Supplements to the Forest of Changes: Prefatory Remarks

夫易廣矣，大矣，精焉於物無所不包，於道無所不貫。先天後天，六虛循環而叵測；近取遠取，萬化倚伏而周流。書前易在，繫後辭繁，四聖人闡其奧而令蓄無涯，諸生溯其蘊而研窮未書。卜筮民用，以前龜策神物，是寓左並明，占象占爻，事多吻合。焦子貢演文演卦，驗最神奇；簾下陳詞，君平率能巧中；軍中布武，孔明轍炳機先。至於影扭同桴鼓，杪忽靡差；迨夫梅花數例，靈棋織毫莫外。

The scope of The Zhou Changes is vast and profound, encompassing all things in terms of physical phenomena and all principles in terms of reasoning. The Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven trigrams are paired, and the six lines move and cycle through empty positions, their subtlety beyond measure. By observing close to the body and far away from objects, myriad transformations are interwoven and flow ceaselessly. The classic text comes first, followed by the Great Treatise, with rich and elaborate language. The four sages Fuxi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius expounded its profound meanings, making its depth inexhaustible. Later scholars have pursued its principles, continuing to explore where previous generations left off. Divination and卜筮 are daily affairs for common people. In ancient times, people used turtle shells and yarrow stalks, magical objects to communicate with spirits, and their methods are recorded in works like the Zuo Zhuan, clearly visible. These methods either predict the trigram images or the line statements, often aligning with human affairs. During the Han dynasty, Jiao Gong interpreted the line statements and the changes of the trigrams, with astonishing accuracy. Yan Junping often correctly interpreted words when giving consultations behind a curtain. Zhuge Liang used divination in military arrangements, often foreseeing events before they occurred. As for the correspondence between the trigram shadows and events, it is as precise as a drumstick responding to a drumbeat, without the slightest error. Even in the various examples of the Plum Blossom Numerology by Shao Yong and the various divination methods in The Classic of Numinous Chess Pieces, they all conform to this principle.

蓋陰陽司吉凶之案篇，而動靜轉生克之樞機。一經推測，成敗昭然，少露端倪，鬼神卓爾。造命何能奪命？命不可逃；代天安得逆天？天果有定。六壬篇秩浩繁，疇知檢校？五行休咎變幻，誰解參詳？

Heavenly Yin and Yang control the records of fortune and misfortune, while the movement and stillness of the lines of change turn the key to generation and overcoming. Once calculated, success or failure becomes clearly evident. As soon as a hint appears, the messages of spirits become clearly visible. How can people rely on divination to 'create their fate,' and truly alter their destiny? Fate cannot be escaped; how can diviners act on behalf of Heaven and defy Heavenly will? Heavenly intent indeed has its fixed destiny. The discipline of Liuren is vast and extensive, who could check and verify every volume? The changes of the Five Phases are countless, and who could thoroughly investigate and examine them all?

世寶張生著，苕水星家，吳門術士，在幼喪明，徒孩學易。盲於目而不盲於心，心源澄澈；暗於外而不暗於內，內視晶瑩。從明師而肄習，不減穆邵之淵源；得異書而探求，何止玉蔡之授受。耳提面命，業擅專門，口誦心維，神通靈竅旨。發先儒之秘，訂二爻不變之訛見，稱獨得之真；糾暗動合住之謬，庶幾聞所未聞，允乎見所未見。

The author of this book, Mr. Zhang Shibao, is a master of star and destiny calculations in the area of Taixi, and a practitioner of divination in the Wu Gate school. He became blind in both eyes in childhood and began studying the Book of Changes from a young age. Although his eyes were blind, his mind was not; his heart was clear and pure at its source. Though he could not see external things, he had no difficulty understanding internal principles, and his inner vision was crystal clear. He studied under a wise teacher, inheriting a depth of transmission no less than that of the lineage of Mu Xiu and Shao Yong. He also deeply explored secret teachings and rare texts, receiving knowledge far beyond that of the schools of Yu and Cai. His teacher gave him direct guidance and instruction, and he focused his studies on one particular aspect, reciting aloud and thinking deeply, eventually achieving a profound understanding of the essential principles within the spiritual窍. He explained secret meanings that previous Confucian scholars had not revealed, correcting mistaken beliefs such as "once the second line moves, it will not change again," which can be called a unique and genuine诀. He also corrected erroneous views such as "a hidden-moving line is blocked by a conjunction," making people almost hear truths they had never heard before and see insights they had never seen before.

乃深概凡情之用罔，又復欲群動之紛紜，廣列條章，群匯事類，自朝常至於鄙事，鉅細兼收；由星象以逮民功，精粗合載。生人之道備矣，涉世之務井然，綱舉目張洞焉，觀火支分節解，斷似析薪。加之句葉宮商，篇工駢驪，雲霞傑於齒吻，金石作於聲容。季主之辯若懸河，遜其藻繪；孝先之言，如符契讓其圓融。誠馬庭高弟、羲陛忠臣矣！

He deeply lamented the worldly affairs and human relationships that exert effort yet find no place to rest, and recalling the myriad and turbulent matters of the world, he widely listed sections and chapters, gathering and classifying various matters: from the court's regular regulations down to the trivial affairs of the common people, both great and small were included; from celestial phenomena to the livelihood of the common people, both refined and coarse were covered. The principles of cultivating life and dealing with the world thus became complete, and the affairs of engaging with the world were orderly and clear, like seeing across the river; classified into categories, judgments were as smooth as splitting wood along its grain. Moreover, the sentences conformed to the tones of the palace and shang scales, and the chapters were skillfully written with parallelism and antithesis, their expressions as brilliant as clouds and rainbows, and their sounds as resounding as bronze and stone. Sima Jizhu of the Western Han dynasty was skilled in debate, like a river of flowing water, yet even he would have to step back a step compared to the literary excellence of this book; Bian Xiaoxian's speech was like a magical talisman, perfectly matching, yet even he would have to give up a bit of its flexibility. Mr. Zhang truly can be considered a distinguished disciple of Sima Jizhu and a loyal minister before Fuxi!

彼啟蒙之雜亂，每膺托於前賢；視何知之淺陋，僅雷同於勸說。相提而論，非研之與美玉、蒸石之與明珠哉！付之剞氏，可稱書部琳琅；傳之卜人，堪作易林鼓吹。西吳敬韋居士顧爾符撰。

Those books such as "Bo Shi Kong Ming" are disorderly in content and often falsely attribute the words of ancient sages; looking at works like "He Zhi Zhang," their understanding is shallow, merely echoing others' words as exhortations. To compare them with this book is like comparing a piece of rough stone to a fine jade or burning stone to a pearl, the difference is immense. To have this book carved into blocks for printing is truly a precious treasure among the literary world; when it comes into the hands of those who practice divination, it is sufficient to serve as a precursor to the school of "Yi Lin." Written by Gu Erfu, a recluse from Xi Wu named Jing Wei.

（凡事取用爻為主，動變為憑。）前聖炳先機之奧旨，開示迷途；後學補未盡之遺言，其臻覺路。闡發諸家之秘，包羅萬類之情，敬列數章，謬陳一得。吉凶由八卦變通，須察吉變凶而凶變吉。凶吉二字繫乎卦爻動靜，靜則取暗動並用爻為主，動則取之卦為憑。之卦者，即變卦也，變者化之漸，化者變之威。

When divining any matter, the focus should be on the "used line" (用爻), relying on the movement and transformation of the lines. The ancients understood the profound meaning of foreseeing events, guiding those lost on the path. Later scholars completed what the ancients had not fully explained, enabling people to attain enlightenment. This book reveals the secret teachings of various schools, encompassing all things, and now presents a few chapters, briefly stating my own insights. Good and bad fortune arise from the flexibility of the Eight Trigrams. One must observe how good can turn into bad and how bad can turn into good. The terms "good" and "bad" depend on the movement or stillness of the lines in the hexagram: when all six lines are still, the "covert movement" line and the "used line" are taken as the main factors; when a line moves, the "resulting hexagram" (变卦) is used as the basis. The "resulting hexagram" refers to the transformed hexagram. "Transformation" (变) is a gradual process of change, while "transformation into power" (化) is the manifested strength at the extreme of change.

飛伏在二儀交換定然，陽伏陰而陰伏陽。易有太極，是生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦。幹為老陽，坤為老陰，震為長男，巽為長女，坎為中男，離為中女，艮為少男，兌為少女，故曰幹坎艮震屬陽，巽離坤兌屬陰。飛伏者，乃陰陽互換之理，凡占陽卦而伏陰，卜陰卦而伏陽。且如上得乾卦為飛，便取坤卦為伏；若得坤卦為飛，便取乾卦為伏，其餘雷風水火山澤互換是也。

The concepts of "Flying God" and "Hidden God" are determined by the mutual transformation of yin and yang: beneath a yang trigram lies a hidden yin trigram, and beneath a yin trigram lies a hidden yang trigram. The "Great Treatise" of the "Zhou Changes" states that the "I Ching" originates from the Taiji, which gives rise to the two principles of yin and yang, which in turn give rise to the four images, and the four images give rise to the eight trigrams. Qian represents old yang, Kun represents old yin, Zhen represents the eldest son, Xun represents the eldest daughter, Kan represents the middle son, Li represents the middle daughter, Gen represents the youngest son, and Dui represents the youngest daughter. Therefore, Qian, Kan, Gen, and Zhen belong to yang, while Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui belong to yin. The concept of flying and hidden gods refers to the mutual transformation of yin and yang: whenever a yang trigram is obtained, the hidden god is the trigram opposite to it; whenever a yin trigram is obtained, the hidden god is the trigram opposite to it. For example, if the Qian trigram is obtained, Qian is the "Flying God," and the Kun trigram is taken as the "Hidden God." If the Kun trigram is obtained as the "Flying God," then the Qian trigram is taken as the "Hidden God." The same principle applies to other pairs such as thunder and wind, water and fire, mountain and marsh.

八純飛伏如此定之，又論乾宮垢遁否觀剝晉六卦者，皆伏觀宮乾卦，惟獨大有歸魂伏在否卦是也。又如坎宮二至七卦皆伏坎水，惟獨師卦伏歸既濟。又說艮內惟獨歸魂當還第四。八宮日例不必細陳。

The flying and hidden gods of the eight pure trigrams are determined by the method mentioned above. For instance, in the Qian trigram palace, the six trigrams Guo, Duan, Pǐ, Guān, Pō, and Jìn all take the Qian trigram as their hidden god, except for the return soul trigram Da You, which takes Pǐ as its hidden god. Similarly, in the Kan trigram palace, from the second trigram to the seventh trigram, the hidden god is taken from the Kan water trigram, except for the Shi trigram, which takes Ji Ji as its hidden god. There is also another saying: in the Gen trigram palace, the return soul trigram should take the hidden god from the fourth trigram. There are many more examples of how the hidden gods are determined for each palace on a daily basis, but they are not detailed here.

