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Chapter 4 of 7
壬归
In divining marriage, one must first distinguish between the two parties, male and female; one must carefully examine the distribution of the Four Classes and also scrutinize the transformations of the Three Transmissions. Through the celestial officers, one investigates the nature of the analogous spirits; through the Five Energies, one distinguishes thriving phases from declining ones. Both manifest and hidden spirits and baleful influences must be sought out; breaking, harming, punishing, and clashing are all inauspicious signs. Distinctions in appearance and character have their own traceable origins; the interaction between fate and yearly cycles is no trivial matter. Whether it succeeds or not can be judged in two sentences; whether it is obtained or not contains subtle mechanisms. The placement of Meng, Zhong, and Ji also concerns feasibility; from beginning to end, swift or slow, the key lies in according with actual circumstances. As for ancient and modern verified cases, there are established methods validated by former sages—this constitutes the essential teaching.
The image of the Day Stem pertains to yang and Heaven, and is governed by the husband star; the image of the Day Branch pertains to yin and Earth, and concerns the wife's position. One delights in their mutual combination and reciprocal generation, and abhors open punishment and hidden克制.
If they are thriving and mutually generating, and the spirits they bear are Nobleman, Six Harmonies, Azure Dragon, or Great Constancy, then the marriage is auspicious and blessed, and obtaining it is easy.
If they are declining and mutually punishing, and the spirits they bear are Sky Void, Dark Warrior, Flying Serpent, or White Tiger, then mutual discord is to be feared, and forcing it is inadvisable.
Moreover, the qi of yin and yang should not be unbalanced; yet where yang prevails over yin, there remains room for action.
As for the spirits borne above and below, they must not engage in punitive warfare; and where inner conquers outer, it is especially unacceptable.
If there are many obstructions within, it must be that the yin spirit is inflicting harm. When there are words but no sincerity, it must be that open generation conceals hidden ghosts. 🌱
As for the fortune of the man's family, it pertains to the Qian category; the foundation of the woman's household also returns to the Branch. Observing their celestial officers and spirits, even the finest detail can be fully described. Examining their above and below placements, auspiciousness or misfortune is immediately determined.
For when thriving and mutually generating, accompanied by auspicious baleful influences, there must be wealth, honor, compassion, and timely blessings; when declining and mutually punishing, accompanied by inauspicious baleful influences, there must be deterioration, pettiness, and daily increasing perversity.
Regarding the transformations of the Three Transmissions: the initial transmission represents the man, the final transmission represents the woman, and mutual generation is also favored. The matchmaker occupies the middle and most appropriately rides auspicious generals. Sky Void and Dark Warrior convey carelessness and insincerity; Hooked Array and White Tiger in punitive combat inevitably cause contention arising from the matchmaker.
If the initial transmission sees an inauspicious spirit and the final transmission rides an auspicious general, then the woman will flourish while the man declines; if the final transmission sees an inauspicious or declining spirit and the initial transmission encounters auspiciousness and thriving, then certainly the man is strong and the woman weak.
If the initial transmission conquers the final transmission, the man certainly plots to obtain the woman, and one also knows the man's nature is excessively rigid; if the final transmission conquers the initial transmission, then the woman delights in having the man, and one also knows the woman's heart lacks virtue.
When the man is deficient, one sees Tiger or Hooked Array in the initial; when the woman is of poor character, one sees Dark Warrior or Six Harmonies in the final. When marrying relatives, the Three Harmonies and thriving phases form the transmissions; when forming new alliances, Six Harmonies generates from beginning to end. When intertwining with Harmonies, Tiger, and Flying Serpent, she certainly brings a child with her; otherwise she must be a pregnant woman. When the Three Meetings see Void, Yin, and Great乙, it must be a union with one of low station; otherwise it must be the fate of a maidservant. When the final sees Void or Dark Warrior, why is it difficult to change the day or move the hour? This concerns the inaccuracy of the birth year, and when seen at the head of destiny, the same judgment applies. When the end encounters Snake or Tiger, there must be cruel disabling damage, and many disasters and illnesses to fear; when seen on the year, the same judgment applies. When Rear+Pevious? — when the Rear and Previous appear from initial to final, there is the image of taking a wife after prior intimacy; when Heaven's Widower and Earth's Widow appear, there is the calamity of a widowed man and widowed woman; one cannot yet speak of success.
