Chapter 32: The Chapter of Two Appearances

用神兩現，如占父母卦中兩爻父母者是也。舍其休囚，用其旺相，舍其靜爻，而用動爻，舍其月破，而用不破，舍其旬空，用其不空，舍其被傷，用其不傷。此古法也。得其驗者，應乎旬空月破，舍其不空，而用旬空，舍其不破，而用月破。

The concept of "two appearances of the useful god" refers to the situation where the same six relation appears twice in the hexagram, for example, when seeking the parents and there are two parents lines in the hexagram. The traditional method of selection is: to discard the weak and confined ones and choose the prosperous and strong ones, to discard the static lines and choose the moving lines, to discard the month breaker and choose the one that is not broken, to discard the旬空 (decade void) and choose the one that is not void, and to discard the ones that are injured or harmed and choose the ones that are not injured. This is the old method. However, according to the personal trials of the Wild Crane Elder, the ones that actually proved effective were often found in the旬空 or month breaker lines: discarding the non-void ones to use the void ones, and discarding the non-breaking ones to use the breaking ones.

如未月庚子日占求財得風天小畜 兄弟卯木′　兄弟卯木′ 子孫巳火′　子孫巳火′ 妻財未土″應　妻財未土″應 妻財辰土′　妻財辰土′ 兄弟寅木′　兄弟寅木′ 父母子水′世　父母子水′世 應臨月建之財以克世，許之必得，彼問何時到手，餘以次日辛丑沖動未財日得，卻得於辰土出空之日，此乃舍其不空而用旬空。

On a Gengzi day in the month of Wei, someone sought to predict his fortune in wealth by casting a hexagram. The hexagram cast was Xiao Xu (Hexagram 9), with all six lines quiet. The top line was a brother line of mulberry wood, the fifth line was a child line of fire, the fourth line was a wealth line of earth (the response line), the third line was a wealth line of earth, the second line was a brother line of mulberry wood, and the first line was a parent line of water (the world line). The hexagram contained two wealth lines. The response line, earth wealth, was directly influenced by the month builder of the month of Wei, and earth was able to overcome the world line of water. The wealth line overcoming the world line indicated that wealth would certainly be obtained. The Wild Crane Elder therefore assured him that he would definitely gain wealth. The person then asked when he would obtain it. The Wild Crane Elder originally thought that on the next day, Xinchou, the earth of the response line would be triggered by the conflict between Chou and Wei, thus bringing about the wealth. However, the wealth actually came on the day when the third line of earth wealth went out of the旬空. This shows that even though the earth wealth of the response line was not empty, the wealth actually manifested on the earth wealth of the third line which was in the旬空.

未月甲午日占升遷得師之渙卦 父母酉金″應　動　子孫卯木′ 兄弟亥水″　動　妻財巳火′世 官鬼丑土″　官鬼未土″ 妻財午火″世　妻財午火″ 官鬼辰土′　官鬼辰土′應 子孫寅木″　子孫寅木″ 斷曰：世爻極旺，既臨日建又得月令作官星而合世，但卦中官星兩現，一空一破，至辰年官而出空一定高升，然反吟於外卦，當得驗者，去而復來，果於辰年，調於河南，五月因他故，又調回楚，十月而升督府，十年兩調一升，皆應實空之年也。

On a day of Jiawu in the month of Wu, divining about a promotion, the hexagram cast was Shi (Hexagram 7) changing to Huan (Hexagram 59). From top to bottom, the lines were: the top line was the parent metal in酉 (Yous), which was the response line, active, changing to the child wood in卯 (Mao). The fifth line was the sibling water in亥 (Hai), active, changing to the wealth fire in巳 (Si), which was the world line of the changed hexagram. The fourth line was the official ghost earth in丑 (Chou), changing to the official ghost earth in未 (Wei). The third line was the wealth fire in午 (Wu), which was the world line. The second line was the official ghost earth in辰 (Chen), which in the changed hexagram was the response. The first line was the child wood in寅 (Yin). The Wild Crane Elder interpreted: the world line, the fire in午 (Wu), was extremely strong. It was the day's heavenly stem, and was supported by the month of Wu. The earth in未 (Wei) also acted as an official star to harmonize with the world line. However, there were two official stars in the hexagram, one was empty and the other was broken. Promotion would definitely happen when the official star was no longer empty in the year of Chen. Also, because the outer trigram formed a reverse chant, reverse chant indicates going away and returning, so there would be a transfer and then a return. Later, in the year of Chen, he was transferred to Henan, and in May due to other reasons, he was transferred back to Huguang, and in October he was promoted to governor-general. Within ten years, two transfers and one promotion all occurred in the years that filled the empty trigram.

又如亥月丙午日母占子何日脫厄，得豫之歸妹 妻財戌土″　妻財戌土″應 官鬼申金″　官鬼申金″ 子孫午火′應　子孫午火′ 兄弟卯木″　妻財丑土″世 子孫巳火″　動　兄弟卯木′ 妻財未土″世　動　子孫巳火′ 餘見卦中三現子孫，俱生世爻，午逢日建而靜，兩爻巳火逢月破許巳年脫厄，乃實破之年也，果脫厄於巳年。此乃卦中用神三現，而用逢破之爻也。

For example, on a day of Bingwu (丙午) in the month of Hai (亥), a mother was divining the day her son would be relieved from danger. She cast the hexagram of Yu (雷地豫) changing into Gui Mei (雷泽归妹). From top to bottom, the lines are: the top line is the wife's wealth (妻财) of Xu earth (戌土), which in the changed hexagram is the response line; the fifth line is the official ghost (官鬼) of Shen metal (申金); the fourth line is the child (子孙) of Wu fire (午火), which is the response line; the third line is the sibling (兄弟) of Mao wood (卯木), which changes into the wife's wealth (妻财) of Chou earth (丑土), being the world line of the changed hexagram; the second line is the child (子孙) of Si fire (巳火), which is active and changes into the sibling (兄弟) of Mao wood (卯木); the first line is the wife's wealth (妻财) of Wei earth (未土), which is the world line and is active, changing into the child (子孙) of Si fire (巳火). Since the mother is divining about her son, the child (子孙) is the useful god (用神). The Wild Crane Elder saw that the child (子孙) appears three times in the hexagram, all coming to support the world line. The fourth line of Wu fire (午火) is exactly the day's heavenly stem (日建) of Bingwu (丙午) but is still and unmoving. The second line of Si fire (巳火) and the first line's changed Si fire (巳火) are both in the month of Hai (亥) and thus are being broken by the month, which is called the month breaker (月破). He therefore predicted that the son would be relieved in the year of Si (巳), which is the actual breaking year (实破). Later, indeed, the son was relieved in the year of Si. This is an example of the useful god (用神) appearing three times, yet the one that meets the breaking (逢破) is chosen.

野鶴曰：餘竟以月破而斷年者，非只此一卦也。因此位老夫人之長公棄封疆而歸，本人自身占過，申金子孫發動，動逢合乃應巳年；弟又占兄，申金兄動亦應巳年，此卦巳火子孫回頭生世，雖逢月破，合前二卦故敢許以巳年，以卜易者一則全其靈機達變，二則卦要留神記之，若不留心記得前卦，此卦午火日建生世，何不許其午年，況午歲又是合世之年，何敢許其巳年，許巳年者，因合前卦而斷也。

The Wild Crane Elder said: I use the Month Breaker爻 to determine the year, not only in this divination. This old lady's eldest son resigned from his high official post and returned home. He first divined a卦 himself. The metal子孙爻 activated, and it met with a combination (the combination between巳 and申). Therefore, it indicated the year of巳. His younger brother then divined about his elder brother, and the metal brother爻 activated, also indicating the year of巳. In this卦, the fire子孙爻 activated and returned to support the world line. Although it met with the Month Breaker, combining it with the previous two卦, I therefore dared to predict the year of巳. Those who study divination must rely entirely on their intuition and adapt flexibly, and also pay careful attention to the卦 they have divined before. If one does not remember the previous two卦, and only looks at this one, the fire of午 is both the day's established element and it supports the world line. Why then would we not predict the year of午? Moreover, the year of午 is also the one that combines with the world line of earth未. Therefore, I dared to predict the year of巳, precisely because it combined with the previous two卦.

太乙貴人 甲戊兼牛羊，乙巳鼠猴鄉，丙丁豬雞位； 壬癸兔蛇藏，庚辛逢馬虎，此是貴人方。 假令甲戊庚日占卦，又中見丑未者，即是貴人。 祿神 甲日到寅，乙初到卯，丙戌祿在巳，丁己祿居午，庚祿居申，辛祿在酉。 假令甲日占卦，爻中見寅為祿；乙日占卦，爻中卯為祿，餘仿此。

First we discuss the "Taiyi Guiren" (Great Eminent Person). The mnemonic is: On Jia day and Wu day, look at the ox and sheep, which are Chou and Wei; on Yi day and Ji day, look at the rat and monkey, which are Zi and Shen (the original text says "Yi Si", which should be "Yi Ji"); on Bing day and Ding day, look at the pig and chicken, which are Hai and You; on Ren day and Gui day, look at the rabbit and snake, which are Mao and Si; on Geng day and Xin day, look at the horse and tiger, which are Wu and Yin. These are the positions of the Guiren. For example, if on Jia day or Wu day or Geng day, the line shows Chou or Wei, then it is the Guiren. Now the "Lushen" (Wealth God): On Jia day, the Lushen is in Yin; on Yi day, the Lushen is in Mao (the original text says "Yi Chou" which should be "Yi Lushen"); on Bing day and Wu day, the Lushen is in Si (the original text says "Bing Xu" which should be "Bing Si"); on Ding day and Ji day, the Lushen is in Wu; on Geng day, the Lushen is in Shen; on Xin day, the Lushen is in You. For example, if on Jia day, the line shows Yin, then it is the Lushen; if on Yi day, the line shows Mao, then it is the Lushen, and so on.

驛馬 申子辰馬到寅，巳酉丑馬在亥，寅午戌馬居申，亥卯未馬在巳。 假令子日、申日、辰日占卦，爻中見寅即為馬，餘仿此。 天喜 春戌，夏丑，秋畏，冬未。 假令春天正月占卦爻中見戌即為天喜，三月雖以戌為天喜，又為月破，若發動於卦中扶助旺相之用神者，以之為喜，不以為破，餘仿此。

Now regarding 'Post Horse': On days of Shen, Zi, and Chen, the Post Horse is in Yin; on days of Si, You, and Chou, it is in Hai; on days of Yin, Wu, and Xu, it is in Shen; and on days of Hai, Mao, and Wei, it is in Si. For example, if the day is Zi, Shen, or Chen and a hexagram is divined, and the line shows Yin, then Yin is the Post Horse; the rest follow the same pattern. Now regarding 'Heavenly Joy': In spring, it is in Xu; in summer, in Chou; in autumn, in Chen (the original text says 'autumn fear', which should be a mistake for 'autumn Chen'); in winter, in Wei. For example, if a hexagram is divined in the first lunar month (spring), and the line shows Xu, then Xu is the Heavenly Joy. In the third lunar month, although Xu is still considered Heavenly Joy, since the third month is built on Chen and Chen and Xu are opposing, Xu becomes the Month Breaker. If it appears in the hexagram and supports the prosperous and strong Useful God, it is still considered Heavenly Joy and not treated as Month Breaker; the rest follow the same pattern.

諸書星煞最多，餘留心四十餘載獨驗貴人祿神驛馬天喜，然不能獨操禍福之權，用神旺者見之愈吉，用神失陷雖有如無。李我平曰：伏羲觀奇偶以判陰陽，文王以爻辭而斷凶吉，周公之後，決禍福於五行，易道窮矣，今兼吉凶煞星，不知起自何人。喪門拓墓大殺飛鷹，加此驗語驚人，往往全無應驗，易冒疾病章云：卜卦不死星煞不死用神煞（此處缺），出爾反爾，後學何從，即如此書得驗貴人祿神驛馬亦必附和用神之旺相，即不能獨操禍福之權。

Different books list numerous stars and ominous forces, but the Wild Crane Elder carefully observed for over forty years and found that only four of them are reliable: "Nobleman," "Wealth God," "Post Horse," and "Heavenly Joy." However, these cannot alone determine fortune or misfortune; if the Useful God is prosperous and strong, then encountering these is even more auspicious; if the Useful God is weak and ineffective, then even having these is like having none. Li Weiping said: Fuxi observed odd and even numbers to distinguish yin and yang, King Wen arranged the Line Statements to determine good and bad fortune, and after the Duke of Zhou, people began using the Five Phases to decide fortune and misfortune. The doctrine of the Changes has already been fully explained. Now, however, a pile of auspicious and ominous stars has been added, but it is unclear who first introduced them. "Funeral Gate," "Mourning Tomb," "Great Killer," and "Flying Eagle" are among them. These names sound alarming, yet they often fail to come true. In the "Disease Chapter" of "Easy Changes," it says, "When divining, do not rely on death stars or ominous forces related to the Useful God" (the original text here is missing). This creates contradictions, leaving later learners unsure which to follow. Even the Nobleman, Wealth God, and Post Horse verified in this book must be combined with the Useful God being prosperous and strong to be effective; they cannot alone determine fortune or misfortune.

