The character 子 (Zi) asks about a dispute regarding a woman's marriage.

子字。一人書子字問曰：「有一女，先曾許某氏兒，實未受聘。今父母欲嫁之而是兒欲以賴婚訟官，此事吉凶何如？」余曰：「蜉□之羽，只取一時之榮，不顧後來之患。今官司將欲成矣，誰教你存心不好耶？明明一好字也，誰教你去其女耶？」其人復以童字問曰：「今彼狡童欲於未鳴官時，先勾惡黨肆行搶親，保策可以御之？」余曰：「童字似重，若到官時恐有重聽於彼之兆也。」

Someone wrote the character 「子」 to ask: "I have a daughter who was previously promised in marriage to the son of a certain family, but no dowry was actually given. Now her parents want to remarry her, but the son of that family wants to take the case to court to hold on to this marriage. What is the fortune of this matter?" I said: "The character 「子」 resembles the wings of a mayfly (the original text here has missing characters). Mayflies are born in the morning and die at night, seeking only temporary glory, without considering future troubles. Now a lawsuit is about to begin — why did you have evil intentions? The character 「女」 paired with 「子」 clearly forms the character 「好」, meaning good. Why did you remove the 「女」?" That person then wrote the character 「童」 to ask: "Now that cunning youth wants to take action before the lawsuit, colluding with villains to forcibly seize the bride. What can prevent this?" I said: "The character 「童」 appears to look like the character 「重」. If it really comes to court, I fear there is a sign that the officials may favor his side."

其人悚然曰：「然則畢竟如何結局？」余曰：「以字理度，可挽回，彼亦不搶親，辦不告官，但汝能從吾言否？」其人唯諾，余曰：「童字有奇巽之形，此子計必妥貼。又有立裡之義，兄當代彼聘妻。為今之計，可央至親到彼處，苑轉開導，許以贈財代聘，而於裡中擇一女為彼定婚。俟其肯依，然後嫁女。此兩安之計也。」其人謝別。一月後，聞其女已嫁，而彼家亦得財息事矣。

That person was startled and said, "Then how will it all end?" I replied, "According to the meaning of the characters, it can still be resolved. He will not kidnap the bride, nor will he report to the authorities. It only depends on whether you are willing to listen to one thing I say." That person agreed repeatedly. I said, "The character '童' has a shape resembling the trigram Xun, which represents flexibility and gentleness. This child's mind can be properly addressed. The character also contains '立' and '里,' meaning he is to be married within the village. The current plan is to have a close relative go to his house and gently persuade him, promising to give him a sum of money as a dowry in place of a bride price, and to choose a woman from the same village to marry him. Once he agrees, then your daughter can be married to him. This is a way that benefits both sides." That person thanked me and left. A month later, it was heard that his daughter had already been married, and the family had received the dowry. The matter was thus settled.

衡字。吳友于燈下書衡字問行人，余曰：「二人同行，中有急字頭，內有思字形，欲來之急也。今晚是丁丁，行到亭止之象也，明晨當至。」次以二人同至。

A friend named Wu wrote the character "衡" by the light of a lamp to inquire about someone who was away from home. I said, "This character has two people on the left and right (彳, 行), indicating that two people are traveling together. In the middle, there is the top part of the character '急' (haste), and within it, the shape of '思' (thought) is hidden, showing that they are eager to come and are thinking about it. Tonight is a '丁' day, and the sound of '丁丁' signifies the image of walking into a pavilion to rest. They should arrive tomorrow morning." The next day, indeed, the two people arrived together.

