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Chapter 1 of 1
筮学指要
Each of the twelve Earthly Branches has its corresponding direction and Five Element attribution:
The explanation in parentheses is: the four seasons are attributed to the Five Elements, and the Five Elements in turn determine the five directions. Later, monthly energies took shape and took their rightful positions, so Zi resides in due north; Mao, Wu, and You follow Zi's example and reside in due east, due south, and due west respectively. At the junctures where the four seasons meet, following the direction of movement, Yin comes from the north and goes toward the east, hence it is called northeast; Si, Shen, and Hai follow Yin's example, residing in the southeast, southwest, and northwest respectively.
The Six Combinations of Earthly Branches are:
The explanation in parentheses is: the cardinal directions combine with the center, hence Zi-Chou, Mao-Xu, Chen-You, and Wu-Wei are like gentlemen at court. However, Zi-Wu represent Water-Fire, the direct opposition of pure Yang and pure Yin, and their residual energies cannot be lightly discarded — discarding them lightly causes great damage. Therefore Zi combines with Chou and Wu combines with Wei, to accommodate their residual energies. Mao-You represent the ascending and descending energies of Wood and Metal, which mutually harmonize their residual energies and must not reach their extreme, hence Mao combines with Xu and Chen combines with You. Yin, Si, Shen, and Hai represent the combination of Yin and Yang, but their energies are not correct, and Water and Fire cannot merge — thus Si combines with Shen and Yin combines with Hai.
The Six Clashes of Earthly Branches are:
The explanation in parentheses is: clashes between the four cardinal directions have directly opposing directions, with neither yielding to the other's edge, hence they form clashes. As for the center Earth clashing, the residual energies are incompatible, and Yin and Yang overcome each other.
The mnemonic for placing World and Response lines is: "In the eight palaces, the World rests on the sixth; from there, the first line upward is placed in turn. For Wandering Soul hexagrams, the World stands on the fourth line; for Returning Soul hexagrams, the World is detailed on the third line."
This means: In the eight palace hexagrams, the World line is generally on the sixth (top) line, and from there the lines are mounted upward from the first line in sequence. For Wandering Soul hexagrams, the World line stands on the fourth line, while for the eight Returning Soul hexagrams, the World line is placed on the third line.
The Yang branches progress forward: Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, Xu.
The Yin branches progress in reverse: Hai, You, Wei, Si, Mao, Chou.
Qian, Zhen, Kan, and Gen are the four Yang trigrams and take the Yang branches in forward progression. Qian is the father and the head, so its first line takes the leading Zi, thus obtaining Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, Xu. Zhen, Kan, and Gen are the sons, each taking its father's first, second, and third lines as Zi, Yin, Chen. Hence:
Kun, Dui, Li, and Xun are the four Yin trigrams and take the Yin branches in reverse progression. Xun is the youngest daughter and occupies the last position, so its first line takes the last Chou, thus obtaining Chou, Hai, You, Wei, Si, Mao. Li, Dui, and Kun are worked out backward, taking Mao, Si, Wei respectively. Hence:
The Earthly Branches of the six lines of the eight trigrams form the foundation for mounting branches onto the sixty-four hexagrams. Once the hexagram is obtained, one mounts the Earthly Branches of the inner and outer trigrams according to their images, thereby embedding the branches into all sixty-four hexagrams.
Mnemonic: "Heaven lines identical give the Second World; Heaven lines transformed give the Fifth. Earth lines identical give the Fourth World; Earth lines transformed give the First. The original palace is Sixth World; Third World differs from its source. Human lines identical give Wandering Soul; human lines transformed give Returning Soul. Lines one, two, three, and six look to the outer trigram palace; lines four, five, and Wandering Soul look to inner trigram changes. For Returning Soul, the inner trigram is its original palace."
