On the Six Evils
Original Text
因昼夜阴阳之气感而六合。因六合而生六害，因六害而忌昼夜阴阳之气。六害者，十二支凌战之辰也。
子未相害者，谓未旺土，亥子旺水，名势家相害。故子见未则为害。
丑午相害者，谓午以旺火凌丑死金，名官鬼相害。故丑见午，而午更带丑乾之真鬼则为害尤甚。
寅巳相害者，谓名恃临官擅能而进相害，若干神往来有鬼者尤甚，况刑在其中，尤不可不加减灾福言之。
卯辰相害者，谓卯以旺木凌辰死土，此以少凌长相害。故辰见卯，而卯更带辰乾真鬼则其害尤甚。
申亥相害者，谓名恃临官，竞嫉才能，争进相害。故申见亥，亥见申均为害，更纳音相克者重。
酉戌相害者，谓戌以死火害酉旺金，此嫉妒相害，故酉人见戌则凶，戌人见酉无灾；若乙酉人得戊戌，乙为真金，戊为真火，为害尤甚。
六，六亲；害，损也。犯之主六亲上有损克，故谓六害。子未直上穿心，与冲合恩未结而仇巳生，乃曰害。如子生人畏午冲，而未却去合午；丑畏未冲，而午却去合未；寅畏申冲，而巳合申；卯畏酉冲，而辰合酉；申畏寅冲，而亥合寅。酉畏卯冲，而戊合卯，所以皆为害也。
凡人带此，再见羊刃、劫煞、官府，为灾尤甚。寅巳、亥申值生旺则主神洁貌俊，好争夺，喜激作；值死绝则多谋少成，学人做事，兀兀趋进不厌。入贵格则有操守，善机权；入贱格则多诈、爱贫、鄙吝。卯辰、午丑如生旺，主好胜多怒，严毅不忍；死绝主毒害、伤惨、倾覆之事。入贵格则主大权，司刑典狱；入贱格则谋生于不义之地。子未生旺、死绝皆不利六亲骨肉。入贵格多妻妾之累，入贱格孤独无倚。戌酉如生旺，不容物，多刚戾；死绝酷狠，憎善妒能。入贵格罗怯无辜，结构入讼，颇多奸佞，入贱格残害、阴狡、性佞、不良。
凡六害入命，大率主妨害孤独，骨肉参商，财帛淡泊，女命尤忌；兼起命宫，看之落何宫，分逐宫详断，《珞禄子》云：六害之徒，命有七伤之事。歌诀曰：六害之人忌日时，老年残疾苦何依；又逢羊刃神相蚀，不中锋芒虎亦欺。可见命犯六害，大忌干支相伤，日时上最紧，身命宫次之，便是贵格，贵自贵，害自害，两不相掩。
Interpretation
Due to the interaction of the yin and yang qi between day and night, the six - directions combination occurs. From the six - directions combination, the six - harms are generated. Owing to the six - harms, there is an aversion to the yin and yang qi of day and night. The six - harms refer to the twelve earthly branches in the conflicting periods.
The conflict between the Rat (Zi) and the Goat (Wei) is due to the fact that the Wei represents prosperous Earth, while the Hai and Zi represent prosperous Water. This is called a conflict between powerful forces. Therefore, when the Rat encounters the Goat, it brings harm.
The mutual harm between Chou (the second earthly branch) and Wu (the seventh earthly branch) means that Wu, with its strong fire, overpowers Chou's dying metal, which is called the harm between the official and the ghost. Therefore, when Chou meets Wu, and if Wu also brings the true ghost from the Qian trigram related to Chou, the harm will be even more severe.
When the Tiger (Yin) and the Snake (Si) are in a harmful relationship, it means that they rely on their positions of strength and assertiveness, and thus harm each other. If there are inauspicious signs among the celestial stems and earthly branches, the situation will be even worse. Moreover, since there is also a form of punishment involved, one must definitely take into account and make adjustments when talking about the good and bad fortune.
When the Mao and Chen signs are in conflict, it means that Mao, representing prosperous wood, overpowers Chen, representing dead earth. This is a case of the younger overpowering the elder, resulting in harm. Therefore, when Chen encounters Mao, and Mao is accompanied by the true evil star related to the heavenly stem of Chen, the harm will be even more severe.