予以為誠意先生千金賦曰：吉凶神煞之多端，何如生剋制化之理，一言以敝之矣。 增刪《黃金策千金賦》第三十四 動靜陰陽，反覆變遷。前動變章註解明白。太過者損之斯成。舊注主事爻重複太多，事不專一，故宜損之。且如土為主事爻多，卦中多逢丑戌辰未，謂之大過，須待寅卯月日剋制土爻，然彼成事，或占時得遇寅卯日月亦好。

I think Liu Ji, known as Master Chenyi, has already explained the essence of divination in the line from "The Thousand Gold Essay" in "The Golden Strategies": "Among the many auspicious and inauspicious factors, how can the principles of generation, overcoming, restriction, and transformation be more important?" The following is an addition and revision of "The Golden Strategies · The Thousand Gold Essay," forming Chapter Thirty-Four. The essay says, "Movement and stillness of yin and yang, constant change and transformation." This principle has already been clearly explained in the previous chapter, "The Chapter on Movement and Transformation." The essay also says, "When something is excessive, it must be reduced to succeed." The old commentary explains that if the main line in the hexagram appears too many times, the matter will not be singular, so it must be reduced by overcoming. For example, if "earth" is the main line, and the hexagram contains many instances of the earthly branches丑 (Chou), 戌 (Xu), 辰 (Chen), and 未 (Wei), which are all earth, this is called "excess." It must wait until the months or days of 寅 (Yin) or 卯 (Mao), which are wood, to overcome the earth line, then the matter can be accomplished. If the hexagram was cast exactly on a 寅 (Yin) or 卯 (Mao) day or month, it is also favorable.

野鶴曰：不獨後逢寅卯月日，得逢辰月辰日者，或許成事，何也？辰乃土之墓庫，謂之用爻重疊，須墓庫以收藏是也，餘仿此。不及者益之則利。何為不及？若主事爻只有一位，又不旺，謂之不及，其事難成。且如金為主事爻，若在夏天占得休囚死煞，若得日辰動爻生之，或得後來逢生助之日月，皆有利益，其事亦成。餘以此論是理。但要主事爻原有根蒂，衰而逢生者，如旱苗得雨也，勃然而興，故謂之有扶有助，衰弱休囚亦吉。只恐衰弱無助，休囚失陷，雖逢生合，亦難生矣，豈不聞制中弱主，難以為持。

The Wild Crane Elder said: It is not only when the month or day is寅 or卯 that things can be accomplished; when the month or day is辰, things can also be accomplished. Why? Because辰 is the "m墓库" of earth. When the useful god appears too many times, it needs the mStorage to store and contain it. The rest can be similarly inferred. The essay says, "If something is lacking, adding to it is beneficial." What does "lacking" mean? When the main line in the hexagram appears only once and is not in its proper season or position, this is called "lacking," and the matter is difficult to accomplish. For example, if "metal" is the main line, and the hexagram is cast in summer, metal is in the "weak and confined" and "dead and exhausted" state. At this time, if the day branch or moving line can generate it, or if later the month or day can generate and support it, it is beneficial for the matter and the matter can still be accomplished. I think this statement is reasonable. However, the prerequisite is that the main line itself has a foundation. When it is weak and receives support, it is like a dry rice plant receiving rain, which will suddenly flourish. Therefore, when there is support, even if the main line is weak and confined, it is considered auspicious. The most dangerous situation is when it is weak and receives no support, or when it is confined and completely lost. In such cases, even if there is generation and harmony, it is difficult to develop. Have you not heard what the ancients said: a weak useful god that is suppressed cannot sustain itself.

生扶拱合，時雨滋苗。克害刑沖，秋霜殺草。前五行生剋、三合六合章、月將日辰章，三刑六害章，註解極明。長生帝旺，爭如金谷之園。死墓絕空，乃是泥犁之地。前《生旺墓絕章》、《空亡章》詳之。日辰為六爻之主宰，月將是萬卜之提綱。前《日辰月將章》詳之。

The essay states: gaining "birth," "support," "supporting," and "harmony" is like timely rain nourishing crops; encountering "overcoming," "harming," "punishment," and "clash" is like autumn frost destroying wild grass. These principles have been clearly explained in the previous chapters: "Five Phases Generation and Overcoming Chapter," "Triple Harmony and Six Harmony Chapter," "Month General and Day Branch Chapter," and "Three Punishments and Six Harm Chapter." The essay further says: when the useful god is in "growth" or "prosperity," it is like being in the wealthy estate of Shi Chong's Gold Valley; when it falls into "death," "burial," "extinction," or "void," it is like falling into the hell of Nīlí. These two lines have been thoroughly discussed in the previous chapters: "Birth, Prosperity, Burial, and Extinction Chapter" and "Void Chapter." The essay then says: the day branch is the master of the six lines, and the month builder is the general principle of all divination. This point has already been explained in detail in the previous chapter: "Day Branch and Month General Chapter."

最惡者歲君，宜靜不宜動。歲君乃當年之太歲是也。或旺動暗沖剋世爻，占年運者，必須是一年中的大事。占官事的，一定得是朝廷的大事，占卜升遷官運以及占卜面聖朝君，或者占卜向聖上請功的，皆宜太歲生合世爻，動而生世更吉。最忌刑沖剋世。除此數占之外，皆與他要等也。何也？太歲雖司一年之令，尊而不親，難仰吉凶，皆不及日月。古以太歲不理家庭瑣事，此理是也。所以太歲沖爻為歲破不以為凶，合爻為歲合不以為吉。爻之衰者，太歲不能生之，爻旺者太歲不能制之，遇月破者即破，逢旬空者旬空，此非月建日建力也？

The text says: The most dreaded is the "yearly sovereign," which is favorable to stillness and unfavorable to movement. The "yearly sovereign" refers to the current year's Tai Sui. If the Tai Sui is prosperous and strong and secretly clashes with the World Line, then when divining about one's annual fortune, the result will be major events of that year; when divining about official matters, the result will be major affairs at the imperial court. For divinations concerning promotion, official career, audience with the emperor, or reporting achievements and requesting rewards, it is favorable for the Tai Sui to generate and harmonize with the World Line. If the Tai Sui is activated and generates the World Line, it is even more auspicious. The most to be avoided is when the Tai Sui clashes, punishes, or harms the World Line. Except for these types of divination, other matters do not require placing such emphasis on the Tai Sui. Why? Although the Tai Sui governs the command of the year, it is noble and distant, and its effects on fortune and misfortune are hard to rely upon. In the end, it is still less effective than the Month Builder and the Day Branch. Ancient people said that the Tai Sui does not concern family affairs, and this is indeed correct. Therefore, when the Tai Sui clashes with a certain line, it is called "yearly break," and it does not necessarily indicate misfortune. When the Tai Sui harmonizes with a certain line, it is called "yearly harmony," and it does not necessarily indicate good fortune. When a line is weak, the Tai Sui cannot generate it; when a line is prosperous and strong, the Tai Sui cannot suppress it. When it should be broken by the Month Breaker, it will be broken; when it should be empty in the ten-day cycle, it will be empty. This shows clearly that the real factors at work are not the Tai Sui, but the Month Builder and the Day Branch.

野鶴曰：作當年禍福，不以為重，作後世之吉凶，其實不輕。且如主事爻屬木爻，卦中申酉金動，謂之木被金傷，縱使木旺金衰，目下可保無事，後遇申酉歲難免其殃。如巳月壬子日占鄉試得水地比 妻財子水″應　　妻財子水″應 兄弟戌土′　　兄弟戌土′ 子孫申金″　　子孫申金″ 官鬼卯木″世　　官鬼卯木″世 父母巳火″　　父母巳火″ 兄弟未土″　　兄弟未土″ 巳月父爻當月建文星旺矣，獨嫌官星持世，卯木旬空，許之卯科方得遂意。子年占，果於卯年登科。卯年者，太歲填實不空也。

The Wild Crane Elder said: Viewing the Tai Su as the master of fortune and misfortune for the current year is not very significant; but viewing it as a sign for future events is indeed important. For example, if the main element in the hexagram is wood, and the metal elements of Sheng and You are active in the hexagram, this is called 'wood being harmed by metal'. Even if the wood is strong and the metal is weak, there may be no problem now, but when encountering the years of Sheng or You, the disaster will eventually come. For instance, if a hexagram is cast on the day of Renzi in the month of Si for the imperial examination, the hexagram is Bi (Hexagram 8), and the six lines from top to bottom are: wife wealth water (responding line), brothers戌 earth, children申 metal, official ghost卯 wood (the main line), parents巳 fire, brothers未 earth, and all six lines are still, with no changing hexagram. The month of Si is the month builder for the parents' line, indicating the star of literature is very strong. However, the official ghost line of卯 wood is holding the main line but is in 'shen kong' (void), so I predicted that he would achieve his wish in the year of卯. The hexagram was cast in the year of Zi, and indeed he passed the examination in the year of卯. The prediction came true in the year of卯 because the Tai Su of that year filled the void of the卯 wood.

不驗者身位，宜刪而不宜存。舊係最要者身位，喜扶而不喜傷。原注有云，古用身世而不驗，故用卦身。野鶴曰卦身亦不驗，亦用世爻。或曰間有驗者。餘用世爻，百發無不百中也。然間有之驗，乃偶然湊合耳，何足為法。世為己，應為人，大宜生合。世為自己，應為他人，凡兼彼此之事，兼而用之，欲他扶助我者，喜應爻生合世爻。我欲代他而謀事者，亦世爻而生應也，兼彼此而不應也。

The original text says, "Most important is the position of the hexagram body; it is favorable when supported but not when harmed." The Wild Crane Elder changed it to, "The hexagram body is not reliable; it should be deleted rather than kept." Old annotations say that ancient people used the "world line" and it was not effective, so they changed to use the "hexagram body." The Wild Crane Elder says that the hexagram body is also not reliable, and it should still be the "world line" that is used. Some people say the hexagram body sometimes works. I always use the world line, and it is always accurate; those occasional instances of success are just coincidences, and cannot be established as a rule. The original text says, "The world line represents oneself, the response line represents others; it is most suitable for them to generate and harmonize with each other." The world line represents oneself, the response line represents others. For matters involving both parties, both lines should be considered together: if one hopes for the other's support, then the response line should generate and harmonize with the world line; if one is trying to help the other, then the world line should generate the response line. For matters concerning oneself alone, there is no need to involve the response line.

如卯月辛巳占自陳何如 得恆之升 妻財戌土″應　　官鬼酉金″ 官鬼申金″　　父母亥水″ 子孫午火′　　動　　妻財丑土″世 官鬼酉金′世　　官鬼酉金′ 父母亥水′　　父母亥水′ 妻財丑土″　　妻財丑土″應 余曰：酉官持世破而且空，又動出午火，相剋，不獨削職，須防五六月還見凶災。或曰，幸得世應相生，又變升卦，必相救解，余曰，自占自陳，與應何干，此迂腐之論也，果於五月下獄。

For example, on a day of Xinsi (辛巳) in the month of Mao (卯), someone cast a hexagram for his own matter of self-reporting to the court for examination, and obtained the hexagram Heng (雷风恒) changing to Sheng (地风升). The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: wife wealth in the earth element (戌土, 应爻), official ghost in the metal element (申金), children in the fire element (午火, 动爻), official ghost in the metal element (酉金, 世爻), parents in the water element (亥水), and wife wealth in the earth element (丑土). The lines of the changing hexagram are: official ghost in the metal element (酉金), parents in the water element (亥水), wife wealth in the earth element (丑土, 世爻), official ghost in the metal element (酉金), parents in the water element (亥水), and wife wealth in the earth element (丑土, 应爻). I said: the official star in the metal element (酉金) holds the world line, which is both broken by the month and falls in the旬空, and the hexagram also moves out the fire element (午火) to overcome it. Therefore, not only will he be demoted, but he should also beware of another misfortune in May or June. A bystander said: Fortunately, the world and response lines are in mutual generation, and the primary hexagram changes to Sheng (升), so there must be someone to help and resolve the matter. I said: When one casts a hexagram for his own affairs, how can the response line be relevant? This is a foolish opinion. Later, this person was indeed imprisoned in May.

