Fire Pearl Forest: A Work by the Hemp-Robed Daoist

四營成易，八卦為體；三才變化，六爻為義。

"The four operations" refer to the four procedures described in the Great Treatise of the Zhou Changes: dividing into two, hanging one, drawing four, and returning the odd. Each operation represents a change, and after four operations, one line of the hexagram is formed. The method of forming the hexagram is established this way, hence it is said "the four operations form the Book of Changes." The eight trigrams are the framework of all hexagrams, and the sixty-four hexagrams are all formed by combining pairs of the eight trigrams, hence it is said "the eight trigrams form the body." The vital energies of heaven, earth, and humanity, the three elements, flow and change within the hexagram. In specific divination, everything depends on the six lines of the hexagram and their corresponding images, hence it is said "the six lines express the meaning." These four sentences are the general summary of the entire text: the foundation of forming the hexagram lies in the four operations and the eight trigrams, while the focus of divination lies in the six lines.

注云：書有三而異用，卦皆八以為經。一曰《連山》，二曰《歸藏》，三曰《周易》。自秦焚書坑儒，《連山》、《歸藏》不傳於世矣。又云：一曰治天下，二曰論長生，三曰卜吉凶。夫三才者，天干為上，能占九天之外，日月星辰，風雷雲雨明晴之事；地支為中，能占九地之上，山川草木，人倫吉凶，否泰存亡之事；納四象，四象生八卦，所謂四營成易也。

The original commentary says: In ancient times, there were three books of the I Ching, each with different uses, but all taking the eight trigrams as their framework. The first was called The Continuous Mountains (Lianshan), the second The Returning Concealment (Guicang), and the third The Zhou Changes (Zhouyi). Since the Qin dynasty destroyed the books and persecuted the scholars, the Lianshan and Guicang were lost to the world, leaving only the Zhouyi. The original commentary also says: The functions of the three books are: first, to govern the world; second, to discuss long life and cultivation; third, to divinate good and bad fortune. The concept of "three elements" (sancai) has different roles in the Najia method: the heavenly stems are in the upper position and can predict events beyond the nine heavens, such as the movement of the sun and moon, stars, and changes in wind, thunder, clouds, rain, and weather; the earthly branches are in the middle position and can predict matters above the nine lands, such as mountains and rivers, grass and trees, the fortune and misfortune of human relationships, the smoothness or blockage of fate, and the survival or destruction of families and states. When the heavenly stems and earthly branches are combined into the hexagram lines, they produce the four images of old yang, old yin, young yang, and young yin. These four images generate the eight trigrams, which is what was mentioned earlier as "four operations form the I Ching."

又問：納音為下，能占九泉、六道、四生、虛無等事？答曰：六十甲子生成，變化而行鬼神，是故天干管天文，地支管人事，納音管地理。如乾卦初爻甲子動，占天文主風；占人事主子孫，六畜、花木、酒饌、憂喜等事；占地理，六穴中有石之類。

Someone asked: "Nayin" is located in the lowest position, so can it predict matters beneath the nine springs, the six realms of rebirth, the four kinds of life - egg, flesh, moisture, and transformation - and things that are vague and intangible? The answer is: The sixty jiazi are formed by the combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches. Nayin emerges from this formation and can communicate with the spirits and gods. Therefore, there are three divisions of functions: heavenly stems govern astronomy, earthly branches govern human affairs, and nayin governs geography. For example, in the first line of the Qian trigram, the nayia is Jiazi. When this line is activated: for predicting weather, Jiazi belongs to water, indicating wind; for human affairs, Jiazi in the Qian trigram is the "children" line, indicating matters related to children, domestic animals, flowers and trees, wine and food, and joy and sorrow; for geography, the nayin of Jiazi is sea metal, which lies under the earth, indicating the presence of stones in the grave.

如占葬地，得姤之鼎卦，掘地五尺土中有石，其色大赤，離穴四十步，西南近柳樹，當有伏尸，葬出刀傷之人，並主火災。問曰：如何斷之？答曰：世持辛丑，土伏甲子金，世下伏金，是土中有石也。巽下伏乾，是乾為大赤也，第五爻壬申化己未火，火克本宮為鬼，是伏尸鬼，申化未是西南方也。