爻爻有伏有飛，伏無不用。飛伏者，往來隱顯之神也。飛為已住，伏為將來。若卦內有用神不居空陷，不必更取伏神；如六爻不見主象者，卻取伏神推之。且如父占子病，未月甲寅旬壬戌日卜得乾卦安靜，此卦子值旬空本為凶兆，豈知伏出坤卦癸亥水子孫在壬申金之下，水賴金生，正所謂飛來生伏得長生，反為有救，後至甲子日本宮子象當權，病得瘥也。

Each line has its own flying god and hidden god. The hidden god is never without use. The terms flying and hidden refer to two deities that alternate between being hidden and revealed. The flying god represents something that has already settled and passed, while the hidden god represents something that is about to arrive. If the hexagram already contains a useful god and it is not lost in emptiness or trapped in the month breaker, there is no need to take another hidden god. Only when the useful god cannot be found among the six lines should the hidden god be used for interpretation. For example, if a father is divining about his son's illness, and the divination is done on the day of Renshen in the Jiayin旬 during the month of Wei, resulting in the Qian hexagram, with all six lines quiet. The line representing the son is in the旬 empty, which is a bad omen. However, the hidden god is the water son of the Kun palace,癸亥, hidden under the metal Renshen. Water is generated by metal, which is exactly what is meant by "the flying god generates the hidden god and grants it growth." This situation is actually beneficial. Later, on the day of Jiazi, the water son of the same palace is in charge and in its proper position, and the child's illness was cured.

且如問求財，三月卯日卜得既濟卦六位無財，只有本宮戊午火為財，又伏在亥水之下，飛能克伏必無財也。又如求財，秋月甲申日卜得睽之歸妹，此卦六爻無財，須看艮宮丙子水，所嫌伏在未土之下，水被土傷本不為美，豈知未土空亡透出子水，況逢長生申日，反主亨通，後至戊子日果得厚利也。

For example, when seeking wealth, on the second month and second day of the rabbit (卯), the卦 of Completion is obtained, and there is no wealth line on any of the six lines. Only the fire of Wuwu in the Kan palace can serve as the wealth line, but it is hidden under the water of Hai, and the flying god can overcome the hidden god, so it is concluded that there is no wealth to be obtained. Another example is when seeking wealth, on the autumn day of Jiashen, the卦 of Division is obtained and changes to the卦 of Following the Girl. Again, there is no wealth line on any of the six lines, so we look at the water of Bingzi in the Gen palace as the wealth line. Unfortunately, it is hidden under the earth of Wei, and the water is harmed by the earth. Originally, it was not favorable; however, the earth of Wei is in the empty position, revealing the water of Zi. Moreover, the day of Shen metal is the long life place of water, which is favorable, and eventually on the day of Wuzi, a substantial profit was indeed obtained.

又論問求財，丑月甲午旬癸卯日，卜得噬嗑卦，此卦辰財落空，未財月破，此二財皆無用也。所喜巽宮辛丑土財正臨月建，伏於庚子水下，又得土旺於子，更論伏克飛神為出暴，必主吉祥。稍嫌卯日克財，故當日未得；甲辰日兄弟又空，內財幫比反獲倍利也。

Another example: On the day of Guimao in the month of Chou, seeking wealth, the卦 of Shexi was obtained. In the卦, the earth element of Chen is the wealth爻, but it falls in the旬空, and the earth element of Wei is also broken by the month builder, so neither of these wealth elements can be used. Fortunately, the earth element of Xinchou, which belongs to the wind palace, is directly under the month builder and is in its season, and it is hidden under the water element of Gengzi. Moreover, the earth element of Chou still has strength because it is in the position of Zi. Also, considering the hidden god (伏神) reversing the flying god (飞神), this is called "outburst" (出暴), which indicates good fortune. However, the day of Mao wood is slightly unfavorable as it is the wood element that harms the wealth. Therefore, there was no success on that day. On the day of Jiachen, the siblings爻 also falls into the empty state, making it impossible to take away the wealth. However, the wealth爻 in the卦 is supported and assisted by other elements, leading to a profit that is doubled.

卦卦有動有靜，動無不之。動者，老陰老陽無不變化，變既之也。凡陽極而生陰，陰極即生陽，故此交變單，而重變拆也。內有未知者沖動曰變，沖者暗動之爻非在交重之位，豈得變乎？亦有愚人者言：動值合而絆住不能變也，即在老陰老陽，豈有不變之理？又論京房變法第六爻為宗廟，縱動不變，其餘一爻動則變，亂動則不變也，此法甚有差訛，後學切莫依此！易經內，凡見交重則變並無亂動不變之理。宗廟爻既不變化，焉能純幹變為純坤？經中自用九見群龍無首吉爻辭可證，故此爻爻皆變也。

Each hexagram has both moving lines and static lines. Whenever a line is moving, it must produce a "changed hexagram." By "moving," we mean that old yin and old yang lines must change, and "change" is equivalent to "the changed hexagram." Yang reaches its extreme and gives birth to yin, while yin reaches its extreme and gives birth to yang. Therefore, old yin (交) changes into single yang (单), and old yang (重) changes into single yin (拆). Some people do not understand this and say that lines that are affected by a clash also change. But these lines are "covert movement" lines, which are not in the positions of old yin or old yang, so how can they change? Others with shallow understanding say that a moving line that meets a compatible line and is blocked cannot change. But if it is old yin or old yang, how can it not change? There is also a method of change from Jing Fang, which says that the sixth line is the ancestral temple line, and even if it moves, it does not change. Other lines, if they move, will change. However, if there are many moving lines, none of them will change. This method is clearly wrong, and later learners should not follow it. In the Zhou Yi, whenever there are old yin or old yang lines, they must change, and there is no principle that lines that move randomly do not change. If the ancestral temple line does not change, how could the pure Qian hexagram change into the pure Kun hexagram? The line statement of the "Use of Nine" in the Qian hexagram, "seeing a group of dragons without a leader, which is auspicious," clearly proves that all six lines must change.

變出他宮，但取木金水火土，還歸本卦，配成兄父子財官。凡論變爻，細宜斟酌。且如節之比卦不可言財變兄弟，子變父母之淪，只取坤宮未土配作坎宮官鬼，又將坤中巳火配成坎內妻財，正所謂財化為官，子化為財是也。又如艮之謙卦，單取癸酉金配成艮卦子孫，此乃官化子也，其餘仿此。

When a moving line changes to another trigram, only the Five Phases of the changing line—wood, metal, water, fire, and earth—are taken, and then matched back to the trigram of the original hexagram to form the five categories of the Six Relations: brothers, parents, children, wealth, and official ghost. When considering changing lines, one must be very careful and precise. For example, in the hexagram Jie changing to Bi, one should not refer to the Six Relations of the changing trigram Kun as 'wealth changing to brothers' or 'children changing to parents'. Instead, the earth of the changing trigram, which is Wei, should be matched to the trigram Kan to be considered as official ghost, and the fire of the changing trigram, which is Si, should be matched to the trigram Kan to be considered as wealth. This is exactly 'wealth transforming into official ghost' and 'children transforming into wealth'. Similarly, in the hexagram Gen changing to Qian, only the metal of the changing line, which is Guiyou, is taken and matched to the trigram Gen to form the category of children, which is 'official ghost transforming into children'. All other hexagrams should be treated in the same way.

水化金，則坎增其勢；火化土，則離減其威。且如水爻變出金爻，水賴金生，其水轉加威勢，爻中縱有土興，終難剋制。倘若金又空亡水縱變金亦不得其生也。又如火爻化土，當為洩氣，此火定無光耀矣，如得木動來生，其火反添焰麗，寅日占者亦如此然。

When a water line changes into a metal line, the power of the water line increases; when a fire line changes into an earth line, the strength of the fire line decreases. For example, if a water line changes into a metal line, the water is supported by the metal, thus gaining more strength. Even if there is an earth line in the hexagram that is active, it will ultimately be unable to control the water. However, if the changed metal line is also in the empty period, then even though the water changes into metal, it will not receive support from the metal. Similarly, when a fire line changes into an earth line, it is considered a loss of energy, and the fire will definitely lose its brilliance. But if there is a wood line in the hexagram that is active and supports the fire, the fire will instead gain more brilliance. This is also the same principle when the divination is done on a寅 day.

亥之子曰進神，木得生而火被制。戌變未云退度，金不助而水無傷。如亥變子上前者，為進氣，其力更加，助木之功愈大，傷火之力非輕，如卦內縱有重重土動，水下不全傷。爻中水象交重，火又貪生忘克，復陣寅變卯、辰變未之類，皆云進氣也。又如戌變未爻落後者，名曰退神，生金之力者輕，伐水之功者減，如得火爻再動，土氣還源。退氣者，乃是酉化申，辰化導丑之類是也。

When亥 water changes to子 water, it is called "进神" (Advancing God). This water is stronger in generating wood and more effective in overcoming fire. When戌 earth changes to未 earth, it is called "退神" (Retreating God). This earth is weaker in generating metal and less effective in overcoming water. Changes like亥 to子, which move forward, are called "进气" (Advancing Qi). This enhances the power of water, making it more effective in generating wood and more powerful in overcoming fire. Even if there are many earth lines in the hexagram, water will not be completely overcome. When water lines are repeated in the hexagram, fire will forget to overcome water and instead seek to support it. Other examples of "进气" include寅 changing to卯 and辰 changing to未. Conversely, when戌 changes to未, which moves backward, it is called "退神". This earth is weaker in generating metal and less effective in overcoming water. If fire lines are also active to generate earth, the earth's strength will return to its original state. "退气" (Retreating Qi) refers to cases like酉 changing to申 and辰 changing to丑.

