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Chapter 6 of 12
易冒
The core method of divination is to manifest fortune and misfortune through hexagram symbols; the manifestation of fortune and misfortune indicates the direction of approach and avoidance based on the matter inquired; the signs of approach and avoidance hinge critically on the Yong Shen (Primary Spirit). Though the methods of selecting the Primary Spirit take different paths, they ultimately converge toward one purpose—myriad variations yet the same principle. If discernment is not precise and thorough, the direction of fortune/misfortune and approach/avoidance will deviate from the correct path.
The selection of the Primary Spirit sometimes takes the hexagram, sometimes the line, sometimes the inner and outer trigrams, sometimes the World and Response lines, sometimes examines through the Five Elements and Six Relatives, sometimes judges through the Eight Trigrams and Six Spirits. Then the year, month, day, and hour serve as the warp, while hidden, revealed, mutual, and changing lines serve as the weft, further weighed comprehensively by prosperity, established growth, void, broken, scattered, exhausted, advancing, retreating, harming, clashing, waxing, and waning. The great principle is: abandon the quiet and seek the active, abandon the decayed and seek the prosperous, abandon the afflicted line and seek the unafflicted line. In this way, the weight, lightness, speed, and delay of fortune and misfortune all become manifest.
For the Primary Spirit, first distinguish by hexagram, then by line. The hexagram methods number eight:
First, Inner-Outer—as in divining a household: the inner trigram represents the people, the outer trigram the dwelling. The inner should be maintained, the outer may warrant relocation.
Second, Clash-Merge—for hexagrams with three clashes, heaven and humanity do not interpenetrate, and matters never achieve harmony throughout. For hexagrams with six merges, the worthy and close assist, and human affairs proceed smoothly.
Third, Reverse-Lying—Reverse intones [Fan Yin] signify a mind that repeatedly reverses course and affairs that run contrary. Lying intones [Fu Yin] signify dispersed spirit and exhausted mind. In national divination, military divination, and divination of person and dwelling, these are most inauspicious.
Fourth, Grave-Exit [Jue]—as when Zhen transforms into Kun: Wood's grave is at Wei, its exit at Shen. When Li transforms into Qian: Fire's grave is at Xu, its exit at Hai. In divinations of state, military, personal fate, residence, and illness, these are greatly inauspicious.
Fifth, Returning-Wandering—the Returning Soul hexagram [Gui Hun] indicates not going forth, matters having a return. The Wandering Soul hexagram [You Hun] indicates lack of stability, drifting without settlement.
Sixth, Hexagram Seasons—when a hexagram meets the season of prosperity, even an empty day clash does not break it. When a hexagram falls at a position of death or imprisonment, even the day ruler cannot revive it. Primarily used for capital regions and human dwellings.
Seventh, Hexagram Meaning—as in divining for clear weather, one delights in Qian or Li (hexagrams of brightness); divining for grave sites, one fears wind-and-water hexagrams.
Eighth, Hexagram Verification—as divination receiving the Huan hexagram may indicate one with child in the belly; the Shi Ke hexagram may indicate a midday market. These are verifications through hexagram symbols.
Next examine the line methods, of which there are six:
First, World-Response—World is the root, Response is the branch; World is the host, Response is the other person. This is the ruling principle of the completed hexagram.
Second, Two Bodies—one is the Hexagram Body, one is the World Body. The Hexagram Body is more important.
Third, Six Relatives—Wealth, Officer, Parent, Sibling, Offspring; each has its governing domain.
Fourth, Six Spirits—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Hooked Snake, Coiled Serpent, White Tiger, Dark Warrior; each has its governing function.
Fifth, Line Positions—the first is Earth, the top is Heaven, the fifth is the ruler, the second is the minister; positions are assigned according to the matter.
Sixth, Changing and Mutual—when a line moves, observe its changing line; when a line is still, divine by its mutual trigram; seek it through the Primary Spirit.
