Chapter 32: The Chapter of Two Appearances

如丑月庚子日占關差得否得泰之明夷 子孫酉金″應　　子孫酉金″ 妻財亥水″　　妻財亥水″ 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟丑土″世 兄弟辰土′世　　妻財亥水′ 官鬼寅木′　　動　　兄弟丑土″ 妻財子水′　　官鬼卯木′應 占官差以官鬼為用，此卦辰土持世，寅木官鬼克世，世爻空，即於壬寅日得差，次年三月死於中途，豈可謂之用克世勿作凶看。

For example, on the day of Gengzi in the month of Chou, one asked whether they could obtain a position on a difficult assignment, and the hexagram obtained was the "Heavenly Earth Tai" changing into "Earth Fire Ming Yi." The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: children酉 gold (responding line), wealth亥 water, siblings丑 earth, siblings辰 earth (world line), official ghost寅 wood (in motion), wealth子 water; the changing hexagram is: children酉 gold, wealth亥 water, siblings丑 earth (world line), wealth亥 water, siblings丑 earth, official ghost卯 wood (responding line). For the matter of obtaining an assignment, the official ghost is the useful god. In this hexagram, the world line is held by辰 earth, and the寅 wood official ghost is in motion and comes to control the world line. The world line also meets the旬空, so on the day of RENYIN, he obtained this position. However, in the third month of the following year, this person died on the way to take up the post. So how can we say that when the useful god controls the world line it is not considered a凶?

刑害不宜臨用。主事爻與日月動爻作三刑者，占事不成。占物不好。占病必死。占人有患。占婦人不貞潔。占文書有破綻。占訟必有罪責。動化刑亦然。死絕豈可持世。用爻世爻絕於日辰，或化絕，有舊注諸事不利，餘以休囚被克而又絕者，是也。旺相不妨，動逢沖而事散。六沖章注極明。絕逢生而事成。大凡世與用神或絕於日或化絕，若得日月動爻生者，謂之絕處逢生，且入寅日占卦酉為用神，酉絕於寅，若在辰戌丑月未月，或爻中動出辰戌丑未，以土生酉金，皆謂之絕處逢生。

The text says, "Punishment and harm should not be on the useful god": if the line representing the matter and the day branch, month builder, or moving line form the three punishments, then if it is about an event, it will not succeed; if it is about an object, it will be bad; if it is about a disease, it will lead to death; if it is about a person, there will be calamity; if it is about a woman, she will be unchaste; if it is about documents, there will be flaws; if it is about legal matters, there will be punishment. If the movement results in punishment, it is the same. The text says, "If the useful god or the world line is in the 'death' position on the day branch, or if it moves to the 'death' position, old annotations say that all things are unfavorable." I believe only when the useful god is weak, being attacked, and also in the 'death' position is it like that; if it is prosperous and strong, it will not cause problems. The text says, "If a movement meets a clash, the matter will scatter." This part is clearly explained in the chapter on the six clashes. The text says, "If the 'death' position meets a birth, the matter will succeed." Generally, if the world line and the useful god are in the 'death' position on the day branch, or if they move to the 'death' position, and if the day, month, or moving line can give birth to them, it is called "finding life in the death position." For example, if the start is on寅 and the metal of酉 is the useful god, then the metal of酉 is in the 'death' position on寅. At this time, if it is in the month of辰, 戌, 丑, or 未, or if the hexagram has a movement of the earth of辰, 戌, 丑, or 未 to give birth to the metal of酉, it is considered as finding life in the death position.

如逢合住須沖破以成功，若遇休囚必旺相而成事。應期章有注。速則動而克世爻，緩則靜而生身。此獨占行人而用之，他占不用。謂用神動而克世，行人回來之速也。用神靜而生世，行人歸來緩也。且如占父母何日歸，父母動而克世者，許之歸。

The text says, "If a combination is formed, it must be broken by a clash to achieve success; if the useful god is weak and confined, it must become prosperous and strong to accomplish things." These two sentences are explained in the chapter "Chapter on the Time of Realization." The text also says, "If it is quick, movement will overcome the world line; if it is slow, stillness will generate the self." This applies only to divination concerning someone who is away from home; it is not used for other types of divination. The meaning is that when the useful god is active and overcomes the world line, the traveler will return quickly; when the useful god is inactive and generates the world line, the traveler will return slowly. For example, when divining about the return of parents, if the parents' line is active and overcomes the world line, then their quick return can be predicted.

父亡而事無頭緒，福隱而事不稱情。古法卦中無父母，事無頭緒，卦無子孫無喜悅，餘以此論為多事，凡占事者，用神原神忌神仇神克害刑沖破墓空絕日月飛伏許多事故尚無定論，不敢尋不當用之爻耶，餘恐枝葉多生。鬼雖禍災，伏尤無氣。天元賦中無鬼論雖則有理，實亦多事，余生平以占官鬼疾病當用者則用，不當用者則不用也。子雖福德，多反無功。覺子曰：以之為忌神者，實則不宜，以之為用神者，多則何害？豈不聞損之斯成，逢墓庫以收藏也。

The essay says, "If the parents are absent, affairs lack order; if fortune is hidden, matters do not match feelings." Ancient methods believe that if the parents' line is missing in the hexagram, the matter lacks order; if the children's line is missing, there is no joy. I think this is adding extra branches. When divining a single matter, considering the useful god, origin god, hostile god, enemy god, along with the relationships of overcoming, harming, criminal, conflicting, breaking, storage, emptiness, decline, and the day branch, month builder, flying god, and hidden god, there are already so many factors to consider, how dare we look for unnecessary lines? I fear that the branches will grow endlessly. The essay says, "Although ghosts bring misfortune, when they are hidden, they have no strength." The discussion in the "Heavenly Origin Assignment" about "no ghosts" has some reason, but it is also unnecessary. In my lifetime of divination, when the official ghost line should be used as the useful god, I use it; when it should not be used, I ignore it. The essay says, "Although children represent fortune and virtue, they often bring no success." Li Wenhui says: if the children's line is the hostile god, having too many is indeed not advisable; if it is the useful god, having more is not harmful. Have you not heard, "When something is excessive, it should be reduced to succeed," and it can also be stored in the storage and repository.

虎興遇吉神不害其為吉，龍動而逢凶曜難掩其為凶。此為得理。六神章已注。元武為盜賊之事，亦必官爻。朱雀為口舌之神，必須兄弟。此論欠理，元武朱雀勾陳騰蛇動而不克世者，無礙。動而克世者，皆以為凶，勿分兄弟官鬼。吉凶神煞之多端，何如生剋制化之一理。此之言也，學者亦深味之。除惡未盡，須防死灰復燃。克害刑沖之神，若得日月動爻剋制者，須盡其根，若除而未盡，將來遇生扶之年月，仍復為禍。

The text says, "When the White Tiger meets a favorable spirit, it does not hinder it from being favorable; when the Azure Dragon moves and encounters an evil star, it cannot hide its nature as evil." The White Tiger, though凶, if it is accompanied by a favorable spirit, does not prevent it from being favorable; the Azure Dragon, though favorable, if it meets an evil star, cannot prevent it from being evil. This makes sense, as the chapter on the Six Spirits has already explained it. The text also says, "The Black Tortoise is related to theft and must be the official spirit; the Vermilion Bird is the spirit of speech and must be the sibling." This statement does not make sense. If the Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, or Teng Sha move but do not overcome the world, there is no harm; if they move and overcome the world, they are all judged as evil, without needing to distinguish whether they are accompanied by the sibling or the official spirit. The text says, "Among the many types of favorable and unfavorable spirits, how can they compare to the principle of generation, overcoming, control, and transformation?" This sentence, those who study the Yi Jing should reflect on it repeatedly. The text also says, "If evil is not completely removed, one must beware of the possibility of it reappearing." Those evil spirits that are overcome, harmed, punished, or opposed, if they are controlled by the sun, moon, or moving lines, must be completely eliminated; if they are not completely removed, when they meet a year or month that supports them, they will cause trouble again.

如卯月甲申日占病得地山謙變水山蹇 兄弟酉金″　　子孫子水″ 子孫亥水″世　　動　　父母戌土′ 父母丑土″　　兄弟申金″世 兄弟申金′　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火″應　　官鬼午火″ 父母辰土″　　父母辰土″應 斷曰：亥水子孫長生於申日，世遇日建逢生，雖化戌土之克，春令土衰，卯月剋制，有殺無妨。果於丁亥日全愈。豈知卯木雖克戌土，還有相合之意，亥水雖長生，戌土亦得長生於申，後至巳月亥逢月破，巳火生助戌土，諺語：斬草不除根，萌芽依舊生。復得病而死。

For example, on the day of Jiashen (甲申) in the month of Mao (卯), a divination was made about illness, resulting in the hexagram Qian (地山谦) changing to Jian (水山蹇). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: brothers You metal, children Hai water (world line, active), parents Chou earth, brothers Shen metal, official ghost Wu fire (responding line), parents Chen earth. The resulting hexagram is: children Zi water, parents Xu earth, brothers Shen metal (world line), brothers Shen metal, official ghost Wu fire, parents Chen earth (responding line). The interpretation states: the children Hai water is born on the day of Jiashen, the world line receives support from the day's heavenly stem, although the changing hexagram brings Xu earth to overcome it, but in spring earth is weak, and the month of Mao also overcomes it, so although there is a harmful influence, it is not a problem. The person indeed recovered on the day of Dinghai (丁亥). Who would have thought that although the month wood overcomes Xu earth, there is also a harmonious relationship between Mao and Xu; although the children Hai water receives birth, Xu earth also receives birth on Jiashen. When the month changes to Si (巳), the children Hai water meets the month breaker, and Si fire supports Xu earth, which exactly matches the proverb "cutting the grass without removing the root, the sprout will still grow", and the person's old illness recurs and he dies.

傷害不重，枯木猶有逢春。世與動爻有氣，若被日月動爻沖剋者，目下雖克傷，他日逢生再發。水要看源，木要尋根。凡占身命、家宅、功名、墳墓、貿易等事，欲其久遠者。用神雖則為重，而元神必須兼看。用神為事之體，元神為事之本。用神雖旺，原神若被傷克者，即如水無泉源，木無根蒂，金火土者皆同。

The text says, "Though injured, withered wood still awaits spring": If the World Line and the Moving Line have vitality, even though they are clashed and controlled by the day and month lines, they may suffer some damage now, but will regain strength and flourish again in the future. The text also says, "Water must be traced to its source, wood must be sought to its root": For matters such as personal destiny, family residence, official rank, burial sites, and business transactions, which require long-term consideration, the Useful God is important, but the Origin God must also be examined. The Useful God is the essence of an affair, while the Origin God is its foundation. Even if the Useful God is prosperous and strong, if the Origin God is harmed or controlled, it is like water without a source or a tree without roots. This principle applies equally to the Useful God belonging to metal, fire, or earth.

