Explanation of Direct Symbol and Direct Command

符使者，星門用時之異名也。直者，代甲而直其用也。甲以星門為體，以奇儀為用，故奇儀無定位，而星門有定宮也。星為符者，即憑執之符也；門為使者，即甲巡行之使也。故凡甲在之宮，即以直宮之星為符，以直宮之門為使也。干本十也，以配十二支，而變為六十干，故甲稱六而儀亦稱六也。奇儀者，九干之體；六十干者，奇儀之用也。故奇儀隨元分職九宮，而六十干亦隨元分遁九宮也。

The terms "符" and "使" are alternative names for the nine stars and eight gates when they are in use. "直" refers to being on duty, taking the place of Jia to carry out its duties. Jia uses the nine stars and eight gates as its foundation, and the three marvels and six instruments as its functions. Therefore, the three marvels and six instruments do not have fixed positions on the board, while the stars and gates each have fixed native palaces. Stars are called "符" because they represent the authority of the symbol; gates are called "使" because they act as messengers for Jia, traveling to convey commands. Therefore, wherever Jia is located, the star of that palace is called "直符" and the gate of that palace is called "直使." Originally, there are only ten heavenly stems. When paired with the twelve earthly branches, they form sixty combinations of heavenly and earthly stems. Therefore, Jia has six initial stems of the ten heavenly stems, and the instruments are also called six. The three marvels and six instruments are the essence of the nine heavenly stems, while the sixty combinations of heavenly and earthly stems are their functions. Therefore, the marvels and instruments take their respective positions in the nine palaces according to the cycle, and the sixty combinations of heavenly and earthly stems also hide in the nine palaces according to the cycle.

六十干分遁九宮，則六甲干首亦在其中，何以概言為奇儀之用也？蓋以身先之而分其勢以弱之也。若六甲不率五十四干分遁，則各干各聚於一宮，非所謂強木弱金也。何也？以木弱金而強木者也。故凡甲在之宮，而癸輙臨之。所以甲子遁戊，而癸酉亦遁戊，金盜土以生水也；甲戌遁己，而癸未亦遁己，土相比以求益也；甲申遁庚，而癸巳亦遁庚，火制金以防合也；甲午遁辛，而癸卯亦遁辛，木助火以制金也；甲辰遁壬，而癸丑亦遁壬，土相連以敗水也；甲寅遁癸，而癸亥亦遁癸，水相合以益木也。

The sixty combinations of heavenly stems and earthly branches are concealed within the nine palaces, and the first of each ten-day period (six jia) are also among them. Yet they are all generally said to be the effects of the odd instruments (qi yi). This is because the stem Jia must take the lead and spread its influence to appear weak. If the six jia did not lead the other fifty-four combinations to be concealed together, each stem would gather in its own palace, and the arrangement of "weakening metal and supporting wood" would not be achieved. Why is this so? Because the whole arrangement is intended to use wood to weaken metal, thus strengthening wood. Therefore, wherever Jia is located, the stem Gui is always present. For example, Jiazi is concealed under Wu, and Guiyou is also concealed under Wu; this is because metal steals earth's energy to produce water. Jiaxu is concealed under Ji, and Guiwei is also concealed under Ji; this is because earth supports earth to increase strength. Jiashen is concealed under Geng, and Guisi is also concealed under Geng; this is because fire controls metal to prevent it from combining with Yi. Jiawu is concealed under Xin, and Guimao is also concealed under Xin; this is because wood supports fire to control metal. Jiachen is concealed under Ren, and Guichou is also concealed under Ren; this is because earth controls water. Jiayin is concealed under Gui, and Guihai is also concealed under Gui; this is because water supports water to strengthen wood.

是以甲子癸酉遁戊，而戊應配之辰與子酉合；甲戌癸未遁己，而己應配之卯與戌未合；甲辰癸丑遁壬，而壬應配之子與辰丑合；甲寅癸亥遁癸，而癸應配之亥，與寅亥比合。惟甲申癸巳遁庚，而庚應配之寅，則沖申而害巳，故巳火克庚金，而申金又克寅木也。甲午癸卯遁辛，而辛應配之丑，則生辛制卯而盜午，故午火克辛金，而卯又克丑土也甚矣。金之不能忘情於木也，故儀順而奇應之以逆，儀逆而奇應之以順，有以也。

Therefore, Jiazi and Guiyou both hide under Wu, and Wu originally pairs with Chen; Chen can harmonize with Zi and with You. Jiaxu and Guiwei both hide under Ji, and Ji originally pairs with Mao; Mao can harmonize with Xu and with Wei. Jiachen and Guichou both hide under Ren, and Ren originally pairs with Zi; Zi can harmonize with Chen and with Chou. Jiayin and Guihai both hide under Gui, and Gui originally pairs with Hai; Hai is adjacent to Yin and thus harmonizes with it. Only Jiashen and Guisi both hide under Geng, and Geng originally pairs with Yin; Yin conflicts with Shen and harms Si, so the fire in Si overcomes the metal of Geng, and the metal in Shen again overcomes the wood of Yin. Jiawu and Guimao both hide under Xin, and Xin originally pairs with Chou; Chou earth can generate Xin metal and control Mao wood while draining Wu fire, so Wu fire overcomes Xin metal, and Mao wood overcomes Chou earth. It is evident that metal and wood are deeply entangled and cannot forget each other; precisely for this reason, when the Six Instruments are arranged in order, the Three Marvels are arranged in reverse order, and when the Six Instruments are arranged in reverse order, the Three Marvels are arranged in order. This arrangement has a specific rationale.

或曰：甲遁於儀，不能遁於奇，何以言為奇儀之用也？蓋以靜為體，以動為用也。奇儀之於卦無定位，於局有定位也，有定宮則謂之靜，故曰奇儀為九干之體也。六甲隨元遁於儀，故奇合，六儀之干亦隨甲遁於宮，遁則非靜矣，故曰六干為奇儀之用也。夫六甲不遁於六儀，則九星不能直其符；九干不遁於九宮，則八門不得直其使。歌曰：「直符常以加時干，直使逆順時支去。」謂每甲用時，以當直之星符，臨奇儀本局之定位；以當直之門使，巡奇儀本元之遁宮也。譬之用人，其人體在是，而以符監之；其人用在彼，而以使察知，則何所為而不善哉。故云：善藏其用，以儆戒無虞也。

Someone asked: Jia only hides among the six instruments, not among the three marvels, so why are they collectively called "the use of the marvels and instruments"? The answer is: here, stillness is the body and movement is the use. The three marvels and six instruments have no fixed positions relative to the eight trigrams, but they do have fixed positions within a particular layout. When they have a fixed palace, it is called stillness, so the marvels and instruments are the fundamental nature of the nine heavenly stems. The six Jia follow the order of the heavenly stems and hide among the instruments, and the three marvels combine with them. The heavenly stems associated with the six instruments also follow Jia and move into each palace. Once they move, it is no longer stillness, so the sixty heavenly stems are the use of the marvels and instruments. If the six Jia did not hide among the six instruments, the nine stars would have no way to serve as the direct symbol; if the nine heavenly stems did not move into the nine palaces, the eight gates would have no way to serve as the direct commander. The mnemonic says: "The direct symbol is always added to the current heavenly stem, and the direct commander moves in the reverse or forward direction according to the current earthly branch." This means: for each ten-day period, the current star symbol is placed on the earthly branch position of the current heavenly stem (i.e., the marvel or instrument) on the earth plate. The current gate commander is then moved in the forward direction for yang遁 or the reverse direction for yin遁, to the palace where the earthly branch has moved. This is like using people: if a person's fundamental nature is here, use the symbol to supervise him; if his function is there, send a messenger to observe him. Thus, doing things will never be improper. Therefore, it is said that being good at concealing the function allows for constant vigilance, avoiding unexpected situations.

一李氏奇門真傳，不顧尊甲之義，止以節氣為準。如云：辛卯日午時立春，是日癸巳時，猶用大寒下元；自甲午時起至癸巳日亥時止，共三十時，先用立春下元陽二局，謂之殘局。自甲午日子時起至戊戌日亥時止，共六十時，後用立春上元陽八局。己亥日子時起至癸卯日亥時止，共六十時，用立春中元陽五局。又自甲辰日子時起，至丙午日申時止，共三十三時，仍用立春下元陽五局為補局，謂以此三十三時，補足先用殘局，以成一元。

The first school, Li's "True Transmission of the Qimen," disregards the principle of "respecting Jia" and instead uses the solar terms as the basis. He gives an example: suppose the solar term of Start of Spring falls at the noon hour on a Xinmao day. From that day until Guisi time, the lower part of the Dahan (Great Cold) period is still used. From Jiawu time to the亥 time of the day of Kuisi, a total of thirty hours, the lower part of the Yang Bureau of Start of Spring is used, called a "partial bureau." From the Zi time of Jiawu day to the亥 time of Wuxu day, a total of sixty hours, the upper part of the Yang Bureau of Start of Spring is used. From the Zi time of Jihai day to the亥 time of Guimao day, a total of sixty hours, the middle part of the Yang Bureau of Start of Spring is used. Then from the Zi time of Jiachen day to the Shen time of Bingwu day, a total of thirty-three hours, the lower part of the Start of Spring Bureau is still used, called a "complementary bureau," meaning these thirty-three hours are used to make up for the previous partial bureau, forming a complete Yuan. This method is what is later called the "Chai Bu method": when a solar term is reached, the bureau is changed. The leftover hours from the previous Yuan are called a "partial bureau," and later they are made up for, called a "complementary bureau," completely ignoring whether the Fu Tou (symbol head) has arrived or not.

