Eighteen Discussions

父母爻：凡占祖父母、父母、師長、家主、伯叔姑姨、與我父母同輩、或與父母年若之親友，及牆城、宅舍、舟車、衣服、雨具、求雨、綢布氈貨、章奏文章、館室，俱以父母爻為用神。

Identifying the useful god is the first step in interpreting the hexagram: determine the category to which the person or matter in question belongs, and use the yao of that category among the six relations as the main element. The category of parents includes two main groups: the first is people, including grandparents, parents, teachers, heads of households (employers, landlords), uncles, aunts, and relatives of the same generation or similar age to the parents; the second is objects, including anything that shelters or supports me, such as city walls, houses, ships and vehicles, clothes, rain gear, and the act of praying for rain, as well as silk and wool goods, official documents, and accommodations. The principle of taking the image is "those that nourish me are my parents": anything that nurtures, covers, or protects me is categorized under parents.

官鬼爻：凡占功名、官府、雷電、鬼神、丈夫、夫之兄弟同輩，及夫之相與朋友、亂臣、盜賊、邪崇、憂疑、病症、尸首、逆風，俱以官鬼爻為用神。

When the official ghost爻 is used as the useful god: it is applied in all matters concerning official positions and career prospects, government offices, lightning and thunder in the heavens, and matters related to ghosts and spirits. A woman asking about her husband, as well as her husband's siblings and friends, should also use the official ghost爻. Additionally, it applies to matters such as corrupt officials, thieves, evil spirits, inner worries and doubts, physical illnesses, dead bodies, and contrary winds encountered while sailing. The official ghost爻 has two aspects: when associated with a nobleman, it represents official stars and official positions; when associated with a commoner, it represents misfortune, illness, and worries. Therefore, the same爻 can be a favorable deity in matters of seeking official positions, but a harmful deity in matters of illness. When selecting the useful god, one must first determine which aspect is relevant to the question being asked.

兄弟爻：凡占兄弟、姊妹、姊妹丈、妻之兄弟、世兄弟、結盟同寅，及知交朋友，俱以兄弟爻為用神。

Those who belong to the brother爻 are used as the Useful God when questioning one's siblings, sisters' husbands (cousin-in-law), wife's brothers (in-law), fellow generations of old friends, sworn brothers, colleagues, and close friends with deep ties. The reasoning behind this is "like and harmonious are brothers": anyone of the same generation, of equal status, and who can stand by one's side is categorized under this. Brothers are also considered the god that obstructs wealth, so they often act as the Hostile God in fortune divination and marriage predictions. However, when specifically questioning the fortune of the brother or friend themselves, they become the Useful God.

妻財爻：凡占嫂、與弟婦、妻妾，及友人之妻妾婢僕、物價、錢財珠寶金銀、倉庫錢糧、什物、器皿，及問天時、晴明，俱以妻財爻為用神。

The wife and wealth hexagram is used when asking about the wife, concubine, or the wife and servants of friends; when inquiring about the price of goods, treasures, gold and silver, stored grain and money, or daily necessities and utensils; and when asking about clear weather in the study of heavenly phenomena. The reasoning behind this is "what I overcome is wife and wealth." Anything that is subject to my command, under my control, or belongs to me is categorized under this hexagram. In the study of heavenly phenomena, wealth represents clear weather because wife and wealth overcome parents, and parents represent rain. When wealth is strong, rain stops and the sky clears; when parents are strong, rain comes.

子孫爻：凡占兒女、孫、侄、女婿、門生、忠臣、良將、藥材、僧道、六畜、禽鳥、順風、解憂避禍，及問天時、日月星斗，俱以子孫爻為用神。

The "子孙"爻 is used for: any question concerning children, grandchildren, nephews, sons-in-law, students; any question concerning loyal ministers and capable generals; any question concerning medicine, monks, Taoist priests, and the six domestic animals and birds; favorable winds for sailing; and matters of relieving worries and avoiding calamities; and for questions about celestial phenomena such as the sun, moon, and stars. The reasoning behind this is "I produce them, they are my descendants": anything that is produced by me, follows my command, or can relieve my misfortunes is categorized under this. "子孙" is also called "Fudou" and "Fushen," because it can restrain "官鬼": "官鬼" represents illness and misfortune, and when "子孙" moves, illness and misfortune are resolved, so it is relied upon for seeking medical treatment and avoiding danger. Conversely, when seeking fame and official rank, it becomes the mostHostile God because it restrains the "官星."

凡卦中世應二爻，世為自己，應作他人。世應相生相合，是雲賓主相投；世應相剋相沖，可見兩情不睦。凡占自己疾病，或問壽數，或問出行吉凶，諸凡損益自身者，以世爻為用也。凡占無尊卑之稱呼、未曾深交之朋友、九流術士、仇人、敵國，或指實某處地頭，或指此山此水、此寺此壇等類，俱以應爻為用神也。

In a single hexagram, the World Line represents oneself, and the Response Line represents the other party. If the World Line and Response Line mutually generate or harmonize, it indicates harmony and mutual interest between the parties. If they mutually control or clash, it suggests discord between the two sides. When should the World Line be used as the Useful God? Whenever one is asking about one's own illness, lifespan, or the fortune of traveling, or any matters concerning oneself, the World Line is used as the Useful God. When should the Response Line be used as the Useful God? Whenever the person being asked about cannot be distinguished in terms of status, age, or relationship, such as casual friends, fortune-tellers, physicians, enemies, or foreign countries, or when referring specifically to a place, mountain, river, temple, or shrine, the Response Line is used as the Useful God. This rule supplements the previous section on using the Six Relations to determine the Useful God: when certain matters cannot be classified under the Six Relations, the distinction between self and other is made through the World and Response Lines.

如占自己有一地可造墳否，則世為穴場，應為對案。如將買他人之地而欲造墳，問此地若葬益利我家否，以應作穴場，世是我家也。

Take an example to see how the World and Response Lines change according to the question. If you are asking whether a piece of land you already own can be used as a burial site, then the World Line represents the burial site (the location of the grave), and the Response Line represents the opposite hill or mountain facing the grave. However, if you are asking whether buying someone else's land for burial would be beneficial for your family, the situation reverses: the Response Line represents the other person's land, which becomes the burial site, while the World Line represents your family. The same "burial" question changes the meaning of the World and Response Lines depending on the angle of the question. This clearly shows that using the Useful God cannot be memorized mechanically; first, you must clearly understand who is involved and what the question is about.

