On the Ten Celestial Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches - 13
Original Text
七煞之格局亦不一：煞用食制者，上也，煞旺食强而身健，极为贵格。如乙亥、乙酉、乙卯、丁丑，极等之贵也。
煞用食制，不要露财透印，以财能转食生煞，而印能去食护煞也。然而财先食后，财生煞而食以制之，或印先食后，食太旺而印制，则格成大贵。如脱丞相命，壬辰、甲辰、丙戌、戊戌，辰中暗煞，壬以透之，戊坐四支，食太重而透甲印，以损太过，岂非贵格？若煞强食泄而印露，则破局矣。
有七煞用印者，印能护煞，本非所宜，而印有情，便为贵格。如何参政命，丙寅、戊戌、壬戌、辛丑，戊与辛同通月令，是煞印有情也。
亦有煞重身轻，用食则身不能当，不若转而就印，虽不通根月令，亦为无情而有情。格亦许贵，但不大耳。
有煞而用财者，财以党煞，本非所喜，而或食被制，不能伏煞，而财以去印存食，便为贵格。如周丞相命，戊戌、甲子，丁未、庚戌，戊被制不能伏煞，时透庚财，即以清食者，生不足之煞。生煞即以制煞，两得其用，尤为大贵。
又有身重煞轻，煞又化印，用神不清，而借财以清格，亦为贵格。如甲申、乙亥、丙戌、庚寅，刘运使命是也。
更有杂气七煞，干头不透财以清用，亦可取贵。
有煞而杂官者，或去官，或去煞，取清则贵。如岳统制命，癸卯、丁巳、庚寅、庚辰，去官留煞也。夫官为贵气，去官何如去煞？岂知月令偏官，煞为用而官非用，各从其重。若官格杂煞而去官留煞，不能如是之清矣。如沈郎中命，丙子、甲午、辛亥、辛卯，子冲午而克煞，是去煞留官也。
有煞无食制而用印当者，如戊辰、甲寅、戊寅、戊午、赵员外命是也。
至书有制煞不可太过之说，虽亦有理，然运行财印，亦能发福，不可执一也，乃若弃命从煞，则于外格详之。
偏官取运，即以偏官所成之局分而配之。煞用食制，煞重食轻则助食，煞轻食重则助煞，煞食均而日主根轻则助身。忌正官之混杂，畏印绶之夺食。
煞用印绶，不利财乡，伤官为美，印绶身旺，俱为福地。
七煞用财，其以财而去印存食者，不利劫财，伤食皆吉，喜财怕印，透煞亦顺。
其以财而助煞不及者，财已足，则喜食印与帮身；财未足，则喜财旺而露煞。
煞带正官，不论去官留煞，去煞留官，身轻则喜助身，食轻则喜助食。莫去取清之物，无伤制煞之神。
煞无食制而用刃当煞，煞轻刃重则喜助煞，刃轻煞重，则宜制伏，无食可夺，印运何伤？七煞既纯，杂官不利。
伤官虽非吉神，实为秀气，故文人学士，多于伤官格内得之。而夏木见水，冬金见火，则又为秀之尤秀者也。其中格局比他格多，变化尤多，在查其气候，量其强弱，审其喜忌，观其纯杂，微之又微，不可执也。
故有伤官用财者，盖伤不利于民，所以为凶，伤官生财，则以伤官为生官之具，转凶为吉，故最利。只要身强而有根，便为贵格，如壬午、己酉、戊午、庚申，史春芳命也。
至于化伤为财，大为秀气，如罗状元命，甲子、乙亥、辛未、戊子，干头之甲，通根于亥，然又会未成局，化水为木，化之生财，尤为有情，所以伤官生财，冬金不贵，以冻水不能生木。若乃化木，不待于生，安得不为殿元乎？
至于财伤有情，与化伤为财者，其秀气不相上下，如秦龙图命，己卯、丁丑、丙寅、庚寅，己与庚同根月令是也。
有伤官佩印者，印能制伤，所以为贵，反要伤官旺，身稍弱，始为秀气。如孛罗平章命，壬申、丙午、甲午、壬申、伤官旺，印根深，身又弱，又是夏木逢润，其秀百倍，所以一品之贵。然印旺极深，不必多见，偏正叠出，反为不秀，故伤轻身重而印绶多见，贫穷之格也。
有伤官兼用财印者，财印相克，本不并用，只要干头两清而不相碍；又必生财者，财太旺而带印，佩印者印太重而带财，调停中和，遂为贵格。如丁酉、己酉、戊子、壬子，财太重而带印，而丁与壬隔以戊已，两不碍，且金水多而觉寒，得火融和，都统制命也。又如壬戌、己酉、戊午、丁巳，印太重而隔戊已，而丁与壬不相碍，一丞相命也。反是则财印不并用而不秀矣。
有伤官用煞印者，伤多身弱，赖煞生印以帮身而制伤，如己未、丙子、庚子、丙子，蔡贵妃也。煞因伤而有制，两得其宜，只要无财，便为贵格，如壬寅、丁未、丙寅，夏阁老命是也。
有伤官用官者，他格不用，金水独宜，然要财印为辅，不可伤官并透。如戊申、甲子、庚午、丁丑，藏癸露丁，戊甲为辅，官又得禄，所以为丞相之格。若孤官无辅，或官伤并透，则发福不大矣。
Interpretation
The patterns of the Seven Killings are also diverse. It is the best to control the Killings with the Eating God. When the Killings are strong, the Eating God is powerful, and the Body is healthy, it forms an extremely noble pattern. For example, in the case of the Bamboo Stems and Branches combination of Yihai, Yiyou, Yimao, and Dingchou, it represents the highest level of nobility.
When using the Eating God to control the Seven Killings, one should not let the Wealth and Seal show up. This is because the Wealth can transform the Eating God to generate the Seven Killings, and the Seal can remove the Eating God to protect the Seven Killings. However, if the Wealth appears before the Eating God, the Wealth generates the Seven Killings and the Eating God controls them; or if the Seal appears before the Eating God, and the Eating God is too strong so the Seal restrains it, then the pattern will result