卦之墓絕非宜，遠究偽真之辨。凡卦變為墓絕者，事事皆凶，其中有絕而不絕，墓而不墓者也。且如離卦為火變乾卦，地福訣云：戌亥屬乾垣，故此戌亥二爻乃乾卦之本也，離火墓於戌、絕於亥，凡若甲子旬占，戌亥皆空，此火亦非墓絕也，又如甲辰旬丁未日卜得兌之艮卦，兌者屬金，丑寅乃艮卦之本，金絕在寅，寅空絕於何處？金墓在丑，丑得未日沖開，此乃非絕非墓也。

When a hexagram changes to a墓 (mound) or绝 (extinction) position, it is not necessarily a good omen, but one must carefully distinguish between true and false situations. Whenever a hexagram changes to a墓 or绝 position, it generally indicates bad outcomes. However, there are cases where something appears to be绝 but is actually not, or seems to be墓 but is not truly so. For example, if the Li hexagram (Fire) changes to the Qian hexagram (Heaven), the Earthly Branches戌 and亥 are the original positions of Qian. According to the "Di Fu Jue" (Earth's Favor Decree), "戌 and亥 belong to the domain of Heaven." Therefore, the yao (lines)戌 and亥 are in the original position of Qian. Since the fire of Li is buried in戌 and extinguished in亥, if the hexagram is cast on the Jiazi (甲子) ten-day cycle, both戌 and亥 are in the旬空 (ten-day void), so the fire is not truly buried or extinguished. Another example is when on the Dingwei (丁未) day of the Jiachen (甲辰) ten-day cycle, the Dui hexagram (Lake) changes to the Gen hexagram (Mountain). Dui belongs to metal, and the original positions of Gen are丑 and寅. Metal is extinguished in寅, but寅 is in the void, so where can it be extinguished? Metal is buried in丑, but the earth of丑 is disturbed by the day's earth of未, so it is neither truly extinguished nor truly buried.

更論占長子病，七月丙辰日，卜得恆卦九四爻動之為升卦，內卦不動則不言也，外卦震動化坤子孫，況在震宮，震者又為長男之用，墓於坤宮未內，絕居坤象申中，況申不空而未不破，此是真墓真絕也，卦中雖有用爻而長男木象真投墓絕者，此子必死無疑也。

Now let us take another example: Divining about the illness of the eldest son, on the day of Bingchen in July, the hexagram Heng with the ninth line in the fourth position moves, changing into the hexagram Sheng. There is no moving line in the inner trigram, so we do not need to discuss it. The outer trigram Zhen (Thunder) moves and transforms into Kun (Earth), producing the son's line. Moreover, the original hexagram belongs to the Zhen (Thunder) group, and Zhen itself is the appropriate symbol for the eldest son. The wood of Zhen is buried in the earth of Kun's position of Wei (Earth), and it reaches its end in the metal of Shen (Metal) in the Kun image. Since Shen metal does not fall into an empty position and Wei earth is not affected by the month breaker, this is genuine burial and genuine end. Although there are other useful gods in the hexagram, the wooden symbol representing the eldest son has indeed entered the place of burial and end. The son is certain to die.

爻變生扶最利，更詳喜忌之分。凡元神遇生者喜，仇神遇生者忌，用象逢之無不為吉，忌神遇者無不為凶。爻有伏吟不吉，術者未開；卦有反吟最凶，星家誰覺？婦妹變隨為例，小畜之垢皆同，但識六爻克戰，那知二卦交沖。

After a yao changes, if it receives support and assistance, it is most beneficial. However, it is necessary to further determine whether the thing that supports it is a favorable god or an unfavorable god. If the origin god receives support, it is favorable; if the enemy god receives support, it is unfavorable. When the useful god encounters support and assistance, there is no misfortune; when the hostile god encounters support and assistance, there is no good fortune. If a yao is involved in a hidden chant, it is not favorable, but this point has not yet been clearly pointed out by diviners. If a hexagram is involved in a reverse chant, it is the most dangerous, yet no star and fate experts have noticed this. The example of the hexagram "Returning to Marry" changing into "Following" is a clear case, and the same applies to "Small Domestication" changing into "Meeting." People only know to look at the conflicts among the six yao, but they do not know about the conflict between the inner and outer hexagrams.

奇門遁甲之中專忌伏吟反吟為上。周易卦內豈不忌之？欲識伏吟反吟之法，當明卦按十二地支。地福訣云：子向北方坎，丑寅艮上山，卯起東方震，辰巳巽風間，午見南離火，未申坤地關，酉在兌方取，戌亥屬乾垣。凡卜諸事最忌伏吟反吟，伏吟者有二端：有卦象所犯，有爻辭所犯。卦犯者，如巽見巽、離見離、八純卦皆是也。爻犯者，申變申、戌變戌之類，比如屯變泰、大有變噬嗑卦是也。

The art of Qimen Dunjia first prohibits the occurrence of Fu Yin and Fan Yin. Is there no taboo in the Zhouyi when casting a hexagram? To understand Fu Yin and Fan Yin, one must first know the directions of the Eight Trigrams paired with the twelve Earthly Branches. The "Di Fu Jue" states: Zi is in the north and belongs to Kan, Chou and Yin are in the position of Gen, representing the mountain; Mao starts from the east in the position of Zhen; Chen and Si fall between Xun wind; Wu is in the south with Li fire; Wei and Shen are at the gate of Kun earth; You is in the position of Dui; Xu and Hai belong to Qian. In all kinds of divination, Fu Yin and Fan Yin are most to be avoided. There are two types of Fu Yin: one is when the hexagram itself is involved, and the other is when the line is involved. When a hexagram is involved in Fu Yin, it refers to cases where a hexagram appears again, such as when Qian appears again or Li appears again among the eight pure hexagrams. When a line is involved in Fu Yin, it refers to cases such as Shen changing into Shen or Xu changing into Xu, for example, when Zun hexagram changes into Tai hexagram or Da You hexagram changes into Shihe hexagram.

反吟者亦有二端：卦犯與爻犯者不同。卦犯者，沖我之卦是也。且如內幹外巽，戌亥乃乾宮之本，辰巳為巽象之根，辰戌、巳亥皆沖，故曰反吟之論。以上坎見離、震逢兌、艮配坤，皆是彼我相沖反吟之卦。又開既濟、未濟、婦妹、小畜，謙、剝、垢、隨此八卦者，皆內外反吟也，其禍猶輕，惟獨變出反吟其凶最重。比例歸妹變隨、小畜之垢、未濟之為既濟、謙之剝、剝之謙皆是的確反吟也。爻犯者，巳變亥、亥變巳之類，巽之坤、鼎之豫卦是也。故此反吟伏吟，凡事遇之不吉。

Reverse Chant also has two types, and the cases of hexagram conflict and line conflict are different. Hexagram conflict in Reverse Chant refers to when two hexagrams that are opposing meet. For example, if the inner trigram is Qian and the outer trigram is Xun, then the original position of Qian is in the戌亥, and the foundation of Xun is in the辰巳. Since 辰 and戌 are opposing, and巳 and亥 are opposing, it is called Reverse Chant. In addition, Kan meeting Li, Zhen meeting Dui, Gen pairing Kun, are also pairs of opposing hexagrams that produce Reverse Chant. There are also eight hexagrams, namely Ji Ji, Wei Ji, Gui Mei, Xiao Xu, Qian, Bo, Gu, and Sui, which are all cases of internal and external trigrams opposing each other, and the resulting misfortune is relatively mild. However, when Reverse Chant arises from the original hexagram, the danger is the greatest. For example, Gui Mei changing to Sui, Xiao Xu changing to Gu, Wei Ji changing to Ji Ji, Qian changing to Bo, and Bo changing to Qian, are all clear cases of Reverse Chant. Line conflict in Reverse Chant refers to cases such as巳 changing to亥 and亥 changing to巳, for example, when the hexagram Xun changes to Kun or the hexagram Ding changes to Yu. Therefore, both Reverse Chant and Hidden Chant are inauspicious: Hidden Chant indicates stagnation and inability to move forward, while Reverse Chant indicates reversal and failure after success.

變能生克於動爻，動不制扶於變象。且如變爻能克於動爻，動爻不能剋制變爻，相生亦然。靜受動傷，靜難制動，柔遭剛克，柔豈伐剛。靜者，少陽少陰；動者，老陽老陰。自古上能伐下，下不能伐上，故此動能克靜，靜不能克動也。又論柔者，休囚之象，剛者，旺相之爻。休囚為退度之神，旺相乃當權之職，故此旺相能克休囚，休囚不克旺相也。

A changing line can generate or restrain a moving line, but a moving line cannot restrain or support a changing line in return. For example, a changing line can restrain a moving line, but a moving line cannot restrain a changing line; the same applies to the relationship of mutual generation, which can only be initiated by the changing line generating the moving line. A static line can be harmed by a moving line, but a static line is difficult to restrain a moving line; a flexible line can be restrained by a strong line, but a flexible line cannot retaliate against a strong line. So, a static line refers to a line of young yang or young yin, while a moving line refers to an old yang or old yin line. Since ancient times, only the superior can attack the inferior, and the inferior cannot attack the superior, so a moving line can restrain a static line, but a static line cannot restrain a moving line. Furthermore, a flexible line refers to a line that is weak and confined, while a strong line refers to a line that is prosperous and strong. A weak and confined line is a retreating spirit, while a prosperous and strong line is a dominant position, so a prosperous and strong line can restrain a weak and confined line, but a weak and confined line cannot restrain a prosperous and strong line.

日月善能克爻神，爻神誰敢傷日月。曰君主，旺衰之象盡能傷；月乃提綱，動靜之爻皆可克。日月二神，此權最大，不論卦內旺衰動靜之爻皆可生而咸可克。若爻神剋日月者，世無此理也。法曰：曰傷爻，真罹其禍。爻傷曰，徒受其名。本卦為始，之卦為悔為終。凡有動爻，便有之卦。以本卦為貞，之卦為悔，凡爻靜無之者，便取內卦為貞，外卦為悔，以貞為始，以悔為終。

The day branch and the month builder are good at restraining the lines of the hexagram. The lines of the hexagram, however, dare not harm the day or the month. The day branch is like a sovereign, capable of harming any line whether it is prosperous or weak. The month builder is the main thread of the hexagram, capable of restraining any line whether it is active or still. The day and the month are the two most powerful deities; regardless of whether the lines in the hexagram are strong or weak, active or still, they can both generate and restrain. If the lines of the hexagram were to restrain the day or the month, that would be illogical. A rule says: if the day branch harms a line, that line will truly suffer; if a line harms the day branch, it is just a matter of reputation. The original hexagram represents the beginning of a matter, while the changing hexagram represents 'regret' or the end of the matter. Whenever there is a moving line in the hexagram, there must be a changing hexagram: the original hexagram is called 'Zhen' (the beginning), and the changing hexagram is called 'Hui' (the end). If none of the six lines are moving and there is no changing hexagram, then the inner trigram is Zhen and the outer trigram is Hui. Zhen represents the beginning, and Hui represents the end.