丙午日丁酉時交雨水節，亦如立春，先用下元補局。嗣此而後，氣氣皆同，直至甲午日子時交寒露節，三元順序始為正受。至己酉日乃用霜降超起，超至次年戊戌日芒種，超過四日；超至辛丑日大雪，超過七日；又超至次年癸卯日芒種，過九日，餘無再超之理，即以己酉日疊作芒種閏奇。蓋以接氣為拆補，謂拆補寧多二三時，起超不可過九日，如過九日，即當置閏也。

On the day of Bingwu with the hour of Dingyou, the Rain Water festival is observed, just as in the case of the Beginning of Spring. First, the lower trigram is used for supplementation. Then, each solar term is handled in the same way, continuing until the day of Jiawu with the hour of Renzi, when the Cold Dew festival begins. At this point, the order of the upper, middle, and lower trigrams is considered "correctly received," meaning that the symbol head and the solar term exactly coincide. On the day of Jiyou, the Frost Descent festival is used to start the "exceeding" method. By the time of the next year's Wuxu day when the Grain in Ear festival begins, the exceeding has already surpassed four days. By the time of the next year's Xinchou day when the Great Snow festival begins, the exceeding has surpassed seven days. Then, by the next year's Guimao day when the Grain in Ear festival begins, the exceeding has surpassed nine days. Beyond this, there is no further exceeding. Therefore, the day of Jiyou is used again as a leap odd day for the Grain in Ear festival. This approach treats "receiving the qi" as "splitting and supplementing." His argument is that splitting and supplementing may exceed by two or three hours, but exceeding in the "exceeding" method must not go beyond nine days. If it exceeds nine days, intercalation should be used.

考古法以甲子、己卯、甲午、己酉為符頭者，緣尊甲以制奇門，故立符以定元首也。是以符頭為體，節氣為用。非節氣則不能入局，非符頭則不能起元，故於二至之前，置閏引氣，以歸符頭也。李氏超閏既用古法，則接氣亦當如古法，何得創為拆補以亂符頭？若謂拆補是接氣之準，則符頭不得超前氣而為超神；若謂超神為置閏之基，則氣餘不得因拆補而為節氣，此易知者也。

The reason ancient methods used Jiazi, Jimao, Jiawu, and Jiyou as symbol heads is to honor Jia in order to govern the Qimen. Thus, a symbol head is established to determine the beginning of a cycle. In this way, the symbol head is the principle, and the solar terms are the application: without solar terms, the layout cannot be formed, and without a symbol head, the cycle cannot be initiated. Therefore, before the winter solstice and summer solstice, an intercalary layout is set up to guide the solar terms, so that they can align with the symbol head. Since Li's method of intercalation follows ancient practices, the method of aligning with solar terms should also follow ancient methods. How can one create a new method called "Chai Bu" and disrupt the symbol head? If one says that "Chai Bu" is the standard for aligning with solar terms, then the symbol head should not precede the solar terms and become "Chao Shen." If one says that "Chao Shen" is the basis for intercalation, then the remaining solar term should not be calculated as a solar term due to "Chai Bu." This is a clear and straightforward matter.

如必以氣為準，則超神亦當用拆補法，不宜於本氣、接後氣之超。倘曰符頭巳到，不得不超，而接氣符頭未到，何以下元返用於上元之先耶？脫依此法，不但下元用於上元之先，中元亦可用於上元之先矣。況甲午符頭，僅得一元五日六十時，若用殘局補合三元，又係己卯符頭所轄，寧有當轄者不能用，而顧用於不當轄者乎？殊違尊甲之旨也。

If one must strictly follow the solar terms, then the method of Chai Bu should also be used for the superimposed sections, and they should not be connected within the current term to use the next term's superimposed section. If someone argues that the symbol head has already arrived and it is unavoidable to superimpose, yet when connecting the terms the symbol head has not yet arrived, then on what grounds can the lower term be placed before the upper term? According to his method, not only can the lower term be placed before the upper term, but the middle term can also be placed before the upper term. Moreover, the symbol head of Jiawu only governs one term for five days and sixty hours; if using a residual section to combine into three terms, it would already fall within the jurisdiction of the symbol head of Jimao. How could the governing symbol head be unable to be used, while using the symbol head that does not govern? This clearly contradicts the principle of respecting the symbol head of Ji.

一林氏奇門，以周天三百六十五度四分度之一，大陽日行一度，歷十二辰、二十四氣為一周。奇用七十二候，止三百六十日，餘日之度成閏奇，以合天道氣候。凡一節氣三十日五時二刻，以三十日為六候，餘五時二刻為閏始。一歲二十四氣，積其餘得五日三時為一候，作閏候，故二十年有二十一候之閏。第一年在天正冬至上候起，至芒種末閏上候；第二年在小滿末潤中候；第三年在立夏末閏下候，周而復始。一至一年，二至二十一年，三至四十一年，四至六十一年，循環不已，積四百一十六年而天正冬至，仍閏上候。

The second method, the Lin school of the Gate of Heaven, uses 365 and 1/4 degrees as the full circle of the sky. The sun moves one degree each day, completing a full circle through twelve earthly branches and twenty-four solar terms. The Gate of Heaven only uses seventy-two divisions, corresponding to 360 days. The extra degrees are made into "leap gates" to align with the heavenly path and climatic changes. Each solar term is thirty days and five and a half hours. Out of these, thirty days are divided into six divisions, and the remaining five and a half hours are considered the beginning of the leap division. With twenty-four solar terms, the leftover time accumulates to five days and three hours, which exactly forms one division, called a "leap division." Therefore, in twenty years there are twenty-one leap divisions. The first year starts the leap division from the first division of the winter solstice, ending at the last leap division of the summer solstice. The second year starts at the last leap division of the small fullness, the third year at the last leap division of the beginning of summer, and so on, repeating cyclically. The first occurrence is in the first year, the second in the twenty-first, the third in the forty-first, the fourth in the sixty-first, and so on, continuing endlessly. After accumulating four hundred and sixteen years, the winter solstice again begins with the first leap division. In short, the Lin school does not use the symbol head or the method of connecting the heavens and the earth, but instead accumulates the leftover degrees from the solar terms to form complete divisions, inserting a "leap division" at the appropriate time, thus aligning the structure numbers of the Gate of Heaven with the degrees of the sun's path.

考古法正受之後起超者，蓋尊甲子為上元之首也。故超四十餘氣，遇芒種大雪，重用本氣三元，以續陰陽終極之氣，俾三元之次序不紊耳。林氏不究古義，謂李氏置閏為非，創為閏候之法，自謂奇門功臣，不知李氏超閏，正合古義，第以拆補用於接氣淆亂符頭，然於三元次第，猶有上中下之分別也。若林氏二十年閏二十一候，則三元次第不分，四仲符頭無用矣，不亦奇門之罪人乎，殊違尊甲之旨也。

The reason ancient methods start the "superimposition" after "zheng shou" is because they regard Jiazi as the first of the upper origin. Therefore, after exceeding more than forty qi, when encountering the solar terms Mangzhong and Daxue, they repeat the three yuan of the current qi again to continue the ultimate yin and yang qi, ensuring the order of the upper, middle, and lower yuan remains undisturbed. Lin did not thoroughly study the ancient meaning, claiming Li's intercalation method was wrong and instead created his own method of intercalated periods, calling himself a benefactor of the Qi Men. But he did not realize that Li's method of superimposition and intercalation actually conforms to the ancient meaning. The difference is that Li used the method of splitting and supplementing to connect the qi, which disturbed the symbol head. However, the order of the three yuan was still preserved, maintaining the distinction between upper, middle, and lower. If one follows Lin's method of adding twenty years and twenty-one periods, the order of the three yuan would be indistinct, and the symbol heads of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You would become useless. This would not be a benefit to Qi Men, but rather a violation of the principle of honoring Jia.

