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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Golden Counsels · Life and Destiny
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Life and Destiny
Qian and Kun take their positions, and people and things begin. Responding to yin and yang, they transform and grow; clarity and turbidity distinguish wisdom and folly. Wealth together with long life comes when Self flourishes or is supported without injury. Early death or poverty comes when the Body position rests or is imprisoned and is also restrained.
Self in an empty place means no accomplishment in a lifetime’s affairs. Body entering a Tomb line means many frustrations in seeking things even into old age.
A weak, declining hexagram palace means shallow roots. Abundant, flourishing line images mean an elevated destiny.
In asking about establishing a household, dislike a hexagram of Six Clashes. To know about founding an enterprise, welcome lines forming Six Combinations.
Moving Body strong in itself sustains things alone. Declining Self meeting support establishes an undertaking through others.
Day and hour combining to assist means one gains the hearts of lesser people throughout life. Year and month controlling or clashing means half a lifetime without receiving the favor of superior people.
Meeting Dragon Descendants without qi: however refined and lofty, still a poor scholar. Meeting Tiger Wealth strong and flourishing: however vulgar, nevertheless a wealthy person.
Parents holding Body means toil and labor. Ghost holding Self means lingering illness.
Meeting Brothers, wealth cannot accumulate. Seeing Descendants, the person is not subject to punishment.
Thin Emolument meeting a baneful influence’s Clash means running along eastern and western roads. Light Blessing meeting an ominous restraint means living at others’ expense in northern and southern households.
Descendants dead and Wife empty describes those who leave common life and its dust. Noble Person arriving with Emolument describes those who go out as generals and enter as ministers.
Vermilion Bird with Blessing and Virtue at Body combining with Response describes a performer of the Pear Garden. White Tiger with Parents holding Self and meeting Metal describes a butcher in the Willow Market.
Dark Warrior Officer at Self must mean a gentleman upon the rafters. Gouchen Parents at Body must mean a farmer in the fields.
Reading note: “Gentleman upon the rafters” retains the verse’s euphemism for a thief.
Wealth and Blessing in command brings a day of glory. Officer and Brothers governing brings unstable ruin.
Divining about middle age, one is fortunate if ominous influences cause no setback. In asking about old age, attacks and clashes from evil stars are especially feared.
The original inner image unfavorable: Li Mi meets hardship in childhood. The branch hexagram has support: Ma Yuan remains vigorous at extreme old age.
Reading note: The supplied 正內 and 支卦 wording is retained through the original/branch contrast, without adding an age or a separate hexagram.
One harmonious hexagram: Zhang Gongyi’s household is concordant. Six lines attacking one another: the Sima family’s own flesh and blood injure one another.
Min Ziqian’s filial devotion is trusted inside and outside: Parents can generate Body. Kong Zhongni’s filial and brotherly devotion reaches household and state: Brothers combines with Self.
Reading note: The supplied 考孚 and 父友 are read through the filial/brotherly parallel. Their Chinese graphics remain unchanged.
Self and Response generating one another: Bao Xuan of Han marries Shaojun of the Huan clan. Outer and inner controlling one another: Guo Xi of Tang takes Princess Shengping as wife.
Reading note: “Outer and inner” renders the technical 晦貞 pair; the supplied 郭曦 name is romanized Guo Xi without replacing its graphic.
Sitting with legs outstretched, beating a basin and singing: Self injures Response. Hedong’s lion roars: Response restrains Self.
Self meets misfortune and Response controls: turn to heed the cock’s crow. Body carries good fortune and Descendants supports: gladly hear the crane’s answering call.
Blessing meets strength: Ren and Wang raise worthy sons. Descendants changes into misfortune: Fang and Du produce unworthy children.
Bodao has no son because Descendants occupies an empty place. Bu Shang weeps for his son because Parents carries a penalty line.
Parents meeting Wood: Master Dou produces five fragrant branches of crimson cassia. Ghost depending on Metal: the Tian clan gathers three luxuriant redbud stems.
Brothers holding strong Metal makes the Xun clan’s Eight Dragons illustrious. Brothers depending on strong Water reveals Lord Lu’s pair of fine jades.
If lines occur repeatedly, infer carefully from what is actually present.
