11. Divination on the ghost subduing the elder brother

用鬼伏兄，同類欺凌；若不虛詐，人不一心。

Taking the official ghost as the useful god, but the official ghost is hidden under the sibling爻, which is called 'useful ghost hidden by sibling'. Siblings represent peers and colleagues, indicating bullying and exclusion by those of the same generation. Such a hexagram, even if not encountering deceit or falsehood, indicates that those involved in the matter have different intentions and are not united.

官鬼伏兄之下，為同類欺凌、不忠。若官鬼旺相，喜持也，透出日辰吉。

The Official Ghost is hidden under the Siblings line, indicating being bullied by peers or people of the same kind, and those around are unfaithful and unreliable. If the Official Ghost itself is prosperous and strong, it is favorable if it is held by the World Line, and further becomes auspicious if the Day Branch reveals it.

或問：用鬼伏兄？答曰：兄為虛詐，為口舌，又與同類為劫財。占官事而鬼伏兄，主同類欺凌，官府多詐、吏貼賺錢，所謀之事，到底脫空。若旁多官鬼旺相，持世、日辰是官鬼，方可用，蓋官鬼能克兄也。

Someone asked: "How should 'ghost hidden over brother' be interpreted?" The answer is: The brother's line represents deceit and disputes, and it also indicates a partnership with similar elements to seize wealth. When divining matters related to the government, if the official ghost is hidden beneath the brother, it signifies being bullied by colleagues and peers, and there are many deceptions within the government offices. Subordinates and officials take advantage of the situation to demand money, and whatever plans are made will ultimately end in vain. Only when there are many official ghosts in other lines that are prosperous and strong, or when the official ghost holds the world line, or when the day branch is exactly the official ghost, can it be considered useful; because the official ghost can control the brother, thus suppressing the spirit of seizing wealth and bullying.

鬼伏財鄉，因財有傷；官吏阻節，獨發乖張。

The official ghost is hidden beneath the wealth爻, called "ghost hidden in the wealth area." Although wealth can generate official status, in this case, the official will first need money, and the matter will be damaged due to money; the officials handling the matter will also create obstacles and blockages. If this爻 also moves on its own, the matter will become even more complicated and deviate from the norm.

鬼伏財下，因財不吉，官吏阻節，須是官鬼旺相，伏世下，或與父爻俱透出，直日辰方許，又忌獨發。

The Official Ghost is hidden under the Wealth Line, indicating that the matter will be unfavorable due to money issues. Officials involved will obstruct and cause difficulties. It is only when the Official Ghost itself is prosperous and strong, and is hidden under the World Line, or when the Official Ghost and the Parent Line both appear on the Day Branch and are the current day's value, that the matter can be successful. At the same time, it is forbidden for this line to act alone.

或問：財能生官，何故因財有傷？答曰：財固生官，但用官為主，必有輔之。父母為文書，官伏財下，財去克了文書，主官人要錢，文書有阻。

Someone asked: Wealth can generate official status, so why is it said that wealth causes harm? The answer is: Although wealth can generate official status, since official status is the main focus, there must be an auxiliary deity. Parents represent official documents and legal proof. Now, the official is hidden beneath wealth, and when wealth moves, it harms the documents, so the official person comes to you for money, while the documents and legal proof are obstructed.

若官爻伏財，是世下，或父母透出，直日辰，如此可用。若父母持世獨發，則重迭艱辛，事不濟矣。

If the official element is hidden under the wealth element, and the place where it is hidden is exactly under the world line, or if the parents element appears on the day branch and is exactly the day element, then it can be used. However, if the parents element holds the world line and is alone in action, this indicates a great deal of paperwork and difficulty in handling matters, and ultimately the matter will not succeed.

鬼伏父母，舉狀經官；若財世上，求之不難。

The official ghost is hidden under the parents line, called "ghost hidden under parents," which signifies an official accompanied by documents. It is favorable for submitting documents or handling affairs through the government. If at this time the wealth line is on the world line, the wealth can smooth the way and resolve the obstruction of the documents, making it easy to handle this matter.

鬼伏父下為官化文書，要貼世，或官鬼旺相，或文書直日，利經官下狀及補名目之事。

The official ghost is hidden beneath the parents, indicating the transformation of the official into a document. It is favorable if the official ghost is closely attached to the world line, or if the official ghost itself is prosperous and strong, or if the document line is on the current day. This is conducive to submitting petitions through official channels, as well as matters concerning filling vacancies and seeking official positions.