鳧字。一人書鳧字問婚姻，余曰：「易成，當是再醮。」其人點頭問：「理安在？」余曰：「倒鳳顛鸞，婚姻極美，豈非易象？字之上，鳥也；下如鳥巢。今鳥已不在窠中，則是換巢鸞鳳之象也，豈非再醮之婦乎？」

Someone wrote the character 「凫」 to inquire about marriage. I said, "It will be easy to succeed, but the other party is likely a woman who has been previously married." He nodded and asked, "What is the reasoning behind this?" I replied, "The character 「凫」 has the shape of 'reversed phoenix and inverted crane,' which signifies the reversal of the union between male and female, representing the intimacy of marriage, so it is a sign that the marriage will be easy to achieve. Now look at this character: the top part is 「鸟」 meaning bird, and the bottom part, which looks like the character 「几」, resembles a bird's nest. Now the bird is no longer in its own nest, meaning the phoenix has moved to a new nest. This is precisely the situation of a woman who has already been married before." The same character shape can be interpreted in two ways: taking it as reversed signifies an easy marriage, while taking it as leaving the nest indicates a woman who has been previously married. By presenting both meanings, the interpretation becomes complete.

鳧字。一人書鳧字問：「守舊與更新孰勝？」余曰：「字乃敗翎鸚鵡之象，又象褪毛鸞鳳。守舊不宜，決無興旺之日。此時春光明媚、花卉向榮，細推數中，乃天機到處鳥能言之兆也。若更改生涯，自然十分得意。」

Someone wrote the character 「凫」to ask: "Is it better to stick to the old ways or to make a change?" I said: "This character represents a parrot that has lost its feathers, or a phoenix that has shed its plumage—it is an omen of decline. To cling to the old is not suitable, and there will be no days of prosperity. Now is the time when spring is bright and flowers and trees are flourishing. Careful calculation shows that this is a sign of heavenly omens and talking birds. If you are willing to change your way of life, you will certainly achieve great success."

鳧字。一人以鳧字問生意，余曰：「鳧鳧鳥乘風，可以翱翔得意，然無盡日飛騰之理，恐不得久。」其人笑曰：「神數！我所賣者，要貨也，大抵半月已耳。」又一人即指此字問生意與月建，余曰：「島嶼風輕鳥倦飛，此數不利，當慎之。」

Someone used the character 「凫」 to inquire about business. I said, "The凫 bird rides the wind and rises, able to soar and be successful, but there is no reason for it to fly all day without landing. It is likely not to last long." The person laughed and said, "You are a divine calculator! I sell goods that are in season and in high demand, and they are likely to last no more than half a month." Later, another person pointed to the same character to ask about business and the luck of the month. I said, "The wind between islands has already weakened, and the bird is tired of flying—this number is unfavorable, and one should be cautious." The same character, when asked by the first person, indicated the beginning of the wind, while the second person received the waning wind, so the interpretation was one favorable and one unfavorable.

芍字。一人書芍字問病，余曰：「病者必年少之婦，二十歲上下之人也。」其人驚曰：「然！生死何如？」余曰：「病犯黃幡豹尾，焉能得生？且花月，女象也，字中全是花殘月缺之形，吾恐其葬已的矣！」

Someone wrote the character 「Shao」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「The patient must certainly be a young woman, around twenty years old.」 The person was surprised and said, 「Exactly! What about life or death?」 I replied, 「This character has the grass radical at the top followed by 「sao」, which directly incurs the two ominous evils of Huang Fan and Bao Wei. How can she survive? Moreover, flowers and moons are symbols of women, and this character as a whole resembles the shape of withered flowers and a waning moon — I fear even the burial arrangements may already be set.」

其人去後，未一月來曰：「先生神數！向所測芍字，乃內人，二十歲矣，得輶羸之疾。昨忽驩語，至夜身亡。次日偶檢曆本，恰是箕水豹值日。數之奇驗一至於此。」

After that person left, less than a month passed when he came again saying, "You are truly a divine calculator! Previously, you interpreted the character 'shao' (芍), which was about my wife, twenty years old, who had a weak and frail condition. Yesterday she suddenly started talking and laughing, but died by night. The next day, by chance I checked the almanac, and that day happened to be the day when Ji Shui Bao (箕水豹) was in charge. The 'Bao Wei' (豹尾) you mentioned actually came true here. How accurate and strange the art of divination is, reaching such a level!"

