empty position, the illness will recover. However, if a long-term sick person encounters these situations, it will be difficult to recover. For example, when divining about preventing disasters and being cautious, if the line representing children is present in the world position, then even if he lives with thunder, he will remain safe and unharmed. How difficult is it to interpret the hexagrams in this way?

客曰：再占有瀆之，不敢再三，何敢連占幾日？予曰：因此一語，誤盡卜卦之人，豈不聞三人占聽二人之言，一事既可三處而占，何妨再占？然亦有不可再瀆者，以此一事一刻而再占也，須於次日再卜可也。又有連日亦不可再瀆者，如占功名，已得子孫持世，我心不悅，必欲求其官鬼持世而後已，此則謂之再三瀆也。

A guest said: The Book of Changes, the Meng hexagram, says, "The first divination tells, but if you repeat it three times, it is a violation, and violation brings no response." If you divinate again, it is a sacrilege to the divine, and if you dare not do it even twice, how can you dare to divinate for several days in a row? I said: It is exactly this sentence that has caused all diviners in the world to be misled. Have you never heard the saying from the Book of Documents, the Hongfan section, that "if three people divinate, follow the words of two of them"? If the same matter can be divined by three people separately, then why is it a problem to divinate again by oneself? However, there are indeed situations where one should not divinate again: if the same matter is divined again at the same hour, it is not acceptable, and one should wait until the next day to divinate. There are also situations where one should not divinate again for several days: for example, if one is divining about official status, and the divination shows that the children are present (indicating no hope for official status), and the person is not satisfied, insisting on divining until the official ghost appears, this is truly called "repeated violation."

然予亦有見其再三瀆者，未見神之不應也，予因少年復功名占過七次，竟有六次而得子孫持世，此乃神不厭我多問而屢報也。又有厭予多問者，如我問求財卦已明，現有財我心知矣，我再問之神不告矣，而又以我未占之事告我也。如一日占求財，旺財持世，是我明知辰日得財，次日再占一卦，果於辰日得財否？卦得申金兄動而不得，是何說耶？及到辰日得財，至申日因他事而破財。而悟辰日之得財，次日而再問之，神不告矣，報我申日而破財也。故知再三瀆者，神亦不見責而又報我未問之事也，此事極多。

But I have also seen people who repeatedly consult the oracle, and I have never seen the spirits stop responding because of that. When I was young, I consulted the oracle seven times in succession to recover my official status, and six of them showed the "children" (子孙) in the hexagram, which indicates no hope. This clearly shows that the spirits do not mind being asked repeatedly, but instead truthfully inform me each time. There were also times when the spirits seemed annoyed by my persistence: for instance, when I asked about seeking wealth, the hexagram was already clear, and I already knew there was wealth. When I asked again, the spirit did not repeat the answer but instead told me about something I had not asked about. One day I consulted about seeking wealth, and the hexagram showed the "prosperous wealth" (旺财) in the world, and I knew that on the day of Chen I would gain wealth. The next day I consulted again to confirm whether it was indeed on the day of Chen that I would gain wealth, but the hexagram showed the "brother" (兄弟) of the metal element (申金) moving, indicating that I would not gain wealth. What was going on? Later, on the day of Chen, I indeed gained wealth, but on the day of Shen, I lost wealth due to other matters. It was then that I realized: the matter of gaining wealth on the day of Chen was already reported in the first hexagram. When I consulted again the next day, the spirit did not repeat the same answer but instead foretold the loss of wealth on the day of Shen. From this, I understood that the phrase "repeatedly offending" (再三渎) does not anger the spirits; instead, they inform me about matters I have not asked about. I have experienced many such instances.

予著此書傳後賢之秘法者，無他法也，教學者凡遇卦之恍惚，心若未明，多占無礙，倘卦中已明現，不可再瀆。至於占病者，一人有病，一家俱可代占，自有顯然之卦，再者遇事即占，乘此心而未亂，不可多積事情於心，事多心亂即非一念之誠也。教其深學卜者，後有分占之法及予所辟諸書之謬，宜細味之，此皆予四十餘年須臾不離以得之也，實先賢之所未傳。須宜通前徹尾，細心詳悟，自然巧奪天工，參天地之化育，測鬼神之隱微而不難矣！

I wrote this book to pass on secret methods to future virtuous scholars. In reality, there is nothing else: when teaching divination, if the hexagram is unclear and one is uncertain, it is not wrong to cast the hexagram several times. But if the hexagram already clearly shows something, one should not ask further. As for divining illness, when a person is sick, any family member can take the hexagram on his behalf, and it will always result in a clear and definite hexagram. Furthermore, when encountering matters, one should cast the hexagram immediately, while the thought is still pure and not disturbed by other things. One should not accumulate many matters in the mind, for when the mind is confused by too many things, it is no longer a 'single sincere thought'. As for those who wish to study divination deeply, there is a section on 'divination by categories' at the end of this book, as well as my refutations of the errors in various divination books. These should be carefully considered and understood. All of these are the results of my forty years of constant practice in this field, which were not passed down by previous scholars. Readers should go through the book from beginning to end, carefully study and understand it, and naturally be able to achieve extraordinary skill, participate in the workings of heaven and earth, and understand the subtle workings of ghosts and spirits, which will not be difficult.

乾為父、震為長男、坎為中男、艮為少男；坤為母、巽為長女、離為中女、兌為少女。

The eight trigrams correspond to the members of a family: "Qian" symbolizes the father, "Zhen" represents the eldest son, "Kan" represents the second son, and "Gen" represents the youngest son; "Kun" symbolizes the mother, "Xun" represents the eldest daughter, "Li" represents the second daughter, and "Dui" represents the youngest daughter. This is the established symbolic association from the "Sayings on the Trigrams" section of the "Zhou Changes" (I Ching). The trigrams Qian and Kun represent the parents, while the other six trigrams are generated through the interaction of Qian and Kun. Among the three lines in each trigram, the one that is a yang line belongs to a male, and the one that is a yin line belongs to a female. The position of that line determines whether it is the eldest, middle, or youngest. Although the six-line divination method mainly uses the principles of the Five Phases and their interactions to determine fortune and misfortune, this symbolic relationship between parents and children is fundamental to understanding the trigrams. When reading the names of the trigrams or distinguishing between the inner and outer trigrams, one should first consider this symbolic association.

乾三連“三”，連得三爻俱是單，為乾卦（一點為單）。坤三斷“三三”，連得三爻俱是拆，為坤卦（兩點為拆）。震仰孟“＝：”，初爻單，二爻、三爻俱是拆，為震卦。艮覆碗“＝：”，初爻、二爻俱是拆，三爻單，為艮卦。離中虛“一一”，初爻單、二爻拆、三爻單，為離卦。坎中滿“一”，初爻拆、二爻單、三爻拆，為坎卦。兌上缺“二”，初爻、二爻俱是單，三爻拆，為兌卦。巽下斷“一一”，初爻拆，二爻、三爻俱是單，為巽卦。

This is a mnemonic for remembering the symbols of the Eight Trigrams. It should be used in conjunction with the trigram diagrams. When casting coins, if you get "single" (single), you draw one line, representing a yang line; if you get "split" (split), you draw two lines, representing a yin line. "Qian Three Connected" refers to three continuous lines, meaning all three lines are single, forming the Qian trigram. "Kun Three Broken" refers to three lines all broken in the middle, meaning all three lines are split, forming the Kun trigram. "Zhen Upright Bowl" refers to a trigram shape like an overturned bowl, with the first line single and the second and third lines split, forming the Zhen trigram. "Gen Inverted Bowl" refers to a trigram shape like an upside-down bowl, with the first and second lines split and the third line single, forming the Gen trigram. "Li Center Empty" refers to the middle line being empty, with the first line single, the second line split, and the third line single, forming the Li trigram. "Kan Center Full" refers to the middle line being solid, with the first line split, the second line single, and the third line split, forming the Kan trigram. "Dui Top Missing" refers to the top line having a gap, with the first and second lines single and the third line split, forming the Dui trigram. "Xun Bottom Broken" refers to the bottom line being broken, with the first line split and the second and third lines single, forming the Xun trigram. The symbols in quotation marks are copies of the carved trigram diagrams; in printed editions, they have become blurred and unclear. Readers can draw the trigrams themselves based on the descriptions of single and split.

