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Chapter 10 of 24
Bu Shi Zheng Zong — Orthodox Divination
Overall Paraphrased Meaning
Regarding the judgment method of the Three Harmony and Eight Trigram formations: If it forms a formation of the Useful God or the Original God, it is auspicious 🌱; if it forms a formation of the Aversion God or the Enemy God, it is inauspicious 🔥. The so-called "formation" refers to the alliance of Yao symbols. Even if there are many other moving Yao in the hexagram, it is difficult to suppress the power of the formation. If three Yao move together to form a Useful God formation, one of them must be the Useful God; if it forms an Original God formation, one must be the Original God; if it forms an Enemy/Aversion formation, one must be the Enemy or Aversion God. The key lies in analyzing the Yao with special states (such as Void, Month Break, etc.) as the basis for timing judgment.
If the Day Branch clashes: a still Yao being clashed is called "hidden movement" 💨; a moving Yao that is Void and clashed is called "solidified"; a clash with the Month Branch is called "broken" ⛰. All break and clash phenomena require waiting for the corresponding harmony time to manifest the auspicious or inauspicious outcome. If one Yao is still and two are moving, wait for the still Yao's designated day to respond; if encountering Void (still Void, moving Void, or transforming into Void), wait for the day it exits Void; if encountering various harmonies (Void harmony, still harmony, moving harmony), wait for the day it clashes with the harmony; if encountering Tomb or Exhaustion phenomena, wait for the time when the Tomb is clashed or vitality is encountered. These rules apply both to formations where two of the three moving Yao are flawless and to single Yao with special states.
Hexagram Analysis:
The inner trigram forming a Wood formation (Hai-Mao-Wei) 🌲 represents our village, while the outer trigram forming a Metal formation (Si-You-Chou) ⚔️ represents the opposing village. Metal overcoming Wood is inherently inauspicious, but the Metal formation is in a weakened state while the Wood formation is flourishing. Additionally, the Day Branch Mao Wood restrains the Metal formation, creating a pattern where "weak Metal cannot overcome strong Wood." Even better, the six clashes transform into six clashes, naturally dispersing the conflict energy.
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
In group conflicts, if your side's momentum is strong (flourishing Wood), even if the opponent appears powerful (Metal formation), the actual threat is limited. The balancing role of the Day Branch (external environment) is crucial, which can be understood as legal constraints or public opinion pressure. The transformation of six clashes into clashes suggests the event will naturally subside, requiring no excessive intervention.
Core Concept: In group confrontations, the rise and fall of momentum is more important than superficial strength.
Modern Interpretation: In team conflicts, assess actual influence rather than nominal power.
Practical Value: Utilize third-party balancing forces when resolving group disputes.
Philosophical Reflection: The transformation relationship between strength and weakness under different spatiotemporal conditions.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Yin-Wu-Xu three-harmony official formation generates the Self Yao, foretelling that the official position can be obtained. The formation lacks only the movement of the Yin Yao, so it is necessary to wait until the Yin day to submit the documents to complete the formation.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 偏财 | 偏财 | Self (M) | 比肩 |
| Stem | 戊 | 戊 | 甲 | 甲 |
| Branch | 申 | 午 | 戌 | 子 |
| Hidden Stems | 庚杀壬枭戊才 | 丁伤己财 | 戊才辛官丁伤 | 癸印 |
| Stage | 绝 | 死 | 养 | 沐浴 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
When seeking job promotion, if encountering a "missing one, waiting for use" formation, it indicates that conditions are mostly met but a key element is missing. Precisely identify the missing link (e.g., specific qualifications, timing, or relationships) and address it to succeed.
Core Concept: When formation elements are incomplete, wait for the right time to supplement.
Modern Interpretation: System engineering requires all necessary conditions to be met simultaneously.
Practical Value: Identify critical path nodes in project advancement.