言字。一人書言字問病，余曰：「先凶後吉，其病無妨。但調理欠周，恐多反覆。」

Someone wrote the character 「言」 to inquire about illness. I said: "At first it is凶 (dangerous), but later it will be吉 (favorable), so the illness is not serious. However, the care and treatment are not yet thorough enough, so there may be several recurring episodes." The top part of the character 「言」, which is one dot and one horizontal stroke, resembles the shape of a sickbed. Below it is the character 「口」, which indicates the ability to eat, so the prediction is that there will be no major problem. However, the three horizontal strokes within the character are uneven, which symbolizes inconsistent care and treatment.

磨字。一人書磨字問出地風水，余曰：「歷字頭、磐字尾，歷年悠久如磐之安。且數內人財兩旺，將來富貴雙全。」其人笑曰：「先生何謬言也！消磨消磨，何發之南？請直言無諱。」余曰：「王體公卿，吾視之如平人，豈肯因其貴而屈吾節以媚之乎？今據所書之字測所問之事，不過言其理之如是。」

Someone wrote the character 「磨」 to inquire about the fengshui of a selected burial site. I said, 「The top part of this character is the head of 「历」, and the bottom part is the tail of 「磐」. It signifies long years and stability as firm as a rock. Moreover, the number of people and wealth will both be prosperous, and in the future he will achieve both wealth and honor.」 The person laughed and said, 「Master, how can you speak such nonsense! To grind and grind is just 「消磨」, which means wearing away, how can it bring prosperity? Please speak plainly, there is no need to be cautious.」 I replied, 「Even if he were a prince or a high official, I would still treat him as an ordinary person. How could I bend my principles just because he is wealthy and powerful? Now I am interpreting the matter based on the character he wrote. The reasoning I gave is simply the truth as it is.」

其人曰：「既然此地可用，敢求細細指教。」余曰：「上面一點乃墓主也，石乃墓前之碑，林為樹木。乃即林堂如此之地，可謂吉矣。葬後二十四年當發解元，歷官知府，俸享二千石而終，此地之發貴如此。」其人悅曰：「字之惡而測之美，實奇門相反之道理固有之。」餘復曰：「兄以為消磨之磨，恐有不利。設若書一仙字便能成仙，書一鬼字即能見鬼乎？」其人讚歎去。

That person said, "Since this piece of land is usable, please enlighten me thoroughly." I replied, "The topmost dot of this character is the tomb owner; the 'stone' below represents the stele in front of the tomb; and the 'forest' in the middle signifies the trees in the tomb area. With a stele and a forest, and a bright hall like this, it can be considered a favorable site. After the burial, twenty-four years later, a person who becomes a top scholar will rise through the ranks to become a prefect, and enjoy a salary equivalent to two thousand stones, eventually passing away. This land brings prosperity up to this extent." That person happily said, "Although the character appears ominous, it turns out to be auspicious. It seems that in the art of qimen, there are indeed principles of opposites complementing each other." I added, "You think 'grind' means wear and tear, which might be unfavorable. If that were the case, writing the character 'immortal' would make one an immortal, and writing 'ghost' would make one see a ghost, wouldn't it?" That person expressed admiration and left.

球字。一人書球字問六甲，余曰：「王旁乃璋珍之畔，球琳為美玉之名；求配艮卦，主生少男；非十二即二十見喜。」分娩果驗。

Someone wrote the character 「球」 to inquire about pregnancy. I said: "The left side of the character is the 「王」 (king) radical, which is the same as the radical of characters like 「璋」 and 「珍」, which are names for jade. In ancient times, a boy was called 「弄璋」. 「球琳」 is also the name of a fine jade, which also indicates a boy. The right side of the character is 「求」, which is paired with the mountain trigram 「艮」, which represents a young boy. Therefore, it indicates the birth of a young son. The day of delivery will be either the 12th or the 20th." When the woman gave birth, it indeed came true.