乾宮八卦（俱屬金）：乾為天、天風姤、天山遁、天地否、風地觀、山地剝、火地晉、火天大有。坎宮八卦（俱屬水）：坎為水、水澤節、水雷屯、水火既濟、澤火革、雷火豐、地火明夷、地水師。艮宮八卦（屬土）：艮為山、山火賁、山天大畜、山澤損、火澤睽、天澤履、風澤中孚、風山漸。震宮八卦（屬木）：震為雷、雷地豫、雷水解、雷風恆、地風升、水風井、澤風大過、澤雷隨。

The sixty-four hexagrams are arranged in eight groups called 'palaces'. Each palace contains eight hexagrams, and the eight hexagrams in the same palace share the same five elements. When assigning the six relations, the five element of the palace is considered as 'I'. The arrangement follows a fixed pattern: the first hexagram is an eight-pure hexagram with the same trigrams above and below. Then, starting from the first line, each line is transformed one by one upwards. The second to sixth hexagrams are transformed in the order of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth lines respectively. The seventh hexagram is formed by transforming the fourth line again from the sixth hexagram, called the 'wandering soul hexagram'. The eighth hexagram is formed by restoring the third line of the inner trigram of the sixth hexagram, called the 'returning soul hexagram'. Let's look at the metal palace, which belongs to metal: Qian (Heaven) is the first hexagram (an eight-pure hexagram), followed by Gou (Heaven and Wind), Dun (Heaven and Mountain), Pi (Heaven and Earth), Guan (Wind and Earth), Bo (Mountain and Earth), Jin (Fire and Earth) as the wandering soul hexagram, and Da You (Fire and Heaven) as the returning soul hexagram. The water palace, which belongs to water, follows the same order: Kan (Water) is the first hexagram, followed by Jie (Water and Wind), Zhun (Water and Thunder), Ji Ji (Water and Fire), Ge (Fire and Water), Feng (Fire and Thunder), Ming Yi (Earth and Fire) as the wandering soul hexagram, and Shi (Earth and Water) as the returning soul hexagram. The earth palace, which belongs to earth, is: Gen (Mountain) is the first hexagram, followed by Bi (Fire and Mountain), Da Xu (Heaven and Mountain), Sun (Earth and Water), Kui (Fire and Water), Lv (Heaven and Water), Zhong Fu (Wind and Water) as the wandering soul hexagram, and Jian (Mountain and Wind) as the returning soul hexagram. The wood palace, which belongs to wood, is: Zhen (Thunder) is the first hexagram, followed by Yu (Earth and Thunder), Xie (Water and Thunder), Heng (Thunder and Wind), Sheng (Earth and Wind), Jing (Water and Wind), Da Guo (Wind and Water) as the wandering soul hexagram, and Sui (Thunder and Wind) as the returning soul hexagram.

巽宮八卦（屬木）：巽為風、風天小畜、風火家人、風雷益、天雷無妄、火雷噬嗑、山雷頤、山風蠱。離宮八卦（屬火）：離為火、火山旅、火風鼎、火水未濟、山水蒙、風水渙、天水訟、天火同人。坤官八卦（屬土）：坤為地、地雷復、地澤臨、地天泰、雷天大壯、澤天夬、水天需、水地比。兌宮八卦（屬金）：兌為澤、澤水困、澤地萃、澤地咸、水山蹇、地山謙、雷山小過、雷澤歸妹。

The following are the last four trigrams, following the same order as the first four. The trigrams of the Wood trigram Xun (巽) include: Xun (Wind) (the first pure trigram), Xiao Xu (Heavenly Wind Small Accumulation), Jia Ren (Fire Wind Family), Yi (Benefit), Wu Wang (Heavenly Thunder No Delusion), Shi Ke (Thunder Fire Eating the Fire), Yi (Thunder Mountain颐, a wandering soul), Gu (Mountain Wind蛊, a returning soul). The trigrams of the Fire trigram Li (离) include: Li (Fire), Lv (Mountain Fire Traveler), Ding (Fire Water Not Completed), Wei Ji (Water Fire Not Completed), Meng (Mountain Water Obscured), Huan (Water Fire Dispersed), Song (Heavenly Water Litigation, a wandering soul), Tong Ren (Heavenly Fire Union, a returning soul). The trigrams of the Earth trigram Kun (坤) (the original text mistakenly wrote 'official' instead of 'trigram'): Kun (Earth), Fu (Earth Thunder Rebirth), Lin (Earth Marsh Approaching), Tai (Heavenly Earth Peace), Da Zhuang (Thunder Heaven Great Strength), Guai (Marsh Heaven Decision), Xu (Water Heaven Waiting, a wandering soul), Bi (Water Earth Union, a returning soul). The trigrams of the Metal trigram Dui (兑) include: Dui (Marsh), Kun (Water Marsh Obstruction), Cui (Marsh Earth Accumulation), Xian (Marsh Mountain Mutual Attraction) (this trigram is commonly found in the standard version as 'Marsh Mountain Mutual Attraction', but the original text mistakenly wrote 'Mountain' instead of 'Earth'), Jian (Water Mountain Obstruction), Qian (Earth Mountain Humility), Xiao Guo (Thunder Mountain Small Excess, a wandering soul), Gui Mei (Thunder Marsh Marry, a returning soul). Together with the previous four trigrams, these make up the sixty-four trigrams. After determining the name of the trigram, the first step is to identify which trigram group it belongs to, and then determine the five categories of the six relations (brothers, parents, spouse, official ghost, children) based on the five elements of the trigram group.

八卦各宮全圖（初學點卦，不會裝卦者，須裝照此全圖裝拼、應五行）。 乾宮八卦屬金 乾為天　天風姤　天山遁 父母戌土′世　父母戌土′　父母戌土′ 兄弟中金′　兄弟申金′　兄弟申金′應 官鬼午火′　官鬼午火′應　官鬼午火′ 父母辰士′應　兄弟酉金′　兄弟申金′ 妻財寅木′　子孫亥水′　官鬼午火″世 子孫子水′　父母丑士″世　父母辰土″ 天地否　風地觀　山地剝 父母戌土′應　妻財卯木′　妻財寅木′ 兄弟申金′　官鬼巳火′　子孫子水″世 官鬼午火′　父母未土″世　父母戌土″ 妻財卯木″世　妻財卯木″　妻財卯木″ 官鬼巳火″　官鬼巳火″　官鬼巳火″應 父母未土″　父母未土″應　父母未土″ 火地晉　火天大有 官鬼巳火′　官鬼巳火′應 父母未土″　父母未土″ 兄弟酉金′世　兄弟酉金′ 妻財卯木″　父母辰土′世 官鬼巳火″　妻財寅木′ 父母未土″應　子孫子水′

Here is the complete diagram of the eight palaces and sixty-four hexagrams for beginners to refer to: Those who have just started learning to cast hexagrams and are not yet able to match the six relations and five phases themselves can directly copy down the earthly branches, five phases, six relations, and the world and response lines according to this diagram after identifying the hexagram name. Each section, from top to bottom, represents the sixth line to the first line. A single prime mark ' indicates a yang line (single), and a double prime mark " indicates a yin line (broken). First look at the Qian palace, where all eight trigrams belong to metal, so metal is considered 'siblings', earth is 'parents', wood is 'wealth', fire is 'official ghost', and water is 'children'. The position of the world line follows a fixed rule: in the first hexagram, the world line is on the sixth line; in the second hexagram, it moves down to the first line, and then proceeds upward for each subsequent hexagram. The third hexagram has the world line on the second line, the fourth on the third, the fifth on the fourth, and the sixth on the fifth. The seventh hexagram, the wandering soul, has the world line on the fourth line, and the eighth hexagram, the returning soul, has the world line on the third line. The response line is always two lines away from the world line. In the diagram, the world line of Qian (Heaven) is on the upper line, the world line of Tian Feng Gou (Heaven Wind Meeting) is on the first line, the world line of Tian Shan Dun (Heaven Mountain Retreat) is on the second line, the world line of Tian Di Pi (Heaven Earth Obstruction) is on the third line, the world line of Feng Di Guan (Wind Earth View) is on the fourth line, the world line of Shan Di Bo (Mountain Earth Splitting) is on the fifth line, the world line of Huo Di Jin (Fire Earth Progress) in the wandering soul state is on the fourth line, and the world line of Huo Tian Da You (Fire Heaven Great Abundance) in the returning soul state is on the third line, all of which are consistent. There are some errors in the original carving: the hexagram preceding Tian Feng Gou, which is 'siblings in metal', should be 'siblings in Shen metal'; the 'shi' in 'parents Chen shi' and 'parents Chou shi' should be read as 'earth'; readers can correct these according to the context.