親宮云：出現之爻，遠年可取。他卦曰：伏藏之象，近曰堪推。凡八純之卦便為出現，且如天山遁，內三爻他宮之象，故曰伏藏，外三爻乾宮本象，便言出現。又如火天大有，內屬親宮出現，外當離卦伏藏。又如山地剝卦，內坤外艮，皆不是幹家新象，此乃體用皆伏藏也，用值伏藏旺相爭如出現休囚，凡得出現之卦，吉則綿長皆吉，凶則久遠皆凶。爻在伏藏之內凶，憂目下；吉，應暫時。

The hexagram that belongs to the native palace is called the "appearing" line, suitable for long-term matters; the hexagram that belongs to another palace is called the "hidden" image, suitable only for short-term matters. All eight pure hexagrams are considered appearing. For example, the hexagram Tian Shan Dun, the inner trigram is from another palace, so it is called hidden; the outer trigram is from the Tian palace, so it is called appearing. Another example is Huo Tian Da You, the inner trigram belongs to the native palace and is called appearing, while the outer trigram belongs to Li and is called hidden. Again, the hexagram Shan Di Bo has both inner and outer trigrams not belonging to the native palace, so both the body and the useful god are hidden. If the useful god is in a hidden position but prosperous and strong, it is still less favorable than when it is in an appearing position but weak and confined. If the hexagram is appearing, good fortune will be long-lasting and bad fortune will be long-lasting; if the line is in a hidden position, bad fortune will only affect the immediate period and good fortune will only apply to a short time.

內為己外為他，喜生喜合。應為賓世為主，嫌克嫌沖。我生他而半吉，他克我以全凶。凡內卦為我，外卦為他。又云：以世為我，應為他，如外生內，應生世者，全吉。遇合更加其美。若內生外，世生應者半吉；如應克世、外克內者全凶。其中世克應或內克外者半凶，逢沖則凡謀不逐，凡事不成。或宜生或宜克者，另當詳審。

The inner trigram represents oneself, and the outer trigram represents the other party. It is favorable for them to mutually generate and harmonize with each other. The response line is the guest, and the world line is the host. It is to be avoided for the guest to be overcome or conflicting with the host. If I go to generate the other, it is only half good; if the other overcomes me, it is entirely bad. Generally, the inner trigram is considered as oneself, and the outer trigram as the other. There is also another way of considering the world line as oneself and the response line as the other. If the outer trigram generates the inner trigram and the response line generates the world line, it is entirely good; if there is also harmony, it is even more favorable. If the inner trigram generates the outer trigram and the world line generates the response line, it is only half good. If the response line overcomes the world line or the outer trigram overcomes the inner trigram, it is entirely bad. If the world line overcomes the response line or the inner trigram overcomes the outer trigram, it is half bad. Whenever there is a conflict, the plans will not go smoothly, and all things will be difficult to achieve. As for some matters that inherently favor generation and others that inherently favor overcoming, they need to be further analyzed in detail.

世應齊空，兩下目前退悔。主賓皆動，二邊日後更張。世空，則已心懶動；應空，則他意無成。世應俱空，彼我皆當退悔。世動則己變，應動則他更。世應皆動者，事縱見成，向後定然改換。若得世應相合，動中有絆住之功，雖變還須遲滯，目下無妨。兩間之爻動，則起居都阻。間爻者，世應中之二爻也。近世之爻，恰似我家之友，近應之象，猶如彼室之親。故此二爻皆不宜動，動則事多阻節，若得中破無妨。

The World Line and the Response Line both being empty indicates that both parties are currently unwilling to proceed further. If both the World and Response Lines are activated, both parties will need to start anew in the future. If the World Line is empty, it means the person is lazy and unwilling to take action; if the Response Line is empty, it means the other party has no intention of making progress. If both are empty, both should reconsider and withdraw. If the World Line is activated, it means the person is going to change their stance; if the Response Line is activated, it means the other party is going to change their mind. If both are activated, even if the matter is temporarily settled, it will eventually change in the future. If the World and Response Lines are in harmony, there is a restraining force within the movement, so although change is inevitable, it will be delayed, and there is no immediate problem. If the two intermediate lines between the World and Response Lines are activated, all actions and movements will be obstructed. The intermediate lines are the two lines between the World and Response Lines: the one closer to the World Line is like a friend from one's own side; the one closer to the Response Line is like a relative from the other side. Therefore, these two lines should not be activated, as their activation will cause many obstacles. If these two lines are broken by a clash, there will be no problem.

一身之位空則禍福咸虛。月卦者，一卦之身也，若落空亡，比同無也。自然析福不至，間禍不招。此身乃一卦之主，卜家但識子午持世身居初之類，此乃世爻之身，亦非主卦之身也。典內但言身象者，必須將月卦為身，便知真寶矣！且如占得澤火革，人說巳亥持世，身居六身在未爻非也。世若空亡，方用此象代世之勞，耳殊不知革者二月之卦，二月建卯，恰好取初爻卯木為身。譬如官問升遷，此卦身值子孫克傷官鬼，此卦焉得高升？

If the position of the hexagram body falls into an empty position, both misfortune and fortune become meaningless. The so-called "month hexagram body" refers to the body of a hexagram. If it falls into an empty position, it is as if there is no body in the hexagram, naturally leading to no fortune when seeking it and no misfortune when avoiding it. The body is the main element of a hexagram. Diviners only know the mnemonic "in the case of Zi and Wu, the world line is in the first line," but what they obtain is the body of the world line, not the body of the hexagram. Whenever books mention the image of the body, they must use the month hexagram body to truly capture the essence. For example, if one divines the hexagram Ge (泽火革), someone might say that it has the positions of巳 and亥 as the world line, with the world line in the sixth line, and thus the body falls on the sixth line—this is wrong. If the world line meets an empty position, then the image of the body of the world line is used to take the place of the world line. But they do not realize that Ge is a hexagram of the second month, and the second month is built on卯. Therefore, the first line, which is卯 wood, is taken as the hexagram body. For instance, if an official asks about promotion, the body of this hexagram is the son line. The son line harms the official ghost, so how can he be promoted?

凡欲久長，用宜安靜；如求脫卸，主利交重。人求安樂久長之計，最要用爻安靜，若逢發動及沖破空亡者，決不久留。如問脫貨離鄉遷移改造變產等事須得用爻發動，事必有成。用若安靜休囚，必然阻滯而無疑矣！

When seeking long-term stability and security, the useful god should remain quiet and still; if one wishes to get rid of or remove something, the useful god is actually favorable when it becomes active. When people seek plans for lasting happiness and security, the most important thing is for the useful line to remain quiet. If the useful line becomes active, or is broken, or falls into emptiness, it will certainly not last. As for matters such as selling goods, leaving one's hometown, moving house, or selling property, the useful line must become active for the matter to succeed. If the useful line remains quiet and is weak and confined, there will certainly be obstacles and difficulties, which is certain without a doubt.

用木，金來縱吉而不吉，用土，火到，雖凶而不凶。元神卻要生扶，忌客最宜制伏。且如用爻屬木最嫌動出金爻，水如並動，木又貪生忘克，反作佳祥。金動火又動，金被火傷，亦不能伐其用水也，但恐土動生金更無水助，其禍倍加；縱然有氣之水，凡遇土金皆動，決不為佳。

The useful god belongs to wood, and if a metal element appears in the hexagram, something originally auspicious becomes inauspicious. The useful god belongs to earth, and if fire appears in the hexagram to generate earth, something originally inauspicious ceases to be inauspicious. The origin god must definitely receive support and assistance. The hostile god should be best restrained. For example, if the useful line belongs to wood, the greatest fear is that a metal line moves to overcome it. But if a water line also moves, the metal will be attracted to generate water and forget to overcome wood, resulting in a good omen. If metal moves and fire also moves, the metal is harmed by fire, so it cannot harm the useful god. The greatest fear is when an earth line moves to generate metal, and there is no water to assist, then the harm will be doubled; even if there is a water line with good energy in the hexagram, once earth and metal both move, it will certainly not be the same.

又論用爻屬土，最喜南方火到，如卦中火動或土變火爻，皆為吉兆。但變午火為生，若化巳爻為絕，卦中巳動善能助土之威亦非為絕土。如變木，卦中縱有火興，終難扶起。如象內木火皆動，主力轉加，若木靜火興兼水動火亦無功，土無倚賴。復陳水作用爻土為忌客，金乃元神，金搖土亦搖，重重之美。土動火亦動疊疊之凶。土遇克沖為福，金逢生助為恩，以上諸爻，餘皆仿此。

When the line belongs to earth, it prefers southern fire to generate it. If the fire line is activated in the hexagram, or if an earth line transforms into a fire line, these are auspicious signs. However, if earth transforms into午 fire, it is considered to receive generation, but if earth transforms into巳 fire, it is considered to have entered the place of decline. If巳 fire is activated in the hexagram to generate earth, it can actually strengthen the earth, and thus is not considered as earth being in decline. If earth transforms into a wood line to overcome it, even if fire lines are activated to mediate, it is still difficult to support the earth. If both wood and fire lines are activated, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and the power of the useful god becomes even stronger. If the wood line is still and the fire line is activated, and at the same time there is a water line activated to overcome fire, then fire will be ineffective, and earth will lose its support. Now let us talk about the case where water is the useful god: earth is the hostile god, and metal is the origin god. If the metal line is activated and the earth line is also activated, this is a very good situation, because earth generates metal, and metal generates water. If earth is activated and fire is also activated, fire generates earth, and earth overcomes water, which is a very bad situation. If earth meets a line that overcomes or conflicts with it, this is actually beneficial to the useful god. If metal receives support, it is a favor to the useful god. The above methods for analyzing lines can be applied similarly to the other five elements.

用神旺相，事必亨通，主象休囚，理當愁悶。人間占卜切莫亂言，一不可將卦名而斷，又不可憑星煞而推，單看用爻，絲毫無惑。如婚姻卦內，男占婦，以財為主，女占夫，以鬼為先。儒學以文書為用，仕宦以官鬼為憑。俗言考試看官父，結婚推財鬼。凡用神只有一爻，豈云二象？凡占事，若得用神旺相，永遠亨通，縱發忌神，終無大害。主象若值休囚，即時愁歡，如遇元神動助，遠可為祥，若遭忌客來傷，必成凶咎。如或化出生扶，仍為吉斷。

If the useful god is prosperous and strong, the matter will certainly go smoothly; if the useful god is weak and confined, one should naturally worry and be troubled. When interpreting a divination, one must not be hasty: first, do not judge good or bad fortune based on the name of the hexagram, second, do not predict misfortune or fortune based on stars and ominous signs. Instead, focus solely on the useful爻, and there will be no confusion. For example, in a marriage hexagram, if the man is divining about the woman, the wife's wealth爻 is the useful god; if the woman is divining about the man, the official ghost爻 is the primary one. Scholars take the parents and documents爻 as the useful god, while officials rely on the official ghost爻. As the saying goes, exams are judged by the official and parents爻, and marriage is analyzed through the wealth and official ghost爻. In all cases, the useful god is only taken from one爻; how could there be a need to take two at the same time? When divining any matter, if the useful god is prosperous and strong, it will bring long-term smoothness, even if theHostile God is active, there will be no major harm. If the useful god is weak and confined, there will be trouble in the short term. However, if the origin god is active and supports it, it can eventually turn for the better. If theHostile God harms it, it will certainly lead to misfortune. If the useful god transforms into a爻 that generates and supports itself, it should still be considered a favorable outcome.