This means: When the Heaven lines of the inner and outer trigrams are identical, it is a Second World hexagram; when the Heaven lines are transformed, it becomes Fifth World. When the Earth lines are identical, it is Fourth World; when the Earth lines transform, it becomes First World. For original palace hexagrams, the World is on the sixth line; Third World hexagrams differ from their source. When the Human lines are identical, it is a Wandering Soul hexagram; when the Human lines transform, it becomes a Returning Soul hexagram. When the World sits on lines one, two, three, or six, look to the palace corresponding to the outer trigram; for lines four, five, and Wandering Soul, look to the changes of the inner trigram; for Returning Soul hexagrams, the inner trigram is the original palace.
The World line represents oneself, and the Response line represents others. When the World and Response have a generating or combining relationship with the Useful God, it is auspicious; when clashing or overcoming, it is inauspicious; when mutually balanced, plans may be made. If the World line is in a Ten-Day Void period, matters will be difficult to accomplish; if both the Response and World lines are in Ten-Day Void, the hexagram obtained holds no reliable message. When the Taboo God is vigorous and active, a World line in Ten-Day Void is conversely auspicious. Generating the World and the World overcoming others are auspicious. When the World goes to generate another line, it is a leakage of vital energy and unfavorable. A Response line harming others is unfavorable, and a World line being controlled brings disadvantage to oneself.
The two lines between the World line and the Response line are the intervening lines. If the Taboo God moves within the intervening lines, dealings should be avoided; if the Original God and the Useful God activate in between, generating matters and supporting the self, then every undertaking rises high.
Parent Line: It can be both inauspicious and auspicious. Meeting the Wealth Line damages the self; encountering the Officer Ghost adds luster. Moving, it harms the Offspring and generates the Sibling. Transformed into Ghost, the self is promoted; transformed into Wealth, it turns back to overcome; transformed into Sibling, it is a leakage of energy; transformed into Offspring, no harm is suffered. Holding the World, it indicates the self's toil and hardship.
Sibling Line: It can be neither an auspicious star nor overly inauspicious. In examinations vying for honors, it is an unwelcome guest; for lawsuits and hidden thieves, it depletes wealth. Moving, it overcomes Wealth and generates Offspring. Transformed into Parent, there is alarm; transformed into Wealth, money will not come; transformed into Officer, the self has calamity; transformed into Offspring, everything is as desired.
Offspring Line: Nothing it encounters fails to be auspicious, and nothing that generates or supports it can prove inauspicious. Moving, it generates Wealth and overcomes Ghost. Transformed into Parent, fields and silkworms flourish; transformed into Wealth, profit and gain redouble in glory. Transformed into Ghost, anxiety over illness and childbirth; transformed into inauspiciousness, strife is certain. It is also the virtue-blessing spirit; if it holds the World, matters proceed without worry. But for matters exclusively concerning graves and dwellings, the Offspring Line is to be avoided.
Wife Wealth Line: Though the Wealth Line is an auspicious spirit, it is inauspicious when divining for parents and documents. When the Officer Ghost meets the Wealth Line, meeting the Sibling brings loss; meeting the Offspring brings auspiciousness. Moving, it overcomes Parent and generates Ghost. Transformed into Officer brings worry; transformed into Offspring is beautiful; transformed into Parent suits the family elder; transformed into Ghost, calamity flourishes.
Officer Ghost Line: Its inauspicious aspects are many, its auspicious aspects few. The Officer Ghost has always overcome the Sibling; marriage unrealized gives rise to stagnancy and doubt; illness is like the arrival of calamitous spirits at the door; farming and sericulture are all unfavorable; travel abroad surely brings disaster; lawsuits and official disputes bring imprisonment; buying and selling yields thin profit with setbacks; losses are hard to recover, steeped in obscurity.
The method of raising the Six Spirits: Jia and Yi raise Qinglong (Azure Dragon), Bing and Ding raise Zhuque (Vermilion Bird), Wu raises Gouchen (Central Earth Spirit), Ji raises Tengshe (Flying Serpent), Geng and Xin raise Baihu (White Tiger), Ren and Gui raise Xuanwu (Dark Warrior).