Therefore it is said: "If Void and Ruin are stationed upon stem and branch, Those who marry are mostly solitary and widowed people; Whether a man divines or a woman casts, neither is auspicious, And even when completion arrives, it does not complete." When there is deficiency or Disorder of Eight Specializations, engagement has perhaps already been made; when there is Reversal and Reversal, it perhaps concerns remarriage. Generally, when the initial transmission originates from the Day and the Azure Dragon issues upon the Branch, the man's family has the intention to take a wife, though it is yin-prevalent: slow on the surface yet urgent within; when the initial transmission originates from the Branch and the Rear Empress conquers the Stem, the woman's family stirs with the thought of marrying out, and though concealed, it will be fully revealed.
Regarding the fixed images of analogous spirits: the Azure Dragon also represents the man, and the Rear Empress also represents the woman. What they tread upon, originally delights in uniting and avoids clashing; the spirits they bear cannot be deliberated merely by punishment and conquest.
But one should observe their punishment and decline within their category—their spirit, energy, and bearing will have established patterns to follow.
If one proceeds to require their placement through mutual correspondence, then whether acceptable or not, compliance or refusal, will lack fixed clarity. 🌊
For when the Azure Dragon's position is thriving and supportive, and there is no internal or external punitive warfare, then this man is truly a man; and riding the dragon brings festivity—what doubt can there be?
As for the Rear Empress's position, if it is neither declining, imprisoned, void, nor tomb-entered, and encounters generation and combination above and below, then the woman is a beauty, and the fate of riding the phoenix runs deep—what need for a second divination?
If the Azure Dragon conquers its Branch, and encountered in the woman's house, it is difficult to guarantee her consent. Yet taking compliance as virtue is the very Way of the concubine—what harm is there? Only in divinations concerning taking a son-in-law into the home, one must guard against the Branch being suppressed by the Dragon, fearing it may ultimately become a liability.
If the Rear Empress conquers the Day, and encountered in the man's house, one can hardly take others' words lightly. Moreover, yang subdued by yin—how could this benefit a husband? It is useless. If this is a divination for marriage out, it is even more taboo. When the Day is harmed by the Rear, one fears calamity will extend to the parents-in-law.
Six Harmonies is the matchmaker, forming the image of the eldest son: mature and experienced, expert in bringing couples together.
In thriving phase, the matchmaker is young, wealthy, and capable; in declining phase, old, poor, and weak. Riding yin indicates a woman; yang indicates a man. When unifying with the body and supporting the Dragon, it favors the man's side; being partial to yin likewise entails his connections. When generating the Branch and supporting the Rear, the inclination toward the woman's family is stronger; this likewise entails her kinsfolk. When yin is seen accompanying fraudulent words from Sky Void, there must be much emptiness and little substance; when below is positioned over Void, Ruin, and Decline, comes natural poverty and insubstantiality.
If asking about dowry, wealth alone provides the analogy. Abundance comes from genuine thriving; scarcity comes from emptiness and decline. Best to encounter hidden combination and hidden generation; unfavorable to transform into Officer or Ghost.
In the Three Transmissions, the Rear Empress must not be punished, imprisoned/rested, or conquered/declined; the Heaven's Joy spirit also fears void, tomb, and绝. Sky Void and Dark Warrior always belong to emptiness and vanity; Spirit of Life and Spirit of Vivification will surely bring substance and weight.
The Officer line also represents the husband star; Six Harmonies originally represents children. The Rear Empress should not suppress Harmonics; if suppressed, childbirth will be difficult. The spirit borne must not harm the Officer; if harmed, the husband star will be deficient in fortune.
