On the Use of Deity in Harmony with Climate Gains and Losses - Volume 4 - 命理探源

原文

论用神配气候得失-卷四

论用神配气候得失

沈孝瞻曰：论命惟以月令用神为主，然亦须配气候而互参之。譬如英雄豪杰，生得其时，自然事半功倍；遭时不顺，虽有奇才，成功不易。是以印绶遇官，此谓官印双全，无人不贵。而冬木逢水，虽透官星，亦难必贵，盖金寒而水益冻，冻水不能生木，其理然也。冬木，尤为秀气，以冬木逢火，不惟可以泄身印两旺，透食则贵，凡印格皆然。而用之身，而即可以调候也。伤官见官，为祸百端，而金水见之，反为秀气。非官之不畏夫伤，而调候为急，权而用之也。伤官带煞，随时可用，而用之冬金，其秀百倍。伤官佩印，随时可用，而用之夏木，其秀百倍，火济水，水济火也。伤官用财，本为贵格，而用之冬水，即使小富，亦多不贵，冻水不能生木也。伤官用财，即为秀气，而用之夏木，贵而不甚秀，燥土不甚灵秀也。春木逢火，则为木为通明，而夏木不作此论；秋金遇水，则为金水相涵，而冬金不作此论。气有衰旺，取用不同也。春木逢火，木火通明，不利见官；而秋金遇水，金水相涵，见官无碍。假如庚生申月，而支中或子或辰，会成水局，天干透丁，以为官星，只要壬癸不透露干头，便为贵格，与食神伤官喜见官之说同论，亦调候之道也。食神虽逢正印，亦谓夺食，而夏木火盛，轻用之亦秀而贵，与木火伤官喜见水同论，亦调候之谓也。此类甚多，不能悉述，在学者引伸触类，神而明之而已。

按：比、食、财、官、印，乃五行生克变化之名词，其义备列宜忌门中。然余为人谈命，每多详言五行，而略论名词者，何也？盖木、火、土、金、水之五行，乃有形之物质，与人谈论，其理显然易晓，非比、食、财、官、印之名词。高深费解也。然欲知五行之真理，必先明调候之道，须熟玩此篇，尤须将五行宜忌门中义理，反复寻思，乃得要领。

译文

On the Use of Deity in Harmony with Climate Gains and Losses - Volume 4

Overall Paraphrased Translation

Shen Xiaozhan believed that fate analysis should center on the "deity" (用神) from the monthly ordinance, but it must be integrated with the seasonal climate for a comprehensive judgment. 🌬️ Just like heroes and outstanding figures, if born at the right time, they can achieve twice the result with half the effort; if untimely, even with talent, success is hard to come by. For example, when the seal ribbon (印绶) meets the official star (官星), it usually forms the noble pattern of "double completeness of official and seal," bringing honor to everyone. However, if winter trees (wood element) encounter water, even if the official star is revealed, it is difficult to ensure wealth and honor because the metal is cold and the water is frozen—frozen water cannot nurture wood, which is a natural principle. 🌊❄️

Winter wood, on the contrary, possesses more elegance. If it encounters fire, it not only dissipates the excess energy of both the body and the seal but also becomes even more noble if the eating god (食神) is revealed—this applies to all seal patterns. Fire can also regulate and warm the climate, aiding the growth of wood. The meeting of the hurt officer (伤官) and the official star is usually seen as a calamity, but in the metal-water pattern, it反而 becomes elegant. This is not because the official star is unafraid of the hurt officer but because climate regulation takes priority, allowing for flexible application. The hurt officer carrying the kill (煞) can be used at any time, but when applied to the winter metal pattern, its elegance is doubled; the hurt officer wearing the seal can also be used at any time, but when applied to the summer wood pattern, its elegance is more pronounced. This is akin to the balance of fire aiding water and water aiding fire. 🔥💧

Using wealth for the hurt officer is originally a noble pattern, but when applied to the winter water pattern, even minor wealth is hard to achieve, let alone great honor, because frozen water cannot nurture wood. Using wealth for the hurt officer is elegant, but when applied to the summer wood pattern, it is honorable but not very elegant, as dry soil lacks灵动 elegance. Spring wood encountering fire forms the image of "wood and fire in bright intelligence," but summer wood is not assessed this way; autumn metal encountering water is "metal and water reflecting each other," but winter metal is not assessed this way—the energy has periods of decline and prosperity, and the usage varies. Spring wood encountering fire, with wood and fire in bright intelligence, is unfavorable for meeting the official star; autumn metal encountering water, with metal and water reflecting each other, can meet the official star without hindrance. For example, if Geng metal is born in the Shen month, and the branches form a water局 with Zi or Chen, while the heavenly stem reveals Ding fire as the official star, as long as Ren and Gui water are not revealed on the stem, it is a noble pattern. This aligns with the theory that the eating god and hurt officer favor meeting the official star and is also a way of climate regulation. Although the eating god meeting the proper seal is usually seen as "seizing the eating god," when summer wood is ablaze with fire, light use can still bring elegance and honor, similar to the theory that the wood-fire hurt officer favors meeting water, which is another manifestation of climate regulation. 🌱🔥

There are many such cases, and they cannot all be listed one by one. Learners must extrapolate and understand flexibly.