兌宮八卦屬金 兌為澤　澤水困　澤地萃 父母來土、、世　父母未土、、　父母未土、、 兄弟酉金、　兄弟酉金、　兄弟酉金、應 子孫亥水；　子孫亥水、應　子孫亥水、 父母丑土、、應　官鬼午火、、　妻財卯木、、 妻財卯木、　父母辰土、　官鬼巳火、、世 官鬼巳火、　妻財卯木、、世　父母未土、、 澤山咸　水山蹇　地山謙 父母未土、、應　子孫子水、、　兄弟酉金、、 兄弟酉金、　父母戌土、　子孫亥水、、世 子孫亥水、　兄弟申金、、世　父母丑土、、 兄弟申金、世　兄弟申金、　兄弟申金、 官鬼午火、、　官鬼午火、、　官鬼午火、、應 父母辰土、、　父母辰土、、應　父母辰土、、 雷山小過　雷澤歸妹 父母戌土、、　父母戌土、、應 兄弟申金、、　兄弟申金、、 官鬼午火、世　官鬼午火、 兄弟申金、　父母丑土、、世 官鬼午火、、　妻財卯木、 父母辰土、、應　官鬼巳火、

The eight trigrams of the Dui palace all belong to metal, so the arrangement of the six relations is the same as in the Qian palace: metal is siblings, earth is parents, wood is wealth, fire is official ghost, and water is children. The notation in this palace uses a different symbol: a single "、" represents a yang line, and two connected "、、" represent a yin line, which is the same as the "′" and "″" used in the Qian palace, but the characters used in the printed version are not consistent. The eight trigrams in order are Dui as Lake, Lake Water Kun, Lake Earth Cui, Lake Mountain Xian, Water Mountain Jian, Earth Mountain Qian, plus the wandering soul trigram of Thunder Mountain Xiao Guo and the returning soul trigram of Thunder Lake Gui Mei. The world line is still placed according to the established rule: Dui as Lake has the world line at the top line with earth parents, Lake Water Kun moves down to the first line with wood, Lake Earth Cui moves up to the second line with fire, Lake Mountain Xian is at the third line with metal, Water Mountain Jian is at the fourth line with metal, Earth Mountain Qian is at the fifth line with water, Thunder Mountain Xiao Guo as a wandering soul moves back to the fourth line with fire, and Thunder Lake Gui Mei as a returning soul is placed at the third line with earth. Note that in the first trigram of this palace, the top line "parents come earth" is actually a mistake for "parents have earth," and the semicolon after "children have water" is also damaged, appearing as "、". Also, in this palace, the fourth trigram is written as "Lake Mountain Xian" here, whereas it was previously written as "Lake Earth Xian" in the previous trigram list, so this version is correct.

離宮八卦屬火 離為火　火山旅　火風鼎 兄弟巳火、世　兄弟巳火、　兄弟巳火、 子孫未土、、　子孫未土、、　子孫未土、、應 妻財酉金、　妻財酉金、應　妻財酉金、 官鬼亥水、應　妻財申金、　妻財酉金、 子孫丑土、、　兄弟午火、、　官鬼亥水、世 父母卯木、　子孫辰土、、世　子孫丑土、、 火水未濟　山水蒙　風水渙 兄弟巳火、應　父母寅木、　父母卯木、 子孫未土、、　官鬼子水、、　兄弟巳火、世 妻財酉金、　子孫戌土、、世　子孫未土、、 兄弟午火、、世　兄弟午火、、　兄弟午火、、 子孫辰土、　子孫辰土、　子孫辰土、應 父母寅木、、　父母寅木、、應　父母寅木、、 天水訟　天火同人 子孫戌士、　子孫戌土、應 妻財申金、　妻財申金、 兄弟午火、世　兄弟午火、 兄弟午火、、　官鬼亥水、世 子孫辰土、　子孫丑土、、 父母寅木、、應　父母卯木、

The eight trigrams of the fire palace all belong to the element of fire. The six relations are thus assigned as follows: fire is siblings, water is official ghost, earth is children, wood is parents, and metal is wealth. Those elements that are generated by the native palace's five phases are children, those that overcome the native palace's five phases are official ghosts, those that are overcome by the native palace's five phases are wealth, and those that are generated by the native palace's five phases are parents. The eight trigrams in order are: Li (Fire), Lv (Fire Mountain Travel), Ding (Fire Wind Tripod), Wei Ji (Fire Water Not Yet Completed), Meng (Mountain Water Obscured), Huan (Wind Water Dispersed), the wandering soul of Song (Heaven Water Dispute), and the returning soul of Tong Ren (Heaven Fire Mutual Support). The world line position: Li (Fire) is at the top line,巳 fire; Lv (Fire Mountain Travel) retreats to the first line,辰 earth; Ding (Fire Wind Tripod) is at the second line,亥 water; Wei Ji (Fire Water Not Yet Completed) is at the third line,午 fire; Meng (Mountain Water Obscured) is at the fourth line,戌 earth; Huan (Wind Water Dispersed) is at the fifth line,巳 fire; the wandering soul of Song (Heaven Water Dispute) retreats to the fourth line,午 fire; and the returning soul of Tong Ren (Heaven Fire Mutual Support) is at the third line,亥 water. In the diagram, the term 「子孙戌士」 should be read as 「子孙戌土」. Additionally, the third line of Lv (Fire Mountain Travel) is marked as 「妻财申金」, which according to the inner trigram of the Jiazi (Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch) in the艮 palace should be 「妻财申金」, differing from the 「妻财酉金」 in Ding (Fire Wind Tripod). Readers should verify each line according to the earthly branch of the first trigram in the palace.

震宮八卦屬木 震為雷　雷地豫　雷水解 妻財戌士、、世　妻財戌土、、　妻財戌土、、 官鬼申金、、　官鬼申金、、　官鬼申金、、應 子孫午火　子孫午火、應　子孫午火、 妻財辰土、、應　兄弟卯木、、　子孫午火、． 兄弟寅木、、　子孫巳火、、　妻財辰士、世 父母子水、　妻財未土、、世　兄弟寅木、、 雷風恆　地風升　水風井 妻財戌土、、應　官鬼酉金、、　父母子水、、 官鬼申金、、　父母亥水、、　妻財戌土、世 子孫午火、　妻則丑土、、世　官鬼申金、、 官鬼酉金、世　官鬼酉金、　官鬼酉金、 父母亥水、　父母亥水、　父母亥水、應 妻財丑土、、　妻財丑土、、應　妻財丑土、、 澤風大過　澤雷隨 妻財未土、、　妻財未土、、應 官鬼酉金、　官鬼酉金、 父母亥水、世　父母亥水、 官鬼酉金、　妻財辰士、、世 父母亥水、　兄弟寅木、、 妻財丑土、、應　父母子水、

The trigrams in the Zhen (Thunder) group all belong to the Wood element. The method of matching the Six Relations is as follows: Wood is Siblings, Water is Parents (Water nourishes Wood), Metal is Official Ghost (Metal controls Wood), Fire is Children (Wood produces Fire), and Earth is Wealth (Wood controls Earth). The eight trigrams in order are Zhen (Thunder), Yu (Thunder over Earth), Xie (Thunder over Water), Heng (Thunder over Wind), Sheng (Earth over Wind), Jing (Water over Wind), Da Guo (Lake over Wind), and Sui (Thunder over Lake). The wandering soul is Da Guo (Lake over Wind) and the returning soul is Sui (Thunder over Lake). The World Line is: Zhen (Thunder) is on the top line at the earth element Wu (戌土), Yu (Thunder over Earth) retreats to the first line at the earth element Wei (未土), Xie (Thunder over Water) is on the second line at the earth element Chen (辰土), Heng (Thunder over Wind) is on the third line at the metal element You (酉金), Sheng (Earth over Wind) is on the fourth line at the earth element Chou (丑土), Jing (Water over Wind) is on the fifth line at the earth element Wu (戌土), Da Guo (Lake over Wind) as a wandering soul returns to the fourth line at the water element Hai (亥水), and Sui (Thunder over Lake) as a returning soul is on the third line at the earth element Chen (辰土). This section of the text has many errors in the carved characters: the '士' in '妻财戌士' and '妻财辰士' should both be '土', the '妻则丑土' in Sheng (Earth over Wind) should be '妻财丑土', and there is an extra dot at the end of the third line of Xie (Thunder over Water), which is a carving error and should be ignored. Additionally, in the fourth line of Zhen (Thunder), the '子孙午火' is missing the symbol for a yang line. According to the arrangement of the six lines in the Zhen trigram, it is a yang line.

巽宮八卦屬木 巽為風　風天小畜　風火家人 兄弟卯木、世　兄弟卯木、　兄弟卯木、 子孫巳火、　子孫巳火、　子孫巳火、應 妻財未土、、　妻財未土、、應　妻財未土、、 官鬼酉金、應　妻財辰土、　父母亥水、 父母亥水、　兄弟寅木、　妻財丑土、、世 妻財丑土、、　父母子水、世　兄弟卯木、 風雷益　天雷無妄　火雷噬嗑 兄弟卯木、應　妻財戌土、　子孫巳火、 子孫巳火、　官鬼申金、　妻財未土、、世 妻財未土、、　子孫午火、世　官鬼酉金、 妻財辰土、、世　妻財辰土、、　妻財辰土、、 兄弟寅木、、　兄弟寅木、、　兄弟寅木、、應 父母子水、　父母子水、應　父母子水、 山雷顧　山風蠱 兄弟寅木、　兄弟寅木、應 父母子水、、　父母子水、、 妻財戌土、、世　妻財戌土、、 妻財辰土、、　官鬼酉金、世 兄弟寅木、、　父母亥水、 父母子水、應　妻財丑土、、

The eight trigrams of the Xun hexagram group also belong to wood. The method of matching the six relations is the same as for the Zhen hexagram group: wood is siblings, water is parents, metal is official ghost, fire is children, and earth is wealth. The eight trigrams in order are Xun as wind, Xiao Xu (wind over heaven), Jia Ren (fire over wind), Yi (thunder over wind), Wu Wang (thunder over heaven), Shi Ke (fire over thunder), the wandering soul Yi (thunder over mountain), and the returning soul Gu (wind over mountain). The position of the world line: Xun as wind is at the top line, the first line of Xiao Xu is the water zi, Jia Ren is at the second line, the third line of Yi is earth chen, Wu Wang is at the fourth line, Shi Ke is at the fifth line, the wandering soul Yi is at the fourth line, and the returning soul Gu is at the third line. The term "Shan Lei Gu" in the diagram is a variant form of "Shan Lei Yi." Pay attention to the two hexagrams Wu Wang (thunder over heaven) and Shi Ke (fire over thunder): the outer trigram of Wu Wang is Qian, which includes the earth branches xu, shen, and wu; the outer trigram of Shi Ke is Li, which includes the earth branches si, wei, and you. The earth branches of the top three lines of these two hexagrams are completely different, and it is most easy to misread them when copying the diagram. Therefore, each line must be carefully aligned.