in great nobility. For example, take the birth chart of Prime Minister Tuo: Ren Chen, Jia Chen, Bing Xu, Wu Xu. There is an implicit Seven Killings in the Chen Earth, and Ren Water makes it visible. Wu Earth sits on all four pillars, indicating that the Eating God is too strong, and Jia Wood Seal shows up to reduce the excess. Isn't this a noble pattern? If the Seven Killings are strong, the Eating God is exhausted, and the Seal shows up, then the pattern will be broken.
There are those who use seals when faced with the seven malevolent stars. Generally, using a seal to protect against the malevolent stars is not advisable. However, if the seal shows a favorable connection, it can result in an auspicious constellation. Take the birth chart of Minister Ruohe as an example: the year is Bingyin, the month is Wuxu, the day is Renxu, and the hour is Xinchou. Both Wu and Xin are in harmony with the governing qi of the month, indicating a favorable connection between the malevolent stars and the seal.
There are also cases where the killing energy is strong while the body element is weak. When using the wealth element for nourishment, the body element cannot withstand it. It is better to turn to rely on the seal element. Even if the seal element does not have its root in the monthly order, it still shows a kind of harmony within the inharmony. This pattern can also bring nobility, but not on a grand scale.
When there is an aggressive element and wealth is used, the wealth supports the aggressive element, which is generally not preferred. However, if the output element is restricted and cannot subdue the aggressive element, and the wealth removes the seal element to preserve the output element, it becomes an auspicious configuration. For example, in the horoscope of Prime Minister Zhou (a person), with the year pillar Wuxu, the month pillar Jiazi, the day pillar Dingwei, and the hour pillar Gengxu, the Earth (Wuxu) is restricted and cannot subdue the aggressive element. The Geng metal (wealth) is revealed at the hour, which on one hand clears the output element and on the other hand nourishes the insufficient aggressive element. Nourishing the aggressive element also helps to control it, making good use of both aspects, and thus it is extremely auspicious.
There are also cases where the body (element representing the self in the Bazi) is heavy while the killing element is light, and the killing element transforms into the seal element. The favorable god (auspicious element in Bazi analysis) is not clear, and one borrows the wealth element to clarify the pattern, which is also a noble pattern. For example, the Bazi of Jia Shen, Yi Hai, Bing Xu, and Geng Yin belongs to the life of Liu Yunshi.