一陶真人遁甲神書，超閏以二氏為準，加臨以古法為非，謂禽芮不宜同宮，奇儀逐時有異，創立陰陽一百六十二圖。自序云：啟千古不傳之秘。其法陽遁一局，一宮起甲子戊，二宮起甲戌己，三宮起甲申庚，四宮起甲午辛，五宮起甲辰壬，六宮起甲寅癸，七宮起丁奇，八宮起丙奇，九宮起乙奇，直符直使不載圖中。若甲子時用事，以直符天蓬、直使休門同加於坎一宮，天盤地盤相同。凡甲己日之戊辰時、乙庚日之己卯時、丙辛日之庚寅時、丁壬日之辛丑時、戊癸日之壬子時、癸亥時，此六時各歸各宮，故同甲子時者，共為一局第一圖，永定不易。

The third school, Tao Zhenren's "Dun Jia Shen Shu," uses the intercalation method of Li and Lin as a standard, but believes the traditional method of adding the heavenly and earthly elements is incorrect. He argues that the Tian Qin and Tian Rui stars should not be in the same palace, and that the odd instruments vary each hour. Therefore, he created a total of 162 diagrams combining yin and yang. In his preface, he says this reveals a secret not passed down for thousands of years. His method is: for a Yang Dun layout, the first palace starts with Jiazi Wu, the second with Jiaxu Ji, the third with Jiashen Geng, the fourth with Jiawu Xin, the fifth with Jiachen Ren, the sixth with Jiayin Gui, the seventh with Ding Qi, the eighth with Bing Qi, and the ninth with Yi Qi. The straight symbol and straight command are not drawn on the diagram. If an action is taken at the Jiazi hour, the straight symbol Tianpeng and the straight command Xiu Men are both added to the Kan one palace. At this time, the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate completely coincide. For the six hours: on the days of Jia and Wu, at Wu Chen hour; on the days of Yi and Geng, at Ji Mao hour; on the days of Bing and Xin, at Geng Yin hour; on the days of Ding and Ren, at Xin Chou hour; on the days of Wu and Gui, at Ren Zi hour and Gui Hai hour, the odd instruments each return to their respective palaces. Therefore, all hours with the same situation as Jiazi hour share the same layout, which is the first diagram, always fixed and unchanging. In other words, he made the Qi Men plate into a lookup table: instead of calculating the straight symbol and straight command based on the beginning of a ten-day period, one simply checks which category the hour falls into and directly uses the corresponding diagram.

如用乙丑時，本局地盤不動，以天盤甲子戊加乙於九宮，再加甲戌己於一宮、甲申庚於二宮、甲午辛於三宮、甲辰壬於四宮、甲寅癸於五宮，加丁奇於六宮、加丙奇於七宮、加乙奇於八宮，以蓬休符使加於離九宮。凡甲己之乙丑甲戌時、乙庚日之戊寅時、丙辛日之己丑時、丁壬日之庚子、辛亥時、戊癸日之壬戌時，七時六甲，各加其干，故同乙丑時者，共為一局第二圖，亦永定不易。如此陰陽各立九局，每局各位九圖，共為一百六十二圖。

If using the time of Yi Chou, the Earth Plate remains stationary, and the Heaven Plate's Jia Zi Wu is added to the ninth palace where the Earth Plate's Yi is located. Then sequentially, Jia Xu Ji is added to the first palace, Jia Shen Geng to the second palace, Jia Wu Xin to the third palace, Jia Chen Ren to the fourth palace, Jia Yin Gui to the fifth palace, Ding Qi to the sixth palace, Bing Qi to the seventh palace, and Yi Qi to the eighth palace. The Straight Symbol Tianpeng and the Straight Command Xiu Men are added to the ninth palace of Li. For the times of Yi Chou and Jia Xu on the day of Jia Ji, the times of Wu Yin on the day of Yi Geng, the times of Ji Chou on the day of Bing Xin, the times of Geng Zi and Xin Hai on the day of Ding Ren, and the time of Ren Xu on the day of Wu Gui, each of the six Jia times is added to the corresponding heavenly stem. Therefore, all times similar to Yi Chou share the same layout, which is the second diagram, and it remains fixed. In this way, both Yang Dun and Yin Dun each establish nine layouts, each with nine diagrams, totaling one hundred sixty-two diagrams. This shows that the Heaven Plate does not rotate with the Straight Symbol, but instead moves the entire set of odd instruments palace by palace, which is exactly the method of "flying palm" that will be refuted later.

考古法，東部四卦，一少交於西南；西部四卦，二少交於東北者，交於陰陽始生之地也。故後天坤艮位其地，而以五寄之，惟其有寄宮也，然後得乙與庚合而丙居其功。冬至四節，六甲從乎順行；夏至四節，六甲從乎逆布者，從其卦爻往來之序也。故後天洛書代其序，而以時遁之，惟其有遁宮也，然後得符與使分，而甲藏其用，此理淵微，未易測也。陶氏不究古義，疑太公留侯捷法，為後人附會，謂時遠難稽，無足憑信，遂用飛掌加臨，立成圖局，以為附合洛書。

Investigating ancient methods: the four trigrams in the eastern half are the trigrams of the young girl, which move to the southwest; the four trigrams in the western half are the trigrams of the young man, which move to the northeast. They all meet at the places where yin and yang first arise. Therefore, the later heaven trigrams have the trigrams of Earth and Mountain occupying these two directions, and the central five is assigned there. Because of the lodging palace, the trigram Yi can combine with Geng, and Bing can restrain Geng. After the winter solstice, the six Jia trigrams move in order; after the summer solstice, they move in reverse order, following the sequence of the trigrams' yin and yang movement. Therefore, the later heaven Luo Writing replaces this sequence, and the Jia trigram is hidden according to the time of day. Because of the hidden palace, the direct symbol and the direct messenger can be separated, and the Jia trigram can conceal its function. This principle is profound and subtle, difficult to measure. Tao's school does not deeply explore ancient meanings, doubts the concise methods of Tai Gong and Liu Hou, thinking they are later additions, and that because of the long time passed, they are hard to verify and not reliable, so they use the method of 'flying palm' to add trigrams, creating ready-made diagrams, thinking this way is in line with the Luo Writing.

夫飛掌之法，乃近代形家排山之法，非古法也。脫如其說，使九星可入中宮，禽芮亦不併混，不知直使僅有八門，又將何法以分九宮乎？顛倒星宮，殊違尊甲之旨也。

The so-called "flying palm" is a method used by modern geomancers in the palm technique for arranging the mountains, and it is not part of the ancient qi men system. Even if one follows his approach, allowing the nine stars to enter the central palace, and separating Tian Rui from Tian Rui, he overlooks the fact that there are only eight gates, so how can one distribute nine palaces? This reversal of the relationship between stars and palaces clearly contradicts the principle of respecting the first heavenly stem, Jia.

陰陽刑德開闔者，陰刑陽德，陽開陰闔也。冬至德在卯、刑在酉；夏至德在酉、刑在卯；春分德在午、刑在子；秋分德在子、刑在午；立春德在辰、刑在戌；立秋德在戌、刑在辰；立夏德在未、刑在丑；立冬德在丑、刑在未。凡刑德所在，三氣共之。刑德不及寅申巳亥者，以四孟為四生，故不及也。蓬任沖輔禽之陽星，凡五陽星加時為開；英芮柱心謂之陰星，凡四陰星加時為闔。將兵以開闔分主客，以刑德定坐擊，闔為主、開為客，坐陽德、擊陰刑是也。

The phrase "yin and yang刑德 open and close" means that yin governs刑 (punishment) and yang governs德 (virtue), yang governs opening and yin governs closing. Each of the eight solar terms has its own德位 (virtuous position) and刑位 (punishment position): on the winter solstice, the德位 is in卯 (Mao) and the刑位 is in酉 (You); on the summer solstice, the德位 is in酉 (You) and the刑位 is in卯 (Mao); on the spring equinox, the德位 is in午 (Wu) and the刑位 is in子 (Zi); on the autumn equinox, the德位 is in子 (Zi) and the刑位 is in午 (Wu); on the beginning of spring, the德位 is in辰 (Chen) and the刑位 is in戌 (Xu); on the beginning of autumn, the德位 is in戌 (Xu) and the刑位 is in辰 (Chen); on the beginning of summer, the德位 is in未 (Wei) and the刑位 is in丑 (Chou); on the beginning of winter, the德位 is in丑 (Chou) and the刑位 is in未 (Wei). For each solar term, the刑位 and德位 apply together with the three qi (energies) under that term. The positions of刑 and德 are only in子 (Zi), 午 (Wu), 卯 (Mao), and 酉 (You), as well as 辰 (Chen), 戌 (Xu), 丑 (Chou), and 未 (Wei), and do not involve 寅 (Yin), 申 (Shen), 巳 (Si), and 亥 (Hai), because these four are the "four young" (四孟), belonging to the growth (长生) position, so刑 and德 do not apply to them. The five stars: Also known as the Greedy Wolf Star (Tian Peng), Also known as Zuo Fu Xing (Tian Ren), 天冲 (Tian Chong), Also known as Wenqu Star (Tian Fu), and Tian Rui Star (Tian Qin) are yang stars; when these yang stars are used, the corresponding heavenly stem is considered "open" (开). The four stars: Also known as Right Assistant Star (Tian Ying), 天芮 (Tian Rui), Also known as the Po Jun (Tian Zhu), and 天心 (Tian Xin) are yin stars; when these yin stars are used, the corresponding heavenly stem is considered "closed" (阖). In military operations, the distinction between the main and the opposing force is made by open and closed; the determination of defense and attack is made by刑 and德: when it is closed, it is suitable to be the defending force; when it is open, it is suitable to be the attacking force. The defending force should be stationed at the virtuous position of yang, and the attacking force should target the punishment position of yin. This is the principle.