For example, when divining a burial site and the hexagram cast is Gou (Heaven Wind) changing to Ding (Fire Wind), the interpretation is: dig five feet down, and there will be stones in the soil, with a deep red color; forty paces from the tomb, in the southwest near a willow tree, there will be a hidden corpse; after burial, there will be someone in the family injured by a sharp weapon, and there will be a fire. Someone asks: how is this interpreted? The answer is: the second line of Gou hexagram is Xinchou earth holding the world line, and beneath the world line is hidden Jiazi, the original native hexagram of the palace, which is metal. Therefore, it is concluded that there are stones in the soil. The lower trigram of Gou is Xun, and beneath Xun is hidden the original native hexagram of the palace, which is Qian. In the "Sayings on the Hexagrams," Qian is described as the color of great red, so it is concluded that the stones are of a deep red color. The fifth line Renshen metal moves, changing to Jiwei fire, and fire comes to overcome the original native hexagram of the palace, which is metal, and this is the 'Official Ghost,' which is hidden and not revealed, so it is concluded that there is a hidden corpse. Shen changes to Wei, and Wei is in the southwest, so the location is concluded to be in the southwest.

掘下五尺見石者，土類五也。離穴四十步有伏尸者，壬申金，重數四，加丑未土類五，二五成十，並申金四是四十步也。出刀傷人者，壬申乃劍鋒金也；主火災者，已未化火，未克辛丑世也。樹旁者，己未火鬼，與壬午木合住，壬午乃楊柳木也。

It is said that digging five feet down to see stone is based on the number five of the element 'earth' in the Five Phases. It is said that forty steps away from the grave site there is a hidden corpse, which is calculated as follows: Renshen belongs to metal, and the number of metal is four; Xinchou and Jiwei both belong to earth, and the number of earth is five. Two fives make ten; then multiplied by the four of the metal of Shen, it becomes forty steps. It is said that there will be someone who suffers a knife wound because the nayin sound element of Renshen is Jianfeng metal, which is associated with blade injuries. It is said that there will be a fire because the nayin sound element of Jiwei turns into fire, and Wei again restrains Xinchou, the holder of the situation, so the fire energy is forced upon oneself. It is said that the person is near a tree because Jiwei, the fire ghost, combines with Renwu, and Renwu's nayin sound element is Yangliu wood, which refers to the willow tree.

又請占祟例為式，籤曰：如遁之姤卦，此卦是子孫鬼，一男一女為釵釧等事物來沉滯，男兒赤，性燥，女兒潔白，性剛；其墳墓現在西北，恐有動犯，告之則吉。

Another example of divination for identifying a spirit or ghost involves determining the type of ghost causing trouble. The interpretation states: The hexagram obtained is Dun (Heaven over Mountain), which changes to Gou (Wind over Heaven). This hexagram indicates the involvement of the 'children ghost.' It is the spirits of a man and a woman who are纠缠 over matters related to jewelry or ornaments, causing delays and obstacles. The man has a red face and is impetuous in nature, while the woman has fair skin and is stubborn. Their graves are located in the northwest, and it is likely that the disturbance occurred during the act of breaking ground. By informing them of the cause and performing a proper offering and prayer, the situation can be turned for the better.

問曰：何以知之？曰：二爻丙午火是鬼，化辛亥水是子孫，丙午納音屬水，化辛亥又屬水，如二乾宮子孫，故曰子孫鬼也；一男丙午，一女辛亥也；火主赤，金主白，火燥金剛，皆以五行之性言之也；為釵釧者，辛亥乃釵釧金也；言墳墓在西北者，水墓在戌，又火絕在亥，亥，西北也；墓有犯者，艮屬土，化巽為木，木去克土山。

Someone asked: Where do you get all this information from? The answer is: The second line of the Duan卦 is Bingwu fire, which in the Qian palace is considered 'Official Ghost'. This line transforms into the second line of the Gou卦, which is Xinhai water, and in the Qian palace is considered 'Children'. Bingwu's Nayin sound element belongs to water, and Xinhai here is also considered water. Both lines return to the Children line in the Qian palace, so it is called 'Children Ghost'. Bingwu is yang, representing the male; Xinhai is yin, representing the female. Fire is red, and metal is white, so it is said that the male is red and the female is white. Fire is dry and urgent, and metal is hard and strong, which are based on the nature of the Five Phases to infer human nature. It is called a matter of hairpins and bracelets because the Nayin sound element of Xinhai is precisely the hairpin and bracelet metal. It is said that the grave is in the northwest because the burial place of water is in Xu, and the death place of fire is in Hai, and the Hai position is exactly in the northwest. It is said that the grave is attacked because the lower part of the Duan卦 is originally Gen, which is earth and mountain, and it transforms into the Xun of the Gou卦, which is wood. Wood overcomes earth, which is moving the mountain earth and attacking the grave.