坎宮八卦屬水 坎為水　水澤節　水雷屯 兄弟子水、、世　兄弟子水、、　兄弟子水、、 官鬼戌土、　官鬼戌土、　官鬼戌土、應 父母申金、、　父母申金、、應　父母申金、、 妻財午火、、應　官鬼丑土、、　官鬼辰土、、 官鬼辰土、　子孫卯木、　子孫寅木、、世 子孫寅木、、　妻財巳火、世　兄弟子水、 水火既濟　澤火革　雷火豐 兄弟子水、、應　官鬼未土、、　官鬼戌土、、 官鬼戌土、　父母酉金、　父母申金、、世 父母申金、、　兄弟亥水、世　妻財午火、 兄弟亥水、世　兄弟亥水、　兄弟亥水、 官鬼丑土、、　官鬼丑土、、　官鬼丑土、、應 子孫卯木、　子孫卯木、應　子孫卯木、 地火明夷　地水師 父母酉金、、　父母酉金、、應 兄弟亥水、、　兄弟亥水、、 官鬼五上、、世　官鬼丑士、、 兄弟亥水、　妻財午火、、世 官鬼丑上、、　官鬼辰土、 子孫卯木、應　子孫寅木、、

The eight trigrams of the Kan palace all belong to water. The six relations are arranged as follows: water is siblings, fire is wealth (water controls fire), earth is official ghost (earth controls water), metal is parents (metal generates water), and wood is children (water generates wood). The eight trigrams in order are Kan as water, water and marsh Jie, water and thunder Zhun, water and fire Ji Ji, marsh and fire Ge, thunder and fire Feng, the wandering soul of earth and fire Ming Yi, and the returning soul of earth and water Shi. The world line is: Kan as water is on the top line with Zi water, water and marsh Jie retreats to the first line with Si fire, water and thunder Zhun is on the second line with Yin wood, water and fire Ji Ji is on the third line with Hai water, marsh and fire Ge is on the fourth line with Hai water, thunder and fire Feng is on the fifth line with Shen metal, the wandering soul of earth and fire Ming Yi returns to the fourth line with Chou earth, and the returning soul of earth and water Shi is on the third line with Chou earth. The hexagram of earth and fire Ming Yi is the most damaged: "official ghost five above" is mistakenly recorded as "official ghost Chou earth," and "official ghost Chou above" is also "official ghost Chou earth," while "official ghost Chou earth" in earth and water Shi is also "Chou earth." In all cases where the characters are questionable, one should refer back to the order of the stem assignment of the first hexagram in this palace for verification.

艮宮八卦屬土 艮為山　山火賁　山天大畜 官鬼寅木、世　官鬼寅木、　官鬼寅木、 妻財子水、、　妻財子水、、　妻財子水、、應 兄弟戌土、、　兄弟戌土、、應　兄弟戌土、、 子孫申金、應　妻財亥水、　兄弟辰土、 父母午火、、　兄弟丑土、、　官鬼寅木、世 兄弟辰土、、　官鬼卯木、世　妻財子水、 山澤損　火澤睽　天澤履 官鬼寅木、應　父母巳火、　兄弟戌土、 妻財子水、、　兄弟未土、、　子孫申金、世 兄弟戌土、、　子孫酉金、世　父母午火、 兄弟丑土、、世　兄弟丑土、、　兄弟丑土、、 官鬼卯木、　官鬼卯木、　官鬼卯木、應 父母巳火、　父母巳火、應　父母巳火、 風澤中孚　風山漸 官鬼卯木、　官鬼卯木、應 父母巳火、　父母巳火、 兄弟未土、、世　兄弟未土、、 兄弟丑土、、　子孫申金、世 官鬼卯木、　父母午火、、 父母巳火、應　兄弟辰土、、

The eight trigrams of the Gen palace all belong to earth. The method of matching the six relations is as follows: earth is siblings, fire is parents (fire generates earth), wood is official ghost (wood controls earth), water is wife and wealth (earth controls water), and metal is children (earth generates metal). The eight trigrams in order are Gen (mountain), mountain fire Bi, mountain heaven Da Xu, mountain marsh Sun, fire marsh Kui, heaven marsh Lv, the wandering soul Feng Ze Zhong Fu, and the returning soul Feng Shan Jian. The world line: Gen (mountain) is at the top line,寅 wood; mountain fire Bi retreats to the first line,卯 wood; mountain heaven Da Xu is at the second line,寅 wood; mountain marsh Sun is at the third line,丑 earth; fire marsh Kui is at the fourth line,酉 metal; heaven marsh Lv is at the fifth line,申 metal; the wandering soul Feng Ze Zhong Fu retreats to the fourth line,未 earth; and the returning soul Feng Shan Jian is at the third line,申 metal. In this palace, special attention should be paid to distinguishing between 'official ghost' and 'siblings':寅 wood and卯 wood both control earth, so they are all considered official ghost; the four earths,辰,戌,丑,未, are of the same type and are all considered siblings. Beginners often mistakenly take辰 earth as wife and wealth, so remember that earth is the self of this palace, and when encountering earth, it can only be siblings.

坤宮八卦屬土 坤為地　地雷復　地澤臨 子孫酉金、、世　子孫酉金、、　子孫酉金、、 妻財亥水、、　妻財亥水、、　妻財亥水、、應 兄弟丑土、、　兄弟丑土、、應　兄弟丑土、、 官鬼卯木、、應　兄弟辰土、、　兄弟丑土、、 父母巳火、、　官鬼寅木、、　官鬼卯木、世 兄弟未土、、　妻財子水、世　父母巳火、 地天泰　雷天大壯　澤天夬 子孫酉金、、應　兄弟戌土、、　兄弟未土、、 妻財亥水．．　子孫申金、、　子孫酉金、世 兄弟丑土、、　父母午火、世　妻財亥水 兄弟辰士、世　兄弟辰土、　兄弟辰土、 官鬼寅木、　官鬼寅木、　官鬼寅木、應 妻財子水、　妻財子水、應　妻財子水、 水天需　水地比 妻財子水、、　妻財子水、、應 兄弟戌土、　兄弟戌土、 子孫申金、、世　子孫申金、、 兄弟辰土、　官鬼卯木、、世 官鬼寅木、　父母巳火、、 妻財子水、應　兄弟未土、、

The eight trigrams of the Kun palace all belong to earth, and the method of pairing the six relations is the same as that of the Gen palace: earth is siblings, fire is parents, wood is official ghost, water is wife and wealth, and metal is children. The eight trigrams in order are Kun as earth, earth above water as Fu, earth above lake as Lin, earth above heaven as Tai, thunder above heaven as Da Zhuang, lake above heaven as Guai, the wandering soul of water above heaven as Xu, and the returning soul of water above earth as Bi. The world line: Kun as earth is on the top line at You metal, earth above water Fu retreats to the first line at Zi water, earth above lake Lin is on the second line at Mao wood, earth above heaven Tai is on the third line at Chen earth, thunder above heaven Da Zhuang is on the fourth line at Wu fire, lake above heaven Guai is on the fifth line at You metal, the wandering soul of water above heaven Xu retreats to the fourth line at Shen metal, and the returning soul of water above earth Bi is on the third line at Mao wood. In the diagram, the two dots for "wife and wealth Hai water" are the yao symbols of yin lines, and the "earth" in "siblings Chen earth" should still be written as "earth." The fourth line "wife and wealth Hai water" in lake above heaven Guai is missing the yao symbol; according to the method of Najia, with乾 palace inside and 兑 palace outside, it is a yang line. The entire diagram of the eight palaces is now complete. A person casting a hexagram only needs to recognize the hexagram name and copy each line according to this section of the palace. The world line, response line, five phases, and six relations will all be complete.

