On the Six Relatives
Original Text
或问：阴阳何所配合为夫妇而成六亲？答云：如甲以乙为妹，配以庚金为妻；丙以丁为妹，配以壬水为妻；戊以己配甲；庚以辛配丙；壬以癸配戊，一阴一阳配成夫妇，有夫妇然后有父子，有父子然后有兄弟。六亲者，父母兄弟妻子也。六甲娶己为妻，甲己合而生庚辛为子。男取克乾为子，女取乾生为息，则己者庚辛之母，庚为父，乙为母，故谓阴乾生我为母，我克阳乾者为父，克我者为官为子，我克者为财为妻，比和者为兄弟姊妹，生我妻阴乾为文母，妻克阳乾为丈人，克我女者为女婿，食神为孙，其馀六亲俱于十干变化取用。
且如六甲生人，以癸水为母，癸为正印，如遇己土正财；戊土为父戊合癸也，戊是偏财，如遇比劫，则父有伤。六乙生人亦以癸为母，癸是偏印；以戊为父，戊是正财。甲乙俱以庚辛为子，庚金为男，在甲则为七煞，在乙则为正官也；辛金为女，在乙则为七煞，在甲则为正官也。己土为妻，戊土为妾，谓乙木克己土也。虽云阴见阴不成配合，然阴木克不得阳土，且妇人以阴为正也，故云甲乙俱以己为妻，戊为妾。如女人则甲遇庚七煞，乙遇庚正官，皆夫星也。谓庚是阳男为正夫，属阳不可以辛阴为夫也，但阳见阳多无情，阴见阳则夫妇和鸣。
或云：取正财为妻，偏财为妾；女甲则辛为正夫，取阴阳之正合也。甲乙生人俱以甲为兄姊，乙为弟妹，以丁为婆，生我父者为祖母，丁生戊也。壬水为公，壬与丁合也。又以丁火为丈母，生我妻者为我外母，丁生己配与甲作正妻也。壬为丈人，壬与丁合也。
妻之兄弟为妻舅。己土为妻，戊土为妻兄妻舅。癸水则是舅之妻为妗也。其馀八乾俱以类推。女人取用与男不同，我生者为子，克我者为夫，生我夫者为姑，克我姑者为公，其馀父母兄弟皆与男同断，但须辨其阴阳耳，如甲乙干则以丙为男，丁为女，庚为夫，辛为夫之兄弟，己为姑，甲为公也。
经云：以年为祖业，月为父母兄弟门户，日为妻妾己身，时为子息。须看四柱之中父母兄弟妻子星具何地？论旺相休囚而言其吉凶。如父母星坐长生旺库禄马贵人之地，则主父母富贵福寿荣耀；如坐空刑克煞死亡衰败交并之地，则主父母贫薄破伤刑夭，或死于外及不善终；若带刑带破害，虽居于生旺库之地，主父母有寿而贫贱。兄弟星若生得时得令，坐长生库旺禄马贵人之地，则主兄富贵荣华成群；如坐刑克煞刃死绝衰败之地，兄弟不得力；如坐长生旺库而遇刑冲破害者，虽有兄弟而仇敌及不得力。如妻妾星坐生旺库禄马贵人之地，或有物以生之，主妻妾富贵荣华，美貌多才；如坐空刑克煞羊刃死绝冲败之地，则主妻妾贫薄丑貌刑夭淫乱、残疾或产亡不得力；如坐生旺禄马之地，被刑冲克煞，妻虽有寿亦主破相贫薄。
如子息星坐生旺禄马贵人官印之地，有物以相生，主子息荣华聪明，多得送老；如坐禄马贵人居于死绝之地，虽有聪明俊秀，不送老也。如居生旺之地被刑冲破害，有子主愚顽或残疾送老；如居死绝又刑冲破害劫财之地，不得子之力，纵有子主残疾破相或不才。女命如子居生旺之地，主多子；如坐禄马贵人，主子富贵福寿；如坐空刑克煞并冲羊刃死绝之地，主子不得力。或问：甲乙日主以戊癸为父母，四柱干支并无癸水，只戊壬人二字显于干头，或藏于地支，则论何者为父母？
答曰：本经所谓明乾有时明乾取，明乾无时暗中求是也。如柱无癸字只有戊字是甲乙之父，将父求其母，如无母只将壬为母，亦须论戊为父。其戊壬不得系婚配，非儿女嫁娶，必是服内成亲，或母多父岁，或失婚而再配也。或又问甲日主月支年支是乙木，时支是甲木，乙先甲后，何为兄？何为弟？答曰：不论先后，只以强为兄，弱为弟。夫人之生也，上父母，下妻子，中兄弟，其联属离合，命之为也。言命不及六亲，自是偏见。
赋云：年逢刃煞，幼年早丧爹娘；时遇刃伤，未年却损儿女。冲者无兄弟，刑者损六亲。岁月官财印全，三代祖先富贵；日时煞刃逢枭，半路妻儿亏损。男命伤官多损子，女命伤官多克夫；伤官见财而有子，七煞有制乃多儿。财重刑伤父母，鬼旺后代迂荣；劫财重重父早丧，破印太重母先亡。岁月财官旺相，公父显荣；日时禄马相生，妻儿贤俊。印伏藏而财秉令，庶出奸生；正财旺而身失时，母年早丧。偏官偏印偏财叠逢，必然偏庶；正官正印正财独遇的，是正宗男。月中劫背绝财官，父终外土；岁月背逐更冲害，公葬他乡。日逢刃，时逢枭，妻妾产亡；岁值煞，月值伤，兄弟难有。月令伤官多夺长，时行神煞兄弟无。男命劫叠外家希，女命煞重亲骨绝。印旺妨儿女，财重妒公姑。岁月叠煞有刑害，公姑遭伤；日时背逐无救助，妻子离克。正财偏财复见合，虽多妻妾主滥淫；偏官正官更冲害，任有丈夫而偷奸。旺夫伤子，乃食神而受伤；旺子伤夫，察官星而丧绝。女命印旺官轻，夫权在手；男命财多身弱，妻语惬心。日下伤官持刃，夫必恶亡；月中带印刑冲，母家零落。刃健煞刚，祖墓微薄；官强财旺，后代昌荣，日逢背禄逐马，多破祖离乡之客；时遇财旺生官，有兴家助国之男。