卦定根源，六親為主；又究旁通，五行而取。

After casting the hexagram, first determine the "origin," which means identifying which of the eight palaces the hexagram belongs to and what is the five elements of that palace. Once the palace is determined, each of the six lines is assigned to the six relations: parents, siblings, children, wealth, and official ghost. The interpretation is mainly based on these six relations. Next, one must also examine the "mutual influence," that is, how the "flying god" appearing on the hexagram corresponds with the "hidden god" concealed beneath the palace. Ultimately, the determination of the six relations and the interpretation of the flying and hidden gods all depend on the generation and overcoming relationships among the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

注云：根源者，八卦之宮主也。而原有六親旁通者，六爻之飛象也，而上下相乘。五行者，金水木火土也。而定四時六親者，主宮也。六爻，父、子、兄弟、妻財、官鬼，定一宮管八卦，七卦皆從一宮出。旁通者，上下宮飛象六五也。蓋本宮在下為伏之六親，旁宮在上為飛之六親，如六壬課有天盤、地盤。先看六親之下，後看六親之上，所乘得何爻，而辨吉凶存亡也。

The original commentary says: The term "root" refers to the ruler of each of the eight palaces, which is the hexagram to which the primary hexagram belongs. Each palace is originally paired with the six relations. "Interchange" refers to the "flying images" appearing on the six lines of the hexagram, which interact with the hidden gods below them. The five phases are metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. The six relations are determined based on the strength of each element according to the four seasons. The basis for this is still the original palace. The six relations associated with the six lines are parents, children, siblings, wealth, and official ghost. One palace governs the eight trigrams; the seven trigrams other than the first one of the palace are derived from this palace, so the six relations are all determined according to the five phases of the original palace. "Interchange" refers to the cross interaction between the flying images of the upper and lower palaces. The six relations of the original palace are hidden below and are called "hidden gods"; the six relations of the other palaces are visible above and are called "flying gods," similar to the heaven and earth plates in the Six壬 system. When making a judgment, first look at what is hidden beneath the six relations, then look at what is flying above them, and determine their interaction with each line to discern fortune, misfortune, existence, and loss.

或問：六親為主，父母、兄弟、妻財、子孫、官鬼，只有五件，而曰六親何也？答曰：卦身當一親。問曰：如何為卦身？曰：陽世則從子月起，陰世還當午月生，此即卦身也。而《元龜》以月卦言之，所以吉凶不應。問：卦身亦主甚吉凶？曰：如本卦世空，卻去看身，豈為無用？

Someone asked: It is said that the Six Relations are the main focus, but there are only five categories: Parents, Siblings, Wealth, Children, and Official Ghost. Why is it called the Six Relations? The answer is: The Hexagram Body is counted as the sixth relation, making it a total of six. Another question: How is the Hexagram Body determined? The answer is: There is a mnemonic rule: "If the World Line is a Yang line, start from the Zi month; if the World Line is a Yin line, start from the Wu month." If the World Line is a Yang line, count from the Zi month; if it is a Yin line, count from the Wu month. Count upward according to the position of the World Line, and the month reached is the Hexagram Body. The book "卜筮元龟" (Boshi Yuangu) only discusses the Hexagram Body in terms of the month, so its predictions often fail to be accurate. Another question: What does the Hexagram Body indicate in terms of fortune or misfortune? The answer is: For example, if the World Line in the Primary Hexagram is in an empty state, the matter has no foundation. In such cases, looking at the Hexagram Body instead would not be useless.

又問：何謂旁通？曰：本宮之六親在飛象之下，為之親王，為之伏神。旁宮之飛象加伏神之上，為飛象，親爻世下之爻為伏。知飛伏二爻之來歷，然後可與言八卦、六親矣。

What is meant by "parallel transmission"? The six relations of the original trigram are hidden under the flying god, which is called "relation爻" or "hidden god"; the flying god of another trigram is placed over the hidden god, which is called "flying god". Among the relation爻 of the original trigram, the one hidden under the world line is most important, and this is the true hidden god of the hexagram. Only after clearly understanding the origins of both the flying and hidden gods can one discuss the eight trigrams and the six relations.

