YiMatrix · Academy Journal

Introduction to Six Yao: The Core Logic of the Use God and Auxiliary Factors

Section 1: The Use God 1. What is the Use God? In the Six Yao system, the Use God is the core of analysis and reasoning, like a thread running through the entire deduction process.

南荒December 25, 202527 min read

Section 1: The Use God

1. What is the Use God?

In the Six Yao system, the Use God is the core of analysis and reasoning, like a thread running through the entire deduction process. If Six Yao is compared to a complete system, the Use God is the key variable. All trends and information extraction revolve around the Use God. Once the Use God is chosen incorrectly, subsequent judgments will deviate. Therefore, when using Six Yao for analysis, the first step is to clarify the core of the problem— that is, to find the Yao line most closely related to the subject of study and treat it as the "Use God."

2. How to Select the Use God

In the Six Yao system, the core of selecting the Use God lies in clarifying the problem and the subject of study. Only by finding the Yao line most closely related to the problem can effective analysis be conducted. Common methods for selecting the Use God include:

Using the Self Yao as the Use God: When the problem is directly related to oneself, such as focusing on one's own situation, personal state, or plan direction, the Self Yao can be taken as the Use God.
Using the Other Yao as the Use God: When the problem involves external factors, such as neighbors, cooperation partners, competitors, or partnerships, the Other Yao is often the core for observation.
Referencing the Six Relatives to Select the Use God: In other specific situations, the meanings of the "Six Relatives" can be combined for selection:
- Parent Yao: Can represent elders or teachers, and also extends to documents, contracts, vehicles, houses, etc.
- Wealth Yao: Can represent a spouse or lover, and also symbolizes money, items, resources, employees, service relationships, etc.
- Official Ghost Yao: Often refers to position, responsibility, leadership, career development, and can also extend to external rules and constraints.
- Descendant Yao: Can symbolize children or juniors, and can also be extended to creativity, achievements, entertainment, health, blessings, etc.
- Brother Yao: Corresponds to relationships with siblings, friends, colleagues, etc., and also represents interactions and support among peers.

Through such selection methods, the Use God becomes a clear reference point, helping us extract information closely related to the problem from the hexagram.

3. Dual Appearance of the Use God

The so-called "Dual Appearance of the Use God" refers to a situation in a hexagram where, when a certain Six Relative is taken as the Use God, there are two or more instances of the same Six Relative. For example, when studying matters related to children, two Descendant Yao appear in the hexagram; or when involving matters related to parents, two Parent Yao appear. In such cases, it is necessary to select one of the two Six Relative Yao as the core Use God, while the other serves as a reference.

Common selection rules are as follows:

Priority to the Moving Yao

If one of them is moving (i.e., the moving Yao changes), then the moving Yao is prioritized as the Use God. Because the moving Yao represents the point of change in the matter, it usually carries more information.
If Both Are Moving or Both Are Static
- Choose the Yao that is in Kong (void) or Po (broken) by the month;
- If neither is in Kong or Po, choose the Yao that is in conflict or combination;
- If still indistinguishable, choose the one that is on the Self Yao or Other Yao;
- If neither is on Self or Other, choose the Six Relative closest to the Self Yao or Other Yao.
Same Earthly Branch

If the two Six Relatives have exactly the same Earthly Branch, then the judgment should be made based on the position of the Yao or the Six Spirits they are associated with.
Using Both

In special cases, such as when one Use God is "moving but void" and the other is "static but broken," both can be used as references for a comprehensive judgment from different perspectives.

In short, the key to Dual Appearance of the Use God is 'priority to moving and static, then void and broken, reference to Self and Other, and assistance from Six Spirits'—it is not a rigid rule but a flexible selection process.

Section 2: Hidden God and Flying God

In Six Yao deduction, sometimes after the hexagram is formed, the required Use God does not appear in the hexagram. This situation is called "Use God Not Appearing." In such cases, it is necessary to look for it in the original palace (i.e., the first hexagram of each palace).