The Six Spirits are merely adjunct spirits and cannot independently determine auspiciousness or inauspiciousness.
When the Useful God appears in the hexagram, even if it is languishing it is not inauspicious; moreover, if it receives generation and support and is vigorous, then all undertakings will enjoy lasting success.
Two Appearances: Set aside the inactive line and use the one approaching the World line; if one is in Ten-Day Void or Moon-Broken, set aside the non-empty one and use the empty one; set aside the non-broken one and use the Moon-Broken one; set aside the quiet one and use the moving one; set aside the powerless one and use the one favored by the Day and Month. When two Useful Gods overlap too heavily, entering the tomb is what brings the matter to completion.
Transformations: Transformation into returning generation, transformation into Imperial Prosperity, count as miscellaneous transformations that can restrain the Taboo God and aid the Useful God, which is auspicious; transformation into Void, transformation into overcoming, transformation into extinction, and transformation into the tomb count as proper transformations; transformation into Ghost, Taboo, or overcoming the Useful God is inauspicious.
True Void: A Useful God meeting Ten-Day Void loses its beauty. In spring divination for Earth, in summer for Metal, in autumn for Wood, in winter for Fire, all are True Void. Encountering calamity in the void is auspicious — it is called "taking refuge."
Leakage of Vital Energy: When the Useful line moves and generates, it is a leakage of vital energy; only with rescue by the Original God is it permissible.
Parent Line: For divinations concerning things that protect oneself, such as parents and elders, parental peers, teachers, masters, city walls, houses and dwellings, boats and vehicles, clothing, rain gear, prayers for rain, silk, official documents, establishing contracts, essays, halls and offices, letters, etc.
Sibling Line: For divinations concerning peers, such as brothers, sisters, sworn allies and colleagues, and close friends.
Offspring Line: For divinations concerning those among one's descendants who avoid harm, such as sons and grandsons, daughters, sons-in-law, nephews, grand-nephews, disciples, loyal ministers, good generals, medicine, monks, Daoists, soldiers, the six domestic animals, birds, and beasts, etc.
Wife Wealth Line: For divinations concerning people in one's employ or utensils and vessels, such as wives and concubines, maidservants, servants, laborers, goods and wealth, jewels and treasures, storehouses, etc.
Officer Ghost Line: For divinations concerning things that restrain oneself, such as fame and rank, government offices, thunder and spirits, a wife divining for her husband, the husband's brothers, the friends of sisters' husbands, rebels and thieves, evil spirits, etc.
World Line: For divinations concerning harms and benefits to oneself, such as one's own illness, divining for one's lifespan, travel, etc.
Use Line: For divinations concerning those with whom one has no dealings, such as people without titles of address, those outside the six relatives, the elderly, enemy states, territories, etc.
This text systematically presents the fundamental operational rules of Najia divination, serving as an introductory framework for learning Six Lines divination. It integrates the twelve Earthly Branches, Five Elements, directions, Six Combinations, Six Clashes, and other spatiotemporal energy models with the eight trigram images, six-line structures, Six Relatives relationships, and Six Spirits atmosphere, forming a symbolic system capable of deducing human affairs.
The core logic lies in:
This system is essentially a relational analysis tool, not a mystical prophecy.
From a contemporary perspective, Najia divination can be likened to a multidimensional decision-analysis framework:
After removing the superstitious elements, this system provides a structured situational deduction method that can help people construct a thinking framework and inventory possible variables when information is incomplete.
After studying this text, one can conduct preliminary Six Lines charting and basic judgments:
One may apply the method of "hypothesis — action — review": first formulate an action hypothesis based on the hexagram image, devise a plan, verify results after execution, and gradually accumulate personal understanding of this system.
This text reflects the deeper Yin-Yang and Five Elements systemic thinking of ancient China:
Please translate the above content into English, maintaining the original format and structure.