當年有一朋友宦遊之時，野鶴老人以此全圖相送，友說：我不知五行焉能斷卦？答曰：先學點卦，點出卦象看是何卦，即出全圖內尋出此卦，照樣裝排“世”“應”“五行”“六親”，不用念卦畫，不知五行生剋之理，亦能決斷四宗大事，不管卦中動與不動即照此圖內單看世爻。如占防憂慮患者，若得子孫持世無憂，官鬼持世憂疑難解，須加意防之。占功名者若得官鬼持世即許成名，子孫持世且待時。占求財妻財持世者必得，兄弟持世者難求。占病者若得六沖卦近病不藥而癒，久病妙藥難調。

Once there was a friend who was about to go out and take an official post. The Wild Crane Elder gave him this complete diagram. The friend said, "I don't even understand the Five Phases, how can I interpret the divination?" The Wild Crane Elder replied, "First learn to set up the hexagram, shake out the hexagram and see which one it is. Then find this hexagram in the complete diagram, and copy down the 'World Line' and 'Response Line', the earthly branches and the Five Phases. In this way, there is no need to memorize the hexagram shapes, nor to understand the principles of the Five Phases and their mutual generation and overcoming. You can still judge the four major matters. Moreover, regardless of whether there is a moving line in the hexagram, just looking at the 'World Line' in this diagram is enough. Specifically, when divining about worries and troubles, if the 'Children' line is on the 'World Line', there will be no worries; if the 'Official Ghost' line is on the 'World Line', there will be difficult troubles, and one must be especially cautious. When divining about official rank, if the 'Official Ghost' line is on the 'World Line', he will achieve fame; if the 'Children' line is on the 'World Line', he can only wait for the right opportunity. When divining about seeking wealth, if the 'Wealth' line is on the 'World Line', he will certainly gain wealth; if the 'Siblings' line is on the 'World Line', it will be difficult to obtain wealth. When divining about illness, if the hexagram is a 'Six Clashes' hexagram, new illness will get better without medicine, but long-term illness is hard to cure with good medicine."

友問：何以謂之子孫持世？答：子孫與世字同在一爻者即是子孫持世。倘得官鬼與世字同在一爻者即是官鬼持世，其餘兄弟、妻財持世皆由此說。或問：何謂六沖卦？答：六沖卦者乾為天、坎為水、艮為山、震為雷、巽為風、離為火、坤為地、兌為澤，此八宮第一卦皆是六沖卦，再者天雷無妄、雷天大壯也是六沖卦一共十卦，其餘不是。

A friend asked: How is "子孙持世" determined? The answer: When the words "子孙" and "世" are marked on the same line, it is called "子孙持世"; if "官鬼" and "世" are on the same line, it is called "官鬼持世"; similarly, "兄弟持世" and "妻财持世" are determined in the same way. Another question: What is a "六冲卦"? The answer: A "六冲卦" is a hexagram where the earthly branches of the six lines in the upper and lower trigrams are in mutual conflict. There are ten such hexagrams: the first hexagrams of the eight palaces—Qian (Hexagram 1), Kan (Hexagram 29), Gen (Hexagram 52), Zhen (Hexagram 51), Xun (Hexagram 57), Li (Hexagram 30), Kun (Hexagram 2), Dui (Hexagram 58)—are all six clashes; in addition, Wu Wang (Hexagram 25) and Da Zhuang (Hexagram 34) are also six clashes. In total, there are ten hexagrams that are six clashes, and the remaining fifty-four are not.

或問：求官者若得官鬼持世，求名必成，求財者得妻財持世，求財必得，倘若官鬼爻與妻財爻或值旬空月破或被卦中子孫發動以傷官，兄弟發動以傷財，雖遇官鬼持世、妻財持世有何益也。答：你知五行之理，神早知之，所得之卦，若非凶中藏吉，定是吉中藏凶。此乃神聖引人以知其奧，自然要看旬空、月破，生克、沖刑，今吾友不知五行之理，神亦早知，如若求名，禱於神曰：功名若成，賜我於官鬼持世。倘若無望，賜我子孫持世。如占防憂患，禱於神曰：目下若有禍者，卦得官鬼持世，若能免禍逃災者，賜我於子孫持世。所得之卦自然顯而易見，若有隱微者即是神變欺人，何以為神？

Some people question: If someone seeking official position gets the official ghost爻 in the current position, they will surely achieve fame; if someone seeking wealth gets the wife and wealth爻 in the current position, they will surely gain wealth. But what if the official ghost爻 or wife and wealth爻 is exactly in the "ten-thousand empty" or meets the "month breaker," or is injured by the activated children爻 or robbed by the activated siblings爻? Then even though the official ghost爻 or wife and wealth爻 is in the current position, what use is it? The Wild Crane Elder replied: Since you understand the principles of the Five Phases, the gods already know you do. Therefore, the divination given to you is either a bad situation hiding good fortune or a good situation concealing danger. This is exactly how the gods intend to guide you to understand the subtleties. You should naturally look at the ten-thousand empty, month breaker, generation and overcoming, and conflict and punishment. Now my friend does not understand the Five Phases at all. The gods already know he does not. Therefore, when he seeks official position, he should pray to the gods: If success is possible, grant me a divination with the official ghost爻 in the current position; if there is no hope, grant me a divination with the children爻 in the current position. When he seeks to prevent worries and troubles, he should pray: If there is indeed misfortune now, grant me a divination with the official ghost爻 in the current position; if misfortune can be avoided, grant me a divination with the children爻 in the current position. The divination he receives in this way will be clear and straightforward. If he is given a hidden and ambiguous divination, then it is the gods deceiving people in various ways, and how can they still be called gods?

況我作此一段簡易之法，單欲教其全不知五行之理者學會點卦，即照全圖裝排就知決斷四宗大事。倘若稍知五行之理者，不可以此為法，務必細讀此書卷後何謂空而不空，破而不破，何為墓而不墓，絕而不絕。何為真反吟假反吟，何謂進不進、退不退，何為回頭克者生，何為回頭克者死。何處可看用神，何處不看用神，何為占此而應彼，何為占遠而應近，何為得其法者百占百靈，何為不得其法者百占不驗。伺為元神不生用神，何為忌神無力能害用神。何處闢諸占者之謬，何處增巧驗之奇。細觀種種秘法，方能決事如神。

Moreover, I established this simple method merely to teach those who have no knowledge of the Five Phases how to cast a hexagram and judge four major matters by simply arranging the diagram properly. However, for those who have a basic understanding of the Five Phases, this method should not be regarded as a fixed rule. They must carefully study the various sections at the end of this book to understand these key points: what is meant by "empty but not empty," "broken but not broken"; what is "buried but not buried," "extinct but not extinct"; what is true reverse chant and what is false reverse chant; what is "advancing but not advancing," "retreating but not retreating"; when a reverse overcoming is actually beneficial and when it is harmful; in which situations one should look at the useful god and in which situations it is unnecessary; what it means to divinate about one matter but find the result in another; what it means to divinate about long-term matters but find the result in the present; why those who master the method are always accurate while those who do not are never correct; under what circumstances the origin god cannot generate the useful god, and under what circumstances the hostile god, though weak, can still harm the useful god; which parts of the book refute the mistaken views of old diviners and which parts present new, refined examples that have been verified. Only by thoroughly studying these secret methods can one become truly adept at divination.

又問：假令占防災、慮、患，若得子孫持世自是無憂，若得官鬼持世驚恐必見，若卦中並不現者何以決之？答：一卦不見再占一卦，再若不見他日又占，昔人泥其不敢再占，所以無法。我見易經有：“三人占聽二人之言。”古人一事既可決於三處，今人何妨再占，余生平以來稍得其奧者全賴多占之力也，事之緩者，遲遲再占，事急者歇歇又占。不管早晚，不必焚香。深更半夜亦可占之。只要單為此事而占，不可又占他事，但有心懷兩三事而占卦者，非一念之誠，決無靈驗。

Someone once asked: If one is divining to prevent disasters and be cautious, if the Children's trigram holds the world (世), there is no worry; but if the Official Ghost's trigram holds the world, there will certainly be fear. However, if neither of these appears in the hexagram, how should one interpret it? The answer is: if the first hexagram does not reveal clearly, then take another hexagram. If it still does not clarify, wait until another day and divinate again. Previous generations were stuck on the phrase 'not daring to divinate again,' so when the hexagram was ambiguous, they were at a loss. I have seen an ancient saying: 'If three people divinate, follow the words of two of them' (this saying comes from the Book of Documents, but the Wild Crane Elder here attributes it to the Book of Changes). In ancient times, one matter could be decided by consulting three sources; how could it be wrong for a modern person to divinate again? I have gained a slight understanding of its subtleties throughout my life, all thanks to frequent divination. For matters that take time, divinate gradually; for urgent matters, wait a while and divinate again. There is no need to be concerned about the time of day or to burn incense; even in the middle of the night, one can divinate. The only requirement is: divinate solely for this one matter, and do not bring up other matters. Anyone who has multiple matters in mind while divining is not 'sincere in one thought,' and such divination will certainly not be effective.

假令占功名或是官鬼持世，或是子孫持世，得其一者得失已知，不必占矣，不必厭其子孫持世，務求其官鬼持世而後已，此非理也。如占求財或是妻財持世或是兄弟持世，得其一者則止，不必再占。倘一事而與眾人同其禍福者，各占一卦決之更易。即如行舟遇暴風，家中防火燭，人人俱可占之。

For example, when divining about official rank or fame, if the result shows either the official ghost or the children holding the world, then whether it will succeed or fail is already clear, and there is no need to continue the divination. Do not avoid the children holding the world and insist on getting the official ghost to stop, which is unreasonable. The same applies to divining about wealth; if either the wife's wealth or the siblings hold the world, then once one of them appears, you should stop divining, without needing to continue. If the success or failure of this matter involves many people sharing the responsibility, then each person should divinate separately, which makes the decision easier. For instance, if a ship is caught in a storm or a family is preparing against fire hazards, everyone on the ship or in the family can divinate individually.