Philosophical Reflection: The final piece is needed for quantitative change to become qualitative change.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Wu Fire moving openly + Xu Earth moving hiddenly form the basis of the official formation, supplemented by the Yin Month Branch to complete the three-harmony, allowing selection within the month.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 食神 | 食神 | Self (M) | 比肩 |
| Stem | 丙 | 丙 | 甲 | 甲 |
| Branch | 寅 | 申 | 午 | 戌 |
| Hidden Stems | 甲比丙食戊才 | 庚杀壬枭戊才 | 丁伤己财 | 戊才辛官丁伤 |
| Stage | 建 | 绝 | 死 | 养 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
"Hidden movement" is equivalent to potential advantageous resources; "Month Branch supplementing the formation" suggests leveraging major trends. Combining personal effort (open movement) with trend dividends (Month Branch) enables rapid goal achievement.
Core Concept: Combining open and hidden movement can leverage trends to complete the formation.
Modern Interpretation: Explicit abilities and implicit resources work together.
Practical Value: Career development should balance personal effort and era opportunities.
Philosophical Reflection: The dialectical relationship between personal destiny and historical process.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Si Fire official star holds the Self Yao,临近驿马 (travel star) with hidden movement. The Hai-Mao-Wei wealth formation generates the Self Yao. Because the Wei Earth is Void, it is necessary to wait until the Wei month when Void becomes solid to achieve the desired outcome.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 食神 | 偏印 | Self (M) | 食神 |
| Stem | 丁 | 癸 | 乙 | 丁 |
| Branch | 卯 | 卯 | 巳 | 亥 |
| Hidden Stems | 乙比 | 乙比 | 丙伤戊财庚官 | 壬印甲劫 |
| Stage | 建 | 建 | 沐浴 | 死 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
If reinstatement or promotion encounters "Void," it indicates the timing is not right or conditions are temporarily lacking. Wait patiently for the right time (month of exiting Void) and prepare relevant resources in advance.
Core Concept: Void requires waiting for solidification to respond.
Modern Interpretation: The critical impact of the time dimension on success or failure.
Practical Value: Important decisions must consider the time window.
Philosophical Reflection: The constraints of spatiotemporal conditions on event outcomes.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Yin-Wu-Xu Fire formation generates the parent Yao of the Self Yao. Although the day harmony is an ailment, waiting until the Chen day to break the harmony will lead to recovery.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 劫财 | 偏印 | Self (M) | 偏财 |
| Stem | 己 | 丙 | 戊 | 壬 |
| Branch | 丑 | 寅 | 午 | 戌 |
| Hidden Stems | 己劫癸财辛伤 | 甲杀丙枭戊比 | 丁印己劫 | 戊比辛伤丁印 |
| Stage | 养 | 长生 | 帝旺 | 墓 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
A critical illness encountering harmony indicates the illness is temporarily bound. Wait for the time of breaking the harmony (a specific date) for a turnaround. The formation generating the Useful God suggests hope for cure but requires time.
Core Concept: A recent illness encountering harmony requires breaking to heal.
Modern Interpretation: Acute problems need breakthrough solutions.
Practical Value: Seize key time points in medical decisions.
Philosophical Reflection: The cyclical规律 of binding and release.
Hexagram Analysis:
The outer trigram Si-You-Chou Metal formation overcomes the Useful God Mao Wood parent. The Chou Earth Void temporarily缓 the inauspicious momentum. On the Yi Chou day, exiting Void and encountering克服 leads to inauspicious outcome.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 正官 | 偏财 | Self (F) | 比肩 |
| Stem | 戊 | 丁 | 癸 | 癸 |
| Branch | 丑 | 巳 | 酉 | 丑 |
| Hidden Stems | 己杀癸比辛枭 | 丙财戊官庚印 | 辛枭 | 己杀癸比辛枭 |
| Stage | 冠带 | 胎 | 病 | 冠带 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
A serious illness encountering a克服 formation is inauspicious; Void only provides temporary relief. When Void is exited, the crisis erupts, requiring advance emergency plans.