或問：鬼伏父母如何處用？答曰：鬼伏父母，若在世下，方利下狀趲補名目事；若在他處，則亦艱辛矣，蓋父母為重迭神也。

Someone asked: Where should the ghost be when it is hidden under the parents? The answer is: When the ghost is hidden under the parents, it is beneficial to use it for submitting petitions and securing additional quotas; if it is hidden under other lines, the process will be equally difficult. This is because the parents are the spirits that govern repetition and redundancy, causing matters to be repeatedly handled and troublesome.

鬼伏子孫，去路無門；官乘旺相，透出可分。

The official ghost is under the children爻, and the children are the divine beings that overcome the official. The official is suppressed below, so seeking official positions and fame has no way forward. Only when the official ghost itself is riding on a prosperous and strong position, and is revealed by the day branch, can there be a narrow path, and the matter still has some possibility.

鬼伏子孫，只宜散憂，若用宮，須是官鬼旺相，透出直日辰方可。若子孫旺相，占看夫病即死。

The official ghost is under the children, and such a hexagram is only suitable for dispersing worries—children are the gods of dispelling worries. If one must take the official ghost as the main element, then the official ghost must be prosperous and strong, and it must be revealed on the day branch and be the current day. Conversely, if the children are prosperous and strong and overpower the official ghost, in a divination about the wife's husband's illness, it indicates the husband's death, because the husband uses the official ghost as his main element, and the official ghost is completely overcome by the children.

或問：官伏子孫去路無門？答曰：羝羊觸藩，不能進退，若官爻旺相在世下，世上旁爻子孫無氣落空，則不如此斷。徜子孫旺相，官爻無氣落空，亦不如此看，可斷有人關節，或官吏阻滯而已。

Someone asked: Saying "official is hidden by children" means there is no way out, how should this be explained? The answer is: Just like the Book of Changes, the Great Strength, where a male sheep uses its horn to push against a fence, the horn gets stuck in the fence, unable to advance or retreat. However, if the official line is prosperous and strong and located beneath the world line, while the children lines of the world's other lines are weak and empty, then it should not be interpreted this way. If the children lines are prosperous and strong while the official line is weak and empty, it should not be interpreted this way either; instead, it should be interpreted as someone having opened a way through, or perhaps the official is just delaying or obstructing matters.

官鬼伏官，小人作難；若親見貴，方許開顏。

The official ghost in the native's own line is hidden under the official ghost in another line, called "official ghost hidden by official." The true nobleman is blocked by a minor official, so this indicates that small people are interfering. Only by personally meeting the nobleman can the matter turn favorable.

若官伏鬼下，乃關隔之象，又主小人作難，若得旺相相扶，親見貴人可就。

If the official ghost is hidden beneath another official ghost, this indicates an obstruction or barrier, and also suggests that there are small people causing trouble. If one can receive the support of prosperous and strong energy, and personally visit the nobleman, the matter can be successfully handled.

或問：鬼伏官下乃關隔之象，主小人作難，何也？答曰：親爻官鬼是貴人也，旁爻官鬼是吏貼也，官人被吏貼遮蔽，不能出現，此所以小人作難也。

Someone asked: "When the ghost official is hidden under the official, it indicates a situation of separation, meaning that small people will cause trouble. What is the reason for this?" The answer was: The official ghost in the native's own palace represents the nobleman, while the official ghost in the adjacent palace represents the officials and subordinates in the government office. Now the nobleman is obscured by these subordinates and cannot be seen, which is what is called small people causing trouble.

又問：若親見貴人，如何又得開顏？曰：凡用官伏官，皆被旁艾所隔，若用官伏官之卦，但世爻動化官鬼父母。故宜動身親去見官，官則用爻之神，父則輔助之物，於官有益，不至相傷，所以開顏也。

Another question: Why does personally visiting the nobleman lead to a favorable outcome? The answer is: Whenever the official ghost is used but the official ghost is hidden beneath another official, it is blocked by an intervening line. The turning point in this hexagram lies in the world line moving and transforming into the official ghost or the parents: the official ghost is the useful deity, and the parents are the auxiliary element. Both are beneficial for seeking an official position without causing harm to each other. The movement of the world line signifies the person's own movement, so one should personally go to see the official, and thus the matter turns into a favorable outcome.