動為始，變為終，最怕交爭。動爻為事之始，變爻為事之終，不宜互相沖克。應位遭傷，不利他人之事，世爻受制，豈宜自己之謀。自占者，宜世爻旺相，或臨日月，或日月動爻扶助，或動而化吉，諸占皆吉。占他人以應爻為用，喜他旺者，宜臨旺相之地，又宜日月動爻以生扶；喜他衰者，宜臨墓絕空之鄉，及被日月動爻沖剋。世應俱空，人無準實。世空自己不真，應空他人不實，世應俱空，彼此皆無準實。內外競發，事必翻騰。卦中動爻少者，吉凶自有條理，容易剖斷。若內卦外卦紛紛亂動，則吉凶不定，必人情不常，事體反覆，全無定論，須再占一卦，合而決之。

The text says, "Movement signifies the beginning, change signifies the end; it is most feared when they clash." The moving line represents the beginning of an affair, while the changing line represents its conclusion; the two should not clash or control each other. The text also says, "If the response line is harmed, it is not favorable for matters concerning others; if the world line is restricted, it is not suitable for one's own plans." When divining for oneself, the world line should be prosperous and strong, or the world line should be in the same position as the day or month builder, or be supported by the day or month moving lines, or transform into a favorable image; in such cases, all divinations are favorable. When divining for others, the response line is considered the useful god: if one hopes for the other's prosperity, the response line should be in a prosperous and strong position and be supported by the day and month moving lines; if one hopes for the other's decline, the response line should be in the墓, 绝, or 空 positions and be clashed or controlled by the day and month moving lines. The text says, "If both the world and response lines are empty, there is no certainty." If the world line is empty, then one's side is not genuine; if the response line is empty, then the other's side is not real; when both lines are empty, neither side can be relied upon. The text also says, "If inner and outer trigrams both move, affairs will surely be turbulent." When there are few moving lines in the hexagram, good or bad fortune is clear and easy to determine; but if both inner and outer trigrams move disorderly, good or bad fortune becomes uncertain, and people's feelings will be fickle, affairs will be turbulent, and there will be no definite conclusion; in such cases, one should cast another hexagram and combine the two hexagrams to make a judgment.

世或交重，兩目自顧瞻於馬首。應如發動，一心似托於猿攀。舊注世應皆不動，動則反覆不常，如馬首，似猿攀，意以無寧。野鶴曰：吾不敢以之為是，亦不敢以為非。此乃用不旺，象不成之說也。若用爻得地，大象當成，世動不受剋制，應動三合世爻，圖事成之更速。

The text says: If the World Line moves, a person's mind is like staring at a horse's head, restless and unsettled; if the Response Line moves, the other party's thoughts are like a monkey climbing branches, without a place to rest. Old commentaries take this to mean that both the World and Response Lines should be still, and if they move, they become fickle and restless. The Wild Crane Elder says: I dare not confirm whether this is right or wrong. What is actually being described here is a situation where the Useful God is weak and the卦's overall image is not formed. If the Useful God is strong and the卦's overall image naturally indicates success, then the movement of the World Line without being restrained and the movement of the Response Line forming a Triple Harmony with the World Line will actually make things happen more quickly.

用爻有氣無他故，所作皆成。主象徒存更被傷，凡謀不遂。用爻及主象，即主事之爻也。或旺有生扶，或有氣並無他爻剋制，事之必成。倘衰弱無力又逢剋制，雖則出現亦無用矣。爻遇旬空，逢沖而有用。旬空得遇日辰沖者，謂之沖空，實不為空，反為有用。倘動爻空者，日辰沖之更實。

The text says, "If the main line has vitality without other factors, all actions will succeed; if the main image exists but is harmed, all plans will fail." Here, both "main line" and "main image" refer to the main line involved in the matter. It either is prosperous and strong with support, or although not in its season, it has vitality and is not restrained by other lines, and the matter will certainly succeed. If it is weak and restrained, even if it appears in the hexagram, it is as if it does not exist. The text also says, "A line encountering the ten-day period void, when confronted by a clash, becomes useful." A line that falls in the ten-day period void, if moved by the day branch, is called "clashing with the void," which actually no longer counts as void, but becomes useful. If the void line is a moving line, and the day branch again clashes with it, it becomes even more concrete.

合遭破以無功。舊注爻相合，如兩人同心，事必克濟。若日月動爻沖剋者，則為合處逢沖。須防小人挑唆，合好之中，以生疑忌。只在自為之事者，亦被旁人挑阻，我事難成。餘得驗者，凡三合六合，雖不宜目下日月動爻沖剋，又宜後來之月沖開。正所謂如逢合住，沖破成功。且如爻中寅與亥合，事若在申巳之日月方成其事，餘仿此。古之不動，宜為之合，非也，兩爻皆動，始為合。

The text says, "When a combination is broken, it will achieve nothing." The old commentary explains: when two lines are in harmony, it is like two people working together with the same mind, and the matter will certainly succeed; but if it is attacked by the day or month lines or moving lines, this is called "harmony met with conflict," and one should beware of small people stirring up trouble, causing suspicion in a previously harmonious situation; even if it is a matter concerning oneself alone, it will be obstructed by others and fail. My verification shows that: all instances of "triple harmony" and "six harmony" should not be attacked by the day or month lines or moving lines at present, but they also need a later month to resolve the conflict, as it is said, "when harmony is met, it is only when the conflict is broken that success is achieved." For example, if the trigram contains the combination of寅 and亥, the matter will be completed only in the month and day of申 or巳; other cases can be similarly inferred. As for the old view that two lines at rest are considered harmonious, that is incorrect; true harmony requires both lines to be active.

動空化空，皆成凶吉。舊係必成凶。餘得驗者，動不為空，動而化空，亦不為空，吉凶皆應沖空實空之日，予故更之。刑合克合，終見乖淫。舊注合者，和合也。見之為吉，殊不知合中有刑有克，畢竟不合。用午字為財爻，寅為福神，因午字帶自刑，名為刑合，不以為合，而為刑也。野鶴曰：午既自刑，乃自有刑害之禍，得福神而作合，是救解其禍矣，反不為吉者，非也。余嘗得驗，世爻午火，化未相合，已定重刑，後競得釋放，免於災禍。動逢合而絆住。舊注忌神動逢日月相合，則不成凶。原神動逢日月合住則不濟事。此亦有理，餘得驗者，後逢沖開之日月，吉凶俱成。

The original text says, "When a line moves and becomes empty, it all becomes凶 (misfortune)." The Wild Crane Elder changed it to "all become either凶 or吉 (good or bad)." My verification shows that once a line moves, it is no longer considered empty. Even if it changes into an empty line, it is still not considered empty. Whether it is good or bad should be determined on the day when it is either冲空 (conflict with emptiness) or填实 (filled in). Therefore, I changed this sentence. The text says, "When there is刑 (punishment) and合 (union), eventually there is discord." The old commentary says that合 means harmony, which is considered good. But it does not realize that there is刑 and克 (punishment and conflict) within the合, so it cannot be considered true harmony. For example, if午 (a fire trigram) represents wealth and寅 (a wood trigram) represents the origin god, since午 has "自刑" (self-punishment), this is called "刑合" (punishment and union). It should not be considered as a union, but as punishment. The Wild Crane Elder said that since午 has self-punishment, it already brings punishment and harm. Now that the origin god comes to unite with it, it should resolve this disaster, but this is considered bad, which is wrong. I personally tested this: in a certain hexagram, the world line is午 fire, which changes into未 earth to unite with it. At that time, a serious punishment was already decided, but later he was released and escaped disaster. The text says, "When a line moves and is caught by a union." The old commentary says that if the hostile god moves and is caught by the sun or moon, it will not be凶; if the origin god moves and is caught by the sun or moon, it will not be helpful. This has some truth. My verification shows that when the month or day comes to break this union, whether it is good or bad will be realized.

如未月庚寅日占官運。 官鬼未土″　　兄弟子水″應 父母酉金′　　官鬼戌土′ 兄弟亥水′世　　動　　父母申金″ 兄弟亥水′　　兄弟亥水′世 官鬼丑土″　　官鬼丑土″ 子孫卯木′應　　子孫卯木′ 斷曰：世臨亥水，今歲子年，太歲拱扶，九五酉金，雖不發動，亦有生意。世爻又化回頭生，又得日辰相合，六爻未土官星當權得令，仕途平坦，如順水行舟也。惟疑權操兩省，不為不當，如何兄爻持世，財伏被克，此美中不足也。公問，後日何如。余曰：防巳年太歲沖害，刑申，不無蹭蹬榮歸之日，只落得四海一空囊耳。果於巳年被論，宦囊消索。此乃世逢合而絆住，逢沖之年月則開。

For example, on the day of Gengyin with the month of Wei, divining about official career. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: official ghost (guan gui) of earth (wei tu), parents (fu mu) of metal (you jin), siblings (xiong xie) of water (hai shui) (world line, active), siblings of water (hai shui), official ghost of earth (chou tu), children (zun zi) of wood (mao mu) (response). The changing hexagram is: siblings of water (zi shui) (response), official ghost of earth (xu tu), parents of metal (shen jin), siblings of water (hai shui) (world line), official ghost of earth (chou tu), children of wood (mao mu). I interpreted: the world line is water (hai shui), the current year is the year of zi, the heavenly stem of zi water supports the world line. The fifth line, metal (you jin) parents, although not active, also has the meaning of generating the world line. The world line also changes into metal (shen jin), forming 'returning generation', and also combines with the day branch (yin mu). The top line, earth (wei tu) official ghost, is in authority and in season, the official career is smooth, like sailing on water. However, he holds power in two provinces, his status is not inappropriate, but the sibling line holds the world line, and the wealth line is hidden and attacked, which is a minor flaw. He asked about the future, I said: be cautious of the year of si, the heavenly stem of si, which conflicts with the world line (hai shui), and also harms the changed metal (shen jin). It is feared that there will be a setback and dismissal from office, returning home empty-handed. In the end, he was indeed impeached in the year of si, his wealth was completely spent. This is exactly the case where the world line 'meets and is blocked by a combination', once the year opens this combination, the matter occurs.

靜逢沖而暗興。暗動章註解極明。入墓難克。舊注墓者，滯也。忌神入墓不克用神。且如木為用神，金為忌神，若在丑日占者，金入墓矣，焉能克木。卦中動出丑爻，亦向此推。金爻動而化丑亦是，餘仿此。

The essay says, "When stillness meets a clash, it secretly rises." This point was clearly explained in the previous chapter on "Covert Movement." The essay also says, "When a god enters its tomb, it is difficult to overcome." Old commentaries explain that a tomb signifies stagnation; when a hostile god enters its tomb, it cannot overcome the useful god. For example, if wood is the useful god and metal is the hostile god, and the hexagram is cast on the day of Chou, then metal enters its tomb in Chou and cannot overcome wood. If the hexagram has a moving line of Chou, the same principle applies; if the metal line moves and transforms into Chou earth, it is the same situation, and other cases can be similarly inferred.

野鶴曰：是則是也，屢見後逢沖開墓庫日，依然木被金傷。帶旺非空。旺者乃旺之爻而遇旬空不作空論，倘遇本日之日辰沖者，謂之空逢沖而有用，遇後日之日辰沖，謂之沖起，過此一旬而出空者，謂之填實，但不為之空也，倘若發動更不為空。

The Wild Crane Elder said: This statement is indeed correct, but I have often seen that on the day when theStorage is opened, the wood is still harmed by metal. The essay says, "When a yao is prosperous, it is not empty": if a yao is itself prosperous and strong but also meets the旬空, it should not be considered as empty. If it is affected by the day branch on the day of the divination, it is called "empty met by a冲 and thus useful"; if it is affected by the day branch on some later day, it is called "冲起"; if after this旬 it escapes the empty period, it is called "filling in". These situations are not considered as empty. If the yao also moves, it is even less considered as empty.

有助有扶，衰弱休囚亦吉。此指主事爻而言，且如主事爻無氣本為不美，若得日辰與動爻生扶拱合，即為得助，與前不及者益之則利相同。貪生貪合，刑沖剋害皆忘。此亦指主事爻而言，且如主象臨卯木，遇申爻動而克之，卦中動出亥水，申金貪水之生，不來克木。又如主事爻臨子水欲卯木動而相刑，若得旁爻動出戌字，卯與戌合，不來刑子，此乃貪合忘刑。又如用爻臨巳字，卦中動出亥水，動克一火，若得卯木同動，亥卯未合成木局，反來生火，亦謂之貪合忘克忘沖，餘皆仿此。

The essay says, "With assistance and support, even a weak and confined element can be auspicious," referring to the main element in the divination. For example, if the main element is without strength, it is not considered good, but if it receives support from the day branch and the moving line through birth, assistance, mutual support, or combination, it is called "receiving assistance," which is the same as the meaning of "if something is lacking, adding to it brings benefit." The essay also says, "Desiring life and combination, punishments, clashes, and harm are forgotten," which also refers to the main element. For instance, if the main element is卯 wood and 申 metal moves to harm it, but the hexagram also has 亥 water moving, the 申 metal desires to generate 亥 water, so it no longer harms the wood. Another example is when the main element is 子 water, and there is a 卯 wood moving to harm it, but if another line moves out 戌 earth, and 卯 and 戌 combine, then 卯 no longer harms 子, which is called "forgetting punishment due to combination." Another example is when the useful element is 巳 fire, and the hexagram has 亥 water moving to harm it, but if 卯 wood also moves, and 亥, 卯, and 未 form a wood trinity, the wood then generates fire instead, which is called "forgetting harm and forgetting clash due to combination." Other situations can be understood in the same way.