三甲者，孟甲、仲甲、季甲也。凡上元入局，甲子、甲午直符為仲甲；中元入局，甲寅、甲申直符為孟甲；下元入局，甲辰、甲戌直符為季甲。三元三甲直符之時，舉事視刑德為動靜，將兵視刑德為戰守，皆以在門決之。在門者，刑德在直使之門也。冬至三氣卯為德、酉為刑，凡三元入局五百四十時中，五卯時德在門，五酉時刑在門。德在門之時，宜動宜戰；刑在門之時，宜靜宜守。三氣元中，孟甲、仲甲直符旬內，有刑亦有德，惟季甲直符甲辰旬中，有刑而無德；甲戌旬中，有德而無刑。立春三氣元中，五辰時德在門，五戌時刑在門；孟甲、季甲直符旬內，有刑亦有德，惟仲甲直符甲子旬中，無刑而有德；甲午旬中，無德而有刑。

"The term 'three Jia' refers to the first, second, and third Jia. When the upper yuan enters the array, the direct symbol of the Jiazi and Jiawu decades is called the second Jia; when the middle yuan enters the array, the direct symbol of the Jiayin and Jiashen decades is called the first Jia; when the lower yuan enters the array, the direct symbol of the Jiachen and Jiaxu decades is called the third Jia. When the three yuan and three Jia are all the direct symbols, the decision to act or remain still, to fight or defend, is based on the influence of the penal and virtuous forces. The basis for judgment is the phrase 'in the gate.' 'In the gate' means that the penal position or virtuous position exactly falls on the earthly branch of the direct command gate. During the beginning of winter, the three qi have the branch of Mao as the virtuous and the branch of You as the penal. In the 540 hours of the three yuan entering the array, there are five Mao hours when the virtuous is in the gate and five You hours when the penal is in the gate. When the virtuous is in the gate, it is suitable to act or fight; when the penal is in the gate, it is suitable to remain still or defend. In each of the three qi of these three yuan, the first, second, and third Jia when they are the direct symbols have both penal and virtuous forces. Only when the third Jia is the direct symbol, the Jiachen decade has only penal forces and no virtuous forces, and the Jiaxu decade has only virtuous forces and no penal forces. During the beginning of spring, the three qi have five Chen hours as the virtuous in the gate and five Xu hours as the penal in the gate. The first and third Jia when they are the direct symbols have both penal and virtuous forces, but when the second Jia is the direct symbol, the Jiazi decade has only virtuous forces and no penal forces, and the Jiawu decade has only penal forces and no virtuous forces. The phrase 'five Mao hours' and 'five You hours' refers to the fact that within five days of a yuan, each earthly branch appears five times. When checking, one simply needs to see which earthly branch the direct command gate falls on; if it is the virtuous branch, then action is appropriate; if it is the penal branch, then defense is appropriate."

春分三氣元中，凡五午時德在門，五子時刑在門。立夏三元氣中，凡五未時德在門，五丑時刑在門。六氣十八元中，仲甲、季甲直符，有刑亦有德，惟孟甲直符甲寅旬中，無刑而有德；甲申旬中，無德而有刑。夏至十二氣，直符同，刑德反是。凡德在門之時，陽星加之為盡開，陰星加之為半開；刑在門之時，陽星加之為半闔，陰星加之為盡闔。故經云：能知三甲，一開一闔；不知三甲，六甲盡闔。

At the time of the Spring Equinox, the three qi periods have five instances of the Wu hour as the door of virtue (de in men) and five instances of the Zi hour as the door of punishment (xing in men). At the time of the Beginning of Summer, the three qi periods have five instances of the Wei hour as the door of virtue and five instances of the Chou hour as the door of punishment. Among these six qi periods and eighteen elements, the middle Jia and the final Jia when they are the direct symbol (zhi fu) have both punishment and virtue, but the initial Jia when it is the direct symbol has virtue without punishment in the Jiayin cycle, and punishment without virtue in the Jiashen cycle. After the Summer Solstice, the twelve qi periods follow the same pattern for the direct symbol, but the positions of punishment and virtue are reversed. Whenever the door of virtue is present, if a yang star is added, it is called 'complete opening' (jin kai); if a yin star is added, it is called 'half opening' (ban kai). Whenever the door of punishment is present, if a yang star is added, it is called 'half closing' (ban he); if a yin star is added, it is called 'complete closing' (jin he). Therefore, the classic texts say: those who understand the three Jia can distinguish when something is open and when it is closed; those who do not understand the three Jia will see all the six Jia periods as closed, and thus be unable to use them.

三氏諸書，以仲甲為刑德在門，此時主客皆不利，惟宜退藏隱伏。孟甲為陽在內，陰在外，此時利主，宜堅壁守城。季甲為陰在內、陽在外，此時利客宜提兵動眾。又以甲申庚為刑門。又注六甲之時，陽星合孟、內開外闔，合仲半開半闔，合季外開內闔。陰星合孟，內半開、外盡闔。合季外半開、內盡闔。不知何所取義，存之以備博洽之考。

Li, Lin, and Tao's books state that Zhong Jia (the second Jia) is when punishment and virtue are both present at the gate, at which time both the attacking and defending sides are disadvantageous, and retreat and concealment are advisable. Meng Jia (the first Jia) is when yang energy is inside and yin energy is outside, at which time the main side is advantageous, and it is advisable to fortify and hold the city. Ji Jia (the third Jia) is when yin energy is inside and yang energy is outside, at which time the guest side is advantageous, and it is advisable to mobilize troops. They also refer to Jia Shen Geng as the "Xingmen" (Punishment Gate). They further explain that during the six Jia periods, when a yang star is paired with Meng Jia, it is internal opening and external closing; when paired with Zhong Jia, it is half open and half closed; and when paired with Ji Jia, it is external opening and internal closing. When a yin star is paired with Meng Jia, it is internal half open and external fully closed; when paired with Ji Jia, it is external half open and internal fully closed. It is unclear what meaning these explanations derive from, and they do not align with the calculation method presented earlier in this book, which determines movement and stillness based on the presence of punishment and virtue at the gate. These explanations are therefore preserved for verification by those with extensive knowledge.

三奇得使者，謂得三吉門、直使加奇也。凡開、休、生加乙、丙。丁為吉門合三奇，利為百事。更得吉門作直使為得使，謀為尤利。

"The Three Marvels with the Direct Command" refers to obtaining the direct command of one of the three auspicious gates—Open Door, Rest Gate, or Life Gate—and having this direct command resting upon one of the Three Marvels. Whenever the Open Door, Rest Gate, or Life Gate is placed in the palace of any of the Three Marvels (乙, 丙, or 丁), it is considered a favorable combination, making any action beneficial. If this auspicious gate is also the direct command of the current ten-day period, then it is truly "having the direct command," and endeavors will be exceptionally smooth and successful.

三奇游六儀者，謂奇間於儀中，儀加奇、而奇復遊其儀也。左儀加奇，則奇游於右儀；右儀加奇，則奇游於左儀。乙遊己辛，丙遊戊庚，丁遊壬癸，必為當旬直符來加方是。假如陽一局，乙奇在九宮、甲午辛在四宮居右，甲戌己在二宮居左。若乙亥時，甲戌直符來加乙於九宮，則乙遊於右儀之辛；若乙未時，甲午直符來加乙於九宮，則乙遊於左儀之己，此時利為百事。若得吉門更利，丙丁仿此，左右間一宮者亦是，如陽三局乙奇是也。

"The Three Marvels move among the Six Instruments" refers to a Marvel being located between two Instruments. When an Instrument is added to this Marvel, the Marvel moves to the other side of the Instrument. If the Instrument on the left is added to the Marvel, the Marvel moves to the Instrument on the right; if the Instrument on the right is added to the Marvel, the Marvel moves to the Instrument on the left. For example, the Marvel Yi moves between Ji and Xin, the Marvel Bing moves between Wu and Geng, and the Marvel Ding moves between Ren and Gui. This movement only counts when the direct symbol of the current ten-day cycle is added to the Marvel. For instance, in the first Yang Dun layout, the Marvel Yi is in the ninth palace, with the combination Jiawu Xin in the fourth palace on its right and the combination Jiaxu Ji in the second palace on its left. If it is the Yihai hour, the direct symbol of the Jiaxu ten-day cycle is added to the Marvel Yi in the ninth palace, causing the Marvel Yi to move to the Xin on the right. If it is the Yiwei hour, the direct symbol of the Jiawu ten-day cycle is added to the Marvel Yi in the ninth palace, causing the Marvel Yi to move to the Ji on the left. These hours are favorable for any action, and if paired with a favorable gate, it is even better. The Marvels Bing and Ding follow the same principle. The situation where the Marvel is separated by one palace from the Instrument also applies, such as the Marvel Yi in the third Yang Dun layout.

