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Chapter 1 of 5
大六壬探原
Da Liu Ren Tan Yuan (Exploring the Origins of Great Six Ren) is organized into three major sections with clear structural layering:
Part One · Calculation: From establishing the divination hour, selecting the lunar general, to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, Four Lessons, Three Transmissions, and then to year and life palaces, the complete sequence of calculation procedures is fully provided and methodically ordered. The explanations strive for clarity and accessibility, avoiding deliberate obscurity, so that beginners can study independently without needing oral transmission from master to disciple.
Part Two · Judgment: Assembles the core principles of Ren studies for determining auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, adjudicating fortune and misfortune. It deliberately avoids prolixity and miscellaneous clutter, striving for concise expression that strikes directly at essential points.
Part Three · Collected Discourses: Gathers penetrating discourses from ancient masters—some elucidating the deeper meanings of lesson structures, others examining in detail the historical lineage and development of Ren studies. Upon close reflection, one can readily progress from the shallow to the profound. Appended at the end are biographical sketches of former sages, sufficient to serve as models for later students. Due to space limitations, not all could be included; a separate dedicated volume will be compiled in due course to honor their contributions.
The verse formulas are the secret keys to calculating lesson patterns, yet beginners often find them difficult to decipher. They are therefore distributed individually after relevant discussions, allowing cross-reference and easier comprehension.
Lunar General changes strictly follow the Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu (Book of Harmonizing Timing and Distinguishing Directions): changes occur only upon the arrival of a "Central Qi" (midpoint energy). For example, in the first month, on a jia-zi day at the yin hour, when Rain Water arrives, the Hai general should be used; if the divination is performed before the chou hour, the Zi general remains in effect. Yao Guangxiao's "Transcending Spirits" method—with its so-called "Yang follows birth numbers, Yin follows completion numbers"—is not credible and should not be adopted.
She Hai Ke (Harm-Inflicting Lessons) present the greatest difficulty in determining the initial transmission from the Four Lessons. One must carefully examine the depth of harm inflicted to establish the first transmission. The ancient verses recorded in the Liu Ren Da Quan (Complete Compendium of Six Ren) are correct in principle, but unfortunately, regarding "Fu Deng Ke" (Compound Parallel Lessons), they remain constrained by the "yielding stems and rigid days" theory, which has not been fully dispelled. In its appended General Chart of Lessons, nineteen lessons do not conform to proper rules. The Zhi Nan (Guide), Jing Wei (Warp and Woof), and Lei Ju (Classification Compilation) consider only whether the position falls on Meng, Zhong, or Ji, disregarding the depth of harm—appearing simple but ultimately losing the ancient method. The Xun Yuan (Tracing Origins) blindly copies from others and contains even more errors. The Cui Yan (Pure Discourses) vaguely understands the method but its appended diagrams were never corrected. The Shuo Yue (Concise Talks), though discussing the depth of harm, exclusively examines the Human Elements hidden within the twelve palaces—such as Yin palace harboring Jia, Bing, Wu, and Wei palace harboring Yi, Ji, Ding—which is purely superfluous embellishment and even less worthy of trust. This book respectfully follows the Ke Jing (Lesson Canon), Ke Qian (Lesson Guide), Ji Lue (Collected Essentials), Shi Si (Perceptions), and the Gu Jin Tu Shu Ji Cheng · Yi Shu Dian (Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Texts · Arts Section), explaining the proper order of depth in harm assessments, verifying the correctness of Three Transmissions, and providing beginners with solid ground to stand on. Appended at the end is a comprehensive transmission table for all 720 lessons across the sixty jia-zi days, with important lesson names fully listed for easy reference.
The distinction between day and night nobles and their clockwise or counterclockwise rotations varies among different texts. This book follows the Xun Yuan and the Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu as primary authorities, presenting diagrams with examples and explaining each case individually.