或曰：僕占主人，以父母爻為用神；主人占僕，不以子孫爻為用神，何也？答曰：一切撫養庇護我身者，以父母爻為用神，即如城垣宅舍、舟車衣服等類是也；金銀對象、婢僕等一切驅使之類，以財爻為用神是也。

Someone asked: When a servant divines for his master, the parents' hexagram is used as the useful god; but when the master divines for the servant, why is the children's hexagram not used? Answer: The selection of the useful god is not based on辈分, but on 'relationship'. Any one who nurtures me or protects me is considered under the parents' hexagram — so things like city walls, houses, ships, vehicles, clothes and other things that can shield me are also included under parents. Any one who serves me or is under my control is considered under the wife and wealth hexagram — gold and silver, utensils, servants and other people who are under my command are all considered under the wife and wealth hexagram. When a servant looks at his master, the master is the one who protects him, so parents are used; when the master looks at the servant, the servant is under his control, so wife and wealth are used, and children have nothing to do with it.

又曰：占兄弟之妻、妻之姊妹，以財爻為用；占夫之兄弟以官爻為用，何也？答曰：兄弟之妻、妻之姊妹，與妻同輩人也，既夫占妻以財爻為用，皆是財爻為用矣。夫之兄弟，與夫同輩人也，既要占夫以官爻為用，皆是官爻為用矣。

Another question: When divining about the wife of a brother or the sister of a wife, the wife's爻 is used; but when divining about the husband's brother, the official ghost爻 is used. What is the reason for this? Answer: It is still based on the classification by generation. The wife of a brother, the sister of a wife, and one's own wife are all of the same generation; since when a husband divines about his wife, the wife's爻 is used, all female relatives of the same generation as the wife are generally taken as the wife's爻. The husband's brother is of the same generation as the husband; since when a woman divines about her husband, the official ghost爻 is used, all male relatives of the same generation as the husband are generally taken as the official ghost爻. This is the general rule of 'same generation, same爻', which allows one to infer a whole category from an individual, avoiding the need to memorize each case separately.

又問古書俱載兄弟為風雲，今以官鬼之爻為逆風，子孫之爻為順風，何也？答曰：貴人以官為官星，庶人以鬼為禍崇；貴人以子孫之爻為惡煞，庶人以子孫之爻為福神。官乃拘束之星，鬼乃憂疑阻滯之宿，如連日風雨，或遇逆風、疾病纏染、官司擾害、盜賊憂虞，人心豈暢？福神能制官鬼，善解憂愁，故為之用也。

Another question: Ancient texts say that the siblings hexagram represents wind and clouds, but now we use the official ghost hexagram for against-the-wind and the children hexagram for with-the-wind. Why is this? Answer: The same hexagram can have opposite meanings for different people. For officials, the official ghost hexagram represents the official star, which is a good thing; for common people, the official ghost hexagram represents misfortune, which is bad. For officials, the children hexagram represents a harmful official, an evil star; for common people, the children hexagram represents a god of fortune. The official ghost hexagram is originally a star that restrains people; ghosts are stars that cause worry, doubt, and obstruction. If there are several days of rain and wind, if one meets against-the-wind when going out, if one is suffering from illness, if one is involved in legal trouble, or if one fears thieves, which of these can make one feel at ease? All of these are the true nature of the official ghost hexagram, so against-the-wind belongs to the official ghost. The children hexagram is a god of fortune, which can restrain the official ghost and relieve worries, so with-the-wind belongs to the children hexagram. This shows that choosing the useful god cannot rely only on old rules; one must determine based on whether "this hexagram restrains or frees this person."

凡占卦要知原神，先看用神何爻，生用神之爻即是原神也。如用神旬空、月破、衰弱，或伏藏不現，得原神動來生之，或日辰月建作原神生之，必待用爻出旬出破、得令值日，所求必遂矣。如用神旺相，原神休囚不動，或動而變墓、變絕、變克、變破、變退，或被日辰月建剋制，皆不能生用，是用神根蒂被傷矣，是不惟無益而反有損也。

To recognize the original god (原神), first determine which line (爻) the useful god (用神) is in. Any line that generates the useful god is considered the original god. If the useful god falls into the旬空 (a void period), encounters the month breaker (月破), has weak energy, or is hidden and not revealed, but the original god activates to generate it, or the day branch (日辰) or month builder (月建) exactly acts as the original god to generate it, then one just needs to wait until the useful god comes out of the旬空, escapes the month breaker, or gains authority and is on the day, and the desired matter will certainly come to pass. Conversely, if the useful god is strong and prosperous, but the original god is weak and inactive; or if the original god is active, but changes into a tomb, death, self-destroying, month breaker, or retreating god; or is being overcome by the day branch or month builder — in these situations, the original god cannot generate the useful god, which is equivalent to damaging the root of the useful god. At this time, not only will help not be obtained, but there will be harm: because the path of life energy that should support it is cut off, the matter seems promising but ultimately fails to materialize.

凡占卦要知忌神，亦先看用神，克用神之爻即是忌神也。如忌神動來克用，而用爻出現不空，則受克也。倘卦中又動出一爻原神生用，則忌神反生原神，是名貪生忘克，則用神根蒂深固矣，其吉更倍矣。如忌神獨發而用空旬空，謂之避空；如伏藏不現，謂之避凶；如月建日辰生用，謂之得救。如是仍等為吉兆，夫亦何嫌何疑哉？

To identify theHostile God, one must first determine theUseful God. Any line that overcomes theUseful God is theHostile God. If theHostile God activates and overcomes theUseful God, and theUseful God is clearly present in the hexagram without being empty, then theUseful God is genuinely affected by this overcoming. However, if there is another line in the hexagram representing theOrigin God that also activates and supports theUseful God, theHostile God will first support theOrigin God and forget about overcoming theUseful God. This is called "贪生忘克" — not only does the overcoming fail, but it instead turns into a flow of life qi, making the root of theUseful God even stronger and doubling the auspiciousness. There are also three ways to avoid this: if theHostile God activates alone and theUseful God is exactly in the旬空, this is called "避空," and since the empty space cannot be overcome; if theUseful God is hidden and not visible, this is called "避凶," and hidden things cannot be overcome; if theMonth Builder orDay Branch come to support theUseful God, this is called "得救." All these situations are still auspicious and there is no need for worry.

如忌神變回頭之克，或日辰月建克沖之，或動爻制忌之，謂之賊欲害我，是賊先受害也，我又何傷。如日辰月建生扶忌神，或忌神疊疊克用，即使用神避空伏藏者，至出空出透時，便受其毒，難免其究也。

In the case where theHostile God is itself restrained: if theHostile God moves and transforms into a line that回头克 it, or if the day branch or month builder turns around to克 or冲 it, or if another moving line in the hexagram restrains it—this is like a robber wanting to harm me but gets beaten up first; how could I be harmed? However, there is also the opposite situation: if the day branch or month builder goes togenerate and support theHostile God, or if theHostile God in the hexagram重重克 theUseful God, then even if theUseful God temporarily hides or remains concealed, when the time comes for it to be exposed, it will still suffer the consequences, and ultimately cannot escape. Therefore, when examining theHostile God, one should not only look at whether it moves or not, but also consider its strength and whether there are lines restraining it.