煞刃月逢，有父无母。偏官叠见，多生女子少生男；偏财复逢，少爱正妻多爱妾。财源得地，因妻致富成家，其妻抑且有为；官位临垣，显己增崇祖业，而男亦须兴旺，月官印，年伤官，父优祖劣；日财位，时劫财，父兴子败。比劫重婚必迟，官星生儿必早。男逢伤官阳刃，逢官煞，不可断其无嗣；女命伤官枭印，行财官，亦堪决其有子女。人食重遇，官轻夫衰子旺。男命煞旺逢比劫，兄有弟无；太过不及，兄弟俱无。库位中和同气，主有煞生旺官败绝，女子盛而男子衰。财官旺身，主休夫家兴而祖家失。女比劫太多，夫有绝妻之义；男子财胜劫重，妻怀私欲之心。年月印绶相生，受现成之基业；日时伤官伤尽，发不义之横财。年上官星，父祖为官；月上官星，兄弟必贵。男逢比劫定伤妻，女入印枭难嗣子。羊刃逢伤官七煞，骨肉亲友伤情；三合六合相和，友善五湖四海。又曰：凡推六亲，男命以年为父，胎为母，月为兄弟，官员以月为僚友，日为己身妻妾，时为子孙，官员以时为帝座祸福。凡是子午卯酉日生，主娶子午卯酉命妻，若妻申子辰生、丑生、甲己生者，皆不永。如克过头，妻再醮，不在此限。凡命四柱内有我克者为妻，无我克者，名曰局中无妻，却看所生日在何地？如在财旺之乡，当有得力之妻。更带贵人禄马，年主妻带官嫁夫。若在本命时财死墓绝败处，定主克陷，或一生鳏居。若日禄在时上遇见，如六丙日得癸巳时，六壬日得辛亥时之类，名曰誉煞，不惟主富，亦主因妻有官。若日带年之官，或年之印，主妻夺夫权，或禄出妻荫，或妻权贵之家，驸马郡马之类。日坐命财，更在财生旺之乡，主得妻财，又主妻贤明。日坐贵人，主妻有望族，或贤淑美丽。若命带日刑，日带年冲破年、羊刃、劫煞、六厄、元辰、空亡，或三四娶，或无妻。
Interpretation
Someone asked, "Which yin and yang elements combine as husband and wife to form the six relatives?" The answer is as follows: For example, Jia regards Yi as his younger sister and pairs her with Geng Metal as his wife; Bing regards Ding as his younger sister and pairs her with Ren Water as his wife; Wu pairs Ji with Jia; Geng pairs Xin with Bing; Ren pairs Gui with Wu. One yin and one yang combine to form a couple. After there are couples, there are fathers and sons. After there are fathers and sons, there are brothers. The six relatives refer to parents, brothers, wives and children. The six Jia take Ji as their wives. The combination of Jia and Ji gives birth to Geng and Xin as sons. For a man, the element that is overcome by the Heavenly Stem of his own element is regarded as a son. For a woman, the element that is born from the Heavenly Stem of her own element is regarded as an offspring. So, Ji is the mother of Geng and Xin. Geng is the father, and Yi is the mother. Therefore, it is said that the yin Heavenly Stem that gives birth to me is the mother; the yang Heavenly Stem that I overcome is the father; the element that overcomes me is the official and represents sons; the element that I overcome is the wealth and represents the wife; the elements of the same kind as me are brothers and sisters; the yin Heavenly Stem that gives birth to my wife is the step - mother; the yang Heavenly Stem that is overcome by my wife is the father - in - law; the element that overcomes my daughter is the son - in - law; the "Food God" represents the grandson. The rest of the six - relative relationships are all derived and used through the changes of the ten Heavenly Stems.
