Rectify the Errors in the Supplements to the Forest of Changes Regarding Fetus Cultivation, Decline, and Illness

凡卜卦遇長生、沐浴、冠帶、臨官、帝旺、衰、病、死、墓、絕、胎、養，卦中所重者長生、墓、絕，其沐浴、冠帶等七件，各有合、沖、生、克、扶拱、進、退神分別。假如申酉金沐浴於午，金化午乃回頭克也，或午日占乃日辰克也；如申化酉曰進神，如酉化申曰退神，如金化未戌土曰回頭生，如化卯日反吟，申化辰曰回頭生，酉化辰曰化生合也。生剋制化合沖之間，神機報在。

When divining a hexagram, if the twelve long life stages are encountered, the hexagram mainly focuses on the positions of long life, tomb, and end. The other seven positions, such as bathing and capping, can be explained using terms like combination, conflict, generation, overcoming, support, advancing god, and retreating god. There is no need to establish a separate system of good and bad fortune. For example, the bathing position of metal in the hour of午 is when the metal element changes into午 fire, which is actually a case of self-overcoming. If the divination is done on the day of午, it is simply the day branch overcoming the element. When申 changes to酉, it is called advancing god, and when酉 changes to申, it is called retreating god. When the metal element changes into未 earth or戌 earth, it is called self-generation. When the metal element changes into卯, it is called reverse chant. When申 changes to辰, it is self-generation. When酉 changes to辰, and辰 and酉 combine, it is called transformation and combination. In summary, the key to divination lies in the interactions of generation, overcoming, transformation, combination, conflict, advancing, and retreating. There is no need to create separate categories for bathing and capping.

豈張星元以胎養半吉之祥、以衰病半凶之禍？若以胎養半吉之祥，假令巳午火長生於寅，胎於子；寅卯木胎於酉；子亥水養於未，是化胎養半吉之祥，還是化回頭克？沒有半合。如金爻為用，動化戌土是回頭生，凡占全吉；若據張星元說衰病半凶之禍，又如午火化未土是化合，諸占欲散者得之、見阻欲成者得之可成。半凶半吉之謬，誤人不淺矣，故闢之。

Zhang Xingyuan insists on calling the terms "Tai" and "Yang" as half-beneficial omens, and "Shuai" and "Bing" as half-harmful disasters, which makes no sense. If we say that "Hua Tai" and "Hua Yang" are half-beneficial, then for example, the fire of Si and Wu is born in Yin, with Tai in Zi. However, Zi water directly restrains fire; the wood of Yin and Mao has Tai in You, but You metal directly restrains wood; the water of Zi and Hai has Yang in Wei, but Wei earth directly restrains water. So should this be considered as "half-beneficial Hua Tai and Hua Yang," or as "Hua回头克" (returning to restrain)? There is absolutely no such thing as half-beneficial and half-harmful. Another example: if the metal wu is the useful god, and it moves to produce Xu earth, which generates metal, this is "returning to generate," which is entirely beneficial regardless of the situation. According to Zhang Xingyuan's idea that "Shuai and Bing are half-harmful," since metal is in decline at Chen and in disease at Zi, would he not turn this entirely beneficial situation into a half-harmful one? Another example: the fire of Wu changes into the earth of Wei, Wu and Wei combine, which is a combination. Those who want to end matters will find it difficult to do so, while those facing obstacles who want to achieve something will succeed. In one combination, the fortune is either good or bad depending on the situation, how can there be a fixed "half-beneficial and half-harmful"? This vague statement misleads people deeply, so it should be refuted.

《卜筮全書》以子午持世身居初，丑未持世身居二，寅申持世身居三，卯酉持世身居四，辰戌持世身居五，巳亥持世身居六。其注云：持世之辰是子，即以初爻安世身；如世爻旬空、月破、日辰刑沖剋害，不必看世，當察身爻，以身爻代世爻之勞；如身爻吉則言吉，身爻凶則言凶。今人宗之，大誤於事，不知卦中所重者生剋制化、空破刑沖動靜。

The Complete Book of Divination establishes another term called "World Body." If the earthly branch of the World Line is Zi or Wu, the World Body is placed on the first line; if it is Chou or Wei, it is placed on the second line; if it is Yin or Shen, it is placed on the third line; if it is Mao or You, it is placed on the fourth line; if it is Chen or Xu, it is placed on the fifth line; if it is Si or Hai, it is placed on the sixth line. Its commentary says: if the line that holds the World Line is Zi, the World Body is placed on the first line; once the World Line falls into the旬空, meets the Month Breaker, or is punished and clashed by the Day Branch, one should no longer look at the World Line, but instead look at the Body Line, letting the Body Line take the burden of the World Line; if the Body Line is auspicious, then it is auspicious; if the Body Line is inauspicious, then it is inauspicious. Nowadays people follow this method, and their interpretations are greatly wrong, completely unaware that in the hexagram, what is truly important is the generation, control, transformation, and interaction of elements, as well as the emptiness, breaking, punishment, clash, harm, and movement or stillness.

如占自己吉凶，理當推世，以世為我以定吉凶是也。倘世爻逄凶，身爻逄吉，還是在於世之凶乎？還是在於身爻之吉乎？由此觀之，而子午持世身居初爻諸謬甚矣。

For example, when divining one's own fortune, one should naturally focus on the World Line (世爻) to determine good or bad fortune, as the World Line represents oneself. However, according to his method, if the World Line encounters misfortune while the body line (身爻) encounters good fortune, should the divination be based on the misfortune of the World Line or the good fortune of the body line? One person has two masters, and both good and bad outcomes exist simultaneously, leaving the diviner confused. This clearly shows that the statement "When the hour is at Zi or Wu, the World Line is located at the first line" is highly erroneous. Wang's principle is that when divining one's own fortune, only the World Line should be used. The main factor for the matter is another "month hexagram body" (月卦身) which can be referred to. He does not create another "World Body" (世身) to divide authority.

凡占延醫用藥，以應爻為醫生，以子孫爻為藥石，此係萬古不易之理。今術家不察應爻之有無用，不看子孫爻之動靜旺衰，竟查天醫星之有無，則曰：天醫上卦，服藥有效，醫生可用；或查天醫不上卦，服藥無效，醫生不可用。倘天醫不上卦而應臨子孫發動，有氣克鬼生身，竟斷醫生不明、服藥無效，有失先天之妙旨。況醫生可寄死生、有關人命，故予辨之。

When divining about seeking medical treatment and taking medicine, the Response Line represents the doctor and the Children Line represents the medicine. This is an unchanging principle throughout history. Now, practitioners do not examine whether the Response Line is useful or not, nor do they check if the Children Line is active or still, strong or weak. Instead, they only look for the presence of the Heavenly Doctor Star. If the Heavenly Doctor appears in the hexagram, they say the medicine is effective and the doctor is suitable; if it does not appear, they say the medicine is ineffective and the doctor is not suitable. Imagine a situation where the Heavenly Doctor does not appear in the hexagram, but the Response Line is exactly the Children Line that is active, with strong energy. It can overcome the Official Ghost (the root of the illness) and support the World Line (the self). This clearly indicates a good doctor and effective medicine. Yet, they wrongly conclude that the doctor is not skilled and the medicine is ineffective. This completely contradicts the original intent of the Book of Changes. Moreover, since doctors hold the lives of people in their hands and are related to human life and death, I cannot help but clarify this point.