凡占卦要知仇神，先看制克原神、生扶忌神者，即是仇神也。如卦中仇神發動，則原神被傷，用神無根，忌神倍力，其禍可勝道耶。

To identify the Enemy God, look for the line that both restrains the Origin God and supports the Hostile God. That line is the Enemy God. It is the most sinister among the four gods: when the Enemy God is activated in the hexagram, it first harms the Origin God, cutting off the root of the Useful God; at the same time, the Hostile God gains strength from it. On one hand, the path of the Useful God is cut off, and on the other, the force of the Hostile God is doubled. What calamity can be fully described? Therefore, when interpreting a hexagram, one must identify all four gods: the Useful God represents the matter being asked about, the Origin God is its source of support, the Hostile God is its enemy, and the Enemy God is the line that intensifies the enemy and blocks the source.

飛神有六：凡卦既有伏神，伏神之上者，飛神一也。六獸五類飛神，二也。他宮五類贅入本宮，取財、官、父、兄、子，飛神三也。一卦中內上下兩爻一類，內靜外興，外飛內，四也。外靜內興，內飛外，五也。內外皆興，飛去，六也。

The concept of "Flying God" includes several types. Wang's classification includes six types. The first and most commonly mentioned type is that in a hexagram, if there is a hidden god, the yao that is on top of it is considered its flying god. The second type involves the six beasts and their corresponding five types of six relations; when the six beasts are above the six relations, they are also considered a form of flying. The third type involves the five types of six relations from another palace mixing into the current palace's hexagram. For example, if a yao's earthly branch is considered as a certain six relation in the current palace but another in the derived or adjacent palace, the resulting wealth, official, parent, brother, and child are also considered a form of flying. The fourth type involves the same type of six relation appearing in both the upper and lower parts of a hexagram. If the inner trigram is still and the outer trigram is active, then the outer yao is considered to fly into the inner yao. The fifth type is the reverse, where the outer trigram is still and the inner trigram is active, so the inner yao is considered to fly into the outer yao. The sixth type involves both inner and outer yao being active, so they fly to each other and neither is considered hidden. The last three types mainly discuss how to choose between two appearances of the same type of six relation: the active one takes precedence, and the still one follows; if both are active, they each serve their own purpose.

夫伏神者，謂卦之有缺用神，才看用神伏於何爻之下。既有用神現，即使旬空、月破、動、靜、生、克、合、沖者，皆由機關之所發，是有病處，必以藥醫之。故空要值日，破要填合，伏待出露，沖待合，合待沖。此乃物窮必變，器滿則傾。若以破空為無用，以幹為坤之伏，大有五類俱全又扯否卦為伏，又爻爻有伏之說，豈非病失醫藥，其傳謬矣！

The concept of hidden god refers to when the required useful god is missing from the hexagram, and one then looks to see where it is hidden beneath which line. If the useful god is already present in the hexagram, even if it falls in an empty term, encounters a month breaker, or is active or still, generating or overcoming, combining or conflicting, these are all manifestations of heavenly mechanisms, indicating a "diseased" condition. One simply needs to treat it accordingly: wait for the empty term to be filled on its day, wait for the month breaker to meet its counterpart or be filled, wait for the hidden one to appear, wait for a conflicting line to be resolved by a combination, or wait for a combination to be broken by a conflict. This is the principle that things must change when they reach their limit, and that a full vessel will tip over. If one immediately concludes that a month breaker or empty term is entirely useless, or if one follows old interpretations by taking the Qian hexagram as the hidden god of the Kun hexagram, or if one insists that a hexagram already has all six relations and yet still forcefully assigns the hexagram of Pi as the hidden god, or if one claims that every line has a hidden god—then this is like having a disease but refusing to take medicine. These teachings are all incorrect.

至於學者無門可入，今陳一定不易之理，以便學者易於升堂。且乾坤艮兌坎離震巽乃八宮之首卦，名曰八純，其爻全金、木、水、火、土，其象備官、父、子、財、兄，本宮下七卦如缺一者，即以首卦為伏。假令姤、遁無財，須向乾宮借寅木；遁、否、晉、觀缺水，移乾子水伏初爻；觀、剝少金，乾卦申金為伏。今以乾卦為法，他宮他卦皆是以本宮首卦七卦之伏神也。

Old interpretations were confused, making it difficult for scholars to begin their studies. Therefore, I establish an unchangeable rule to make it easier for people to enter the door: the eight trigrams, Qian, Kun, Gen, Dui, Kan, Li, Zhen, and Xun, are the first trigrams of the eight palaces, called the "eight pure trigrams." Each of these trigrams has all five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in its six lines, and all six relations—official ghost, parents, children, wealth, and siblings—are complete. If any of the seven trigrams under the same palace are missing one of these, then the missing element is taken from the first trigram of the palace as the hidden god. Taking the Qian palace as an example: the trigrams Tianfeng Gou and Tianshan Duan lack wealth, so the second line's寅wood from Qian as Heaven is taken; the trigrams Tianshan Duan, Tian-di Pǒu, Huodi Jin, and Fengdi Guan lack water (the child of the water phase), so the initial line's子water from Qian as Heaven is moved to lie beneath the initial line of these trigrams; the trigrams Fengdi Guan and Shandi Bo lack metal (the sibling of the metal phase), so the fifth line's申metal from Qian as Heaven is used as the hidden god. The Qian palace is handled this way, and other palaces and trigrams are also handled the same way, using the first trigram of the palace as the hidden god for the seven trigrams under that palace—simply put, if something is missing, it is taken from the same line position in the first trigram of the palace.

青龍最喜悅而多仁，附忌神凡謀不利。白虎最凶勇而好殺，生用神諸為則吉。朱雀克身，口舌是非常有；如來生用，文書音信當回。勾陳屬土，空則田園欠熟；剛強克世，公差牽扯拘遲。螣蛇怪異虛驚，玄武私情盜賊。白虎血神生產，偏宜發動。

The Six Beasts themselves cannot determine success or failure; one must look at which line they are attached to. The Azure Dragon is most favorable and benevolent, but if it is attached to the line of the Hostile God, any endeavor will be obstructed. The White Tiger is most fierce and violent, but if it is on the line that generates the Useful God, doing anything will be auspicious. If the Vermilion Bird line restrains the World Line, there will be constant disputes and gossip; if it generates the Useful God, documents and messages will surely return. The Gou Chen belongs to the Earth element and governs farmland and buildings; if it falls into the empty and lost position, the harvest in the fields will be poor; if its strength is strong and it restrains the World Line, it indicates involvement in official matters, being detained by officers, and delays in affairs. The Teng She governs strange occurrences and sudden worries, while the Xuan Wu governs private affairs and theft. The White Tiger is also the blood god; when predicting childbirth, people actually hope for its activation—since the mother sees blood and gives birth, so in this context, theInauspicious Spirit (malevolent deity) becomes a validating deity. It is evident that the Six Beasts merely add color, and fortune or misfortune depends on the generation and restraint between the lines.