卦無凶而用爻失位，後查值日方成。爻有吉而主象逢空，漫看沖時可就。凡占事體，各有用爻，若卦內仇神忌神不動，元神已得司權，獨無用爻者，未可便言不吉，待後用爻值日，無不佳矣！且如問行人，婦占夫到，十月甲辰日卜得家人之益，此卦忌神不動而仇神又空，元神正臨身世，獨嫌卦內無官，伏出辛酉金在三爻亥水之下，又怪伏生飛名為洩氣，目下未來，待後申酉用爻值日便得相逢，果應己酉日到也。

The divination does not show any ominous signs, but the useful line is not in the hexagram, so one should look back to the day when the useful line is active to achieve success. If the hexagram originally has auspicious signs, but the useful god is in an empty position, one should wait patiently until the day when the empty position is countered, then success will be achieved. For any divination regarding various matters, each has its own useful line. If the hexagram contains no moving enemy god or harmful god, and the origin god is in authority and in a favorable position, but only lacks one useful line, one should not immediately conclude it as inauspicious. Waiting until the day when the useful line is active, success is certain. For example, if someone is asking about a traveler, and the wife divines the husband's return date, on the tenth month, on the day of Jiachen, the hexagram is the Family hexagram changing to the Benefit hexagram: this hexagram has no moving harmful god, and the harmful god is also in an empty position. The origin god is properly positioned on the subject's body and status. The only concern is the absence of the official ghost. The hidden god, Xinyou metal, is hidden under the third line of亥 water, and it is considered as giving birth to the flying god, which is called 'leaking energy', so the husband is not returning yet. When the days of Shen and You, which are the days of the useful line, arrive, they will meet. Later, it was indeed confirmed that he returned on the day of Jiyou.

其中更有主象空亡者，事事嫌凶，誰知空中有真假不同，還宜細辨。且如八月甲辰旬卜得卦中寅卯之爻卻是真空者也，縱見水動永不生扶。辛亥日也，非相助亡必須動化生扶，稍為半用，若再臨月破，縱動無功。如爻內忌神不動，元神不空，惟主象獨空者，又不臨於月破，細查何日沖起空爻，名為填實，反有用也。且如兄占弟病，二月甲申旬壬辰日占得訟卦安靜，卦內元神雖旺，獨嫌用值旬空，細推空而帶相，決不傷身，過旬方好，待後庚子日沖實，用爻不受水克，其病此日全然瘥也。

Among them there are cases where the useful god falls into the empty place, making everything seem undesirable. But how can we know whether the empty place is real or false? We must examine carefully. For example, if a divination is made on the Jiashen decade in the eighth month, and the yao (lines) of wood in the卦 (hexagram) such as寅 and卯 are in the empty place, even if there is a water yao that moves, it can never generate or support the other yao. Even if the divination is made on the Xinhai day, it still does not count as support. It must be that the useful god itself moves and generates a yao that can support it, only then can it be considered half useful. If it also meets the month breaker, even if it moves, it will be of no use. On the contrary, if theHostile God (hostile god) does not move and theOrigin God (origin god) is not in the empty place, and only the useful god is in the empty place, and it does not meet the month breaker, then we should carefully check which day can lift this empty yao, called 'filling the empty,' which can then be used. For example, a brother divines about his younger brother's illness, on the壬辰 day of the Jiashen decade in the second month, getting the讼卦 (hexagram of contention), with all six yao quiet. The元神 (origin god) is strong, but it is disliked that the useful god is in the旬空 (decade empty). Careful analysis shows that although it is in the empty place, it carries the phase energy, so it will not cause harm to the body. After this decade, it will be fine, and on the庚子 day, the empty yao is lifted, the useful yao is no longer attacked by water, and the younger brother's illness is completely cured on that day.

忌象交重用象無，主象他時逢受害。用神衰弱元神絕，忌神異日遇遭傷。卦內無用爻而元神又不動，仇神忌神皆發，既無主象者反不受虧，但恐後來日值用爻透出，反遭忌克，定主損傷。又如卦有用神而休囚又發動，元神又不得地，日月況不生扶，又不之生旺之處，獨喜忌神不動，旦夕未傷，只恐後來忌神值日方克用爻，其禍必難逃。

If the hostile gods are strongly activated and there is no useful god in the hexagram, the useful god will suffer when it finally appears. If the useful god is weak and the origin god is in a dead position, it will be harmed on the day the hostile god is active. If there is no useful line in the hexagram, the origin god is not activated, but the enemy and hostile gods are active, since the useful god is not in the hexagram, it is not harmed now, but when the useful line appears on the day of the useful god, it will be attacked by the hostile god and suffer damage. For example, even though there is a useful god in the hexagram, it is weak and inactive, and the origin god is not in a favorable position. The sun and moon do not support it, and the place it transforms to is not favorable. Fortunately, the hostile god is not active, so it is not harmed for a while. But when the hostile god is active on its day, it will attack the useful line, and the disaster is inevitable.

一神獨發，此象非輕；五位皆與，靜爻最重。人間只識所用之爻，未知為主之象，六爻安靜惟憑沖動之爻，再若無沖，須推世象，一爻動，則陽爻為主，兩爻動；取陰爻為主。陰者交主未來，故有權要，若同陰同陽取上動之爻為主。三爻動以中爻為主。四爻動，取下靜之爻為主。五爻動，取靜爻為主。六爻皆動，須看變卦為主。

When only one line moves alone, this image carries significant weight; if five lines move, the single still line becomes the most important. People only recognize the "use line," but they do not know there is also a "main image." When all six lines are still, the line that is secretly moved by the day branch becomes the main one; if even that is not present, then the world line is used. If only one line moves, the yang line is the main one; if two lines move, the yin line among them is the main one—yin lines belong to "interaction," which relates to future events, so they are more important. If the two lines are both yin or both yang, then the line that is higher in position is the main one. If the third line moves, the middle line is the main one. If the fourth line moves, the still line below it is the main one. If the fifth line moves, the still line is the main one. If all six lines move, then the resulting hexagram is the main one.

惟有一爻獨發，其勢愈大，卻比所開諸爻大不同也，縱值休囚也能制旺，單不克日月二神，其餘皆忌。如去生扶他象，其力更深。如值元神，福非淺受；如臨忌象，禍不輕當，此即論動爻之法，未會陳變象之因，其變卦之端有二，一雲一爻動則變，又云六爻動皆變，各有一情，未可執一。凡一爻動變理合京房，可用海底眼中五章六親變法斷語，父化父兮文不實之類是也，試無不驗，縱然宗廟爻與變法亦同此斷。凡亂動之爻變者理道周易，取動爻與變爻各配相生相剋及長生十二之宮決其休咎，切莫用五章變法書推。

Only when a single line moves alone does it have the greatest power, differing greatly from the various situations mentioned above: even if it is weak and confined, it can still control a strong and prosperous line; except for the two gods, the month builder and the day branch, all other lines should be wary of it. If it goes on to generate or support another line, its power is even greater; if it is the origin god, it will gain much benefit; if it is the hostile god, it will suffer serious misfortune. The above discusses the method of analyzing moving lines, but has not yet explained the principles of changing lines. The theory of changing hexagrams has two aspects: one says that only one line moves and thus changes, and the other says that all six lines move and thus change. Each has its own reasoning, and one should not be fixed on one side. Whenever a single line moves and changes, its reasoning conforms to Jing Fang's method, and one can use the five chapters and six relations of the "Eye at the Bottom of the Sea" to make judgments, such as "father changes into father, words are not solid," and so on, which have been tested and found to be accurate. Even if it is a line representing the ancestral temple, using the method of change is still the same. However, for the changes of lines that move in disorder, the reasoning conforms to the "Zhou Changes," and one must match the moving line and the changing line according to the five phases and their mutual generation and control, as well as the twelve houses of birth and growth, in order to determine fortune and misfortune. One must not use the method of five chapters and changing lines from the book again.

且如夫占妻病，子月甲午旬辛丑日卜得豫之小過，此卦用爻持世，忌神雖動化絕在申，本當有救，誰知海底眼中所犯兄化官兮休下狀，占病難醫須見哭，後至癸亥日兄弟絕處逢生果然命盡，可應此言也。當日又一人占妻病卜得豫之恆卦，此卦有兩爻發動，巳火子孫變成亥水父母，卯木兄弟又變酉金官鬼，內有二爻動者，故不准兄化官兮休下狀，占病難醫須見哭，反取兄弟化為沖剋不能剋制財爻，後至丙午日才遇生扶，妻病全好，此將生克定之，故此亂動不可將京房書斷，卻宜細詳。

For example, a husband divined his wife's illness. The divination was done on the day of Xinchou in the Jiawu decade, during the month of Zi. The hexagram obtained was Yu, changing to Xiaoguo. In this hexagram, the useful god is in the position of the world, and the hostile god, although active, has transformed to the place of absolute decline in Shengjin. According to theory, there should be a rescue; however, it turned out to be in violation of the statement in "The Eye at the Bottom of the Sea" that "when the brother transforms into the official, the condition is poor, and when divining illness, it is difficult to cure and crying will follow." Later, on the day of Guihai, the brothers' line, which was in a state of absolute decline, was revived, and the wife died, exactly fulfilling this statement. On the same day, another person divined his wife's illness and obtained the hexagram Yu changing to Heng. In this hexagram, two lines were active: the fire line of Si, which is the son, transformed into the water line of Hai, which is the parent, and the wood line of Mao, which is the brother, transformed into the metal line of You, which is the official. Because two lines were active in the hexagram, the statement "when the brother transforms into the official, the condition is poor, and when divining illness, it is difficult to cure and crying will follow" could not be applied. Instead, one should look at the wood line of Mao, which is the brother, transforming into the metal line of You, which is the official, and this official line comes back to clash and control the brother line itself. Since the brother line is controlled, it can no longer control the wealth line. Later, on the day of Bingwu, the wealth line received support and generation, and the wife's illness was completely cured. This is a case of judging by the principles of generation and control. Therefore, when there are many lines active in the hexagram, one should not directly apply the methods from Jingfang's book, but must carefully distinguish.