Take those born in the year of the Jiazi, Yichou, Bingyin, etc. (the six Jia years) as an example. They regard Gui water as their mother. Gui is the proper seal. If they encounter Ji earth, which is the proper wealth. Wu earth is regarded as their father because Wu combines with Gui. Wu is the partial wealth. If they encounter the same element (wood in this case) or the element that overcomes the wealth element, then the father may be in trouble. Those born in the year of Yi (such as Yichou, Yimao, etc.) also regard Gui as their mother, but here Gui is the partial seal. They regard Wu as their father, and Wu is the proper wealth. Both Jia and Yi regard Geng and Xin as their children. Geng metal represents sons. For Jia, Geng is the seven - killing; for Yi, Geng is the proper official. Xin metal represents daughters. For Yi, Xin is the seven - killing; for Jia, Xin is the proper official. Ji earth is the wife, and Wu earth is the concubine. This is because Yi wood overcomes Ji earth. Although it is said that the combination of two yin elements is not a good match, yin wood cannot overcome yang earth. Moreover, for women, yin is considered proper. Therefore, it is said that both Jia and Yi regard Ji as their wife and Wu as their concubine. For women, when Jia encounters Geng (the seven - killing) and Yi encounters Geng (the proper official), Geng is the husband star. This is because Geng is a yang male and is regarded as the proper husband. Since it is yang, it cannot take Xin (a yin element) as the husband. Generally, the combination of two yang elements often lacks affection, while the combination of yin and yang elements makes the couple harmonious.
Some say: Take the proper wealth as the wife and the improper wealth as the concubine. For a woman of the Jia (Yang Wood) element, Xin (Yin Metal) is the proper husband, which represents the proper combination of yin and yang. For those born in the years of Jia and Yi, Jia is regarded as the elder brother or sister, and Yi as the younger brother or sister. Ding (Yin Fire) is the grandmother - in - law. The one who gave birth to one's father is the paternal grandmother, as Ding gives birth to Wu (Yang Earth). Ren (Yang Water) is the grandfather - in - law, because Ren combines with Ding. Also, Ding Fire is the mother - in - law. The one who gave birth to one's wife is one's maternal mother - in - law. Since Ding gives birth to Ji (Yin Earth), and Ji is paired with Jia as the proper wife. Ren is the father - in - law, because Ren combines with Ding.
