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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Eighteen Questions · Six Clashes and Six Combinations
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Question Thirteen: How do we judge Six Clashes and Six Combinations?
Answer: What people dislike should meet Clash; what they welcome should meet Combination. Illness alone distinguishes recent from chronic: a recent illness meeting Clash recovers, while a chronic illness meeting Clash is fatal. Six Combinations is the reverse.
A Six Clashes hexagram with the day or changed lines combining is Combination amid Clash. A Six Combinations hexagram with the day or changed lines Clashing is Clash amid Combination. Clashing with the Avoided Spirit and combining with the Useful Spirit is called removing the malefic and retaining favor: everything is auspicious. Clashing with the Useful Spirit and combining with the Avoided Spirit retains the malefic and harms life: everything is ominous.
Divination: Will a nephew in trouble be harmed? Divination: On what day will a document arrive?
Hexagram: Thunder over Heaven, Da Zhuang, changing to Earth over Heaven, Tai. Hexagram: Qian as Heaven.
Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Wu, Wei. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
White Tiger; Xu Brothers; Ren; You. Green Dragon; Self; Xu Parents; Ding; Si.
Soaring Snake; Shen Descendants; Zi. Dark Warrior; Shen Brothers; Hai.
Gouchen; Self; Ｏ; Wu Parents; Chou Brothers. White Tiger; Wu Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Chen Brothers. Soaring Snake; Response; Chen Parents.
Green Dragon; Yin Officer. Gouchen; Yin Wealth.
Dark Warrior; Response; Zi Wealth. Vermilion Bird; Zi Descendants.
Judgment: Six Clashes means the affair must scatter. Wu Fire Parents at Self is Clashed by the day: your nephew will not be harmed. He said, “When he returns, I will reprimand him myself.” Someone later intervened to settle matters, and the uncle did not reprimand him. This verifies Six Clashes together with the Avoided Spirit Clashed away.
Judgment: Response is in Cycle Void and combines with the day. Use Chen Parents as the Useful Spirit. It must arrive on Jia Chen day. This was verified. A Six Clashes hexagram combining only with the Useful Spirit is Combination amid Clash. Jia Chen day corresponded to the day filling Void. The supplied editorial question adds: “Should it be Ji Hai day?”
Divination: Opening a shop. Divination: A person and his son have both been arrested for questioning.
Hexagram: Thunder over Heaven, Da Zhuang, changing to Xun as Wind. Hexagram: Xun as Wind, changing to Kun as Earth.
Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Shen, You. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Xun Wood. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Green Dragon; Ｘ; Xu Brothers; Mao Officer; Bing; Wu. Dark Warrior; Self; Ｏ; Mao Brothers; You Officer; Yi; Shen.
Dark Warrior; Ｘ; Shen Descendants; Si Parents; Zi. White Tiger; Ｏ; Si Descendants; Hai Parents; Mao.
White Tiger; Self; Ｏ; Wu Parents; Wei Brothers. Soaring Snake; Wei Wealth.
Soaring Snake; Chen Brothers. Gouchen; Response; Ｏ; You Officer; Mao Brothers.
Gouchen; Yin Officer. Vermilion Bird; Ｏ; Hai Parents; Si Descendants.
Vermilion Bird; Response; Ｏ; Zi Wealth; Chou Brothers. Green Dragon; Chou Wealth.
Judgment: Six Clashes changes into Six Clashes again: it is best not to open. He said, “It is already arranged.” I answered, “Wu Fire, the Month Commander, changes into Combination with Wei Earth. The day cannot scatter it by Clash for now, but I fear a change this winter.” At winter’s end a matter involving the assistant brought it to a stop.
Judgment: Six Clashes generally scatters affairs, but it should not change into Six Clashes again. Inner and outer lines show Reversing Chant, Clashing and striking chaotically. Self and Descendants both change into Control: the overall image is unfavorable. Both received severe punishment.
Reading note: The supplied 俗底 is read as 冬底, winter’s end, following the parallel classical case.
Divination: Going to buy and sell for profit. Divination: Gambling for money.
Hexagram: Dui as Lake, changing to Zhen as Thunder. Hexagram: Kun as Earth.
Palace: Dui Metal. Cycle Void: Shen, You. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Dark Warrior; Self; Wei Parents; Yi; Wei. Gouchen; Self; You Descendants; Ji; Zi.
White Tiger; Ｏ; You Brothers; Shen Brothers; Hai. Vermilion Bird; Hai Wealth; Si.
Soaring Snake; Hai Descendants. Green Dragon; Chou Brothers.
Gouchen; Response; Chou Parents. Dark Warrior; Response; Mao Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Ｏ; Mao Wealth; Yin Wealth. White Tiger; Si Parents.
Green Dragon; Si Officer. Soaring Snake; Wei Brothers.
Judgment: Six Clashes changes into Six Clashes, with Reversing Chant at the hexagram level. The Month Commander holds Self in its season: you are determined to go, and going must bring a loss. He said, “I leave today.” I answered, “Reversing Chant means you intend to buy certain goods, find them scarce, and switch to other goods without profit.” Asked about safety, I answered, “Dui changing into Zhen has the power to Clash but not to control. Safety can be promised.” He went to buy mung beans, found them scarce at the destination, bought cotton instead, and lost money. Students should know that when Six Clashes changes into Clash, even auspicious images and lines receiving Generation or Combination are dispersed.