財官異路，可辨五鄉；用有輔助，類可忖量。

The "wife and wealth" and "official ghost" are two distinct categories: for private matters, the wealth爻 is used, while for public matters, the official爻 is used, each with different applications. By relying on these two, one can distinguish the "five categories" of parents, siblings, wife and wealth, children, and official ghost, clarifying their main and secondary roles and their relative importance. In addition to the useful god, there must also be an auxiliary god—when using the official ghost, the parents serve as the auxiliary; when using the wife and wealth, the children serve as the auxiliary. By grouping the useful god and the auxiliary god together and evaluating them as a whole, one can assess the success or failure and the depth of the matter.

注云：財者，妻財；官者，官鬼。是故至柔者財，至剛者鬼。而有輔體，輔體者，用官鬼以父母輔之，用妻財以子孫輔之；值旺相為有氣，休囚為無氣，得生扶為吉，克破為凶。

The original commentary says: "Cai" refers to the wife and wealth爻, and "Guan" refers to the official and ghost爻. Cai is yin and soft, being the most compliant of all; Guan is yang and strong, being the most rigid of all. In addition to the useful god, there is also a "supporting element": if the official and ghost爻 is taken as the useful god, then the parents爻 is used to support it; if the wife and wealth爻 is taken as the useful god, then the children爻 is used to support it. Both the useful god and the supporting god must be measured by the monthly stem and seasonal changes: if they are in their旺盛 or 相位, they are considered "having energy"; if they are in their 休 or 囚, they are considered "lacking energy"; if they receive support from other yao, it is auspicious; if they are harmed, attacked, or broken by other yao, it is inauspicious.

春，寅卯木旺，巳午火相，亥子水休，申酉金囚，辰戌丑未土死。 夏，巳午火旺，辰戌丑未土相，寅卯木休，亥子水囚，申酉金死。 秋，申酉金旺，亥子水相，辰戌丑未土休，巳午火囚，寅卯木死。 冬，亥子水旺，寅卯木相，申酉金休，辰戌丑未土囚，巳午火死。

The order of strength and decline of the Five Phases throughout the four seasons is as follows. In spring, wood is in command:寅 and 卯 wood are "旺" (strong),巳 and 午 fire, which are generated by wood, are "相" (auxiliary),亥 and 子 water, which nourish wood but lose their own strength, are "休" (resting),申 and 酉 metal, which are overcome by strong wood, are "囚" (captured), and 辰, 戌, 丑, 未 earth, which are overcome by wood, are "死" (dead). In summer, fire is in command:巳 and 午 fire are "旺", 辰, 戌, 丑, 未 earth, which are generated by fire, are "相", 寅 and 卯 wood, which are overcome by fire, are "休", 亥 and 子 water, which are overcome by fire, are "囚", and 申 and 酉 metal, which are overcome by fire, are "死". In autumn, metal is in command:申 and 酉 metal are "旺", 亥 and 子 water, which nourish metal, are "相", 辰, 戌, 丑, 未 earth, which are overcome by metal, are "休", 巳 and 午 fire, which are overcome by metal, are "囚", and 寅 and 卯 wood, which are overcome by metal, are "死". In winter, water is in command:亥 and 子 water are "旺", 寅 and 卯 wood, which are nourished by water, are "相", 申 and 酉 metal, which are nourished by water, are "休", 辰, 戌, 丑, 未 earth, which are overcome by water, are "囚", and 巳 and 午 fire, which are overcome by water, are "死". The general rule is: the current phase is strong, what I generate is auxiliary, what generates me is resting, what overcomes me is captured, and what I overcome is dead. To determine whether the useful god and auxiliary god have strength or not, refer entirely to this table.

獨發易取，亂動難尋；先看世應，後審淺深。

In a single hexagram, if only one line moves, it is called "single movement," meaning the matter is focused and the useful god can be clearly identified, making it easiest to interpret. However, if all six lines move, it is called "chaotic movement," with many threads and confusion, making the useful god difficult to find. When encountering a hexagram with chaotic movement, first examine the world line and the response line—the world line represents our side, and the response line represents the other side. First determine the strength and alignment of both sides. Then examine each moving line in turn, assessing the lightness or depth of their generation, overcoming, conflict, and combination, proceeding step by step, without directly focusing on a single moving line for interpretation.

注云：亂動之法，思之最難。一看世上旁爻生財旺相，忌應爻克世；二看世下親爻財官喜靜；三看何爻最旺為用神，如發動，動要生世；四看獨發之爻，旺相最急，休囚事慢。

The original commentary says: Divining when there is chaos and movement is most demanding to think about; it must be approached in four steps. First, look at the subsidiary line riding on the world line to see if it can generate the wealth line, and check whether the wealth line is prosperous and strong. At the same time, it is most undesirable for the response line to reverse and overcome the world line. Second, look at the native line of the same palace that is hidden beneath the world line; the wealth line and official line there should be still and not disturbed. Third, look at which of the six lines is the most prosperous; the most prosperous one is taken as the useful god; if this line is currently moving, it must move to generate the world line in order to be effective. Fourth, look at the unique moving line; if it is prosperous and strong, the matter will come quickly; if it is weak and confined, the matter will come slowly.

