On Virtue (De)

原文

论德

德者.得也.有益於物.各隨所欲.無悔恡.故謂之爲德也.五行書云.若有一德.能禳百災.凡陰陽用事.遇德爲善.謂之福德.爲有救助.萬事皆吉.災害消亡.德有四德.三者從支干論之.一者從月氣論之.支干三種者.一曰干德.二曰支德.三曰支干合德.干德者.甲德自在.乙德在庚.丙德自在.丁德在壬.戊德自在.己德在甲.庚德自在.辛德在丙.壬德自在.癸德在戊.此十干者.甲丙戊庚壬爲陽尊.故德自處.乙丁己辛癸爲陰卑.故配德於陽.有從夫之義.所以不自爲德.揚子云.配日之道.正有五日.甲己爲木.丙辛爲火.戊癸爲土.乙庚爲金.丁壬爲水.陰陽之理.必相配偶.以則君臣夫婦之義.甲爲君.爲夫.己爲臣.爲妻.君位自在.臣位由君.故己德在甲.乙德在庚也.餘四皆然.陰從陽之道.支德者.子德在巳.丑德在午.寅德在未.卯德在申.辰德在酉.巳德在戌.午德在亥.未德在子.申德在丑.酉德在寅.戌德在卯.亥德在辰.此皆以其夫生助之所也.子以巳爲德者.子.水也.以土爲夫.巳中有生土.丑以午爲德者.丑.土也.以木爲夫.午中有死木.寅以未爲德者.寅.木也.以金爲夫.未中有冠帶金.卯以申爲德者.卯.木也.以金爲夫.申中有相金.辰以酉爲德者.辰.土也.以木爲夫.酉中有胎木.巳以戌爲德者.巳.火也.以水爲夫.戌中有冠帶水.午以亥爲德者.午.火也.以水爲夫.亥中有相水.未以子爲德者.未.土也.以木爲夫.子中有沐浴木.申以丑爲德者.申.金也.以火爲夫.丑中有養火.酉以寅爲德者.酉.金也.以火爲夫.寅中有生火.戌以卯爲德者.戌.土也.以木爲夫.卯中有王木.亥以辰爲德者.亥.水也.以土爲夫.辰中有死土.或問云.從夫之義.生者有德.能相和養.故從.死者離背.不能和從.何以死猶爲德.答曰.婦無再醮.一降適人.便稱夫氏.雖死猶從其族.豈得生而稱之.死便捨弃.故陰之從陽.生死常存.支干合德者.子德在甲.丑德在辛.寅德在丙.卯德在丁.辰德在庚.巳徳在己.午德在戊.未德在辛.申德在壬.酉德在癸.戌德在庚.亥德在乙.此皆從子爲德也.謂子能扶助其母.有孝養之性.以爲德也.凡干爲陽.支爲陰.陽體剛強自在.陰體柔順從陽.婦人有三從之禮.每無自專之義.夫死從子.故以子爲德.若有支干.各自爲德.皆從其夫.既今支干共爲德.故離其夫位.故便從子也.子德.在甲者.水爲木母故也.例皆如之.一從月氣爲德者.德不孤立.對之以刑.德爲陽以從乾.刑爲陰以從坤.亦如人之治政.刑德兩施.德有慶賜爵賞.所以配陽.刑有殺罰削奪.所以配陰.故王者日蝕則修德.月蝕則修刑.董仲舒春秋繁露云.天道之常.一陽一陰.陽者天之德.陰者天之刑.陰陽以終歲之行.以觀天之所親任.可以見德刑之用矣.然天之任陽不任陰.好德不好刑.故陽出而積於夏.任德以歲事.陰出而積於冬.錯刑以空處也.太公云.人主舉事善.則天應之以德.惡.則天應之以刑.此竝陰陽相對.德不獨治.須偶之以刑也.從乾巛二卦之氣者.十詤韦卦用事.自十一月而陽氣動.陰爻變.四月乾卦用事.自五月而陰氣動.陽爻變.故黃鐘蕤賓.陰陽之氣始也.德刑在焉.建子之月.坤初六爻變爲陽.復卦用事.陽氣動於黃泉之下.陰氣布在蒼天之上.爲德在室.而刑在野.建丑之月.坤六二爻變爲陽.臨卦用事.陽氣稍出.萬物萌芽.陰氣將降.威怒已衰.爲德在堂.而刑在街.建寅之月.坤六三爻變爲陽.泰卦用事.陽氣已達.陰氣降入.陰陽交泰.萬物抽其牙葉.爲德在庭.而刑在巷.建卯之月.坤六四爻變爲陽.大壯卦用事.陽氣上騰乎天.陰氣下入乎地.陰陽氣交.萬物成出.德刑俱會於門.建辰之月.坤六五爻變爲陽.夬卦用事.陽氣上達.陰氣衰微.爲德在巷.而刑在庭.建巳之月.坤上六爻變爲陽.純陽用事.陽氣大盛.陰氣消除.萬物悅壯.無復刑殺.爲德在街.而刑在堂.建午之月.乾初九爻變爲陰.遘卦用事.陰氣動於黃泉之下.陽氣布於蒼天之上.爲德在野.而刑在室.建未之月.乾九二爻變爲陰.遁卦用事.陰氣稍昇.陽氣將損.萬物壯極.皆以衰老.爲德在街.而刑在堂.建申之月.乾九三爻變爲陰.否卦用事.陽氣沈退.陰氣進昇.陰陽否隔.殺威方盛.爲德在巷.而刑在庭.建酉之月.乾九四爻變爲陰.觀卦用事.陽氣內入.陰氣外施.陰陽合爭.萬物變衰.爲德在門.刑復會於門.建戌之月.乾九五爻變爲陰.剝卦用事.陽氣將盡.陰氣上達.萬物枯悴.殺害盛行.爲德在庭.而刑在巷.建亥之月.乾上九爻變爲陰.純坤復位.陽氣消除.陰氣大盛.萬物收藏.未見刑犯.爲德在堂.而刑在街.此刑德二事.出入向趣.皆以用之.彌忘拙鑿.遇德則吉.逢刑則凶.故於此釋.