大凡占病當推用神，用神即如父占子病，吉凶以子孫爻為用神類是也。今術家竟不參究用神生剋制化之理，而以病人之本命論吉凶死活，則曰本命上卦，斷之生本命；本命不上卦，斷之死。且如用神受傷無救而本命上卦，還是斷他用神受傷無救必死耶？還是斷他本命上卦不死耶？後學不可以病人之本命妄斷吉凶可也。

When divining about illness, one should investigate the Useful God. For example, if a father is divining about his son's illness, then the son's爻 (line) is considered the Useful God, and the fortune or misfortune is judged based on this line. Other cases are similarly inferred. Now, some diviners do not examine the generation, control, restriction, and transformation of the Useful God, but instead use the patient's birth year branch to determine life or death. If the branch of the patient's birth year appears in the hexagram, they conclude he will live; if it does not appear, they conclude he will die. Consider this: if the Useful God is injured and has no salvation, yet the branch of the patient's birth year appears in the hexagram, then should one conclude that the patient will die due to the injured Useful God without salvation, or that the patient will not die because the birth year branch appears in the hexagram? These two conclusions contradict each other, making it impossible to choose. Therefore, later learners must not arbitrarily use the patient's birth year branch to judge fortune or misfortune.

昔京房作卦書，以神煞斷卦：如出行忌往亡，疾病忌喪車、沐浴、哭聲等煞，醫藥看天醫，求財忌劫煞，詞訟看官符，種種星煞難以枚舉，以致後學宗之，不執五行生剋制化，一味以神煞為憑。至明劉伯溫先生作《千金賦》云：自古神煞之多端，何如生剋制化之一理。斷易之法，始得歸於正宗矣。

In the past, Jing Fang wrote divination books using deities and ominous signs to interpret the hexagrams: for travel, one should avoid "Going to Death"; for illness, one should avoid "Funeral Cart," "Bathing," and "Crying Sounds," etc. For medicine, one should refer to "Heavenly Doctor," for seeking wealth, one should avoid "Robbery Sha," and for legal matters, one should look at "Official Symbol." There are countless such stars and ominous signs. Later scholars followed these as the standard, no longer relying on the principles of the Five Phases' generation, control, and transformation, but instead relying solely on the interpretation of deities and ominous signs. Until the Ming dynasty, Mr. Liu Bowen wrote the "Thousand Gold Assignment," stating, "Since ancient times, although the names of deities and ominous signs are numerous, they cannot compare with the principle of generation, control, and transformation of the Five Phases." Only then did the method of interpreting the Book of Changes return to the correct path. This book is named "Authentic Tradition," and its main principle is also here: all divination should be based on the Five Phases' generation and control as the main framework, with deities and ominous signs serving only as reference branches.

今人多以貴人之爻為官宦，以祿爻為俸，以驛馬為來人，概以此論，不知貴人祿馬臨原神、用神當以吉斷。假如卜終身，白虎官爻持世得貴人臨之，當以武職功名許之；如無貴人並臨，當以病患強暴斷之。若貴人之爻臨忌神動來克害，不可以貴人為吉；如貴人臨官鬼爻持世，不可以官鬼為患言凶。

Nowadays, most people take the爻 with nobleman as official position, the爻 with禄 as salary, and the爻 with post horse as someone coming, and apply this reasoning universally. However, they do not realize that nobleman,禄, and post horse can only be considered auspicious when they appear on the original god or useful god. For example, when predicting one's fortune in life, if the official ghost爻 with white tiger is the ruler and there is also the heavenly virtue nobleman present, then one can predict a military official title; but if there is no nobleman present, with the same official ghost爻 with white tiger as ruler, it should be interpreted as illness or a violent temper. Conversely, if the爻 with nobleman is actually aHostile God and it moves to harm the useful god, then it cannot be considered auspicious just because it has a nobleman; and even if the nobleman is on the official ghost爻 as ruler, it cannot be considered entirely inauspicious just because it is an official ghost.

且如卜行人當察用神，如用神臨驛馬動，歸期可許訂；如驛馬動而用爻受傷，不可以驛馬斷其來。凡問俸祿，當以財爻為用神是也，若棄財爻之吉凶而獨以祿爻為俸者，亦謬矣。祿繫豐足之神，馬繫行動之宿，貴人不過分別人品清高微賤之神。此三者臨吉神是吉，臨凶神是凶，學者不可概推。

For example, when divining about a traveler, one should examine the useful god. If the useful god is directly connected to the post horse and is active, then the return date can be determined. However, if the post horse moves but the useful god is harmed, one cannot rely solely on the post horse to predict his return. When questioning about the amount of salary, one should take the wealth爻 as the useful god. If one ignores the fortune or misfortune of the wealth爻 and relies only on the禄爻 to judge the salary, it is a mistake. In the end, the禄 is merely a god indicating abundance, the马 is merely a star indicating movement, and the nobleman is merely a god distinguishing a person's character as noble or humble. These three, when they appear on auspicious deities, are auspicious; when they appear on inauspicious deities, they are inauspicious. Scholars must not treat them all the same.

凡占交疏之常人，當以應爻為他人，以應爻為用神也。若異姓兄弟，或父叔之友、子孫之友，必分別稱呼老幼取用用神也，不可概曰我占他人以應爻為用神。予因張果元不論父友、子友皆以應爻為用神，甚至奴僕、妻婢、弟兄、父母叔伯、鄰長，概曰我代他占，皆以應為用神。

When divining about distant relationships with ordinary people, the response line should represent the other party and serve as the useful god. However, if the subject is a brother from a different surname, or a friend of a father or uncle, or a friend of a son or nephew, the useful god must be selected according to the seniority and辈分 in the relationship, and not simply say "since I am divining for someone else, the response line is the useful god." I emphasize this point because Zhang Xingyuan treats friends of the father's generation or the son's generation as if they were all the same, always using the response line as the useful god. Even servants, wives, brothers, parents, uncles, and elders in the neighborhood are all treated as "I am divining for them," and the response line is used exclusively. In this way, the six relations in the hexagram become meaningless, and the distinctions of age, respect, and hierarchy are lost, leading to incorrect judgments of fortune and misfortune.

今據張星元作妻妾、奴僕去留章云：以財為主，應象為憑。疾病章元：代卜他人看應爻，若臨月破最難逃，遇沖遇克身難救，逄旺逄生病必消；生應原神宜發動，克他忌象怕重交，卦身有氣還雖吉，應位逄官禍必招。

He looks at his own book and finds contradictions within it. In the chapter "On the Keeping and Removing of Wives, Concubines, and Servants," he says: "Take the wife's wealth line as the main focus, and the response line as the basis." Since he says the wealth line is the main focus, it is clear that when divining about wives, concubines, and servants, the response line is not used alone. However, in the chapter "On Disease," he says: "When divining for others about illness, look at the response line. If the response line meets the month breaker, the patient is hard to save; if it is in conflict or being overcome, the body is difficult to save; if it is strong or being supported, the illness will surely subside; if the origin god of the response line is activated, it is favorable; if the hostile god of the response line is strongly activated, it is most dangerous; even if the hexagram body has vitality, it is still considered good, but if the position of the response line meets the official ghost, it will surely bring disaster." This entire passage does not consider whether the subject is a father, son, superior, or inferior, and treats the response line as the patient itself, which contradicts his own statement of "taking the wealth line as the main focus."