世與卦身專主非可輕言，旺與動象司權當為重論。凡占諸事，先察世爻。次評身象。世者一卦之主，身者作事之人，故宜旺不宜衰，喜生不喜克，又取旺相及發動之爻。世權最重，遇吉則吉，逢凶則凶，凡休囚安靜之爻，縱有三扶亦不能及其旺動之爻也。

The world line and the hexagram body each have their own roles and should not be judged lightly; the prosperous and strong爻 and the activated爻 hold real power and should be given more attention. When divining various matters, first examine the world line, then evaluate the hexagram body. The world line is the main element of the hexagram, while the hexagram body represents the person handling the matter. Therefore, both should be prosperous and strong rather than weak and confined, and they should be supported rather than restrained. At the same time, one should also consider the prosperous and strong爻 and the activated爻. The authority of the world line is the most significant; if it meets a good deity, it will be favorable, and if it encounters a malevolent deity, it will be adverse. Any爻 that is weak and inactive, even if it receives support from three other lines, is still inferior to a single prosperous and activated爻.

吉內藏凶非是吉，凶中有吉不為凶。且如卦內用神發動元神旺相又無忌神者，乃大吉之卦也，豈知用爻化出忌神日辰剋制元神，或卦變反吟伏吟及墓絕者，便為吉處藏凶也。又如主象休囚忌神發動，本作凶推，豈知日月生助用爻，或主象變為生旺，忌神之為沖剋死絕者，便為以凶化吉也。

In a favorable omen, if there is hidden danger, it cannot be considered truly favorable; in an unfavorable omen, if there is hidden potential for good, it cannot be considered truly unfavorable. For example, if the useful god in the hexagram is active, the origin god is prosperous and strong, and there is no hostile god, this is originally a very favorable hexagram. However, if the useful god itself generates the hostile god, or if the day branch restrains the origin god, or if the hexagram changes into reverse chant or hidden chant, or if it reaches the state of burial and decline, this is called "favorable circumstances hiding danger." Another example is when the useful god is weak and confined, and the hostile god is active, which originally should be judged as unfavorable. However, if the sun and moon are properly supporting the useful god, or if the useful god changes to a place of prosperity and strength, or if the hostile god is confronted or restrained and falls into a state of death and decline, this is called "unfavorable circumstances transforming into favor."

假令木為用象水作元神，金為忌客，土是仇人，仇人者，我去傷他何以為仇也，所凶此土向被木傷，無能抵敵，不過暗中妒忌，逢金即生，見水即克，陰中報復之類，故曰仇人也，凡事逢之，無不為禍。如忌神不動者，仇人縱發難以為殃。木為用象，卦中金動土亦動者，禍不可當，但逢水又發動，正所謂貪生忘克，其福更加。又如木土皆不動獨受金傷，如得火興，金遭火克，此木又不受其制；其除火土金水四用神者仿此推詳。

Suppose the wood is the useful god, water is the origin god, metal is the hostile god, and earth is the enemy god. So-called enemy god refers to the case where I go to overcome it, yet it becomes an enemy. Originally, earth is always overcome by wood and is powerless to resist directly, so it can only secretly resent: when it meets metal, it goes to generate metal, helping the hostile god; when it meets water, it goes to overcome water, cutting off my source. This is a form of secret revenge, hence called enemy god. Whenever it appears, it brings trouble. When wood is the useful god, if the卦 has metal moving and earth also moving, the harm is unavoidable. But if water爻 is also moving, the metal will be attracted to generate water and forget to overcome wood. This is called 'greed for life and forget to overcome', and the fortune is actually increased. For example, if neither wood nor earth moves, and the useful god is injured by metal, as long as fire爻 rises, metal is overcome by fire, and thus the wood is no longer restricted. Apart from wood, when fire, earth, metal, and water act as the useful god, they are all analyzed according to this principle.

且如丑月辛丑日來問見官，卜得坤之剝卦，此卦子孫持世發動，更得日月生扶本為佳兆，豈知子化官兮防禍患，占病憂疑盡不如，以後參官果受其累，正所謂吉處藏凶也。又如問進學，巳月甲寅日需之兌卦，此卦子孫持世發動，兄又交重，經云：兄弟雷同難上榜，子孫如動不榮昌，更怪卦無文書，焉能及第？誰知兄弟雖動被日辰剋制，縱有子興亦被日辰沖破，此兄子二爻皆無忌也。況月建文書伏在二爻長生之下，更喜官爻值日竟人泮宮之首，亦所謂凶中有吉也。

For example, someone asked about meeting an official in the month of Chou (丑) on the day of Xinchou (辛丑). The hexagram obtained was the Earth (坤) changing to the Splitting (剥). In this hexagram, the line of children (子孙爻) is holding the world (持世) and is active, and it also receives support from the day branch and the month builder. This is a favorable omen. However, it is said that "When the son transforms into official, beware of misfortune; when illness or doubt is consulted, it is not favorable." Later, when the person went to meet the official, he indeed suffered trouble, which is exactly the meaning of "Goodness conceals danger." Another example is about taking an exam. The person consulted on the day of Jiayin (甲寅) in the month of Mao (巳), and the hexagram obtained was the Waiting (需) changing to the Lake (兑). In this hexagram, the line of children is holding the world and is active, and the line of siblings is also repeated. The classics say, "Siblings with thunder are hard to pass the exam; children moving do not bring prosperity." Moreover, there is no line of parents or official documents in the hexagram, how could he pass the exam? However, it turned out that the line of siblings was active but was restrained by the day branch, which was the wood of Yin. The line of children was also active but was broken by the day branch. Thus, the lines of siblings and children were not ominous. Moreover, the month builder is exactly the line of parents and documents, hidden beneath the second line (二爻) in the state of growth (长生). It is even more favorable that the official line is on the day. The person actually passed the exam and became the first in the school. This is exactly what is called "Danger contains good fortune."

太歲乃一年之主，時辰掌頃刻之權。日主宣威於一日，遠近皆徒；月將出令於三旬，往來咸服。太歲乃帝君之星，占久遠大事者不可不用，如問目前小事不必論之。凡時辰之爻，基中或有用處，問當日事情卻宜細辨，但不管次日之事也。年月日時四建惟重日辰，日乃君主之爻，豈止旦夕之事，數月之間吉凶無不應驗，況為六爻之主宰，其力非輕。凡值日之爻縱變沖剋墓絕，亦不受其害也。雖遇月建來傷，當日無咎過後成凶。

The Supreme Sovereign rules over the whole year, and the hour governs the power of a single moment; the Day Branch exercises authority within a day, commanding both distant and near matters; the Month Builder issues commands over thirty days, and all affairs of coming and going must obey. The Supreme Sovereign is like the star of the Emperor, and it must not be neglected when predicting long-term matters; however, it is unnecessary to consider it for immediate small matters. As for the爻 of the hour, it occasionally has some use, and when questioning matters of the same day, it should be carefully examined, but it does not concern itself with matters of the next day. Among the four pillars of year, month, day, and hour, the Day Branch is the most important: the Day Branch is the sovereign爻, not only governing morning and evening matters, but also the fortune and misfortune within several months should be verified; moreover, it is the master of the six lines, and its power is not slight. Any爻 that is in charge of the day, even if it transforms into conflict, overcoming, burial, or decline, will not be harmed; although it may be injured by the Month Builder, there will be no misfortune on that day, and it will only turn into misfortune after the day has passed.

月乃萬卜之提綱，能管往來之禍福，用象如臨月內，永遠亨通，如值忌神，始終坎坷。縱被日辰沖剋，不過當日為殃，改日無咎。凡此四建各有所專，時辰管一日之吉凶，日主管一月之禍福，月建管一年之得失，太歲管永遠之榮枯。又察情之重輕事之遠近，活變推洋不可性一。

The Month Builder is the main guideline for all divination, governing both past and future fortune and misfortune. If the Useful God is directly facing the Month Builder, it will bring long-term prosperity; if the Hostile God faces the Month Builder, it will result in continuous difficulties. Even if the爻 facing the Month Builder is clashed or controlled by the Day Branch, it will only cause some trouble on that day, and there will be no problem the next day. These four factors each have their own specific roles: the Hour governs the fortune and misfortune within a day, the Day Branch governs the fortune and misfortune within a month, the Month Builder governs the gains and losses within a year, and the Year Master governs long-term prosperity and decline. In addition, one should also examine the importance of the matter and the nearness or distance of time, and flexibly deduce accordingly, without sticking to a single point.

且如問當日求財，戌月丁亥日巳時卜得蒙卦安靜，此卦六位無財，所喜本宮金財伏於四爻土下，飛能生伏，便言有財，還怪用爻不透，直待酉時值財當得。又如此月此日問月內何日得財？亦占蒙卦，待後丁酉日果得財也。凡問何日者，須看日辰為主，不可以時辰定之。

For example, someone asked if they could obtain wealth on the same day, and on the day of Dinghai with the hour of Si, they drew the Meng hexagram, with all six lines quiet. In this hexagram, there are no wealth lines on any of the six lines. However, it is fortunate that the wealth of metal is hidden under the fourth line of earth. The flying god of earth can generate the hidden god of metal, so it is predicted that there will be wealth. However, it is regrettable that the used line has not emerged, so one must wait until the hour of Dingyou when the wealth line is in charge to actually obtain it. Another example is when someone asked on the same month and day which day they would get wealth, and they also drew the Meng hexagram. Later, on the day of Dingyou, they indeed obtained wealth. Whenever someone asks about which day an event will occur, one should take the day branch as the main reference, and not use the hour to determine it.

又如問遠路行人，妻占夫本年內何月到，酉年卯月乙酉日卜得旅卦，此卦六位無官，喜本宮亥水伏在申金之下，官賴財生，年中必到，但嫌用爻不透，日下未回，直待本年十月內甲寅日官臨月建，又得日辰沖飛合伏，其夫準到。又如妻占夫出外多年，要知何年返舍？此月此日亦得旅卦，便言亥年方到，不可將亥月推之，果然己亥年正月到家，應此理也。故看卦之法，須審來情，活變斷之無誤也。

For example, if someone asks about a distant traveler: a wife wants to know in which month her husband will return home within this year. The divination is done on the day of Yiyou in the month of Mao in the year of You. The hexagram obtained is Traveler. In this hexagram, there is no official ghost among the six lines, which is a good sign. However, the hidden official ghost of the native hexagram, which is the water trigram亥, is hidden under the metal trigram申. The official ghost is supported by the wealth trigram, so it is certain that the husband will return within this year. The only drawback is that the used trigram has not yet appeared, so he cannot return at the moment. He will definitely return on the day of Jiayin in the tenth month of this year, when the official ghost亥 water is exactly aligned with the month builder, and the day branch寅 wood will clash with the flying god申 metal, and also combine with the hidden god亥 water. The husband will certainly return home. Another example is when a wife wants to know in which year her husband, who has been away for many years, will return. On the same month and day, the hexagram obtained is also Traveler. In this case, it should be said that he will return in the year of Jihai, not in the month of亥. Later, he indeed returned in the first month of the year of Jihai, which exactly confirmed this reasoning. Therefore, when interpreting a hexagram, it is essential to first clarify the specific question being asked, and to flexibly and adaptively interpret the divination to avoid errors.