译文

Overall Paraphrased Translation
"Virtue" (De) means "to obtain" 🌱, referring to benefiting things, fulfilling wishes without regret, hence it is called Virtue. The Five Elements theory holds that possessing one Virtue can resolve a hundred disasters. Whenever the interaction of Yin and Yang encounters Virtue, it forms "blessed virtue" (Fude)—representing supportive power, universal auspiciousness, and the dissolution of calamities.

The system of Virtue is divided into four types, three of which are based on Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches relationships, and one on monthly energy changes:

1. Stem Virtue (Virtue of Heavenly Stems)
Jia’s Virtue is in Jia (itself), Yi’s Virtue is in Geng, Bing’s Virtue is in Bing, Ding’s Virtue is in Ren, Wu’s Virtue is in Wu, Ji’s Virtue is in Jia, Geng’s Virtue is in Geng, Xin’s Virtue is in Bing, Ren’s Virtue is in Ren, Gui’s Virtue is in Wu.
📌Rule: Yang Stems (Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, Ren) uphold self-Virtue; Yin Stems (Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, Gui) pair with Yang Stems for Virtue, reflecting the "principle of following the husband."

2. Branch Virtue (Virtue of Earthly Branches)
Zi’s Virtue is in Si, Chou’s Virtue is in Wu, Yin’s Virtue is in Wei, Mao’s Virtue is in Shen, Chen’s Virtue is in You, Si’s Virtue is in Xu, Wu’s Virtue is in Hai, Wei’s Virtue is in Zi, Shen’s Virtue is in Chou, You’s Virtue is in Yin, Xu’s Virtue is in Mao, Hai’s Virtue is in Chen.
📌Principle: Earthly Branches determine Virtue positions through Five Elements husband-wife relationships (e.g., Zi Water takes Earth as husband; Si contains Earth, so Zi’s Virtue is in Si).