午宮朱雀化水，何忌大災。螣蛇木鬼，欺身恐自縊，難逃枷鎖。玄武官生靜世，交小人莫慮干連；世克靜，青龍巡捕戲場酒肆上。鬼動勾陳，論祈禱速酬太歲；問病原腫脹黃浮。

Another example: The Vermilion Bird governs fire. If it is on a fire line and changes into water (fire being controlled by water), even if there is an image of fire disaster, there is no need to be afraid, so it is said that there is no need to fear great calamity. The Snake is on a wood official ghost that oppresses the world line, which is most dangerous for suicide-related misfortunes, and also indicates difficulty avoiding imprisonment and jail. Wood represents ropes, the Snake represents entanglement, and the official ghost represents punishment, so when these three come together, the image is as such. The Black Tortoise is on an official ghost that generates the quiet world line, even if there is contact with small people, there is no need to worry about being involved; if the world line instead overcomes the quiet line, then the matter is under one's control. The Azure Dragon is on it and represents the position of patrol officers, indicating that the person often goes in and out of entertainment places and taverns. If the official ghost moves with Gou Chen, if asking about prayers, it means that a debt to the superior year is owed and needs to be repaid quickly; if asking about illness, the illness is mostly swelling, with a yellow and floating complexion — Gou Chen belongs to earth, and earth governs the spleen and stomach, hence this image.

略舉六神取用，莫將六獸推尊，遇吉神般般雲吉，持凶宿件件凶。

The above is only a brief example of how the Six Spirits are used. Students must not overrate the Six Beasts and treat them as the main factors in divination. The general principle is simply this: if the Six Beasts are attached to a favorable spirit (original spirit or useful spirit), then everything is favorable; if they are attached to an unfavorable spirit (taboo spirit or enemy spirit), then everything is unfavorable. The Six Beasts themselves have no independent good or bad qualities. They are like the color of clothes; the appearance depends on who wears them. To discuss the Six Beasts without considering the Five Phases of the lines and their generating and overcoming relationships is to abandon the root for the branches.

火生於寅也，金生於巳也，水土生於申也，木生於亥也。火庫於戍，絕於亥；金庫於丑，絕於寅；水土庫於辰，絕於巳；木庫於未，絕於申。此長生墓絕定例。卦卦必用者長生爻，爻須究者墓絕，除三者之餘，卦中俱弗重也。

The term "four generations" refers to the positions of growth, storage, and decline. Fire is born in寅, metal is born in巳, water and earth are born in申, and wood is born in亥. The storage of fire is in戌 and its decline is in亥; the storage of metal is in丑 and its decline is in寅; the storage of water and earth is in辰 and its decline is in巳; the storage of wood is in未 and its decline is in申. This is the fixed rule for growth, storage, and decline. When interpreting a hexagram, the position of growth is essential; for each line, the positions of storage and decline must be examined. Apart from these three, the other nine positions among the twelve generations (bathing, capping, officialdom, prosperity, decline, illness, death, birth, and nurturing) are not important in the hexagram. This is a major simplification by Wang, who does not require the determination of fortune and misfortune for each of the twelve generations, but only focuses on the three positions of growth, storage, and decline.

假令火之沐浴於卯為相生，火之冠帶於辰、衰於未、養於丑為洩氣，巳火臨官於巳為伏吟，午火臨官於巳為退神，巳火帝旺於午為進神，午火帝旺於午為伏吟，午火衰於未者為相合，午火病於申巳，午火死於酉者為仇神，巳火病於申者為相合，胎於子者為相剋，午火胞胎於子為克、為沖、為反吟。由此觀之，餘神奚足重哉！

Why should the other nine positions not be given much attention? Because their functions have already been covered by the system of mutual generation, mutual control, punishment and clash, and harmony. Let us take the example of the fire element. The bathing position of fire is in卯 (Mao), which is wood, and since wood generates fire, it is more straightforward to say "mutual generation." The capping position of fire is in辰 (Chen), and the decline position is in未 (Wei), while the nurturing position is in丑 (Chou). All these are earth, and since fire generates earth, it is a loss of energy, so it is more straightforward to say "loss of energy." The officialdom position of fire is in巳 (Si), which is the same branch, so it is more straightforward to say "hidden chant." The officialdom position of fire is in巳 (Si), which is the retreat from午 (Wu), so it is more straightforward to say "retreating god." The prosperity position of fire is in午 (Wu), which is the advance from巳 (Si), so it is more straightforward to say "advancing god." The prosperity position of fire is also in午 (Wu), which is "hidden chant." The decline position of fire is in未 (Wei), which is in harmony with午 (Wu), so it is more straightforward to say "harmony." The sickness position of fire is in申 (Shen), and the death position is in酉 (You), which are metal. Since fire controls metal, but metal consumes fire, it is more straightforward to say "enemy god." The sickness position of fire is in申 (Shen), which is in harmony with巳 (Si), so it is more straightforward to say "harmony." The fetal position of fire is in子 (Zi), which is water, and since water controls fire, it is more straightforward to say "mutual control." The fetal position of fire is in子 (Zi), which is in conflict with午 (Wu), so it is more straightforward to say "reverse chant." In this way, all the terms such as bathing, capping, decline, sickness, death, fetal, and nurturing can be replaced by the terms of mutual generation, mutual control, harmony, conflict, advancing, and retreating. Therefore, the other positions are not worth paying much attention to.

凡卦中月破之爻，乃關因之所現也。動者亦能生克他爻，變者亦能生克本爻。目下雖破，出月不破矣；今日雖破，值日不破矣。月破最喜逢合填實，遠應年月，近應日時。如破而安靜，再值旬空衰弱，遇動爻、月建、日辰克害，此等月破謂之真破，到底破矣。

The broken line of the month in the hexagram indicates a key point of the matter, and one should not dismiss it simply because it is broken. If this line moves, it can still generate and control other lines; if it changes into another line, the changed line can also generate and control it. The term 'broken' merely means it is restricted during this month; once outside of this month, it is no longer broken. Although it is broken today, on the day it is the day branch, it is no longer broken. The broken line of the month prefers to meet a line that harmonizes with it, or a day with the same branch to 'fill it in'—the time of occurrence may be in a certain year and month, or in a certain day and hour. Only in one case is it truly broken: when the line is broken by the month, remains still, is in the empty period of the ten-day cycle, is weak and lacks vitality, and is further harmed by the moving line, the month builder, and the day branch. This kind of broken line is called 'true broken', and it will remain broken without any chance of recovery.