如午月庚寅日占掣籤何處。得大畜變中孚卦。 官鬼寅木′　　官鬼卯木′ 妻財子水″應　　動　　父母巳火′ 兄弟戌土″　　兄弟未土″世 兄弟辰土′　　動　　兄弟丑土″ 官鬼寅木′世　　官鬼卯木′ 妻財子水′　　父母巳火′應 斷曰世臨寅木官星，必得東缺。非廣東即山東。獨嫌子水月破動而化絕，恐不能到任。彼曰：何也？余曰：財為養命之源，又為朝廷之祿，今財臨絕地，是無財無祿，世爻寅木無水滋生，乃為凶兆。彼曰：改日潔誠再占。余曰可也。

For example, on a day of Gengyin with the month of Wu, a person draws a lot to determine where he will be appointed to an official post. The hexagram is cast and comes out as Da Xu (Hexagram 26) changing to Zhong Fu (Hexagram 61). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: official ghost yin wood, wife's wealth zi water (responding line, active), siblings xu earth, siblings chen earth (active), official ghost yin wood (world line), wife's wealth zi water. The changing hexagram's lines are: official ghost卯 wood, parents si fire, siblings wei earth (world line), siblings you earth, official ghost卯 wood, parents si fire (responding line). I interpreted: the world line is seated on yin wood official star, yin belongs to the east, so he will certainly be assigned to a post in the east, either Guangdong or Shandong. However, the zi water wealth line is exactly at the month breaker, and it is active, changing into si fire, forming 'huo jue', so I fear he may not be able to take up the post. He asked why. I said: wealth is the source of life, and also represents the salary from the court. Now the wealth line is in the jue position, meaning no wealth and no salary; the world line yin wood also loses the nourishment of water, which is an ominous sign. He said: perhaps another day, he will fast and be sincere again. I said it is okay.

甲午日又得臨之節。 子孫酉金″　　妻財子水″ 妻財亥水″應　　動　　兄弟戌土′ 兄弟丑土″　　子孫申金″應 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟丑土″ 官鬼卯木′世　　官鬼卯木′ 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′世 余曰此與前卦，卦名雖殊，其理一也。又是亥水財爻被回頭克，不獨難以到任，還妨秋令危災。後果於七月，先得瀉疾，略好後，因服補藥太過，吃一次藥，只能喝一兩水，後竟渴死。

On the Jiawu day, I cast another divination, obtaining the Hexagram "Lin" (Earth Lake) changing into "Jie" (Water Lake). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are:子孙酉金 (Children of You Metal), 妻财亥水 (Wealth of Hai Water, responding and active), 兄弟丑土 (Siblings of Chou Earth), 兄弟丑土 (Siblings of Chou Earth), 官鬼卯木 (Official Ghost of Mao Wood, the worldly line), 父母巳火 (Parents of Si Fire). The changing hexagram is: 妻财子水 (Wealth of Zi Water), 兄弟戌土 (Siblings of Xu Earth), 子孙申金 (Children of Shen Metal, responding), 兄弟丑土 (Siblings of Chou Earth), 官鬼卯木 (Official Ghost of Mao Wood), 父母巳火 (Parents of Si Fire, the worldly line). I said: This hexagram, though different in name from the previous one, shares the same underlying meaning. Moreover, the Hai Water wealth line changes into Xu Earth, forming a "back-killing" relationship. Not only will it be difficult to attain the position, but one should also beware of dangers in the autumn. Later, indeed, in the seventh month, he first suffered from diarrhea. After slight recovery, he took excessive doses of medicine, and each time he took a dose, he could only drink one liang of water. Eventually, he died of thirst.

動爻空破又何妨。如戌月己巳日餘占南行得大有之大壯 官鬼巳火′應　　動　　父母戌土″ 父母未土″　　兄弟申金″ 兄弟酉金′　　官鬼午火′世 父母辰土′世　　父母辰土′ 妻財寅木′　　妻財寅木′ 子孫子水′　　子孫子水′應 餘以應爻為官星動而生世，官貴相生者，雖則可喜，但嫌巳火墓於戌月而又化墓，生我之官爻即又入墓耶，兼且又是六沖，疑為不吉。

The passage says, "Even if the moving line is empty and broken, it is not a problem." For example, on the day of Jisi (己巳) in the month of Xu (戌), I cast a hexagram for myself traveling south, and obtained the hexagram Da You (Fire in Heaven) changing to Da Zhuang (Thunder in Heaven). The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost (官鬼) of fire at the responding line (which is moving), Parents of earth, Brothers of metal, Parents of earth, Wealth of wood, and Children of water. The lines of the resulting hexagram are: Parents of earth, Brothers of metal, Official Ghost of fire at the world line (which is stationary), Parents of earth, Wealth of wood, and Children of water at the responding line. I observed that the responding line is an official star (官星) which is moving and comes to generate the world line. The official and noble are generating me, which is favorable. However, I am concerned that the fire at the responding line is in the month of Xu and thus buried, and when it moves, it transforms into earth of Xu, which is still a burial. The official line that generates me is itself buried. In addition, this hexagram is a six clash (六冲), so I suspect this journey is not auspicious.

又亥月甲辰日又占得大有變畜卦 官鬼巳火′應　　妻財寅木′ 父母未土″　　子孫子水″應 兄弟酉金′　　動　　父母戌土″ 父母辰土′世　　父母辰土′ 妻財寅木′　　妻財寅木′世 子孫子水′　　子孫子水′ 餘疑又得此卦，巳火雖則生世又為月破，破而不能生我，這何益。況間爻酉金兄動乃阻隔耗財之神，疑之不行。

On the day of Jiachen in the month of Hai, I cast the same hexagram again, this time transforming into Da Xu. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: official ghost fire at Si (responding line), parents earth at Wei, siblings metal at You (activating), parents earth at Chen (the main line), wife's wealth wood at Yin, and son's grandson water. The resulting hexagram is: wife's wealth wood at Yin, son's grandson water (responding line), parents earth at Xu, parents earth at Chen, wife's wealth wood at Yin (main line), and son's grandson water. I was puzzled: again getting this hexagram, the official ghost fire at Si, although it comes to generate the main line, meets the month breaker of Hai month, breaking and thus not generating me, so what benefit is there? Moreover, the sibling metal at You is activated, which is the god obstructing travel and consuming wealth. Therefore, I abandoned the idea of going.

及至甲寅日又占又得大有之大壯 官鬼巳火′應　　動　　父母戌土″ 父母未土″　　兄弟申金″ 兄弟酉金′　　官鬼午火′世 父母辰土′世　　父母辰土′ 妻財寅木′　　妻財寅木′ 子孫子水′　　子孫子水′應

On the day of Jiayin, another divination was made, resulting in the hexagram Da You (Fire in Heaven) transforming into Da Zhuang (Thunder in Heaven). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: Official Ghost of Fire in Si (responding, active), Parents of Earth in Wei, Brothers of Metal in You, Parents of Earth in Chen (the world), Wealth of Wood in Yin, and Children of Water in Zi. The transformed hexagram is: Parents of Earth in Xu, Brothers of Metal in Shen, Official Ghost of Fire in Wu (the world), Parents of Earth in Chen, Wealth of Wood in Yin, and Children of Water in Zi (responding). The same hexagram pattern has been obtained in three consecutive divinations.

連得三次，餘始悟，曰：此行到明年三四月必定如心。巳火之官動而生世，目下雖破入墓，明年三月沖開戌墓，巳火得出，至巳月得令，當時不破不空，旺相而生世矣。即於巳日起程，行至中途遇舊識，母死又被回祿，同行，行不數日，又遇知己，道及某處有奇門一部，乃係抄本，命餘同去買之，同道兩日，餘卜一卦，又得大有之大壯，餘對友曰：此卦得之四次，非叫我買書，乃促我行也。竟行，後至地頭，已二月矣。一日於將軍府中，將軍問曰：江南其撫國，功名將來何如？余曰：向於酉年占得艮之觀卦，即許酉年離任，又許今年三月仍以原品起用。

I had the same hexagram three times in a row, and only then did I realize that this journey would not be satisfactory until the third or fourth month of next year. The fire official star (巳火官星) is activated to generate the subject, but at present it is in a state of being broken and buried. However, by the third month of next year, the戌墓 will be opened by the冲, allowing the fire to be released. By the巳 month, it will be in its own position and strong, neither broken nor empty, thus becoming prosperous and strong to generate the subject. Therefore, I set off on a day of巳. On the way, I met an old acquaintance whose mother had died and whose house had caught fire, so we traveled together. A few days later, I met another friend who told me that there was a copy of the book "Qimen" (奇门) in a certain place and asked me to go buy it with him. We traveled together for two days, and on one occasion I cast a hexagram, which turned out to be the hexagram "Da You" (大有) changing into "Da Zhuang" (大壮). I told my friend: this hexagram has appeared to me four times already, so it is not telling me to buy the book, but rather urging me to proceed on my journey. I continued forward and arrived at my destination by the second month. One day, in the general's mansion, the general asked me: what will be the future official rank of the governor from the south? I replied: I had previously cast a hexagram for him in the year of酉, which was "Gen" changing into "Guan". At that time, I had predicted that he would leave his post in the year of酉, and also that he would be reinstated in the same rank in March of this year.

卯月戊戌日占目下功名升否？ 兄弟巳火′世　　動　　子孫戌土″世 子孫未土″　　妻財申金″ 妻財酉金′　　兄弟午火′ 官鬼亥水′應　　動　　子孫辰土″應 子孫丑土″　　父母寅木″ 父母卯木′　　官鬼子水′ 余曰：離變震卦，六沖而變六沖，世爻化墓入墓，亥水官星動化回頭之克，大凶之兆，勿望升遷，且防刑獄。將軍曰：此吾侄也。曾在二十九歲于都門向爾占過，許之四十九歲有險。今年四十九歲，有何險處？余曰，既是卦之前後照應，目下諸事更宜慎之。一日於藩司署中藩臺向余曰：此係餘府尊，因得罪制臺，已為辯護，看何如？

Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai Trigrams: Qian (Heaven), Dui (Lake), Li (Fire), Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Kun (Earth) World Line: The World Line Primary Hexagram: The Primary Hexagram Resulting Hexagram: The Resulting Hexagram Six Clashes: Six Clashes Wuxu: Wuxu Parents: Parents Siblings: Siblings Children: Children Wealth: Wealth Official Ghost: Official Ghost I said: The hexagram is Li (Fire) changing to Zhen (Thunder), which is a Six Clashes hexagram changing into another Six Clashes hexagram; the World Line, which is the fire in the branch of Si, changes into the earth in the branch of Xu, which is a burial change, and the World Line itself is also buried; the Official Ghost, which is the water in the branch of Hai, is active and changes into the earth in the branch of Chen, forming a 'backward control', which is a very ominous sign. Promotion is not to be expected, and one should also be cautious of imprisonment. The general said: This is my nephew. He was twenty-nine years old when he once came to you in the capital to consult, and you told him he would have danger at forty-nine, and this year is exactly forty-nine. So where is the danger? I said: Since the two hexagrams correspond with each other, one should be even more cautious about current affairs. One day, in the office of the Minister of Revenue, the governor told me: This is the chief magistrate of this prefecture, who offended the governor-general, and I have already defended him. What is the result?

卯月庚子日占得風山漸。 官鬼卯木′應　　官鬼卯木′應 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′ 兄弟未土″　　兄弟未土″ 子孫申金′世　　子孫申金′世 父母午火″　　父母午火″ 兄弟辰土″　　兄弟辰土″ 斷曰：子孫持世，官臨應爻，祿位已屬他人矣。萬萬難於復職。藩臺曰：令爾報喜，如何此說？余曰：有喜則報，此卦無喜可報也。府尊曰：今日不誠，明早請到敝處，誠意卜之。

The divination was cast on the day of Gengzi in the month of Mao. The hexagram obtained was Jian (Hexagram 53). The six lines, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost of Mulberry Wood (response line), Parents of Fire Snake, Brothers of Earth Horse, Children of Metal Monkey (the main line), Parents of Fire Dragon, Brothers of Earth Tiger. All six lines are still and there is no changing hexagram. I interpreted: For the divination regarding the restoration of office, the Official Ghost is the useful god. Now the Children hold the main line, which is the image of the Children overcoming the Official Ghost. The Official Ghost of Mulberry Wood is in the month of Mao, which is the month builder, and sits on the response line, indicating that the official position has already been taken by someone else, and restoration of office is completely impossible. The governor said: You were called here to report good news, how can you say such things? I said: If there is good news, it will be reported, but this hexagram indeed has no good news to report. The prefect said: Today's intention is not sincere, please come to my place tomorrow, fast and be sincere again to cast the divination.