3. Branch-Stem Combined Virtue (Virtue of Combined Stems and Branches)
Zi’s Virtue is in Jia, Chou’s Virtue is in Xin, Yin’s Virtue is in Bing, Mao’s Virtue is in Ding, Chen’s Virtue is in Geng, Si’s Virtue is in Ji, Wu’s Virtue is in Wu, Wei’s Virtue is in Xin, Shen’s Virtue is in Ren, You’s Virtue is in Gui, Xu’s Virtue is in Geng, Hai’s Virtue is in Yi.
📌Logic: Based on the "child assisting mother" filial relationship principle (e.g., Zi Water nourishes Wood, so Zi’s Virtue is in Jia).

4. Monthly Energy Virtue (Opposite of Punishment)
🌗Virtue is Yang (Qian trigram attribute), Punishment is Yin (Kun trigram attribute). The waxing and waning of Yin and Yang throughout the year creates an alternation of Virtue and Punishment:

November (Fu trigram): Virtue indoors, Punishment outdoors
February (Tai trigram): Virtue in the courtyard, Punishment in the alley
May (Gou trigram): Virtue outdoors, Punishment indoors
August (Guan trigram): Virtue and Punishment meet at the gate
… (Cycles according to the twelve monthly trigrams)

🧠 In-Depth Understanding

Core Concepts 💡

Yin-Yang Pairing: Virtue reflects the philosophy of Yin and Yang complementing each other—Yang emphasizes self-reliance, Yin emphasizes subordination, akin to ruler-subject or husband-wife relationships in social ethics.
Virtue-Punishment Complementarity: Virtue (reward/growth) and Punishment (punishment/contraction) alternate like day and night, jointly maintaining cosmic order.
Dynamic Balance: Changes in Virtue positions across Stems, Branches, and monthly energies reflect the cyclical nature of all things’ birth and decay.

Modern Interpretation 🌟

Decision-Making Reference: Act proactively (e.g., collaborate, invest) during "Virtue" periods; exercise caution and avoid risks during "Punishment" periods.
Management Insight: Leaders should balance incentives (Virtue) and constraints (Punishment), mimicking nature’s reward-punishment mechanisms.
Personal Cultivation: "Cultivating Virtue" can be understood as accumulating positive energy (e.g., relationships, skill enhancement) to resolve potential crises.

Practical Value ⚡

Selecting Dates/Times: Choosing dates when "Virtue" is dominant (e.g., signing contracts, opening businesses) increases the likelihood of success.
Crisis Resolution: In destiny analysis, if a Five Element is suppressed, its "Virtue position" direction or element can be used for harmony.
Psychological Implication: Virtue as an auspicious sign boosts confidence and creates positive psychological expectations.

Philosophical Reflection 🤔

The theory of Virtue and Punishment is essentially an ancient abstraction of the universe’s dualistic yet unified laws 🌌. Modern scientific parallels include:

Entropy increase (Punishment) and negative entropy (Virtue)
Prosperity and recession in economic cycles
Growth and decline in ecosystems
It reminds humanity to respect natural rhythms and pursue dynamic harmony.

📚 Related Knowledge

Associated Concepts:

Five Elements mutual generation and restraint
Na-Yin system
Gua-Qi theory (Meng Xi, Jing Fang)

Further Reading:

Huainanzi · Astronomical Training "Seven Abodes of Yin-Yang Virtue and Punishment"
Chunqiu Fanlu · Yang尊Yin卑 (Yang Esteemed, Yin Humble)
I Ching · Qian trigram commentary "Qian’s changes, each corrects its nature and destiny"

Modern Research:

Li Ling’s "A Formal Study of Chinese Occultism" analysis of the Stem-Branch system
Liu Lihong’s "Reflections on Traditional Chinese Medicine" medical application of Yin-Yang Virtue and Punishment