Gui
Charting guides: Qi Men Dun Jia Chart
《經》曰：天網四張，萬物盡傷。此時不可舉造百事。又神有高下，必須知之，謂時下得六癸之時也。假今天乙在一宮，即天乙所加宮也。當此之時，必須甸句而去，以左右肩紐面前行過十步，言。若天乙高二尺，以上可消息避天岡，甸甸而去也。
The Classic says: The heavenly net spreads in all directions, injuring all things, and such a time is not suitable for initiating any affairs. The heavenly net referred to here is the hour when the heavenly stem is癸. The heavenly net also has high and low distinctions, which must be clearly understood: if the net is low, people are trapped and unable to escape; if the net is high, one can still crouch down and pass through. For example, if Tianyi (the direct symbol) is located in the first palace, then the palace where Tianyi is added to is the reference. When encountering such a time, one must crawl forward, shrug the shoulders and move sideways, and proceed step by step. (The original text's "甸句" and "甸甸" are likely to be characters meaning "crawling," and the "言" character is possibly a redundant addition.) If the heavenly net is found to be two feet high or more, there is still some room for maneuvering, allowing one to avoid the sharp edge of the heavenly gang and move while crouching.
The four seasons each have their favorable times.
《經》曰：春、夏之節，殺氣潛藏，陰氣居戰鬥利居乎野之地，居下也。秋、冬殺氣在上利居野外，高下顧其殺氣也。陽氣在上，故陽氣在下，戰鬥。障曰：亭亭者，天之貴神背而擊其沖，為勝推之法。將加時神后下，為亭亭所居也。假令五月將小吉加寅時，即神后臨未，為亭亭之在也。
The Classic says: In spring and summer, the killing energy is hidden below, with yin energy below and yang energy above, so in battle it is advantageous to occupy flat low ground; in autumn and winter, the killing energy rises above, so it is advantageous to occupy high ground in the open fields. In short, whether to occupy high or low ground depends on where the killing energy is. This passage in the original text is disordered, repeated, and has missing parts, so the meaning is incomplete. I have recorded it as it is without supplementation. The following text says: The term "tingting" refers to a noble heavenly spirit. In warfare, one should rely on it and attack the direction it faces. This is the method of determining victory or defeat. Place the Month General on the occupied hour, and the god of the child (zi) that appears will be where tingting resides (the character "zhang" should be "zhang," meaning King's jade). For example: In the fifth month, the Month General is Xiaoji (wei). Place it on the yin hour, then the god of the child (zi) will be at the wei position, and the wei position is where tingting resides.
瘴曰：白奸者，天之奸神，合於己女，格於寅申。當合之時，俱背之當。格與不格，合與不合者，皆亭亭向白奸推之法。以月將加時寅、午、戊，上見孟神，即是白奸之位。常以行寅、申、巴、亥四孟怔也。假令正月將登明加時干，登明仿此。臨午即白奸在亥也。他
Wang Zhang also said: The so-called "White Evil" refers to a malevolent deity in the heavens, which corresponds with Si and Hai, and is in opposition with Yin and Shen. ("Ji Nu" refers to Si and Hai, and "Zhang" is still a corruption of "Zhang.") When it combines with a person, one should face away from it. Whether or not there is opposition or combination, the same method of using "Tingting" to oppose "White Evil" should be applied. The specific method is: add the month general to the hour of the day, and look at the positions of Yin, Wu, and Xu. The "Clan God" (Yin, Shen, Si, Hai) will appear on these three branches. The White Evil always moves on the four "Clan" positions (Yin, Shen, Si, Hai). ("Four Clan Zheng" should be "Four Clan Zheng," and "Ba" refers to Si). For example: in the first lunar month, the month general is Dengming (Hai). Add it to the hour, and the other month generals follow this pattern. If Dengming is located at Wu, then the White Evil is at Hai. There is likely a missing character after the word "he" at the end of the text.
石公曰：背孤擊虛，一女可敵十夫。古法：十人用時弧，百人用B孤，干人用月弧，萬人用年孤，惟有時弧最驗。今立成於後。甲子旬(孤在戊亥，虛在辰巴)、甲申旬(孤在午未，虛在子丑)、甲寅旬(孤在於丑，虛在午未)。
The Duke of Yellow Stone said: To attack the position of "Xu" from behind the position of "Gu", even a single woman can resist ten strong men. According to ancient methods: for a squad of ten, use the position of "Gu" in the hour; for a unit of a hundred, use the position of "Gu" in the day; for a unit of a thousand, use the position of "Gu" in the month; and for an army of ten thousand, use the position of "Gu" in the year. Among these, the position of "Gu" in the hour is the most effective. Now the existing chart is as follows: In the Jiazi decade, "Gu" is in Xu and Hai, and "Xu" is in Chen and Si; in the Jiashen decade, "Gu" is in Wu and Wei, and "Xu" is in Zi and Chou; in the Jiayin decade, "Gu" is in Zi and Chou, and "Xu" is in Wu and Wei (the term "Wu Hai" refers to Xu and Hai, and "in Chou" refers to in Zi and Chou). The term "Gu" refers to the position in a ten-day cycle that is not covered by the heavenly stem and earthly branch; "Xu" refers to the position directly opposite to "Gu". To attack "Xu" from behind "Gu" means to leave the empty position behind oneself and attack the opposing position. The original chart only contains three decades, and the decades of Jiaxu, Jiawu, and Jiachen are missing.