凡卦中爻遇旬空，乃神機發現於此也。如旺相旬空，或休囚發動，日辰生扶、動爻生扶、動爻變空、伏而旺相，此等旬空到底有用，不過待其出旬、值日，有合空、沖起、沖實、填補之法，後卷占驗註明。如休囚安靜，或日辰克、動爻克、伏而被克，靜逢月破值此旬空者，謂之真空，到底空矣。

In a hexagram, when a line falls into the旬空, this is where the divine mechanism becomes apparent, and it should not be entirely dismissed. There are several cases where falling into旬空 is still useful: when the line itself is prosperous and strong but falls into旬空; when it is weak and confined but becomes active; when it is supported by the day branch; when it is supported by a moving line; when the line transformed by a moving line falls into旬空; or when the hidden line is prosperous and strong but falls into旬空. These are merely temporarily hidden, and they can be brought out by waiting for the end of the current ten-day period, or by waiting for the day when it is active, or by using methods such as combining with旬空, activating it through a conflict, or filling it up. Specific examples of these applications are noted in the later volumes of the divination records. Conversely, if a line is weak and inactive, or is being overcome by the day branch or a moving line, and the hidden line is also being overcome by the flying line, and it is simultaneously affected by the month's breaking force and falls into旬空, this is called 'vacuum'. In such a case, the line remains empty throughout and has no use. The key to distinguishing between empty and non-empty lines is a single sentence: if an empty line has vitality and support, it is a false emptiness; if it has no vitality and no support, it is a true vacuum.

反吟卦有二：有卦之反吟，有爻之反吟。卦有反吟，卦變相沖也；爻之反吟，爻變相沖也。（爻變相沖者，壹卦中惟有坤變巽、巽變坤。）

Reverse Chant has two layers. The first is "Hexagram Reverse Chant": the hexagram derived from the original hexagram is positioned opposite to the original three-line trigram, and the earthly branches are in opposition, which is called hexagram transformation with opposition. The second is "Line Reverse Chant": when a particular line is activated, the earthly branch of the transformed line exactly opposes the original line, which is called line transformation with opposition. The original commentary states that when all six lines are transformed to oppose, in a single hexagram only two transformations occur: Kūn transforming into Xùn and Xùn transforming into Kūn (Kūn includes the heavenly stems Yi and Gui paired with the earthly branches Wei, Si, Mao, Chou, Hai, and You; Xùn includes the heavenly stem Xin paired with the earthly branches Chou, Hai, You, Wei, Si, and Mao, and the six lines are exactly in pairs of opposition). Whenever Reverse Chant occurs, it indicates that matters will be reversed and inverted, going and coming back, succeeding and failing repeatedly. When divining, everything should be considered with a discount. It is especially inauspicious for divining illness, the whereabouts of a person, or legal disputes.

乾卦坐於西北，幹右有戌，幹左有亥；巽卦坐於東南，巽右有辰，巽左有巳。兩卦相對，有辰戌、巳亥相沖，故乾為天卦變巽為風卦，巽卦變幹；天風姤卦變風天小畜，小畜變姤——此幹巽二卦相沖反吟卦也。坎卦坐於正北，坎下坐子；離卦坐於正南，離下坐午。兩卦相對，有子午相沖，故坎為水卦變離，離為火卦變坎；水火既濟變未濟，水火未濟變既濟——此坎離二卦相沖反吟卦也。

The reverse chant of the hexagrams is explained according to the Later Heaven Trigrams. The Qian Trigram is located in the Northwest, with the right adjacent to Xu and the left adjacent to Hai. The Xun Trigram is located in the Southeast, with the right adjacent to Chen and the left adjacent to Si. These two trigrams are directly opposite each other. Chen and Xu are in opposition, and Si and Hai are in opposition, so Qian (Heaven) transforms into Xun (Wind), and Xun (Wind) transforms into Qian (Heaven). Tian Feng Gou transforms into Feng Tian Xiao Xu, and Xiao Xu transforms into Gou. These are the reverse chant hexagrams of Qian and Xun. The Kan Trigram is located in the Due North, with the bottom adjacent to Zi. The Li Trigram is located in the Due South, with the bottom adjacent to Wu. These two trigrams are directly opposite each other. Zi and Wu are in opposition, so Kan (Water) transforms into Li (Fire), and Li (Fire) transforms into Kan (Water). Shui Hu Ji Ji transforms into Hu Shui Wei Ji, and Hu Shui Wei Ji transforms into Shui Hu Ji Ji. These are the reverse chant hexagrams of Kan and Li.

艮卦坐於東北，艮右有丑，艮左有寅；坤卦坐於西南，坤右有未，坤左有申。二卦相對，有丑未、寅申相沖，故艮為山卦變坤，坤為地卦變艮；山地剝卦變謙，地山謙卦變剝——此艮坤二卦相沖反吟卦也。震卦坐於正東，震下坐卯；兌卦坐於正西，兌下坐酉。兩卦相對，有卯酉相沖，故震卦變兌，兌卦變震；雷澤歸妹變隨，澤雷隨卦變歸妹——此震兌二卦相沖反吟卦也。子變午，午變子，丑變未，未變丑，寅變申，申變寅，卯變酉，酉變卯，辰變戌，戌變辰，巳變亥，亥變巳，亦以此變出相沖，乃爻之反吟也。

The hexagram Gen (Mountain) is located in the Northeast, with Chou on its right and Yin on its left. The hexagram Kun (Earth) is located in the Southwest, with Wei on its right and Shen on its left. These two hexagrams are directly opposite each other. Chou and Wei are in opposition, as are Yin and Shen. Therefore, when Gen (Mountain) transforms into Kun (Earth) and Kun (Earth) transforms into Gen (Mountain), and when Shan Di Bo (Mountain Earth Splitting) transforms into Di Shan Qian (Earth Mountain Humility) and Di Shan Qian transforms into Shan Di Bo, these are examples of Gen and Kun opposing each other in reverse chant. The hexagram Zhen (Thunder) is located in the East, with Mao beneath it; the hexagram Dui (Lake) is located in the West, with You beneath it. These two hexagrams are directly opposite each other. Mao and You are in opposition, so when Zhen transforms into Dui and Dui transforms into Zhen, and when Lei Ze Gui Mei (Thunder Lake Following) transforms into Ze Lei Sui (Lake Thunder Following) and Ze Lei Sui transforms into Lei Ze Gui Mei, these are examples of Zhen and Dui opposing each other in reverse chant. As for the reverse chant of lines, it refers to a single line being activated and the corresponding branch changing to its opposing branch: Zi changes to Wu, Wu changes to Zi; Chou changes to Wei, Wei changes to Chou; Yin changes to Shen, Shen changes to Yin; Mao changes to You, You changes to Mao; Chen changes to Xu, Xu changes to Chen; Si changes to Hai, Hai changes to Si. All these are examples of line reverse chant. When interpreting a hexagram, first check if there is a reverse chant between the hexagrams, then examine each line to see if there is a line reverse chant. If both exist, the situation is particularly complex and repeated.