The original palace contains all Six Relatives, and other hexagrams are derived from it. Therefore, if the Use God is not present in the main hexagram, the same type of Six Relative from the original palace is used as a supplement. This Use God found from the original palace is called the Hidden God (or Hidden Yao). The Yao position of the Hidden God lies exactly under the corresponding Yao of the main hexagram; that Yao is called the Flying God (or Flying Yao).

1. Relationship Between Flying God and Hidden God

The mutual generation and restraint between the Flying God and the Hidden God often determine good or bad fortune:

Flying generates Hidden → Growth, auspicious.
Hidden generates Flying → Leaking energy, inauspicious.
Hidden restrains Flying → Sudden outburst, considered auspicious.
Flying restrains Hidden → Harm to the body, most inauspicious.

2. Judgment of Good or Bad Fortune for Hidden God

Auspicious Signs:
- The Hidden God is in a flourishing state;
- Receives support from the Sun, Moon, moving Yao, or Flying Yao;
- The Sun, Moon, or moving Yao restrains the Flying God (but not if the Flying God is the Yuan God of the Hidden God);
- The Flying God is in a weak state, such as resting, being broken, void, or in a tomb.
In these cases, the Hidden God has the opportunity to "emerge," often indicating good fortune.
Inauspicious Signs:
- The Hidden God is resting and without energy;
- Is restrained by the Sun, Moon, moving Yao, or Flying God;
- Also coincides with monthly break or daily void;
- Lacks the Yuan God (the Six Relative that can generate the Use God).
In such cases, the Hidden God finds it difficult to function, often indicating misfortune.

Section 3: Advancing God and Retreating God

In a hexagram, when a moving Yao changes into a Yao with the same Five Elements as itself, it is necessary to distinguish whether it is an Advancing God or a Retreating God.

1. How to Determine Advancing God and Retreating God

Based on the natural order of the twelve Earthly Branches:

Forward direction (clockwise) is Advancing God
Backward direction (counterclockwise) is Retreating God

Specific Rules:

Transforming into Advancing God:

Hai → Zi, Yin → Mao, Si → Wu, Shen → You, Chou → Chen, Chen → Wei, Wei → Xu, Xu → Chou.
Transforming into Retreating God:

Zi → Hai, Mao → Yin, Wu → Si, You → Shen, Chen → Chou, Chou → Xu, Xu → Wei, Wei → Chen.

2. Meanings of Advancing God and Retreating God

Advancing God

Indicates forward development, like trees thriving in spring, or flowing water with a source, long and continuous.
Retreating God

Indicates gradual decline and weakening, like flowers withering in autumn.

3. Application Points

Use God, Yuan God → Favorable to transform into Advancing God

Even if temporarily weak, it is like spring buds sprouting, with increasing momentum, indicating improvement.
Ji God, Chou God → Favorable to transform into Retreating God

Even if temporarily strong, it will gradually weaken, thus relieving pressure.

4. Special Cases

The phenomenon of advance and retreat is not fixed; it must be considered in light of the nature of the matter:

For matters such as searching for lost items, missing persons, emotional conflicts, etc.:
- If the Use God transforms into Retreating God, it often indicates "return after leaving," which should be considered auspicious.
- If the Use God transforms into Advancing God, it may mean "going further away," which is unfavorable.
If the Use God is too weak:

Even if the Ji God transforms into Retreating God, it is difficult to turn auspicious. An ancient saying goes, "If the Sun and Moon generate and compare, it will not retreat when in season," meaning that support from the Sun and Moon is still needed for a turnaround.

✨ Summary

Advancing God and Retreating God are important bases for judging the direction of events in Six Yao deduction. Advancing God → development and growth, Retreating God → decline and weakening. However, they must be flexibly analyzed in combination with the overall hexagram, and not applied rigidly.

Section 4: Yuan God, Ji God, and Chou God

In a hexagram, the Use God is the most critical. The good or bad fortune of the Use God directly determines the good or bad fortune of the matter being divined. The good or bad fortune of the Use God, in turn, depends on the Sun and Moon and the generating and restraining effects of other Yao on it. Here, it is essential to understand the roles of Yuan God, Ji God, and Chou God.

1. Yuan God

👉 Definition: The Yao that can generate the Use God is called the Yuan God.