《經》曰：欲知賊之數多少，便以月將加聞賊時，視上神天經河魁，五百、五千、五萬人；見登明太乙，四百、四千、萬人；見神后勝光，六百、六干、六萬人；見大畝小吉，八百干、八萬人；見功曹傳送，七百、七干、七萬人；見從魁太沖百、一干、一萬人。其神旺十倍，相氣五倍，休氣如數，囚少，死氣減半也。
The Classic says: To know the number of the enemy's troops, add the Month General to the hour when the enemy's situation was heard, and see which of the twelve Month Generals falls on it, using that to estimate the number. If the Heavenly Gang (Chen) or River Chief (Xu) is encountered, it indicates 50,000, 5,000, or 500 men; if the Dawn Illumination (Hai) or Supreme Virtue (Si) is encountered, it indicates 40,000, 4,000, or 400 men; if the Queen of Heaven (Zi) or Victory Light (Wu) is encountered, it indicates 60,000, 6,000, or 600 men; if the Great Auspicious (Chou) or Small Auspicious (Wei) is encountered, it indicates 80,000, 8,000, or 800 men; if the Meritorious Official (Yin) or Message Carrier (Shen) is encountered, it indicates 70,000, 7,000, or 700 men; if the Following Chief (You) or Great Movement (Mao) is encountered, it indicates 10,000, 1,000, or 100 men. The number obtained should also be adjusted according to the climate: if the god is in its dominant phase, add ten times; if in the phase of mutual assistance, add five times; if in the phase of rest, use the number as is; if in the phase of captivity, reduce it; if in the phase of death qi, reduce it by half.
Method of Divining Lost Paths · Method of Carrying Out Military Epidemics and Sores
黃石公曰：出軍，道逼三路，迷，知何道通，以月將加時縣在孟，左道通；在季，右道通，在仲，中道通也。《經》曰：出軍，疫厲傳染，死者甚眾英死人渴摟數個，聞氣即解也。
The Duke of Yellow Stone said: When sending out troops for military campaigns, if the road splits into three branches and it is unclear which path is passable, one should add the Month General to the current hour, and determine which category the resulting deity belongs to: if it falls in the category of the first (Clan of the First), the left path is passable; if it falls in the category of the third (Clan of the Third), the right path is passable; if it falls in the category of the second (Clan of the Second), the middle path is passable (the word 'county' should be read as 'suspended', referring to the position determined by the rotating plate). The Classic also says: if an epidemic occurs and many people die during military campaigns, one may take several skulls of the dead and place them in the army, and by smelling their odor, the illness can be removed (the word 'hero' should be read as 'take', and 'ke lou' refers to skulls). This is an old custom of ancient military practices for preventing disease, and it is preserved here to show the prevailing military customs of that time.
《經》曰：兵家用籠之法，與他笆甚異。可用一盤，以黑為界，置二螺於其中，以左為主，右為客，而作咒曰：田螺舞，能知風雨。敵若來迫，入我城所。田螺京索，風雨不著。敵若不來，各守塌廓。急急如律令。咒訖，露於星斗之下，左侵右則勝，右侵左則敗，不相侵，不戰也。
The Classic says: The military school has a method of divination using snails, which is different from other methods. Take a plate, draw a black line around it, and place two field snails inside. The one on the left represents the defending side (the main force), and the one on the right represents the attacking side (the guest force). Then recite a spell: "Field snails dance, knowing wind and rain. If enemies come to attack, they will enter my city. Field snails strive to entangle, wind and rain cannot touch. If enemies do not come, each will defend their own city. So be it as the command." After reciting, leave the plate exposed under the stars. The next day, observe: if the left snail invades the right, the defending side wins; if the right snail invades the left, the defending side loses; if neither snail invades the other, then both sides will not fight. ("Lóng" should be "luó," and "bā" should be "fǎ.") This is an ancient method of divination using objects, a peculiar method used in the military.