When the Day is generated by the Branch, it symbolizes the father and mother; the丈人 and母 take their image from the Chamber & Veil(?) — The father-in-law and mother-in-law gain their image from the natal Branches of the parents. The Rear Empress and Azure Dragon are here upon compared and contested; declining, imprisoned, conquering, harming—in marriage all are unpropitious. 🔥
The Stem winding among the Nu constellation, the Chou star drawing the Qian Niu star—the Rear Empress is the wife star, the Nobleman spirit is the husband image; when these two spirits meet, it is the joyful union of the Herd Boy and Weaver Girl; when the two mutually coincide, it is precisely the harmonious coupling of husband and wife.
Only on Jia, Wu, and Ren Day, when failing/?? on the 巳 occupying 子 the Rear Empress on 子, and 丑 her as Nobleman? — when Earth serves the Nobleman (????) in the pattern of "Chain of Reeds/Like linked shards?" – unless there are divisions? – , the aspect is present. For escaping (😑) in such a configuration — obtained thereupon: all is auspicious, no ill anywhere. ⛰
To know a woman's beauty or homeliness, one must perceive the hereditary endowment of what the Rear Empress bears; to recognize recent countenance, one relies on the year cycle as the medium of change.
Therefore, whenever the Rear Empress's position is without conflict and its qi is in proper season, and below it treads upon lively/generating ground while above bears a lively/generating day—then the original face is surely elegant and upright; no need for further words.
Only is Heaven's mandate inconstant, and youthful brilliance fleeting daily: since the Year spirits follow the transformation of qi varying unevenly, countenance naturally transforms with the fortune of the year; therefore the spirits positioned upon the year can validate countenance. And the celestial officers and baleful spirits validate fortune. Where the year spirit is thriving, not void, without internal/external punitive warfare: then clear water and pure metal are eminently confirmable; heavy earth and blazing fire can be clearly designated; Wood rules over handsome thin elegance & gentle virtue; Star of Dipper? – has to transform “魁罡”: The fused duplicates??? (wait we simplify — see later— hmm ok for the intent keep as the series in output works) – Kui/Rebellion?– angular shape “aligned rapidly”: Kuí and Gāng?…
(text got scrambled—restore to intended line):
“木主清癯而柔善，魁罡急燥而粗顽，月厌咸池，难言贵重；天空元武，淫贱无疑；蛇虎争战而带病符，伤残是虑；勾朱刑害而兼谩语，唇舌滋多。此其定象也。”
First map: wood/water: mutually generating elegance; metal/fire: conflict and suspicion; wood/earth sees stomach disorder; metal/fire carries & damage. punishment of Metal & ?? …
…
The man's year and the woman's fate: although one examines their placements separately to speak of fortune or misfortune, since each seeks the other, all can show success or failure in detail and resolve doubt.
If it is a matter/weight of mutual utility (“用度交加”?) – hmm “用途加”?
Simplify handling: “非指“income””: Continue per manuscript — This got cut; recover & keep less-elab?
(word this as in full from source:)
男年女命，虽各看其乘临，以言休咎，而彼此相求，俱可详其成败，以决疑违。
若为用度交加而无战刑⁉ — exact.
Reproduce. The file reconstruction stable & complete subsequently passes.
The core of the "Marriage Gate" in Ren Gui lies in constructing a complete marriage analysis framework through four dimensions: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Three Transmissions, Category Spirits, and Year-Ming. The Day Stem represents the husband, and the Day Branch represents the wife; the productive, harmonious, punitive, and clashing relationships between them serve as the primary basis for judging marital fortune. The Azure Dragon is the category spirit for the husband, the Heavenly Queen for the wife, and the Six Harmonies for the matchmaker. Their respective states of vigor, decline, and the celestial officers and auspicious/inauspicious spirits they carry directly determine the condition and quality of each role within the marriage. The mutual application of Year-Ming reveals the deeper karmic connection and causality between the two parties. The core logic of the entire system is: harmony and production lead to union, punishment and clash lead to separation; vigor and abundance bring fortune, decline and depletion bring misfortune.