玉女守門者，地盤六丁守直使之門也。甲子直符庚午時、甲戌直符己卯時、甲申直符戊子時、甲午直符丁酉時、甲辰直符丙午時、甲寅直符乙卯時，值此六時則直使遁於丁奇所在之宮，丁為玉女，故曰：玉女守門也。此時利謀秘密、陰私之事，乘玉女守門方出，人不能見。入宜營建宴會、和樂之事，若遇三奇吉門直使，又得太陰臨合地戶，宜福食遠行、出入皆吉。

"The term 'Yùnǚ Shǒu Mén' (Zhu Yuniu guarding the gate) refers to the situation where the Earth Plate's six Dīng (丁) are guarding the door where the straight commander (直使) falls. Specifically, there are six hours: during the Gēngwǔ (庚午) hour of the Jiazi (甲子) decade when the straight commander is in place, the Jimao (己卯) hour of the Jiaxu (甲戌) decade, the Wuzi (戊子) hour of the Jiashen (甲申) decade, the Dingyou (丁酉) hour of the Jiawu (甲午) decade, the Bingwu (丙午) hour of the Jiachen (甲辰) decade, and the Yimao (乙卯) hour of the Jiayin (甲寅) decade. On these six hours, the straight commander exactly moves to the palace where the Dīng (丁) is located; Dīng is called 'Yùnǚ', hence the term 'Yùnǚ Shǒu Mén'. During these hours, it is suitable for planning secret or private matters. If one travels in the direction where Yùnǚ is guarding the gate, others cannot see them. Returning is suitable for starting new projects, banquets, and joyful activities. If at the same time three marvels (三奇), auspicious doors (吉门), and the straight commander are in place, and the Taiyin (太阴) is present at the He (合) and Di Hu (地户), then praying for fortune, drinking, traveling, and entering or exiting doors are all auspicious."

以上三格，三氏諸書，各有異同。李以甲戌、甲午為乙奇得使，甲子、甲申為丙奇得使，甲辰、甲寅為丁奇得使，林陶因之。林以甲己時丙、乙庚時辛、丙辛時乙、丁壬時己、戊癸時壬，為玉女守門時。李陶皆以玉女守門為三奇游六儀。考釣叟歌與諸說不合。歌云：吉門偶爾合三奇，值此經百事宜，更合從旁加檢點，餘宮不可有微疵，三奇得使誠堪使，六甲遇之非小補，乙逢犬馬丙鼠猴，六丁玉女騎龍虎，號為三奇游六儀，又有玉女守門時，若作陰私和合事，請君但向此中推。此十二句是承上接下，一串說來者。若從三氏以遊儀為得使，以守門為遊儀，則於歌義大相戾矣。

The three patterns of "Three Marvels with Command," "Three Marvels Moving through the Six Instruments," and "Yünu Guarding the Gate" differ among the works of Li, Lin, and Tao. Li regarded Jiaxu and Jiawu as instances where Yi Marvel holds command, and Jiazi and Jiashen as instances where Bing Marvel holds command, while Jiachen and Jiayin as instances where Ding Marvel holds command. Lin and Tao followed his approach. Lin regarded the time of Bing hour on Jiaji day, Xin hour on Yigeng day, Yi hour on Bingxinh day, Ji hour on Dinnin day, and Ren hour on Wukui day as the time of Yünu Guarding the Gate. Li and Tao both regarded Yünu Guarding the Gate as part of the Three Marvels Moving through the Six Instruments. However, examining the "Yanbo DiaoSou Song," these interpretations do not align with its meaning. The song says: "When a favorable gate coincidentally combines with the Three Marvels, all matters are favorable, and further checks should be made, with no minor flaws in other sectors; the Three Marvels with Command are indeed valuable, and encountering them on the Six Starting Points is not insignificant; when Yi meets the dog and horse, and Bing meets the rat and monkey, and when Ding is accompanied by Yünu riding a dragon and tiger, these are called the Three Marvels Moving through the Six Instruments, and also the time of Yünu Guarding the Gate; if dealing with private and harmonious affairs, please refer to these." These twelve lines are connected and continuous. If we follow the interpretations of the three schools, treating "Moving through the Six Instruments" as "with Command" and "Guarding the Gate" as "Moving through the Six Instruments," it contradicts the original meaning of the song.

歌云：甲遇者，謂得使之時，復遇直使之甲加之，其吉更倍，非以遊儀為得使也。且得使遇甲，惟丙辰、丁酉二時有之，陰陽二局僅各三見：陽一局八宮，三局一宮，五局三宮，陰六局八宮，四局六宮，二局四宮，為丙奇得使遇甲；陽三局九宮，五局二宮，七局四宮，陰九局三宮，四局七宮，二局五宮，為丁奇得使遇甲。至於乙奇以及他時，則遇甲而不得使，或得使而不遇甲矣。

The phrase "six Jia meet it" in the song refers to when the Three Marvels coincide with the direct symbol Jia arriving on top, resulting in double good fortune. This is not referring to "you yi" as "getting the command." The situation where the command is obtained and Jia arrives is only found in the two hours of Bingchen and Dingyou. In both Yang Dun and Yin Dun, each appears three times: in Yang Dun, the first palace of the eighth bureau, the first palace of the third bureau, and the third palace of the fifth bureau; in Yin Dun, the eighth palace of the sixth bureau, the sixth palace of the fourth bureau, and the fourth palace of the second bureau. These six places are where Bing Marvel gets the command and meets Jia. In Yang Dun, the ninth palace of the third bureau, the second palace of the fifth bureau, and the fourth palace of the seventh bureau; in Yin Dun, the third palace of the ninth bureau, the seventh palace of the fourth bureau, and the fifth palace of the second bureau. These six places are where Ding Marvel gets the command and meets Jia. As for Yi Marvel and other hours, they either meet Jia without getting the command or get the command without meeting Jia.

矧經中止載遊儀、守門二格，無得使之格，若必謂遊儀為得使，是以儀為使，而不以門為使也；必謂守門為遊儀，是以門為儀，而不以甲為儀也。何則？玉女守門者，守其宮以侍直使之門，來加所遁之時也。玉女，丁奇也，既以丁奇所在之宮，守直使來加為守門，亦可謂之八門遊丁奇，奚可謂之三奇游六儀乎！至於林以甲己時丙等為守門，則尤不可解矣。

Moreover, the classic texts only mention two patterns, "Yóu Yí" (Wandering Instruments) and "Shǒu Mén" (Guarding the Gate), and do not establish a separate pattern called "Dé Shǐ" (Receiving the Commander). If one insists that "Yóu Yí" is equivalent to "Dé Shǐ," then the Instrument is being treated as the Commander, and the Gate is not considered the Commander. Similarly, if one insists that "Shǒu Mén" is equivalent to "Yóu Yí," then the Gate is being treated as the Instrument, and the Jia Stem is not considered the Instrument. Why is this the case? Because "Yù Nǚ Shǒu Mén" (Yü Nü Guarding the Gate) refers to the Ding Qi (Ding Marvel) guarding its own palace, waiting for the Direct Commander to arrive at the place it has hidden to. Yü Nü is the Ding Qi; since it is the Ding Qi's palace that is used to guard against the arrival of the Direct Commander, it is called "Shǒu Mén." Therefore, it should not be called "Sān Qí Yóu Liù Yí" (Three Marvels Wandering the Six Instruments). As for Lin's claim that the time of Bing (丙) on the day of Jia (甲) and Ji (己) is considered "Shǒu Mén," this is even more illogical.

且三奇游六儀，惟陽一局、陰九局九見，陽一四七局、陰八六三局惟丙奇見，陽三六九局、陰七四一局，惟乙奇見。其訣以一奇間於二儀之中，如天盤左儀直符加奇，則其奇游於右儀；右儀直符加奇，則其奇游於左儀。故曰：乙逢犬馬、丙鼠猴，六丁玉女騎龍虎也。若依陶氏定圖，每一時以奇儀順序一易，則天盤與地盤異矣，又將何據以為得使乎。

The pattern of the Three Marvels moving through the Six Instruments applies only in the first Yang Dun and the ninth Yin Dun, where all three marvels are present and appear nine times. In the first, fourth, and seventh Yang Dun, and the eighth, sixth, and third Yin Dun, only the Bing Marvel moves through the Instruments. In the third, sixth, and ninth Yang Dun, and the seventh, fourth, and first Yin Dun, only the Yi Marvel moves through the Instruments. The mnemonic is that one marvel is between two Instruments: when the Instrument on the left of the Heaven Plate acts as the direct symbol and is added to the marvel, the marvel moves to the right Instrument; when the Instrument on the right of the Heaven Plate acts as the direct symbol and is added to the marvel, the marvel moves to the left Instrument. Therefore, the verse says, "Yi meets the dog and horse, Bing meets the rat and monkey, and the Six Ding Ziyu rides the dragon and tiger." This means that the Yi Marvel meets the Jia Xu (dog) and Jia Wu (horse), the Bing Marvel meets the Jia Zi (rat) and Jia Shen (monkey), and the Ding Marvel meets the Jia Chen (dragon) and Jia Yin (tiger). If we follow the fixed diagram of Tao's system, the marvels and Instruments move one position every hour, causing the Heaven Plate and Earth Plate to become misaligned, so how can we determine which one to use?

