On the Good Fortune of the Ten Heavenly Stems
Original Text
禄，爵禄也，当得势而享，乃谓之禄。自始分十干、十二支时，便以甲乙配同寅卯、居东；丙丁配同巳午，居南；庚辛配同申酉，居酉；壬癸配同亥子，居北。十干就支神为禄，谓禄随旺行，所以甲禄寅，乙禄卯，庚禄申，辛禄酉，壬禄亥，癸禄子，丙禄已，丁禄午，戊寄已，已寄午，谓已午乃火旺之乡，子随母得禄之义。内有辰戍丑未，辰戌为魁罡，名曰边鄙恶地，禄元不寄；丑未乃天乙贵人出入之门，禄元避之，所以四宫无禄。又曰四季有杂气，为禄不专，故不取。
甲禄寅。如甲见丙寅，甲土克丙水为财，为福星禄；戊寅火土相生，为伏马禄，俱吉。庚寅谓之破禄，半吉半凶。壬寅谓之正禄，带截路空亡，必为僧道。甲寅谓之长生禄，大吉。
乙禄卯。见乙卯谓之喜神旺禄，主吉。丁卯为截路空亡，主凶。己卯，进神禄；辛卯，破禄，又为交神，半吉半凶。癸卯带太乙，死禄，虽贵终贫。
丙禄巳。见己巳，九天库禄，主吉。辛巳，截路空亡。癸巳，伏贵神禄，半吉半凶。乙巳，旺马禄。丁巳，库禄，俱吉。
丁禄午。见庚午，截路空亡，凶。壬午为德合禄，甲午为进神禄，俱凶。丙午为喜神禄，交羊刃，半吉。戊午，伏羊刃禄，多凶。
戊禄巳。见己巳，九天库禄，壬吉。，截路空亡。癸巳，贵神禄，戊癸化合，有官位重。乙巳，驿马同乡禄。丁巳，旺库禄，俱吉。
己禄午。见庚午，截路空亡。壬午，死鬼禄，俱凶。甲午，进神合禄，显达之象。丙午，喜神禄。戊午，伏神羊刃禄，凶。
庚禄申。见壬申，为大败禄。截路空亡禄，俱凶。丙申，大败禄，多成败。戊申，伏马禄，多滞，若值福星，贵吉。庚申，长生禄，大吉。
辛禄酉，见癸酉，伏神禄，水火相犯，凶。乙酉，破禄，成败。丁酉，空亡贵神禄，丁木受气，辛水沐浴，主奸淫事；值喜神，吉。己酉，进神禄。辛酉，正禄，俱吉。
壬禄亥，见丁亥，贵神合禄。乙亥，天德禄。己亥，旺禄；辛亥，同马乡禄，俱大吉。独癸亥，大败禄，贫薄。
癸禄子，见甲子，进神禄，主登科进达。丙子，交羊刃禄，带福星，贵有权。戊子，伏羊刃合贵禄，半吉。庚子，印禄，吉。壬子，正羊刃禄，凶。
有生成禄，甲乙人得甲寅、乙卯之类。
有名位禄，甲人见丙寅之类。
有真禄，甲人见丙或己，乙人见己或午之类，皆为贵格。
有进退真禄，戊辰见丁巳、戊午见丁巳，丙辰见癸巳、丙午见癸巳，癸亥见甲子、癸丑见甲子，壬戌见癸亥、壬子见癸亥，进则平易，退则艰难，更带福神，可作贵命，怕重见。
有禄值会合，甲禄寅而得庚戌之类。
有食神带禄，壬食甲而得甲寅，癸食乙而得乙卯，戊食庚而得庚申，己食辛而得辛酉，主吉。
有食神合禄，甲食丙得丙申、丙寅，乙食丁得丁未、丁卯，庚食壬得壬辰、壬子，辛食癸得癸巳、癸丑八位，俱主吉。
有禄头财，为缛煞，甲人见戊寅，乙人见乙卯之类，主人富有声望。
有禄头鬼，为赤口煞，甲人见庚寅，乙人见辛卯之类，主口舌刑责。
有旬中禄，甲申见庚寅、戊午见丁巳之类，主清华要职。
有天禄贵神，如丁人禄在午，遁至午上得丙字，而丙贵在酉亥，得辛酉、辛亥则辛贵，复见于午之类，入格极品。
有干支合禄，如甲禄寅，得甲寅，己亥，乙禄卯，得乙卯、庚戌之类，主官职崇重。
有互换贵禄，庚寅见甲申日时之类。
有朝元禄，如寅人见甲日时之类，或朝于胎中，尤贵。
有朝元夹合，如癸巳见戊辰、戊午，两戊与癸合夹巳，戊禄巳之类，主封爵。
有禄入禄堂，《理愚歌》云：「禄入禄堂须大拜」，李虚中以甲人得甲戌，以甲为岁干，则甲之本位遁至戌，谓之禄堂。辛壬有二位，辛有辛卯、辛丑，壬有壬寅、壬子，五行无克，诸位相助，发福必大。
古人云：禄前二辰为背，禄后二辰为向。沈芝取建、向、近、合四字为贵，建不如向，近不如合，四字中得两字者，为贵。如甲禄寅，以寅为建，丑为向，卯为近，亥为合，馀准此。馀皆一位忌三合六合上见刑见鬼，以甲戌言，鬼在丑上，则可畏，以丑刑戌；在未则不忌，以戌刑未。以乙酉言，鬼在巳上为害，以三合相会在辰则减福，以六合相亲。
夫建禄者，主人肌厚气实，体格不清，一生安逸足财，利生旺；自然死绝则气浊神慢，孳孳为生，吝啬猥鄙。与元辰并，因樗蒲得财，复因此败。与官符并，因官门得财，或多争讼。与劫煞并，好贱技小商，不义横财。与天中并，多遗失破财。与禄鬼倒食并，多因赊贷牙侩得财，至死不通，惟财是念之人。
又曰：库者，禄之聚，如甲乙在未，丙丁在戌，戊己壬癸在辰，庚辛在丑。如甲乙亥多而得未，乃禄厚丰足之人。合者，禄之横，如甲禄寅而得亥，谓之明合；无寅得亥，谓之暗合，虽非见禄，亦曰见禄，多主傥来之福。拱者，禄之尊，如甲禄居寅，不见寅而见丑，卯在两傍，谓之虚拱；如申人见寅又见丑，卯在两傍拱之，谓之实拱，然拱实不若拱虚，主大富贵。
凡人命带禄，或吉或凶，或贵或贱，未可全靠便为吉论。《天乙妙旨》云：「君不见，禄马贵人无准托，考究五行之恶，天元羸弱未为灾，地气坚牢足欢乐。」《源髓歌》云：「禄马更有多般说，自衰自死兼败绝，若无吉煞加助时，定知破祖多浮劣。」可见先论五行，后看禄马，五行要生旺，禄马怕衰绝。司马季主云：禄多马少，使主神劳；禄少马多，能操善负。
Interpretation