月卦者，作事之身，官鬼者，求謀之主。卦內無身，百樣事情無定向；爻中少鬼，萬般謀作總空虛。卦動二身，事知疊疊；爻興兩鬼，禍至重重。官爻不動不空，勝心之美；身象不沖不陷，如意之歡。

The Moon's Hexagram Body represents the person handling affairs, and the Official Ghost line is the main factor in pursuing matters. If the hexagram lacks the Hexagram Body, all things lack direction; if the lines lack the Official Ghost, all plans will ultimately fail. If there are two Hexagram Bodies in the hexagram that are activated, the matter will become complicated and layered; if there are two layers of Official Ghost lines activated in the lines, calamities will follow one after another. When the Official line is neither activated nor empty, it indicates a favorable and satisfactory outcome; when the Hexagram Body is neither affected by a clash nor falls into emptiness, it brings joy and satisfaction.

月卦按陰陽之理一卦之尊，故為所作之身也。卦若無身，事無定向。如卦有二身皆動，事繫兩情或更兩度，必然重疊，若值空亡，禍福皆不實也。如卦身不空不破者，又得生旺之鄉，無不如意。復論鬼爻能助文書能克兄弟，故為主也，凡人間所重者錢財也，最嫌兄弟來傷，若卦無官鬼，兄必專權，財遭耗散，事必空虛，須待官來制兄，財能積聚事又可成。若卦內兩官皆動又化出官爻，更得日月幫比禍起多端殃來不息，只有官宦遇之連升數級，必主重重遷轉也。惟官爻宜靜不宜動，宜透不宜空，若在卦不沖不陷者，事事皆亨。

The monthly hexagram body is determined according to the principles of yin and yang, and it represents the main element of the hexagram, thus serving as the basis for handling affairs. If a hexagram lacks a body, the matter lacks a clear direction. If there are two bodies in the hexagram and both are active, the matter involves two parties or requires two repetitions, inevitably leading to complexity and overlap. If the hexagram body falls into an empty or broken position, both good and bad outcomes will not materialize. When the hexagram body is neither empty nor broken, and it is located in a favorable and thriving position, there will be no unpleasant results. Furthermore, the official ghost爻 can assist the parents' documents and restrain the siblings, making it the main factor in planning matters. In human affairs, money is most valued and most feared to be taken by siblings. If the hexagram lacks an official ghost, the siblings will dominate, causing the loss of wealth and the matter to fall through. Only when the official ghost restrains the siblings can wealth accumulate and the matter succeed. If there are two official ghosts in the hexagram that are both active, and they produce another official爻, and receive support from the day and month, then many troubles and calamities will arise; however, for those in official positions, this indicates rapid promotion and frequent promotions. In summary, the official爻 should remain still rather than move, should be clearly visible rather than fall into emptiness. As long as it is not conflicting or falling into emptiness within the hexagram, everything will proceed smoothly.

出行動土及遷移，官空反吉；孕育田蠶兼六畜，鬼動成凶。官鬼之爻，萬事之主，惟有出行、行人、遷移、動土、改造、生產、田蠶、六畜，無鬼大吉，空則亦然，如鬼動大凶也。日帶凶神發動，長者之殃；時臨惡煞交重，少丁之厄。陽動憂於男子，陰與禍及女人。日辰為尊長，時辰為卑幼，陽爻為男子，陰爻為女子。看那爻臨官鬼並凶煞動者，便知誰人有患。且如問家宅，那時卜得損卦二五爻動，此卦二爻官鬼屬陽，正值時建動，便斷兒童有病，又五爻屬陰雖動而不帶官爻凶煞，故不斷女人之疾。凡有爻動不帶官鬼者，不可言病也。

Divination for matters such as travel, breaking ground, and relocation shows that an empty official ghost is actually auspicious. However, for matters like pregnancy, childbirth, crops, silkworms, and livestock, if the official ghost moves, it becomes inauspicious. The official ghost is generally the main factor in all matters, but for travel, movement, relocation, breaking ground, renovation, childbirth, crops, silkworms, and livestock, the absence of the official ghost in the hexagram is a great blessing, and even if the official ghost is empty, it is still auspicious. If the official ghost moves, it is a great misfortune. If the day branch carries aInauspicious Spirit and moves, it indicates misfortune for the family elders. If the hour carries a malevolent spirit and moves, it indicates danger for the young. A yang line moving indicates trouble for a man; a yin line moving indicates trouble for a woman. The day branch represents the elders, the hour represents the younger generation, yang lines represent men, and yin lines represent women. By observing which line is associated with the official ghost and malevolent spirits and moves, one can determine who will suffer misfortune. For example, if one asks about the family home and divines at a certain time using the hexagram of Loss, with the second and fifth lines moving: the second line is a yang official ghost, and it moves at the appropriate construction time, indicating illness in the child; the fifth line is a yin line, although it moves, it does not carry the official ghost or malevolent spirits, so it does not indicate illness in a woman. Any line that moves without carrying the official ghost should not be interpreted as illness.

父動，子孫僧道克，蠶畜無收。父空，尊長屋船虧，文書不就。父母為尊長，不宜發動，動則能傷卑幼，兼克僧道、春蠶、六畜等件，如兄弟又動者，生助子孫亦不相剋。若財又動者，本爻自受其傷亦不克子也。父爻又不宜空，空則文書不就，並傷尊長、舟船，房屋之類也。

When the parent爻 is activated, it harms the children and monks and Taoists, and there will be no harvest from silkworms and domestic animals. If the parent爻 is vacant, then elders, houses, and boats will be damaged, and official documents will not be completed. The parent爻 represents elders, and it should not be activated. Once activated, it harms the younger generations, and also affects monks, Taoists, silkworms, and domestic animals. However, if the sibling爻 is also activated, the sibling can support and assist the children, so the parent爻 will not harm them. If the wealth爻 is also activated, the parent爻 is first harmed by the wealth, so it cannot harm the children. The parent爻 should not be vacant, as vacancy leads to difficulty in completing official documents and also damages elders, houses, and boats.

兄動，妻災奴僕患，資財耗散事無成。兄空，友絕弟兄亡，家業清安兒少育。兄弟為奸詐之神，故不宜動，動則有傷妻妾、弟婦、嫂、僕、俸祿、貨物等件，並耗資財。若子又動亦不然，或子靜鬼又動，本象自遭鬼克，豈得傷財？兄爻亦不宜空，空雖家道清安，又主兒孫欠旺，並妨弟兄朋友也。

The brothers' line is active, leading to misfortune for the wife, illness among servants, loss of wealth, and difficulty in achieving matters; if the brothers' line is empty, friends will be cut off, brothers will decline, the family may be quiet and peaceful, but the descendants will be hard to raise. The brothers' line is the god of deceit, so it is not advisable for it to be active. Once it moves, it will harm the wife, younger wife, sister-in-law, servants, salary, and goods, and cause loss of wealth. If the descendants' line is also active, the brothers' line will turn to generate the descendants' line, thus avoiding such problems; or if the descendants' line is still quiet while the official ghost line is active, the brothers' line will first be attacked by the ghost, so it will not harm the wealth. The brothers' line should also not be empty, as although the family may be quiet and peaceful, it will indicate that the descendants are not flourishing, and it will also hinder brothers and friends.

子動，夫傷官職退，民間有廢無殃。子空，兒損畜蠶虛，朝內少賢多奸佞。子孫為至吉之神，動則朝無奸佞，民有禎祥，多生兒女，廣獲財源。惟有占官職並問夫病，亦不宜動也。此爻又不宜空，空則兒孫受害，蠶畜虛浮，問功名及夫病者，遇空反吉。

The "Son and Grandson" hexagram is activated, indicating that the husband is injured and his official position declines. If this occurs among the common people, it merely means that affairs are neglected but there is no great calamity. If the "Son and Grandson" hexagram is empty, then children are harmed, livestock suffer losses, sericulture fails, and the court lacks virtuous ministers but has many wicked officials. The "Son and Grandson" hexagram is the most auspicious deity. When activated, there are no wicked officials in the court, many auspicious signs appear in the people's lives, many children are born in the family, and wealth is widely generated. However, it is not suitable for divination regarding official positions or the husband's illness when asking about the wife. This hexagram is also unsuitable to be empty. If it is empty, then grandchildren suffer harm and livestock and sericulture suffer losses. However, for those asking about fame or the husband's illness, encountering an empty "Son and Grandson" hexagram is actually auspicious.

財動，椿萱受害，文事難園。財空，妻僕遭屯，利資絕望。妻財為財利之神，在相不宜動，動則文書不就，舉狀無成，兼傷尊長之新，又損田、車，房屋，加鬼動則不然。財爻又不宜空，空則虧傷資本兼損妻奴，又傷財帛。

The wife's wealth hexagram moves, causing harm to the parents, making it difficult to achieve success in reading and examinations; if the wife's wealth hexagram falls into an empty position, the wife and servants will suffer difficulties, and seeking profit and wealth becomes hopeless. The wife's wealth hexagram represents the deity of wealth. Even when it is in a favorable position, it should not be activated, as once activated, documents will not be completed, lawsuits will be ineffective, and it will also harm the elders, damage land, vehicles, and houses. However, if the official ghost hexagram also moves to assist, this situation will not occur. The wife's wealth hexagram should also not fall into an empty position, as doing so will result in loss of capital, harm to the wife and servants, and damage to money and cloth.

官動則有妨手足，病訟將萌。官空則有犯夫君，功名未遂。官鬼為禍殃凶惡之神，世上官災火盜，無鬼不為。發動則有傷兄弟兼作禍殃，又不宜空，空則功名不顯，夫主有虧，諸般謀事少成，家資耗散，此爻不動不空，便為佳矣！

When the official ghost line is activated, it will hinder siblings and family members, and illness and legal troubles are about to arise; if the official ghost line is empty, it will harm the husband, and achievements and fame will be difficult to attain. The official ghost is a deity of calamity and evil, and all worldly troubles, fires, and thefts are caused by it. Once it is activated, it will injure siblings and bring further misfortune; yet it is also not desirable for it to be empty, as an empty official ghost line leads to lack of fame, loss for the husband, difficulty in achieving things, and loss of family wealth. It is best when this line is neither activated nor empty.