World and Response are the masters of the completed hexagram. Their ten taboos are: void, broken, dead, scattered, grave, moving, merged-clash, following the officer into the grave, assisting the officer to harm the body, and advancing/retreating/lifting/sinking. Void leads to nothing being accomplished; broken brings many defeats; dead brings much entrapment; scattered means total loss; grave makes it hard to elevate; moving brings many changes; merged-clash means being about to succeed yet failing; following into grave is the evil condition for litigation and illness; assisting harm is the inauspicious sign of calamity; advancing and rising is like fire just beginning to blaze; retreating and sinking is like wood just beginning to fall.
The Six Relatives as Primary Spirits: Where there is a Primary Spirit, there must be a Jealous Spirit [Ji Shen]; the Jealous Spirit delights in stillness, decay, and restraint. Where there is a Primary Spirit, there must be a Source Spirit [Yuan Shen]; the Source Spirit delights in movement, prosperity, and being engendered. Among the Six Relatives, the Officer Ghost is mostly inauspicious, yet there is the concern that "without a ghost, there is no vital energy." Parent is wearisome, yet there is the saying "without a father, there is no head." Wealth and Offspring are auspicious, yet they are unwelcome guests when seeking reputation. Sibling has no merit, yet it is the Source Spirit of Offspring.
Examination of Movement and Change: The changing line can overcome the moving line; the moving line cannot engender the changing line. The moving line can engender a static line of the original hexagram; the changing line cannot overcome a static line of the original hexagram. If the changing line is void, broken, dead, or exhausted, the moving line neither receives engendering nor overcoming from it. If the moving line is void, broken, dead, or exhausted, a changing line that engenders can rescue it, while one that overcomes makes it more inauspicious.
Searching the Hidden and Revealed: If the hidden overcomes the revealed, it emerges; if the revealed engenders the hidden, it is obtained; if the revealed overcomes the hidden, it is extinguished; if the hidden engenders the revealed, it sinks; if hidden and revealed are equal and harmonious, it is uprooted; if the revealed spirit is void, the hidden emerges easily; if the hidden spirit is void, broken, dead, or exhausted, it does not rise. If the hidden spirit is extinguished or sunk, even facing the sun and month, it is not taken; if the revealed spirit is broken or scattered, the hidden spirit, though engendered and prosperous, has no merit. First look for the hidden beneath the World, next beneath the moving lines, then beneath the static lines.
Authority of Sun and Moon: The images of Sun and Month are like the sovereign and the general's command; no line spirit can defy them. The Day Ruler does not suffer attack of triple-ten voids; the Month Ruler does not fall into ten-days void. The Month Ruler applies five methods of prosperous, mutual, resting, imprisoned, dead; the Day Ruler uses the Twelve Stages of the Long Life Cycle as reference. Month-break brings ruin, day-clash brings scattering; the month heavily overcomes, the day heavily cuts off. The day has "following into grave" and "assisting harm" while the month does not—therefore, the day is especially close.
Distinguishing Merge and Clash: For hexagrams with six clashes, the clash occurs at the beginning. Where merge encounters clash, the clash strikes within. Where merges transform into clashes, the clash strikes at the end. Line merging then clashing means accomplishment then dissolution. Line clashing then merging means battle then reconciliation. Moving to merge indicates entanglement; static merging indicates rising. Merge has three methods: the engendering merge is auspicious, the overcoming merge is inauspicious, and the punishing merge is secondary. Clash has five methods: hidden-motion clash (mutual support before the clash), scattering clash (mutual severance before the clash), embryo clash (I overcome, it moves; it overcomes me, it scatters), embryo-death clash (prosperous and mutual equals movement, resting and imprisoned equals scattering), and the hidden-scattering clash.
Distinguishing Void and Break: The Eight Methods of Ten-Day Void: broken-air void (broken by the month and void), complete void (overcome by the month and void), overcome-air void (month engenders, day overcomes; or day engenders, month overcomes), peaceful void (neither engendering nor overcoming), half-void (solely engendered by either sun or month alone), prosperous-mutual void (supported by sun and month, void within the ten days yet substantial outside), filled void (a day clash fills it, a moving void fills it, the month ruler approaching it fills it), and broken moveless void (the movement obtains no merit). The Three Methods of Month Break: broken when facing the ghost in motion brings misfortune; not broken when the day approaches it; not broken when encountered in its proper season.