出現重迭，還須旺相；若乘土艾，更看勾現。

The useful god appearing more than once in the hexagram still needs to be checked whether it is prosperous and strong; only when it is prosperous and strong is it truly effective. If it is supported by the four earth trigrams, which are Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, then we also need to see what combination it can form — these four earth trigrams are the storage of the triple harmony. They can bring the other two trigrams of the triple harmony together to form a combination. The five phases generated after forming the combination are what truly take effect.

世爻出現，乘父母官鬼，子孫妻財旺相可取，休囚不可取。若乘辰戌丑未，更看勾合何爻也。假令大有卦，甲辰父母持世，為雜氣，能勾申子辰化水局，子孫不宜官用。

When the world line appears in the hexagram, if it is supported by parents, officials, children, or wealth, and is prosperous and strong, it can be used; if it is weak and confined, it cannot be used. If the world line is supported by Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei, one must also consider which lines it can connect with. For example, in the hexagram Da You (Fire in Heaven), the parents Jiachen hold the world line. Chen is a repository of mixed water and earth, capable of connecting with Shen, Zi, and Chen to form a water trinity. Since the Qian trigram belongs to metal, the formation of a water trinity will produce children, which specialize in overcoming officials. Therefore, this hexagram is not suitable for matters concerning officials or using officials.

問：更看勾象，如何看？答曰：如火天大有，能勾申子辰水局，傷官者，以甲辰土父墓持世也。若不乘土爻，便不看勾象矣。

Someone asked: They say we should also look at the hook image, but how exactly should we do that? The answer is: In the Da You hexagram, the hook image can bring out the water pattern of Shen, Zi, and Chen. The water pattern transforms into children and harms the official line. The root lies in the Jiachen earth line, which is the tomb of the parents and holds the world line. If the world line is not riding on an earth line, then there is no need to look at the hook image at all.

又如隨卦，世持庚辰，能勾申子辰合水局，利幹文書之事。

For example, in the Sui hexagram, if the world line holds Gengchen, it can also connect Shen, Zi, and Chen to form a water pattern. The Sui hexagram belongs to the Zhen palace, which is associated with wood. Water can generate wood, so the water pattern formed in the Zhen palace produces the parents and documents line. Therefore, this hexagram is favorable for seeking matters related to documents.

若中孚卦，世持辛末官墓，不能勾亥卯未官局，以艮宮親爻寅木是官，卯木非官也。

As for the Hexagram Zhong Fu (Wind Lake), the World Line holds Xinwei. Wei is the storage of wood, so theoretically it should form the wood trinity of Hai-Mao-Wei. However, Zhong Fu belongs to the Gen palace, which is of earth. Wood overcoming earth is considered official ghost, but among the native爻 of the Gen palace, only寅 wood is considered official ghost, while卯 wood is an external爻 and does not count as official. Therefore, this hexagram cannot form a genuine official trinity.

子孫獨發，為退為散；若乘旺相，亦可求財。

In a single hexagram, if only the son's line is activated, it is called 'son's line alone moves'. The son's line is the god that overcomes the official, so when official matters meet this line, they retreat, and when there is worry or doubt, it dissipates. Therefore, it is said 'it causes retreat and dispersion'. If this line is riding on a prosperous and strong energy, since the son's line is also the source that generates wealth, it can also be used for seeking wealth.

子孫為傷官之神，發動利脫事，若乘旺相，亦可求財，出現更看變爻。子孫又為九流、中貴、福德、醫藥、蠶禽。乾和尚，震道士，兌尼姑，巽道姑，坎醫藥，離小士，艮法術，坤師巫。

The Son's爻 represents a spiritual entity that can injure or overcome the Official Ghost. When it moves, it is favorable for getting rid of entanglements and concluding matters. If it is in a prosperous and strong condition, it can also be used for seeking wealth. If the Son's爻 already appears in the hexagram, one should also look at what line it transforms into. The Son's爻 also represents various people such as itinerant scholars, palace attendants, the deity of fortune and virtue, physicians, and sericulture, poultry, and livestock. The Son's爻 in different trigrams refers to different people: in the Heaven trigram it refers to monks, in the Thunder trigram it refers to Taoist priests, in the Lake trigram it refers to nuns, in the Wind trigram it refers to Taoist nuns, in the Water trigram it refers to physicians, in the Fire trigram it refers to young scholars, in the Mountain trigram it refers to those who practice magic, and in the Earth trigram it refers to fortune tellers and witches.