卯月辛丑日又占得火地晉卦 官鬼巳火′　　官鬼巳火′ 父母未土″　　父母未土″ 兄弟酉金′世　　兄弟酉金′世 妻財卯木″　　妻財卯木″ 官鬼巳火″　　官鬼巳火″ 父母未土″應　　父母未土″應 余曰：今日卦與昨日相同，世爻破而入墓，官星兩現，皆空破，彼之不服，余曰，再占一卦不妨。又得恆之大過。

The divination was cast on the day of Xin-Chou under the sign of Mao. The hexagram obtained was Jin (Fire on Earth). The six lines, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost of Fire in Si, Parents of Earth in Wei, Siblings of Metal in You (World Line), Wealth of Wood in Mao, Official Ghost of Fire in Si, Parents of Earth in Wei (Responding Line). All six lines are still, with no changing hexagram. I said: Today's divination is exactly the same as yesterday's meaning. The World Line, metal in You, is exactly at the Month Breaker in the sign of Mao, and is also buried by the day of Xin-Chou, which is the metal tomb. It is both broken and buried. The official star, fire in Si, appears twice, but both are in the place of emptiness and Month Breaker, so there is still no hope for official position. He still refused to accept it. I said: Then it is no harm to cast another hexagram. So another hexagram was obtained, Heng (Thunder over Wind), changing to Da Guo (Lake over Wind).

妻財戌土″應　　妻財未土″ 官鬼申金″　　動　　官鬼酉金′ 子孫午火′　　父母亥水′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：恭喜，此地爵位雖已失矣！速速援刑例，再任西方。彼曰：何以見之？余曰：持世官星破而入墓，所以知其失之就矣！幸五爻官化進神乃再任之官也。

This hexagram's primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: Wealth in the earth element (Yin) (responding line), Official Ghost in the metal element (Shen) (active line), Children in the fire element (Wu), Official Ghost in the metal element (You) (holding line), Parents in the water element (Hai), Wealth in the earth element (Chou); the changing hexagram is: Wealth in the earth element (Wei), Official Ghost in the metal element (You), Parents in the water element (Hai) (holding line), Official Ghost in the metal element (You), Parents in the water element (Hai), Wealth in the earth element (Chou) (responding line). I said: Congratulations, although the official position here is certainly lost, please hurry to pay according to the 'punishment example' and be appointed again in the west. He asked why. I said: The holding line of the metal element (You) official star is broken and buried, so we know the original position is lost; fortunately, the fifth line of the metal element (Shen) official star is active and changes to the metal element (You), which is 'transformed advancing god', indicating the image of regaining official position again.

餘於彼地二月，占過數卦，尚無應驗，及至三月將軍之侄因昔年因陳不前，都中有人報出行文拿問；又見邸報，江南撫軍果以原品起用；又本府府尊命下，不准復職，後援刑例果於巳年補陝慶陽府知府。餘於彼地三五月，了無寧日。悟前火天大有連得四次，巳火之官而生世爻，應巳月官以相生，須知神報吉凶之月日不可照樣而書符，全在人之變通也。

I stayed in that place until the second month, and the several divinations I had made before had not yet come to fruition. In the third month, the general's nephew, who had not passed the examination of the previous year, was reported to the capital, and orders came down to investigate him. Later, I saw the official gazette, and indeed the governor of Jiangnan was appointed again to his original position. The official order from the prefecture also came down, which did not permit him to resume his post. Later, he paid the required fees according to the legal regulations and was indeed appointed as the magistrate of Qingyang Prefecture in Shaanxi in the year of the Snake. I stayed there from the third month to the fifth month, and had no day of rest. Only then did I realize: the Hexagram Da You (Fire in Heaven) had appeared four times in a row. The fire official star came to generate the World Line, which exactly corresponded to the time when the official star of the Snake month generated the World Line. This shows that the month and day foretold by the divine cannot be mechanically applied; it all depends on whether a person can be flexible and adaptable.

大匠誨人，必以規矩。卜者決斷，全在靈機。古聖先賢，教人占卜，先教人動靜衰旺生扶拱合刑沖剋害破墓絕空，種種關節不可放過，書宜熟看，自能觸類旁通，隨機應變，爻象一成，即知禍福。用者重之，不用者去之，切不可謬柱而鼓瑟也。筮必誠心，子日不忌。天下無事不由心生，心動求神，必須至誠。故曰：誠則形，形則聚，聚則明。心誠求之，卦必顯而易見。古有子不問卜，黃金策曰只在誠與不誠，不在子與不子。占勿二念，早晚何妨。一念之誠，可格天地。一籃之用，可享鬼神。若懷兩三事而占者，念既不專心，何能一念多心？即是不誠！故曰：遇事即占，不認早晚，慎勿兩念，二念不驗。

A master craftsman teaches people by first teaching them the rules and standards; however, the decision-making of a diviner depends entirely on flexible adaptability. Since ancient times, sages have taught people divination, first teaching them about movement and stillness, decline and prosperity, generation and support, mutual assistance, punishment and clash, clash and control, as well as destruction, tomb, end, and emptiness. None of these key points should be overlooked. If one thoroughly studies the texts, one can naturally understand them by analogy and adapt to situations. Once the hexagram is cast, one can immediately know about fortune and misfortune. What is useful should be emphasized, and what is not should be discarded. One must not be as rigid as fixing the strings of a qin to play a se, which is overly inflexible. Divination must be done with sincerity. The taboo of "not consulting on a day of the Son" is not worth worrying about. All things in the world arise from the mind. If the mind is moved and one seeks the gods, one must be most sincere. Therefore, sincerity within will manifest outwardly, and outward manifestation will gather energy, and gathered energy will bring clarity. If one sincerely seeks, the hexagram will certainly be clear and evident. Ancient people had the saying "do not consult on a day of the Son," but the "Golden Strategies" say that the key lies in sincerity or not, not whether it is a day of the Son. A single divination should have only one thought; whether it is done early or late does not matter. A single sincere thought can move heaven and earth, and a simple offering can suffice to honor the spirits. If one carries several matters in mind while consulting, the thought is not focused, how can one contain many thoughts within a single thought? That would be insincerity. Therefore, one should consult whenever a matter arises, regardless of the time, and must not have two thoughts. Two thoughts will not be effective.

曾有先占求財後占丈人之病。辰月乙丑日占求財得隨之否 妻財未土″應　　動　　妻財戌土′應 官鬼酉金′　　官鬼申金′ 父母亥水′　　子孫午火′ 妻財辰土″世　　兄弟卯木″世 兄弟寅木″　　子孫巳火″ 父母子水′　　動　　妻財未土″

Someone first sought fortune and then consulted about their father-in-law's illness. On the day of Yichou in the month of Chen, they cast the hexagram "Sui" (Following) changing to "Pi" (Non-communication). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: Wealth (Wu Earth) in the responding position (and active), Official Ghost (You Metal), Parents (Hai Water), Wealth (Chen Earth) in the worldly position, Siblings (Yin Wood), Parents (Zi Water) (and active). The changing hexagram is: Wealth (Xu Earth) in the responding position, Official Ghost (Shen Metal), Children (Wu Fire), Siblings (Mao Wood) in the worldly position, Children (Si Fire), Wealth (Wu Earth).

由占妻父病得水山騫 子孫子水″　　子孫子水″ 父母戌土′　　父母戌土′ 兄弟申金″世　　兄弟申金″世 兄弟申金′　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火″　　官鬼午火″ 父母辰土″應　　父母辰土″應 若依本人之言告而斷者先占求財，滿盤俱足財星，其財彼得。占丈人病者，父母臨日月而不死，卻不知二事從此人之念而出，神以前卦應丈人之病，財動克父，丈人病重辰日。應辰日者，財爻屬土，有辰乃土之墓耳。後卦反應求財，兄爻持世，不得。若非留神參悟，以前卦而斷求財，以否卦斷丈人之病者，令人噴飯。餘故曰：一念只占一事，不仿早占晚占，心懷兩三事者，半夜求神，亦有錯矣。

Then divining the illness of the father-in-law, the hexagram obtained was Water over Mountain, Jian (Hexagram 39). The six lines, from top to bottom, were: Grandson Water, Parents Earth, Brothers Metal (the subject), Brothers Metal, Official Ghost Fire, Parents Earth (the responding line), all lines being still. If following the order as stated by the person himself, the first divination was full of wealth stars, meaning wealth would certainly come; the second divination on the father-in-law's illness had the parents' line exactly matching the day branch and the month builder, meaning the person would not die. But he did not realize that both matters came from the same thought of the person. In reality, the divine spirits had the first divination apply to the father-in-law's illness. In the first divination, the wealth line moved to overcome the parents' line, so the father-in-law was seriously ill on the day of Chen. The day was Chen because the wealth line belonged to earth, and Chen is the storage of earth. The second divination, on the other hand, applied to seeking wealth: the brother line held the subject, meaning wealth could not be obtained. If one does not carefully study and understand, one would still use the first divination to judge seeking wealth and the second to judge the father-in-law's illness (the original text here says 'Pu hexagram', which should be 'the latter hexagram'). That would lead to ridicule. Therefore, I say: one thought only concerns one matter, regardless of whether it is divined early or late; a person who is thinking about several matters at once, even if he consults the gods in the middle of the night, will still make mistakes.

我事不可命人。我有心事，不可叫他人代我去占，我之一念，他又一念，事二念也！曾有現任官府命家人代占防害，卯月戊戌日占主人目下災悔否。得比之咸 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″

One's own affairs should not be divined by others. I have something on my mind, and I cannot let someone else cast a hexagram for me. One thought from me and another from them, one matter becomes two thoughts. Once, a current official had his family cast a hexagram to foresee potential dangers. On the day of Wu Xu in the second month of the goat, the family cast a hexagram to inquire whether the master was currently facing misfortune or regret. The primary hexagram was "Water over Earth: Bi" (Hexagram 8), which transformed into "Lake over Mountain: Xian" (Hexagram 31). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: wife and wealth (responding line) of Zi water, brothers of Xu earth, children of Shen gold (activating line), official ghost of Mao wood (world line, activating line), parents of Si fire, brothers of Wei earth. The transformed hexagram, from top to bottom, was: brothers of Wei earth (responding line), children of You gold, wife and wealth of Hai water, children of Shen gold (world line), parents of Wu fire, brothers of Chen earth.

此卦若以本人念，占防害者，喜子孫克世，克去身邊之鬼。而無覆也。告以家人，占主以父母為用神，又以官爻而兼用，巳火父爻旬空而墓於戌日，卯官雖臨月建，難擋疊疊之金，目下雖則無妨，秋來豈無險厄？豈知此卦，競應官府自己之念，世爻為用，子孫克世，以解其災。至申日聞信，有人往上司揭告，被人勸阻，訟之未成。若以家人占主而決者，差別遠矣；又有不應主人之念，而應家人之念者，故日我事必要親占，命他人而代者，難取用神，必於不驗。

If this divination is interpreted according to the person's own thoughts, it is favorable that the children's line activates to overcome the world line, thus eliminating nearby ghosts and avoiding worries of collapse. However, if interpreted as a family member divining on behalf of another, the parents should be taken as the useful god, and the official line should also be considered: the fire parent line is both in the旬空 and buried on the戌 day; although the wood official star is at the month builder, it cannot resist the heavy metal in the hexagram. Although there is no immediate danger now, how can there be no danger in autumn? It turns out that this hexagram actually fulfilled the official's own thought: taking the world line as the useful god, the children overcoming the world line exactly averted his misfortune. On the day of申, news came that someone went to report him to his superior, but was stopped by others, and the lawsuit did not happen. If interpreted as a family member divining on behalf of another, the result would be very different. There are also cases where the hexagram does not match the owner's thoughts but matches the thoughts of the family member. Therefore, one's own affairs must be divined by oneself; if someone else divines on one's behalf, the useful god is difficult to determine, and the result will inevitably be inaccurate.