Wealth moving injures parents in early years. Brothers declining brings loss of a spouse in middle age.
Changing into Parents that generates Body: Chai Rong acknowledges Guo Ying as father. Changing into Descendants that combines with Self: Shi Le raises Jilong as a son.
Reading note: The supplied name 郭英 is retained as Guo Ying; no different historical name is silently substituted.
Self yin and Parents also yin: Jia Sidao’s mother is not the principal wife. Body strong and Officer also strong: Chen Zhongju’s capacity is extraordinary.
Changing into Descendants that combines with Wealth: Tang Minghuang has Lushan as a son. Inner Brothers combining with Response: Chen Baichang has Ruzhi as a brother.
Reading note: The unusual 陳白常 and 孺之 names are retained as supplied, without identifying different people or adding a missing relationship.
Response carrying Gouchen and Blessing: Meng Deyao is born again in this age. Wealth at Dark Warrior and also encountering penalty: Yang Taizhen is reborn today.
Many combinations, with numerous baneful influences contending to hold them: Xu Zihe’s money tree. Many Officers, with all ominous influences keeping away: Emperor Yang of Sui’s colored flowers.
White Tiger arrives with penalty: Empress Wu is licentious and fierce. Green Dragon arrives with Blessing: Mencius’s mother is virtuous and kind.
Meeting Dragon and changing into ruined Brothers: Cai Yan of Han is intelligent yet loses her chastity. Changing into Descendants that generates Body and Self: Bo Ji of Lu is worthy and without blemish.
Combination meeting Void: the two Dou daughters refuse humiliation by robbers. Stillness stirred by Clash: Zhuo Wenjun goes to Xiangru.
Blessing draws a penalty line into movement: Gong Jiang of Wei makes her oath in Cypress Boat. Body changes into Ghost and suffers control and penalty: Ban Jieyu grieves over the autumn fan.
Two Ghosts contend for power and Water Parents clashes: Qian Yulian meets Ruquan on the riverbank. Six lines compete in combination and yin Wealth moves: Qin Ruolan meets Tao Gu at the post station.
Ghost weak without generation or support: Zhu Shuzhen’s husband is foolish. Officer strong and joined to Dragon and Blessing: Wu Mengzi’s husband is worthy and enlightened.
If asking about an infant’s fortunes, take Blessing and Virtue as the Useful line.
Following Officer into the Tomb is not yet having sons and grandsons. Assisting Ghost to injure the Body cannot avoid many calamities and illnesses.
Embryo linked with Officer and Ghost has already passed the ordeal of coming to earth. Descendants carrying Noble Person has its own day of ascending Heaven.
Meeting the commanding star is like wind shaking a trunk; meeting Extinction is like rain beating down flowers.
Descendants changing into Ghost: Xiao Shang enters the dark road at ten months. Emolument and Noble Person occupying a line: Baizhu reaches the chancellor’s place in childhood.
Ominous influences have not yet gathered in Zhen: Li Lingbo walks only at nine years. Auspicious spirits all gather in Qian: Bai Juyi recognizes characters before his first birthday.
Reading note: The supplied negative 未 in the Zhen clause is retained, without harmonizing this allusion or changing the reported age.
Eight Pure describes unruly character: Shiwo of Jin has a wolf cub’s wild heart. Six Combinations describes intelligence: Li Bai of Tang has a brocade heart and embroidered speech.
Yang image and yang palace: this is why Hou Ji is outstanding from infancy. Yin hexagram and yin line: this is why Emperor Hui of Jin is dull.
Dragon Parents supports Body: emulate Zu Ying hiding a lamp. Year Ruler occupies Blessing: aspire to Ban Chao laying down his writing brush.
Officer and Ghost without injury: Cao Bin takes a seal and ultimately receives noble rank. Parents and Body with qi: Che Yin bags fireflies and finally attains distinction.
A Metal line moves and combines: the crying has no sound. Still Parents is clashed: the child must lack milk.
Useful strong and the child robust: raising it is easy in the end. Governing image declining and the child weak: the heart is troubled.
Body with Parents cannot escape the labor of nurture. Self meeting Descendants ultimately sees repayment for the toil of raising them.
To ask about flourishing or decline, decide through the Six Relations. To know long life or early death, one must cast separately and infer in detail.
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