別衰旺以明克合，辨動靜以定刑沖。衰旺克合，前五行生剋章及四時旺相章中已註明白。動靜刑沖，前動變章已註明。併不併因多字眼，合非合因少支神。舊注卦爻既成，未免有刑沖併合，然多一字不成其名，少一字亦不成刑沖併合之名也。且如子日卜卦，卦中有一子字而謂之並，若有二字則分開而太過也，名雖為並，其實不能並之，二午則不沖，二卯則不刑，二巳則不克，此多一字，不成刑沖剋害之名。野鶴曰：若爻中二子不合二丑，名為合，不成者，亦有理也。若以日辰不能並爻出之二子不能沖爻中之二午者非也，日月如天，無處不沾雨露，不然何以為之巡查六爻之善惡。

The essay says, "Distinguish between prosperity and decline to clarify mutual generation and destruction, and discern movement and stillness to determine punishment and clash." Prosperity and decline, as well as mutual generation and destruction, have already been explained in the previous chapters on the Five Phases and the Four Seasons. Movement and stillness, as well as punishment and clash, have also been noted in the previous chapter on dynamic changes. The essay further states, "A single character does not constitute a name, and a lack of a character also fails to form a name." Old commentaries explain that once the hexagram and its lines are arranged, there are inevitably instances of punishment, clash, conjunction, and mutual destruction. However, adding an extra character makes the name invalid, and lacking one also fails to form the name. For example, if a day branch is Zi, and the hexagram contains only one Zi, it is called "conjunction." If there are two Zis, the power is dispersed and excessive, so although it is called "conjunction," it does not actually form one. Similarly, two Wus in the hexagram do not count as clash, two Maos do not count as punishment, and two Sis do not count as mutual destruction—this is because an extra character invalidates the name of punishment, clash, or mutual destruction. The Wild Crane Elder says: If two Zis in the hexagram are paired with two Chous, and it is called "conjunction" but in reality it does not form one, this is still acceptable. However, if it is claimed that the day branch cannot "conjunction" with two Zis in the hexagram or cannot "clash" with two Wus, that is incorrect. The sun and moon are like heaven, omnipresent, otherwise how could they inspect the good and evil of the six lines?

即如丑月壬子日占訟 父母戌土′　　父母戌土′ 兄弟申金′應　　兄弟申金′應 官鬼午火′　　官鬼午火′ 兄弟申金′　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火″世　　官鬼午火″世 父母辰土″　　父母辰土″ 斷：世臨午火，子日沖之，休囚為日破，不為暗動，今日若審，必有責罰，果於本日見官責杖二十，此即卦見二午，豈可謂之一子不沖二午耶，又曰寅巳申為三刑，若有寅巳二字，而無申字，或有寅申二字，而無巳字，但少一字，不成三刑，又曰亥卯未為三合，卦有二，內少一字者，不成三合。

For example, if a case is cast on the day of Renzi (壬子) in the month of Chou (丑), the six lines from top to bottom are: Parents Wu Earth, Brothers Shen Metal (responding line), Official Ghost Wu Fire, Brothers Shen Metal, Official Ghost Wu Fire (world line), Parents Chen Earth, and all six lines are still. The interpretation states: The world line is Wu Fire, which is attacked by the day's Renzi. Wu Fire is weak and confined in the month of Chou, so this attack constitutes 'day break', and it cannot be considered as 'covert movement'. If someone is to appear in court today, they will certainly be punished. Indeed, that day the person was summoned and received twenty strokes of the cane. In this hexagram there are two Wu Fires, so how can it be said that one Renzi does not affect both Wu Fires? Old annotations also say that Yin, Si, and Shen form the three punishments; if the hexagram contains only Yin and Si but not Shen, or only Yin and Shen but not Si, lacking one element makes the three punishments incomplete. Similarly, Hai, Mao, and Wei form the triple harmony; if the hexagram contains only two of these elements but not the third, the triple harmony is not formed.

野鶴曰：此二者皆非其說，殊不知虛一待用，待後時之月日可以填之。如巳月未日占久病得困之兌卦 父母未土″　　父母未土″世 兄弟酉金′　　兄弟酉金′ 子孫亥水′應　　子孫亥水′ 官鬼午火″　　父母丑土″應 父母辰土′　　妻財卯木′ 妻財寅木″世　　動　　官鬼巳火′ 斷曰：世爻寅木化出巳爻，寅能刑巳，三刑少申字，防申日之危，果卒於申日，此乃少一字，得後來之申日補之，豈可謂少一字不成三刑耶。

The Wild Crane Elder said: Neither of these two statements is correct. One should not be unaware that in divination, the concept of 'leaving one empty for future use' applies, and the missing element will be filled by the later month and day. For example, if a person with a long illness is divined on the fourth month and sixth day, the hexagram obtained is 'Kun (Hexagram 47)泽水困' changing to 'Dui (Hexagram 58)兑为泽'. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: parents in the earth element of the sixth heaven, siblings in the metal element of the eighth hour, children in the water element of the tenth heaven (responding line), official ghost in the fire element of the fifth heaven, parents in the earth element of the third heaven, and wealth in the wood element of the first heaven (the world line, which is active). The resulting hexagram is: parents in the earth element of the sixth heaven (the world line), siblings in the metal element of the eighth hour, children in the water element of the tenth heaven, parents in the earth element of the second heaven (responding line), wealth in the wood element of the fourth hour, and official ghost in the fire element of the sixth heaven. The interpretation is: the world line, which is the wood element of the first heaven, changes to the fire element of the sixth heaven. The wood element of the first heaven can be in conflict with the fire element of the sixth heaven. The three punishments of wood, fire, and metal are missing the element of metal, which is the seventh heaven. One should be cautious of danger on the seventh day. The person indeed died on the seventh day. This is an example where the hexagram is missing one element, which is later filled by the seventh day. How can one say that missing one element makes the three punishments incomplete?

如酉月乙巳日占升遷得澤地萃之天地否 父母未土″　　動　　父母戌土′應 兄弟酉金′應　　兄弟申金′ 子孫亥水′　　官鬼午火′ 妻財卯木″　　妻財卯木″世 官鬼巳火″世　　官鬼巳火″ 父母未土″　　父母未土″ 斷曰：巳火官星持世由臨日建，卜書曰官臨日月即升，且巳日沖動亥月與發動之未爻，欲成三合，因少卯字，明年卯月必升，此乃虛一待用，果升於卯月，豈可謂之少一字不成三合耶。

For example, on the day of Yisi (乙巳) in the month of You (酉), someone consulted about a promotion, and obtained the hexagram Cui (泽地萃) changing into Pi (天地否). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: parents in Wei earth (active), brothers in You metal (responding), children in Hai water, wealth in Mao wood, official ghost in Si fire (the subject), and parents in Wei earth again. The changing hexagram is: parents in Xu earth (responding), brothers in Shen metal, official ghost in Wu fire, wealth in Mao wood (the subject), official ghost in Si fire, and parents in Wei earth. The interpretation states: the official ghost in Si fire holds the subject position, and it is exactly the day's foundation, and the divination book says 'the official is near the sun and moon, which means promotion'. Moreover, the Si fire on the day triggers the fourth line Hai water, and together with the active Wei earth, it seems to form the triple harmony of Hai, Mao, and Wei. Only the Mao wood is missing, so promotion is certain in the next year's Mao month. This is exactly 'virtual one waiting to be used'. Later, he was indeed promoted in the Mao month. How can we say that missing one character prevents the triple harmony?

爻遇令星物難我害。日辰月建章註解極明。伏居空地事與心違。伏，伏神也。伏也又空，諸事難成之象。舊存占驗丙申日占文書 子孫酉金″應 妻財亥水″ 兄弟丑土″ 兄弟辰土′世 官鬼寅木′　　伏父母巳火 妻財子水′ 斷曰：以父母爻為用神，此卦六爻無父母巳火，父母伏於妻財寅木之下，又遇旬空，所以文書不成。野鶴曰：伏而又空，事之不成者是也。但此卦文書之不成者，非因空也，乃因飛神在寅，伏神在巳與申日作三刑之故耳，何也。申日沖動，寅木以生巳火謂之飛來生伏得長生，伏神既得長生，則為有氣不空，不然何以謂之飛不沖開亦枉然，餘故曰：非因空也，三刑也。

The essay says, "When a line meets its commanding star, things are difficult and harmful to me." This layer is clearly explained in the chapter "On the Day Branch and Month Builder." The essay also says, "When a hidden god is in an empty place, things do not go as desired." "Hidden god" refers to the hidden god, and if it is hidden again and meets the旬空 (a period of emptiness), it indicates that all matters are difficult to accomplish. An old book contains an example of divination: on a day of Bingshen (丙申), someone asked about a public document. The six lines from top to bottom were: theChildren (children) in酉金 (western gold), Wealth (wealth) in亥水 (water of the亥), Siblings (siblings) in丑土 (earth of the丑), Siblings (siblings) in辰土 (earth of the辰) (the subject), Official Ghost (official ghost) in寅木 (wood of the寅) (parents in巳火, hidden beneath it), and Wealth (wealth) in子水 (water of the子). The old interpretation said: for divination on documents, the parents are the useful god. In this hexagram, the parents in巳火 are not visible among the six lines. The parents are hidden beneath the second line,寅木, and also meet the旬空, so the document cannot be processed. The Wild Crane Elder said: when something is hidden and empty, things cannot be accomplished. This statement is correct. However, in this hexagram, the reason the document cannot be processed is not because of the emptiness, but because the flying god is寅, the hidden god is巳, and together with the day of申, they form the three punishments of寅,巳, and申. Why? On the day of申, the申 impels the寅 wood, and the寅 wood then generates the巳 fire. This is called "the flying god generates the hidden god." The巳 fire is also born in寅, so the hidden god gains growth, which means it has vitality and is not empty. Otherwise, how could the saying "even if the flying god does not impel, it is still futile" be said? Therefore, I say: the reason the document cannot be processed is not because of the emptiness, but because of the three punishments.

伏無提攜終徒耳，飛不沖開亦枉然。凡用神不現，伏於卦中，須宜月建日辰，沖開飛神，生合扶起飛神，即為有用。空下伏易於引拔。伏神不空而飛神空，易於出現，何也，飛神即空，乃上無壓住之爻也，而伏神再得月建日辰生扶拱合，脫然出矣。制中弱主難以維持。用爻休囚又被月建日辰制服，縱遇生扶，亦不濟事也。

The essay states, "If the hidden god is not supported, it remains useless; if the flying god is not activated, it is in vain." When the useful god is not present in the hexagram but hidden within it, it must rely on the month builder and day branch to activate the flying god by冲 (conflict), and to generate and support the hidden god through generation and harmony, so that the hidden god can be effective. The essay also says, "A hidden god that is not empty is easy to promote." If the hidden god is not empty while the flying god is empty, the hidden god is more likely to emerge. Why? When the flying god falls into an empty position, there is no yao (line) above it to restrain it, and if the hidden god receives support, generation, support, and harmony from the month builder and day branch, it naturally emerges. The essay also says, "If the useful god is weak and confined, it is difficult to maintain." If the useful god is already weak and confined, and is further suppressed by the month builder and day branch, even if there is other support, it will be of no help.

如辰月丙辰日占地下忽然起五色之光疑有古窖。 父母巳火′　　官鬼寅木′應 兄弟未土″　　妻財子水″ 子孫酉金′世　　動　　兄弟戌土″ 兄弟丑土″　　動　　子孫酉金′世 官鬼卯木′　　妻財亥水′ 父母巳火′應　　動　　兄弟丑土″ 余曰：財伏而空，全無影響，伊曰：既是無財，何故有五色之光，余曰，乃妖氣也。彼時人人望財，議論紛紛，有曰子動爻中，兄弟交重偏有望，此卦兄動生子，子動生財，又是內卦合成金局生水旺，何曰無財。余曰，爾知其一，不知其二，子孫雖旺，不生無蒂之財。子水伏而有空，又被日月飛神剋制，財從何來，後競掘之，掘破缸一口，盡是瓦屑泥土。

For example, on a day of Bingchen with the month of Chen, someone saw a flash of five-colored light suddenly rising from the ground, suspecting there might be an ancient hidden treasure underground. He cast a hexagram. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: Parents in Si fire, Brothers in Wei earth, Children in You metal (the world line, which is active), Brothers in Chou earth (active), Official Ghost in Mao wood, and Parents in Si fire (the responding line, which is active). The resulting hexagram was: Official Ghost in Yin wood (the responding line), Wealth in Zi water, Brothers in Xu earth, Children in You metal (the world line), Wealth in Hai water, and Brothers in Chou earth. I said: The wealth line is hidden and falls into an empty position, so there is no real wealth. He said: If there is no wealth, why did the five-colored light appear? I said: That is the aura of a demon. At that time, everyone was hoping to find wealth, and there was much discussion. Some people said that the book of divination states, "When the son line moves, brothers overlapping may indicate hope." In this hexagram, the brother line moves and generates the children line, and the children line moves and generates wealth. The inner trigram forms a metal group, and water is strong. How can you say there is no wealth? I said: You know only one part, not the other. Although the children line is strong, it cannot generate rootless wealth. The water line is hidden and falls into an empty position, and it is also restrained by the day branch, month builder, and flying god. From where can wealth come? Later, they actually dug, but only found a broken jar filled with broken tiles and soil.