他是誠心，持頌問神，讓我先占，恐神不許。我真誠問，早已舉念，我讓他占，神必應我。曾於辰月癸未日欲占功名先代尊長而占於病。得姤之渙卦 父母戌土′　　妻財卯木′ 兄弟申金′　　官鬼巳火′世 官鬼午火′應　　動　　父母未土″ 兄弟酉金′　　動　　官鬼午火″ 子孫亥水′　　父母辰土′應 父母丑土″世　　妻財寅木″

Another person sincerely recited prayers and asked the gods, yet the master asked me to cast the divination first, fearing the gods would not respond. But since I had already sincerely formed the intention to ask, my thought had already arisen, and at this moment, letting him cast first, the gods would still respond to my thought. Once on the day of Guiwei in the辰 month, I originally intended to divinate my own official rank, but I first cast a divination for my superior's illness, obtaining the hexagram Gou (Heaven and Wind) changing into Huan (Water and Wind). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: parents in the earth dog (戌土), siblings in the monkey (申金), official ghost in the horse (午火, responding and active), siblings in the rooster (酉金, active), children in the pig (亥水), and parents in the ox (丑土, the world). The changing hexagram, in order, was: wife wealth in the rabbit (卯木), official ghost in the snake (巳火) (the world), parents in the sheep (未土), official ghost in the horse (午火), parents in the dragon (辰土) (responding), and wife wealth in the tiger (寅木).

本人占功名得天澤覆 兄弟戌土′　　兄弟戌土′ 子孫申金′世　　子孫申金′世 父母午火′　　父母午火′ 兄弟丑土″　　兄弟丑土″ 官鬼卯木′應　　官鬼卯木′應 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′ 若以前卦，斷子病者，其子必死。何也？亥水子孫，日月傷克，世爻暗動，又傷子孫，兄申酉金，又被午火克壞，謂之忌神旺而元神衰，勢之必死，豈知本人舉念在前，前卦而應功名，午火官動而生世，世動官興，五月高遷。後卦竟應父占子病，申金子孫，日月生之，次日即愈。

Then the person divined for his official rank and got the hexagram "Heaven over Water, Footsteps" (originally written as "Covered"). The six lines from top to bottom are: brother戌earth, son申metal (world line), parent午fire, brother丑earth, official ghost卯wood (response), parent巳fire, and all six lines are still. If this previous hexagram were used to divinate the child's illness, the child would certainly die. Why? The water son亥is harmed by the day branch and month builder, the world line also covertly moves to harm the son, the sons申and酉metal brothers that could generate the son are weakened by the fire午, this is called the hostile god being strong while the origin god is weak, which inevitably leads to death. But unexpectedly, the person's intention came first, and the previous hexagram turned out to apply to the official rank: the fire official star午moves and generates the world line, the world line moves and the official rises, and indeed he was promoted in May. The later hexagram, however, turned out to apply to the father's son's illness: the son申metal is generated by the day branch and month builder, and the illness improved the next day.

他事由他動念，慎勿提他。他之心事，未動念而占，我提醒他，叫他占，乃我之念也。曾有父叫子占功名午月辛酉日占功名得萃變遁。 父母未土″　　動　　父母戌土′ 兄弟酉金′應　　兄弟申金′應 子孫亥水′　　官鬼午火′ 妻財卯木″　　動　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼巳火″世　　官鬼午火″世 父母未土″　　父母辰土″

Another person's affairs should be handled by their own thoughts; do not remind them. If they have not yet formed a thought to consult the oracle, and I remind them to do so, then it becomes my thought instead of theirs. There was a case where a father asked his son to consult about his official position. The consultation was done on the day of Xinyou in the month of Wu, and the primary hexagram was Cui (Hexagram 45), which changed to Dun (Hexagram 33). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: parents in the earth element of Wei (moving), brothers in the metal element of You (responding), children in the water element of Hai, wealth in the wood element of Mao (moving), official ghost in the fire element of Si (the world), and parents in the earth element of Wei. The resulting hexagram, from top to bottom, was: parents in the earth element of Xu, brothers in the metal element of Shen (responding), official ghost in the fire element of Wu, brothers in the metal element of Shen, official ghost in the fire element of Wu (the world), and parents in the earth element of Chen.

此子十有五歲，父叫他占將來有功名否？若於官星持世，夏火當令，未土父爻為文章，父化進神，功名有望，豈知父叫子占，乃父之念也，此卦乃是父占子也，父動克子只傷妻，此子未年而死。未年死子者，未土父動，值未年以傷子也。夫應七月傷妻，卯木財爻絕於申也。餘今亦曾叫人而占，另有一法，先向伊曰，爾之某事，須占一卦，目下我起之念，爾且莫占，待少刻忘懷，爾忽想起念而占之，即數之念，也屢驗。

This child is only fifteen years old, and his father asked him to divinate whether he would achieve official rank in the future. If we look only at the hexagram: the official star is in the current position, and the fire of the fourth heaven stem is in season during summer; the earth of the sixth heaven stem represents the father, and the father's line is active and transforms into the earth of the ninth heaven stem, forming "chemically advancing god," indicating a strong prospect for official rank. But in reality, since the father asked the son to divinate, the one with the intention was actually the father. Therefore, this hexagram is actually the father divining his son: the father's line is active and restrains the son's line, while the wealth line is also injured. As a result, the child died in the year of the earth dog. The child died in the year of the earth dog because the earth dog father's line was active, and in the year of the earth dog, it was the right time to injure the son. The wife died in July because the wood wealth line was extinguished in the year of the monkey. If I now want to have someone else divinate, there is another method: first tell him that he should divinate about a certain matter, but say that the intention is mine, and he should not divinate yet. Wait until a while later, when he forgets this, and then suddenly remembers and divines on his own, that would be his own intention. This method has been tested many times and is reliable.

我占必以直告，卻莫昧已，此等極多，難以枚舉，有為婚姻故，占月令者。因功名，故占流年。有現任官府，慾望他人之缺，不便言之。故占在任之吉凶，有孝廉不明言卜會試，卻問功名，有已生子，故問有子否？如未月癸亥日占流年得艮卦。 官鬼寅木′世　　官鬼寅木′世 妻財子水″　　妻財子水″ 兄弟戌土″　　兄弟戌土″ 子孫申金′應　　子孫申金′應 父母午火″　　父母午火″ 兄弟辰土″　　兄弟辰土″

When casting a hexagram oneself, one must state the matter directly and not conceal it from oneself. There are many such cases, too numerous to list: some ask about marriage but instead inquire about the fortune of the current month; others seek success in official examinations but instead consult about the fortune of the coming year; some current officials hope for a vacancy but cannot speak openly, so they inquire about the fortune of their current position; some candidates for the imperial examination do not openly ask about the examination but instead ask about official success in general; and some have already fathered a son yet still inquire whether they have a son. When the question asked does not match the true intention, the hexagram naturally fails to correspond. For example, on the day of Guihai in the month of Wei, one asks about the fortune of the coming year and obtains the hexagram of Gen (Mountain), which is one of the eight pure hexagrams. The six lines, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost of寅wood (the worldly line), Wealth of子water, Brothers of戌earth, Children of申gold (the responding line), Parents of午fire, Brothers of辰earth. All six lines are still, with no resulting hexagram.

此人已往軍前援例，故占流年，只謂命有功名，流年必現，卻不知占功名，以官為官，最喜官星持世。占流年以官為鬼，不宜官鬼持世，餘以此理告之，彼曰：煩人援例，如不知成否？余曰：此卦官星持世，長生於亥日，業已成矣。亥水為財，財旺生官。果於申日文書實收俱到，應申日者，寅木官星持世，靜而逢沖之日也。若以流年作鬼斷者，如天遠矣。

This person had already gone to the military front to contribute money in order to seek an official position, and he used the method of divining the current year's fortune to ask about his prospects. He thought that if his destiny included an official title, it would naturally show up in the current year's fortune. He did not understand that when divining about official titles, "official" refers to official positions, and it is most favorable when the official star is in the current position; but when divining the current year's fortune, "official" refers to ghosts and spirits, and it is most unfavorable when the official ghost is in the current position. I explained this principle to him. He asked, "I have entrusted someone to handle the donation for an official position, but I don't know if it will succeed." I said, "This divination shows the official star in the current position, and the long life is in the亥 day. It has already been completed; the亥 water is wealth, and wealth being strong can naturally generate official status." Indeed, on the申 day, the official document and the receipt were both delivered. The response occurred on the申 day because the寅 wood official star was in the current position and was quiet, and the day of conflict is the time of fulfillment. If one truly interpreted the official star as a ghost in the current year's fortune, it would be far off.

占遠應近，務必留心。天下之理生於動，有機則動，凡來占者，事在目前，心神迫情，兩心相感，起課之人精神亦聚，吉凶立建；事尚無機，或占後運，或占不關切之事，甚有作戲談而問占卦之人，不得已而應之，兩心毫無相攝，卦亦茫然，卦之成者戲以遠而報近事，或以近事而報遠。如未月丙辰日占財。得咸之大過 父母未土″應　　父母未土″ 兄弟酉金′　　兄弟酉金′ 子孫亥水′　　子孫亥水′世 兄弟申金′世　　兄弟酉金′ 官鬼午火″　　動　　子孫亥水′ 父母辰土″　　父母丑土″應

When divining about distant matters but the response relates to immediate affairs, one must be particularly careful. The principles of the world arise from movement; only when there is an omen or sign does movement occur. For those who come to seek divination, if their matter is pressing and urgent, their mind is anxious, and the mutual resonance between the person and the diviner causes the diviner's spirit to concentrate, then the fortune or misfortune can be immediately discerned. However, if there is no omen or sign, or if the divination concerns future fortune or matters not directly related to the person, or if someone uses divination as a joke, the diviner is forced to respond, and there is no mutual resonance between the two. In such cases, the hexagram becomes unclear and directionless. The resulting hexagram often confuses distant matters with immediate ones, or immediate matters with distant ones. For example, on the day of Bingchen (丙辰) in the month of Wei (未), someone asked about seeking wealth and received the hexagram Xian (泽山咸) changing to Da Guo (泽风大过). The original hexagram, from the top down, is: parents in the earth element (未土, responding line), brothers in the metal element (酉金), children in the water element (亥水), brothers in the metal element (申金, the main line), official ghost in the fire element (午火, active line), and parents in the earth element (辰土). The changing hexagram, from the top down, is: parents in the earth element (未土), brothers in the metal element (酉金), children in the water element (亥水, the main line), brothers in the metal element (酉金), children in the water element (亥水), and parents in the earth element (丑土, responding line).