The method of annual fortune (Xing Nian) should follow the Da Quan: Heaven was opened at Zi, Earth was established at Chou, and Humanity was born at Yin. Therefore, a male begins at one sui from Bing-yin moving forward, while for females, applying the principle of correlative opposition between yin and yang, one sui begins from Ren-shen moving backward. This embodies the principle that what is easy to know and simple to practice has been so since antiquity. Later generations changed this to begin annual fortune from the Bing or Ren Heavenly Stem of one's own birth year, which is entirely unnecessary. A table is hereby provided to clarify this matter and eliminate scholars' doubts.
The spirit-gods and kill-stars in Ren lessons are numerous and quite difficult to memorize. This book includes eight essential virtue and killing spirits necessary for lesson judgment, as indispensable as cloth, grain, and daily provisions. If scholars can master and integrate them, they will naturally perceive the subtle through the manifest—do not underestimate them for their apparent ordinariness.
The Ke Jing and the Bi Fa (Essential Methods) contain profound discussions and serve as the gold standard of Ren studies. Unfortunately, their voluminous size often intimidates beginners, rendering them difficult to finish. The judgment section of this book, from the divination hour and lunar general through to destruction, harm, punishment, and clashing, draws its concise clarity largely from these two works.
The auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of lesson structures is of paramount importance. The Ke Jing and Xin Jing (Mirror of the Heart) record numerous categories with profound discussions, leaving beginners lost in an unending sea. The Jing Wei, though listing only ninety lesson structures—from thief and overthrow at the top to vacancy at the bottom—contains all major categories. Unfortunately, its repetitive phrasing wastes space. This book specifically excises the redundant to present the essential.
This volume synthesizes the essence of various schools, emphasizing practical application. It has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Zhang Fen of Kunshan (courtesy name Jingfu) and corrected by Mr. Feng Shicheng of Wuxian (courtesy name Hanqing). Fearing that our knowledge may still be shallow and omissions numerous, we earnestly invite scholars far and wide to offer their corrections; such guidance would be most gratefully received.
The bibliography spans from the Tang dynasty's Liu Ren Xin Jing through dozens of Qing dynasty works, encompassing also the Shi Ji (Records of the Grand Historian), Qian Han Shu (Book of the Former Han), Gao Shi Zhuan (Biographies of Eminent Recluses), Zi Shi Jing Hua (Essence of Masters and Histories), and the Si Ku Quan Shu Zong Mu Ti Yao sections on occult arts—demonstrating the breadth of source material and rigor of textual criticism.
I. Systematic Learning Pathway
Yuan Shushan (the actual compiler of this work, though the preface is unsigned, as established by Ren studies scholarship) explicitly divided the study of Six Ren into three major modules: Calculation (technical operational level), Judgment (decision-making level), and Collected Discourses (theoretical genealogy level). This architecture presents a complete progression from "being able to calculate" to "being able to judge" and finally to "being able to synthesize"—a framework highly consonant with modern education's "skills–application–theory" three-stage model.
II. Ancient Method Priority with Broad Synthesis
Wherever questions of divergence arise, the editorial notes consistently anchor to "ancient methods": for Harm-Inflicting Lessons, following the Ke Jing and Ke Qian rather than the simplified approach of the Zhi Nan; for Lunar General replacement, following the Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu's Central Qi transition rather than Yao Guangxiao's Transcending Spirits method; for Annual Fortune, following the Da Quan's Yin-origin cycle. This demonstrates a consciousness of lineage—judging right and wrong by tracing back to the sources where classics originated, rather than simply following popular consensus.
III. Pragmatic Core and Refined Compilation
Phrases such as "concise without prolixity," "eliminating redundancy," and "brief yet comprehensive" recur throughout, with an always-clear objective: making the material accessible for beginners. This does not lower academic standards but represents a "digestion and re-output" of scholarship—analogous to today's "translation" work—converting profound academic language into operable knowledge modules.