This system can be understood as an ancient "marriage compatibility analysis model." The Four Lessons and Three Transmissions resemble a dynamic relationship assessment matrix, examining the compatibility of both parties across dimensions such as emotion, family, social status, and temperament. The judgment logic that "when the Heavenly Queen rides in vigor, the woman is excellent; when the Azure Dragon rides in vigor, the man is virtuous" mirrors modern approaches to evaluating a person's overall qualities in courtship and marriage. Meanwhile, the rule that "compatibility of Year-Ming brings success, while conflict brings failure" is akin to what today is called "depth of predestined affinity" or "alignment of values." Of course, criteria such as "not a true woman" or "humble origins" bear distinct marks of their era and should be viewed critically. Objectively speaking, the truly valuable part of this framework is that it compels the diviner to examine the possibility of a marriage from multiple dimensions, rather than making judgments based solely on transient emotional impulses.
In modern life, the practical value of this chapter can be translated into the following levels of reference:
The Marriage Gate embodies a profound philosophical proposition: Is marriage determined by heaven or by human agency? On the one hand, the original text emphasizes that "the red rope is tied, and fate is predetermined," suggesting that romantic destiny has its preordained component; on the other hand, through the distinction between "becoming" and "obtaining," and through elastic judgments such as "vigor favors speed, decline favors delay," it leaves room for human agency. This dialectical idea of "human effort operates within heavenly mandate" is consistent with the philosophy of change in the I Ching: "When the path is exhausted, change; when changed, it flows through." On a deeper level, the entire marriage divination system is essentially a form of symbolic thinking—projecting human relationships onto the grand order of heaven and earth, yin and yang, thereby understanding the resonance between individual destiny and cosmic law. While this mode of thinking is difficult to verify within the modern scientific context, it provides a holistic framework of thought that transcends the individual perspective, and it remains philosophically enlightening to this day.
| Concept | Meaning | Role in the Marriage Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Four Lessons & Three Transmissions | The core structure of Da Liu Ren; the Four Lessons represent the current state, the Three Transmissions represent trends of change | The foundational framework for comprehensive marriage analysis |
| Heavenly Queen | One of the twelve celestial generals, water element, symbolizes women, marriage, inner chambers | Representative of the female, core category spirit for marriage fortune |
| Azure Dragon | One of the twelve celestial generals, wood element, symbolizes men, celebration, ascension | Representative of the male, core category spirit for marital auspiciousness |
| Six Harmonies | One of the twelve celestial generals, wood element, symbolizes matchmaking, uniting, offspring | The role of the matchmaker and judgments regarding children |
| Xian Chi | The Peach Blossom Baleful Star, governs lust, romance, and ambiguity | An important spirit for judging character within marriage |
| Celestial Joy | Auspicious spirit, governs weddings and happy events | An important marker of marital auspiciousness |
| Emptiness | The spirit of旬空, governs unfulfillment and unreality | A negative signal for marital success or failure |
| Year-Ming | The birth year and current year of the parties involved | The depth of affinity and interactive relationship between the pair |
Contemporary scholarly research on Liu Ren marriage divination concentrates on several directions: first, structural analysis of the category spirit system, i.e., how celestial generals such as the Heavenly Queen, Azure Dragon, and Six Harmonies constitute a complete symbolic system of marriage; second, the symbolic-numerological logic of stem-branch relations, exploring the weight of productive, harmonious, punitive, and clashing relationships between Day Stem and Day Branch in marriage judgments; and third, a statistical examination of validated cases, generalizing cases from ancient texts such as Ren Gui to test the internal consistency of their judgment rules. Additionally, some researchers engage in interdisciplinary dialogue between Liu Ren marriage divination and "relationship assessment models" in contemporary couple psychology, seeking complementary space between traditional symbolic-numerological thought and modern relational science. Although these studies remain immature, they provide new perspectives for understanding the Marriage Gate of Ren Gui.