Loading...
Chapter 6 of 14
六壬粹言
This section discusses the interpretive principles for various categories of auspicious spirit patterns in the Liu Ren divination system, encompassing multiple layers of information including the Virtue Spirit (De), Salary Spirit (Lu), Flourishing Spirit (Wang), Long Life, Six Harmonies, Three Harmonies, and Wealth Stem. The core principle is: although auspicious spirits are signs of good fortune, they must be assessed in conjunction with their position, the celestial general they ride, whether they fall in a void (旬空), and their generating/controlling relationships with other spirits before determining whether they are truly auspicious or falsely so. Like a fine medicine, using the wrong dosage can also harm 🌱.
When the Virtue Spirits converge in the course and transmissions, this constitutes the Virtue Celebration Pattern (德庆课). When the four virtues converge, misfortune transforms into good fortune. However, if the Virtue Spirit transforms into a ghost (Virtue Spirit acting as the Day Ghost) while riding an auspicious general, it is still judged auspicious—for virtue can transform ghosts into goodness. If the Virtue Spirit falls into the Heavenly Gate (the Hai position), it portends promotion and success in examinations. If the Virtue Spirit rides the Vermilion Bird, it forms the Literary Virtue Pattern (文德格), favorable for examinations and official career. However, if the Virtue Spirit is attacked and restrained from above and below, it becomes the Extinguished Virtue Pattern (灭德格).
Regarding the judgment of the Day Salary Spirit, one must examine its fullness or emptiness. Yang stems take Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai as their Salary positions, while Yin stems take Mao, Wu, You, and Zi. Salary is one's own intrinsic resource requiring no external seeking—one Salary can match a thousand riches. It favors flourishing strength and disfavors decline and imprisonment. When Salary is upon the Day stem, one need only remain still to benefit; when Salary is upon the Branch, it is only suitable for quietly enjoying one's household. When Salary falls in a void, one should not declare inauspiciousness categorically—one must examine the three transmissions in detail to determine whether to abandon or pursue.
When the Flourishing Spirit is upon the Day stem or Branch, it indicates that the person and the other party each flourish individually; but one should only wait quietly, not seek recklessly. If one forces matters beyond what is appropriate, it instead becomes a Net and Cage Baleful Force (罗网煞) inviting calamity.
The Long Life patterns include four types: Mutual Generation, Reciprocal Generation, Coming-and-Going Mutual Generation, and Rain and Dew Moistening. Mutual Generation means the Day stem and Branch each receive generation from their upper spirits, indicating mutual harmony between the parties. Reciprocal Generation means the Day stem and Branch each ride carriage-mutual generation, indicating both sides moving toward each other. Coming-and-Going Mutual Generation means either the Branch generates the Day stem, or the Day stem draws near to receive generation from the Branch—both indicate receiving the benefit of generation. Rain and Dew Moistening means all four lessons receive generation from their upper spirits, indicating vitality throughout both inner and outer aspects.
▫️ Unfolding Generation Pattern: The three transmissions generate each other in succession, ultimately generating the Day stem—indicating there will be a mediator assisting, and matters will certainly be accomplished. The Assisting Generation Pattern has two grades: first, the Branch assists in generating the Day stem; second, celestial generals assist in generating what the transmissions generate—one will receive assistance through both visible and hidden channels.
When transmISsions move from the Tomb to Long Life—with the initial transmission being the Tomb and the final transmission being Long Life—it indicates old matters reviving, officials once deposed rising again, difficulty at first with success afterward. If conversely the sequence runs from Long Life to the Tomb, then matters begin beautifully like flowers and brocade but end without fulfillment. When visible generation conceals hidden control, the surface suggests generation while covertly hiding depletion, as with the Geng-Yin day with Si above the stem and Hai above the Branch—appearing to ride Long Life on each side while in reality both are subject to depletion and theft, transforming auspiciousness into inauspiciousness.