此人閒問，家中常見白人，必有古窖，何時得財？余曰：卦中鬼變子孫，目下子女不利，彼小女出花，余曰：須防亥日，果死於亥日。彼問：何所問得財，神報目下而死女？應亥日者，午火鬼化亥水子也。又如酉月甲辰日占本月月令。得遁之姤卦。

This person merely asked idly: I often see the shadow of a white-clothed person at home, which must mean there is an ancient hidden treasure beneath, when can I get this fortune? I said: In the divination, the official ghost changes into children, indicating that the children are currently not favorable. His youngest daughter is now suffering from smallpox, so I warned him to be cautious on the day of Hai. Indeed, the girl died on the day of Hai. He asked: I asked about gaining wealth, but the divine response was about the death of my daughter now. The reason it fell on the day of Hai is because the fire official ghost changed into the water child on the day of Hai. Another example: On the day of Jiachen in the month of You, he consulted about the fortune of this month, and got the hexagram of Dun (Heaven Mountain) changing into Gou (Heaven Wind).

父母戌土′　　父母戌土′ 兄弟申金′應　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火′　　官鬼午火′應 兄弟申金′　　兄弟酉金′ 官鬼午火″世　　動　　子孫亥水′ 父母辰土″　　父母丑土″世 世爻午火動化亥水回頭克，世辰年占卦，在午年子月而死。占月令而現壽元，此占近而應遠也。

The primary hexagram consists of six lines from top to bottom: parents in the earth horse (戌土), siblings in the monkey (申金) (responding line), official ghost in the horse (午火), siblings in the monkey (申金), official ghost in the horse (午火) (the world line, which is active), and parents in the earth dragon (辰土). The resulting hexagram is: parents in the earth horse (戌土), siblings in the monkey (申金), official ghost in the horse (午火) (responding line), siblings in the rooster (酉金), children in the pig (亥水), and parents in the ox (丑土) (the world line). The world line, which is the horse (午火), is active and transforms into the pig (亥水), forming a 'backward control' (回头克). The person was divined in the year of the dragon (辰), and is destined to die in the year of the horse (午) during the month of the rat (子). The question asked was about the monthly fortune, yet the hexagram reveals the length of life, which is an example of predicting distant matters through close questions.

占此應彼，必須詳察。大凡占出卦象，必須細為詳查，卦有不應所問之事，而反應所未問之事，其故何也？神有舍小事而報大事，有舍小吉而報大凶，有舍此應彼，占我應他，占他應我，乃旦夕禍福將至，機之一動，卦必現，故曰：知機其神乎，此之謂也。

This matter should be interpreted in relation to another matter, and it must be examined carefully. Generally, after a hexagram is formed, it should be thoroughly reviewed, because a hexagram may not respond to the question asked, but instead respond to something not asked. Why is this so? Sometimes the divine wisdom omits small matters to reveal great ones, sometimes omits minor good fortune to reveal great misfortune, and sometimes responds to one thing in place of another. When divining about oneself, the result may pertain to another person, and when divining about another person, the result may pertain to oneself. This is because misfortune or blessing may come suddenly, and once the subtle signs appear, they will certainly be reflected in the hexagram. Therefore, it is said, "To know the signs is to be in harmony with the divine," which precisely describes this principle.

如巳月已未日占小廝病 妻財子水″應　　妻財子水″ 兄弟戌土′　　兄弟戌土′ 子孫申金″　　子孫申金″世 官鬼卯木″世　　動　　子孫申金′ 父母巳火″　　父母午火″ 兄弟未土″　　兄弟辰土″應 余曰：此卦不應小廝病，而應今秋功名有礙，彼曰：何也？余曰：世臨卯木之官化申金子孫回頭克，是以知之。彼曰：我問小廝，如何應在功名？餘日：神之機常常如此，舍小事而報大凶，公之諸事須宜慎之，果於七月，被論革職，此占他而應我也！

For example, on the day of Jiwei (己未) in the month of Si (巳), someone asked about the illness of a servant. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: wife wealth water (responding line), brothers戌 earth, children申 metal, official ghost卯 wood (world line, active), parents巳 fire, brothers未 earth; the changing hexagram was: wife wealth water, brothers戌 earth, children申 metal (world line), children申 metal, parents午 fire, brothers辰 earth (responding line). I said: This hexagram does not indicate the illness of the servant, but rather suggests obstacles in official matters this autumn. He asked: How do you know that? I said: The world line is seated on卯 wood official star, which is active and changes into申 metal children, forming a 'backward control' (回头克), so I knew. He said: I asked about the servant, how can it relate to official matters? I said: The signs of the divine often work this way, indicating a major disaster through a minor matter. You should be cautious in all affairs. Indeed, by July, this person was impeached and dismissed from office. This is an example of divining about someone else, yet the result affects oneself.

又如申月戊寅日占身病得坤之比 子孫酉金″世　　妻財子水″應 妻財亥水″　　動　　兄弟戌土′ 兄弟丑土″　　子孫申金″ 官鬼卯木″應　　官鬼卯木″世 父母巳火″　　父母巳火″ 兄弟未土″　　兄弟未土″ 斷曰：卦中世爻酉金絕於寅日，所幸秋天問卜，正值旺相，故自身無災。防九十月妻財有危。因亥水財爻化戌土為回頭克。彼曰：吾病已重。余曰：卦中子孫持世，不藥而癒。果不久病癒。九月妻死，是占我應他。

For example, on the day of Wu-Yin (戊寅) in the month of Shen (申), he consulted about his own illness and obtained the hexagram "Kun as Earth" changing into "Water and Earth - Bi." The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are:子孙酉金 (World Line), 妻财亥水 (activating), 兄弟丑土, 官鬼卯木 (responding), 父母巳火, 兄弟未土; the changing hexagram is: 妻财子水 (responding), 兄弟戌土, 子孙申金, 官鬼卯木 (World Line), 父母巳火, 兄弟未土. The interpretation states: The World Line, 子孙酉金, is in the "绝" (decline) position on the day of寅, but since the question was asked in autumn, the metal element of酉金 is at its prosperous and strong stage, so there is no disaster to himself; however, one should be cautious about the ninth and tenth months, as the wife is in danger, because the wife's wealth line, 亥水, changes into 戌土, forming a "回头克" (self-attacking). He said: My illness is already very serious. I said: The hexagram shows theChildren (children) holding the world line, so even without taking medicine, he will recover. Indeed, his illness soon improved, while his wife died in the ninth month. This is a case where the divination about himself turned out to affect someone else.

又如未月丁亥日占母病得坤之剝。 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：此卦不現母病，而現子女有災。彼曰：何也？余曰：令堂近病，卦得六沖即愈，只不宜爻中現出子孫變鬼，伊曰：小兒初生兩月。餘日：八月防之。果於八月其子驚風，又來卜之。

For example, on a day of Dinghai in the month of Wei, someone consulted about his mother's illness and obtained the hexagram "Kun as Earth" changing into "Bo, the Splitting Away" (Hexagram 23). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was:子孙酉金 (the worldly position, active), 妻财亥水, 兄弟丑土, 官鬼卯木 (the responding position), 父母巳火, 兄弟未土. The changing hexagram, from top to bottom, was:官鬼寅木, 妻财子水 (the worldly position), 兄弟戌土, 官鬼卯木, 父母巳火 (the responding position), 兄弟未土. The interpretation was: this hexagram does not indicate the mother's illness, but rather that the children are in danger. He asked why. I said: your mother has recently fallen ill, and the hexagram encountering the Six Clashes will recover; however, it is not suitable for theChildren to change into Official Ghost. He said: the child in the family is only two months old. I said: be cautious in August. Indeed, in August, the child had a fit. He then consulted the hexagram again.

酉月丁卯日又占子病 得既濟之革 兄弟子水″應　　官鬼未土″ 官鬼戌土′　　父母酉金′ 父母申金″　　動　　兄弟亥水′世 兄弟亥水′世　　兄弟亥水′ 官鬼丑土″　　官鬼丑土″ 子孫卯木′　　子孫卯木′應 斷曰：卯木子孫，臨月破，又動出申金傷克，雖值日辰，難過酉月卯日。還有救否？余曰：向占母病，已應八月死子。今又得此凶卦，何以救之？果死於卯日。夫應於卯日者，乃實破之日也。

The Heavenly Stems are: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui. The Earthly Branches are: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai. The Trigrams are: Qian (Heaven), Dui (Lake), Li (Fire), Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Kun (Earth). The divination result is: On the day of Dingmao, in the month of You, a second divination is made about a child's illness, resulting in the Hexagram Ji Ji (Hexagram 63) changing to Ge (Hexagram 49). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: Brothers Zi Water (responding line), Official Ghost Xu Earth, Parents Shen Metal (activating), Brothers Hai Water (the main line), Official Ghost Chou Earth, and Children Mao Wood. The resulting hexagram is: Official Ghost Wei Earth, Parents You Metal, Brothers Hai Water (the main line), Brothers Hai Water, Official Ghost Chou Earth, and Children Mao Wood (responding line). The interpretation states: The Children Mao Wood is exactly at the month of You, which breaks the month. The hexagram also shows the movement of Shen Metal to harm it. Although it is on the day of Mao, it cannot survive the month of You. The person asks if there is any way to save the child. I say: Previously, when divining the illness of the mother, it was indicated that she would die on the 15th day of the eighth month. Now, such a bad hexagram is obtained again, how can there be any way to save the child? The child indeed died on the day of Mao. The reason it was indicated for the day of Mao is because that day was the day when the month break was filled.

李我平曰：黃金策千金賦，乃誠意先生所著，昔有人曰：有能易一宇者，予以千金，後因刻板錯誤，以訛傳訛，致白玉生瑕，不意野鶴老人，前後增刪，另作解注，以成全壁。餘不能遣以千金，從此名之萬金賦可也。

Li Tan (style name Woping) said: The "Qianjin Fu" in the "Golden Strategies" was written by the Honorable Gentleman Liu Ji. Once someone made a statement: whoever can change a single character in it will be given a thousand taels of gold. Later, when the edition was printed incorrectly, errors spread and were passed on, like a jade stone developing a flaw. Unexpectedly, the Wild Crane Elder made additions and deletions, and provided his own commentary, finally restoring it to its original perfection. Since I cannot offer a thousand taels of gold as a gift, I will from now on call it the "Wanjin Fu".

增刪《黃金策 》天道旱澇不定，易爻陰晴可測。古以晴雨之占，不可以有試其行術而輕瀆鬼神，如亢旱求雨，澇則求晴，始可卜之。余曰：不然，正可以此試其術何也！卦之微妙，初學難知，以人事而卜，不易得驗；以天時而卜，目下即可得驗。天時人事，皆不離五行。天時得驗，人事驗矣，余初學卜，皆賴天時之巧應，得其微妙之處。

The Golden Strategies have further additions and revisions. The essay says: the droughts and floods of heaven are not fixed, but the lines of the I Ching can predict whether it is sunny or rainy. Ancients thought that predicting weather should not be used to test divination techniques or to despise spirits; they believed one must have a real situation, such as praying for rain in a severe drought or praying for clear weather during a flood, before one can cast a hexagram. I say otherwise; precisely we should use it to test divination techniques. Why? The principles of hexagrams are subtle and difficult for beginners to understand; using human affairs for divination is hard to verify immediately; using weather for divination, however, shows results on the same day. Whether it is human affairs or weather, both depend on the Five Phases. If weather divination is accurate, human affairs will naturally also be accurate. When I first learned divination, I relied entirely on the frequent accurate predictions of weather, which helped me grasp the subtle aspects of it.