"Lu" refers to official emoluments and titles. It is what one enjoys when in power and is called "lu". Since the division of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches, Jia and Yi are paired with Yin and Mao and are located in the east; Bing and Ding are paired with Si and Wu and are located in the south; Geng and Xin are paired with Shen and You and are located in the west; Ren and Gui are paired with Hai and Zi and are located in the north. The Ten Heavenly Stems take the Earthly Branches as their "lu", which means that "lu" follows the prosperous course. Therefore, the "lu" of Jia is Yin, the "lu" of Yi is Mao, the "lu" of Geng is Shen, the "lu" of Xin is You, the "lu" of Ren is Hai, the "lu" of Gui is Zi, the "lu" of Bing is Si, the "lu" of Ding is Wu. Wu is attached to Si, and Ji is attached to Wu, which means that Si and Wu are the places where the fire element is prosperous, following the principle that the child gets "lu" along with the mother. Among them, there are Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei. Chen and Xu are Kui Gang, known as desolate and evil places, so the "lu" element is not attached to them; Chou and Wei are the gates through which Tian Yi Noblemen enter and exit, so the "lu" element avoids them. Therefore, there is no "lu" in these four palaces. It is also said that the four seasons have mixed qi, and the "lu" is not pure, so they are not taken.
For the Jia Earthly Branch, its lucky position is Yin. For example, when Jia meets Bing Yin, Jia (Earth) restrains Bing (Water), and Water represents wealth, so this is called the Lucky Star's Lucky Position; Wu Yin involves the mutual generation of Fire and Earth, and it is called the Hidden Horse's Lucky Position, both of which are auspicious. Geng Yin is called the Broken Lucky Position, being half - auspicious and half - inauspicious. Ren Yin is called the Proper Lucky Position, but it is accompanied by the Obstacle - blocking Void Omission, so the person will surely become a monk or a Taoist priest. Jia Yin is called the Lucky Position of Longevity, which is extremely auspicious.