沛字。一人以沛字問失物，余曰：「何物？」曰：「鏡也。」曰：「在！速歸，向宅邊陰溝處，尋有破衣斷帶裹之。」其人去。到晚來曰：「得之矣！果在溝邊，破衣壞帶紥繫。」

Someone brought the character 「沛」 to ask about a lost item. I asked, "What did you lose?" He said, "A mirror." I said, "It is still there! Go back quickly and look by the drainage ditch next to your house. You will see it wrapped in old clothes and broken cloth strips." — The character 「沛」 has a water radical, which indicates a ditch or channel, and the right side 「巿」 shows the shape of broken silk and cloth. The person went there. In the evening he came back and said, "I found it! Indeed, it was by the ditch, wrapped in old clothes and broken cloth strips."

恙字。一富家任事者，因負心，主人慾控府處之，書恙字問當否。余曰：「字乃恩斷義絕之象，此人已十分懷怨矣。又有隱惡揚善之形，如其可止則當止之。」曰：「今彼反無賴，先欲鳴官，如何可止也。」曰：「此字拆開，寮是『大人為美，自然得息』。兄但靜以待之，彼無能為也，豈不聞窮寇勿追乎？」其人依言。後負心者屢控，俱不准，遂息。

There was a wealthy household manager who wronged his master. The master wanted to take him to the government office to accuse him, and he wrote the character 「恙」 to inquire whether he should proceed. I said, "This character has a 「羊」 on top and a 「心」 below, indicating a complete break of kindness and righteousness. The person already harbors great resentment in his heart. However, there is also an implication of concealing evil and promoting good within the character. If he stops, it would be best to stop." The master said, "Now he is even being unscrupulous, and has already taken the initiative to report to the authorities. How can we stop him?" I said, "If you look at this character broken down, it means 'the great person is beautiful, and naturally the matter will be resolved'—by being broad-minded and forgiving, the matter will naturally settle. Just remain calm and wait. He will be powerless. Have you not heard the saying 'do not pursue a desperate enemy'?" The master followed my advice. Later, the unfaithful manager repeatedly filed complaints, but the authorities did not accept them, and the matter was thus resolved.

颯字。一人以颯字差別行人，余曰：「風前立見，朝暮當來。」復一人亦指颯字問行人，余曰：「人不能來，去幾時了？」其人曰：「繫逃亡去，一載矣。」余曰：「內犯玄武，外帶勾陳，安得能來？交辛月當在，有意無意中得信也。」又一人仍復將颯字問行人，余曰：「三天後至。」

Someone brought the character 「飒」 to ask about a traveler. I said, "The wind will come soon, either early or late." Then another person also pointed to the character 「飒」 and asked about a traveler. I said, "This person will not come. How long has he been gone?" The person replied, "He has fled and has been away for a year." I said, "The character 「飒」 contains 「风」 which conflicts with the Black Tortoise, and the character 「立」 outside carries Gou Chen. One inside and one outside are both restraining deities, so how can he come back? It should be resolved in the month of Xin. He will be found either intentionally or unintentionally." Later, a third person still used the character 「飒」 to ask about a traveler. I said, "He will arrive three days from now."

於是旁人問曰：「行人是甚親？」其人曰：「夥計，往南京置貨。」旁人因問曰：「先生何以三數同事同字，而斷法不同，又皆應驗，其理何據？」余曰：「此機耳！夫字之來當觀吉凶之變化，若心鏡光明，無響不應。先一颯字，適我起立，東風拂面，故即用天機之發以應之。至次位颯字，乃問事過端面濡毫，故從字推人來必遲，更先有信也。而第三位之颯字，許三天到者，後三天逢辛。