子孫為日月星斗，動則萬里晴光。黃金策以財動者，八方咸仰晴光，非也。子孫發動，萬里無雲，財以子孫為原神，財動雖晴，倘如子孫休囚空破，或現而不動，必不大晴，當有浮雲薄霧。如卯月甲午日占晴 兄弟戌土″　　兄弟未土″ 子孫申金″　　動　　子孫酉金′世 父母午火′世　　妻財亥水′ 兄弟辰土′　　兄弟辰土′ 官鬼寅木′　　官鬼寅木′應 妻財子水′應　　妻財子水′ 申金子動化進神，酉日碧天如洗。或曰：凡存占驗，皆尚奇微巧驗，此卦顯而易見，何故錄之？余曰：令初學者易知，由淺以入深也。奇驗於理，後卷有之。

The text says, "Children represent the sun, moon, stars, and constellations; when they move, the sky is clear for thousands of miles." The original sentence from The Golden Strategies reads, "When the wealth line moves, the sky is clear in all directions," which is incorrect. It should be "Children moving" that brings about a clear sky without clouds. The wealth line takes the children as its original god; although wealth moving also indicates clear weather, if the children are weak, confined, empty, or broken, or if they appear in the hexagram but do not move, the weather will not be completely clear, there will still be some floating clouds and mist. For example, in a divination on a day of Jiawu in the month of Mao, asking about clear weather, the primary hexagram from top to bottom is: Brother戌土, Child申金 (moving), Parent午火 (world), Brother辰土, Official Ghost寅木, Wealth子水 (response); the changing hexagram is: Brother未土, Child酉金 (world), Wealth亥水, Brother辰土, Official Ghost寅木 (response), Wealth子水. The child申金 moves and changes into酉金, which is "changing into an advancing god." On the day of You, the sky was indeed clear and bright. Some people say: All verified cases should be those that are ingenious and subtle, this hexagram is obvious at a glance, so why record it? I say: It is to make beginners understand easily, starting from the simple and moving to the complex; as for cases with profound reasoning, there are plenty in the following volumes.

父母為雨雪霧霜，發則八方潤澤。凡占，須以分看，或求晴、求雨、求雪、求霜，念專於一而神告矣。宜分請求於何地？神曰：域內晴否？或占本鄉、或占本省、不然天下何日不晴？何日不雨？指其地而占之可也。法以父母為天地，天地閉塞，而日月塞，而日月掩藏，此亦近理。餘以父母為厚雲重霧，父動傷子，掩其日月也。所以父爻發動，雲霧迷天，日月掩藏而雨矣。

The text says, "Parents represent rain, snow, mist, and frost; when they arise, the eight directions become moist and nourished." When divining about weather, one must ask separately: seeking clear skies, seeking rain, seeking snow, seeking frost. One's focus should be on a single matter so that the divine spirits can clearly respond. One must also clearly specify the location being asked about—whether it is the hometown or the entire province. Otherwise, with the vastness of the world, which day is not clear? Which day is not rainy? One must divinate specifically for a particular place. The old method regarded the parents'爻 as heaven and earth; when heaven and earth are blocked, the sun and moon are obscured. This statement is still somewhat reasonable. I, however, regard the parents'爻 as thick clouds and heavy mist: when the parents'爻 moves, it harms the children's爻, which is like blocking the sun and moon. Therefore, when the father's爻 moves, clouds and mist obscure the sky, the sun and moon are hidden, and rain is about to fall.

如巳月甲戌日占天何日雨得小過之旅 父母戌土″　　動　　官鬼巳火′ 兄弟申金″　　父母未土″ 官鬼午火′世　　兄弟酉金′應 兄弟申金′　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火″　　官鬼午火″ 父母辰土″應　　父母辰土″世 因連日大晴，本日卯時占何時雨？即於辰時起云，辰末巳初雷雨大作，應辰時者，戌日沖辰父而暗動，雷雨大作者，戌化巳火鬼也。

For example, on a day in the month of Si with a Jiaxu day, someone asked when it would rain, and the hexagram obtained was 'Xiao Guo' changing to 'Lv'. The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, were: parents Wu earth (activating), siblings Shen metal, official ghost Wu fire (the world), siblings Shen metal, official ghost Wu fire, parents Chen earth (the response). The lines of the resulting hexagram were: official ghost Si fire, parents Wei earth, siblings You metal (the response), siblings Shen metal, official ghost Wu fire, parents Chen earth (the world). Because it had been sunny for several days, the hexagram was cast at the卯 hour, asking when it would rain. Clouds appeared at the辰 hour, and there was a heavy thunderstorm between the end of辰 and the beginning of巳. The response occurred at the辰 hour because the day of Jiaxu was in opposition to the first line, Chen earth parents, resulting in 'covert movement'. The reason it was thunder rain was because the top line, Wu earth, changed to Si fire official ghost, and official ghost represents thunder and lightning.

妻財天氣晴明。財動克父而生子孫，所以主睛。如酉月乙巳日占本日陰晴：得升之恆 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″ 此卦丑土財動化出午火子孫，上半日雖晴常有浮雲掩日，至午時之後滿天紅日無雲，所以財爻雖主晴明，難免無雲，至午時而見子孫，始大晴也。

The text says "the wealth hexagram indicates clear weather": the wealth hexagram is activated and can overcome the parents, while also generating the children, thus indicating clear skies. For example, on the day of Yisi in the month of You, someone asked about the weather for that day, and obtained the hexagram Sheng changing to Heng. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: official ghost You metal, parents Hai water, wealth Chou earth (the world, activated), official ghost You metal, parents Hai water, wealth Chou earth (the response); the changing hexagram is: wealth Xu earth (the response), official ghost Shen metal, children Wu fire, official ghost You metal (the world), parents Hai water, wealth Chou earth. In this hexagram, the Chou earth wealth hexagram is activated and changes to Wu fire children: the upper half of the day is clear, but there are often floating clouds blocking the sun; after noon, the sky is fully bright with the sun, with no clouds at all. Thus, although the wealth hexagram indicates clear weather, it still cannot avoid clouds until Wu time, when the children take charge, and then the weather is completely clear.

官鬼雷霆霧電。官鬼乃父母之原神，動則生父，故主霧霆雷電。或應雷霆，不拘春復秋冬，方可執以為雷霆霧電看是也。如巳月丁卯日占天何日雨得恆之大過 妻財戌土″應　　妻財未土″ 官鬼申金″　　動　　官鬼酉金′ 子孫午火′　　父母亥水′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 世爻酉鬼暗動，申鬼明動化進神，本日申時，霹雹擎天，遠方大雨，而本處灑來幾點，或曰：因父爻月破。予曰：非也，父爻若動，雖臨月破，亦作大雨。

The text says "Official Ghosts are Thunder and Lightning and Mist and Electricity": The Official Ghost is the original god of the Parents, and when it moves, it produces the Parents, hence it is associated with thunder, lightning, mist and electricity. Sometimes it should be interpreted as thunder, regardless of the season, and thunder, lightning, mist and electricity can be considered in the same way. For example, on a day with the day branch Dingmao in the month of Si, someone asks about rain on which day, and gets the hexagram "Heng" changing into "Da Guo". The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: Wealth of戌 earth (responding line), Official Ghost of申 metal (moving), Children of午 fire, Official Ghost of酉 metal (world line), Parents of亥 water, Wealth of丑 earth. The lines of the changing hexagram are: Wealth of未 earth, Official Ghost of酉 metal, Parents of亥 water (world line), Official Ghost of酉 metal, Parents of亥 water, Wealth of丑 earth (responding line). The world line Official Ghost of酉 metal is affected by the day branch and moves covertly, while the fifth line Official Ghost of申 metal moves openly and changes into酉 metal, forming an "advancing god". On that day at the hour of Shen, there was thunder shaking the sky, heavy rain in the distance, and only a few drops locally. Some people say this is because the parent line meets the month breaker. I say it is not; as long as the parent line moves, even if it meets the month breaker, it can still bring heavy rain.

應乃太虛，逢空雨晴難定，世為大地，受克天變非常。覺子曰：占雨用父爻，占晴用子孫爻、財爻，世應何干？余曾占雨占晴，一卦不現，再占兩卦。六爻不動者，務必求其動而驗之。何故而曰雨晴難定？假使人間趨避，亦可答曰我難定耶？至於世爻受克而天變者，繫偶然湊合一兩卦耳，何得以之為法？余常占得官父兄爻克世者不少，未見天變，此兩句宜刪之。

The text says, "The Response Line is the Great Void, and when it is empty, whether it rains or clears is uncertain; the World Line is the Earth, and when it is harmed, heavenly changes are unusual." Li Wenhui asks: When predicting rain, use the Parents Line; when predicting clear weather, use the Children Line and Wealth Line. How does this relate to the World Line and the Response Line? When I predict rain or clear weather, if one hexagram cannot show the result, I will cast two more hexagrams; if none of the six lines move, I must certainly require a moving line to verify. Why is it said "rain and clear weather are uncertain"? If people wish to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, can they just answer with "I cannot decide"? As for the statement that the World Line being harmed leads to heavenly changes, this is merely a coincidence in a few hexagrams, how can it be established as a rule? I often see hexagrams where the Official Ghost, Parents, and Siblings lines harm the World Line, but I have not seen any heavenly changes. These two lines should be deleted.

若論風雲全憑兄弟。兄弟發動，雖主風雲乃云淡風輕之景，非晴非雨之天。每見兄動而日月於雲中穿走，怎隱乍出現。如午月丁亥日占本日陰晴得逐之否 父母戌土′　　父母戌土′應 兄弟申金′應　　兄弟申金′ 官鬼午火′　　官鬼午火′ 兄弟申金′　　動　　妻財卯木″世 官鬼午火″世　　官鬼巳火″ 父母辰土″　　父母未土″ 或曰：兄動為風雲，今日還是陰天。余曰：申金兄爻為雲，化卯木財爻，是由雲霧中變出日色之象，果一日陰雲申時而見日色，次日卯時大晴。

The text says, "If we talk about wind and clouds, it depends on the siblings." Although the movement of the siblings indicates wind and clouds, it is only a scene of light clouds and gentle breeze, a weather condition that is neither clear nor rainy. I often see when the sibling line moves, the sun and moon pass through the clouds, appearing and disappearing. For example, on a day in the fifth month of the year Dinghai, someone asked about whether the weather would be sunny or cloudy that day, and obtained the hexagram "Heaven over Mountain" (Dun) changing into "Heaven and Earth Opposed" (Pi). The primary hexagram, from the top down, is: parents in the earth element戌土, siblings in the metal element申金 (responding line), official ghost in the fire element午火, siblings in the metal element申金 (moving line), official ghost in the fire element午火 (the main line), and parents in the earth element辰土. The resulting hexagram is: parents in the earth element戌土 (responding line), siblings in the metal element申金, official ghost in the fire element午火, wife's wealth in the wood element卯木 (main line), official ghost in the fire element巳火, and parents in the earth element未土. Some people say that the movement of the sibling line indicates wind and clouds, and that the weather would still be cloudy. I say, the sibling line in the metal element申金 represents the clouds, and its transformation into the wealth line in the wood element卯木 indicates the sun breaking through the clouds. The result was that the day was heavily overcast, but by the hour of Shen, the sun appeared, and on the next day at the hour of Mao, the weather became clear.