迫者，門制其宮也。開門臨三、四宮，休門臨九宮，生門臨一宮，景門臨六、七宮，傷、杜二門臨二、八宮，死門臨一宮，驚門臨三、四宮，凡此為迫，不利諸事。經云：吉門被迫，吉事成凶；凶門被迫，凶災愈甚。值此惟宜安靜、不宜舉動。

"Per" means that the gate is attacked by the palace it is facing. Specifically, there are several cases: the Open Door (开门) of the Metal element faces the third and fourth palaces (Metal overcomes Wood), the Rest Gate (休门) of the Water element faces the ninth palace (Water overcomes Fire), the Life Gate (生门) of the Earth element faces the first palace (Earth overcomes Water), the Scene Gate (景门) of the Fire element faces the sixth and seventh palaces (Fire overcomes Metal), the Wound Gate (伤门) and the Du Gate (杜门) of the Wood element face the second and eighth palaces (Wood overcomes Earth), and the Death Gate (死门) of the Earth element faces the first palace (Earth overcomes Water), and the Startle Gate (惊门) of the Metal element faces the third and fourth palaces (Metal overcomes Wood). All these situations are called "door pressure" (门迫), which is unfavorable for any action. The classic texts say: if a favorable gate is pressured, the originally favorable event will turn into an unfavorable one; if an unfavorable gate is pressured, the misfortune will become even worse. In such cases, it is advisable to remain quiet and avoid any action.

五不遇時者，時干剋日干也。凡值此時，諸事不利。經曰：時干剋日有災厄，甲日從午逆數之，若到戌亥便越過，萬事如逢俱不宜。其法以庚加午逆行，越過戌亥，為時之定局。次以日干甲從庚上逆數其下，即本日五不遇時也。凡十干環列，順數七干，逆數五干，皆克第一干。順數者，止論其干，故名七殺；逆數者，合論其干支，故曰：五不遇時。

The "Five Unfavorable Hours" refers to the hour's heavenly stem that is overcome by the day's heavenly stem. Whenever such an hour occurs, doing anything is not beneficial. The classic text states: "When the hour's heavenly stem overcomes the day's heavenly stem, there will be calamity. For a day with Jia as its heavenly stem, start counting backward from Wu. If you reach Xu and Hai, skip them. Whatever you do will be unfavorable." The method is: place Geng on Wu, then count backward through the earthly branches, skipping Xu and Hai. This creates a fixed chart of the earthly branches. Then take the day's heavenly stem (for example, Jia) and count backward from the position of Geng. The hour reached in this way is the Five Unfavorable Hour of that day. Generally, the ten heavenly stems are arranged in a circle. Counting forward from a certain stem to the seventh stem, or counting backward to the fifth stem, both can overcome the first stem. Counting forward only considers the heavenly stems, so it is called "Seven Killers"; counting backward involves both the heavenly stem and the earthly branch, so it is called "Five Unfavorable Hours."

奇墓者，乙奇臨二宮，丙奇、丁奇臨六宮也。二宮藏未，六宮藏戌，乙木墓於未，丙丁火墓於戌，故乙奇墓二、丙丁墓六也。墓則氣絕，不利舉動，動即有凶，合奇門半吉。奇制者，乙奇臨六、七宮，木制於金；丙丁奇臨一宮，火制於水也。三奇受制，占與墓同。蓋奇為尊甲而設，臨於墓制，則甲己無輔，故為凶也。乙未、丙戌、丁丑三日時，謂之日時干三奇入墓，其凶與墓制同。凡戊辰、壬辰、己未、癸未、辛丑五時，為時干入墓，不可用，以干囚於支也。舊本有戊、丙戌、丁、己丑四時，無戊辰、己未、辛丑三時，今改正之。

The term "qimu" refers to when the yi qi is in the second palace of kūn, and the bing qi and ding qi are in the sixth palace of qian. This is because the second palace of kūn contains wei, and the sixth palace of qian contains xu; yi wood is buried in wei, and bing and ding fire are buried in xu. Therefore, yi qi is buried in the second palace, and bing and ding qi are buried in the sixth palace. When a qi is buried, its energy is cut off, which is unfavorable for any action. Once movement occurs, it brings misfortune; even if paired with a favorable gate, it is only half favorable. The term "qizhi" refers to when yi qi is in the sixth or seventh palace, where wood is restrained by metal; and when bing and ding qi are in the first palace, where fire is restrained by water. Once the three qis are restrained, the interpretation is the same as when they are buried. This is because the three qis were originally meant to support jia. Once they are buried or restrained, jia loses its support, hence it is considered凶. The days or hours of yiwei, bingxu, and dingchou are called "ri shi gan san qi" (three qis buried in the day or hour), and their danger is the same as when they are buried or restrained. In addition, the hours of wuchen, renchen, jiwei, guiwei, and xinchou are considered as the heavenly stem being buried in the earthly branch, and they should not be used, because the heavenly stem is trapped by its own earthly branch. The old text listed wu, bingxu, ding, and jichou, but did not include wuchen, jiwei, and xinchou. Now these have been corrected.

刑者，子刑卯、戌刑未、申刑寅、午刑午、辰刑辰、寅刑巳也。甲子戊儀加三宮，甲戌己儀加二宮，甲申庚儀加八宮，甲午辛儀加九宮，甲辰壬儀、甲寅癸儀加四宮，為擊刑。以三宮藏未，八宮藏寅，九宮藏午，四宮藏辰巳也。凡值此時最凶，不宜舉動百事，強有出者，車破馬傷，兵敗將殺。一本甲戌加八宮，甲申加四宮，甲寅加二宮亦是。

The term "刑" here refers to the following: the rat (子) harms the rabbit (卯), the dog (戌) harms the sheep (未), the monkey (申) harms the tiger (寅), the horse (午) self-harms, the dragon (辰) self-harms, and the tiger (寅) harms the snake (巳). According to this principle, the instrument Jiazi (甲子) is added to the third palace (Zhen, 震, which corresponds to卯), Jiaxu (甲戌) to the second palace (Kun, 坤, which contains 未), Jiashen (甲申) to the eighth palace (Gen, 艮, which contains 寅), Jiawu (甲午) to the ninth palace (Li, 离, which contains 午), and Jiayin (甲寅) and Guiyin (癸) with Renchen (甲辰) to the fourth palace (Xun, 巽, which contains 辰 and 巳). This is called "Six Instruments Hitting the Palace" (六仪击刑). This occurs because the third palace corresponds to 卯, the second palace contains 未, the eighth palace contains 寅, the ninth palace contains 午, and the fourth palace contains 辰 and 巳. The earthly branch of the beginning of the ten-day cycle exactly harms these palace positions. When such an hour occurs, it is extremely dangerous, and no actions should be taken. If one must travel, there will be car accidents, horse injuries, military defeat, and the loss of generals. Another version states that Jiaxu (甲戌) added to the eighth palace, Jiashen (甲申) added to the fourth palace, and Jiayin (甲寅) added to the second palace also count as hitting the palace.

三五者，生死二氣順逆之通名也。其法有二時：一日遊避時，以十二支環列，日後三辰為生氣，日前五辰為死氣，謂逆三時干生日干，順五時干受日干之克也。一符遊避時，以十干環列，取符前三干為生氣，符後五干為死氣，謂逆五時干克符干，順三時干受符干之生也。凡生氣所在之方，不合奇門，亦宜遊；死氣所在之方，即合奇門，亦宜避。故曰：遊三避五。

"San" and "Wu" refer generally to the Life Qi and Death Qi, which are the two kinds of qi moving in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The calculation method has two types: one is "Riyou Bi Shi," which arranges the twelve earthly branches in a circle. From the day's branch, count three branches forward to find the Life Qi and count five branches backward to find the Death Qi. This means that the heavenly stem of the time, counted backward three positions, can generate the day stem, while the heavenly stem counted forward five positions is subject to the day stem'srestrain. The other method is "Fuyou Bi Shi," which arranges the ten heavenly stems in a circle. Take the straight symbol stem, and count three stems backward to find the Life Qi, and five stems forward to find the Death Qi. This means that the heavenly stem of the time, counted backward five positions, will be overcome by the straight symbol stem, while the heavenly stem counted forward three positions is generated by the straight symbol stem. Therefore, one should go to the direction where the Life Qi is located, even if there is no meeting of the odd doors; and one should avoid the direction where the Death Qi is located, even if the odd doors meet well. This is called "You San Bi Wu."