官用，官鬼為主。伏旺動生世者出現發動，看變得何爻。父母為輔，喜生現發動者。 私用，妻財為主。伏旺動生世者，忌伏鬼下，並出現發動。子孫為輔，喜旺相發動者。 凡財官乘旺相，俱動，公私兩用皆可成。

Divination for official matters is called "official use," with the official ghost爻 as the main focus: the best situation is when the official ghost is hidden but prosperous and strong, or moves to generate the world爻. If the official ghost appears on the hexagram and moves, one should look at what爻 it transforms into to determine fortune or misfortune. For official use, the parents爻 serves as an auxiliary, and it is favorable when the parents appear and move to generate the official ghost. Divination for personal matters is called "private use," with the wife and wealth爻 as the main focus: the best situation is when the wife and wealth爻 are hidden but prosperous and strong, or move to generate the world爻. The most忌 is when the wealth爻 is hidden under the official ghost爻, and it is also忌 when the wealth爻 appears and then moves randomly. For private use, the children爻 serves as an auxiliary, and it is favorable when the children are prosperous and strong and move to generate the wealth爻. Whenever both the wealth爻 and the official ghost爻 are prosperous and strong and move, both official and private matters can be successfully handled.

或問：世上旁爻生財旺相，下面注云忌應動克世，不知克世上何爻？又問：忽有亂動卦，世上與財官持世，如何斷？答曰：豈不見又言二看世下親爻，財官喜靜，蓋旁爻無財，官便去搜尋伏神之財官。

Someone asked: The original commentary says "the world line's adjacent lines generate wealth and are prosperous and strong," and then it says that the response line's movement should be avoided as it may overcome the world line. So, which specific line of the world line is being overcome? Another question: If a chaotic moving hexagram is cast, and the world line happens to be occupied by a wealth or official line, how should this be interpreted? The answer says: Haven't you seen the second step of the original commentary that says "look at the close lines under the world line, wealth and officials prefer stillness"? If there are no wealth or official lines among the adjacent lines of the world line, one should search beneath the world line for the wealth or official lines hidden within the palace's concealed gods, and use these concealed gods instead.

又問：既言世上財官是伏藏者，本靜，何故言喜靜？曰：汝看誤矣！世下親爻本靜，或有沖剋，即非靜，故曰喜靜，蓋不欲亂動之爻去沖剋之也。

Another question: Since it is said that the wealth and official positions on the world line are hidden, and hidden things do not move, why is it said "prefer stillness"? The answer is: You have looked at it wrong! Although the immediate lines under the world line do not move themselves, once they are clashed with or controlled by other moving lines, they are no longer still. Therefore, "prefer stillness" means not wanting those chaotic moving lines to come and clash or control them.

又問：三看何爻最旺為用神，而注云發動要生世，何為用神？何為發動？曰：亂動之卦只取旺爻，旺爻即用神也。生克吉凶皆在此爻。若伏藏安靜要旺相，若發動，卻要生世之爻為用神，又不專泥旺相爻也。

Another question: The third step says "look at which line is most prosperous to determine the useful god," but the original commentary also says that the moving line should generate the world. So which one counts as the useful god, and which one counts as the moving line? The answer is: In a chaotic moving hexagram, only the most prosperous line is taken as the useful god. The most prosperous line is the useful god, and all the fortune, misfortune, and interactions in the hexagram depend on this line. If it is hidden and not moving, it is sufficient for it to be prosperous and strong; if it is moving, then the line that moves to generate the world should be taken as the useful god, and one should not rigidly adhere to the term "prosperous and strong."

又問：何謂伏旺生世者？曰：用此已發明，人自不察耳。伏爻要旺相、動爻要生世、官用取官、私用取私，如上篇卻要輔助之爻發動，時人並作一句讀之，所以失其義也。

What is meant by "hidden god is prosperous and generates the world"? The meaning has already been explained in the previous text, but people do not examine it carefully. The hidden god must be prosperous and strong, and the moving line must generate the world. For official matters, take the official ghost; for personal matters, take the wealth. Also, according to the previous chapter, the auxiliary line must be activated to support. These are several separate points, but nowadays people read them as a single sentence, thus losing the original meaning.