The mutual harm between Shen and Hai means that they rely on their favorable positions and are jealous of each other's talents, competing and harming each other in the process of advancement. Therefore, when Shen meets Hai and when Hai meets Shen, they both cause harm. Moreover, if their纳音 (a concept in traditional Chinese metaphysics) are in a mutually - restraining relationship, the harm is more serious.
When the Rooster and the Dog are in an inimical relationship, it means that the Dog, associated with dying fire, harms the Rooster, associated with prosperous metal. This is a kind of jealous harm. Therefore, for those born in the Year of the Rooster, encountering the Year of the Dog is inauspicious, while for those born in the Year of the Dog, encountering the Year of the Rooster brings no disasters. If a person born in the year of the Yi You (a combination related to the Rooster) meets the Wu Xu (a combination related to the Dog), since Yi represents true metal and Wu represents true fire, the harm is even more severe.
"Six" refers to the six relatives; "harm" means damage. When one violates this, it indicates damage and restraint among the six relatives, so it is called "six harms". For example, between the Rat (Zi) and the Goat (Wei), there is a kind of "piercing through the heart" relationship. It's like in the relationships of conflict and combination, before the kindness is established, enmity has already arisen, and this is called "harm". For instance, a person born in the Year of the Rat fears the conflict with the Horse (Wu), but the Goat combines with the Horse; a person born in the Year of the Ox (Chou) fears the conflict with the Goat, but the Horse combines with the Goat; a person born in the Year of the Tiger (Yin) fears the conflict with the Monkey (Shen), but the Snake (Si) combines with the Monkey; a person born in the Year of the Rabbit (Mao) fears the conflict with the Rooster (You), but the Dragon (Chen) combines with the Rooster; a person born in the Year of the Monkey fears the conflict with the Tiger, but the Pig (Hai) combines with the Tiger; a person born in the Year of the Rooster fears the conflict with the Rabbit, but the Dog (Xu) combines with the Rabbit. That's why they are all considered as "harms".
If an ordinary person has this (referring to a certain astrological or fortune - related condition), when encountering Yangren (a term in Chinese fortune - telling), Jiesha (another fortune - telling term), and the so - called "government officials" (in the context of fortune - telling), the disasters will be even more severe. For those with the combinations of Yin and Si, or Hai and Shen, if they are in the prosperous state of life, they will have a pure spirit and a handsome appearance. They are fond of competing and like to take exciting actions; if they are in the dead and declining state, they are full of plans but seldom achieve success. They imitate others in doing things and keep moving forward tirelessly. If they fall into the noble category, they will have integrity and be good at using strategies; if they fall into the humble category, they are often deceitful, greedy for money, and stingy. For those with the combinations of Mao and Chen, or Wu and Chou, when they are in the prosperous state, they are prone to being competitive and easily angered, and are strict and unyielding; when they are in the dead and declining state, they are involved in poisonous, cruel, and subversive affairs. If they fall into the noble category, they will hold great power and be in charge of criminal law and prisons; if they fall into the humble category, they will seek a living through unjust means. For those with the combination of Zi and Wei, whether they are in the prosperous or dead - declining state, it is unfavorable to their relatives. If they fall into the noble category, they will be troubled by multiple wives; if they fall into the humble category, they will be lonely and have no support. For those with the combination of Xu and You, when they are in the prosperous state, they are intolerant and very stubborn; when they are in the dead and declining state, they are extremely cruel and jealous of the good and the capable. If they fall into the noble category, they will wrongly frame the innocent, get involved in lawsuits, and are quite treacherous; if they fall into the humble category, they are harmful, insidious, sly, and of bad character.
Generally, when the six harms enter one's birth chart, it mostly indicates obstacles, solitude, estrangement among family members, and meager wealth. This is especially inauspicious for women. In addition, when considering the birth palace, one should see which palace it falls into and make detailed judgments for each palace. As the "Luoluzipu" says, those with the six harms in their birth charts will encounter seven kinds of misfortunes. The verse goes: "Those with the six harms should beware of the day and hour of their birth; in old age, they will be disabled and have no one to rely on. If they also have the Yangren star eroding their chart, they will be attacked even without facing a real danger." It can be seen that if one's birth chart is affected by the six harms, it is of great importance to avoid the stems and branches harming each other. This is most crucial in the day and hour columns, followed by the life and body palaces. Even if it is an auspicious chart, the auspiciousness and the harm exist independently and do not cover each other.