Stem-Branch harmonies are categorized into three grades: Stem Harmony is the highest, Branch Harmony is secondary, and Traveling Harmony is lowest. When harmonious spirits enter the course and transmissions, it indicates joyful human sentiments, favorable for seeking reputation, transactions, and marriage. However, there also exist variants: the Externally Harmonious but Inferior in Fact Pattern (外好里槎砑格 — surface Six Harmonies while the earthly plate bears Six Harms), Carriage-Punishment Harmony, Harm Harmony, Clash Harmony, Control Harmony, Void Harmony, and Depletion Harmony—all indicating that within harmony there is rupture, within kindness there is the transformation to grievance.
When Three Harmonies enter the transmissions, it indicates matters will only mature after prolonged time. If one spirit upon the Day stem or Branch forms a Six Harmony with the general spirit, this is the Three-Six Mutual Summons Pattern (三六相呼格) —all affairs sought will be accomplished. If Three Harmonies form the transmissions while the Day stem and Branch also mutually harmonize through carriage-relations, this is the Three-Six Confluence Pattern (三六交会格) —indicating mutual assistance from both internal and external sources. If the Three Harmonies lack one spirit that is made complete by spirits upon the Day stem or Branch, this is the Completement Pattern (凑合格) —indicating unexpected matters of harmonious convergence.
When within harmony there lurks baleful force—when one spirit upon the Day stem or Branch works punishment, harm, or clash with the general spirit—it indicates that within kindness grievance transforms, and within harmony lies rupture, like arsenic mixed in honey. The Externally Harmonious but Inwardly Divided Pattern (外合中离格) occurs when Three Harmonies enter the transmissions yet the Day stem and Branch show punishment, clash, control, or harm in carriage relations—indicating that although outward appearances suggest unity, each party harbors suspicion and resentment within.
The Wealth Stem's interpretation favors decline and imprisonment rather than flourishing strength. When wealth flourishes, it indulges in its own prosperity and lacks the power to serve one. The Three Wealth Pattern refers to seeing the Day Stem's Wealth, the Branch's Wealth, and the Life's Wealth all together—any pursuit of wealth will surely be captured. The External Wealth Entering Interior Pattern means the Day Wealth is upon the Branch's second lesson, indicating gain of wealth; the Branch Wealth upon the Day stem's lesson indicates outflow of wealth—one must distinguish the amounts coming in versus going out to judge fortune or misfortune.
When the transmissions generate wealth yet thereby generate ghosts, misfortune arises from pursuing gain; only when there is a spirit in the year or life positions that controls the ghost will there be no fault. When the transmISsions transform ghosts into wealth, the wealth emerges from within danger—even if obtained, it brings no peace. When the Ding Spirit is on the Wealth position, or the Courier Horse is on the Wealth position in the initial transmission, it indicates the most rapid movement of wealth. The Transmission Generals Aiding Generation Pattern involves the three transmissions forming a combination to generate the wealth of the Day stem and Branch—highly favorable for pursuing wealth.
Auspicious spirits are not absolutely auspicious; judgment requires a four-dimensional synthesis of "position—riding general—void condition—generation/control relationships." The core methodology of this chapter can be summarized as:
The Virtue Spirit is one of the most important auspicious spirit systems in Liu Ren. Stem Virtue embodies an individual's own moral character and acquisitive capacity—the Jia and Ji virtue is in Yin, the Yi and Geng in Shen; this is an "energy of spontaneous attainment." Heavenly Virtue and Monthly Virtue represent assistance from the external environment. When the four virtues converge in course and transmissions, it means personal ability, timing, and environment are in high synergy—naturally converting misfortune into fortune.
In modern contexts, the Virtue Entering the Heavenly Gate Pattern can be understood as: when personal capability (virtue) enters a platform that is sufficiently elevated and expansive (Hai as the Heavenly Gate), structural conditions for promotion and breakthrough are established. The Literary Virtue Pattern (Virtue riding the Vermilion Bird) resembles the combination of professional competence with expressive and communicative ability—in contemporary society, precisely such a composition is the most critical success factor in examinations, promotions, and competitive selection.