更詳四季推辭，須配五行參決。黃金策曰：父母爻四時主雨，若臨金水雨大而不止，若臨火土雨小而不久。覺子曰：此係不論衰旺四時，皆以父臨水則雨大，臨火則雨小。既不論衰旺如何，後章又曰：父持月建必然陰雨連旬，假使巳午未月火土當令之時，正大雨施行之際，若值父臨火土而動，如以旺衰而論，父旺當主陰雨連旬；若以五行來決，論火土者當斷之雨小。古法之錯，何以不刪？更可笑者，舊注有云，冬天以子孫為霜雪，以子孫為霜雪，倘值冬令占晴，以何爻而用？明昔賢悖理之廖，當時而不省悟者，何也？

The text says, "One should further examine the seasonal changes and consider the Five Phases for decision." The Golden Strategies states: the parents' hexagram rules rain in all four seasons; if it is accompanied by metal or water, the rain will be heavy and continuous; if it is accompanied by fire or earth, the rain will be light and short-lived. Li Wenhui says: this is regardless of the strength or weakness of the four seasons, always judging rain by the parents' hexagram being accompanied by water for heavy rain and fire for light rain. Since it does not consider strength or weakness, the next chapter yet says, "If the parents' hexagram holds the month builder, there will certainly be continuous rainy weather." Suppose in the months of巳, 午, 未 when fire and earth are in charge, which is the season for heavy rain, yet the parents' hexagram is accompanied by fire or earth and becomes active: according to strength and weakness, the parents being strong should indicate continuous rainy weather; according to the Five Phases, being accompanied by fire or earth should indicate light rain. The old methods are contradictory like this, why are they not deleted? Even more laughable is the old commentary that in winter, the children's hexagram represents frost and snow. If the children's hexagram is taken as frost and snow, then when predicting clear weather in winter, which hexagram should be used? These obvious logical errors of previous scholars were not recognized by people at that time, why is that?

如子月已亥日因連日雪占何日晴得觀之比 妻財卯木′　　動　　子孫子水″應 官鬼巳火′　　父母戌土′ 父母未土″世　　兄弟申金″ 妻財卯木″　　妻財卯木″世 官鬼巳火″　　官鬼巳火″ 父母未土″應　　父母未土″ 斷曰：兩爻火鬼暗動，今日還是陰天，卯木財爻化出子孫子水，明日卯時必晴。果於次日卯時，雲開日出，此子水者既臨月建，又有亥月拱之，旺之無比。若以之為霜雪，不獨不晴，既當雪深十尺。所以占天時，不論旺衰，亦未有以子孫為霜雪也。

For example, on the day of Jihai (己亥) in the month of Zi (子), due to continuous snowfall, one divines which day the weather will clear. The hexagram obtained is Guan (风地观) changing to Bi (水地比). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: wife wealth in卯wood (active), official ghost in巳fire, parents in未earth (the world line), wife wealth in卯wood, official ghost in巳fire, parents in未earth (the responding line); the changing hexagram is: son in子water (responding line), parents in戌earth, brothers in申metal, wife wealth in卯wood (the world line), official ghost in巳fire, parents in未earth. The interpretation states: two lines of巳fire official ghosts are affected by the day branch and undergo covert movement, so today remains cloudy; the卯wood wealth line changes into子water son, so the weather will definitely clear at the卯hour tomorrow. Indeed, the next day at the卯hour, clouds dispersed and the sun emerged. This子water serves both as the month builder of the Zi month and is supported by the亥day, thus reaching its peak strength; if one follows the old interpretation and treats the son as frost or snow, not only should it not clear, but snow should fall ten feet thick. Therefore, when divining weather, one cannot ignore the strength and decline of the lines, and there has never been a reason to treat the son as frost or snow.

晴或逢官，為煙為霧。舊注卦得時兆，爻中又有鬼動者，必須有濃雲重霧，或惡風晦暗，冬或大寒，夏或大熱，非風和日霞之天。餘以此論有理，但須分別時辰。既如辰月已卯日占本日陰晴得屯之臨 兄弟子水″　　父母酉金″ 官鬼戌土′應　　動　　兄弟亥水″應 父母申金″　　官鬼丑土″ 官鬼辰土″　　官鬼丑土″ 子孫寅木″世　　動　　子孫卯木′世 兄弟子水′　　妻財巳火′ 斷日寅木子孫化進神，今日大晴，五爻戌土鬼動，戌亥時必主黑雲。果於戌時，星辰無光。若以一日之煙霧斷者，錯也。

The commentary says, "If clear weather meets the official ghost, it will be smoke or mist." Old annotations explain: if the hexagram already shows signs of clear weather and there is also the official ghost moving among the lines, then there must be thick clouds and fog, or bad winds and dim light. In winter it will be especially cold, in summer especially hot. In any case, the weather will not be clear and sunny. I think this is reasonable, but it is necessary to determine which time of day this applies. For example, on the day of Ji Mao in the month of Chen, someone asked about the weather for that day, and obtained the hexagram Zhun changing to Lin. The lines of the primary hexagram, from top to bottom, are: brothers' water, official ghost earth (responding line, moving), parents' metal, official ghost earth, sons' wood (the world line, moving), brothers' water. The lines of the changing hexagram are: parents' metal, brothers' water (responding line), official ghost earth, official ghost earth, sons' wood (the world line), wealth's fire. The interpretation is: the son's wood changes to the son's wood, forming an "advancing god," so today will be very sunny; the fifth line, the official ghost earth, is moving, so there will certainly be black clouds at戌 and亥 hours. Indeed, by戌 hour, even the stars could not be seen. If one generally interprets this smoke and mist image as applying to the whole day, that would be wrong.

雨而遇福，為電為虹。卦得有雨之象，子孫亦動者，非有閃電，則有彩虹，餘以之為非。三合成財問雨難堪八卦。三合財局子孫局者，主晴．三合父局主雨，三合鬼局，黑霧迷天或雷電閃爍，三合木局主風。五鄉連父晴怪殺臨空。舊注謂父爻空而無雨，子孫及財爻空而不晴。余常占雨，父母休囚不動，果是難望。若值空者，勿謂無望，常得父爻動而逢空，不應沖空之日，則應填實之期。百試百驗，財與子孫空者，同此。財化鬼陰晴不久。舊注繫財化鬼陰晴未定，非也。

The passage says, "If there is rain and fortune, it will be lightning or a rainbow." When the hexagram shows the image of rain and theChildren (children) line is activated, it is not lightning or a rainbow. I think this is incorrect. The passage also says, "When the triple harmony forms wealth and asks about rain, it is uncomfortable." If the triple harmony forms a wealth orChildren (children) pattern, it indicates clear weather; if it forms a parents pattern, it indicates rain; if it forms an official ghost pattern, it indicates thick fog or flashing lightning; if it forms a wood pattern, it indicates wind. The passage also says, "Five directions connected with parents indicate clear weather, and strange killing comes to the sky." Old annotations say that if the parents line is in the empty position, there will be no rain; if theChildren (children) or wealth lines are in the empty position, there will be no clear weather. In my daily practice of predicting rain, if the parents line is weak and confined and not activated, it is indeed difficult to expect rain; but if it is only in the empty position, do not say there is no hope. I often encounter cases where the parents line is activated but also in the empty position. It should not rain on the day of the empty position, but rather on the day when the position is filled. This has been tested many times and is always accurate. The passage also says, "Wealth transforms into official ghost, indicating short-term weather changes." Old annotations interpret this as wealth transforming into official ghost indicating uncertain weather, which is wrong.

如巳月甲寅日因連日晴占何日雨，得既濟變蹇 兄弟子水″應　　兄弟子水″ 官鬼戌土′　　官鬼戌土′ 父母申金″　　父母申金″世 兄弟亥水′世　　父母申金′ 官鬼丑土″　　妻財午火″ 子孫卯木′　　動　　官鬼辰土″應 若以財化鬼陰晴未定，此卦卯木子孫化辰土鬼，豈可曰陰晴兩來，殊不知卯木子卯日晴，辰土鬼日天變則不晴矣。余斷辰日天陰，巳日必雨。何以知其巳日雨？卦中申金父爻暗動，動而逢令之日，果於辰日天變，巳日大雨，故曰，子孫爻、財爻、化鬼，晴之不久，父爻動化子，乃雨之不久，非陰晴而難定。

For example, on the day of Jiayin (甲寅) in the month of Si (巳), due to continuous clear weather, one divines which day will rain, obtaining the hexagram Ji Ji (水火既济) changing to Jian (水山蹇). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: brothers' water (responding line), official ghost earth, parents metal, brothers' water (the main line), official ghost earth, and sons' wood (moving line). The resulting hexagram is: brothers' water, official ghost earth, parents metal (main line), parents metal, wealth fire, and official ghost earth (responding line). If we consider "wealth transforming into official ghost indicates uncertain weather," does this hexagram mean that the sons' wood transforms into earth official ghost, implying uncertain weather? In fact, the sons' wood line governs the day of卯 (卯) when the weather clears, while the earth official ghost line governs the day of辰 (辰) when the weather changes but does not clear. I concluded that the day of辰 will be cloudy and the day of巳 will definitely rain. How do I know that it will rain on the day of巳? Because the parents' metal in the hexagram is affected by the day branch and moves covertly. The moving line should correspond to its ruling day. Later, it indeed rained on the day of巳. Therefore, when the sons' line or wealth line transforms into the official ghost line, it indicates that the clear weather will not last long; when the parents' line moves and transforms into the sons' line, it indicates that the rain will not last long. It is not that the weather is uncertain.

父化兄風雨靡常。父化兄，父化鬼或卦中父動兄動皆主風雨交作，若論前後，動者為先，變者為後，既如兄化父先風而後雨，鬼化父春夏占者先雷後雨。覺子曰：鬼動雖為雷電，應雷者少，黑雲者多，不可執之。父化子雨後晴明，弟化孫雲開日出。舊注繫母化子，長虹滿帶，非也。

The text says, "Parents transform into siblings, and winds and rains are unpredictable." This refers to situations where the parent line changes into the sibling line, or the parent line changes into the official ghost line, or both the parent and sibling lines are activated in the hexagram. These situations indicate heavy rain and strong winds. When considering the sequence, the moving line comes first and the changing line comes later: if the sibling line changes into the parent line, it means wind comes first and then rain; if the official ghost line changes into the parent line, then in spring and summer, thunder comes first and then rain. Li Wenhui says that the official ghost line's activation may indicate thunder and lightning, but in reality, thunder is less significant and the presence of dark clouds is more important, so one should not be rigid in interpretation. The text also says, "Parents transforming into children indicate rain followed by clear weather; siblings transforming into grandchildren indicate clouds dispersing and the sun appearing." Old interpretations mistakenly take this to mean "the mother transforming into the child indicates a rainbow across the sky," which is incorrect.

如午月乙卯日因連日雨本日亦雨，占何日晴 父母酉金″　　動　　子孫寅木′世 兄弟亥水″　　兄弟子水″ 官鬼丑土″世　　官鬼戌土″ 兄弟亥水′　　父母申金′應 官鬼丑土″　　妻財午火″ 子孫卯木′應　　動　　官鬼辰土″ 余曰：今日酉時必見紅輪西墮，明日還見陰天。彼曰：何也？余曰：六爻酉父化子，今日酉時落日。初爻卯木化辰鬼，明朝辰日必是陰雲。果於酉時忽然天開，見日色。次日迷雲而雨。

For example, on a day in the month of Wu with the stem Yi and branch Mao, it has been raining continuously and it is also raining on that day. The question is about which day the weather will clear. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: parents in You metal (activating), siblings in Hai water, official ghost in Chou earth (the world), siblings in Hai water, official ghost in Chou earth, and children in Mao wood (the responding line, activating). The resulting hexagram is: children in Yin wood (the world), siblings in Zi water, official ghost in Xu earth, parents in Shen metal (the responding line), wealth in Wu fire, and official ghost in Chen earth. I said: today at the You hour, one can definitely see the sunset. Tomorrow will still be cloudy. He asked why. I said: the top line, You metal parents, transforms into Yin wood children, so today at the You hour, the sunset will be visible. The first line, Mao wood children, transforms into Chen earth official ghost, so tomorrow on the Chen day, there will certainly be overcast clouds. Indeed, at the You hour, the sky suddenly cleared, revealing the sun. The next day, however, was cloudy and rainy.