旁爻持世，旺相得地；應與動爻，不克方是。

"Byao" refers to lines outside the main hexagram but visible on the surface of the hexagram. When a line is in the position of the world (shi), it must be prosperous and strong, occupying a favorable position, in order to support the matter effectively. Merely being strong is not enough; it also requires that the responding line and the moving lines in the hexagram do not come torestrain it. Only then is it truly qualified; if either the responding line or the moving line doesrestrain it, even if the world position is strong, its effectiveness will be reduced.

占財，子孫旺相，妻財持世； 占官，父母旺相，官鬼持世。 以上皆可許，忌應爻、動爻克之。世爻乃我家情由，應爻為彼之事理。

When seeking wealth, theChildren Line should be prosperous and strong, asChildren is the source of wealth. At the same time, theWife-Wealth Line should be in the position of the world line, so that wealth can be under my control. When seeking official positions, theParents Line should be prosperous and strong, asParents represents documents and official seals. At the same time, theOfficials-Ghosts Line should be in the position of the world line, so that an official position can be bestowed upon me. Such a卦局 can be allowed to succeed, but it should be avoided if theResponse Line orMoving Line come to克 these key lines. Remember: theWorld Line represents my side's situation, the应爻 represents the other side's circumstances, and the direction of both sides is determined by theWorld and Response Lines lines.

或問：應與動爻不克方是，競不知克什爻？答曰：汝道不知克什爻？不克輔爻耳。

Someone asked: "It is said that 'the response line and the moving line should not be able to overcome (the relevant line) in order to be considered proper.' So, which line is not allowed to be overcome? The answer is: Are you not aware of which line is being overcome? It is not allowed to overcome the auxiliary line. When divining wealth, children are considered the auxiliary; when divining official positions, parents are considered the auxiliary. If the auxiliary line is overcome, the useful god loses its support."

又問：忌動爻應艾墓克之如何？曰：占財要財爻持世，占官要官爻持世，若應又是世之墓，動又是世之墓，皆不中矣。墓是自墓，克是自克。

Another question: It is said that one should be cautious if the moving line or the response line becomes the storage of the world line, thus trapping it. What does this mean? The answer is: When divining about wealth, the wealth line should be the world line; when divining about official positions, the official line should be the world line. However, if the response line happens to be the storage of the world line, and the moving line also happens to be the storage of the world line, then neither of them is effective. Here, the term 'mù' refers to the world line itself entering its storage; the term 'kè' refers to the world line being harmed by itself—misfortune falls upon oneself, not upon others.

陰陽男女，次策推排；官用取官，私用取財。

A hexagram has yin and yang, and people are divided into male and female. When divining, one should arrange the yao positions according to their yin and yang order. Determine which yao the questioner's matter falls into, whether it is yin or yang, and then establish the useful god. The main principles for determining the useful god are only two: for matters related to government offices and public affairs, take "Official Ghost" as the useful god; for matters concerning private endeavors and family affairs, take "Wealth" as the useful god.

占病鬼祟，占失看賊，占求官事，占官詞訟，占婚問夫，以上皆看官爻。占買賣財，占家事，占婚婢事，占求財事，占婚姻事，以上皆看財爻。

When divining about illness, one should ask which ghostly influence is causing it; when divining about lost property, one should ask who the thief is; when divining about seeking an official position, official lawsuits, or marriage where the女方 is concerned, one should look at the official ghost爻. When divining about business transactions, family matters, marriage with servants, seeking wealth, or the男方 marrying a wife, one should look at the wife's wealth爻.

或問：言公私用事，只言財官，而不及父子兄弟，何也？答曰：天下之事，散而言之，紛若物色；總而言之，不出財官二字。占官必用父母，占財必用子孫。兄弟是破財之人，不為主、不為輔，何必看也？

Someone asked: When discussing matters of public and private affairs, only wealth and official positions are mentioned, but parents, children, and siblings are not, why is that? The answer is: The affairs of the world, when discussed separately, are as varied as the colors of myriad things; but when summarized, they all fall under the two characters 'wealth' and 'official position'. Moreover, when divining about official positions, one must necessarily involve the parents, and when divining about wealth, one must necessarily involve the children. Parents and children are already included within the auxiliary aspects of wealth and official positions. As for siblings, they are people who seize wealth and break wealth; they cannot serve as the main elements nor as the auxiliary ones, so why bother looking at them?