When the heavenly stem is Yi and the earthly branch is Mao. When it comes to Yi Mao, it is regarded as the favorable God being prosperous and the lucky star being in its proper place, indicating good fortune. Ding Mao is the so - called "Intercepting Road and Empty Doom", indicating bad luck. Ji Mao represents the advancing lucky star in its proper place; Xin Mao means the damaged lucky star, and it is also a kind of intersecting star, with both good and bad aspects. Gui Mao is accompanied by Tai Yi, representing a dead lucky star. Although one may have a noble status, one will end up in poverty.
For Bing (the third of the Ten Heavenly Stems), its good fortune is associated with Si (the sixth of the Twelve Earthly Branches). When it meets Ji Si, it represents the heavenly treasury of good fortune, indicating good luck. Xin Si is the so - called "intercepted path and empty fortune", which is inauspicious. Gui Si is the latent noble - related good fortune, with both good and bad aspects. Yi Si is the prosperous horse - related good fortune. Ding Si is the treasury good fortune, and both of them indicate good luck.
Ding Lu Wu. When it meets Geng Wu, it is the "Intercepting Road and Empty Doom", which is inauspicious. Ren Wu is the "Lucky Combination and Salary", and Jia Wu is the "Advancing Spirit Salary", both of which are inauspicious. Bing Wu is the "Happy God Salary", and it coincides with the "Yang Blade", being half auspicious. Wu Wu is the "Hidden Yang Blade Salary", mostly inauspicious.
The earthly branch corresponding to the heavenly stem Wu for its "lu" (a concept in traditional Chinese fortune - telling related to good fortune and resources) is Si. When seeing Ji Si, it is the "Nine - Heaven Treasury Lu", and it is auspicious for Ren. However, it is also the "Intercepting Road Empty Loss". For Gui Si, it is the "Noble God Lu". Since Wu and Gui combine to form a chemical relationship, it indicates high official positions. For Yi Si, it is the "Post - Horse and Hometown Lu". For Ding Si, it is the "Prosperous Treasury Lu", and all of them are auspicious.
If one's personal lucky element corresponds to the "wu" of "ji lu wu" (a term in Chinese divination). When encountering "geng wu", it represents "jie lu kong wang" (a kind of inauspicious sign meaning blocked path and empty fortune). "Ren wu" means "dead ghost's lucky element", and both are inauspicious. "Jia wu" indicates "advancing god combined with lucky element", showing the sign of prominence and success. "Bing wu" is the "lucky god's lucky element". "Wu wu" is the "hidden god's lucky element with the 'yang ren' (a concept related to fierce energy), and it is inauspicious.
Genglu Shen. When it meets Renshen, it is a great defeat of the salary. It is an intercepted path and an empty and deceased salary, both being inauspicious. Bing Shen represents a great defeat of the salary, with many successes and failures. Wu Shen is a hidden horse salary, often with many obstacles. If it meets a lucky star, it is noble and auspicious. Geng Shen is a long - life salary, extremely auspicious.
When Xin meets You in the stem - branch combination and sees Gui and You, it is the hidden lucky position of the stem. However, with the conflict between water and fire, it is inauspicious. For Yi and You, it breaks the lucky position of the stem, indicating both success and failure. For Ding and You, it is an empty - lucky - position of the stem. Ding represents wood and is in a state of receiving qi, while Xin represents water and is in the state of bathing. This often indicates adultery. If it coincides with the auspicious star, it is auspicious. For Ji and You, it is an advancing lucky position of the stem. For Xin and You, it is the proper lucky position of the stem, and both are auspicious.
When the Heavenly Stem Ren corresponds to the Earthly Branch Hai, if there is Dinghai, it means the noble god combines with the good fortune of salary. For Yihai, it represents the good fortune of salary related to the Heavenly Virtue. For Jihai, it is the prosperous fortune of salary; for Xinhai, it is the fortune of salary in the same place as the Horse, all of which are extremely auspicious. Only for Guihai, it is a great - failed fortune of salary, indicating poverty and meagerness.
When the Heavenly Stem Gui meets the Earthly Branch Zi, it is called "Jinshenlu". It indicates that one will pass the imperial examinations and achieve high status. When it is Bingzi, it is "Jiaoyangrenlu", accompanied by the auspicious star, and the person will be noble and have power. When it is Wuzhi, it is "Fuyangrenheguilu", with half - good fortune. When it is Gengzi, it is "Yinlu", which is auspicious. When it is Renzi, it is "Zhengyangrenlu", which is inauspicious.