Moreover, if there is the miscellaneous qi and the Seven Killings, and the wealth does not show up at the stems to purify the usage, it can also lead to nobility.
When there is a killing (seven - killing) combined with an official (zhengguan or qisha), one can either remove the official or the killing to achieve a pure combination, which leads to nobility. For example, in the horoscope of General Yue, with the year pillar Guimao, the month pillar Dingsi, the day pillar Gengyin, and the hour pillar Gengchen, the official is removed and the killing is retained. Generally, the official represents noble status, so why is it better to remove the official than the killing? One should know that in the month branch, there is a partial official (seven - killing). Here, the killing is the useful element while the official is not, and one should follow the more important one. If in an official - dominated structure, there is a mixed killing and one removes the official to retain the killing, it cannot achieve such a pure state. For example, in the horoscope of Doctor Shen, with the year pillar Bingzi, the month pillar Jiawu, the day pillar Xinhai, and the hour pillar Xinmao, the Zi clashes with the Wu and overcomes the killing, which means removing the killing and retaining the official.
When there is an inauspicious influence (a malevolent star in traditional Chinese astrology) without the restraint of a "Food God" element and the use of the "Print" element is appropriate, it's like the birth chart of the fate of a certain Master Zhao, whose birth year, month, day and hour correspond to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as Wuchen, Jiayin, Wuyin and Wuwu respectively.
As for the statement in the book that when dealing with the overpowering "killing" element in the Bazi (Chinese astrological birth chart), one should not go too far, although it makes sense, when the fortune runs into the stages of wealth and seal elements, it can also bring good fortune. One should not be dogmatic. As for the situation of "abandoning one's own element and following the killing element", it will be detailed in the section on special chart configurations.
When determining the favorable luck for the "partial official" (a term in traditional Chinese fortune - telling theory), it should be allocated according to the different situations formed by the "partial official". When the "killing force" (similar to "partial official") is controlled by the "eating god", if the "killing force" is strong and the "eating god" is weak, one should strengthen the "eating god"; if the "killing force" is weak and the "eating god" is strong, one should strengthen the "killing force"; if the "killing force" and the "eating god" are balanced but the foundation of the "day master" is weak, one should strengthen the "day master". One should avoid the confusion caused by the "proper official", and fear that the "seal ribbon" will seize the "eating god".
When using the Seal (Yinshou) in Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny), it is unfavorable to be in the Wealth sector. The Hurting Officer is considered excellent. When the Seal is strong and the body (self-element) is prosperous, both are auspicious conditions.
When using wealth in the case of the Seven Killings, if one uses wealth to remove the seal and preserve the Hurting Officer or Eating God, it is unfavorable for the Rob Wealth, while both the Hurting Officer and Eating God are auspicious. One should like wealth and fear the seal. When the Seven Killings are revealed, things will also go smoothly.
For those whose wealth supports the in - sufficient influence of the Seven Kills: when their wealth is already abundant, they prefer the presence of the Output (Food) and the Seal, as well as elements that strengthen the Day Master; when their wealth is not yet sufficient, they prefer a prosperous wealth and the visible appearance of the Seven Kills.
When the Seven Killings are accompanied by the Direct Officer, regardless of whether one retains the Seven Killings and removes the Direct Officer or vice versa, if the body is weak, it is advisable to strengthen the body; if the Eating God is weak, it is advisable to strengthen the Eating God. Do not remove the purifying elements and do not harm the gods that control the Seven Killings.
When there is a seven - killing (a term in Chinese fortune - telling theory) without the control of food - god (another term) and the blade (a related element) is used to counter the seven - killing, if the seven - killing is weak while the blade is strong, it is favorable to strengthen the seven - killing. If the blade is weak and the seven - killing is strong, it is appropriate to restrain the seven - killing. Since there is no food - god to be seized, what harm can the printing (a related element) bring? When the seven - killing is pure, the mixture of official - star (a related element) is not beneficial.