又鬥毆爭競章云：以世應為主，生克為憑。假如子侄與人鬥毆爭競，惟恐受虧，故云。豈可不看子孫爻生克，竟以世爻為主，生克世應為憑乎。

His "Chapter on Struggles and Quarrels" also says: take the World Line and the Response Line as the main factors, and use their generation and control relationships as the basis. But consider this: if it is a struggle between my nephew or relative and someone else, my concern is that the relative suffers loss. In such a case, the divination should focus on the safety of that one relative. How could we ignore the generation and control relationships of the Children Line, and instead take the World Line as the main factor, relying solely on the generation and control relationships between the World and Response Lines? The World Line represents myself; the success or failure of the relative has nothing to do with this line. If the Useful God is incorrectly selected, even if the divination is carried out in great detail, it is all in vain.

又有詞訟章云：以官爻為主，父母爻為憑。文詞相訴至公庭，須看官爻父母興。倘然官父二爻動來克我，還是以官父二爻動說有主有憑是吉乎？還是克害我者是凶乎？今之術家凡遇代占，則不論尊卑概以應爻為用；凡為詞訟，獨用官爻，總不論用神生剋制化，予不得不辨之。

His "Chapter on Lawsuits" also says: take the Official Ghost line as the main focus, and the Parents line as the reference; when writing a complaint and taking the case to court, one must look at the prosperity of both the Official Ghost and Parents lines. But consider this: if these two lines, the Official Ghost and Parents, are actually active and attacking my World Line, then should we say "there is a main party and evidence" which is auspicious, or "they are attacking and harming me" which is inauspicious? This statement leaves the conclusion hanging. Now, all fortune tellers, when taking cases for others, regardless of the status or age of the person being consulted, use the Response Line indiscriminately; when dealing with lawsuits, they always use only the Official Ghost line; they never pay attention to the generation, control, and transformation of the Useful God. Therefore, I cannot help but clarify this point.

凡卦中月破之爻發動旺相，或遇動爻生合、日神生合，或化回頭生合，不過在月內不能為吉凶，出月值日合補，亦能吉能凶。張星元言月破無可解，概以凶推。

The yao that is the month breaker in the hexagram, if it itself moves and is prosperous and strong, or if it is supported and combined by a moving yao, or if the day branch supports and combines with it, or if after it moves it transforms into a yao that supports and combines with itself, then such a month breaker can only not show good or bad fortune within this month; once it leaves this month, or reaches its day, or is combined with or filled on that day, it can still bring good or bad fortune. Zhang Xingyuan, however, says that the month breaker cannot be resolved and should be universally judged as bad, which mistakes temporary restriction for permanent invalidation.

凡卦中旬空之爻，或旺相安靜，休囚發動，日辰生合，沖之或變出者，或伏而有提拔者，屢試屢驗，應在出旬。不意張果元言旬空之爻猶如卦中無此一爻也，惟月建臨之則曰月建不作旬空，日辰不為月破，致為後一見月破無可解救，一見旬空沒有此爻。

A yao that falls in the旬空 is treated the same way: if it is itself prosperous and strong while quiet, or though weak and confined but active, or supported and combined by the day branch, or aroused by the day branch, or derived from a moving yao, or a hidden god with supporting power, these kinds of旬空 have been verified by me through repeated trials, and their response time is always after the旬. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xingyuan claims that a yao falling in旬空 is as if it does not exist in the hexagram, except when the month builder is present. He says, "The month builder does not count as旬空, and the day branch does not count as month break." With this statement, later learners see month break as something that cannot be resolved, and旬空 as if the yao does not exist at all, thereby making the method of interpretation rigid and lifeless.

又曰月建不作旬空，曰全空、半空：凡陽日遇陽爻、陰日遇陰爻皆作全空，陽日遇陰爻、陰日遇陽爻皆作半空。試問如人占病，或得全空者固知其必死，倘得半空者，還是病人死一半、活一半耶？其謬極至此，不得不闢之。

He also distinguishes between "full void" and "half void" in the ten-day cycle. If a yang day meets a yang line, or a yin day meets a yin line, it is considered full void. If a yang day meets a yin line, or a yin day meets a yang line, it is considered half void. Now, if someone comes to consult about illness and gets a full void, according to his method, one would naturally conclude that the person is certain to die. Then, if one gets a half void, does that mean the patient is half dead and half alive? This is absurd, and I cannot help but refute it. The correct way to distinguish between voids is to see whether the line has energy or not, and whether it has support or not. If it has energy and support, it is a false void, and will eventually come out of the cycle. If it has neither energy nor support, then it is a true void, and should be considered as non-existent.

古大聖以耆草成一卦，體象、用象、互象、爻辭定事之吉凶。體象為我，用象為事。卦有內三爻、外三爻，世坐之處為體，應坐之處為用。譬如天地否卦，世居內坤第三爻，應居外幹第六爻，即以內宮坤卦為體象，以外宮乾卦為用象。內坤屬土，外幹屬金，謂之體去生用，不吉。

In ancient times, sages used the yarrow stalks to cast hexagrams, determining fortune or misfortune based on the body trigram, the used trigram, the mutual trigram, and the line statements. The body trigram represents the self, while the used trigram represents the matter being inquired about. A hexagram is divided into inner three lines and outer three lines. The half of the hexagram containing the world line serves as the body trigram, and the half containing the response line serves as the used trigram. Taking the hexagram of Heaven and Earth being separated as an example: the world line is on the third line of the inner trigram Kun, and the response line is on the sixth line of the outer trigram Qian. Therefore, the inner trigram Kun represents the body image, and the outer trigram Qian represents the used image. The inner trigram Kun belongs to earth, and the outer trigram Qian belongs to metal. Earth generates metal, which is called "the body trigram gives birth to the used trigram" — the strength of the self is used to support the matter, resulting in self exhaustion, hence it is not auspicious.

再者互卦。互卦之法亦以否卦為例：除上六爻單，除下初爻拆，從第二爻起至第四爻見拆、拆、單，即內宮互成艮卦；從三爻至五爻見拆、單、單，即外宮互成巽卦。艮卦屬土，巽卦屬木，木為乾宮否卦之財，如求妻財者得之，謂之用來克體，吉。

Then comes the explanation of the mutual hexagram. To take the example of the hexagram of Guo (否), the method of obtaining the mutual hexagram is as follows: remove the sixth line (a yang line, 'single') at the top and the first line (a yin line, 'split') at the bottom. Starting from the second line, count up to the fourth line, obtaining three lines: yin, yin, yang, forming the hexagram of Gen (mountain), which belongs to earth. Then, starting from the third line, count up to the fifth line, obtaining three lines: yin, yang, yang, forming the hexagram of Xun (wind), which belongs to wood. Wood in the hexagram of Guo (否) is the wealth. If someone is seeking wealth and receives this hexagram, the wood is said to overcome the earth, which is 'using the external to overcome the internal'—the matter sought is actually overcoming me. In other contexts, this may not be a good omen, but in the context of seeking wealth, wealth is defined by its ability to overcome me, so the omen is favorable.