先道六親空與發，次陳六獸動和沖。龍為良善清高喜氣利名之兆。甲乙為青龍，其神屬木名東方春季得令，應甲乙寅卯之日所主，屋宅之左轎要毒觀舟車貴宦、僧道、嫁娶喜慶善事生育、竹木青緣、發作，此神若遇動處，無不為祥，縱帶凶神惡煞亦不為歇，病遇得和病遇得解，問喜即成、問財即得，但不宜沖，沖則其神失半，又不宜空，空則永無嘉兆也。凡月建青龍與戊辰青龍同斷。書云：卦中吉將號青龍，作事求財喜氣濃，名則嫁娶皆遂意，假饒憂事也無凶。

First explain the falling into emptiness and activation of the Six Relations, then the activation and being冲 (conflicted) of the Six Beasts. The Azure Dragon represents goodness, purity, celebration, and omens of fame and profit. When the Azure Dragon is activated on a day beginning with Jia or Yi, this deity belongs to the Wood element, is located in the East, and is in charge during spring. It governs the left side of a house, as well as carriages, boats, officials, monks and Taoists, marriage and celebration, doing good deeds and childbirth, and things related to bamboo, wood, and green color. If the Azure Dragon falls on a moving line, it is not ominous, even if it is accompanied by evil spirits, it will not cause harm. If a divination about illness encounters it, the illness will be resolved; if it is about happiness, it will come true; if it is about wealth, it will be obtained. However, it is not suitable to be冲 (conflicted), as this reduces its power by half; it is also not suitable to fall into emptiness, as this brings no good omen. The method of interpreting the Azure Dragon starting from the month builder is the same as that starting from the day branch. The book says: If the auspicious general in the hexagram is the Azure Dragon, doing things and seeking wealth will bring much good fortune, success in fame and marriage, even if there are worries, they will not turn into misfortune.

蛇主虛浮、驚恐憂疑怪夢相於。己上為戊土，其神為赤，無正位，故戊土之，次附勾陳，應戊己辰戌丑未之，其遇主出路繩索粘帶纏綿怪異夢寐火虛驚哄詐自己赤色自件，月建騰蛇與日騰蛇同動，則概事不寧，空則武辰傳神書云：騰蛇終是有憂驚怪夢邪魔恐見侵舉相，女人多遂、退安然，守靜始清平。

The snake spirit presides over things that are empty and not substantial, fear and anxiety, doubts and suspicions, and strange dreams. When the day is戊 or己, the snake spirit is active. This spirit resides in the earth element戊, has a red color, and does not have a fixed position among the five directions, so it follows Gou Chen. It appears on the days of辰,戌,丑, and未. It governs matters such as escape routes, ropes, entanglements, strange dreams, firelight, false alarms, deception, and the color red. When the snake spirit is activated both by the month builder and the day branch, all affairs are disturbed. If the snake spirit is in an empty position, false alarms will naturally disappear. The text says: the snake spirit ultimately brings about worry and alarm, strange dreams and evil spirits often invade, but women's affairs are often successful, and only by retreating and keeping quiet can peace be achieved. This passage has many errors and omissions, so it can only be read in general terms.

朱雀宜音信文章，又作祝融詞訟。丙不淺坎省江神婦伏臨南方夏季得令，應丙丁巳午之日，所主星宅之前應灶吉燭熱災宜敕文書契券公訟音信鬧鬧焦緊乾旱女產安舌朱紫等件，月朱雀與日朱雀同動，則事事皆興，空則八般減滅，書云：朱雀臨爻卦上來，文書發動事難諧，發訟欠光並口舌，求謀交易盡心隙。

The Vermilion Bird governs messages, writings, and lawsuits, as well as fires and disputes. When the Vermilion Bird is activated on days of Bing and Ding, this deity belongs to the fire element and is located in the south, ruling during summer, corresponding to the days of Bing, Ding, Si, and Wu. It oversees the front of the residence, the stove, lamps, fires, written documents, legal matters, lawsuits, messages, noise, restlessness, drought, childbirth of women, disputes, and colors like vermilion and purple. When the Vermilion Bird is active both on the month builder and the day branch, these matters all arise. If the Vermilion Bird is empty, all these matters weaken and disappear. The text says: When the Vermilion Bird appears on the upper trigram, documents are active but affairs are difficult to harmonize, lawsuits lead to loss and more disputes, and endeavors in trade result in suspicion and discord. This passage has many errors and omissions, so it can only be read in general terms.

白虎利武官，胎產，況招喪服血光。庚辰為白喜其神屬金，居西方，秋季得令，應庚辛申酉之日，所主屋宅之右、金玉瓦石刀兵殺戮喪服凶禍哭泣血光生產卒青龍素等件，大白虎與小白虎同動，則諸般不吉。空則產孕動生。書云：白虎爻驚事不祥，多招疾病亦災殃見血，強作有孝服關防謀害及爭剛。

The White Tiger is favorable for military officials and childbirth, but it also brings mourning clothes and bloodshed. The White Tiger is activated on days beginning with Geng and Xin, which belong to the metal element and are located in the west, ruling the autumn season. It governs the right side of a residence, as well as matters related to gold and jade, tiles and stones, weapons and killing, mourning clothes and misfortune, crying, bloodshed, childbirth, and the color white. When the White Tiger is activated by the Month Builder and the Day Branch together, all matters are unfavorable. However, if the White Tiger is empty, childbirth tends to be smooth. The text states: When the White Tiger enters the爻, it indicates fear and ill omens, often leading to diseases, calamities, and bloodshed. One should beware of mourning clothes and also guard against others' schemes and quarrels. This passage also contains some errors in the original text.

勾陳是田土公差墳塋遲滯。戊人為勾陳吉神屬中央，則春季月當令，應戊己辰戌丑未之日，所主屋宅之中。州郡城廓田土墳墓陰晦垣塘隱伏遲滯堆垛伏尸蠱毒山林埋藏公差黃色等件，大勾陳與小勾陳同動，則事見遲留，空則田禾不利。書云：勾陳事事主勾留遁悶遲疑未罷休。若乃求官官未至，望求財物亦難過。

Gou Chen governs fields, land, public officials, tombs, and delays. Starting from Wu, Gou Chen is a deity of earth, located in the center, ruling in the four seasons' months, and appears on days of Wu, Ji, Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei. It oversees the center of a residence, as well as the cities and towns of states and prefectures, fields and tombs, darkness, walls, ponds, hidden delays, heaps, hidden corpses and poisons, buried treasures in mountains and forests, public officials, and matters related to the color yellow. When the large Gou Chen is activated by the month builder and the small Gou Chen is activated by the day branch, affairs tend to be delayed. If Gou Chen is empty, crops will suffer. The book says: Gou Chen mainly governs connections, delays, worries, and hesitations that do not cease. If one seeks an official position, the official rank will be delayed. If one hopes for wealth, the wealth will be difficult to obtain.

玄武乃陰人盜賊水利奸邪。壬癸為玄武，其神應水居北方，冬季得令，事應壬癸亥子之日，所主屋宅之後陰雨江海池井坑廁溼潤賊盜小人除私姦淫闇昧隱神隨眙堅吝玄黑等件，大玄武與小玄武同動，則人事不安，空則江河枯竭。書云：玄武原來是暗神，逃亡淫盜每相侵，求則難托終無實，賭埔交關不稱情。

The Black Tortoise governs matters related to secrecy, thieves, water resources, and wickedness. When the day is marked by Jia or Yi, the Black Tortoise is activated. This deity belongs to the water element, is located in the north, and is prominent in winter, corresponding to days marked by Gui, Hai, Ren, and Ji. It oversees the rear of a residence, rainy weather, rivers, seas, ponds, wells, ditches, latrines, dampness, thieves, petty people, private affairs, indecency, ambiguity, stinginess, and dark colors. When the Great Black Tortoise is activated by the Month Builder and the Small Black Tortoise is activated by the Day Branch, human affairs become unsettled. If the Black Tortoise is in decline, it is like rivers drying up, and secret matters cannot arise. The book says: the Black Tortoise is originally an obscure deity, often invading through escape and immoral theft; any requests made will ultimately be false, and gambling and trade will not go smoothly.

以上所論大六神者，即月建六神也，各有起例開後，六青龍正月從寅上起順行十二位是也。大朱雀正月巳上起順行十二位。大勾陳正月從丑上起順行十二位。大騰蛇正月從辰上起順行十二位。大白虎正月從申上起順行十二位。大玄武正月從亥上起順行十二位是也。

The six great spirits are determined according to the month builder, each with their own starting position, as listed below: The Great Azure Dragon begins in the寅 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions; The Great Vermilion Bird begins in the巳 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions; The Great Gou Chen begins in the丑 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions; The Great Teng Sha begins in the辰 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions; The Great White Tiger begins in the申 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions; The Great Black Tortoise begins in the亥 position in the first month and moves clockwise through the twelve positions. Moving clockwise through the twelve positions means that in the first month, the spirit is in its starting position, in the second month it moves forward by one position, and so on, continuing in order until the twelfth month.

龍往巫山半為吉斷，虎行南地稍作凶推。土中玄武賊輕，防木內勾陳田欠熟，雀墮江湖官司易解，蛇游草木怪夢反成。青龍屬木，遇水為恩，若值金爻非為全吉。白虎屬金，遇土傳加橫勢，若應午地，不為大凶。玄武屬水，遇金傳盛，如居土位，盜賊稍防。勾陳屬土，遇火添威，若在木爻，田禾欠熟。朱雀屬火，見木增光，若入水中，訟當息滅。騰蛇雖附土中，本原屬火，通水難傷，逢木不克，故為妖怪之星也。

The Azure Dragon falls on the metal line, which only counts as half good; the White Tiger moving to the southern fire line reduces its ominous meaning. The Black Tortoise falling on the earth line indicates less theft; one should be cautious if Gou Chen falls on the wood line, as that year's crops will be poor. The Vermilion Bird falling into the lake and water indicates that legal disputes will be easily resolved; the Snake moving among grass and trees brings about strange dreams. The Azure Dragon belongs to wood, and encountering water that nourishes it is a favor; if it falls on the metal line and is overcome, it is not fully auspicious. The White Tiger belongs to metal, and encountering earth that generates it enhances its fierce nature; if it falls on the午 fire line and is overcome, it does not become a great misfortune. The Black Tortoise belongs to water, and encountering metal that generates it increases its power; if it falls on the earth line and is restrained, theft matters only require slight caution. Gou Chen belongs to earth, and encountering fire that generates it enhances its authority; if it falls on the wood line and is overcome, crops will be poor. The Vermilion Bird belongs to fire, and encountering wood that generates it increases its brilliance; if it falls into water and is overcome, legal matters will be resolved. The Snake, although attached to earth, originally belongs to fire. It is not harmed by water and cannot be overcome by wood, so it is the star that specializes in strange and unusual occurrences.