Punishment, Harm, Bureau, and Transformation: The method of punishment and harm still weighs through Five Elements engendering and overcoming. The Zi-Mao punishment is light compared to its engendering weight. The You-Xu harm is outweighed by its engendering depth. Punishment is disgrace; harm is resentment and separation. For the Bureau transformation method, use the middle branch for the bureau; emphasize the day stem for transformation.
Six Spirits and Star Killing: The use of Six Spirits must be rooted in the Six Relatives. Offspring mounted on Azure Dragon brings celebration; Dark Warrior losing the Officer Ghost yet not thieving. For auspicious and inauspicious stars and killing spirits, the line spirit must be the root.
The Eighteen Methods of the Primary Spirit (Comprehensive Theory of Fortune/Misfortune Weight):
| No. | Name | Meaning | Attribute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day Spirit | Primary Spirit faced with the Day Ruler | Entirely Auspicious |
| 2 | Month General | Primary Spirit faced with the Month Ruler | Entirely Auspicious |
| 3 | Prosperous | Supported by Sun and Month | Entirely Auspicious |
| 4 | Mutual | Engendered by Sun and Month | Entirely Auspicious |
| 5 | Engendered | Greedy for engendering, forgetting overcoming; transmission of engendering | Entirely Auspicious |
| 6 | Changing Transmutation | The changing line engenders (close) | Entirely Auspicious |
| 7 | Moving Engendering | A moving line engenders (distant) | Entirely Auspicious |
| 8 | Peaceful | Neither harmed nor drained | Entirely Auspicious |
| 9 | Having Flaw | Day overcomes, Month engenders; or Month overcomes, Day engenders | Semi-Auspicious |
| 10 | Prosperous-Mutual Void | Prosperous-mutual yet in ten-day void | Semi-Auspicious |
| 11 | Peaceful Void | Has engendering, no overcoming; sought but not gained, yet not lost | Semi-Auspicious |
| 12 | Exhausted Energy | Sun, Month, and moving lines all drain the Primary Spirit's energy | Inauspicious |
| 13 | Dead Energy | Sun, Month, and moving lines override it, with no visible or hidden engendering | Inauspicious |
| 14 | Day Break | Sun-Month overcomes and wounds; hour-season rests and imprisons; line spirit clashed | Inauspicious |
| 15 | Month Break | Though broken, its substance endures | Inauspicious |
| 16 | Overcome-Void | Sun, Month, and moving lines override yet void, unrescued | More Inauspicious |
| 17 | Utterly Absent | Sun, Month, hidden, revealed, changing, and mutual all fail to produce the Primary Spirit | More Inauspicious |
| 18 | Scattered | Moving encounters the rushing-scattering of the Day Spirit's changes | Greatly Inauspicious |
Method of Designating Time: When the hexagram has no function, its worth is confirmed by its day; when the jealous line moves and the function is swept away, its destruction comes; when the host image is void yet the rush may capture it; when the primary function is prosperous yet caught in grave, its release comes; exhausted encountering engendering brings it forth; decaying meeting support brings achievement.
Divination's Secret: Seek not its good but first its not-good; search not its benefit but first its not-benefit. With no not-good established, then seek its good and make it good. With no not-benefit established, then search its benefit and make it beneficial.
This chapter serves as the methodological master framework of the entire Yi Mao, systematically expounding the comprehensive methods of selecting the Primary Spirit and the holistic judgment system of divination. The core ideas can be summarized as:
The Primary Spirit as Root—All judgments of fortune and misfortune hinge on the Primary Spirit as its core, yet the methods of its selection are extremely flexible: sometimes taking the hexagram, sometimes the line, sometimes World-Response, sometimes the Six Relatives—none can be adhered to exclusively while discarding the rest.
Hexagram Before Line—At the hexagram body level, there are eight methods (inner-outer, clash-merge, reverse-lying, grave-exit, returning-wandering, hexagram seasons, hexagram meaning, hexagram verification); at the line image level, there are six methods (World-Response, two bodies, Six Relatives, Six Spirits, line positions, changing-mutual). Distinct layers, macro before micro.
