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Chapter 4 of 5
断易天机
Hexagrams do not form randomly; the spirit yao lines do not move arbitrarily. The appearance of a hexagram is never accidental, and efficacious yao lines will not move without cause. Each hexagram has six yao lines, each line paired with one of the Six Relatives, each Relative having its own domain and purpose. The World line represents oneself, the Response line represents others, and the Useful Spirit is the core reference for the matter being divined.
Spirits and ghosts refer to the transformations of yin and yang qi—each yao line is governed by one spirit. At the time of divination, the hexagram forms according to the matter, and the yao lines move according to the affair. Once the hexagram is cast, the image is already revealed. If the Useful Spirit does not appear in the hexagram, genuine concern and doubt are warranted.
First examine Heavenly Joy, then look for the Nobleman direction; Three Harmonies bring fortune to all affairs, Lu and Heavenly Horse are most auspicious. First check whether auspicious spirits such as Heavenly Joy, Nobleman, Three Harmonies, Lu, and Post Horse appear in the hexagram. When a yao line encounters Heavenly Joy, it surely indicates joy and celebration; when it encounters the Nobleman, dangers can be resolved and misfortune turned to fortune. Three Harmonies, such as Shen-Zi-Chen combining to form the Water Bureau, are most auspicious when generating—for example, Yin-Hai combining to form Wood, where Hai Water generates Yin Wood, representing combining with generation; a controlling combination represents harmony with restraint, such as Mao-Xu combining to form Fire, where Mao Wood controls Xu Earth. When seeking office, encountering Lu and Horse suggests promotion prospects.
When a yao moves, certainty begins; next urgently examine Void conditions. Determine fortune or misfortune by examining the moving yao lines, then discuss in terms of Emptiness. Auspicious spirits fear emptiness; inauspicious baleful spirits delight in it. The Pengcheng Secret Formula says: A man encountering Emptiness worries about distant travels; a woman encountering Emptiness worries about illness arising; sudden illness with Emptiness calls for meritorious deeds; prolonged illness with Emptiness means the body cannot hold on; Wealth encountering Emptiness is difficult to grasp; Ghost encountering Emptiness means legal matters halt; Wife encountering Emptiness brings misfortune to the wife; Residence encountering Emptiness calls for urgent meritorious deeds; Parents encountering Emptiness brings worry of illness; Siblings encountering Emptiness renders them unable to help; Children encountering Emptiness indicates solitude and hardship.
Four Clashes govern mutual impact and scattering. Yuan Tiangang states: Chen-Xu-Chou-Wei constitute the Four Clashes; even if divination indicates fortune, it becomes misfortune. Master Wild Crane discusses the Six Clashes in greater detail: Zi-Wu clash, Chou-Wei clash, Yin-Shen clash, Mao-You clash, Chen-Xu clash, Si-Hai clash. Clash means dispersion. For inauspicious matters, dispersal is favorable; for auspicious matters, it is not. If the Useful Spirit is vigorous, Clash does not obstruct; if the Useful Spirit is depleted and broken, misfortune compounds upon misfortune. Hexagrams embodying Six Clashes include: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui, Wu Wang (Unexpected), Da Zhuang (Great Strength)—ten hexagrams total. There are five types of yao line clashes: Month Break, Hidden Movement, Day Break, Return Clash, and line-line clash (mutual striking). The Resented Spirit and Enemy Spirit are suitable for clashing; recent illness resolved by Clash brings recovery; chronic illness met with Clash inevitably brings death.
Extreme Punishment all indicates harm. Zi-Mao constitutes the Punishment of Impropriety; Yin-Si-Shen constitutes the Punishment of Reliance on Power; Chou-Xu-Wei constitutes the Punishment of Ingratitude; Chen-Wu-You-Hai constitutes Self-Punishment. Punishment from above, punishment from below, and self-punishment together are called the Three Punishments.
If both World and Response move, change is certain. If both World and Response move, signs of unrest are certain. However, analysis must be based on the specific moving lines and cannot be treated uniformly.