或問：乾和尚等如何說？曰：乾為圓、為首、和尚圓頂象天也。

Someone asked: Why is it said that "children" are associated with the Qian trigram? The answer is: The Qian trigram represents roundness and the head. A monk has his head shaved, leaving a round top, which matches the image of Qian as Heaven and as a round head. Therefore, the monk is used as a symbol.

又問：子為和尚？曰：子孫在乾宮，其類神，乃為和尚也，餘以類推之。

Again, the question was asked: Are descendants necessarily monks? The answer was given: This refers to the case where the descendant爻 falls into the Qian hexagram, in which case the deity associated with that hexagram is considered as a monk. For the other hexagrams, the same method is applied according to their respective categories.

兄弟獨發，為詐為虛；若乘旺相，財破嗟吁。

In a single hexagram, if only the brothers' line is activated, it is called 'brothers alone moving'. Brothers represent deceit and falsehood, and they indicate disputes over words. Therefore, it is said 'it represents deceit and emptiness'. If this line is supported by strong and prosperous energy, the power of the劫财 (robber's wealth) becomes greater, leading to the loss of wealth. One can only end up sighing in vain.

兄弟為劫財之神，大忌隱伏。動發主虛詐不實之事，凶不凶、吉不吉，若旺相，主口舌憂疑破財，如出現發動，更看變得何如，大怕化鬼爻，凶。

The Siblings are deities that seize wealth. They are most undesirable when hidden beneath the World Line. When they become active, they bring about false and deceptive matters. Good fortune does not clearly manifest, and misfortune does not fully materialize; both ends remain unresolved. If the Siblings are prosperous and strong, they cause disputes, worries, confusion, and financial loss. If they appear on the卦 surface and become active, one must observe what they transform into; the most dangerous transformation is into the Official Ghost爻, which indicates misfortune.

或問：兄弟為劫財之神，大忌隱伏發動，何也？答曰：隱伏看兄弟伏在世爻下也，不伏世爻下，非為隱伏。動發者，兄弟獨發也。

Someone asked: They say that brothers are the spirits of劫财, and they are most忌讳 being hidden or activated. Why is that? The answer is:the so-called 'hidden' specifically refers to brothers being hidden under the world line; if they are not hidden under the world line, they are not considered hidden.the so-called 'activation' refers specifically to the case where brothers are activated alone.

父母獨發，重迭艱辛；若乘旺相，文書可成。

In a single hexagram, if only the parents' yao is activated, it is called "parents alone moving." The parents are a repeated and overlapping spirit; once they move, it indicates that matters will be repeatedly troublesome and difficult to handle. However, if they are supported by a prosperous and strong condition, since the parents are the spirits related to documents, seeking documents and contracts can actually be accomplished.

父母為重迭之神，大忌出現發動。若趲補名缺，求書札、取契，得旺相動發可成；若坐休囚，不可憑準矣。

The Parents are the spirits representing repetition and duplication, and they are most undesirable when they appear in the hexagram and become active. However, if the matter involves filling up missing positions, seeking letters or messages, or handling contracts and documents, then having the Parents in a prosperous and strong condition and becoming active can lead to success. If they are seated in a weak and confined state, they become unreliable.

或問：父母為重迭之神，何故為重迭？答曰：凡六親只有一重，惟父母有兩重，如祖父母、父母也，故父母發動，重迭艱辛。又問：如坐休囚，不可憑準？曰：父母發動，旺相尚自重迭艱辛，若休囚豈可憑乎？

Someone asked: They say parents are the god of overlapping, why is it specifically them that represent overlapping? The answer is: Among the six relations, all the others have only one layer, but parents have two layers — above are grandparents, below are parents. Therefore, when parents are activated, things become layered and complicated, full of hardship. Another question: They say when parents are in a weak and confined state, their statements are not reliable. How is this explained? The answer is: Even when parents are strong and prosperous, their influence still brings overlapping difficulties, how much more so when they are weak and confined? In such a case, how can their statements be trusted?

凡占官上馬，看文書爻入墓絕日去，墓，藏也；絕，止也。占自身，或占父在外慾回家，看世又絕墓日動身。又看世持什爻，待日辰沖便歸。如卦中化出爻來生合世爻，或去刑剋沖害世爻，便是此事搭住，如財又是婦人類。

When divining about an official starting a new post and departing, look at the day when the official document line enters its墓 or绝. 墓 means storage, and 绝 means cessation. When the official document is stored away, the person should leave. When divining about one's own departure or about the father being away and wanting to return, also look at the day when the world line meets 绝 or 墓. Then check what line the world line is holding. When the day branch comes to冲 it, the person will return. If a changing line in the hexagram generates and harmonises with the world line, or if it causes刑, 克, 冲, or 害 to the world line, then there is something that will hinder the person. For example, if the changing line is the wealth line, the person is likely being held back by a woman.