Judgment: Self controlling Response would mean my victory. But Si day Clashes up Hai Water, which instead generates Response and does not benefit Self. You must lose. Fortunately Six Clashes means the session will not finish. He lost little, and the players dispersed after arguing over money. Its brevity was Six Clashes. The small loss was empty Wealth generating Response. Dispersal in a money dispute was Vermilion Bird on Wealth secretly moving.
Divination: The metropolitan examination. Divination: A son’s chronic illness.
Hexagram: Wind over Earth, Guan, changing to Heaven over Earth, Pi. Hexagram: Thunder over Heaven, Da Zhuang.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing lines: Descendants, Brothers. Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Soaring Snake; Self; Mao Wealth; Geng; Chen. Dark Warrior; Xu Brothers; Jia; Yin.
Gouchen; Si Officer; Shen Brothers; Wu. White Tiger; Shen Descendants; Wu.
Vermilion Bird; Ｘ; Wei Parents; Wu Officer. Soaring Snake; Self; Wu Parents.
Green Dragon; Response; Mao Wealth. Gouchen; Chen Brothers.
Dark Warrior; Si Officer. Vermilion Bird; Yin Officer.
White Tiger; Wei Parents; Zi Descendants. Green Dragon; Response; Zi Wealth.
Judgment: Wei Earth holds Self and changes into the day’s Wu Fire Officer, which generates and combines. A place among the highest ranks is in hand. He placed third in the palace examination.
Judgment: A chronic illness with Six Clashes is fatal. Here Shen Metal Descendants, the Useful Spirit, is at Month Break. Wu Fire holds Self and the day controls it: ill should appear today. But Zi Water secretly moves to control Fire, the mechanism shown in the hexagram. He will not die today. Tomorrow Zi Water is controlled and the Avoided Spirit meets Combination: beware tomorrow. The supplied account then says he died that very day at Chen hour.
Reading note: The first judgment assigns Self to Wei, whereas its flattened table marks Mao; both are retained. The second account’s “that very day” conflicts with its prediction of tomorrow; the parallel instead gives Wei day. The supplied timing is not silently rewritten.
Divination: Can one catch someone in time to entrust a letter? Divination: A fellow townsman asks about borrowing money.
Hexagram: Heaven over Earth, Pi. Hexagram: Earth over Thunder, Fu, changing to Thunder over Earth, Yu.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. Missing line: Descendants. Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Shen, You. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Dark Warrior; Response; Xu Parents; Jia; Mao. Dark Warrior; You Descendants; Jia; Si.
White Tiger; Shen Brothers; Wu. White Tiger; Hai Wealth; Xu.
Soaring Snake; Wu Officer. Soaring Snake; Response; Ｘ; Chou Brothers; Wu Parents; Wu Parents.
Gouchen; Self; Mao Wealth. Gouchen; Chen Brothers.
Vermilion Bird; Si Officer. Vermilion Bird; Yin Officer.
Green Dragon; Wei Parents; Zi Descendants. Green Dragon; Self; Ｏ; Zi Wealth; Wei Brothers.
Judgment: Six Combinations favors accomplishing the affair. But tomorrow at Wei hour is Clear and Bright. Hurry through the night and you must meet him. Once that solar term begins, Chen becomes the Month Commander and Clashes with Response: Clash means departure, and the meeting will fail. He hurried there and entrusted the letter; the person departed by boat the next day.
Judgment: Six Combinations changing into Six Combinations ordinarily favors easy accomplishment and lasting harmony. But Hai Water Wealth is at Month Break, You Metal, the Source Spirit, is in Cycle Void, and Zi Water Wealth at Self changes into Wei Earth’s returning Control. The day also controls it, Chen Earth secretly moves to control it, and Wu Fire generates and supports Chou Earth at Response. There is excessive Control: within this attempt to borrow silver, beware an unexpected calamity.
He said, “A friend invited me yesterday to go with him. Perhaps the loan will be refused.” I asked who the friend was. “A man from Guangdong,” he replied. I solemnly tried to stop him, but he went anyway. On the return journey, before traveling several li, he was killed by that man.
Reading note: The supplied 開丹 is read as 開舟, departure by boat, following the parallel and the letter-carrier context.
Divination: Engaging a teacher to instruct a son.
Hexagram: Heaven over Earth, Pi, changing to Qian as Heaven.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Dark Warrior; Response; Xu Parents; Jia; Si.
White Tiger; Shen Brothers; Yin.
Soaring Snake; Wu Officer.
Gouchen; Self; Ｘ; Mao Wealth; Chen Parents.
Vermilion Bird; Ｘ; Si Officer; Yin Wealth.
Green Dragon; Ｘ; Wei Parents; Zi Descendants; Zi Descendants.
Judgment: Use Response as the Useful Spirit. It occupies Xu Parents and may be called well learned. But Six Combinations changes into Six Clashes: a change in the arrangement may occur before long. Asked its cause, I answered, “The first line, Wei Earth Parents, changes into Zi Water Descendants in Cycle Void. Parents moving controls Water: beware calamity to the child.” In Wu month, Zi Water met Month Break; the son died of illness and the teacher was dismissed.
Reading note: The supplied disrupted 化水，予孫 and 父動水衝 are read through the parallel’s Zi Water Descendants and Parents moving to control Water.
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