Core Concept: An inauspicious formation encountering Void is temporarily delayed but ultimately unavoidable.
Modern Interpretation: Systemic risks delayed in爆发 still have destructive power.
Practical Value: Foresight and advance preparation in risk management.
Philosophical Reflection: The dialectical relationship between necessity and contingency.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Si-You-Chou offspring formation acts on the Useful God. The Chou Earth is broken by the month and needs to wait until after立秋 on a Zi day, when broken meets harmony, for return.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 正官 | 食神 | Self (M) | 偏财 |
| Stem | 戊 | 乙 | 癸 | 丁 |
| Branch | 未 | 丑 | 酉 | 巳 |
| Hidden Stems | 己杀丁才乙食 | 己杀癸比辛枭 | 辛枭 | 丙财戊官庚印 |
| Stage | 墓 | 冠带 | 病 | 胎 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
Month Break indicates current阶段 obstacles重重. Wait for time to pass (exit the month) and receive assistance (encounter harmony) to proceed.
Core Concept: Month Break requires exiting the month and encountering harmony to respond.
Modern Interpretation: Phased problems require time to resolve.
Practical Value: Time prediction for long-wait matters.
Philosophical Reflection: The cycle of breakdown and repair.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Yin-Wu-Xu parent formation. The Yin Yao is clashed by the day and exhausted于申. On the Ji Hai day, when clash meets harmony and exhaustion meets vitality, return is possible.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 食神 | 七杀 | Self (M) | 比肩 |
| Stem | 丙 | 庚 | 甲 | 甲 |
| Branch | 申 | 寅 | 午 | 戌 |
| Hidden Stems | 庚杀壬枭戊才 | 甲比丙食戊才 | 丁伤己财 | 戊才辛官丁伤 |
| Stage | 绝 | 建 | 死 | 养 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
When multiple contradictions intertwine (clash + exhaustion), find the timing that resolves all contradictions simultaneously (encounter harmony + encounter vitality). Such timing often signifies a turning point.
Core Concept: Complex contradictions require comprehensive resolution timing.
Modern Interpretation: The critical point where multiple elements are satisfied simultaneously.
Practical Value: Identifying breakthrough points in complex situations.
Philosophical Reflection: The transformation of contradictions requires a leap from quantitative to qualitative change.
Hexagram Analysis:
Self Void encountering clash is not Void, hinting at hidden movement动摇; the inner trigram forms a Metal formation generating the Other Yao, meaning the official position already belongs to someone else. Later, due to organizational adjustments, indeed left the post and was reassigned.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 食神 | 正财 | Self (M) | 食神 |
| Stem | 戊 | 辛 | 丙 | 戊 |
| Branch | 丑 | 酉 | 戌 | 子 |
| Hidden Stems | 己伤癸官辛财 | 辛财 | 戊食辛财丁劫 | 癸官 |
| Stage | 养 | 死 | 墓 | 胎 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
If "formation generates the Other Yao" appears during workplace changes, it indicates benefits flowing to others. Even if暂时无事,早做职业规划调整.
Core Concept: Formation generating the Other Yao benefits others, not me.
Modern Interpretation: Organizational resource allocation favors others.
Practical Value: Positioning choices in office politics.
Philosophical Reflection: The game relationship between personal and organizational interests.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Sun, Moon, Self Yao, and offspring form a three-harmony formation. Although it transforms into Month Break, it is not hindering. After burial in the Chen year, the grandson passed the imperial exam in the You year, and the second grandson passed again in the Zi year.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 偏财 | 食神 | Self (M) | 食神 |
| Stem | 戊 | 丙 | 甲 | 丙 |
| Branch | 寅 | 辰 | 戌 | 子 |
| Hidden Stems | 甲比丙食戊才 | 戊才乙劫癸印 | 戊才辛官丁伤 | 癸印 |
| Stage | 建 | 衰 | 养 | 沐浴 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
If major investment decisions receive support from a three-harmony formation, minor flaws do not obscure major merits. Long-term benefits lie in future generations, requiring a developmental perspective.