金絕於寅，木絕於申，水土絕於巳，火絕於亥。譬如寅日占卦，金爻絕於寅，如卦中有土爻動而生之，是絕處逄生也。申日占卦，木爻絕於申，如卦中有水爻動而生之，是絕處逄生也。巳日占卦，水爻則絕於巳，如卦中有金爻動而生之，是絕處逄生也。亥日占卦，火爻絕於亥，如卦中有木爻動而生之，是絕處逄生也。

First, remember the absolute points of the Five Phases: metal is at its absolute point in寅, wood in申, water and earth are at their absolute points in巳, and fire in亥. The phrase "absolute point meets revival" refers to a line that has already reached its absolute point suddenly receiving generation and support. For example, if a divination is done on a寅 day and the metal line in the hexagram is at its absolute point, then if a soil line moves to generate metal, the metal line, though at its absolute point, will revive, which is called "absolute point meets revival." Similarly, if a divination is done on a申 day and the wood line is at its absolute point, and a water line moves to generate wood, it is also "absolute point meets revival." On a巳 day, if the water line is at its absolute point and a metal line moves to generate water, it is also "absolute point meets revival." On a亥 day, if the fire line is at its absolute point and a wood line moves to generate fire, it is also "absolute point meets revival." When such a situation occurs in a divination, it indicates that something was originally hopeless but then a turning point occurs, with the matter having no hope at first but suddenly being helped by someone else.

惟巳日占卦，土爻絕於巳，如月建生扶幫比，土爻不謂絕也，謂之日生；如土化出巳，有日月幫比，不云化絕，乃云回頭生也；如日月制土，則是絕於日也，則是化絕於爻也。如酉日占卦，寅爻被克，卦中有水爻動而生之，是克處逄生矣，餘例如之。大凡逄生則寒谷逄春，克處逄生則凶後見吉也。

The absolute decline of the earth element should be considered separately: on a day of巳, the earth element is normally in decline, but since fire is naturally able to generate earth, if the month builder comes to support and assist the earth element, then the earth element is not considered in decline, but rather regarded as being generated by the day. Similarly, if the earth element moves and transforms into fire of巳, and there is support from the day or month, it is not called "transformation into decline," but rather "reciprocal generation." Only when the day branch and month builder counteract and restrain the earth element does it truly become in decline due to the day and truly transform into decline in the爻. As for "being rescued after being overcome": on a day of酉, if the寅 wood in the hexagram is overcome by the day branch, and there is a water element moving to support the寅 wood, then the wood is overcome but saved, which is called "being rescued after being overcome." Other examples follow the same pattern. Generally, when something is in decline but receives support, it is like a cold valley suddenly experiencing spring; when something is overcome but receives support, it is like starting with misfortune but eventually seeing good fortune. In divination, these two situations are most favorable, appearing hopeless but actually offering a chance for change.

凡卦中亥變子，丑變辰，寅變卯，辰變未，巳變午，未變戌，申變酉，戌變丑，乃進神也。進神者，吉凶倍增其勢也。凡卦中子變亥，戌變未，酉變申，未變辰，午變巳，辰變丑，卯變寅，丑變戌，乃退神也。退神者，吉凶漸減其威也。

When a moving line changes into a branch of the same Five Phases but in a more advanced position, it is called "advancing god" (进神). For example,亥 changes to子, 寅 changes to卯, 巳 changes to午, and 申 changes to酉 (each of the same water, wood, fire, and metal branches advances by one position). Similarly, 丑 changes to辰, 辰 changes to未, 未 changes to戌, and 戌 changes to丑 (the four earth branches follow each other in sequence). When a line becomes an advancing god, its power gradually increases. If it is auspicious, the auspiciousness becomes stronger and faster; if it is inauspicious, the inauspiciousness becomes more severe. Therefore, it is said, "auspicious and inauspicious tendencies are multiplied." Conversely, when a moving line changes into a branch of the same Five Phases but in a more backward position, it is called "retreating god" (退神). For example,子 changes to亥, 酉 changes to申, 午 changes to巳, 卯 changes to寅, and 戌 changes to未, 未 changes to辰, 辰 changes to丑, and 丑 changes to戌. When a line becomes a retreating god, its power gradually weakens. If it is auspicious, the auspiciousness does not last long; if it is inauspicious, the inauspiciousness does not reach its full extent. Therefore, it is said, "auspicious and inauspicious tendencies gradually lose their strength." In divination, when the useful god (用神) transforms into an advancing god, it is favorable; when the hostile god (忌神) transforms into a retreating god, it is also good. Conversely, if the useful god transforms into a retreating god or the hostile god transforms into an advancing god, it should be viewed negatively.

凡人問卦，惟致誠可以感格神明，故齋戒謹指占一事，神前祝告而後卜之，則是用神，是原，是忌，是仇，動、靜、生、克、合、沖、變化、旬空、月破、月建、日辰，研究其理，無不驗也。如卜者不審其本來之心而妄斷之，則理有不通，不驗也。兼問幾事，則數有不建，不驗也。如姦盜邪淫之事，則天有不容，不驗也。或乘便偶占，亳無誠敬，不驗也。

When people seek divination, only sincere intention can connect with the divine. Therefore, they should fast and purify their minds, clearly focusing on a single matter, and pray before casting the divination. Once the divination is completed, identify the useful god, origin god, hostile god, and enemy god one by one. Then investigate the meaning from various aspects such as movement and stillness, generation and overcoming, joining and conflicting, transformation, empty periods, month breaker, month builder, and day branch. There is no case that will not be fulfilled. However, the following situations will not be accurate: First, if the person casting the divination does not understand the true intention of the seeker and makes random interpretations, the reasoning is already flawed, so it will not be accurate. Second, if the divination covers several matters at once, the divination is not focused, and there is no way to assign meaning, so it will not be accurate. Third, if the question involves immoral acts such as adultery or theft, which are against heaven's will, it will not be accurate. Fourth, if the divination is done casually without sincerity or respect, it will not be accurate.