One's wife's brothers are called wife's uncles. In the context of the Five - Elements theory, the Earth element of the Yin type (Ji Earth) represents the wife, and the Earth element of the Yang type (Wu Earth) represents the wife's elder brother and other wife's uncles. The Water element of the Yin type (Gui Water) represents the wife's uncle's wife, which is called the aunt of the wife's side. For the remaining eight Heavenly Stems, the relationships can be deduced by analogy. The way of determining relationships for women is different from that for men. For women, what is produced by oneself represents children, what restrains oneself represents the husband, what gives birth to one's husband represents the mother - in - law, and what restrains one's mother - in - law represents the father - in - law. The relationships of parents and brothers are judged in the same way as for men, but one must distinguish between Yin and Yang. For example, among the Heavenly Stems of Jia and Yi, Bing represents a male child, Ding represents a female child, Geng represents the husband, Xin represents the husband's brothers, Ji represents the mother - in - law, and Jia represents the father - in - law.
The scriptures state: "Take the year as ancestral property, the month as parents, siblings, and the family household, the day as one's wife and oneself, and the hour as one's children." One must examine where in the four pillars the stars representing parents, siblings, and wife are located. Then, based on their state of prosperity, decline, or dormancy, judge their good or bad fortune. If the parent star is in a position of long - life, prosperity, treasury, emolument, horse (a favorable astrological symbol), or noble person, it indicates that the parents will be wealthy, enjoy good fortune and long life, and gain glory. If it is in a position of emptiness, punishment, conflict, evil star, death, decline, and a combination of unfavorable conditions, it means that the parents will be poor, suffer losses, be subject to punishment and premature death, or die outside the home and not have a good end. If it is accompanied by punishment, breakage, or harm, even if it is in a position of long - life, prosperity, or treasury, it means that the parents will have a long life but be poor and of low status. If the sibling star is born at an auspicious time and in a favorable season, and is in a position of long - life, treasury, prosperity, emolument, horse, or noble person, it indicates that the siblings will be wealthy, prosperous, and numerous. If it is in a position of punishment, conflict, evil star, blade (a negative astrological symbol), death, extinction, or decline, the siblings will not be helpful. If it is in a position of long - life, prosperity, or treasury but encounters punishment, breakage, conflict, or harm, although there are siblings, they will be like enemies and not be of any use. If the wife star is in a position of long - life, prosperity, treasury, emolument, horse, or noble person, or there are other elements to nourish it, it indicates that the wife will be wealthy, prosperous, beautiful, and talented. If it is in a position of emptiness, punishment, conflict, evil star, sheep blade (a negative astrological symbol), death, extinction, conflict, or decline, it means that the wife will be poor, ugly, subject to punishment and premature death, promiscuous, disabled, or die in childbirth and not be helpful. If it is in a position of long - life, prosperity, emolument, or horse but is punished, conflicted, or affected by evil stars, although the wife will have a long life, she will also have a disfigured appearance and be poor.
If the star representing offspring is located in the positions of prosperous growth, good fortune, noble stars, official seals, and is mutually generated by other elements, it indicates that the offspring will be prosperous, intelligent, and will mostly take care of the parents in their old age. If the star representing offspring is in the positions of good fortune and noble stars but in the state of decline and extinction, although the offspring may be intelligent and handsome, they will not take care of the parents in their old age. If the star representing offspring is in the prosperous growth position but is damaged by punishment, conflict, and harm, if there are offspring, they will be stupid or disabled and take care of the parents in their old age. If the star representing offspring is in the state of decline and extinction and is also damaged by punishment, conflict, harm, and robbery wealth, the parents will not receive the support of their offspring. Even if there are offspring, they will be disabled, disfigured, or unpromising. For a female's horoscope, if the star representing offspring is in the prosperous growth position, it indicates having many children. If it is in the positions of good fortune and noble stars, it indicates that the offspring will be wealthy, noble, and enjoy long - life and good fortune. If it is in the positions of emptiness, punishment, killing, conflict, Yang blade, and decline and extinction, it indicates that the offspring will not be helpful. Someone may ask: For those with the Heavenly Stems of Jia or Yi as the Day Master, Wu and Gui are regarded as parents. If there is no Gui water in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of the Four Pillars, and only Wu and Ren are shown on the Heavenly Stems or hidden in the Earthly Branches, then which one should be regarded as the parents?