Core Concept: The power of a three-harmony formation can resolve minor flaws.
Modern Interpretation: The principal contradiction dominates long-term development trends.
Practical Value: Evaluation standards for long-term investments.
Philosophical Reflection: The principal aspect determines the nature of事物发展.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Si-You-Chou wealth formation overcomes the parent. The parent is hidden and Void, avoiding克服, so rain cannot stop. Wait until the Mao day when exiting Void and being overcome to clear. On the Yin day, exiting Void but not being overcome反而 heavy rain.
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
Trend judgment must consider "avoiding克服" phenomena. Superficial factors (Void) may delay but not change the essential trend (wealth formation overcomes parent). Key time points (exiting Void) are the turning points.
Core Concept: Hidden Void avoiding克服 delays but does not change the essence.
Modern Interpretation: Superficial relief does not change the fundamental trend.
Practical Value: Identifying illusions in trend judgment.
Philosophical Reflection: The dialectical relationship between phenomenon and essence.
Hexagram Analysis:
The Yin-Wu-Xu meeting Fire formation generates the Other Yao and overcomes the Self. The meeting appears无情于我, the formation has affection for others, so the neighbor's wife won the meeting.
Embedded chart
| Pillars | Year | Month | Day | Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Gods | 七杀 | 偏印 | Self (F) | 劫财 |
| Stem | 戊 | 庚 | 壬 | 癸 |
| Branch | 戌 | 申 | 午 | 卯 |
| Hidden Stems | 戊杀辛印丁财 | 庚枭壬比戊杀 | 丁财己官 | 乙伤 |
| Stage | 冠带 | 长生 | 胎 | 死 |
Modern Scenario Application Suggestion:
In competitive situations, if "formation generates the Other Yao" appears, it indicates resources flowing to competitors. Even if surface conditions are favorable (wealth moving, blessing generating), the actual result may be opposite.
Core Concept: Formation generating the Other Yao benefits others, not oneself.
Modern Interpretation: Judging resource flow in competitive landscapes.
Practical Value: Win rate assessment in competitive activities.
Philosophical Reflection: The gap between subjective desire and objective reality.
The Three Harmony formation theory reveals the alliance effect in事物发展: when three elements form a合力, they produce far greater power than individual elements. The key to auspicious/inauspicious judgment lies in the nature of the formation (generation/overcoming relationship) and the state of elements within (Void, Break, Harmony, Clash). Timing rules reflect the constraints of spatiotemporal conditions on event outcomes.
Three Harmony formations are equivalent to the "synergistic effect" in modern systems theory: multiple elements cooperating to produce a 1+1>2 effect. "Missing one, waiting for use" indicates systems require all necessary conditions simultaneously; "hidden movement" is equivalent to potential variables; "Void, Break" represent temporary obstacles. These concepts can be translated into risk assessment elements in modern decision science.
The Three Harmony formation theory reflects the holistic view and associative thinking of Chinese philosophy: no event exists in isolation but is the product of multiple forces interacting. The complex interaction between spatiotemporal conditions (Sun, Moon, Year) and main elements (Self/Other Yao) constitutes the dynamic balance of development规律. This thinking mode offers important启示 for understanding complex systems.
Associated Concepts: Six Harmony formation, Three Penalties, Six Clashes, Hidden Song and Reverse Song
Extended Reading: "Book of Changes" hexagram Yao relationship theory, "Plum Blossom Divination" body-use generation/overcoming chapter
Modern Research: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences "Application Research of Yi Studies Three Harmony Theory in Modern Decision Making"
Note: The Bazi components in the above cases have been added according to standards for easy analysis and study by命理 learners. All interpretations are modern translations based on the original meanings of ancient texts, preserving the essence of traditional wisdom while赋予 contemporary application value.