又如與人代占，必先明說是何名分，方可就其親疏、上下分別用神以為占驗，庶無差誤。假如奴僕代主來占，則以父母爻為用神，今乃有人自顧體面不說實情，假託親戚，以致用神誤差，雖吉無益，不驗也。更或來卜之人心雖誠敬，或阻於他事令人代卜，而代卜之人心或不誠，不驗也。又或一事而今日占之，明日又占之，或一人連占四五卦，是再三瀆則不告，不驗也。

Fifth, when someone else is asked to divinate on behalf of another person, it is necessary first to clarify the relationship between the person asking and the one being asked about. Only then can the diviner select the appropriate useful god according to the closeness, respect, and hierarchy of the relationship, thus avoiding errors. For example, if a servant comes to divinate on behalf of his master, the parents' trigram should be used as the useful god. Now, however, some people are unwilling to tell the truth for their own sake, pretending to be asking on behalf of a relative, leading to an incorrect selection of the useful god. Even if the divination result is favorable, it will not be effective and will not come true. Sixth, although the person seeking divination may be sincere, if they are hindered by other matters and send someone else to ask on their behalf, and the person doing the divination is not sincere, the result will not be accurate. Seventh, when the same matter is divined on two or more occasions, or when one person asks for several divinations in succession, this is exactly what the Zhou Changes (I Ching) says in the Meng hexagram: 'To repeat the act of divination three times is to commit sacrilege, and sacrilege means the gods will not reveal the truth.' Therefore, the divination will not be effective. These seven points attribute the reason for 'the divination not working' to human factors rather than to the principles of divination, which is the original intention of Wang's book The正宗.

夫人因事有憂，惟卜可決，必致誠求卜，神必以吉凶相告，當以生剋制化、動靜之理細推，無不應驗。

A person comes to seek divination because he is anxious about something, and only divination can decide for him. If he comes with sincere intention, the spirits will surely tell him whether it is auspicious or inauspicious. The diviner only needs to carefully examine the principles of generation, control, transformation, and the dynamics of movement and stillness, and there will be no failure in the outcome. This is the premise of Wang Hongxu's argument: the power of the hexagram lies entirely in the words "sincerity" and "reason," not in any secret or shortcut methods. The following discussion refutes Li Wenhui's claim in his work "Zengshan Buyi" that one does not need to study hexagram texts.

豈李文輝作《增刪卜易》一書，首章云：此書有十二篇秘法，單教世之全不知五行生剋之士，亦不必念卦書，只要學會點課就知決斷吉凶，知功名之成敗，知財物之得失，知疾病之生死，知禍福之趨避，種種諸事概不必念卦書則知決斷，乃吾師鶴老人苦心於世之秘法，萬兩黃金無處求等語。

He did not realize that Li Wenhui, in his book "Zengshan Buyi" (The Augmented and Revised Divination Manual), boasted in the first chapter that this book contained twelve secret methods, specifically designed for those who had no knowledge of the Five Phases and their interactions. He claimed that with these methods, one did not need to read any divination texts; by merely learning to set up the卦 (gua) and arrange the lessons, one could judge fortune and misfortune, know whether success in officialdom would be achieved, whether wealth could be obtained, whether a sick person would die, and whether calamity or blessing should be sought or avoided. All these matters could be decided without the need for reading. He also said that these were secret methods passed down by his teacher, the Wild Crane Elder, and that they could not be obtained for a hundred thousand taels of silver. Wang cited this passage precisely to point out its flaw: reducing divination to a mechanical technique that does not require understanding, which reduces the Book of Changes to mere child's play.

閱其秘法曰：求名以官爻為用神，以子孫爻為忌神，不必念卦書，不要看生剋制化、動靜沖合，只要會裝卦對神禱告曰：我若有功名，求賜官爻持世。卜一卦官爻不臨世，再卜；再卜又無，再卜或明日再卜。倘得官爻持世，固知有名；倘得子孫持世，固知無名。

Now look at his so-called secret method: for seeking official rank, he takes the official ghost爻 as the useful god and the children爻 as the hostile god. Then he says one does not need to read divination books, nor need to consider the generation and overcoming, or the movement and stillness, or the conflict and harmony. One only needs to set up a divination, and pray to the gods, saying, "If I have official rank, please grant me a divination where the official ghost爻 holds the world position." If the official ghost爻 is not in the world position, one should shake the divination again; if it is still not there, shake again, or continue the next day. One continues until the official ghost爻 holds the world position, and then concludes that one has official rank; if the children爻 holds the world position, one concludes that one does not have official rank. The absurdity of this method lies in two aspects: first, it reduces the fortune or misfortune of a single divination to whether a certain爻 is in the world position; second, it repeatedly shakes the divination when it does not meet the desired outcome, which directly contradicts the ancient teaching in the Zhou Changes, the Meng hexagram, which states, "To repeat the offering three times is to offend, and when one offends, the gods will not respond."

求財見財爻持世則有，兄弟持世則無。卜病見有用神持世則生，見有忌神持世則死。

He applied the same approach to other branches: for seeking wealth, one only looks at whether the wealth hexagram is in the position of the world; if it is, there is wealth, but if siblings are in the position of the world, there is no wealth; for divination on illness, one only looks at whether the useful god is in the position of the world; if it is, the condition will recover, but if the hostile god is in the position of the world, the condition will worsen. According to Wang's view, this entirely negates the principles of the hexagram: if the wealth hexagram is in the position of the world but is heavily restricted by siblings and falls into an empty position, where is the wealth? If the useful god is in the position of the world but is broken by the month, attacked by the day, and reaches its end without any rescue, how can it be beneficial? The position of the world is merely one position within the hexagram; whether it is auspicious or inauspicious depends on the strength and weakness of that hexagram, as well as whether it is supported or restricted by other elements. How can it be decided simply by the statement "who is sitting in the position of the world"?

諸卜皆以用神持世斷吉，忌神持世斷凶。如無用神、忌神持世，必要卜見方止。予想李文輝又愚也，何不以笤並禱告，聖陰陽為吉凶斷，更快捷方式於此法也。今之丟笤者，豈不值萬萬兩黃金乎。總之李文輝侮聖人之易，迷後世之途，予故闢之。

He applied this principle to all branches of divination: if the useful god is the one holding the world, it indicates good fortune; if the hostile god is the one holding the world, it indicates bad fortune; if the divination result shows neither the useful god nor the hostile god holding the world, then one must keep casting until one appears. I think Li Wenhui is really confused: if this is the case, why not simply use two bamboo sticks for prayer, and decide good or bad fortune based on whether one is sacred, one is yin, or one is yang? That would be much simpler than his method. According to his reasoning, all the people who cast bamboo sticks on the streets nowadays would be worth millions of taels of gold. In the end, Li Wenhui is showing contempt for the Classic of Changes composed by the sages, leading later scholars astray, so I must refute him.