The Yuan God should be flourishing, supported by the Sun, Moon, or moving Yao, and should transform into a returning generation or an Advancing God. If it is resting, broken, void, transforming into extinction, or retreating, it will be difficult to assist the Use God. At the same time, the Use God itself needs to have a root; if the Use God is resting and rootless, even if the Yuan God is strong, it cannot generate, just like a rootless tree that cannot be propped up.

📌 Situations Where Yuan God Can Generate the Use God

The Yuan God receives comparison or support from the Sun or Moon in the Five Elements, indicating flourishing.
The Yuan God moves, and the transformed Yao generates it, such as transforming into a returning generation or an Advancing God.
The Yuan God is generated by the Sun or Moon, or receives longevity from the Sun or Moon, indicating vitality.
The Yuan God and the Ji God move simultaneously, forming a continuous generation chain.
The Yuan God is combined with the monthly branch, making the combination strong.
Although the Yuan God is void or moves and transforms into void, if it is flourishing, it can still generate.

📌 Situations Where Yuan God Cannot Generate the Use God

The Yuan God is resting and static, not moving.
The Yuan God moves but is weak and restrained by other Yao.
The Yuan God is resting and transforms into Retreating God.
The Yuan God is resting and transforms into extinction, or encounters extinction.
The Yuan God is resting and enters the tomb.
The Yuan God is broken by the month or day and is a static Yao.
The Yuan God is resting and transforms into combination, or is combined by the day or moving Yao.

2. Ji God

👉 Definition: Any Yao that restrains the Use God is called the Ji God.

The Ji God is an unfavorable factor, so it should be resting, broken, void, transforming into void, broken, extinction, or retreating. If the Ji God is flourishing, supported by the Sun, Moon, or moving Yao, and moves, it is a great misfortune. If at this time the Yuan God also moves simultaneously, it can partially alleviate the misfortune. However, the premise remains whether the Use God itself is strong.

📌 Situations Where Ji God Can Restrain the Use God

The Ji God receives generation from the Sun or Moon.
The Ji God receives comparison or support from the Sun or Moon in the Five Elements.
The Ji God moves and transforms into Advancing God.
The Ji God moves and is generated by the transformed Yao.
The Ji God and the Chou God move simultaneously.
The Sun or Moon is in the longevity position of the Ji God.

📌 Situations Where Ji God Cannot Restrain the Use God

The Ji God is resting and static.
The Ji God is simultaneously restrained by the Sun and Moon.
The Ji God is resting, broken by the month, or void.
The Ji God is resting and transforms into Retreating God.
The Ji God is resting, encounters extinction, or transforms into extinction.
The Ji God is resting and enters the tomb.
The Ji God and the Yuan God move simultaneously.

3. Chou God

👉 Definition: Any Yao that generates the Ji God and restrains the Yuan God is called the Chou God.

The Chou God, like the Ji God, is an unfavorable factor for the Use God, so it should be resting, broken, or void, and should not be flourishing or moving.

📖 Summary

Yuan God → Generates the Use God, should be flourishing and dynamically strong.
Ji God → Restrains the Use God, should be resting and weak.
Chou God → Helps the Ji God and harms the Yuan God, the quieter the better.

Their dynamics and strength determine the balance of power for the Use God in the entire hexagram, making them an important part of Six Yao judgment.

📖 Conclusion

In the Six Yao system, the Use God is the core, like the protagonist of the whole scene, with all good or bad fortune and changes revolving around it.

At the same time, there are some "supporting roles" that influence the Use God:

Yuan God: The supporting force that helps the Use God; when flourishing, the assistance is significant.
Ji God: The unfavorable factor that hinders the Use God; when strong, it becomes a misfortune.
Chou God: The force that helps the Ji God and harms the Yuan God; the weaker, the better.
Hidden God and Flying God: Supplementary information hidden in the hexagram when the Use God does not appear.
Advancing God and Retreating God: Represent the direction of development of events, whether strengthening or weakening.

These "gods" together form the logical system of Six Yao judgment. Understanding their roles is like grasping the "driving forces and resistances" of the operation of things, allowing us to better see the structure and trends.