李氏以三為震三宮，五為寄坤之五宮，謂震為木生之位，坤為死門之鄉，凡六甲直符，宜遊震避坤也。林氏以直符加丙為遊三，加戊為避五，謂丙受甲生，戊受甲克也。陶氏以冬至後，天乙直使在一二三四為行陽，六七八九為行陰；夏至後，天乙直使在九八七六為行陽，四三二一為行陰。冬至後，自九至一，中分五之南為陽，五之北為陰；夏至後，自一至九，中分五之北為陽，五之南為陰。謂陰陽二使，各行半道，利害難分，故有避五之義也。

Li interpreted the number three as the third palace of Zhen, and the number five as the central five palace located in the Kun palace. He said that Zhen is the position where wood is born and Kun is the land of the Death Door, so whenever the six jia are used as the straight symbol, they should go to the Zhen palace and avoid the Kun palace. Lin interpreted the straight symbol added to Bing as "you san" and added to Wu as "bi wu," reasoning that Bing is born from Jia and Wu is overcome by Jia. Tao said that after the winter solstice, the heavenly master straight command moving through the first, second, third, and fourth palaces is considered moving in yang, while moving through the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth palaces is considered moving in yin. After the summer solstice, the straight command moving through the ninth, eighth, seventh, and sixth palaces is considered moving in yang, while moving through the fourth, third, second, and first palaces is considered moving in yin. After the winter solstice, counting from nine to one, with the central five as the boundary, the area south of five is considered yang and the area north of five is considered yin. After the summer solstice, counting from one to nine, with the central five as the boundary, the area north of five is considered yang and the area south of five is considered yin. He said that the yang and yin commands each travel half a path, making it difficult to distinguish between advantage and disadvantage, hence the saying "avoid five."

愚謂奇門以尊甲立義，要使甲不受制，然後為尊甲也。林氏避五雖非古義，然猶未違尊甲之旨，但不知三五有順逆耳。若李氏以六甲直符、宜遊震避坤，則是凡百舉動，皆由正東而避西南矣。且甲子直符臨震宮名擊刑，陰局中五寄艮宮得生門，不又為遊刑避生乎。至於陶氏利害難分之說，則溺於飛掌，更謬於二氏矣。

I think the qi men system establishes its principle based on "respecting Jia." It is essential to ensure that Jia is not restrained, which can be called respecting Jia. Lin's method of avoiding the five although not conforming to the ancient meaning, has not violated the principle of respecting Jia, but he simply did not understand that three and five each have two kinds of counting methods, one in the right direction and one in the wrong. As for Li's claim that all the six Jia should be placed in the Zhen palace when acting as the straight symbol and should avoid the Kun palace, is it not that all actions can only proceed from the due east and must avoid the southwest? Moreover, when Jiazi is placed in the Zhen palace, it is exactly the "six instruments attacking the punishment" which is a凶 pattern. In the Yin Dun layout, the middle five is located in the Gen palace and coincidentally reaches the life gate. According to his method, it would be going to the place of punishment and avoiding the life gate. As for Tao's statement that the advantages and disadvantages are hard to distinguish, he is stuck in the "flying palm" method, which is even more wrong than the previous two.

反吟者，反覆不能寧處而呻吟也。凡星門各有定位，若加臨於對沖之位，即為反吟，如蓬加英、休臨景是也。伏吟者，伏匿不能變動而呻吟也。凡星門各加臨於本位，即為伏吟，如蓬加蓬、休加休是也。如值二吟，若得太陰合奇門蓋之，其凶減半。伏時宜收斂貨財、隱匿什物；反時宜發散財貨，分給倉廩。凡值二吟，不利舉動。

"Reverse Chant" refers to a state of repeated restlessness and moaning. Each of the nine stars and eight gates has its own position. If a star or gate is placed on a position directly opposite to its original position, it is called a Reverse Chant. For example, the Greedy Wolf Star is placed on the Right Assistant Star's position, or the Xiu Gate is placed on the Jing Gate's position. "Hidden Chant" refers to a state of concealment and immobility, accompanied by moaning. When a star or gate is placed on its own original position, it is called a Hidden Chant. For example, the Greedy Wolf Star is placed on the Greedy Wolf Star's position, or the Xiu Gate is placed on the Xiu Gate's position. If either of these two "chants" occurs, and if it coincides with the favorable combination of the Moon and the Three Marvels, the凶险 can be reduced by half. When encountering a Hidden Chant, it is advisable to store up money and hide household items. When encountering a Reverse Chant, it is advisable to distribute wealth and open the granary to share with others. In general, encountering either of these patterns is unfavorable for taking action.

陶氏圖中，有時干而無遁宮，故反伏二吟，支離舛謬，已不足論。但謂六甲序為伏吟，則於三甲闔闢之義不蔽，更屬荒唐。夫奇門之所以必遁其甲者，蓋主靜以立人極之意也。是以六甲之時，符使各安其位，定而能靜，謂之遁甲，不為伏吟。甲遁之後，奇儀用事，符使分宮，則星不得不動，以加所用之時干；門不得不動，以臨所遁之時支。惟其動也，而後加臨對宮，有反覆不寧之悔；加臨本宮，有伏匿不變之悔。悔者，悔其忘動，故曰反吟、伏吟。若以六甲序為伏吟，是以靜而致悔矣，豈遁甲之旨也耶。

In Tao's diagram, only the heavenly stem of the hour is shown, with no indication of the hidden palace, so his explanation of reverse chant and hidden chant is fragmented, confused, and full of errors, not worth refuting. However, he considers the sequential arrangement of the six jia as hidden chant, thereby completely obscuring the principle of opening and closing in the three jia. This is even more absurd. The reason why the qimen system must conceal the jia is to embody the idea of "maintaining stillness to establish the ultimate principle of human conduct." Therefore, when the six jia are in their proper positions, the straight symbol and the straight messenger each occupy their respective positions, remaining stable and still. This is called "dun jia," and it should not be considered as hidden chant. After the jia is concealed, the three marvels and six instruments begin to take effect. The symbol and messenger then occupy different palaces, causing the stars to move and to overlay the heavenly stem of the current hour, and the gates to move and to be overlying the earthly branch of the concealed hour. It is precisely because of this movement that there is regret when the stars and gates overlay the opposite palace, and regret when they return to their original palace. The term "regret" refers to regret for one's own reckless movement, hence called reverse chant and hidden chant. If the six jia are considered as hidden chant when they are in their original positions, then it would be regret arising from stillness, which is far from the original intent of dun jia. The key point is that reverse chant and hidden chant are mistakes arising from movement, while the six jia being in their proper positions is a state of stillness. Stillness should not be blamed, so they should not be included.

嘗考六十時中，星伏惟六時：甲子值符戊辰時，甲戌直符己卯時，甲申直符庚寅時，甲午直符辛丑時，甲辰直符壬子時，甲寅直符癸亥時，此陰陽二局星伏之定時也。凡六癸時為門伏，陰陽二局皆同。惟禽星直符多一庚時，任星、芮星直符多一丁時。

I have examined that among the sixty hours, the nine stars are hidden chanting only in six hours: in the Jiazi decade, during the Wuchen hour when the direct symbol is in place; in the Jiaxu decade, during the Jimao hour when the direct symbol is in place; in the Jiashen decade, during the Gengyin hour when the direct symbol is in place; in the Jiawu decade, during the Xinchou hour when the direct symbol is in place; in the Jiachen decade, during the Renzi hour when the direct symbol is in place; and in the Jiayin decade, during the Guihai hour when the direct symbol is in place. These are the fixed hours for hidden chanting of the stars in both Yang Dun and Yin Dun. As for the eight gates' hidden chanting, all six Gui hours are the same, regardless of whether it is Yang Dun or Yin Dun. However, when Tian Qin is the direct symbol, there is an additional Geng hour; and when Tian Ren or Tian Rui is the direct symbol, there is an additional Ding hour.