但有一卦若得子孫持世皆同無患。又如占疾病，病人自占，若不得六沖卦者一家俱可代占，但有一人得六沖之卦，或繫近病或繫久病吉凶合瞭然矣？世人凡有疑難，開口則說求神問卜。可見欲知未來之吉凶，除卜之外，無他矣。我習周易有年，所卜之事，感應之理，就如神聖開口說話。真令人毛骨悚然。因而不知周易之妙，不念卦書，不得不送此秘訣，試去行之，覓見其靈，從此自肯唸書學卜，此法甚善。你亦可以傳人縉紳、士民、行商、坐賈，無人不可。不用須要全不知五行生剋之人方用此法，倘若稍知五行者，神必現隱微之卦，須要先念渾天甲子、六親歌，占出卦來會裝五行六採。

Among these many hexagrams, if there is just one that is held by the children, then all those living together will not suffer misfortune. For example, when divining about illness, if the patient himself divines and does not get a hexagram of the Six Clashes, then the whole family can take turns divining for him; but if anyone gets a hexagram of the Six Clashes, then whether the illness is new or long-standing, the fortune and misfortune will be clear. People in the world, when they have doubts, often immediately say they want to pray to gods and consult divination, showing that if they want to foresee future fortune and misfortune, there is no other way but divination. I have studied The Zhou Changes for many years, and whenever I have divined something, the principle of response is so clear that it seems as if the gods themselves are speaking, truly making one feel a chill down the spine. Because this friend does not understand the subtlety of The Zhou Changes and is unwilling to read the divination books, I had no choice but to pass on this secret method to him, so that he may try it out. Once he sees its effectiveness, he will naturally be willing to study the books and learn divination. This method is very good. You can also pass it on to others, whether officials, scholars, merchants, or common people, no one is unable to use it. However, it should be explained that it is not only for those who completely do not understand the Five Phases and their mutual generation and overcoming. If one has a slight understanding of the Five Phases, the gods will certainly give him a subtle and hidden hexagram. In that case, one must first memorize the "Holistic Heaven and Earth" and the "Six Relations Song," and after divining the hexagram, one must be able to assign the Five Phases and the Six Relations oneself (the original text's "six colors" is a mistake for "six relations").

再學變動，卦中必有動爻，動則必變。即知動變然後再看用神、元神、忌神，知此者即如入周易之門也。再看四時旺相章、五行相生相剋章、五行相沖相合章、旬空月破生旺墓絕章，又如進周易之堂也。再看後卷各門各類占何事以何法斷之，漸漸由淺入深，以得其奧，不須半載工夫，得餘數十年之真學也。今餘先點一卦，教爾學看用神及五行生剋旺衰之理。

Next, we will learn about "movement" and "change": in a hexagram, there will always be a moving line, and once it moves, it will transform into another line. When you understand movement and change, then you can look at the "useful god," "origin god," and "hostile god." When you reach this level, you have entered the door of the Zhou Yi. Then read the chapters on the "Four Seasons Prosperity and Strength," "Five Phases Mutual Generation," "Five Phases Mutual Control," and the chapters on mutual conflict and harmony of the Five Phases, as well as those on the旬空 (decade emptiness), Month Breaker (month breaker), and the concepts of birth, strength, burial, and decline. By doing so, you will have entered the hall of the Zhou Yi. Then read the subsequent volumes, which are organized by categories, and see which category of events should be judged using which method. Proceeding from shallow to deep, you will gradually grasp the essence. Within half a year, you will be able to learn my decades of genuine knowledge. Now I will present a hexagram to show you the principles of the "useful god" and the generation, control, prosperity, and decline of the Five Phases.

凡問事先寫年月日辰，再照六神章中寫出六神然後占卦。即如占得乾為天卦： 父母戌土′世 兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火′ 父母辰土′應 妻財寅木′ 子孫子水′ 自占吉凶者以世爻為用神，此卦世臨戌土，即以此戌土自己之身。宜於旺相，最怕休囚。宜逢巳午之火相生，忌寅卯之木而相剋，又不宜世爻落空，更不宜世爻臨月破。此世爻戌土有四處生克沖合。

Whenever one asks a question, first write down the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the day, month, and year on paper. Then, according to the mnemonic in the "Six Spirits Chapter," place the six spirits—Qinglong, Zhuque, Gouchen, Tengshe, Baihu, and Xuanwu—next to the six lines of the hexagram. Only then can the hexagram be cast. For example, if the hexagram is "Qian (Heaven) over Qian (Heaven)," the six lines from top to bottom are: the top line is the parent戌土 (yang line, the world line is here), the fifth line is the brother申金, the fourth line is the official ghost午火, the third line is the parent辰土 (the response line is here), the second line is the wife's wealth寅木, and the first line is the son子水. When one divines their own fortune, the world line is considered the useful god. In this hexagram, the world line is戌土, which represents the person divining the fortune. It is favorable when this戌土 is prosperous and strong, and it is most feared when it is weak and confined. It prefers to meet巳火 or午火 to generate (fire generates earth), and it fears encountering寅木 or卯木 to overcome (wood overcomes earth). It is also unfavorable if the world line is in "shen kong" (empty), and even more so if it meets "yue po" (month breaker). This world line戌土 has four positions that can affect it through generation, overcoming, conflict, or combination.

月建能生克沖合：此卦世爻戌土如在寅卯月占卦，被寅卯之木傷克，即為世爻受傷。自占吉凶者謂之休囚不利。若在辰月占卦，辰沖戌土，戌為月破，此謂之世爻逢月破，即如自己身子如破格也，百無所為。若在巳午月占卦，巳午之火乃是官鬼，能生戌土，謂之火旺土相，世爻逢旺相，諸事可為。若在未丑月占卦，此兩月土旺之時亦能幫扶戌土，此世爻戌土亦謂之旺相，亦以為吉。若在戌月占卦，世爻戌土而為月建，此旺相以當時也，自占吉凶，諸事享通。若在申、酉、亥、子月占卦此戌土皆為洩氣之時，謂之世爻休囚無力。此謂之月建能生克、沖合世爻戌土之用神也。要知何以謂之用神者，自占吉凶用此世爻為主，不說世爻而曰用神，占父母以父母爻為用神。

The first point is that the month builder (the earthly branch of the month when the divination is cast) can generate, overcome, clash, or harmonize with the world line. Taking the world line as the earth dog (戌土) in this hexagram: if the divination is cast in the寅 or卯 month, wood overcomes earth, and the world line is injured by the寅 or卯 wood, which is called the world line being harmed, and the fortune of the self is called weak and confined. If the divination is cast in the辰 month, the辰 and戌 clash, and the戌 earth becomes the "month breaker," which is called the world line meeting the month breaker, like oneself already being broken and disqualified, and nothing can be accomplished. If the divination is cast in the巳 or午 month, the fire in the primary hexagram is the official ghost, and fire generates earth, which is called "fire is strong and earth is prosperous," and the world line receives the prosperous and strong energy, so all matters can be undertaken. If the divination is cast in the未 or丑 month, these two months are times when earth is strong, and similar elements support each other, which can also support the戌 earth, and the world line is still considered prosperous and strong, which is favorable. If the divination is cast in the戌 month, the world line戌 earth itself is the month builder, which is the strongest time, and all matters are smooth and favorable. If the divination is cast in the申,酉,亥, or子 months, earth generates gold and overcomes water, which are times of losing energy and exhausting strength, which is called the world line being weak and powerless. This is the principle of the month builder generating, overcoming, clashing, or harmonizing with the world line戌 earth as the useful god. It is also necessary to explain what the "useful god" means: when divining one's own fortune, the world line is the main focus, and it is not called the world line but the useful god; similarly, when divining about parents, the parents' line is the useful god, and when divining about other matters, each has its own focus.