A person nearby asked, "Are you asking about a relative of the traveler?" The person replied, "He is a servant who has gone to Nanjing to purchase goods." Then the person asked me, "Master, how come you have given three different interpretations for the same matter and the same character, yet all have come true? What is the reason behind this?" I said, "This is simply the character 'ji' (机), meaning opportunity. When a character is presented, one must observe the current changes of fortune and misfortune. As long as the mind's mirror is clear, there should be no hesitation. The first 'sa' (飒) character coincided with me just standing up, with a gentle east wind blowing against my face, so I used this heavenly sign to interpret it as 'meeting soon in the wind.' The second 'sa' character was presented after the person had asked the question, dipped his brush, and rewrote it, so from the character I deduced that the person would arrive late, but the news would arrive first. As for the third 'sa' character, I allowed three days for his arrival, because counting forward three days would fall on a Xin day."

滿字。黃龍書滿字問田禾，余曰：「時雨滋苗，十分生發，秋收可以稱心。」

Huanglong wrote the character "Man" to inquire about the crops in the field. I said: "The character 'Man' consists of the water radical and 'Jie', indicating that grass and trees receive water. This is the image of timely rain nourishing the young shoots, which brings vigorous growth. The harvest in autumn will be as desired." This case is also found in Volume Three under the category of the grass radical, where the judgment is exactly "Timely rain nourishes the seedlings." This shows that when a pattern is formed, it is applied to actual situations in this way.

慶字。一人書慶字問府考，余曰：「府尊甚愛其文，上六下八取之。」其人大悅。後出案，果然。

Someone wrote the character 「庆」 to inquire about the county examination. I said, 「The county magistrate very much likes his essay, and he will be ranked between the sixth and eighth positions.」 —— The character 「庆」 has a 「广」 at the top and a 「大」 below. The character 「广」 has six strokes, and the character 「大」 has two strokes when written continuously below. Therefore, the number used is 「上六下八」. The person was very happy. Later, when the examination results were announced, it indeed turned out to be so.

卜字。朝宦請余問婚姻，書卜字。余曰：「大貴！非本郡，比年翁猶高數倍之家，且易成。」宦悅曰：「果在都中議婚，男女兩家亦遠隔五百餘里，果係大貴。敢求教字理。」余曰：「字之體，金枝玉葉，一豎為金枝，一點為玉葉，故知其為於金小姐也。卜字乃外字之邊，則不在本郡。可知卜字可上可下，則其易成可決。」宦歎賞而去。

There was a government official who asked me about his marriage, writing the character 「卜」. I said, "The person you are marrying is of great status! She is not from this province, and her family is far more prestigious than your own. Moreover, this marriage will be easy to arrange." The official was delighted and said, "Indeed, it is a marriage arranged in the capital. The two families are more than five hundred li apart, and the lady is indeed of great status. I dare to ask for the reasoning behind this." I replied, "The structure of the character 「卜」 is golden branch and jade leaf: the vertical stroke is the golden branch, and the dot is the jade leaf, so I know the lady is a young lady of noble birth. Furthermore, the character 「卜」 has the radical 「外」, which shows she is not from this province. Also, the dot in 「卜」 can be placed high or low, and can be placed anywhere, so I concluded that the marriage will be easy to arrange." The official praised me and left happily.

投字。一生歲考書投字問等第，余曰：「四等。」其人屢考一等，至發落時卻是一等三名；因與某生代筆，事破，文宗喚至，立責二十，置之四等。其同來之友復叩字理，余曰：「投乃股字打字相合而成。秀才打屁股，非四等而何？」

A scholar wrote the character "tou" (投) to inquire about his rank in the annual examination. I said, "Fourth class." He had always received first class before, and when the results were announced, he indeed came in first place third. However, he had written the exam for another candidate, and the incident was discovered. The official in charge (Wen宗) summoned him and publicly beat him with twenty strokes on his buttocks, then reclassified him as fourth class. His friend, who was with him, then asked about the meaning of the character. I said, "The character 'tou' is made up of 'gu' (股) and 'da' (打). The scholar was beaten on his buttocks, so what else could it be but fourth class?" In the Qing dynasty, the annual examination ranked candidates into six classes, and those in fourth class or below would receive punishment. Therefore, by breaking down the character into 'da gu' (打股), both the rank and the punishment were determined at once.