Responses to the Six Spirits moving:
Divining residence, Azure Dragon vigorous, wealth and honor lead the village. Parents line flourishing, officialdom reaches marquis and king. If Heavenly Joy holds the World, public affairs surely face no obstacle. Hook Chen controlling Dark Warrior, catching thieves requires no haste. Divining residence with Azure Dragon vigorous and flourishing certainly indicates wealth and honor; divining office with the Parents (Seal) line strong indicates great nobility; Heavenly Joy holding the World means the legal case surely has justification; catching thieves with the Children line moving against the Officer Ghost while on Hook Chen means thieves are easily apprehended.
Father's illness detests the Great Baleful Star; Emptiness means mother will not live long. No Ghost means illness difficult to cure; Ghost vigorous indicates madness. Consult the Ghost-Calendar Scripture; pray and offer sacrifices to gain peace and health. Divining illness: the Great Baleful Star (Sky-Weeping Baleful) appearing in the hexagram indicates certain death; chronic illness encountering Emptiness indicates loss of life; if no Officer Ghost line appears in the hexagram, the cause of illness is difficult to find and treatment ineffective; Ghost vigorous and Wealth flourishing makes survival unlikely. [Translator's note: In ancient times, the Officer Ghost line was considered the illness indicator, with shamanistic rituals used as supplementary treatment—a limitation of the era. Modern times should prioritize medical diagnosis and treatment.]
Divining marriage detests Wealth dying; divining childbirth examines yin and yang. To inquire about feng shui, third and fourth generation hexagrams bring prosperity. The Long Life and Bath formulas—every hexagram requires careful scrutiny. For men divining marriage, examine the Wealth line: growth and vigor are auspicious, death and tomb are unfavorable; divining childbirth examines the Children line: Yang line indicates a son, Yin line indicates a daughter; divining feng shui yields great fortune with third and fourth generation hexagrams. The twelve palaces from Long Life to Bath must be carefully examined. [Translator's note: Later works including Zeng Shan Bu Yi (Enhanced Divination by Elimination) and Bu Shi Zong Zheng (Orthodox Methods of Divination by Bamboo Slips) advocate examining only the four aspects of Growth, Vigor, Tomb, and Extinction.]
Ten thousand words cannot exhaust the subject; I briefly outline the general framework. Each has its categories; nothing is not encompassed within.
Sun Bin's General Judgment Song constructs the overarching framework of Six Yao divination: first establish World/Response and the Useful Spirit, then examine auspicious spirits and baleful omens (Heavenly Joy, Nobleman, Three Harmonies, Lu-Mare), then review moving lines and Emptiness, next discuss Clash and Punishment, and finally determine timing and event types through the Six Spirits' movements. Its core logic is "Five Elements generation and control as the substance; Six Spirits and yao positions as the function," incorporating all human affairs into a unified analytical system.
This system is essentially an ancient decision analysis model. The World line is the "self variable," the Response line is the "environment variable," the Useful Spirit is the "objective function," and auspicious spirits and baleful omens are "scenario parameters." Emptiness can be understood as "timing not yet ripe" or "missing information," Six Clashes correspond to "relationship dissolution," and Three Harmonies and Six Harmonies correspond to "resource integration and alliance formation." Viewed through contemporary thinking, each yao line represents a set of multidimensional scenario simulation conditions.
Behind Sun Bin's General Judgment Song lies a holographic correspondence view: the belief that microcosmic hexagram structures and macrocosmic human affairs share a mapping relationship. Philosophically, this approaches the Eastern wisdom of "seeing the great in the small, observing motion through stillness." Its limitation lies in excessive reliance on symbolic correspondence without falsifiability—but as a cognitive training framework, it cultivates a systematically integrative way of thinking that examines "multiple intersected dimensions from a panoramic perspective," which itself possesses methodological value.
| Yao Position | First Line | Second Line | Third Line | Fourth Line | Fifth Line | Sixth Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain | Spreading | Fine and thin | Unceasing | Consecutive days | Torrential | Short-lived |
| Clear | Wind | Dew | Mist | Dew | Sun | Clear sky |
| Rain | Cloud | Dragon | Lightning | Thunder | Rain Master | Celestial rain |
| Clear | Fog | Generation | Dispersion | Gathering | Abundance | Clear fullness |
[Translator's note: This table analyzes the degree of clear/rainy weather by line position. The original text contains alignment errors; for reference only.]