Reference Value for Learning Pathways
The three-part structure corresponds to three stages in Six Ren learning.
| Stage | Ancient Section | Modern Counterpart | Key Competencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Calculation | Programming fundamentals | Mastering lesson-generation rules and algorithms |
| II | Judgment | Data analysis | Extracting effective information from lesson patterns and making decisions |
| III | Collected Discourses | Advanced theoretical study | Understanding underlying principles and historical academic lineages |
This sequence of "operation → application → theory" aligns with modern skill acquisition patterns: first learn "how to do it," then understand "why it is done this way," and finally explore "what else could be done."
Practical Insights from Textual Criticism Methods
The comparison of various schools' approaches to Harm-Inflicting Lessons represents, in effect, a "textual recension" in the philological sense. The approach taken is not "use whatever is most convenient" but rather "use whatever most closely approximates the ancient method." This attitude is crucial for understanding traditional culture: many so-called "simplified versions" may in fact be "degraded versions" that have lost core information. The variously labeled "simplified fate-calculation" and "instant divination" trends popular today should be examined in precisely this spirit.
The Wisdom of Practice-Oriented Compilation
"Since the verse formulas are the secret of calculating lessons and beginners find them hard to understand, they have been individually appended after respective discussions"—placing mnemonic formulas after theoretical explanations transforms them from isolated memory items into cross-validated knowledge. This is classic "situated learning" design: knowledge points gain meaning through context.
Guidance for Six Ren Learners:
Critical Textual Research and Independent Thinking:
The editorial criticism of Xun Yuan's "blind copying," Cui Yan's "uncorrected diagrams," and Shuo Yue's "drawing a snake and adding feet to it" reminds learners never to follow any particular school blindly. Even the most authoritative ancient texts deserve scrutiny through one's own logical examination. This spirit of "mistrust without verification" resonates with scientific methodology.
The Epistemology of "Easy to Know and Simple to Practice"
The editorial remarks on the Annual Fortune method claim that "This is the principle of what is easy to know and simple to practice, unchanged since antiquity." The phrase originates from the Xi Ci commentary in the Yi Zhuan (Great Commentary on the Book of Changes), emphasizing that the great Dao of Heaven and Earth operates by maximally simple patterns. As a system of images and numbers, the underlying logic of Ren studies is: cosmic operation is law-governed, and that lawfulness can be represented through simple symbolic systems. Yet "simplicity" does not mean "shallowness"—the subtle inquiry into the depths of harm in She Hai Ke precisely demonstrates that genuine simplicity requires refining essence from complex manifestations.
The Underlying Significance of the Central Qi vs. Transcending Spirits Debate
Whether to determine Lunar General replacement by "Central Qi" rather than purely by "node qi" (jie qi) or "superior spirits" calculation reflects, fundamentally, a boundary question between astronomical observation and numerological projection. The choice of the Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu effectively asserts this: divination systems must return ultimately to astronomical verification, and cannot extrapolate indefinitely through purely human-contrived mathematical sequences. Yao Guangxiao's Transcending Spirits method—"Yang follows birth numbers, Yin follows completion numbers"—is essentially a purely mathematical construction detached from observation—precisely what Yuan Shushan guardedly warns against. This mirrors contemporary debates between "data-driven vs. theory-driven" approaches.
"Humanity Born at Yin" in the Annual Fortune Method
Males beginning from Bing-yin forward, females from Ren-shen backward, finds its theoretical grounding in the cosmogonic formulation: "Heaven was opened at Zi, Earth was established at Chou, and Humanity was born at Yin." Yin marks the beginning of the three yang, where human affairs commence; the male-forward/female-backward counterpoising models the principle of binary polarity in the cosmic order. The value of this model lies not in "whether it is scientific," but rather in a different function: it provides a symbolic system embedding the individual life within cosmic rhythms, enabling humans and the cosmos to achieve "isomorphic resonance" at the level of images and numbers. Such a mode of thinking bears useful comparison with the "nested life" concepts found in modern ecological thought.