The answer is: As the original classic says, when the "Ming Qian" (a certain element or condition in the context of traditional Chinese fortune - telling) is present, take it; when it is absent, seek it in the hidden situation. For example, if there is no "Gui" character but only a "Wu" character in the eight - character horoscope, and "Wu" is the father of "Jia" and "Yi". We seek the mother from the father. If there is no mother, we take "Ren" as the mother, and still need to consider "Wu" as the father. However, "Wu" and "Ren" are not in a proper marital relationship. It's not like a normal marriage between a son/daughter. It must be a marriage within the mourning period, or the mother is much older than the father, or it's a remarriage after a divorce. Someone may also ask: For a person with "Jia" as the day - master, the month and year branches are "Yi", and the hour branch is "Jia". Since "Yi" comes before "Jia", which one is the elder brother and which one is the younger brother? The answer is: Regardless of the order, we only consider the stronger one as the elder brother and the weaker one as the younger brother. When a person is born, there are parents above, wife and children below, and brothers in the middle. The connection, separation and combination among them are determined by fate. If one talks about fate without considering the six relatives, it is just a one - sided view.
The poem goes: When the year pillar encounters the blade and the evil star, one will lose their parents in childhood; when the hour pillar has the blade and injury, one will lose their children in old age. Those with clashes have no brothers, and those with punishments harm their six relatives. If the year and month pillars have the official, wealth, and seal all present, the ancestors of three generations are wealthy and noble; if the day and hour pillars have the evil star, blade, and the owl star, one will lose their wife and children halfway. For men, too much of the hurting officer star leads to the loss of sons; for women, too much of the hurting officer star leads to the harm of husbands. When the hurting officer star meets the wealth star, one will have sons; when the seven - killing star is controlled, one will have many sons. Excessive wealth leads to the harm of parents; a strong ghost star brings prosperity to descendants. With too much robbery wealth, the father dies early; with too much broken seal, the mother dies first. If the year and month pillars have the prosperous official and wealth stars, the father is prominent; if the day and hour pillars have the prosperous salary and horse stars that generate each other, the wife and children are virtuous and outstanding. When the seal is hidden and the wealth star is in command, one may be an illegitimate child. When the proper wealth star is strong but the body (self) is out of season, the mother dies early. When the partial official, partial seal, and partial wealth stars overlap, one is surely an illegitimate child; when one meets only the proper official, proper seal, and proper wealth stars, one is a legitimate son. If the robbery star in the month is in a state of isolation from the official and wealth stars, the father dies in a foreign land; if the year and month pillars have back - chasing and clashes, the grandfather is buried in a foreign place. When the day pillar has the blade and the hour pillar has the owl star, the wife dies in childbirth; when the year has the evil star and the month has the injury star, one has few brothers. With too much of the hurting officer star in the month, the eldest brother is deprived; when the hour has the evil star, one has no brothers. For men, too much robbery wealth means few relatives from the wife's family; for women, a strong evil star means the loss of close relatives. A strong seal star hinders children; excessive wealth star makes one jealous of in - laws. If the year and month pillars have overlapping evil stars with punishments and harms, the in - laws are injured; if the day and hour pillars have back - chasing without help, the wife leaves or is harmed. When the proper wealth and partial wealth stars are combined again, although one has many wives and concubines, one is licentious. When the partial official and proper official stars clash and harm each other, a woman may have a husband but commit adultery. A woman who is prosperous for her husband but harms her children means the food - god star is injured; a woman who is prosperous for her children but harms her husband means the official star is in a state of decline. For women, when the seal star is strong and the official star is weak, the husband has power; for men, when there is much wealth but the body is weak, the wife's words are pleasing. When the day pillar has the hurting officer star and the blade, the husband will die violently; when the month has the seal star with punishments and clashes, the mother's family is in decline. When the blade is strong and the evil star is fierce, the ancestral graves are meager; when the official star is strong and the wealth star is prosperous, the descendants are prosperous. When the day pillar has the back - salary and chasing - horse situation, one is often a person who leaves their hometown and loses their ancestral property; when the hour pillar has the prosperous wealth star generating the official star, there is a man who can build a family and assist the country.