日傷爻真罹其禍，爻傷日徒受其名。日月如天如君，六爻如臣如萬物。日辰能刑沖剋害得卦爻，而卦爻不能刑沖剋害日月。墓中人不沖不發。舊注大抵用爻入墓，則被阻滯，諸事費力難成，須得日辰動爻沖破或克破其墓，方有力也。

The text says, "If the day branch harms the line, the line truly suffers the consequence; if the line harms the day, it is only a name." The day branch and month builder are like heaven and the sovereign, while the six lines are like ministers and all things. The day branch can punish, clash, or control the hexagram lines, but the hexagram lines cannot punish, clash, or control the day or month builder; they can only bear the name of harm. The text also says, "Those in the grave will not emerge unless they are stirred." Old annotations explain: generally, if the useful god is in the grave, it will face obstacles everywhere, and all affairs will be difficult and hard to accomplish. It must rely on the day branch or the moving line to break or control the grave, so that the useful god can exert its power.

如戊寅日占財得同人之乾卦 子孫戌土′應　　子孫戌土′世 妻財申金′　　妻財申金′ 兄弟午火′　　兄弟午火′ 官鬼亥水′世　　子孫辰土′應 子孫丑土″　　動　　父母寅木′ 父母卯木′　　官鬼子水′ 用爻入墓，喜得日辰克破，後果得財。以用空入墓許以無財者，非也，殊不知雖空而遇沖，沖空則實，雖墓而克破，破墓則開。野鶴曰：此極有理，屢試屢驗，但要用神有力，方可許之，倘若用神休囚無氣，雖遇沖開之日，亦難發矣。

For example, on a Wuyin day, someone asked about seeking wealth and got the hexagram 'Heavenly Fire Tong Ren' changing to 'Heaven Qian'. The primary hexagram from top to bottom is: children in the戌 earth, wife's wealth in the申 metal, siblings in the午 fire, official ghost in the亥 water (the world), children in the丑 earth (active), and parents in the卯 wood. The changing hexagram is: children in the戌 earth (the world), wife's wealth in the申 metal, siblings in the午 fire, children in the辰 earth (the response), parents in the寅 wood, and official ghost in the子 water. The useful god, the申 metal, is in the丑 earth's tomb, but fortunately the day branch,寅 wood, breaks the丑 earth, and later he indeed gained wealth. If one only considers the useful god being both empty and in the tomb and concludes there will be no wealth, that would be wrong. In fact, although the useful god is empty, it is also being stirred by the conflict, which breaks the emptiness and fills it. Although the useful god is in the tomb, the tomb is broken by the day branch, so the tomb is opened. The Wild Crane Elder said: this is very reasonable, I have tested it many times and it has worked. However, it is necessary for the useful god itself to have strength in order to make such a prediction. If the useful god is weak and confined, even on a day when the tomb is opened, it is difficult for it to be activated.

如未月戊辰日占年運。 子孫酉金″　　子孫酉金″ 妻財亥水″　　妻財亥水″世 兄弟丑土″應　　兄弟丑土″ 兄弟辰土″　　動　　子孫申金′ 官鬼寅木″　　父母午火″應 妻財子水′世　　動　　兄弟辰土″ 斷曰：世爻子水是申子辰三合水局，不宜日月克世，世爻化回頭克，動爻辰土又克，此乃世爻休囚無氣也，卯年占，卒於午年，應午年者，世臨歲破之年也，豈可謂之墓中人不沖不發耶。

For example, on a day of Wu-Chen (戊辰) in the month of Wei (未), a divination is made about the annual fortune. The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are:子孙酉金 (Children in the Metal酉), 妻财亥水 (Wealth in the Water亥), 兄弟丑土 (Siblings in the Earth丑) (response), 兄弟辰土 (Siblings in the Earth辰) (moving), 官鬼寅木 (Official Ghost in the Wood寅), 妻财子水 (Wealth in the Water子) (world line, moving). The resulting hexagram is: 子孙酉金 (Children in the Metal酉), 妻财亥水 (Wealth in the Water亥) (world line), 兄弟丑土 (Siblings in the Earth丑), 子孙申金 (Children in the Metal申), 父母午火 (Parents in the Fire午) (response), 兄弟辰土 (Siblings in the Earth辰). The interpretation states: The world line, which is the Water子, forms a triple harmony with the transformed metal申 and the moving earth辰, creating the water triple (申子辰). Unfortunately, the day branch and the month builder both attack the world line. The world line itself transforms into earth辰, forming a "backward control" (回头克). Additionally, the moving line of earth辰 also attacks it, indicating a situation where the world line is weak and confined (休囚无气). The divination was made in the year of Mao (卯), and the person dies in the year of Wu (午). The prediction comes true in the year of Wu because the water world line (子) encounters the "year breaking" (岁破) in the year of Wu. This clearly shows that it is not always correct to say "a person buried in the earth does not rise unless there is a collision."

身上鬼不去不安。諸占最怕克世，獨官鬼持世者，若非職役之人，最宜日月動爻相沖克，反為吉矣，何也，非克世爻，乃克去身邊之鬼。如午月癸丑日占妻病 父母未土″　　子孫子水″應 兄弟酉金′應　　父母戌土′ 子孫亥水′　　動　　兄弟申金″ 妻財卯木″　　妻財卯木″世 官鬼巳火″世　　官鬼巳火″ 父母未土″　　父母未土″ 問來人病得幾時，彼曰三月病起，余曰卯日財空，明日出空，必定退災，彼曰，醫空不藥矣。余曰，不妨，此卦亥水子孫獨發，克去世爻之鬼，應在明日寅日，寅與亥合，合起子孫之日，爾無憂也，果於次日退災，不藥而癒，亦不獨此，又因卯木財空，次日出空而退災。

The text says, "If the ghost on one's body does not leave, there will be unrest." In divination, the most feared situation is when the hexagram line clashes with the world line. However, when the official ghost occupies the world line, if the person is not working in government service, it is actually favorable for the sun and moon lines to clash with it. This is beneficial because it does not clash with the world line itself, but rather removes the ghost that is attached to the person. For example, on a癸丑 day in the午 month, someone asked about his wife's illness. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: parents in the earth element of the earth, brothers in the metal element of the酉,Children in the water element of the亥 (which is moving), wife's wealth in the wood element of the卯, official ghost in the fire element of the巳 (which is the world line), and parents in the earth element of the earth. The resulting hexagram was:子孙 in the water element of the子 (which is the responding line), parents in the earth element of the戌, brothers in the metal element of the申, wife's wealth in the wood element of the卯 (which is the world line), official ghost in the fire element of the巳, and parents in the earth element of the earth. I asked the person how long his wife had been ill, and he said she had fallen ill three months ago. I said, "The wood element of the卯, which represents wealth, is currently empty. It will be filled tomorrow, and the disaster will certainly be removed." He said, "The medicine and treatment have not worked." I said, "No problem. In this hexagram, the water element of the亥, which represents子孙, is the only one that is moving. It is clashing with the official ghost on the world line, which should be on the next day of寅. The寅 and亥 are in harmony, which is the day when the子孙 combines with the world line. You have no need to worry." The next day, the illness indeed improved, and she recovered without taking any medicine. This is not only because of the above reason, but also because the wood element of the卯, which represents wealth, was originally empty. It became filled the next day, and the disaster was removed.

曾如辰月戊子日占小舟過關恐盤阻得水地比變澤山咸卦。 妻財子水″應　　兄弟未土″應 兄弟戌土′　　子孫酉金′ 子孫申金″　　動　　妻財亥水′ 官鬼卯木″世　　動　　子孫申金′世 父母巳火″　　父母午火″ 兄弟未土″　　兄弟辰土″ 世爻之鬼，乃滿腹憂疑之象，申金克去身邊之鬼則無憂也。果於卯日過關，並無阻滯。

For example, on a day with the heavenly stem Wu and earthly branch Zi, in the month of Chen, someone was taking a small boat through a checkpoint and feared being checked and detained, so they cast a hexagram, obtaining the hexagram "Water over Earth: Bi" changing to "Lake over Mountain: Xian". The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: wife-wealth water (responding line), brothers earth, children metal (activating), official-ghost wood (world line, activating), parents fire, brothers earth. The changing hexagram, in order, is: brothers earth (responding line), children metal, wife-wealth water, children metal (world line), parents fire, brothers earth. The world line carries the official-ghost, indicating a full heart of worry and doubt; fortunately, the children metal is activating and can overcome the ghost nearby, so there is no more worry. Later, they indeed passed through the checkpoint smoothly on the day of卯, without any obstruction.

德入卦無謀不遂。舊注德者，得也，指與天地合其德。主事爻，天干地支上下相合是也，存有占驗。戌月己酉日占文書得小畜之蠱 兄弟卯木′　　兄弟寅木′應 子孫巳火′　　動　　父母子水″ 妻財未土″應　　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′世　　動　　妻財丑土″ 謂五爻動出丙子，文書與世爻變出辛丑干支相合，應戊子日成其文書，餘以此論為多事之論。

The passage says, "When virtue enters the hexagram, no plan will fail." The old commentary explains that "virtue" means to gain or obtain, referring to the meaning of "harmonizing with the virtue of heaven and earth." When applied to the hexagram, it refers to the heavenly stem and earthly branch of the main line that are combined above and below. There is a recorded divination case: on the day of Jiyou in the month of Xu, a divination was made about official documents, resulting in the hexagram "Wind over Heaven, Xiao Xu" changing to "Mountain over Wind, Gu." The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: siblings in卯wood, children in巳fire (active), wealth in未earth (responding), wealth in辰earth, siblings in寅wood, parents in子water (world line, active). The lines of the changing hexagram are: siblings in寅wood (responding), parents in子water, wealth in戌earth, official ghost in酉gold (world line), parents in亥water, wealth in丑earth. The original interpretation states that the fifth line moving produces a changing line that takes the heavenly stem and earthly branch as Bingzi, which is the image of official documents, and the world line changing produces Xinchou, which is combined above and below (Bing and Xin are compatible, Zi and Chou are compatible), so the documents should be completed on the day of Wuzi. I think this is an unnecessary addition.

野鶴曰：鬼谷三才論含爻辭以五行以定禍福者乃用地支。既用地支，不得不以天干為配，未聞以天干而定吉凶。以天干配於地支者，欲全用周天甲子卦，又止於四十八爻。所以乾內卦甲坤之內用乙，乃十干之首，乾之外卦用壬，坤之外卦用癸，皆十干之尾。乾之內卦用子，與坤之外卦相合，坤之內卦用未，與乾之外卦相合。二老上下相映，陰陽相配，中包六子，甲乙之次者丙丁，用之於少男少女，艮與兌也。戊己用之於中男中女，坎與離也，庚辛用之於長男長女，震與巽矣，以全上下干支，此乃配偶之法也。故謂之渾天甲子。而禍福吉凶皆地支生剋制化克合刑沖以判之。今又以天干而判休囚者，每卦皆宜用也。何獨於此，況小畜變蠱五爻朱雀為文書，動臨巳火變出子水文書，而世爻臨子水父母，又為文書，酉日生之，化丑合之，疊疊文書旺動於卦中，便非干支相合，亦不能說無成，故曰多事之論。

The Wild Crane Elder said: The school of "Three Talents of the Ghost Valley" discusses line statements by using the Five Phases to determine fortune and misfortune, and they all rely on the earthly branches. Since they use the earthly branches, they inevitably have to pair them with heavenly stems, but there is no record of using heavenly stems alone to judge good or bad fortune. Pairing the earthly branches with heavenly stems was originally intended to use the full cycle of the sixty Jiazi. However, the sixty-four hexagrams only have sixty-four lines, which can only accommodate forty-eight lines. Therefore, the inner trigram of the Qian hexagram takes the heavenly stem Jia, and the inner trigram of the Kun hexagram takes the heavenly stem Yi, as Jia and Yi are the first heavenly stems. The outer trigram of the Qian hexagram takes the heavenly stem Ren, and the outer trigram of the Kun hexagram takes the heavenly stem Gui, as Ren and Gui are the last heavenly stems. The inner trigram of Qian starts with Zi, which matches the outer trigram of Kun; the inner trigram of Kun starts with Wei, which matches the outer trigram of Qian. The two great trigrams, Qian and Kun, are in mutual reflection, yin and yang complement each other, and in between are six middle trigrams: after Jia and Yi come Bing and Ding, which are assigned to the young male and young female trigrams, Zhen and Xun; Wu and Ji are assigned to the middle male and middle female trigrams, Kan and Li; Geng and Xin are assigned to the elder male and elder female trigrams, Dui and Xun. Thus, arranging the heavenly stems above and below in this way is a method of pairing. Therefore, it is called "Holistic Jiazi." As for fortune and misfortune, good and bad, they are all determined by the generation, control, transformation, and mutual restraint of the earthly branches. Now, if suddenly one wants to use heavenly stems to determine weakness and confinement, then each hexagram should be treated in this way, why only focus on one hexagram? Moreover, in the hexagram Xiao Xu changing to Gu, the fifth line is the Vermilion Bird, which originally governs documents. The moving line is the fire branch Si, which changes into the water branch Zi, which is the parents; this is also documents. The world line is also seated on the water branch Zi, which is the parents, so it is also documents. The day is You, which generates it, and the branch Chou combines with it. Documents are strongly active within the hexagram. Even without the combination of heavenly and earthly stems, it cannot be said that the matter cannot be completed. Therefore, I say that the old annotations are extra branches.