爻辭者，爻見單屬陽曰九，爻見拆屬陰曰六。即乾卦初爻，《易》曰初九，潛龍勿用。又如否卦初爻，《易》曰初六，拔茅茹以其匯，貞吉亨。否之曰爻曰九四，有命無咎，疇離祉。

Now let us talk about the line statements. A single line is yang and is called 'nine'; a broken line is yin and is called 'six'. Therefore, the first line of the Qian hexagram, in the Zhou Changes, is called 'Initial Nine', and its statement is 'The dragon remains hidden and should not be used'—the dragon is still hidden at the bottom and cannot be used at present. Again, the first line of the Pu hexagram is called 'Initial Six', and its statement is 'Pulling up the reed with its roots, following its kind, the divination is auspicious and smooth'—pulling up the reed along with its roots, connected with its kind, maintaining correctness brings good fortune and smoothness. The fourth line of the Pu hexagram is called 'Nine in the Fourth', and its statement is 'Following the command brings no misfortune, and all the people share in the blessings'—acting according to the command brings no calamity, and all the people will share in the blessings. When using the yarrow stalks to cast the hexagram, these line statements are one of the criteria for judging good or bad fortune.

鬼谷子仙師因易理浩蕩深遠，恐愚人不能參透，以錢代耆卜，定財官父兄子，生剋制化，分別原、用、仇、忌四神，刑沖剋害，生扶拱合，動靜空破之法，使後學易覺、吉凶易剖。自後以耆演易者不察互、體、用象、爻辭而不靈，以錢卜卦者用之則不驗。學者宜知耆演、錢卜斷法不同。

Master Guiguzi changed the method of casting hexagrams from using the yarrow stalks to using copper coins because the principles of the I Ching are vast and profound, and ordinary people might not fully understand them. He established a new system, dividing the six lines into five categories: wife and wealth, official ghost, parents, siblings, and children. He emphasized the relationships of generation, control, and transformation among these categories, distinguishing between the origin god, useful god, enemy god, and hostile god. He also combined various principles such as punishment and clash, control and subjugation, generation and support, mutual assistance, movement and stillness, emptiness and destruction, to make it easier for later learners to understand and judge fortune and misfortune. Since then, two approaches have developed: those using yarrow stalks must examine the nuclear hexagram, the body hexagram, the used hexagram, and the line statements for the hexagram to be effective; whereas those using copper coins should not force the application of the nuclear hexagram, body hexagram, and used hexagram concepts, as that would be ineffective. Learners should understand that divination using yarrow stalks and divination using copper coins are two different methods, each with its own rules, and they should not be confused. This is the conclusion of Wang's distinction regarding the nuclear hexagram: the nuclear hexagram is not unusable, but it cannot be applied within the six-line method of copper coin divination.

或為功名而卜終身有無，或因貧賤而卜終身富貴，或為無子而卜終身有無，或卜壽夭，或習藝而卜終身可賴，或為行道而卜終身可行，或為弟兄子侄之終身如何。種種卜者各有用神，諸書惟《增刪卜易》有野鶴論分占終身之法甚妥。

Those who come to consult about their "lifetime" fortunes actually ask different things: some inquire about official positions and whether they will have a political career; others, due to their current poverty and low status, ask if they will become wealthy and prosperous in life; some, because they have no children, ask if they will have sons or daughters; some inquire about their lifespan; some have learned a trade and ask if they can rely on it for a lifetime; some wish to practice medicine or fortune-telling and ask if this path is viable; and some consult on behalf of their brothers and nephews, asking about their future. Since the questions vary, the Useful Gods used in divination also differ, and it is absolutely impossible to answer all with a single hexagram. Among various books, only the "Increased and Revised Divination" by the Wild Crane Elder advocates dividing lifetime fortunes into different categories for consultation, and this approach is the most appropriate.

大總概言，卜終身吉凶宜向六親生剋制化、刑沖剋合、動靜空破之間。是問神必以吉凶之機現於爻，以成敗之機現於卦。憶予於戊辰年辰月丙辰日卜自己終身成敗，得旅之蠱卦。

In summary, to determine the fortune and misfortune throughout one's life, one must focus on the generation, control, transformation, and mutual relationship among the six relations, as well as their punishments, clashes, control, harmony, movement, stillness, emptiness, and destruction. Since one sincerely asks the gods, the gods will reveal the key points of fortune and misfortune through the lines, and the overall success and failure of one's life through the hexagram. The overall situation is determined by the hexagram structure (six harmony and six clashes, wandering soul and returning soul), while the details are determined by the line positions (which line is supported or controlled, which year involves clashes or harmonies). Below, Wang cites his own hexagram as evidence: in the year of Wuchen, month of Chen, day of Bingchen, he cast a hexagram for his own success and failure, obtaining the hexagram of Lv (Fire Mountain Travel) transforming into Gu (Wind Mountain Pestilence).

占事　自己終身成敗 卦名　火山旅之山風蠱 卦宮　離火　空亡　戌亥　缺爻 六獸·世應·卦爻·干支·六神·干支·六神·伏神·卦身·日辰·月建·太歲 龍　　　巳兄　　　　　　丙｜丙｜戊 武　　　未孫　　　　　　辰｜辰｜辰 虎（應）０　酉財　戌孫 蛇　　　申財 陳　ｘ　午兄　亥官　［伏］ 雀（世）辰孫　　　［卯父］

This is the divination chart for the hexagram mentioned earlier. The question concerns "one's lifetime success or failure." The hexagram obtained is "Fire Mountain Travel" changing into "Wind Mountain Gu." The primary hexagram belongs to the Fire Palace and the旬空 is戌 and亥. The divination was cast during the year of Wuchen, month of Bingchen, and day of Bingchen, with three instances of the character "辰" appearing together. The six lines, from top to bottom, are assigned to the six beasts and correspond to the six positions: the top line is the Azure Dragon with fire in巳, representing brothers; the fifth line is the Black Tortoise with earth in未, representing children; the fourth line is the White Tiger with metal in酉, representing wealth, which is the response line, marked with "0" indicating a repeated line that transforms into earth in戌, representing children; the third line is the Snake with metal in申, representing wealth; the second line is the Gou Chen with fire in午, representing brothers, marked with "x" indicating a changing line that transforms into water in亥, representing official ghost, with a hidden god noted below; the first line is the Vermilion Bird with earth in辰, representing the world line, with wood in卯 as the hidden god beneath it. Several key aspects of the hexagram are now complete: the world line holds children and is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, the official ghost is not present in the hexagram but is hidden and buried in the day of Bingchen, the parents are hidden beneath the world line, and the response line, representing wealth, is active and transforms into children.