There is the generation of good fortune. For those with the Heavenly Stems of Jia and Yi, it is like getting the combinations of Jia Yin and Yi Mao.
There are fame, status, and emoluments. For example, for a person of the Jia category, seeing Bingyin and so on.
There are true official emoluments. For example, when a person of the Jia (甲) sign meets someone of the Bing (丙) or Ji (己) signs, or when a person of the Yi (乙) sign meets someone of the Ji (己) or Wu (午) signs, etc., all these are considered noble configurations.
There are advancing and retreating true official emoluments. In the Bingshen year, one can see Dingsi; in the Wuwu year, one can see Dingsi; in the Bingchen year, one can see Guisi; in the Bingwu year, one can see Guisi; in the Guihai year, one can see Jiazǐ; in the Guichou year, one can see Jiazǐ; in the Renxu year, one can see Guihai; in the Renzi year, one can see Guihai. Advancing is smooth, while retreating is difficult. If there are also auspicious deities, it can indicate an honorable fate, but it is feared to see them repeatedly.
When there is a combination in the context of official emolument (a concept in traditional Chinese divination), for example, the official emolument of Jia is in Yin, but it gets a combination like Gengxu.
If there is the combination of the God of Food and the Lucky Star, such as when Ren (Water) takes Jia (Wood) as its God of Food and gets the combination of Jia Yin (Wood Tiger), Gui (Water) takes Yi (Wood) as its God of Food and gets the combination of Yi Mao (Wood Rabbit), Wu (Earth) takes Geng (Metal) as its God of Food and gets the combination of Geng Shen (Metal Monkey), Ji (Earth) takes Xin (Metal) as its God of Food and gets the combination of Xin You (Metal Rooster), it indicates good fortune.
When the God of Food combines with the Lucky Star, for Jia (the first of the Ten Heavenly Stems), its God of Food is Bing. There are Bing Shen and Bing Yin combinations. For Yi, its God of Food is Ding, with Ding Wei and Ding Mao combinations. For Geng, its God of Food is Ren, having Ren Chen and Ren Zi combinations. For Xin, its God of Food is Gui, including Gui Si and Gui Chou combinations. All these eight combinations are considered auspicious.
There is the so - called "Lu Tou Cai" (a kind of fortune in traditional Chinese divination), which is regarded as an inauspicious omen. For example, for those with the Heavenly Stem "Jia", seeing "Wuyin" in the Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny), and for those with the Heavenly Stem "Yi", seeing "Yimao". It is believed that this indicates the person will be wealthy and well - known.
There is a ghost named "Lu Tou Gui" which is regarded as the "Red - Mouth Omen". For example, for a person with the Heavenly Stem "Jia", the combination of "Geng Yin" is an inauspicious sign; for a person with the Heavenly Stem "Yi", the combination of "Xin Mao" is so. It is believed to bring about disputes and legal punishments.
Those with the monthly salary (a concept in traditional Chinese fortune - telling) within ten days, such as in the case of Jiashen seeing Gengyin and Wuwu seeing Dingsi, etc., are predicted to hold high - profile and important positions.
There is the Tianlu Noble God. For example, for those born in the year of Ding, their lucky position is at Wu. When tracing to Wu and getting the character Bing, and Bing's noble positions are at You and Hai. If one gets Xinyou or Xinhai, then Xin is the noble one, and it reappears at Wu and so on. If it meets the criteria, it is of the highest grade.
There is a combination of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches with the Lucky Position. For example, the lucky position of Jia is Yin. If one gets the combination of Jia and Yin (Jia Yin) and Ji and Hai (Ji Hai). The lucky position of Yi is Mao. If one gets the combination of Yi and Mao (Yi Mao) and Geng and Xu (Geng Xu), etc., it indicates that the person will hold a high - ranking official position.
There are cases of exchanging noble positions and emoluments, such as when the day and hour are Jia Shen in the Geng Yin year and so on.
There are situations where there is a "yuanlu" (a certain astrological concept), such as when a person born in the Year of the Tiger (yin) encounters the day and hour of the Jia element, etc. Sometimes, this "yuanlu" appears in the "fetal state", which is even more auspicious.
In some cases, there is the phenomenon of "yuan clamping and combining". For example, in the combination like seeing Wuchen and Wuwu in the year of Guisi, the two Wu characters combine with Gui and clamp Si. It is similar to the situation where Wu's prosperous position is Si. This kind of combination indicates that one will be conferred a title.