If Dark Warrior resides in Ren-Gui Water, drenching bitter rain knows no rest; Kan is the Rain Master, Xun is the Dragon—when these move, rain falls misty and dim. Dark Warrior approaching Ren-Gui Water indicates continuous bitter rain. The Kan trigram pertains to Water and is called Rain Master; Xun is the Dragon. Movement in these two trigrams indicates misty rain and fog.
Wood World with Earth body indicates clear and fair skies; Jia-Yi days responding bring gentle breezes; Bing-Ren mutual restraint displays golden serpents (lightning); World on Geng, Response on Yi rumbles thunder chariots. World line belonging to Wood and the Hexagram Body belonging to Earth indicate clear weather. Divination on Jia or Yi days with corresponding responses brings soft winds. Bing Fire and Ren Water mutually control—if Ren holds the World and Bing is at the Response, this indicates lightning. World value Geng, Response value Yi, primarily thunder rumbling.
World emerging from Fire shows the radiant sun wheel; pure Yang certainly indicates prolonged drought; Gen transforming to Kun indicates overcast gloom; Response controlling the Day disperses clouds. World line belonging to Fire makes the sun's orb brilliant. Pure Yang hexagrams primarily indicate drought. Gen changing to Kun produces overcast sky. Response line controlling the Day stem causes clouds to disperse.
Li entering Wood palace reveals rosy clouds; Ghost approaching Dark Warrior means rain has saturated all; Yang transforming to Yin brings rain again; Yin entering Yang palace turns the Big Dipper. Li trigram entering Wood palace brings colorful clouds. Officer Ghost approaching Dark Warrior means rain has fallen everywhere. Yang hexagram transforming to Yin hexagram signals rain approaching again. Yin hexagram transforming to Yang hexagram shows brilliant starry skies.
Hai-Zi lines with Dark Warrior—all four seas receive heaven's rain and dew; Li trigram is originally the source of clear skies; Kun indicates slight overcast with light moisture. Hai-Zi lines with Dark Warrior indicate rain over all provinces. Li trigram governs the roots of clearing. Kun trigram represents slight yin with delicate moistening.
Kan-Xun bring first rain then wind; entering Kan triggers thunder shaking the nine heavens; Zhen returning to Gen causes thunder to cease; Kan-Li interaction indicates alternating clear and rain. Kan-Xun primarily indicate rain followed by wind. Kan palace activity triggers thunder shaking the heavens. Zhen transforming to Gen makes thunder cease. Kan-Li mutual transformation brings alternating clear and rainy conditions.
Li-Zhen interchange brings thunder and lightning; outside without Kan-Dui, the dragon hides deep; Yin transforming to Yang palace brings celestial rain; Kun-Dui interdependence sends mist and cold. Li-Zhen mutual transformation brings thunder and lightning together. If the outer trigram lacks Kan or Dui, the dragon hides and no rain falls. Yin hexagram transforming to Yang hexagram brings rain from heaven. Kun-Dui mutual generation (Earth generating Metal) primarily indicates misty gloom.
Further consult the Patriarch Ghost Valley Six Lines to examine carefully which line moves; in general, Water lines ultimately mean rain; clearing always arises from Fire lines. Combine with Patriarch Ghost Valley's line-position method for minute analysis: any moving Water line indicates eventual rain; any moving Fire line indicates clearing.