彼時祖業豐裕，妄想富貴。此卦子孫朱雀持世，官爻入墓於日，顯然功名不可問也。文書爻伏於世爻陰象之下，顯然早年失慈。卦得六合，財福得合，顯然祖業盈厚，此皆卜卦前之事也。

When I cast this hexagram, the family's ancestral property was still very prosperous, and I was eager for wealth and status. However, the hexagram clearly shows: the world line is seated on the children's line and carries the Vermilion Bird — the children's line is capable of overcoming the official ghost, thus cutting off the path to official rank beforehand; the official ghost line is buried on the Bingchen day, meaning the god of official rank is both hidden and buried, indicating that matters of official rank are entirely futile. The parents (documents) line is hidden beneath the world line, which is a yin line. The parents line represents the mother, and being hidden and not emerging suggests the mother's death in early years. The entire hexagram forms the Six Harmony, with wife wealth and children lines all being bound together, showing the ancestral property is indeed abundant. These layers of meaning have already come true before casting the hexagram, and they are used to verify the hexagram, so that we may predict the future accordingly.

方上有嚴君，新婚末幾，後來興癈刑傷，自然有驗。孰知辛未年喪父、得子，是年父爻入墓之年也。五爻為長房持未土子孫，果得長子。

At that time my father was still alive and I had just married. After that, the prosperity and decline of the family and the injuries suffered by family members would naturally be reflected in the divination chart. Who would have thought that in the year of Xinwei, within a single year, I both lost my father and gained a son? That year was the year when the parents'爻 entered the storage (the parents'爻 was the wood of卯, which was hidden and not visible, and未 was the storage for wood; the heavenly stem of the year was未, so the parents'爻 entered the storage, thus indicating the loss of the father). The fifth line represents the eldest son, which was occupied by theChildren of earth, and the heavenly stem of the year was also未, so that year indeed a eldest son was born.

甲戌年生次子。予語一友曰：奇哉！此卦五爻持未，長子屬羊；四爻化戌，次子屬犬；初爻持辰，必未子屬龍矣。友曰：土主五數，該有五子。予曰：非也。一重土數主五，以衰旺為之增減，今子孫多現，理當見一有一。

In the year of Jiaxu, I had a second son. I told a friend: It's really strange! The fifth line of this hexagram is occupied by Wei earth, so the eldest son is a sheep; the fourth line produces a change into Xu earth, so the second son is a dog; the first line, which is the position of the present, is occupied by Chen earth, so the last son must be a dragon. My friend said: The number of earth is five, so according to this calculation, there should be five sons. I said: That's not correct. Only when there is a single layer of earth does it count as five, but actually it should be adjusted according to the strength and decline of that line. Now in the hexagram, the son's position appears in several places, and according to the principle, 'one appearance brings one result,' seeing several lines means several results, and we cannot rigidly use the number five to match.

後至丁丑年生一子。友曰：汝言後子屬龍，今屬牛者何來？予曰：雖得此子，不在數中，恐難養耳。果次年即矢。

Later in the year Dingchou, another son was born. That friend said: You previously said the last son was a dragon, but now you have a son who is a cow, where did this come from? I said: Although this son was born, he is not among the numbers indicated in the hexagram (the branch of Chou is not the branch shown as the son in the hexagram). I fear he will not live long. Indeed, the child died the next year. This passage shows clearly that Wang's method of determining children does not rely on the fixed numbers, but rather on the branches shown in the hexagram's son line: only those branches that appear on the line are counted, and even if a child is born with a branch not shown on the line, he will not live long.

至庚辰年果得子。自甲戌歲予年二十六，家業漸癈；己卯遠行，壬午二月歸，妻已故矣。節年顛沛，竟以賣卜為生。

In the year of Gengchen, I indeed had another son, which exactly fulfilled the prediction of the first line's earth branch "the last son belongs to the dragon." As for the family's fortune: starting from the year of Jiaxu, when I was twenty-six years old, the family's business gradually declined; in the year of Jimao, I went on a long journey; in the year of Renwu, when I returned in February, my wife had already passed away. After that, I continued to suffer from hardship and eventually made a living by fortune-telling. In one divination, the years when I had a son, when the family declined, and when I lost my wife, all corresponded to the earth branches of the lines. This is what he said, "success and failure are revealed in the hexagram, while injuries and circumstances are shown in the lines."

或曰：因何廿六歲顛沛起？予曰：交甲戌年，應財值年，旬空，財臨白虎，化月破，世位逄沖之年，謂合處逄沖也。卯年沖應上財爻，以致夫妻遠別，妻死不面。妻財爻又受午年之克也，卯月妻財爻又逄月建沖之。

Someone asked: Why did the hardship start precisely at the age of twenty-six? I said: That year was Jiaxu. The response line's wealth element,酉 gold, was exactly the branch of the current year's stem, which was being opposed. Xu was also the branch of the primary hexagram's empty period, and the wealth line was accompanied by the white tiger. The activated Xu earth became the month breaker that year. Xu also opposed the first line's world position, which was辰 earth. Originally, this hexagram wasSix Harmony, but when it encountered opposition, it became 'harmony met with conflict', meaning first harmony then dispersion, so the family business naturally began to disintegrate from that year. In the year of卯,卯 opposed the response line's酉 gold wealth, so the couple were separated, and when the wife died, they could not meet. The酉 gold wealth was also restrained by the fire of the year of午. In the month of卯, the wealth was again opposed by the month builder. Thus, the three layers of opposition and restraint caused the wealth position to be lost.

至於賣卜為業，朱雀持世，卦屬離宮，斯文之象。次子無成，白虎戌土子孫值年、月、日三破。甲申年始得安穩。由此卦觀之，《黃金策》云：若問成家嫌六沖之為卦，要知創業喜六合之成爻。予之先成後敗者，此也。

As for later, when he relied on fortune-telling for a living, it was also reflected in the hexagram: the World Line was accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, which signifies disputes and legal matters; the hexagram also belonged to the Fire Palace, and Fire represents civilization, making the overall image one of relying on words and speech for a living, a refined and scholarly appearance. However, the second son ultimately failed to achieve success, because the White Tiger's influence on the戌 earth Children's line was broken at the year, month, and day positions. It was only in the Jiashen year that things gradually stabilized. Considering this hexagram, The Golden Strategies say: "If one asks about establishing a family, one dislikes the hexagram of Six Clashes; if one wants to know about starting a business, one prefers the hexagram of Six Harmony." My life first succeeded and then failed, exactly matching these two lines—although I received a hexagram of Six Harmony, with abundant ancestral wealth, once the harmonious elements meet clashes, success comes quickly and so does failure.