If the killing blade appears in the month, one will have a father but no mother. When the partial official appears repeatedly, more daughters will be born than sons; when the partial wealth appears again, one will love concubines more than the legal wife. If the source of wealth is well - established, one can get rich and start a family through his wife, and his wife will also be capable. If the official position is in the appropriate position in the horoscope, one will distinguish himself and enhance the family business, and his sons will also thrive. If there is an official and seal in the month and an offensive officer in the year, the father will be prosperous while the grandfather will be in decline; if there is a wealth position on the day and a robbing wealth at the hour, the father will be prosperous while the son will be in failure. If there are many peer - robbers, marriage will be late; if there are official stars, having children will be early. For men, when they encounter offensive officers and yang blades, and also official killings, one cannot conclude that they will have no offspring; for women, when they have offensive officers and owl seals in their horoscopes and then encounter wealth and official stars in their fortune - cycles, one can also conclude that they will have children. When the eating god appears repeatedly and the official star is weak, the husband will be in decline while the children will be prosperous. For men, when the killing is strong and they encounter peer - robbers, there will be an elder brother but no younger brother; if it is either excessive or insufficient, there will be no brothers at all. If the storage position is in a neutral and harmonious state with the same qi, when the killing is prosperous and the official is in decline and extinction, women will be prosperous while men will be in decline. When the wealth and official are strong and the body is weak, for women, it means that the husband's family will thrive while the natal family will decline. If there are too many peer - robbers for women, the husband may have the intention to abandon his wife; if for men, the wealth is strong and the peer - robbers are heavy, the wife will have selfish desires. If the seal ribbons in the year and month generate each other, one will inherit an existing family business; if the offensive officers at the day and hour are completely counteracted, one will get ill - gotten windfalls. If there is an official star in the year, the father and grandfather will be officials; if there is an official star in the month, the brothers will be noble. For men, when they encounter peer - robbers, they will definitely harm their wives; for women, when they fall into the situation of owl seals, it will be difficult for them to have children. When the yang blade encounters offensive officers and seven - killings, relatives and friends will be hurt; when there are harmonious three - combinations and six - combinations, one will be friendly with people all over the world. It is also said that when inferring the six relatives, for men, the year represents the father, the fetus represents the mother, the month represents brothers. For officials, the month represents colleagues. The day represents oneself and one's wife, and the hour represents descendants. For officials, the hour represents the emperor's seat and fortune. Those born on the days of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You will marry wives born on the days of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You. If the wife is born in the Shen - Zi - Chen combination, in the Chou year, or with the Jia - Ji combination, the marriage will not last long. If the restraint is excessive and the wife remarries, it is not within this rule. In the four - pillar of one's horoscope, those that are overcome by oneself represent the wife. If there is no such element, it is called having no wife in the horoscope. Then one should see where the day of birth is. If it is in a place where wealth is prosperous, one will have a capable wife. If it is also accompanied by noble stars, good fortune, and horses, it means that the wife will marry with an official title. If at the hour of one's own life, the wealth is in a state of death, tomb, extinction, or decline, it will definitely lead to the harm or loss of the wife, or one will be a bachelor all one's life. If the day's good fortune is found at the hour, such as a Bing - day person getting the Gui - Si hour, or a Ren - day person getting the Xin - Hai hour, it is called the reputation - killing. It not only indicates wealth but also means getting an official position through the wife. If the day has the official star of the year or the seal of the year, it means that the wife will seize the husband's power, or the good fortune comes from the wife's family, or the wife comes from a noble family, like a son - in - law of a princess or a marquis. If the day sits on the wealth position and is in a place where wealth is prosperous, one will get the wife's wealth and also have a wise and virtuous wife. If the day sits on a noble star, the wife will come from a prominent family, or be virtuous, gentle, and beautiful. If the horoscope has daily punishment, the day breaks through the year, yang blade, robbery killing, six misfortunes, original evil, empty death, one may marry three or four times or have no wife at all.