Though the earth's expanse is vast, it must borrow favorable weather to flourish. Inquiring of overcast and clear, entirely relies upon Water and Fire. Without Water among the six lines, there will be no rain; without Fire among the six lines, it cannot clear. When a Water line moves to control the World, sudden rain arrives abruptly; generating the World, fine rain drizzles. Water moving vigorous indicates sudden rain, without qi indicates fine rain. Water moves with Earth also moving—though rainy, precipitation diminishes. Water transforming to Water—in winter one may speak of ice and snow. Fire moving to control the World, drought absolutely follows. Water and Fire both moving—rain falls and winds are harmonious. Water transforming to Fire—sudden rain clears up. Fire transforming to Water—sunny weather turns rainy. With the six lines lacking Water and Fire or encountering Emptiness, neither clear nor rainy but overcast.
Movement and stillness, generation and control—measure the wind and clouds of heaven; vigor and decline, rest and dormancy—determine the clear and rain of the human realm. World is Earth; Response is Heaven. Response controlling World brings no rain; World controlling Response brings heavy rain; movement brings urgency, stillness brings gradualness.
On Rain (Discussed by Line Position): First line vigorous—dense clouds mass heavily; second line vigorous—flying lightning flares; third line vigorous—great winds overturn houses; fourth line vigorous—thunder re trembles mightily; fifth line vigorous—torrential downpour swamps; sixth line vigorous—rainwater continues ceaselessly. Without qi, respectively: thin mist and light fog, clouds with feeble lightning, gentle warmth and mild breeze, faint rumbling thunder, fine drizzle dampening.
On Clearing (Discussed by Line Position): First line vigorous—clouds still dense despite clearing; second line vigorous—dew pearls hang on grass; third line vigorous—morning clouds disperse lazily; fourth line vigorous—long rainbows cut through rain; fifth line vigorous—great brightness shines at noon; sixth line vigorous—heaven steeped in crystal clarity. Without qi, respectively: thin clouds about to disperse, slight dew applied, sunset with rosy light, half-swept floating clouds, faint and pale sunlight. Fifth line yin vigorous—the moon turns the ice wheel; without qi, like gauze veiling a mirror.
Line Position Interactions: Third line clashing sixth position—lightning flashes across the sky. Fourth line controlling fifth line—long rainbow pierces the sun. Third line moving to control first line—wind scatters remaining clouds. Third line moving to generate first line—wind delivers dense clouds. Second and fourth lines generating each other—lightning crackles and thunder roars. Third and sixth lines clashing—sudden downpour pours in torrents.
Hexagrams with Six Clashes—clouds gather then scatter again; lines with Six Harmonies—rain not yet arrived but can be anticipated. Pure Yang paired with Six Clashes: rain cannot be hoped for; even clouds will disperse. Yin transforming to Yang—rain will not arrive; if it comes, it is sparse. A Water line moving but broken by day-branch clash—though rainy, precipitation is slight. A quiet Water line encountering Clash then brings rain. Yin and Yang in balanced proportion produces Six Harmonies; a Water line with qi, though rain has not arrived, may still be expected. Yang transforming into Yin—even clear weather turns to rain. Pure Yin hexagrams quiet then rain arrives; moving generates yang and disperses clouds, yet if Water moves rain may be promised. If augmented by Great Baleful Star and White Tiger, violent storms are imminent.
World is Earth, Response is Heaven. Heaven controlling Earth brings no rain; Earth controlling Heaven brings drenching rain. Kan is Rain Master and Xun is Dragon; Zhen entering Kan means clouds move and rain falls. Kan-Li mutual transformation—alternating clearing and rain. Kan entering Xun palace—wind rises after rain. Kan transforming to Kun—gloomy and dim envelopment. Kun-Zhen interactions—thunder and lightning wrangle. Kun-Dui mutual support—thick mists gather.
Azure Dragon approaching Water certainly brings rain; approaching Metal-Earth turning into Wood signals rain turning to clearing. White Tiger on Yin moving generates wind. Dark Warrior is the spirit of yin stagnation; during rain, beware the Officer Ghost line arriving; on Ren-Gui definitely flood;
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