忌臨身而多阻無成。忌即忌神，占不宜持世。如占官子孫為忌神，子孫持世求名不成，占財兄爻為忌神，兄爻持世，求財不獲。野鶴曰：此論極是。然餘得有驗者，兄爻持世化出財爻而得財，世臨財爻化出父母而見父。如巳月丙申日占財得未濟變鼎卦 兄弟巳火′應　　兄弟巳火′ 子孫未土″　　子孫未土″應 妻財酉金′　　妻財酉金′ 兄弟午火″世　　動　　妻財酉金′ 子孫辰土′　　官鬼亥水′世 父母寅木″　　子孫丑土″ 此乃忌臨世位化酉財，即於酉日得財。

The text says, "When the Hostile God is near the body, there are many obstacles and no success." "Hostile God" refers to theHostile God, which is most unfavorable in divination. For example, if one is divining about official positions, the Children爻 is considered the Hostile God, and if the Children爻 holds the World Line, then seeking official positions will not succeed. If one is divining about wealth, the Siblings爻 is considered the Hostile God, and if the Siblings爻 holds the World Line, then seeking wealth will not be obtained. The Wild Crane Elder said, "This is very correct." However, I have also verified exceptions: when the Siblings爻 holds the World Line but transforms into the Wealth爻, wealth is still obtained; when the World Line is occupied by Wealth but transforms into the Parents爻, the father is still seen. For example, on the day of Ji Shen in the month of Si, divining about wealth, the hexagram obtained was Wei Ji (Hexagram 64) transforming into Ding (Hexagram 50). The original hexagram, from top to bottom, was: Siblings Fire (responding), Children Earth, Wealth Metal, Siblings Fire (World Line, active), Children Earth, Parents Wood. The transformed hexagram was: Siblings Fire, Children Earth (responding), Wealth Metal, Wealth Metal, Official Ghost Water (World Line), Children Earth. This is a case where the Hostile God is on the World Line but transforms into the酉 Metal Wealth爻, so wealth was obtained on the酉 day.

又如申月戊午年占領文書得風雷益卦之家人 兄弟卯木′應　　兄弟卯木′ 子孫巳火′　　子孫巳火′應 妻財未土″　　妻財未土″ 妻財辰土″世　　動　　父母亥水′ 兄弟寅木″　　妻財丑土″世 父母子水′　　兄弟卯木′ 此亦忌臨世位，即於酉日而得文書，同日子占父亦得此卦，亥日見父，其故何也，疑是動爻不克變爻之故耳。然亦無多見者，餘既得驗，不得不以告之，然非教後人之法也。諸占必以忌神持世多阻無成者為是。

For example, on the day of Wuwu (戊午) in the month of Shen (申), when casting a hexagram for receiving official documents, the hexagram obtained was 'Wind and Thunder Gain' (风雷益) changing into 'Wind and Fire Family' (风火家人). The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: Wood Ox (brother, responding), Fire Snake (son), Earth Goat (wealth), Earth Dragon (wealth, the world line, which is active), Wood Tiger (brother), Water Rat (parents). The lines of the changing hexagram are: Wood Ox (brother), Fire Snake (son, responding), Earth Goat (wealth), Water Pig (parents), Earth Ox (wealth, the world line), Wood Ox (brother). In divination concerning documents, the parents are considered the useful god, and the wealth line is its hostile god. Here, the hostile god is sitting on the world line, yet the documents were received on the day of You (酉). On the same day, someone else cast the same hexagram for his father, and saw his father on the day of Hai (亥). Why is this so? I think it is due to the relationship between the moving line and the changing line. Such cases are rare, and since I personally experienced them, I must share them, but they cannot be taken as a rule for later generations. In general, the correct interpretation remains that 'when the hostile god holds the world line, there will be obstacles and no success'.

卦遇凶星避之皆吉。舊注凡值用神空凶，遇日月動爻沖剋者，謂之避空，反不遭其沖剋之害，舊存有占驗：六月壬子日占子病得姤之大過 父母戌土′　　動　　父母未土″ 兄弟申金′　　兄弟酉金′ 官鬼午火′應　　子孫亥水′世 兄弟酉金′　　兄弟酉金′ 子孫亥水′　　子孫亥水′ 父母丑土″世　　父母丑土″應 謂父母旺動，用爻亥水子孫而無氣，本為凶兆，喜得用爻值旬空而避之，至丙子日而愈，蓋丙子者，則前面已過，又是亥水子孫值子日而臨帝旺故耳。

The text says, "When a hexagram meets a malevolent star, avoiding it brings good fortune." Old commentaries explain that if the useful god falls into an empty position and the hexagram is ominous, and also meets the clash and control from the day and month stems and moving lines, this is called "avoiding the empty," and the useful god thus escapes the harm of the clash and control. There is a recorded divination case: on the day of Renzi in the sixth month, someone consulted about their son's illness, obtaining the hexagram "Heavenly Wind Gou" changing into "Marsh Wind Da Guo." The original hexagram, from top to bottom, is: parents戌earth (moving), siblings申metal, official ghost午fire (responding), siblings酉metal, children亥water, parents丑earth (worldly position); the changing hexagram is: parents未earth, siblings酉metal, children亥water (worldly position), siblings酉metal, children亥water, parents丑earth (responding). The original interpretation states: parents are strong and moving, the useful god亥water children have no strength, which is an ominous sign; however, it is favorable that the useful god is exactly in the empty position and thus escaped the harm. On the day of Bingzi, the illness was cured. This is because on the day of Bingzi, the dangerous period had passed, and the children亥water were at their prosperity on the day of Zi.

野鶴曰：此論非理，諸占最惡者忌神，既動於卦中，禍已兆矣。用神靜者逢沖之日遭害；用神動者，逢合之日遭傷；用神破者，實破之日而遇；用神空者，出空之日相逢。是乃未曾出一可以避之，出空必遇其害，豈曰出空則前面已過，反不受其禍，此說悖也，謬也，餘得其驗者，原神動於卦中，用神空者，出空之日而得。忌神動於卦中，而用神空者，出空之日逢殃，屢占屢驗，獨近病逢空不論。凡占近病，用神得遇旬空者，不拘日月動爻克害，用神出空之日即愈。即獨此一事，論空不論克也。他占皆忌。此姤之大過，定是占於近病，不悟近病逢空，繼而曰諸事皆可避之，此誤後人也。

The Wild Crane Elder said: This statement is unreasonable. Among all kinds of divination, the most harmful is the Hostile God. Once the Hostile God moves within the hexagram, the calamity has already appeared. If the Useful God is still quiet, it will suffer on the day it is confronted; if the Useful God moves, it will suffer on the day it is harmonized; if the Useful God meets the Month Breaker, it will suffer on the day the Month Breaker is filled; if the Useful God falls into emptiness, it will suffer on the day it comes out of emptiness. The period of emptiness is merely a time when it has not yet emerged, not something to avoid. Once it comes out of emptiness, it will certainly meet with disaster. How can one say that after emptiness has passed, the danger is over and one will not suffer? This reasoning is illogical and absurd. My experience shows that if the Origin God moves within the hexagram and the Useful God falls into emptiness, on the day the Useful God comes out of emptiness, it will achieve its wish; if the Hostile God moves within the hexagram and the Useful God falls into emptiness, on the day the Useful God comes out of emptiness, it will suffer disaster. This has been verified repeatedly. The only exception is 'near illness meeting emptiness': if one is divining a newly acquired illness, and the Useful God meets the ten-day emptiness, regardless of how the day, month, or moving line harms it, the day the Useful God comes out of emptiness will be the day of recovery. Only this case is about emptiness and not about being harmed. All other divinations must treat emptiness as a harmful factor. This example of the hexagram changing from 'Gou' to 'Da Guo' must be about a near illness. Old annotations do not understand the principle of near illness meeting emptiness, and then they say that all matters can 'avoid' this, which misleads later generations.

爻逢忌殺敵之無傷。舊注忌爻發動，心事不利，若得日月動爻幫助用爻，可以敵之，不傷於彼，事亦可成，餘以此論是理。申月乙未日占脫役得損之節 官鬼寅木′應　　動　　妻財子水″ 妻財子水″　　動　　兄弟戌土′ 兄弟戌土″　　子孫申金″應 兄弟丑土″世　　兄弟丑土″ 官鬼卯木′　　官鬼卯木′ 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′世

The text says "When a line meets a hostile god, it is not harmed." The old commentary explains: if the hostile god is activated, the plans in one's mind will not be beneficial; but if the sun and moon lines come to help the useful god, they can oppose the hostile god and avoid being harmed, so the matter can still succeed. I think this explanation is reasonable. The old text gives an example: on the day of Yiwei in the month of Shen, a hexagram was cast to seek relief from service obligations, resulting in the hexagram "Sun" changing into "Jie." The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: official ghost yin wood (responding line, activated), wife wealth zi water (activated), brothers xu earth, brothers chou earth (the world line), official ghost mao wood, parents si fire. The lines of the resulting hexagram are: wife wealth zi water, brothers xu earth, children shen gold (responding line), brothers chou earth, official ghost mao wood, parents si fire (the world line).

謂世臨丑土，而子水財動生助寅木之鬼，木之鬼動而克世，喜得日辰未土、五爻變出戌土扶助世爻，可以敵其寅木之鬼，不能傷身。野鶴曰：以此作後人之法者，亦誤人也。何也，一重未土扶世，豈可敵其寅鬼傷身之惡煞耶？殊不知寅木鬼動，月建破之，未日墓之，此寅木之鬼破，保無事者也！此誤作戌未二土幫扶者，錯也！況變爻戌土從無幫助正卦之爻，作有一例，可以比之。

The original interpretation says: The world line is occupied by the earth branch Chou (丑) soil, and the water wealth line is activated, going to generate the wood official ghost Yin (寅). The wood ghost is activated and comes to attack the world line. Fortunately, the day branch is Wei (未) soil and the fifth line changes to Xu (戌) soil, both coming to support the world line, which is sufficient to resist the attack of the Yin wood ghost, so as not to harm the body. The Wild Crane Elder says: Taking this as a rule for later people is also misleading. Why? Relying on a single Wei soil to support the world line, how can it withstand the evil power of the Yin ghost attacking the body? He did not realize that although the Yin wood ghost is activated, it is broken by the Shen (申) month builder, and is also buried by the Wei day branch, so the Yin wood ghost itself is already broken, hence there is no problem. The old interpretation mistakenly regarded the Xu and Wei soils as supporting forces, which is wrong. Moreover, the changing line Xu soil never helps the lines of the primary hexagram, so taking it as a comparable example is even more incorrect.