若以《易木補遺》初爻起每爻各管五年是大限，初爻起每爻各值一年是小限，予廿一歲至廿五歲大限在五爻臨未土子孫，廿三歲何致父故？三十一歲至三十五歲大限在初爻臨辰土子孫，三十四歲何致克妻？大限而是，小限可知矣。

If following the method of the "Supplements to the Forest of Changes," starting from the first line, each line governs five years, called "big limit"; also starting from the first line, each line governs one year, called "small limit." Therefore, from age twenty-one to twenty-five, the big limit falls on the fifth line's Wei earth children, which is a blessing deity. Yet at age twenty-three, the father died. From age thirty-one to thirty-five, the big limit falls on the first line's Chen earth children, also a blessing deity. Yet at age thirty-four, the wife was harmed. Since the big limit does not match, what is the use of the small limit? This is using a mechanical system of years to apply to human affairs, without considering the generation, overcoming, punishment, and clash of lines, hence everything falls short.

又曰變卦管三十歲後，何於廿六歲已先破家？三十五歲至四十歲大限在第二爻兄弟勾陳處，何以反得安穩？若以互卦見巽為文書，外見兌金為妻財，而卦中既互有文書、妻財，何致雙親早喪、中年失偶？

He also said that the resulting hexagram governs the fortune after the age of thirty—yet my family business collapsed when I was only twenty-six, so how can the resulting hexagram have any bearing on that? According to his calculation of the great limit, from the age of thirty-five to forty I was in the position of the second line with siblings and Gou Chen. Siblings represent the劫财 god, and Gou Chen signifies entanglement, so according to this it should have been worse. But from that time on, my situation gradually became stable. Moreover, the nuclear hexagram shows that the internal trigram is Xun wood, which in the Li palace represents parents and is associated with documents; the external trigram is Dui metal, which in the Li palace represents wealth. Since the nuclear hexagram includes both documents and wealth, why did my parents die early and I lose my wife in middle age? It is evident that the concepts of great limit, small limit, and nuclear hexagram are all unable to withstand practical verification.

若依張星元之法，不過惑人，曰終身卦要如是推算，大限小限不比尋常小卦，酬謝宜多。究竟禍褔吉凶並無絲毫之驗。後人若卜終身者，當知興癈大局報於卦，刑傷克害、際遇機緣報於爻。若年年如是、月月照常，而爻中不及，報應妄推，無淮莫若。名利禍褔壽夭逐件分占，便可顯而易見也，學者當用意推詳之。

According to Zhang Xingyuan's method, it is nothing but a trick to deceive people: he said that divining a person's whole life requires such a calculation of great limits and small limits, unlike ordinary small divinations, so Xie Yi should also add more. But in the end, neither good nor bad, fortune nor misfortune has ever been accurately fulfilled. If people want to divinate their whole life, they should understand a principle: the overall rise and fall of one's life is shown in the main structure of the hexagram, while the punishments, injuries, conflicts, and opportunities and circumstances are shown in the positions of the lines. If they follow his method of arranging the divination year by year and month by month, but there is no such indication in the lines, then it is just empty speculation without any standard (「wu huai」means no standard). The safest way is to divide things such as official rank, wealth and profit, misfortune and fortune, longevity, and children into separate items, and divinate each one separately with its own hexagram, which will be clear and straightforward. Scholars should carefully and thoroughly examine each one.

斷家宅之謬者，惟《易林補遺》之說。即如其以卦分旺相死沒：立春後艮旺、震相、巽胎、離沒、坤死、兌囚、干休、坎廢；春分後震旺、巽相等說。又云：凡看人宅六事，內外二卦皆臨旺相，爻內總無財官也主興隆；如臨死、囚、休、廢，總有財官、青龍、天喜亦無佳兆。

The most absurd part of interpreting family homes in the Supplements to the Forest of Changes is that it divides the eight trigrams into eight categories according to the solar terms: prosperous, strong, fetal, hidden, dead, imprisoned, resting, and exhausted. After the Beginning of Spring, the Gen trigram is prosperous, the Zhen trigram is strong, the Xun trigram is fetal, the Li trigram is hidden, the Kun trigram is dead, the Dui trigram is imprisoned, the Qian trigram is resting, and the Kan trigram is exhausted. After the Vernal Equinox, the Zhen trigram becomes prosperous, the Xun trigram strong, and the rest follow in sequence. He also says that when examining a family's home, if both the inner and outer three-line trigrams are prosperous and strong, even if there are no wife wealth or official ghosts in the lines, the family will still be prosperous. Conversely, if the trigrams are in the states of death, imprisonment, rest, or exhaustion, even if there are wife wealth, official ghosts, Azure Dragon, and Heavenly Joy in the lines, it will not be a good omen. This reduces the fortune of the six lines entirely to the seasonal prosperity and decline of the eight trigrams.

試問倘立春後卜得頤、小過、蠱、漸、恆、益等卦，俱值旺相胞胎，必斷其富貴無窮之好；如卜得晉、明夷、臨、萃、比、師等卦，必斷其敗壞不止之凶。由此論之，生剋制化之理烏有，竟為吉凶禍褔快捷方式之法。

Suppose one asks: After the beginning of spring, if one draws the hexagrams Mountain Thunder Yi, Thunder Mountain Xiao Guo, Mountain Wind Gu, Wind Mountain Jian, Thunder Wind Heng, and Wind Thunder Yi, and the inner and outer trigrams are all Gen, Zhen, and Xun, and they are in the positions of prosperity, assistance, and infancy, then according to his method, they are all interpreted as wealth and honor without end. If one draws the hexagrams Fire Earth Jin, Earth Fire Ming Yi, Earth泽 Lin,泽 Earth Cui, Water Earth Bi, and Earth Water Shi, and the inner and outer trigrams are mostly Kun, Li, and Dui, and they are in the positions of death, disappearance, and imprisonment, then according to his method, they are all interpreted as failure and decline without end. According to this reasoning, what use is the principle of generation, control, restriction, and transformation? He is merely reducing good fortune and misfortune into a convenient shortcut.

其謬猶可，其大謬者，以官爻為家主之爻，又以五爻為家主之爻。倘遇官爻壞、五爻好，則家主之吉凶何分？據云子孫動則廣進家資，此一句繫古法也，雖則不謬，然以官鬼為家主，則子孫不可動，動則克傷官爻矣。若據張星元之論，欲要進家業者，反欲克傷其父乎？

This is still a minor mistake. The biggest error is that he uses both the official ghost line and the fifth line as the main line. If the official ghost line is bad and the fifth line is good, which one should determine the fortune of the household? He also cites an ancient method saying, "If the children line moves, it brings in wealth," which is an ancient correct method and not wrong. However, since he has already taken the official ghost line as the main line, the children line must not move at all; if it does, it will harm the official ghost line, which is equivalent to harming the main line. According to Zhang Xingyuan's explanation, is it not the case that those who wish to increase their family fortune would have to harm their own father (the main line) first? These two statements contradict each other.