日辰能生克沖合：此卦世爻戌土，若在寅卯日占卦，寅卯之木能克戌土，此世爻受日辰傷克不利之象。若在辰日占卦，辰沖戌土，謂之世爻暗動。若在巳午日占卦，巳午之火即是官鬼能生戌土。此謂之世爻逢官鬼而生旺，諸事皆吉。若在未丑日占卦，土遇土而幫扶，此戌土亦為得助。若在戌日占卦，謂之世爻臨日建當令得權。若在申酉亥子日占卦，此戌土無克無生。此謂之日建能生克沖合用神也。

The second point is that the day branch (the branch of the day on which the divination is performed) can generate, control, clash, or combine with the subject. Taking the example of the world line, which is the戌 earth in this case: if the divination is performed on a寅 or卯 day, the wood of寅 or卯 can control the戌 earth, indicating an unfavorable situation where the world line is harmed by the day branch. If the divination is performed on a辰 day, the辰 clashes with the戌 earth, which is called "covert movement" — a static line becoming strong due to the clash with the day branch, appearing still but actually moving. If the divination is performed on a巳 or午 day, the fire of巳 or午 is the official ghost of the primary hexagram, which can generate the戌 earth, indicating the world line receiving support from the official ghost and becoming stronger, resulting in favorable outcomes. If the divination is performed on a未 or丑 day, the earth of未 or丑 is similar to the戌 earth, providing support. If the divination is performed on a戌 day, the world line is directly on the day branch, thus being in its prime and holding authority. If the divination is performed on a申,酉,亥, or子 day, the戌 earth is neither controlled nor generated by the day branch, resulting in neither good nor bad fortune. This is the principle of the day branch's ability to generate, control, clash, or combine with the subject. It is important to note that although the day branch and the month builder both have authority, the day branch is always strong throughout the four seasons, unlike the month builder, which only governs one month.

卦中之動爻能生克沖合。此卦世爻戌土，倘卦中第二爻寅木發動能克戌土，第四爻午火官鬼發動能生戌土，第三爻辰土發動能沖戌土，此謂之卦中之動爻能生、克、沖、合用神。世爻發動變出之爻能回頭生、克、沖、合。世爻發動，動而必變，變出巳午之火謂之回頭生世。變出寅卯之木謂之回頭克世，變出辰土謂之回頭沖世，變出卯木謂之合世。此謂之用神自動變出之爻能生克沖合用神也。

The third point is that the moving line in the hexagram can generate, control, clash with, or harmonize with the useful god. Take the world line, which is the earth dog (戌土) in this hexagram: if the second line, which is the tiger (寅木), moves, the wood controls the earth, thus harming the earth dog; if the fourth line, which is the dragon (午火) official ghost, moves, the fire generates the earth, thus supporting the earth dog; if the third line, which is the dragon (辰土), moves, the dragon and earth dog clash, thus clashing with the earth dog. This is called the moving line in the hexagram exerting effects of generation, control, clash, and harmony on the useful god—remember that only the moving line has this power, while the stationary lines do not actively generate or control other lines. The fourth point is that when the world line itself moves, the new line that appears can generate, control, clash with, or harmonize with the world line. When the world line moves, it necessarily produces a new line: if it becomes fire (巳火 or 午火), it is called 'generating the world line'; if it becomes wood (寅木 or 卯木), it is called 'controlling the world line'; if it becomes earth (辰土), which clashes with the earth dog, it is called 'clashing with the world line'; if it becomes wood (卯木), which harmonizes with the earth dog, it is called 'harmonizing with the world line'. This explains the principle that the line produced by the movement of the useful god can exert effects of generation, control, clash, and harmony on the useful god itself.

以上四處若得全來生合用神者，諸占全吉。倘有三處相生一處相剋，也以吉斷。若有兩處克兩處生者，須看旺衰。生用神之神旺相者則以吉斷，克用神之神旺相者可以凶推。尚遇三處相剋一處相生，若得相生之爻旺相者也可斷為克處逢凶中得解。若值休囚者有生之名無生之實，與四處俱來克者同斷，諸占大凶。

If the Month Builder, the Day Branch, the moving line in the hexagram, and the World Line all generate and harmonize with the Useful God, then whatever the matter being divined will be auspicious. If three of these aspects generate the Useful God and one controls it, it is still considered auspicious. If two aspects generate and two aspects control, and they are evenly matched, one should compare the strength and vitality of the two sides: if the side that generates the Useful God is prosperous and strong, then it is considered auspicious; if the side that controls the Useful God is prosperous and strong, then it is considered inauspicious. If three aspects control and only one generates the Useful God, as long as the generating line is itself prosperous and strong, it can still be interpreted as 'control with a source of support', meaning the凶 is partially resolved. However, if the generating line is weak and confined, then it is merely a name of generation without actual effect, and it is no different from all four aspects controlling, resulting in a major inauspicious outcome.

或問：此卦世爻戌土並無變出寅卯巳午之理？答：他爻多有變出回頭生克，藉此以為法也。又問：卯木能克戌土又與戌合，還是以之為合還是以之為克？答：五行相合章註解極明。

Someone asked: In this hexagram, all six lines are still; the world line, which is the earth dog (戌土), has not moved at all. How can we talk about it being transformed into寅 or卯 or巳 or午 to generate or control it? Answer: In other hexagrams, there are many instances where the moving line produces mutual generation or mutual control. Here, we are using the hexagram of Heaven (乾为天) as an example to explain the principle clearly. Another question: Since the卯 wood can control the戌 earth, and卯 and戌 are also in a harmonious relationship, should we consider it as a harmonious relationship or as a controlling relationship? Answer: This point is explained very clearly in the chapter "Chapter on the Five Phases and Mutual Harmony" of this book. When you get there, it will be clear — generally, if the harmony is strong, it is considered as harmony; if there is a hidden control within the harmony, then we need to look at the strength and decline of both sides.

又問：此卦乾為天，卦中午火作官星，如何午月午日占卦也以午火作官星何也？答：不拘占得何卦，卦內若以巳午火作官星者，如遇巳午月日占卦，此巳午日也作官星，卦中若以巳午之火作財星者，而巳午月日也作財星，餘仿此。旺相休囚者，四時旺相查之。空破者旬空月破章查之。沖合者五行相合章查之。暗動者在暗動查之。回頭生回頭克者在動變生克章查之。日辰月建者在日辰月建章查之，生克者五行相生，五行相剋章查之。生克者五行相生、五行相剋章查之。元神者元神章查之。用神、官星者在用神章查之。

Another question: This hexagram is Qian (Heaven), and the fire of Wu (午) within the hexagram is considered the official star. Then, why, when divining on a Wu month or Wu day, is the fire of Wu in the month builder and day branch also regarded as the official star? Answer: Regardless of which hexagram is obtained, if the fire of Si (巳) or Wu (午) is used as the official star within the hexagram, then when divining on a Si or Wu month or day, the fire of Si or Wu in the month builder and day branch is also treated as the official star. If within the hexagram the fire of Si or Wu is used as the wealth star, then the fire of Si or Wu in the month or day is also treated as the wealth star. The other lines follow the same principle— the identity of the six relations of the month builder and day branch is determined by the primary hexagram. As for other terms, this book has dedicated chapters for each: to distinguish prosperity and strength, refer to the chapter on the Four Seasons and Prosperity; to distinguish emptyness and month breakers, refer to the chapters on Emptyness and Month Breaker; to distinguish harmony and conflict, refer to the chapter on the Five Elements and Harmony; to distinguish covert movement, refer to the chapter on Covert Movement; to distinguish mutual generation and mutual control, refer to the chapter on Dynamic Generation and Control; the power of the day branch and month builder, refer to the chapters on the Day Branch and Month Builder; mutual generation and mutual control, refer to the chapters on the Five Elements and Generation and the Five Elements and Control; the use of the origin god, refer to the chapter on the Origin God; and the method of selecting the useful god and official star, refer to the chapter on the Useful God.

占父母者以卦中父母爻為用神。此卦辰、戌兩爻俱是父母，若兩爻俱動或都不發動，擇其旺者為用神。如一爻動者擇其動者為用神。父母即臨辰戌兩爻二土，即以土為父母，宜火相生，怕木相剋、忌臨旬空、月破亦有四處生克沖合，但宜生多克少為吉。與前世爻相參看。占室舍、車舟、文章、章奏、都以父母爻為用神，須在用神章細看。占他人者以應爻為用神，此卦用臨辰土，欲其吉者宜四處相生，欲其衰者宜四處沖剋。

When divining matters concerning parents, the parents' lines in the hexagram are used as the useful god. In the hexagram Qian (Heaven), the third line, which is the earth element Chen, and the top line, which is the earth element Xu, both represent the parents' lines, forming a situation called "two useful gods appearing." If both lines are active or both are still, choose the one that is prosperous and strong as the useful god. If only one line is active, use that one. Since the parents are located on the earth elements Chen and Xu, earth represents the parents, so it is favorable to have fire to generate earth (fire generates earth), and it is unfavorable to have wood to control earth (wood controls earth). It is also taboo for the parents' lines to fall into the旬空 (decade void) or to meet the month breaker (月破). These lines also undergo the influences of the month builder (月建), day branch (日辰), moving line (动爻), and changing line (变爻) in terms of generation, control, conflict, and harmony. Generally, it is auspicious when there are more generative influences and fewer controlling influences. This section should be read in conjunction with the previous one about the world line (世爻). In addition, when divining matters such as houses, vehicles, ships, writings, or official documents, the parents' lines are also used as the useful god, and the specific method of selection is detailed in the chapter "Chapter on the Useful God (用神章)." When divining about others, the response line (应爻) is used as the useful god. In this hexagram, the response line is the third line, which is the earth element Chen. If one hopes for the person in question to be auspicious, one hopes that all four lines will generate this line. If one hopes for the person to be in decline, one hopes that all four lines will conflict and control this line.