辰月乙未日占月令得泰之豐 子孫酉金″應　　兄弟戌土″ 妻財亥水″　　子孫申金″世 兄弟丑土″　　動　　父母午火′ 兄弟辰土′世　　妻財亥水′ 官鬼寅木′　　動　　兄弟丑土″應 妻財子水′　　官鬼卯木′ 世爻辰土，月建助之，丑土動而化回頭之生，又來扶助。雖則寅木鬼動而世爻旺相有助有扶可以相敵，然此後至辛丑日尚亦見其凶非，因一言觸怒上司，幾乎危殆，幸得解救。應解救者，因得日月之土幫扶也。

In the month of Chen, on the day of Yiwei, he divined his fortune for the month and obtained the hexagram Tai, which changes to Feng. The six lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: the son in You metal (responding line), the wife's wealth in Hai water, the brother in Chou earth (activating), the brother in Chen earth (world line), the official ghost in Yin wood (activating), and the wife's wealth in Zi water. The lines of the resulting hexagram are: the brother in Xu earth, the son in Shen metal (world line), the parents in Wu fire, the wife's wealth in Hai water, the brother in Chou earth (responding line), and the official ghost in Mao wood. The world line, which is Chen earth, is supported by the month builder of the month of Chen. The Chou earth brother is activated and changes to Wu fire, forming 'mutual support', which also supports the world line. Although there is an activating official ghost in Yin wood, the world line is strong and has support, so it is able to resist it. Nevertheless, on the day of Xinchou, an unfortunate event occurred: the person became angry with his superior because of a single sentence, almost reaching a dangerous situation, but was fortunately rescued. The reason he was rescued was due to the earth element of the day branch and the month builder supporting the world line.

主象休囚怕見刑沖剋害。主象旺相，尚難敵乎刑沖剋害之爻，況休囚耶？用爻變動忌遭死墓絕空。舊注死墓絕乃陷阱之地，若用爻動而化墓化絕化死化空者，不問公私大小之事，皆主不成。占病逢之，必死無疑。予得驗者，化墓化絕，若動爻旺相，或臨日月幫助，亦無大害，化墓者，沖開之日月而成，化絕者逢生旺之日月而就。至於化空之說，更得多驗，占謀事，實空之日必成。占近病，出空之日即愈。

The essay says, "The main image fears punishment and clash when it is weak and confined." Even if the main image is prosperous and strong, it still finds it hard to resist punishment and clash, let alone when it is weak and confined. The essay also says, "The useful god should avoid death, storage, decline, and emptiness when it moves." Old annotations state that death, storage, and decline are all dangerous places. If the useful god moves and transforms into death, storage, decline, or emptiness, whether it is about official matters or private affairs, big or small matters, nothing will succeed. If this occurs in a divination about illness, death is certain. However, my experience shows otherwise: if the transformation is into storage or decline, as long as the moving line itself is prosperous and strong, or is supported by the day branch or month builder, there is no great harm. For transformations into storage, success will come when the storage is opened in the month or day. For transformations into decline, success will come when the month or day is prosperous. As for "transformation into emptiness," I have observed more cases: in divinations about matters, if the empty situation is filled on the day, the matter will succeed. In divinations about newly acquired illnesses, the illness will improve on the day when the emptiness is dispelled.

用化用有用無用。舊主既有用爻，不可動而又化出來。謂之化去，或旁發出，皆不濟事。故雖有用，即如無用。一般占病尤忌。野鶴曰：此論非理。用爻若化進神，諸占皆吉。即使他爻動出者，再得此助幫扶，何謂無用。豈不知太過者損之斯成，有曰用爻重疊，得墓庫以收藏。如果用爻太多，待至傷損之日，墓庫之日，成之更穩，反曰無用。非也當刪。

The essay says, "The useful god transforms into useful or useless." Old annotations state that if the hexagram already contains a useful god, it should not be activated again and then transformed into another useful god, which is called "transformation away"; if another line activates a useful god, it is also ineffective, so even though there is a useful god, it is as if there is none, and this is especially dangerous in divination about illness. The Wild Crane Elder says: this statement is unreasonable. If the useful god transforms into an advancing god, all divinations will be auspicious; even if it is a useful god activated by another line, it is another layer of support, how can it be called useless? Who does not know "excess must be reduced to succeed," and there is also the saying "multiple useful gods overlapping, with the storage place to collect them." If there are really too many useful gods, waiting until the day they are restrained or stored in their burial place, the matter will actually become more stable, how can it be said to be useless? This point is wrong and should be deleted.

空化空雖空不空。餘得驗者，不獨空化空則不為空，動亦不為空。動不為空，為禍為福，沖空實空之月日必應。養主狐疑，墓多曖昧。此亦長生沐浴之中之二位星是也。餘用生旺墓絕，其餘不驗。今之驗化出者亦驗生旺墓絕。墓者，滯也。用神動而化墓者，近病久病遇之，主昏迷之象。用神旺者，沖開墓庫之日則安。用神休囚，又被刑沖剋害者，難愈。逢空者，近病者愈，久病者凶。捕獲遇之，深藏難保。身命遇之，愚蒙不振。失脫遇之，暗藏不見。婚姻遇之，皆闇昧不明之象。若動爻化墓，墓神回頭克動爻，勿以闇昧論，乃凶兆也。忌回頭克我者是也。如若墓神為鬼，回頭克用，更凶。化養化病化胎又化沐浴俱不驗者刪之。

The essay says, "Though it seems empty, emptiness is not emptiness." I have verified that not only does an empty line changing into another empty line not count as empty, but any activated line does not count as empty; since it is activated, it is not empty. Therefore, whether it is a misfortune or a blessing must be determined by the month or day when the empty line is confronted or filled. The essay also says, "The stage of nurturing brings suspicion, and the stage of burial brings ambiguity." Here, "nurturing" and "burial" refer to two of the twelve stages of growth. I only use the stages of growth, prosperity, burial, and decline, and the others are not effective. Now, when examining the changes of lines, only birth, prosperity, burial, and decline are effective. Burial means stagnation: if the useful line is activated and changes into burial, whether it is a recent or long-term illness, it indicates confusion of the mind. If the useful line is prosperous and strong, on the day the burial is opened, it will be well. If the useful line is weak and confined and also suffers punishment, clash, or harm, it will be difficult to recover. If the useful line meets emptiness, the recent illness will recover, but the long-term illness will be dangerous. In divination about capturing people, if the line enters burial, it means the person is deeply hidden and hard to find; in divination about one's fate, it means ignorance and lack of vitality; in divination about lost objects, it means the object is hidden and hard to find; in divination about marriage, it indicates ambiguity and uncertainty. If an activated line changes into burial, and the burial line turns around to harm the activated line, it should not be considered only as ambiguity, but as a凶兆, which is called "the forbidden line turns back to harm me." If the burial line is also the official ghost and turns back to harm the useful line, it will be even worse. As for the changes of nurturing, illness, fetal stage, and bathing, they are all ineffective and should be deleted.

化生旺兮禍福有三。生者動爻化長生也。如亥水動化出申金，即化長生又回頭之生，化酉金者不曰化沐浴而曰化回頭之生，此二者動爻有氣化爻旺相，諸占皆吉，旺者，長生之第五位者是也。金木水火而化旺即是化進神，且如申金化酉金，亥水化子水，寅木化卯木，巳火化午火，主占無不亨吉。惟土寄生於申，旺於子水為進神，辰未土動而化出子爻者，乃為化旺，丑土化出子爻者，即為化旺，又為化合，諸占皆吉。化官鬼兮吉凶有二。動爻變出官，吉凶有二，何也？占功名者，世爻旺相，或臨日月或日月生扶動而變出官星，又無破損，乃為得官之兆也。世若休囚，受克動而變出官星者乃為變鬼，不惟難於王家食祿，須憂夢沉黃梁。

The text says, "When a change leads to prosperity, there are three kinds of fortune and misfortune." "Prosperity" refers to the moving line transforming into its own long life. For example, if the亥 water line moves and transforms into申 metal, it is both a transformation into long life and a mutual generation; if it transforms into酉 metal, it is not called transformation into bathing, but also called mutual generation. In these two cases, as long as the moving line has strength and the transformed line is prosperous and strong, all divinations are favorable. "Prosperity" refers to the fifth position in the twelve positions of long life, which is called the imperial prosperity. When metal, wood, water, or fire transforms into their imperial prosperity, it is equivalent to transforming into an advancing god. For example, if申 metal transforms into酉 metal,亥 water into子 water,寅 wood into卯 wood, or巳 fire into午 fire, all divinations will be smooth. However, for earth, its long life is in申 and its imperial prosperity is in子, so when an earth line transforms into子 water, it is considered an advancing god. If辰 earth or未 earth moves and transforms into子 line, it is a transformation into imperial prosperity; if丑 earth transforms into子 line, it is both a transformation into imperial prosperity and a combination between子 and丑, and all divinations are favorable. The text says, "When a transformation leads to official ghost, there are two kinds of fortune and misfortune." When the moving line transforms into an official ghost, fortune and misfortune should be divided into two situations. For those divining about official positions, if the world line is prosperous and strong, or if the world line is exactly the day branch or the month builder, or if it is supported by the day or month, and the moving line transforms into an official star without being damaged, it is a sign of obtaining an official position. However, if the world line is weak and confined and is attacked, and the moving line transforms into an official star, then it is called "transformation into ghost," which not only makes it difficult to receive the salary from the court, but also leads to worry about a dream of a long life.

如戌月甲寅日占候選何時得缺，得益變騫 兄弟卯木′應　　動　　父母子水″ 子孫巳火′　　妻財戌土′ 妻財未土″　　官鬼申金″世 妻財辰土″世　　動　　官鬼申金′ 兄弟寅木″　　子孫午火″ 父母子水′　　動　　妻財辰土″應 斷曰：世爻臨月破，又有寅日傷克，又有上爻中卯木克世爻，有克無生，世爻變出官星，其實是變鬼，果然在第二年寅月沒有中榜，正如神告曰：“命限危功名不必生矣”

For example, on a day of Jiayin (甲寅) in the month of Xu (戌), someone consulted about when they would be appointed to an actual position instead of being on standby. They received the hexagram 'Wind and Thunder Beneficent' (风雷益) changing to 'Water and Mountain Obstruction' (水山蹇). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: brothers in卯wood (responding line, active), sons in巳fire, wife's wealth in未earth, wife's wealth in辰earth (world line, active), brothers in寅wood, parents in子water (active). The changing hexagram is: parents in子water, wife's wealth in戌earth, official ghost in申metal (world line), official ghost in申metal, sons in午fire, wife's wealth in辰earth (responding line). The interpretation states: the world line, which is辰earth, is exactly the month breaker of the month of Xu, and is also harmed by the day of Jiayin. The top line, which is卯wood, also harms the world line, resulting in harm without support. Although the world line changes into an official star, it is actually 'changing into a ghost'. Indeed, the person did not get appointed the following year in the month of Yin (寅), just as the oracle foretold: the fate is in danger, and there is no need to expect success in official matters.

又如巳月壬申日占開店貿易 子孫酉金″世　　動　　官鬼寅木′ 妻財亥水″　　妻財子水″世 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟戌土″ 官鬼卯木″應　　官鬼卯木″ 父母巳火″　　父母巳火″應 兄弟未土″　　兄弟未土″ 斷曰：占生意看財爻，此卦財臨月破，雖則子動生財，生之不起，況世與子孫，一同變鬼，不獨營運難圖，今秋必因子女以致官非。果於八月，因子賭博送官，子受杖刑而死。此應酉金子孫應變鬼。

For example, on a day of Renshen (壬申) in the month of Si (巳), someone asked about opening a shop and doing business. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is:Children酉金 (Children in酉 metal, World Line, active), Wealth亥水 (Wealth in亥 water), Siblings丑土 (Siblings in丑 earth), Official Ghost卯木 (Official Ghost in卯 wood, Respondent), Parents巳火 (Parents in巳 fire), Siblings未土 (Siblings in未 earth). The resulting hexagram is:Official Ghost寅木 (Official Ghost in寅 wood), Wealth子水 (Wealth in子 water, World Line), Siblings戌土 (Siblings in戌 earth), Official Ghost卯木 (Official Ghost in卯 wood), Parents巳火 (Parents in巳 fire, Respondent), Siblings未土 (Siblings in未 earth). The interpretation states: When divining about business, one should look at the wealth line. In this hexagram, the wealth line,亥 water, is exactly at the month breaker, so although the children line,酉 metal, is active and can generate wealth, it cannot actually generate it. Moreover, the world line and the children line both transform into official ghosts. Not only will the business be difficult, but this person will certainly have legal troubles with their children this autumn. Indeed, in August, the son was sent to jail for gambling and died after being beaten with sticks. This corresponds exactly to the酉 metal children transforming into a ghost.

忌回頭之克我。爻動化克者，如金爻動變火克金，木爻動變金克木，謂之回頭克也。覺子曰：餘存占驗，凡占回頭之克，占病、占壽、占年運，得之十有九死，亦有占名利、及占家庭得之亦見危亡，何也？其人大限至矣，自己無知猶有名利之求，如神戒曰：數之將盡，何用他求，警戒勿貪，庶幾不羅乎羅網，即使難以迴避，亦可保其正寢，疑神之告，乃此意耳。

The text says, "Avoid being 'back-killed' by something that harms me": when a line is activated and changes into an element that overcomes itself, for example, a metal line is activated and changes into fire, which overcomes metal, or a wood line is activated and changes into metal, which overcomes wood. This is called "back-killing." Li Wenhui (pen name: Juozǐ) says: in my accumulated divination records, whenever "back-killing" occurs in divination about illness, lifespan, or the fortune of a year, there are almost eight or nine cases of death. There are also instances where "back-killing" appears in divination about fame and fortune or family affairs, and similarly, danger and demise are seen. Why is this so? Because the person's destined time has arrived, yet they are unaware, still seeking fame and fortune. This is like a divine warning: the time of fate is about to end, why seek further? It warns them not to be greedy, perhaps they can still avoid disaster. Even if they cannot escape, they may still attain a peaceful end. I have pondered the divine message, and it is precisely this meaning.