又據云初為兒女，與雞、鵝、井連基地。試問初爻逄凶，兒女、雞、鵝、井泉、地基概凶矣，豈死雞鵝之家兒女亦必死乎？井必頹乎？墓必破乎？二言妻妾兼貓犬鼊及華堂。試問二爻逄凶，妻妾貓犬鼊與華堂概凶矣，豈死貓犬之家妻妾亦必至於死乎？死妻妾之家乃因鼊與華堂之礙乎？止陳兩爻之謬，其餘不及盡述。凡卜家宅，當以用神分別明白，後卷有家宅六爻分斷，學者詳之，庶無誤矣。

He also said that the first line governs children, as well as chickens, geese, wells, and foundations. So if the first line meets a凶 (adverse), does that mean children, chickens, geese, wells, and foundations all become adverse? Then, if a family loses chickens or geese, must their children also die? Will the well certainly collapse? Will the tomb certainly break? He also said that the second line governs wife and concubine, as well as cats, dogs, turtles, and hallways. So if the second line meets a凶 (adverse), does that mean wife and concubine, cats, dogs, turtles, and hallways all become adverse? If a family loses cats or dogs, must their wife and concubine also die? If a family loses their wife and concubine, is it because turtles and hallways are obstructing? Here I only mention the mistakes in two lines, but there are many more. When divining about a household, one should clearly distinguish the use god (用神). If asking about people, take the six relations (六亲); if asking about the house, take the parents (父母); if asking about land, take Gou Chen (勾陈), and so on. There is another section in the later volume called "Divining the Six Lines for the Household" (家宅六爻分断), which scholars should carefully read to avoid mistakes.

一婚姻嫁娶，惟《易林補遺》之說最謬：以內外卦、世應爻為主，以陰陽、財鬼爻為憑。凡男卜女家，內卦為夫、外卦為婦，又以世為夫、應為婦；凡女卜男家，以外卦為夫、內卦為婦，世爻為婦、應爻為夫等說，使後學無定見。假如男家卜婚姻，或遇外卦凶而應爻吉，此婚姻亦好亦不好，究竟可配不可配耶？

In discussing marriage and wedlock, the most absurd is the "Supplements to the Forest of Changes." It takes the two inner and outer trigrams, each composed of three lines, and the world line and response line as its main criteria, using the yin and yang of the lines, wealth, and official ghost to determine the outcome. When a male family divines about a female family, it says the inner trigram represents the husband and the outer trigram represents the wife, while also stating the world line is the husband and the response line is the wife. When a female family divines about a male family, it says the outer trigram represents the husband and the inner trigram represents the wife, while also stating the world line is the wife and the response line is the husband. A single matter is judged by two different standards, leaving later learners confused. Imagine a male family comes to divinate a marriage, and if the outer trigram is unfavorable but the response line is favorable, according to his method, this marriage is both good and bad. How can one decide whether it is suitable or not?

今人宗之，不問父母叔伯為卜子侄女婚，不問兄弟母舅為卜甥弟女婚，一概以世應論夫婦、官鬼妻財為夫婦，不以用神生剋制化之理定其夫婦之吉凶，大失先天妙旨。

Nowadays people follow this approach without distinguishing whether the question is asked by parents or uncles on behalf of their nephews, daughters, or sons, or by brothers or maternal uncles on behalf of their cousins or younger siblings. They treat the world line and response line as husband and wife, and take official ghost and wealth lines as husband and wife, without using the useful god to determine the fortune of the couple according to its generation, control, and transformation. This greatly deviates from the original intent of the Book of Changes. The first step in divining a marriage should be to clarify 'who is asking for whom': if one asks for one's own marriage, then the world line and official (or world line and wealth line) should be used; if one asks for one's children, then the children' line should be used.

孰知世應財官各有分別：世爻為我家，應爻為彼家。女人自卜嫁此郎為夫，當以官爻為夫，世為自己，官世相生相合，官陽世陰，此謂之得地。男人自卜娶此女為妻，當以財為婦，世為自己，財世相生相合，財陰世陽，亦謂之得地。

To understand the roles of the World Line and the Response Line along with the Wealth and Official Ghost lines, one must recognize their distinct functions. The World Line represents one's own family, while the Response Line represents the other family. When a woman divines her marriage to a man, the Official Ghost line represents the husband and the World Line represents herself. If the Official Ghost and the World Line generate and harmonize with each other, and the Official Ghost is a Yang line while the World Line is a Yin line, then this is called "getting the right position," which is an excellent match. When a man divines his marriage to a woman, the Wealth line represents the wife and the World Line represents himself. If the Wealth and World lines generate and harmonize, and the Wealth line is a Yin line while the World Line is a Yang line, it is also called "getting the right position." Conversely, if the Official Ghost is Yin and the World Line is Yang, or the Wealth is Yang and the World Line is Yin, then Yin and Yang are out of place, and even with generation and harmony, the result will be less favorable.

或父母尊長輩為子孫婚，欲配某家女為媳，以子孫為用神。世上子孫或陽象，子孫皆指言我家之男也；應上子孫或陰象，子孫皆指言彼之女也。無沖破、有生合，自然可配，夫婦和諧；無生合、有沖剋，自然夫婦不睦；或休囚，或受克，自然不壽。

If the parents or elders arrange a marriage for their children, wanting to marry the daughter of a certain family as a daughter-in-law, then theChildren Line (Children Line) should be taken as theUseful God (Useful God). TheChildren Line on theWorld Line (World Line) side, or the yang爻 (Yang Line)Children, refers to our male child; theChildren Line on theResponse Line (Response Line) side, or the yin爻 (Yin Line)Children, refers to the daughter from the other family. If there is no clash or control between the two, but rather generation and harmony, then marriage is possible and the couple will be harmonious. If there is no generation and harmony, but instead clash and control, then the couple will not get along. If this line is weak and confined, or heavily controlled, then the lifespan will be short. Therefore, when divining a marriage for children, we take theChildren Line, which is entirely different from taking the official or wealth lines when one is divining their own marriage.

如父為子婚，世位而受傷者，自然悖逆而刑翁；財爻而受生者，自然孝順而益姑。或為弟娶妹嫁者，皆以兄弟爻為用神也。曾於午建乙卯日父為女擇婿，得否卦安靜。一人執此卦問，予曰：世陰應陽，官星旺令，卦得六合，日辰持財，財官相生，六爻安靜，是必佳乎？

Further细分: If a father arranges a marriage for his son, and the world line (representing the father's position) is injured, the future wife will certainly be disrespectful and harmful to the father-in-law. If the wife's line (representing the wife) is supported and has strength, the wife will certainly be filial and beneficial to the mother-in-law. In cases where someone arranges a marriage for their younger brother or younger sister, the siblings' line is used as the useful god. Here is an example: In a certain year during the month of Wu, on the day of Yimao, a father arranged a marriage for his daughter and cast the hexagram of Heaven and Earth in Opposition, with all six lines quiet. Someone brought this hexagram to me for interpretation. I first listed the favorable aspects: the world line is yin, the response line is yang, and yin and yang are in proper positions; the official ghost is strong and in command; the hexagram is the six harmony; the day branch, which is the wood of Yimao, holds the wife's line; the wife and official ghost mutually generate; all six lines are quiet and unmoving. According to these factors, is it not a good match?