When one's salary (or good fortune represented by the concept of "lu") enters the "lu hall", as the "Song for the Unenlightened" says, "When one's lu enters the lu hall, great honors await." Li Xuzhong believed that for a person born under the Heavenly Stem of Jia, getting the combination of Jia and Xu is significant. Taking Jia as the Heavenly Stem of the year, when calculating according to the system, Jia's corresponding position reaches Xu, which is called the "lu hall". For Xin and Ren, there are two such positions. For Xin, there are Xin Mao and Xin Chou; for Ren, there are Ren Yin and Ren Zi. If there is no mutual restraint among the Five Elements and all the elements support each other, the blessings will surely be great.
The ancients said: The second celestial stem before the one corresponding to the official salary is the "back", and the second one after it is the "front". Shen Zhi selected the four characters of "establishment", "front", "proximity", and "harmony" as being auspicious. "Establishment" is not as good as "front", and "proximity" is not as good as "harmony". Those who get two of these four characters are considered auspicious. For example, the official salary of Jia is in Yin. Take Yin as the "establishment", Chou as the "front", Mao as the "proximity", and Hai as the "harmony". The rest can be deduced accordingly. In other cases, there is a taboo against encountering punishment or evil spirits in the positions of the three - combinations and six - combinations. Taking Jiaxu as an example, the evil spirit is in Chou, which is terrifying because Chou punishes Xu; in Wei, it is not a concern because Xu punishes Wei. Taking Yiyou as an example, the evil spirit in Si is harmful. When there is a three - combination meeting in Chen, it reduces the fortune because of the six - combination relationship.
Those with the "Jianlu" (a concept in traditional Chinese fortune - telling) are usually physically strong and full of energy, but not of a refined appearance. They will live a comfortable life with sufficient wealth throughout their lives, and it is beneficial for them to be in a prosperous state. If they are in a state of decline or death (in the context of fortune - telling), they will have a muddled spirit and be slow - witted. They will work hard for a living and be stingy and vulgar. If "Jianlu" is combined with "Yuanchen" (another fortune - telling concept), one can gain wealth through gambling, but will also lose it because of the same reason. When combined with "Guanfu", one can obtain wealth through official channels, but there may also be many lawsuits. When combined with "Jiesha", one is inclined to engage in low - level skills and small businesses, and gain ill - gotten wealth. When combined with "Tianzhong", one often loses things and suffers financial losses. When combined with "Lugui" and "Daoshi", one usually gets wealth through credit transactions and brokerage. They are people who are only obsessed with money and remain so until death.
It is also said that: The storage represents the gathering of emoluments. For example, for the Heavenly Stems of Jia and Yi, their storage is in the Earthly Branch of Wei; for Bing and Ding, it is in Xu; for Wu, Ji, Ren, and Gui, it is in Chen; for Geng and Xin, it is in Chou. If a person with Jia or Yi in their Bazi has many Hai and also gets Wei, they are people with rich and abundant emoluments. The combination represents the unexpected emoluments. For example, the emolument of Jia is in Yin, and getting Hai is called an obvious combination; without Yin but getting Hai is called a hidden combination. Although the emolument is not directly seen, it is also regarded as seeing the emolument, and it mostly indicates unexpected blessings. The arching represents the noble emoluments. For example, the emolument of Jia is in Yin. Without seeing Yin but seeing Chou and Mao on both sides is called virtual arching; if a person with Shen in their Bazi sees Yin and also has Chou and Mao on both sides arching it, it is called real arching. However, real arching is not as good as virtual arching, and it usually indicates great wealth and honor.
For ordinary people, having the "Lu" (auspicious star related to official salary in traditional Chinese astrology) in their horoscopes may bring either good or bad fortune, and they may be either noble or humble. We cannot simply assume it is all good. "Tianyi Miaozhi" says, "Don't you see that the 'Lu', 'Ma' (auspicious star related to mobility), and noble stars are not reliable. We should examine the evils of the Five Elements. If the Heavenly Stem is weak, it may not necessarily be a disaster. If the Earthly Branch is strong, one can be happy." "Yuan Sui Ge" says, "There are various theories about 'Lu' and 'Ma'. They may be in the states of self - decline, self - death, and defeat and extinction. If there are no auspicious stars to assist, one will surely break the family fortune and be of a bad character." It can be seen that we should first consider the Five Elements and then look at the "Lu" and "Ma". The Five Elements should be in a prosperous state, while the "Lu" and "Ma" should avoid the states of decline and extinction. Sima Jizhu said that if there are more "Lu" than "Ma", the person will be over - worked; if there are more "Ma" than "Lu", the person can handle affairs well and bear responsibilities.