Sun-Moon Authority—The ultimate verdict of prosperity/decline rests with the Sun and Month; the Day Ruler being especially close. Sun and Month are like a sovereign's command that no line can defy.
The Eighteen Methods—The fortune/misfortune and relative weight of the Primary Spirit is divided into eighteen grades, from entirely auspicious ("Day Spirit, Month General") to greatly inauspicious ("Scattered"), forming a precise quantitative judgment system.
Searching the Inauspicious Before the Auspicious — The secret art of divination lies in "first seeking what is not good, first searching what is not beneficial"—progress from eliminating the dangerous before seeking the advantageous: an extremely rational and prudent mode of thinking.
This chapter's theoretical depth is astonishing—it can be called the "operating system" of Six Lines prediction.
Pluralistic Primary Spirits: The text explicitly criticizes the limitation of "holding solely to the Six Relatives is not broad," proposing a multi-layered Primary Spirit system of hexagram, line, World-Response, and Six Relatives. This is like a multi-dimensional evaluation framework in modern decision theory—different decision problems require different key indicators; one size does not fit all.
The Decisiveness of Sun and Month: "The images of Sun and Month are lord and general—what line spirit dares defy them?" This elevates the time factor to absolute dominance. From a modern perspective, this embodies the ancients' extreme valuation of the time window: with good timing, everything flows; against the clock, little succeeds.
The Eighteen Methods Ranking: In effect, this is a quantitative model of fortune-misfortune weighting. Modern risk assessment uses high/medium/low categories, yet the ancients had already developed an eighteen-grade fine classification, from "Day Spirit Month General" (fully auspicious) to "Scattered" (greatly inauspicious), layer by layer, extremely refined.
Prudence in Seeking the Inauspicious First: This mindset—"control risk first, then pursue gain"—is highly consistent with modern risk management principles.
This chapter conveys a profound systems-thinking perspective: any object (the Primary Spirit) does not exist in isolation but within a complex network—there is the Source Spirit that engenders it, the Jealous Spirit that overcomes it, the hidden Servant Spirit beneath, the changing lines that transform, and the sovereign Sun-Month. Fortune and misfortune are not simple binary judgments but probabilistic tendencies dynamically evolving within this network.
"Different paths converging on the same destination; ten thousand changes, one principle"—this pluralistic unity resonates deeply with the Chinese philosophical concept of "one principle, many manifestations."
The essential matters of governing a country must proceed by promoting the worthy and loyal as the fortune of the myriad people—therefore, the line of Offspring (Felicity) must not be lost. Similarly, one must remove the wicked and treacherous as the expulsion of illness from the four seas—therefore, the line of Officer Ghost must not move. Whenever divining matters of state, one delights in the Felicity line appearing in place, and detests the Ghost line moving—this is the overarching principle.
The inner trigram represents the capital domain; the outer trigram represents the people. If the hexagram palace is secure and prosperous, the national destiny is long; if the images of the lines harmonize and unite, the ancestral temples stand firm with long permanence. Hexagrams of straight clash—never appear in national divination. At places of merge, one must not encounter broken harm—thus may the world be peaceful and the state established.
When the sovereign personally divines; take the World line as his primary image, favoring the presence of the Sun and Month lord with engendering support. When a minister divines for the state; regard the Fifth Yang [line 5, positions 3-4] as the venerable seat—abstain from following the officer into grave, as well as from void or broken states. When the sovereign personally divines and the Response line merges with the World, the empress's virtue is internationally recognized. When a minister divines and the Second line holds Felicity, the motherly standard reigns resplendent in the rear palace.
Line Position Assignments:
Six Relatives Assignments:
A void Ghost within the inner trigram indicates no internal troubles; a Ghost moving from the outer trigram arouses external disturbance. A Ghost near the Fifth line, guard against the treacherous courtier; a Ghost attached to the Third line signals tyrannical officials; a Ghost in the Second, arrogance among officials; a Ghost in the First, distress among the common people.
Warnings of Six-Spirit and Five-Element Combinations:
Translator's pragmatic note… portion begins 152n …*
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