Note: Comparison companions (比肩), eating god (食神), wealth star (财星), official star (官星), and seal ribbon (印绶) are terms for the changes in the five elements' generation and restriction. Their meanings have been detailed in the section on taboos and appropriateness. However, when discussing fate with people, I often elaborate on the five elements while briefly touching on these terms. Why? Because the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—are tangible substances, making the principles clear and easy to understand in discussions, unlike those terms that are profound and perplexing. To understand the truth of the five elements, one must first grasp the way of climate regulation. It is essential to study this chapter thoroughly and repeatedly ponder the principles in the section on taboos and appropriateness of the five elements to master the essentials. 📚

🧠 In-Depth Understanding

Core Concepts 💡

Climate Regulation First: In fate analysis, the seasonal climate (e.g., cold, warm, dry, damp) profoundly impacts the generation and restriction of the five elements. The deity must be adjusted to balance the climate; otherwise, even a good pattern may not thrive.
Flexible Application: There are no absolutely auspicious or inauspicious patterns. Adjustments must be made based on the specific environment (e.g., winter, summer, spring, autumn), emphasizing the philosophy of "adapting to the times."
Essence of the Five Elements: The five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) are tangible substances and form the foundation of fate analysis. They are easier to understand than abstract terms (e.g., official, seal) but require deepening through climate regulation.

Modern Interpretation 🌟

In contemporary terms, this resembles the "environmental adaptation theory": an individual's success depends not only on intrinsic abilities (deity) but also on external circumstances (climate, era background). For example, a highly talented person (like winter wood meeting the official star) may struggle to realize their potential in an unfavorable environment (economic downturn or cultural conflict). Conversely, appropriate adjustments (e.g., learning new skills or relocating) can turn disadvantages into advantages.
From a scientific perspective: The concept of climate regulation echoes "environmental adaptability" in ecology—organisms must adapt to the climate to thrive. In modern decision-making, this reminds us to assess macro factors (e.g., economic cycles, climate change) impacting personal plans.
Demystification: Fate analysis need not be viewed as destiny but as an analytical tool emphasizing data (five elements attributes) and logic (generation and restriction relationships), encouraging empirical verification—for example, reviewing the impact of climatic factors through historical cases or personal experiences.

Practical Value ⚡

Personal Development: In career planning, consider the alignment between industry trends (climate analogy) and personal strengths (deity). For instance, individuals born in winter (cold constitution) may suit warm environments or fire-related industries (e.g., technology, energy) to achieve balance through climate regulation.
Health Management: The five elements theory in traditional Chinese medicine (e.g., warming supplementation for winter cold) can integrate climate regulation ideas to adjust diet and lifestyle habits.
Decision-Making Framework: When facing challenges, use "climate regulation thinking" to analyze—identify environmental constraints (e.g., a sluggish market) and introduce complementary elements (e.g., innovative fire element) to break through.
Learning Advice: Fate analysis learners should prioritize mastering the generation and restriction of the five elements and seasonal characteristics before delving into terminology and patterns to avoid getting lost in a maze of terms.

Philosophical Reflection 🤔

Dynamic Balance View: Eastern philosophy emphasizes "harmony between heaven and human." Climate regulation embodies the cycle and balance of the universe—everything has its time; prosperity follows timing, decline follows mistiming. This resonates with modern sustainable development and systems thinking.
Wisdom of Relativity: Nothing is absolutely good or bad. For example, the hurt officer meeting the official star can become elegant under specific conditions, teaching us to avoid dualistic thinking and embrace complexity.
Humanistic Care: Fate analysis is not just about prediction but also about understanding and empathizing with the ups and downs of life, encouraging the search for climate regulation ways in adversity rather than passive acceptance.

📚 Related Knowledge

Related Concepts

Generation and Restriction of the Five Elements: Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, water generates wood; the restriction relationships are the opposite. Climate regulation is an extension of generation and restriction, focusing on environmental moderation.
Deity (用神): The key five elements in the fate chart used to balance the whole. The monthly ordinance deity refers to the dominant five elements of the birth month.
Climate Regulation: Addressing excessive cold (abundant water and metal) or heat (abundant fire and wood) in the eight characters by supplementing the five elements (e.g., using fire for cold) to optimize.
Pattern Terminology: Such as "double completeness of official and seal" (官印双全) and "hurt officer wearing the seal" (伤官佩印)—these are traditional fate analysis terms, but their foundation lies in the interaction of the five elements.

Modern Research

Contemporary fate analysis scholars like Liang Xiangrun, in Zi Ping Zhen Quan Ping Zhu, integrate climate regulation with modern psychology, emphasizing environmental adaptability.
Academic Research: Some papers combine five elements climate regulation with climate change and human behaviorology, exploring the value of traditional culture in modern science (e.g., relevant articles in the Journal of Chinese Philosophy).
Practical Communities: Online forums (e.g., Baidu Eight Characters Tieba) often discuss cases to verify the effectiveness of climate regulation principles. Readers are encouraged to participate in practical reviews.

Please translate the above content into English, maintaining the original format and structure.

原文