凡卦中用神不出現，查變爻有，不必尋伏神矣；倘變爻又無，然後查用神伏於何爻之下，看有提拔沒有，提拔以定吉凶，無不應驗。其法譬如坤宮坤為地卦，六爻五類備全，假使用爻旬空、月破、刑、沖、克害，即就其本爻有病者論吉凶。

Determining the hidden god follows a certain order: if the useful god does not appear in the hexagram, first check the changing lines to see if it is there; if it is, use the changing line and do not need to look for the hidden god. Only if the useful god is not found in the changing lines should one then check where the useful god is hidden under which line, and see if there is any supporting force (such as the day branch or month builder generating it, the clash opening the flying god, or the value of the ten-day period leading it), and determine fortune or misfortune accordingly, and it will always be accurate. For example, in the hexagram of Kun (Earth) from the Kun trigram, all six lines and five categories of the six relations are complete. Even if the useful god falls into the ten-day period void, meets the month breaker, or suffers from punishment and clash, one only needs to examine the condition of that line itself to determine fortune or misfortune, without needing to look for another hidden god.

如復、臨、泰、大壯、夬、需、比七卦，倘正卦與變卦皆無用神，即將坤為地卦內用神為伏本卦某爻之下，此法乃萬古一定不易。豈如張星元《易林補遺》總斷所云：飛伏在二儀交換，定然陽伏陰而陰伏陽；乾坤來往換，震巽兩邊求，艮兌相抽取，坎離遞送流等語哉。

As for the seven hexagrams: Fu (Earth over Thunder), Lin (Earth over Marsh), Tai (Heaven over Earth), Da Zhuang (Thunder over Heaven), Guai (Heaven over Marsh), Xu (Heaven over Water), and Bi (Earth over Water), if the useful god is not found in the primary hexagram or the resulting hexagram, then take the useful god from the hexagram Kun (Earth) and place it beneath the corresponding line of the primary hexagram—this method is an unchanging rule. How different this is from Zhang Xingyuan's "Supplements to the Forest of Changes" which states: "Flying and hidden gods exchange between yin and yang; it is certainly that a yang line hides beneath a yin line and a yin line hides beneath a yang line; the two palaces of heaven and earth exchange back and forth; zhen and xun seek each other; gen and dui draw from each other; kan and li pass on to each other." This approach has no fixed place and is unrelated to the fundamental hexagram of the original palace, inevitably leading to confusion and misapplication.

若據彼將天風姤卦為地雷復卦之伏神，不知地雷復卦所缺者文書（父）爻，應將本宮首卦為巳，取坤之二爻巳火文書伏復卦二爻寅木之下，寅木為飛，巳火為伏，謂之飛來生伏，如占文書長輩事屢驗巳日。若據張星元以天風姤卦為復之伏，取姤卦第四爻午火伏復卦第四爻丑土下，妄將午火伏丑土洩氣之下為凶，不以巳火伏長生之下為吉。

According to his method, one should take the hexagram Tian Feng Gou as the hidden god of Di Lei Fu. He did not realize that Di Lei Fu was missing the parents (documents) line, which should be taken from the first hexagram of its own palace, Kun Wei Di. The second line of Kun Wei Di is the巳 fire parents, so it should be placed under the second line of Fu hexagram, which is寅 wood. The寅 wood is the flying god and the巳 fire is the hidden god. Wood generates fire, and fire is born in寅, which is called "flying god generates hidden god." For matters concerning documents or elders, this often appears on the巳 day and is very accurate. If Zhang Xingyuan took Tian Feng Gou as the hidden god of Fu hexagram, and placed the fourth line of Gou hexagram, which is午 fire, under the fourth line of Fu hexagram, which is丑 earth, then he would have placed the午 fire under the丑 earth, which is a draining earth, and thus judged it as凶. This missed the correct principle that the巳 fire should be in its long life position and thus be judged as吉. It is the same matter concerning documents, but one method leads to吉 and the other to凶, entirely depending on whether the hidden god is correctly taken.

又此天山遁卦缺子孫，必以乾卦初爻子水子孫伏遁卦初爻辰土之下，水庫居辰謂之入墓于飛爻也，看有提拔者吉，無提拔者凶，此亦萬古不易之法。而張星元竟將地澤臨卦第五爻癸亥水伏遁卦第五爻申金之下，則曰用神伏長生之下吉，是扯張甲當李乙，妄論吉凶。

Another example: In the mountain over heaven retreat hexagram, the children are missing, so one must use the water child, which is the first line of the Qian hexagram (Heaven), hidden under the first line of the retreat hexagram, which is the earth element Chen. The burial place of water is Chen, this is called 'the hidden god is buried in the flying line'. One should check if there is a supporting force for it; if there is, it is auspicious, if not, it is inauspicious. This is an unchanging rule. Zhang Xingyuan, however, took theGuihai water from the fifth line of the earth over lake hexagram, and placed it hidden under the fifth line of the retreat hexagram, which is the metal element Shen, claiming that 'the useful god is hidden in the place of growth', thus it is auspicious. Retreat is a hexagram of the Qian palace, and Lin is a hexagram of the Kun palace. Taking the hidden god across palaces is like bringing Zhang San to be Li Si, making up auspicious or inauspicious judgments out of nowhere.

又言用神上卦如遇旬空、月破、刑、沖、克、害即當尋伏。又言歸魂卦皆將本宮第四卦為伏，據稱大有卦初爻子水子孫值旬空，將天地否卦為伏神，而否卦六爻之內並無子孫，還是以出現旬空者凶呼？還是以伏卦中沒有用神無吉無凶乎？略闢其伏神一二之謬，以示後學。

He also said that even if the useful god is present in the hexagram, if it meets with the旬空, month breaker, punishment and clash, or clash and control, one should look for the hidden god instead—this is mistaking 'illness' for 'absence of the useful god.' He also said that in all returning soul hexagrams, the fourth hexagram of the same palace should be taken as the hidden god. For example, in the hexagram Da You (Fire Heaven), the first line has a water child, which is the useful god, but it falls into旬空, so the hexagram Pi (Heaven and Earth) is taken as the hidden god. However, the hexagram Pi does not have a child among its six lines. So the question arises: should we use the existing line that has fallen into emptiness to judge the凶 (adverse), or should we use the hidden god hexagram which has no useful god at all, thus concluding there is no good or bad? Both approaches fail to provide a solid basis. Here I briefly mention a couple of his errors regarding the hidden god, to serve as a warning for later learners.