占兄弟者以兄弟爻為用神。此卦申金兄弟即為此爻，宜土相生，怕火相剋，忌臨月破、旬空，也有四處生克，都是多生少克為吉，克多生少為凶。又云：兄弟爻乃劫財之神。如占弟兄姐妹之否泰者，宜其生旺不宜臨月破旬空。如占妻、妾、婢、僕及財物者宜克多生少。更喜逢空逢破，使其不能劫我之財，克我之妻妾、婢、僕。

When divining matters related to siblings, the sibling line is used as the useful god. In the hexagram Qian (Heaven), the fifth line, which is the metal element of the monkey (申金), represents the sibling line. Metal is favorable when supported by earth (earth generates metal), but it is feared when attacked by fire (fire controls metal). It also dislikes falling under the month breaker or being in the empty period. It is also subject to influences from the four directions, with good fortune coming from more generation and less control, and bad fortune from more control and less generation. However, there is another layer to consider: the sibling line itself is the "劫财之神" (god that seizes wealth). Therefore, the selection of the useful god depends on the specific matter being divined. If the matter concerns the well-being and fortunes of the siblings themselves, then we hope the sibling line is strong and thriving, and we do not want it to fall under the month breaker or be in the empty period. If the matter concerns spouses, concubines, servants, or property, the situation is the opposite—here the sibling line becomes the hostile god. In this case, we hope for more control and less generation, and ideally for the sibling line to fall under the month breaker or be in the empty period, so that it lacks the strength to seize our wealth or harm our spouses, concubines, and servants.

占妻、妾、婢、僕及占財物都以妻財爻為用神，此卦寅木妻財就是用神。忌臨旬空月破，宜水相生，怕金相剋，也有四處生克，多生少克為吉與前同看。凡占金銀、買賣都以妻財為用神，須在用神章中細看。占子孫者以子孫爻為用神，此卦子水就是用神。忌臨月破、自空，喜金相生、怕土相剋。也有四處生克沖合，宜其克少生多，與前同看。占他事者以子孫爻為用神者，也從用神章查之。

When divining about a wife, concubine, servant, or property and objects, the wife's wealth line is used as the useful god. In the hexagram Qian (Heaven), the second line, which is the寅 wood, is the useful god. It is disliked when it falls in the旬空 or meets the month breaker; wood prefers to have water to nourish it (water generates wood), but fears being controlled by metal (metal controls wood); it also experiences the same four types of generation and control, and it is favorable when there is more generation than control, which is the same as the previous rules. When divining about buying and selling gold and silver, the wife's wealth line is also used as the useful god, and for detailed methods, refer to the chapter on Useful Gods. When divining about children, the children's line is used as the useful god, and in this hexagram, the first line, which is the子 water, is the useful god. It is disliked when it meets the month breaker or when the line itself falls in the旬空; water prefers to have metal to nourish it (metal generates water), but fears being controlled by earth (earth controls water); it also experiences the same four types of generation and control, and it is favorable when there is more control than generation, which is the same as the previous rules. There are also other matters that use the children's line as the useful god (for example, medicine, monks and Taoists, and livestock), and these should also be referred to in the chapter on Useful Gods.

占功名者以官鬼爻為用神，此卦午火官星即為用神。此爻最忌逢空、逢破，怕水相剋，宜木相生。也有四處生克與前同看。占鬼崇、妖櫱、亂臣、賊盜都以官鬼爻為用神，須在用神章細看。以上所論諸事，後卷都有細法。恐爾不得其門而入，寫此以為綱領，引爾入門也。知此綱領再細詳後卷，各章由淺入深，自入佳境。

When divining about official rank or fame, the official ghost line is used as the useful god. In the hexagram Qian (Heaven), the fourth line, which is the wu fire official star, is the useful god. This line is most disliked when it falls in the旬空 (decade void) or meets the month breaker (月破). Fire is afraid of water which can overcome it (water overcomes fire), and it is favorable to have wood which can nourish it (wood nourishes fire). When this line is subject to influences from all four directions, the interpretation is the same as before. In addition, when divining about ghosts, demons, rebels, and thieves, the official ghost line is also used as the useful god. For detailed methods, refer to the chapter on the Useful God (用神章). The above-mentioned categories of matters are explained in more detail in the subsequent chapters. I fear you may not grasp the essentials, so I have first written this passage as a general outline to guide you into the subject. Once you have mastered this outline, you can proceed to read the subsequent chapters, gradually deepening your understanding chapter by chapter, and naturally reach a higher level of proficiency.

前八宮全圖都是靜爻，然而卦必有動，動則必變，後篇雖有動變章，恐爾不明，再排一變卦為例，爾宜細詳。卦有“O”變出，“O”為重，重為陽，陽動變陰。卦有“X”變出，“X”為交，交為陰，陰動變陽。

In the previous octagonal diagram, all the lines were stationary; however, in actual divination, there will always be a moving line. When a line moves, it necessarily transforms into a new line. Although the "Chapter on Movement and Transformation" deals with this separately, I fear you may not yet fully understand it, so I will now present another example with a transformed line for you to carefully consider. When shaking the coins, if all three show the back side, mark it as "O," which is called "heavy." Heavy belongs to yang, so a yang line moving transforms into a yin line. If all three show the front side, mark it as "X," which is called "cross." Cross belongs to yin, so a yin line moving transforms into a yang line. In other words, an old yang line transforms into a young yin line, and an old yin line transforms into a young yang line. A moving line must certainly transform into the opposite type.

如得“澤天夬”變出“天風姤”卦： 兄弟未土″　動　兄弟戌土′ 子孫酉金′世　子孫申金′ 妻財亥水′　父母午火′應 兄弟辰土′　子孫酉金′ 官鬼寅木′應　妻財亥水′ 妻財子水′　動　兄弟丑土″世 澤天夬，上三爻外卦乃是兌卦，兌為澤，下三爻內卦乃是乾卦，乾為天，澤在上，天在下，即是澤天夬卦。從全圖內找出澤天夬卦，照樣裝出世應、五行、六親然後再看動爻。

For example, if you cast 'Guai' (Hexagram 43) changing into 'Gou' (Hexagram 44). On the left is the primary hexagram 'Guai', from top to bottom: the top line is brothers戌土 (a yin line, which is moving), the fifth line is children酉金 (the world line is here), the fourth line is wealth亥水, the third line is brothers辰土, the second line is official ghost寅木 (the response line is here), and the first line is wealth子水 (which is moving). On the right is the resulting hexagram 'Gou', with the two moving lines changing to brothers戌土 and brothers丑土 (the world line of the resulting hexagram is on the first line). First, to recognize the primary hexagram: the top three lines form the outer trigram, which is Dui (Lake); the bottom three lines form the inner trigram, which is Qian (Heaven). Lake on top and Heaven below together make up 'Guai'. After identifying the hexagram name, find 'Guai' in the eight trigrams chart and copy down the world and response lines, the earthly branches, and the five phases. Then check which lines are moving.

上三爻兌卦，第六爻“交”動變出“一”爻，即是兌卦變乾卦為乾為天。下三爻乾卦初爻動“O”變為“一一”爻，即是乾卦變巽卦為巽為風。天在上，風在下即為天風姤卦。在全圖內找出天風姤卦，以姤卦初爻之丑土，寫在前卦初爻發動子水之旁謂之子孫變出丑土。以姤卦第六爻之戌土寫在前卦六爻發動之旁，即是未土變出戌土。餘爻不動不變不必寫出。按六親者姤卦之丑土、戌土原是父母，今俱寫兄弟何也？六親須照前卦而按前卦澤天夬土為兄弟，所以變卦之丑、戌二土也寫兄弟。餘卦仿此。

Now let's explain how the changing hexagram is formed. The upper three lines form the Dui hexagram, and the sixth line is marked as 'jiao', which is an old yin line that moves, transforming into a solid yang line. Thus, the Dui hexagram becomes the Qian hexagram, which represents Heaven. The lower three lines form the Qian hexagram, and its first line is marked as 'O', which is an old yang line that moves, transforming into a broken yin line. Therefore, the Qian hexagram becomes the Xun hexagram, which represents Wind. Heaven is above and Wind is below, forming the Gou hexagram, which is the Heaven-Wind Gou. Now locate the Heaven-Wind Gou hexagram in the full diagram: place the Chou earth of the Gou hexagram's first line next to the first line of the original hexagram, which is the Zi water, this is called 'children transforming into Chou earth'; place the Xu earth of the Gou hexagram's sixth line next to the top line of the original hexagram, which is the Wei earth, this is called 'Wei earth transforming into Xu earth'. The other four lines did not move, so they remain unchanged and do not need to be written separately. There is an important point here: according to the six relations of the Heaven-Wind Gou hexagram itself, Chou earth and Xu earth were originally parents, but now they are both written as brothers. This is because the six relations of the changing lines should be determined by the original hexagram. Since the original hexagram, Zhe Tian Guai, belongs to the Kun palace and its five phases are earth, earth is 'I', so earth can only be brothers; thus, the transformed Chou and Xu earths are also written as brothers. All other hexagrams follow this rule.