父持月建必然陰雨連旬。舊注；父母臨月建而動者雨必不止，野鶴曰：此以旺衰而言，余試不驗。如午月丙午日占何日雨得大壯之升 兄弟戌土″　　子孫酉金″ 子孫申金″　　妻財亥水″ 父母午火′世　　動　　兄弟丑土″世 兄弟辰土′　　子孫酉金′ 官鬼寅木′　　妻財亥水′ 妻財子水′應　　動　　兄弟丑土″應

The text says, "If the father's爻 is held by the month builder, there will certainly be continuous rain for a whole month." The old commentary explains: when the parents'爻 is exactly at the month builder and is active, rain will certainly fall without stopping. The Wild Crane Elder says: this is talking only about the strength and decline, but I have tested it and found it not to be accurate. For example, on a day of Bingwu in the month of Wu, someone asked which day it would rain, and he got the hexagram Da Zhuang changing to Sheng. The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, is: brothers戌 earth, children申 metal, parents午 fire (the world, active), brothers辰 earth, official ghost寅 wood, wife wealth子 water (the response, active); the changing hexagram is in order: children酉 metal, wife wealth亥 water, brothers丑 earth (the world), children酉 metal, wife wealth亥 water, brothers丑 earth (the response).

又如申月丙辰日占何日得坎之困 兄弟子水″世　　官鬼未土″ 官鬼戌土′　　父母酉金′ 父母申金″　　動　　兄弟亥水′應 妻財午火″應　　妻財午火″ 官鬼辰土′　　官鬼辰土′ 子孫寅木″　　子孫寅木″世 前卦午火父動，未時一陣大雨而酉時既晴。後卦申金爻動庚申日雨辛酉半陰晴亥時大晴。前卦不惟父持月建，且臨日辰，從卦父持月建，辰日生之，旺莫如此也。似此之旺且無風雨連旬，而況他乎？余試天時，兄坐長生，才能定風累日。

For example, on a day with the day branch being Bingchen and the month being Shen, someone asked about which day it would rain. They obtained the hexagram Kan (Water) changing into Kun (Lake). The primary hexagram, from top to bottom, was: brothers zi water (the world), official ghost xu earth, parents shen metal (activating), wife wealth wu fire (responding), official ghost chen earth, sons yin wood. The changing hexagram, from top to bottom, was: official ghost wei earth, parents you metal, brothers hai water (responding), wife wealth wu fire, official ghost chen earth, sons yin wood (the world). In the original hexagram, the wu fire parents were activated, and it rained for a while at the hour of Wei, but it cleared up by the hour of You. In the changing hexagram, the shen metal parents were activated, and it rained on the day of Gengshen, was partly cloudy and partly sunny on the day of Xinyou, and cleared up completely by the hour of Hai. In the original hexagram, the parent爻 was not only in the position of the month builder, but also exactly on the day branch. In the changing hexagram, the parent爻 was in the position of the month builder and received the generation from chen day, becoming extremely strong. Even when it was so strong, it did not result in continuous rain for a whole fortnight, let alone other hexagrams. My experience in predicting weather is that only when the brother爻 is in the position of growth can it be certain that there will be continuous wind for several days.

如辰月戊申日占本日陰晴得中孚之小畜卦 官鬼卯木′　　官鬼卯木′ 父母巳火′　　父母巳火′ 兄弟未土″世　　兄弟未土″應 兄弟丑土″　　動　　兄弟辰土′ 官鬼卯木′　　官鬼寅木′ 父母巳火′應　　妻財子水′世 丑土兄動化進神臨月令，父長生於申日，若論旺衰，旺之無比，並不見，狂風累日，只見一日陰雲而已。或曰：兄動化進神不見狂風者，以何爻而至狂風？余曰：水動化進神乃狂風可。

For example, on the day of Wu Shen in the month of Chen, divining whether the weather would be sunny or cloudy, the hexagram obtained was Zhong Fu (Hexagram 61) changing to Xiao Xu (Hexagram 9). The primary hexagram's six lines, from top to bottom, are: Official Ghost Wood of Mao, Parents Fire of Si, Siblings Earth of Wei (the world line), Siblings Earth of Chou (in motion), Official Ghost Wood of Mao, Parents Fire of Si (the responding line). The resulting hexagram is: Official Ghost Wood of Mao, Parents Fire of Si, Siblings Earth of Wei (the responding line), Siblings Earth of Chen, Official Ghost Wood of Yin, Wealth Water of Zi (the world line). The Siblings Earth of Chou is in motion and changes into Earth of Chen, forming an 'advancing god'. It also coincides with the month of Chen. The Parents Fire of Si is in the position of growth on the day of Shen. If only considering strength and decline, it is extremely strong, yet there was no continuous strong wind, only one day of cloudy weather. Someone asked: if the Siblings line changes into an advancing god, it cannot cause a strong wind, then which line would cause the wind? I said: only when the Water line is in motion and changes into an advancing god, can it be considered as a strong wind.

父財無助旱澇有常。舊注：官鬼空伏，父母無氣，而財爻旺動者必旱；子孫空伏，妻財無氣，而父爻旺者必澇，再遇日月動爻扶者，澇必至於浸沒。覺子曰：若重旺衰，此論何當無理？餘存四十餘年之占驗，天時無日不占，時當澇者鬼動亦雨，兄動亦雨，父鬼休囚無氣者動亦有雨。時當旱者，父持月建，亦不過濃雲重霧而已。故章有云，竟發父官，連朝風雨，凡卦中父鬼亂動而雨水連續而不止也。福德帶刑日月必蝕。此乃特占日月之論，不可以占陰晴之卦偶而湊合者而棄斷也。

The essay says, "The father and wealth are without support, drought and flood remain constant." Old annotations explain: if the official ghost falls into an empty position or is hidden, and the wealth line is strong and active, it will certainly indicate drought; if the children fall into an empty position or are hidden, and the wealth line is weak, while the father line is strong, it will certainly indicate flood. If the day and month lines also support it, the flood will be so severe that it can submerge the fields. Li Wenhui says: if we focus on the strength and decline, how could this not make sense? I have practiced divination for forty years, and every day I have observed the weather: when it should rain, even if the official ghost moves, it rains; even if the siblings move, it rains; even if the parents and official ghosts are weak and inactive but move, it still rains. When it should be drought, even if the father line is in the position of the month, it is only heavy clouds and fog. Therefore, the later part of this chapter says, "Suddenly the father and official ghosts appear, continuous rain for several days"—in any divination where the parents and official ghosts are chaotic and active, rain will continue without stopping. The essay also says, "Fortune and virtue accompanied by punishment will result in the sun and moon being eclipsed." This refers specifically to the method of predicting solar and lunar eclipses, and it should not be arbitrarily applied to divination about clear or cloudy weather.

雨嫌妻位以逢沖。占雨倘父爻不動而妻財暗動者還主晴明。占晴若子財不動而父母暗動者還主雨。晴利父官而化退。舊係晴利父爻之入墓成動而化墓，必主晴明，餘以為非父爻入墓，沖開之時則雨。何得利於占晴？惟父動化退神，勢必晴也。

The essay states, "Rain dislikes the wife's position encountering a clash." When predicting rain, if the father's line remains still, but the wealth line is clashed by the day branch and moves covertly, it still indicates fine weather; when predicting fine weather, if the children's line and wealth line remain still, but the father's line is clashed and moves covertly, it still indicates rain. The essay also says, "Fine weather benefits the father and official position and transforms into a retreating god." Old interpretations believed that predicting fine weather is favorable when the father's line enters the storage, or when the father's line moves and transforms into the storage, which surely indicates clear weather. I disagree: when the father's line enters the storage, it will still rain when the storage is opened, how can it be considered favorable for clear weather? Only when the father's line moves and transforms into the "retreating god" will it surely be clear.

如丑月戊辰日久雪占晴，得隨之震。 妻財未土″應　　妻財戌土″世 官鬼酉金′　　動　　官鬼申金″ 父母亥水′　　子孫午火′ 妻財辰土″世　　妻財辰土″應 兄弟寅木″　　兄弟寅木″ 父母子水′　　父母子水′ 斷曰：鬼化退神雨將止矣，果於酉時霧散天開。凡得父化退神，雨亦將止。兄動化退神，雲將開。於子孫財爻化退神者，晴不久矣。

For example, on a day with the heavenly stem Wu and earthly branch Chen, in the month of Chou, after a long period of snow, one divines about the clearing weather and obtains the hexagram Sui (Hexagram 17) changing into Zhen (Hexagram 51). The primary hexagram's six lines from top to bottom are: wife wealth亥water (responding line), official ghost酉gold (active), parents亥water, wife wealth辰earth (central line), siblings寅wood, parents子water. The resulting hexagram is: wife wealth戌earth (central line), official ghost申gold, son's offspring午fire, wife wealth辰earth (responding line), siblings寅wood, parents子water. The interpretation states: the official ghost酉gold changes into申gold, which is 'changing retreating god,' indicating that rain and snow will stop. Indeed, by the hour of You, the fog dispersed and the sky cleared. Whenever the parent line changes into a retreating god, rain will stop; when the sibling line becomes active and changes into a retreating god, clouds will disperse. Conversely, if the son's line or the wealth line changes into a retreating god, the weather will not clear soon.

子伏財飛淡雲霧輕。舊係子伏財飛曝夫猶抑，謂財動雖主晴明，若子孫休囚空伏乃陰晴之象。餘以此論是理，此章首句，原繫“妻財發動，八方咸仰晴光。”餘故改曰：“子孫發動，萬里晴光”。父衰鬼旺少雨濃雲。占雨以父爻為主，若父爻不動且不暗動，而官鬼者動必主濃雲厚霧而無雨。倘爻變出父母者不拘旺衰皆主有雨。卦傳暗沖雖空有望。父母官鬼靜而逢空，日建沖之主雨。子孫財爻靜而逢空，日建沖之主晴，木臨兄鬼靜而逢空，日建沖之主風。兄弟臨空日建沖主輕風薄霧。

The text says "Zi is hidden, Cai flies, light clouds and misty weather." The old version reads "Zi is hidden, Cai flies, the husband is still suppressed," meaning that although the Cai爻 moves and indicates clear weather, if the Zi爻 is weak, confined, or hidden, it still shows a half-cloudy and half-clear sky. I think this is reasonable. The first sentence of this chapter originally read "Cai爻 moves, all directions look up to the bright light," so I changed it to "Zi爻 moves, clear weather across the world." The text says "If the father is weak and the ghost is strong, there will be little rain and thick clouds." When predicting rain, the father爻 is the main factor. If the father爻 is neither active nor covertly moving, but only the official ghost爻 moves, it will certainly indicate thick clouds and heavy fog without rain; if any line changes into the father爻, regardless of its strength or weakness, it will indicate rain. The text says "If the hidden conflict occurs though empty, there is still hope for rain." If the father爻 and official ghost爻 are quiet and empty, and are moved by the day's heavenly stem, it will indicate rain; if the Zi爻 and Cai爻 are quiet and empty, and are moved by the day's heavenly stem, it will indicate clear weather; if the wood爻 is quiet and empty and is moved by the day's heavenly stem, it will indicate wind; if the brother爻 is empty and moved by the day's heavenly stem, it will indicate light wind and thin mist.