唯字。一人書唯字問功名，余曰：「憲體也，非司即道。」其人曰：「何以知之？」曰：「前呼後擁，非府道而何？」其人大服曰：「此吾舍親，果係廣東惠潮道。」

Someone wrote the character 「唯」 to inquire about official rank and prestige. I said, 「This character represents the form of a higher official, either the Department of Revenue and Administration or the Department of Inspection and Supervision.」 He asked, 「How did you figure that out?」 I replied, 「The character 「唯」 has a 「口」 on the left and a 「隹」 on the right. This is exactly the arrangement of a grand procession with attendants in front and behind, which can only be a prefectural governor or a commissioner of a circuit. What else could it be?」 He was very impressed and said, 「This is my relative. Indeed, he is the commissioner of the Huichao Circuit in Guangdong.」

楨字。一人書楨字問會場，余曰：「明明宰相之體，春闈必中無疑。且極字頭、貴字尾，問功名可許極貴數中；卜乃聖上親點。」初亦不知何人，後乃知姑蘇吳廷楨也。

Someone wrote the character 「桢」 to inquire about the imperial examination. I said, ``This clearly has the form of a prime minister. Success in the spring examination is certain. Moreover, the left part of the character 「桢」 is the top of the character 「极」 (extreme), which represents wood, and the lower right part is the end of the character 「贵」 (prestige), which represents treasure. Asking about official rank, this is surely a fate of supreme prestige. The top part 「卜」 is the personal seal of the emperor, indicating his direct approval.`` At that time, I did not know who had written the character, but later I found out that it was Wu Tingzhen from Suzhou.

高字。一人書高字問：「欲尋一店面，生理何如？」余曰：「極易！現今有一店面等租，店頭店底俱全，只將中間人口搬出，讓兄卜居，掛個招牌便成店也。」復問：「何方？」曰：「字從庚辛起手，當是西南方。」其人去後，十餘日來雲果然。

Someone wrote the character 「高」 to ask, "I want to find a shop, how will the business be?" I said, "It's very easy! There is currently a shop waiting to be rented, with a front shop and a back room fully prepared, only needing to move out the people living in the middle so you can move in, hang up your sign, and it will become a shop." He then asked, "In which direction?" I said, "The character 「高」 has a roof on top, a door frame at the bottom, and a 「口」 in the middle, which represents the people living there. The starting stroke of this character, a dot and a horizontal line, falls from the position of Geng and Xin, which belong to metal, representing the west, matching the lower position of Kun, so it is in the southwest." After several days, the person came back to say that it was indeed the case.

長字。一人書長字問：「買一騎好否？一日可行幾多路？」余曰：「馬化龍腸，千里龍駒也；良字腳，德力兼全，宜買。若乘之，自然馳聘得意。」

Someone wrote the character 「长」 to ask: "Is it good to buy a horse? How many miles can it travel in a day?" I said: "The character 「长」 with the radical 马 added becomes 「张」, which can be combined with 驹 to form 「駺」, meaning a horse that turns into a dragon's intestine, which is exactly a horse that can travel a thousand miles a day. The lower part of this character is also the foot of the character 「良」, meaning that it possesses both virtue and strength. Therefore, it is advisable to buy it. Riding it, one will naturally feel free and triumphant."

紙字。一人書紙字問山地風水，余曰：「一邊皆紡績縫織之旁，此地必多生女，先從終字起，後全氏字，又應夫終而氏存，主多出寡婦。不利之地，勿用。」

Someone wrote the character 「纸」 to inquire about mountain land风水. I said: "This character has all sides with the 「糹」 radical, which is the radical for spinning and weaving, belonging to matters related to women, indicating that this land is destined to have many daughters. Furthermore, it starts with the radical of the character 「终」 and ends with a complete 「氏」 character, which exactly corresponds to 「夫终而氏存」 — the husband dies first while the wife's family remains, indicating many widows. This is an unfavorable land, do not use it."