官鬼獨發，為欺為盜；若臨吉神，功名可望。

In a single hexagram, if only the official ghost line is activated, it is called 'official ghost alone'. When the official ghost is on the negative side, it signifies deception or theft; however, if it is accompanied by a virtuous deity, it becomes a proper official star, indicating hope for official position and prestige.

官鬼為官史，若求名遇吉神，必主立身清高，若臨囚神，必主興訟，賊盜弄魅害人之事。

Official Ghost represents government officials and clerks. If one seeks fame and Official Ghost meets auspicious deities, it certainly indicates a noble character and attainable status. But if it is accompanied by captive or dead deities, it will certainly lead to lawsuits, or encounters with thieves, or collisions with supernatural evils that cause harm.

妻財獨發，生鬼傷父；問病難瘳，占親無路。

In a hexagram, if only the wife's wealth line is activated, it is called "wife's wealth alone moves." Wealth can generate the official ghost and also overcome the parents, so when wealth moves, it is called "nourishing the ghost and harming the parents." When divining about illness, the official ghost represents the root of the disease; when wealth moves to nourish the ghost, the illness becomes difficult to recover from. When divining about the parents, the parents are exactly overcome by the wealth, so it is said that there is no way to reach the parents.

大抵財動克父，亦能生鬼；然財爻宜旺，不宜空；宜靜、不宜動。惟占脫貨，要財爻發動。如占婚姻，財動必克翁姑；占訟，主克文書，若財鬼俱動者，父有元神而翁姑不克，文書有成。

In general, when the wealth爻 moves, it both restrains the parents and nourishes the official ghost. Therefore, the wealth爻 should be strong rather than falling vacant, and should remain still rather than moving randomly. Only in the case of selling goods outright does the wealth爻 need to move, for only then can the transaction be completed. For example, in a divination about marriage, if the wealth爻 moves, it will restrain the in-laws; in a divination about lawsuits, if the wealth爻 moves, it indicates the loss of documents. However, if the wealth and the official ghost both move together, the official ghost, being nourished by the wealth, will turn to restrain the parents. With the parents having their origin god, the in-laws will not be restrained, and the documents can be handled properly.

以上專論五鄉公私兩用，為卜易者提綱捷訣也。

The above chapters specifically discuss the considerations and priorities of the "five categories" - parents, siblings, children, wealth, and official ghost - in matters of public and private use. This is a concise and essential summary provided by diviners of the I Ching.

世爻為命，月卦為身；得則富貴，失則賤貧。

When divining about a person's fortune, life and destiny, the World Line represents 'life', and the Month Hexagram, or Hexagram Body, represents 'body'. If both the body and life are timely, well-placed, and receive strong support and assistance, then it is a prosperous and wealthy destiny. If they are untimely, poorly placed, and suffer from being overcome or restricted, then it is a poor and humble destiny.

人之身命，冬至後占得陽卦陽爻為吉。假如正月占得二月卦為進，更加旺相祿馬，有子有財，居於有德之位，誠為有福貴人，如冬至後占得陰卦陰爻不吉。正月占得十二月卦為退，兼以相刑相剋、休囚又無財無子坐於不吉之爻，則為貧賤下命，俱以得時為吉，失時為凶也。

To determine a person's fate, after the Winter Solstice, the yang energy gradually increases, and if a yang hexagram and yang line are obtained, it is considered auspicious. For example, if a hexagram is cast in the first lunar month and the hexagram body is in the second month, moving forward from the first month by one step, this is called 'advancing'; if the line position is also prosperous and strong, accompanied by the禄神 (favorable deity) and驿马 (post horse), and the hexagram contains both children and wealth, with the world line sitting in a virtuous position, then it is indeed a fortunate and noble fate. Conversely, after the Winter Solstice, if a yin hexagram and yin line are obtained, it is considered inauspicious: if a hexagram is cast in the first lunar month and the hexagram body is in the twelfth month, moving backward from the first month by one step, this is called 'retreating'; if there are also punishments, clashes, and conflicts, the lines are weak and confined, the hexagram contains neither wealth nor children, and the world line is in an inauspicious position, then it is a poor and lowly fate. In summary, those in harmony with the season are auspicious, while those out of harmony are inauspicious.