如禽星直符陽一局庚戌時、二局庚子時、三局庚寅時、四局庚辰時、五局庚午時、九局庚申時死門伏；陰九局庚戌時、八局庚子時、七局庚寅時、六局庚辰時、五局庚午時、一局庚申時，生門伏。芮星直符陽一局、任星直符陰九局、丁丑時；陽二、陰八丁卯時，陽六陰四丁巳時，陽七、陰三丁未時，陽八、陰二丁酉時，陽九、陰一丁亥時，陽局死門伏，陰局生門伏。此門伏之定時也。反吟取沖，頭緒煩多，不能悉載，故未考定，於局中見之。

For example, when Tian Qin (天禽) serves as the straight symbol: in Yang Dun (阳遁) one division at Geng Xu (庚戌) hour, two divisions at Geng Zi (庚子) hour, three divisions at Geng Yin (庚寅) hour, four divisions at Geng Chen (庚辰) hour, five divisions at Geng Wu (庚午) hour, and nine divisions at Geng Shen (庚申) hour, all are death gates with hidden chant. In Yin Dun (阴遁) nine divisions at Geng Xu (庚戌) hour, eight divisions at Geng Zi (庚子) hour, seven divisions at Geng Yin (庚寅) hour, six divisions at Geng Chen (庚辰) hour, five divisions at Geng Wu (庚午) hour, and one division at Geng Shen (庚申) hour, all are life gates with hidden chant. When Tian Rui (天芮) serves as the straight symbol (in Yang Dun one division) or Tian Ren (天任) serves as the straight symbol (in Yin Dun nine divisions), at Ding Chou (丁丑) hour; in Yang Dun two divisions and Yin Dun eight divisions at Ding Mao (丁卯) hour, Yang Dun six divisions and Yin Dun four divisions at Ding Si (丁巳) hour, Yang Dun seven divisions and Yin Dun three divisions at Ding Wei (丁未) hour, Yang Dun eight divisions and Yin Dun two divisions at Ding You (丁酉) hour, Yang Dun nine divisions and Yin Dun one division at Ding Hai (丁亥) hour—these hours, in Yang Dun divisions are death gates with hidden chant, and in Yin Dun divisions are life gates with hidden chant. These are the fixed hours for gate hidden chant. As for reverse chant, it requires taking the opposite to determine, which is too complicated and cannot be listed one by one, so it is not determined here. Readers will see it in the arranged charts.

天輔時者，甲子、甲戌、甲申、甲午、甲辰、甲寅時也。此六時符使未分、奇儀安位，惟天乙貴人輔甲而遁，故曰天輔時。經云：天輔之時，有罪無疑，斧鉞在前，天猶赦之。謂甲為青龍，貴人乘龍，萬神呵護，攝伏諸凶，故為吉也。凡值此時，宜雪冤理枉，解紛釋難，諸事皆吉。五合時者，時與日之干相合也。甲己相合、乙庚相合、丙辛相合、丁壬相合、戊癸相合為五合。凡值此時，吉神用事，凶煞退藏，故其吉與天輔時同。宜謀為和合、隱秘諸事，不宜雪理解釋，故曰：同吉異理。

"The 'Heavenly Aid' time" refers to the first day of the six ten-day periods, namely Jiazi, Jiaxu, Jiashen, Jiawu, Jiachen, and Jiayin. During these six days, the direct symbol and the direct command have not yet been separated, the Three Marvels and the Six Instruments are in their original positions, and only the Heavenly Ethical Nobleman supports Jia and hides together. Therefore, it is called the 'Heavenly Aid' time. The classic text says: 'During the Heavenly Aid time, there is no doubt about guilt; even if the axe and halberd are before, heaven still pardons.' This means that Jia is the Azure Dragon, and the Nobleman rides on the dragon, with myriad deities protecting, subduing allInauspicious Sha, thus being auspicious. Whenever this time occurs, it is suitable for clearing wrongful accusations, reversing unjust cases, resolving disputes, and overcoming difficulties, and anything done is favorable. 'The Five Harmony time' refers to when the heavenly stem of the used time combines with the day stem of the current day: Jia combines with Ji, Yi combines with Geng, Bing combines with Xin, Ding combines with Ren, and Wu combines with Gui. This is called the Five Harmony. Whenever the Five Harmony time occurs, auspicious deities are in charge, andInauspicious Sha retreat, so its auspiciousness is similar to the Heavenly Aid time. However, the Five Harmony time is suitable for seeking harmony and handling secret matters, but not suitable for clearing wrongful accusations and resolving legal disputes. Therefore, it is said that they are 'equally auspicious but with different principles.'

林氏以五合時為天輔時，謂五合吉時，對五不遇凶時也。陶氏以六丁為天輔時，謂丁為甲之正生，庚之正克也，能制庚輔甲也。又云：若以甲為天輔時，有犯三甲開闔，必丁是而甲非。不知三甲開闔，謂當陰刑陽德之時，星符加臨，有陰陽開闔之分也。如不當刑德，則陽星加時為開，陰星加時為闔，與丁何與。

Lin氏 treats the Five Harmony hours as the Heaven Assistant hours, saying that the Five Harmony are auspicious hours, which correspond exactly to the inauspicious Five Unfavorable hours. Tao氏 treats the six Ding hours as Heaven Assistant hours, saying that Ding is the proper offspring of Jia (wood generates fire), and also the properrestrain of Geng (fire overcomes metal). It can control Geng and assist Jia. He also says: if the Jia hour is taken as the Heaven Assistant hour, it would violate the opening and closing禁忌 of the three Jia hours, showing that it must be Ding that is correct and Jia that is wrong. In reality, he does not understand that the opening and closing of the three Jia hours refers to encountering阴刑 andYang Virtue, and when the star symbol is added, there is a distinction between yin and yang opening and closing; if it is not on the position of刑 and德, then all yang stars added to the hour are opening, and all yin stars added to the hour are closing, which has nothing to do with Ding.

天網時者，八門臨伏之時，即癸酉、癸未、癸巳、癸卯、癸丑、癸亥六時也。凡百出入，皆由於門，八門臨伏，如張網於門，出入見罹，故曰天網。如值此時，諸事不利，惟逃亡隱伏，出其方，人不能獲。然網有高低，出有俯仰，非可造次。凡急難避匿時，視天上癸臨何宮：臨四宮為入墓，不宜出；臨一二三宮為低，臨六宮為觸冠，不宜出；臨七八九宮為高。高時以左手食指掩人中，仰面踽步而去；低時以兩臂負刀，俯身匍匐而去，俱至六十步外，坦行無疑。

"The Heaven Net Time" refers to the hours when the Eight Gates are in a state of Hidden Chant, specifically the hours of Guiyou, Guiwei, Guisi, Guimao, Guichou, and Guihai. All human movements in and out must pass through the gates. When the Eight Gates are in Hidden Chant, it is as if a net has been spread at the gate, trapping all who enter or exit. Therefore, it is called the Heaven Net. During these hours, all affairs are unfavorable, but they can be used for fleeing or hiding. One should leave from the direction where the Heaven Net is located; others will not be able to catch you. However, the net has different heights. When leaving, one must adjust posture accordingly, either bowing or raising the head, and must not act carelessly. When facing an urgent danger and needing to hide, first check where the癸 (Gui) on the Heaven Plate falls: if it falls in the fourth palace, it is considered burial, and leaving is not advisable; if it falls in the first, second, or third palace, the net is low, and if it falls in the sixth palace, it is considered touching the crown, also not advisable for leaving. If it falls in the seventh, eighth, or ninth palace, the net is high. When the net is high, press the person's philtrum with the left index finger, raise the face, and walk alone slowly away. When the net is low, cross the arms as if holding a sword, bow the body, and crawl away. In both cases, walk for more than sixty steps before proceeding confidently without further concern.

凡癸亥時為天網四張，東西南北，皆無路可出，惟陽九局、陰一局有之。經曰：天網四張，萬物盡傷，強有出者，必罹其殃。凡值此時，只宜安靜，不可妄動。

Whenever the Guihai hour occurs, it is called "Gui" (天网四张), at which time there are no escape routes in any of the four directions—north, south, east, or west. This situation only appears in the ninth division of Yang Dun and the first division of Yin Dun. The classic says: "When the sky net is spread out in four directions, all things are injured; those who force their way out will surely suffer misfortune." This means that when the net is spread in all four directions, all things will be harmed, and anyone who tries to escape will certainly face calamity. When encountering this hour, one should remain quiet and still, and must not act rashly.

三氏俱以癸臨之下為天網時，凡甲寅值符，十時皆不可用；若在八九之宮，謂之四張，此時尺數高，任其往來，其說謬甚。夫既謂之四張，則無路可出矣，又從何處往來？且甲寅為天輔時，甲加丙為朱鳥跌穴時，戊午、己未、庚申、辛酉、壬戌五時，直使同臨，為天乙持衡時。而陽一二三五局，陰二四六局，皆吉門直使；此六局丙辰時，又為丙奇得使，遇甲最為難得之時，豈可概以為天網時乎！

Li, Lin, and Tao all say that any hour under the palace where the癸 (Gui) is located is considered a time of the Heavenly Net, and they claim that whenever the Jiayin (甲寅) ten-hour period is the straight symbol, none of the ten hours can be used. If the Gui falls in the eighth or ninth palace, they call it four Zhang, and at this time the measure of the net is high, allowing free movement. This is a very wrong statement. If it is already called four Zhang, then there is no way out, so from where can there be movement? Moreover, Jiayin is originally the time of Tianfu (天辅), and when the Jia is added to the Bing, it is the time of the Vermilion Bird falling into the pit. The five hours of Wuwu, Jiwei, Gengshen, Xinyou, and Renxu have the straight commander and straight symbol in the same palace, which is called the time of Tianyi holding the balance. In the Yang Dun first, second, third, and fifth layouts and the Yin Dun second, fourth, and sixth layouts, the straight commander of these hours is a good gate. Among these six layouts, the Bingchen hour is also the time when the Bing Wonder is in command and meets the Jia, which is a very rare good hour. How can they all be considered as the time of the Heavenly Net?