予曰：若依張星元論是佳偶也，子孫伏而旬空，是必無子息也。據予斷：子水子孫伏陰爻未土之下，惟恐令愛不壽耳。其人不然而去，後成婚不久，此女病故。

I continued saying: If we follow Zhang Xingyuan's approach, this is indeed a fine match; at most, one might say that the son and daughter line is hidden and falls in the旬空, so there will be no children in the future. But according to my method of interpretation: the subject of the divination is the father choosing a husband for his daughter, so the useful god should be the son and daughter line (the daughter). In this hexagram, the water son and daughter line is hidden under the yin line of earth, which is the first line. The earth line is strong and overcomes the water line, which is called "flying over and overcoming the hidden." The hidden line is overcome and also falls in the旬空 — I fear that the beloved daughter may not live long. The person who came for the divination did not agree and left directly; later, after the marriage, the daughter became ill and died shortly afterwards.

占事　父為女擇婿 卦名　天地否 卦宮　乾金　空亡　子丑　缺爻　子水孫爻 六獸·世應·卦爻·干支·六神·干支·六神·伏神·卦身·日辰·月建·太歲 武　　　戌父　　　　　　乙｜午 虎（應）申兄　　　　　　卯 蛇　　　午官 陳　　　卯財 雀（世）巳官　　　［伏］ 龍　　　未父　　　［子孫］

This is the divination chart for the previous hexagram. The question asked was "the father is choosing a son-in-law for his daughter." The hexagram obtained is Heaven and Earth Opposed (Hexagram 12), belonging to the乾 (Heaven) palace of metal. The ten-day cycle is empty for the Zi (rat) and Chou (ox) branches. The hexagram is missing exactly the Zi water Children line. The divination was cast on Yimao day and Wu month. The six lines, from top to bottom, are: the top line is the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) Wu earth Parents; the fifth line is the White Tiger (Baihu) Shen metal Siblings, which is the Response Line; the fourth line is the Snake (Tengshe) Wu fire Official Ghost; the third line is the Gou Chen (Hook Star) Mao wood Wealth; the second line is the Vermilion Bird (Zhuqiu) Si fire Official Ghost, which is the World Line, with a hidden god noted below; the first line is the Azure Dragon (Qinglong) Wei earth Parents, with the Zi water Children line hidden beneath it and being restrained. The key issue is in the last line: the daughter's useful god, the Zi water Children line, is not present in the hexagram, is hidden under Wei earth and restrained, and itself falls in the empty cycle. The day branch, Mao wood, also fails to generate it. On the surface, there is a favorable aspect of wealth and official ghost generating each other, and the六合 (Six Harmony) is quiet, presenting a favorable appearance. In reality, the person being asked about has no root. This hexagram best illustrates Wang's view: taking the wrong useful god makes all the favorable signs in the hexagram empty.

子水子孫伏陰爻未土之下，惟恐令愛不壽耳。其人不然而去，後成婚不久，此女病故。

The divination conclusion is restated as follows: The water of the son's branch is hidden under the earth of the yao, which is a yin line. The earth controls the water, and the hidden god has no rescue, so it is feared that this lady's lifespan is not long. At that time, the person did not believe it and turned away. But after getting married for a short time, the daughter indeed died of illness. When divining marriage, focusing only on the male side and the wealth and official positions, but neglecting the useful god of the person being asked (the daughter), was a common mistake among diviners at that time.

又一人申月甲午日父為子擇媳，得復之噬嗑卦。予曰：應爻合成子孫局生世，不但嫁資豐厚，更可享其孝順之褔。後至巳年完婚，果孝順賢淑，贈嫁不凡。若據張星元之說官為夫，此卦寅木夫星月破，又被金局克，是必剋夫，何完婚已及廿十年，翁姑在堂，夫婦和諧，不惟子多，近已得孫矣。

Another person, in the month of Shen and on the day of Jiawu, cast a divination for his son's wife selection, and obtained the hexagram Fu changing to Shi Ke. I said: The response line is activated, and together with other lines, it forms a group of children, which then generates the world line — not only will the bride's dowry be abundant, but in the future she will also bring her filial piety and blessings. Later, in the year of Si, they married, and indeed the wife was filial and virtuous, and her dowry was quite remarkable. If we follow Zhang Xingyuan's method, which uses the official ghost as the husband in divination for marriage: in this case, the寅wood husband star is at the month of Shen, which is the month breaker, and is further weakened by the metal group formed within the hexagram, which would mean the husband would be harmed. However, the fact is that they have been married for twenty years, the grandparents are still alive, the couple is harmonious, not only have they had many sons, but recently they have even had a grandson. This shows that the selection of the useful god must be determined by 'who is asking for whom': since this is a father asking for his son's wife, the useful gods are the children and the wealth, not the official ghost.

占事　父為子擇媳 卦名　地雷復之火雷噬嗑 卦宮　坤土　空亡　辰巳　缺爻　巳父 六獸·世應·卦爻·干支·六神·干支·六神·伏神·卦身·日辰·月建·太歲 武　ｘ　酉孫　巳父　　　甲｜申 虎　　　亥財　　　　　　午 蛇（應）ｘ　丑兄　酉孫 陳　　　辰兄　　　［伏］ 雀　　　寅官　　　［巳父］ 龍（世）子財

This is the divination chart for the previous hexagram. The question was "the father chooses a wife for the son." The hexagram obtained is Fu (Hexagram 24) changing to Shi Ke (Hexagram 21), belonging to the Earthly Palace of Earth, with the empty hours being Chen and Si. The missing element in the hexagram is the fire parent in Si. The divination was done on Jiawu day and Shen month. The six lines, from top to bottom, are: the top line is the Black Tortoise酉 goldChildren, marked with 'x' indicating a moving line that transforms into the fire parent in Si; the fifth line is the White Tiger亥 waterWealth; the fourth line is the Snake丑 earthSiblings, which is the response line and also moves, transforming into酉 goldChildren; the third line is the Gou Chen辰 earthSiblings, with a hidden god noted; the second line is the Vermilion Bird寅 woodOfficial Ghost, with the hidden god of fire parent in Si beneath it; the first line is the Azure Dragon子 waterWealth, which is the world line. The focus is on the response line丑 earth moving to transform into酉 gold, together with the top line酉 gold and the month builder申 gold forming the metal triad of Si-You-Chen, which is a complete group ofChildren. TheChildren generates the world line子 water, so it is predicted that the dowry will be abundant and the wife will be filial. Although the寅 woodOfficial Ghost is broken by the Shen month and is also attacked by the metal triad, it has no connection to the current question, so it does not need to be used to predict marital issues.

應爻合成子孫局生世，不但嫁資豐厚，更可享其孝順之褔。後至巳年完婚，果孝順賢淑，贈嫁不凡。後學當如是斷，庶無棄吉就凶，以致誤人婚配也。

The statement should be restated: The Response Line moves and combines with another line to form a group of Children, and this group then generates the World Line. Therefore, not only is the dowry abundant, but in the future one can also enjoy the blessing of a filial and respectful wife. Later, in the year of Si, the marriage was completed, and indeed the wife was virtuous, respectful, and accompanied by an extraordinary dowry. Later students should judge marriages by following this method—first identifying the Useful God of the person in question, then observing its generation and control to form a pattern—so as not to ignore auspicious signs and only focus on ominous ones, thus unnecessarily delaying someone's marriage.