凡卜筮者，但用心於財官，則括天下之理，此法簡而最捷，若分支劈脈、瑣碎求之，則萬物紛然，無以折衷，用心多，功力少，《元龜》“六神”之類是也。故吾捷法，惟以財官伏五鄉而定吉凶，自然神妙。

Anyone engaged in divination should focus their mind solely on the wealth and official positions in the hexagrams, and thus encompass all the principles of the world. This method is the most concise and efficient. If one were to examine each branch and each lineage separately, dealing with trivial details, myriad things would come rushing in, making it difficult to reach a decisive conclusion. The more effort one puts in, the less effective the result. As mentioned in "The Original Turtle of Divination," the section on the Six Spirits follows this approach. Therefore, my own quick method determines fortune and misfortune solely based on the presence of wealth and official positions within the five regions, naturally being profound and effective.

出現旺相，為久為遠；伏藏有氣，只利暫時。

The useful god appears among the six lines of the hexagram, called "appearance"; if it appears and is prosperous and strong, the matter will be long-lasting and can be planned for the long term. If the useful god is not on the hexagram but hidden beneath the flying line, it is called "concealment"; even if the concealed line has some vitality, it is only beneficial for the immediate moment and cannot form a long-term situation.

現為重迭，為再用，為兩事，財官兩事出現旺相，可宜久遠，若持世忌動。伏藏旺相，更看日辰透出，或伏世下，可取，雖成只利暫時，不能久遠也。

The useful god appears on the hexagram, often indicating repetition, meaning one thing needs to be done again, or that there are two things happening at the same time. If both the wealth line and the official line appear and are prosperous and strong, the matter can be sustained for a long time; but if the useful god also holds the world line, it is undesirable for it to move, as movement may lead to complications. If the useful god is hidden but prosperous and strong, one should check whether the day branch reveals it or if it is directly under the world line; only in these two situations is the useful god suitable, but even if successful, it only benefits for a short period and cannot last long.

或問：出現為重迭，為再用、為兩事，何也？答曰：且如乾卦為主，後七卦皆從乾坤中來，其出現財是伏藏中而又出現也，豈不是重迭乎？故取占事為再用、為兩事。

Someone asked: Why does the term "repetition" indicate "repetition" or "using again" or "two matters"? The answer is: For example, if the Qian hexagram is the main hexagram of the palace, the seven hexagrams following the Qian palace are all derived from the Qian and Kun hexagrams; the wealth爻 is already hidden below in the original palace, but now another wealth爻 appears on the surface of the hexagram, which is not it not a repetition? Therefore, when encountering such a hexagram, the divination should be interpreted as needing to do something again, or having two matters at hand.

又問：伏藏有氣，只利暫時？答曰：本宮財官伏世下，方可取，不伏世下，則不取也。旁爻財官非也，必要細看，不可忽□。

Another question: It is said that hidden elements (伏藏) have influence only for a short time, why is that? The answer is: Only when the native's wealth and official stars (财爻、官爻) are hidden under the world line (世爻) can they be used; if they are not hidden under the world line, they should not be considered. As for wealth and official stars flying on the trigrams of other palaces, these are not part of the native's own palace, and therefore cannot be taken as genuine. This point must be examined carefully, and should not be neglected—here the original text is missing one character, marked as 「□」, and we dare not make up a character on our own.

財伏鬼鄉，買賣遭傷；日辰福德，方始榮昌。

The wife wealth hexagram is hidden beneath the official ghost hexagram, called 'wealth hidden in the ghost territory.' The wealth hexagram generates the official ghost hexagram, causing a loss of energy. When engaging in trade, there will certainly be losses. Only when the day branch reveals 'fortune virtue'—that is, the children hexagram—comes to overcome the official ghost hexagram and generates the wife wealth hexagram will the trade become prosperous.

財爻伏官鬼之下，乃財爻洩鬼無氣，須是子孫旺相，透出日辰，或持世上方有，蓋子孫能克官鬼也。

The wife and wealth hexagram is hidden under the official ghost hexagram. The wealth is supposed to generate the official ghost, but this causes the wealth to lose its strength and become ineffective. In such a case, the children hexagram must be prosperous and strong, or the day branch must reveal the children, or the children must be on the world line, in order for wealth to be obtainable; because the children can control the official ghost, and once the official ghost is restrained, the wealth is no longer drained.