勿反德以扶人。古法相生須宜他生我，相剋還宜我克他。如占彼此兩家之事者，宜應爻生世。如占財者，宜財生世，如占官者，宜官生世。如世去生助他爻，洩盡自己之氣也。惡曜孤寒，怕日辰之並起。刑沖剋害之要即為惡曜，非諸星之凶煞。凡見此爻動而沖剋用神，若此星孤立無助，或休囚無力，雖則傷害用神，用神旺相可以敵之，必然無妨，得禍亦輕。惟怕日辰動爻助他為害，彼必狐假虎威，仗勢作惡，得禍不淺也。前月將日辰章內，最怕他爻增剋制，同此意耳。

The text says, "Do not reverse virtue to support others": In ancient methods, mutual generation should be when others generate me, and mutual control should be when I control others. For example, in divining matters between two parties, it is favorable if the response line generates the world line; in divining about seeking wealth, it is favorable if the wealth line generates the world line; in divining about official rank, it is favorable if the official line generates the world line. If it is reversed, with the world line generating and supporting other lines, then one's strength is completely drained. The text also says, "Evil stars that are isolated and cold, fear the day branch to rise together": Here, "evil stars" refer to lines of punishment, conflict, control, and harm, not various deities or omens. Whenever such lines appear and act to conflict or control the useful god, as long as they are isolated or weak and powerless, even if they harm the useful god, as long as the useful god is prosperous and strong, it is sufficient to resist, and there will certainly be no harm, and even if there is misfortune, it will be minor. Most dangerous is when the day branch or moving line instead support these evil stars, allowing them to act with false authority and cause great harm. The previous chapter "Chapter on Month General and Day Branch" says, "Most dangerous is when other lines increase control," which expresses exactly the same meaning.

用爻重疊，喜墓庫以收藏。舊注用爻若無日辰動爻損之，必須得墓庫收藏，然後可得。舊存占驗。丁丑日占財 兄弟卯木′　　動　　妻財未土″ 子孫巳火′　　官鬼酉金′ 妻財未土″應　　動　　父母亥水′世 妻財辰土′　　官鬼酉金′ 兄弟寅木′　　父母亥水′ 父母子水′世　　動　　妻財丑土″應 彼斷曰：卦有兩財，初爻上爻又化出兩財，日辰又是財，本為太過，喜得世爻上有辰字，乃為財庫，謂之財有庫以收藏，後主得財。餘以此論，極其得理，屢試屢驗，但不必卦中有庫，後來逢庫之日月亦成其事。

The text says, "When the useful god lines overlap, it is favorable to have a storage place to collect them." An old commentary explains: if the useful god is not reduced by the day branch or the moving line, it must rely on the storage place to collect it, then it can be successful. An old record contains a case of divination for seeking wealth on Dingchou day. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: brothers in the卯wood (moving), children in the巳fire, wealth in the未earth (responding, moving), wealth in the辰earth, brothers in the寅wood, and parents in the子water (the world, moving). The resulting hexagram is: wealth in the未earth, official ghost in the酉metal, parents in the亥water (the world), official ghost in the酉metal, parents in the亥water, and wealth in the丑earth (responding). The original interpretation says: the hexagram originally has two layers of wealth lines, and the first and top lines each produce another layer of wealth. The day branch, 丑earth, is also wealth, which is excessive. Fortunately, the hexagram contains 辰earth, which is the storage for wealth, called "wealth has a storage to collect it," so wealth was eventually obtained. I think this explanation is very reasonable and has been verified many times. However, it is not necessary for the hexagram to have the storage present. If the month or day when the storage god is in charge comes, the matter can still be accomplished.

如午月戊午日占何日雨得地風升變恆卦。 官鬼酉金″　　妻財戌土″應 父母亥水″　　官鬼申金″ 妻財丑土″世　　動　　子孫午火′ 官鬼酉金′　　官鬼酉金′世 父母亥水′　　父母亥水′ 妻財丑土″應　　妻財丑土″ 友人持此卦問余曰：今日占雨，父母不動，而丑土之財又化出午火回頭生，竟是大旱之年也。余曰：壬戌日必雨。友曰：父臨月建，陰雨連旬，今子孫臨月建，亦同此意，如何得雨？余曰：午火子孫臨日月旺之極矣，乃為用爻重疊，逢墓庫以收藏，故知戌必雨。果於戌日申時雨。

For example, on a Wu (午) month Wu (午) day, someone asked about which day it would rain, and obtained the hexagram 'Earth Wind Ascending' changing to 'Thunder Wind Heng'. The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost酉 metal, Parents亥 water, Wealth丑 earth (the world line, active), Official Ghost酉 metal, Parents亥 water, Wealth丑 earth (the responding line); the changing hexagram is: Wealth戌 earth (the responding line), Official Ghost申 metal, Children午 fire, Official Ghost酉 metal (the world line), Parents亥 water, Wealth丑 earth. A friend asked me about this divination, saying: Today I asked about rain, the Parents line is not moving, and the Wealth丑 earth line changes to午 fire, forming a reverse generation, which suggests a severe drought year. I said: Renxu day will definitely rain. The friend replied: Parents are at the month builder, which still indicates continuous rainy days; now the Children are at the month builder, the reasoning is the same, how can it rain? I said: The午 fire Children line is both at the day branch and the month builder, reaching its peak strength, this is exactly 'the important line overlapping', which needs the storage to contain it; since the fire is buried in戌, I know that on戌 day it will definitely rain. Later, it indeed rained at Shen hour on戌 day.

事阻隔兮間發。舊注世應中間兩爻謂之間爻，動則事事阻隔。謂之兩爻在世應之中，動阻兩家之事，使彼此不能相通。又曰世應中間兩爻發動所求多阻隔。覺子曰：以此爻作為間爻試之果驗，但看所占何事，須是彼此兩家之事始可用之。婚姻以之為媒妁，詞訟以之為證，買賣以之為牙行，借貸成文以之為中保，舟車以之為附載。交遊以之為幫開，胎產以之為收生保姆。

The text says, "Things are obstructed by intermediaries." The old commentary explains that the two lines between the World Line and the Response Line are called "intermediate lines." If either of these lines moves, then all matters are obstructed. These two lines are between the World and Response Lines, and if they move, they block communication between the two sides. It also says that if the two lines between the World and Response Lines move, the matter sought is often obstructed. Li Wenhui says: treating these two lines as intermediate lines indeed proves true; however, it depends on what is being divined. It is only applicable when the matter involves two parties. For divination on marriage, the intermediate line represents the matchmaker; for lawsuits, it represents a witness; for trade, it represents a broker; for loans and contracts, it represents an intermediary or guarantor; for boat travel, it represents a fellow traveler who offers transport; for social interactions, it represents someone who facilitates the connection; for childbirth, it represents a midwife.

心退悔兮世空。舊注自占世為主象，若無明動爻傷克而世爻無故自空者，必主心惰意懶，自不向前。野鶴曰：此論為是。前曰無故之空，如入深淵大壑，諸占大凶者，非也！易林補遺有曰世應皆空，故不向前，退悔，主賓皆動二邊，日後更張。所以不獨世空不宜，應爻亦不宜也。謂之世應皆空，事無準實，凡動而空者，不以此論。

The text says, "The heart retreats with regret, and the world line is empty." Old annotations explain that when one divines about oneself, the world line is the main symbol. If there is no clearly active line in the hexagram that harms or controls the world line, and the world line falls into emptiness without cause, it indicates that the person's heart is lazy and unwilling to move forward. The Wild Crane Elder says: this is correct. However, previous commentators who regarded "unjustified emptiness" as falling into a deep abyss or a vast pit, and thus considered it extremely ominous, were wrong. The Supplements to the Forest of Changes say: if both the world and response lines are empty, then the person will not move forward and will feel regret; both parties are active, so later on they will have to start anew. This shows that not only is an empty world line bad, but an empty response line is also bad, which is called "both world and response lines are empty, and the matter has no certainty." Any line that is activated but falls into emptiness is not included in this category.

卦爻發動須看交重。舊注交動主未來之事，重動主過去之事。余試間有驗者。大凡爻象有一定不可移者，可以為法，間有驗者，乃偶然之合耳。動變比合當明進退。進神章已註明。殺生身莫將吉斷，用克世勿作凶看。蓋生中有刑害之兩妨，合處有克傷之二慮。殺生世者，是日月動爻動臨忌神而生世，非凶煞也，不以吉斷者，何也？謂忌神既旺，用衰矣，世雖逢生何益？

The text says, "When a line in the hexagram moves, one must consider the intersection and repetition." Old annotations explain that "intersection" refers to movement indicating future events, while "repetition" refers to movement indicating past events. When I tried this method, it only occasionally worked. Generally, the images of the lines should follow a fixed and unchanging pattern to be established as a rule; occasional success is merely a coincidence. The text also says, "When a change occurs, one should clearly understand the advancement and retreat." This point has already been explained in the chapter on "Advancing Gods." The text further states, "If a harmful force generates the self, do not conclude it as favorable; if a useful god overcomes the self, do not regard it as ominous. This is because within the generation there are two obstacles of punishment and harm, and within the combination there are two concerns of overcoming and injury." The term "harmful force generating the self" refers to the day branch, month builder, or the moving line itself acting as a hostile god to generate the self, not referring to any evil spirits or malevolent deities. Why then can we not conclude this as favorable? Because if the hostile god is strong, the useful god becomes weak. Even if the self line is generated, what benefit does it bring?

如戌月丙子日占父任雲南何時得信？得地澤臨卦 子孫酉金″　　子孫酉金″ 妻財亥水″應　　妻財亥水″應 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟丑土″ 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟丑土″ 官鬼卯木′世　　官鬼卯木′世 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′ 占信者，朱雀巳火父母為用神，日辰子水克巳火，忌神戌月乃巳火月墓，日克音信茫然之兆也。而世爻卯木雖遇日生月合，何益於事。殺生身勿將吉斷，此之謂也，後果無音訊，四年知父而遇害矣。

For example, on a day with the stem Bing and branch Zi, in the month of Xu, divining about when a father who is in office in Yunnan will write a letter, the hexagram obtained is Lin (Hexagram 19). The six lines from top to bottom are: children in metal of You, wealth in water of Hai (responding line), siblings in earth of Chou, siblings in earth of Chou, official ghost in wood of Mao (world line), and parents in fire of Si. All six lines are still. Divining about messages, the parents in fire of Si, which is the line associated with the Vermilion Bird, is taken as the useful god. The day branch, water of Zi, is the ruler of fire of Si and thus it is the day branch that is attacking the useful god. The month of Xu is also the storage of fire of Si, so the useful god is both attacked by the day branch and buried by the month. This is a clear image of no news. The world line, wood of Mao, although it is supported by the day branch and combines with the month of Xu, does not help in this matter. "When the killer is the body's supporter, do not judge it as auspicious" exactly describes this situation. Later, there was indeed no news at all, and four years later it was found out that the father had already been killed.

用克世勿作凶看者，乃用為克世也，舊注主事爻動來克世，乃是事來趕我，事必速成，我雖見克，亦何傷哉，故云克世者不以為凶。覺子曰：此論未必全是，餘之得驗如占財財為用神，財爻克世者必得。占行人用神克世者即至，占醫藥子孫為用，子孫克世者即愈，此外數占皆不宜用神克世也，若占功名，官鬼克世，非災即禍，豈可曰勿作凶看。

The text says, "When the useful god controls the world line, it should not be considered ominous." This refers to the useful god overcoming the world line. Old commentaries say: When the main subject's line becomes active and overcomes the world line, it means the matter is coming to me urgently, and it will certainly be resolved quickly; although I am overcome, what harm is there? Therefore, when the useful god overcomes the world line, it is not considered ominous. Li Wenhui says: This view may not be entirely correct. From my experience, when seeking wealth, the wealth line is the useful god, and if the wealth line overcomes the world line, wealth will certainly be obtained; when divining about someone who is away, if the useful god overcomes the world line, it means the person is about to arrive; when divining about medicine, the children line is the useful god, and if the children line overcomes the world line, the illness will recover. Except for these cases, in other divinations, it is not advisable for the useful god to overcome the world line. For example, when divining about official positions, the official ghost line is the useful god, and if the official ghost line overcomes the world line, it is either a disaster or a misfortune, how can it be said not to be ominous?