非字。一人書非字問謀聖，余曰：「此事成矣！將來四面纖巧，更有大利。」其人曰：「果係已成之事，何以知之？」曰：「非為韭芽，自春至秋不絕，其利故大。非乃纖字之心，故四面纖巧事皆從心而起，故曰將成。」其人大悅，果得利，乃鹽院事也。

Someone wrote the character 「非」 to inquire about a matter they were planning. I said, 「This matter has already succeeded! In the future, it will involve careful and thorough dealings on all sides, and there will be great profit.」 The person said, 「Indeed, it is already accomplished. How do you know this?」 I replied, 「The character 「非」 with a grass radical on top becomes 「韭」, which is leek. Leeks grow again after being cut, and they can be harvested continuously from spring to autumn, so the profit is great. Also, 「非」 is the center of the character 「纤」, which means fine and thorough. The careful and intricate dealings on all sides come from this heart, so it is said that the matter will succeed.」 The person was very happy, and later indeed gained profit — the matter he inquired about was related to the salt transportation office.

焉字。一人書焉字問病，余曰：「癱症也。似馬非馬，不能行動；似為非為，服藥無用。」其人曰：「果然！瘋癱四年矣，近日以得足疾，故問之耳。」

Someone wrote the character 「焉」 to inquire about illness. I said, 「This indicates a condition of paralysis. The character 「焉」 looks like 「马」 but is not a horse; a horse that is not fully a horse cannot move. It also resembles 「为」 but is not 「为」; an action that is not fully an action is ineffective even with medicine.」 The person replied, 「Indeed! I have had a stroke for four years and recently developed foot ailments, so I came to ask.」 This case matches exactly with the double-line pattern in volume four, 「Like a horse but unable to move, like 「为」 but ineffective with medicine.」 This shows how easily one can apply established patterns to make a diagnosis.

杜字。一官書杜字問曰：「有一術士講爐火之事，謂之煉銀母利否？」余曰：「楊頭墨尾，此乃楊墨之道也，最邪不正。叱堂下杖之，以戒其誤人之妄。」其官深然吾言。

There was an official who wrote the character "Du" and asked, "A sorcerer spoke about the process of burning and refining in a furnace, saying he could produce silver mother, is it possible to do so?" I replied, "The character 'Du' has on the left the head of 'Yang' (wood) and on the right the tail of 'Mo' (earth). Together, they represent the doctrines of Yang Zhu and Mo Di, which are most perverse and incorrect. You should have this sorcerer dragged down and beaten with sticks to punish him for his misleading words." The official deeply agreed with my words.

鍾字。西商某書鍾字問終身，余曰：「有金有玉，有位有基；有寶鏡出土之象，有異鄉重發之形；為八音之領袖，振眾聲之洪響。可謂美數矣。」

A merchant from Shanxi wrote the character 「钟」 to inquire about his entire life. I said: "This character has 「金」 on the left, and 「重」 on the right, which contains 「玉」, indicating the presence of both gold and jade. The character 「重」 has 「位」 on top and 「基」 below, meaning there is both position and foundation. There is also an image of a precious mirror being unearthed, indicating that hidden talent will eventually be recognized. There is also the form of achieving success again in a foreign land, suggesting the possibility of rebuilding one's business in another place. The character 「钟」 is the first among the eight musical instruments: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, leather, and wood. When struck once, all the other sounds follow. This can be considered a beautiful number." The entire book ends here: from the ten methods in Volume One, the six methods in Volume Two, to the selection of characters in Volume Three, paired sentences in Volume Four, scattered characters in Volume Five, miscellaneous divination in Volume Six, and finally, Volume Seven, which concludes with seventy actual cases. If scholars can perceive the changes in the form and meaning of characters, they will inherit the tradition of Cheng's character divination.