或問：兄弟能克財，官鬼不傷財，官鬼克兄弟，何故買賣遭傷？答曰：不曉其理，則斷卦不靈。財伏鬼鄉，財則去生官，財又洩氣，況用財以子孫為輔，官鬼生你，父去克子，財爻內外受傷，故買賣不能獲利，反能傷財。若日辰是子孫，子能生財，克去官鬼；日辰是財，財能克父，使得出現，亦有財也。

Someone asked: If siblings can overcome wealth, and officials do not harm wealth, but officials can overcome siblings, then why does wealth being under the influence of officials lead to loss in business? The answer is: If one does not understand the underlying principle, the divination will not be accurate. When wealth is under the influence of officials, the wealth needs to go and generate officials, thus losing its strength first; moreover, wealth relies on children for support, so when officials gain strength from wealth, they become even stronger and then go on to generate parents, and parents then overcome children, the supporting element is also harmed. In this way, the wealth is damaged from both inside and outside, so the business not only fails to gain profit but actually suffers a loss. If the day branch is exactly children, children can both generate wealth and overcome officials; if the day branch is exactly wealth, wealth can overcome parents, allowing children to be free from suppression and rise up, in these two situations there is still wealth to be obtained.

用財伏兄，口舌相侵；若在世下，旺相可成。

Take the wife's wealth as the useful god, but if the wealth line is hidden beneath the siblings line, it is called 'useful wealth hidden by siblings'. Siblings are the gods that steal wealth, and when wealth is suppressed by siblings, seeking wealth will first bring disputes and conflicts. However, if this hidden wealth is exactly beneath the world line and is prosperous and strong, the matter can still be accomplished.

財伏兄弟之下，本無氣無財，卻喜財爻旺相，貼世下透出，值日辰方有。

The wealth line is hidden beneath the siblings line, which indicates a situation where there is no vitality or wealth. However, this wealth line itself is strong and prosperous, and it is closely attached beneath the world line. Furthermore, the day branch brings it out clearly and it is the current day, thus truly indicating the presence of wealth.

或問：用財伏兄，口舌相侵矣，緣何在世下又旺相可成？答曰：財伏在兄弟爻下，是財被他人把住，故生口舌。若伏世下，世持兄弟，我去克財，財又旺相，豈得不成乎？

Someone asked: If it is said that "the wealth is hidden under the siblings" leads to disputes and conflicts, why does it become favorable when the hidden wealth is under the world line and the world line is strong? The answer is: When the wealth is hidden under the siblings, it means the wealth is controlled by others, hence causing disputes over it. But if the wealth is hidden under the world line, and the world line itself holds the siblings, then it is myself who controls the wealth. The wealth is under my control and is strong, so how could it not be favorable?

財伏父母，旺相得半；財伏子孫，有氣必滿。

The wife and wealth hexagram is hidden under the parents hexagram; even if it is prosperous and strong, seeking wealth can only obtain half — because the parents specifically control the children, cutting off the source of generating wealth. If the wife and wealth hexagram is hidden under the children hexagram, as long as the wealth hexagram has vitality, the children continuously generate wealth, and seeking wealth will certainly be fulfilled as desired.

財爻旺相，伏父母爻下，求財有一半。財伏子孫之下，世應不克，終是有財。若子孫旺相，父母爻持世應，亦不能克子孫，求財亦有。

The wealth line is itself prosperous and strong but is hidden under the parents line; seeking wealth can only obtain half. If the wealth line is hidden under the children line, as long as the world line and response line do not harm it, there will eventually be wealth. Even if the parents line holds the world or response position when the children line is prosperous, the parents cannot harm this strong children line, and seeking wealth will still have a result.

或問：財伏父母旺相得半，不審何故？答曰：用財須子能輔財，財伏父下，則子不能生財矣。只有本等財，故曰一半。

Someone asked: It is said that even if the wealth is hidden under the parents and they are prosperous and strong, one can only get half of it. Why is that? The answer is: To use wealth, one must have children assisting from the side to generate wealth. Now, the wealth is hidden under the parents, and the parents mainly restrain the children. Therefore, the children cannot generate wealth. Thus, only the wealth itself remains, without any additional gain, so it is said that only half is obtained.

又問：財伏子孫、世應不克，久必有財，是不克何爻？曰：不克子孫爻也。故下云，若子孫旺相，縱父母持世應，亦不能克子孫，求財亦有也。

Another question: It is said that if wealth is hidden by children and the world and response lines do not clash, then there will be a long-term source of wealth. But what exactly does 'not clashing' refer to? The answer is that it refers to not clashing with the children line. Therefore, the text continues: if the children line is prosperous and strong, even if the parents line is in the world or response positions, it will not be able to overcome the children line, and wealth will still be obtained.