The ancient financial philosophy of "one Salary matching a thousand riches" remains profoundly instructive in the modern world.
| Traditional Concept | Modern Equivalent | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Salary (禄) | Active income, fixed compensation, core skills | Stable, predictable, requiring no external seeking |
| Wealth (财) | Passive income, investment returns, external resources | Requires active pursuit, entails risk, requires personal strength |
The ancients' emphasis on Salary favoring still guarding does not negate enterprise; rather, it reminds us that the accumulation of core competency (Salary) and the pursuit of external wealth (Wealth) are two different behavioral modes. When Salary is upon the Day stem, it means your core competitive ability is already sufficient—at such times one should settle down to deep cultivation rather than frequently changing jobs or chasing trends. Conversely, if Salary falls in a void while the transmissions show Wealth, this signals decisively abandoning the old path and seeking another direction.
"Offending baleful force within harmony is arsenic in honey" is the most cautionary maxim in this entire chapter. In contemporary cooperative relationships, the projective manifestation of this pattern is extremely common: partnerships that appear harmonious on the surface (Three Harmonies and Six Harmonies) yet conceal substantive contradictions of punishment, harm, or clash. For example:
This reminds us: the evaluation of any cooperative relationship cannot stop at whether there is harmony or not—one must examine what bad elements accompany the harmony. This resonates remarkably with stakeholder analysis in modern management theory.
1. Four-Step Method for Judging Pattern Fortune:
2. "Hypothesis—Action—Review" Methodology:
3. Risk Checklist Mindset:
When encountering patterns of the offense within harmony type, it is recommended to draft the following risk checklist:
A substantial portion of this chapter examines a paradox: why may auspicious spirits prove inauspicious? The Virtue Spirit may become a ghost, the Salary may become void, the Six Harmony may turn to harm, and the Wealth Stem may bring disaster. Behind this mode of thinking lies the profoundly significant Chinese philosophical concept of "substance-function immediacy—substance and function inter-constituent" (体用相即).
The reason the Virtue Spirit can transform ghosts toward goodness is that virtue is substance while the ghost is function. When substance is sufficiently solid, function may be baleful yet cannot harm what is fundamental. Conversely, when the Virtue Spirit is intercepted and oppressed (Extinguished Virtue Pattern), substance is already compromised, and its function correspondingly transforms toward misfortune. This is tantamount to stating: fortune and misfortune are not fixed attributes but functions of relational attributes.
The reiterated emphasis on "within harmony exists rupture" and "within rupture exists harmony" reflects the traditional Chinese sensitivity toward the divergence between surface unity and substantive difference. When Three-Six Mutual Summons brings together good and evil without spitefulness prevailing, it is because the proportional power of harmony exceeds the power of evil—this is an essentially systemic view: the overall pattern (harmony) is prioritized over local factors (evil). Yet the Externally Harmonious but Inwardly Divided Pattern reminds us that general harmony cannot compensate for critical punishment, clash, control, and harm. This mode of "concrete analysis of concrete conditions" shares a startling affinity with the "principal contradiction and secondary contradiction" paradigm in Western dialectics.
"One Salary matching a thousand riches" is not a simplistic privileging of Salary over Wealth; rather, it illuminates the fundamental distinction between intrinsic values and extrinsic values. Salary represents core competency that does not depend on the external environment for its existence, while Wealth represents external resources that can only be obtained through interaction with the environment. At the philosophical level, this echoes the classical statement from Mencius: "What is sought and obtained, abandoned and lost—seeking proves beneficial to obtaining because what is sought lies within me. While what is sought according to principles but obtained by destiny—seeking does not prove beneficial to obtaining because what is sought lies outside me." Salary belongs to the category of "what lies in me," wealth to "what lies outside me."