Although the Hurting Officer is not a favorable star, it actually represents elegance. Therefore, many scholars and literati are found in the Hurting Officer pattern. When a Wood element person is born in summer and meets the Water element, or a Metal element person is born in winter and meets the Fire element, it is an even more outstanding form of elegance. Among them, there are more patterns than other patterns and even more changes. One should examine the seasonal climate, measure its strength and weakness, assess its favorable and unfavorable factors, observe its purity and complexity. It is extremely subtle and cannot be judged rigidly.
Therefore, there is a situation where the Hurting Officer is combined with Wealth. The Hurting Officer is not beneficial to the people, so it is regarded as inauspicious. However, when the Hurting Officer generates Wealth, the Hurting Officer becomes a means to generate the Officer, turning inauspiciousness into auspiciousness. Thus, it is the most favorable. As long as the Day Master is strong and has roots, it forms an auspicious pattern. For example, the birth chart with the year pillar Renwu, the month pillar Jiyou, the day pillar Wuwu, and the hour pillar Gengshen belongs to Shi Chunfang.
As for transforming harm into wealth, which is highly auspicious. Take the birth chart of Scholar Luo as an example: Jiazi, Yihai, Xinwei, Wuzhi. The Jia on the heavenly stems has its root in Hai. Moreover, although the combination with Wei doesn't form a complete configuration, it transforms water into wood, and this transformation generates wealth, showing a particularly favorable connection. Therefore, when the Hurting Officer generates wealth, metal in winter is not considered precious because frozen water cannot nourish wood. However, if it can transform into wood without relying on the process of nourishment, how could he not become the top scorer in the imperial examination?
As for the situation where wealth transforms the influence of the wounded official and the case of turning the wounded official into wealth, their manifestations of refined charm are comparable. For example, in the horoscope of Qin Longtu (a person), the year pillar is Ji Mao, the month pillar is Ding Chou, the day pillar is Bing Yin, and the hour pillar is Geng Yin. Here, Ji and Geng have the same root in the monthly order.
Those with the combination of an Officer - Hurting Star paired with a Seal Star are considered noble because the Seal Star can restrain the Officer - Hurting Star. In fact, it is better for the Officer - Hurting Star to be strong and the Body Element to be slightly weak, which is regarded as an elegant and auspicious configuration. Take the horoscope of Lord Boluo as an example. His birth chart has the year pillar of Renshen, the month pillar of Bingwu, the day pillar of Jiawu, and the hour pillar of Renshen. The Officer - Hurting Star is strong, the Seal Star has a deep root, and the Body Element is weak. Moreover, the Wood in summer gets the nourishment of water, making it extremely elegant, which is why he achieved the highest - rank nobility. However, when the Seal Star is extremely strong and has a deep root, there is no need for it to appear too frequently. If both the Positive and Negative Seal Stars appear repeatedly, it will no longer be an elegant configuration. Therefore, when the Officer - Hurting Star is weak, the Body Element is strong, and there are multiple Seal Stars, it is a configuration indicating poverty.
There are those who combine the negative influence of the "Hurting Officer" with both wealth and seal symbols. Wealth and seal symbols are in conflict and are generally not used together. As long as they are clearly separated in the heavenly stems without interfering with each other; moreover, there must be a balance. When generating wealth, if the wealth is too strong and there is a seal symbol, or when wearing a seal symbol, if the seal is too heavy and there is wealth, by mediating and achieving a neutral state, it becomes an auspicious configuration. For example, in the case of the bazi "Ding You, Ji You, Wu Zi, Ren Zi", the wealth is too strong and there is a seal symbol. However, Ding and Ren are separated by Wu and Ji, so they do not interfere with each other. Moreover, with an abundance of metal and water, it feels cold, and the presence of fire brings harmony. This is a configuration of a high - ranking military official. Another example is "Ren Xu, Ji You, Wu Wu, Ding Si". The seal symbol is too heavy, but separated by Wu and Ji, and Ding and Ren do not interfere with each other. This is the bazi of a prime minister. On the contrary, if wealth and seal symbols cannot be used together, it will not result in an excellent configuration.
There are cases where one uses the seven - killing and seal when having the hurting officer. When there is an abundance of the hurting officer and the body (the day master) is weak, it relies on the seven - killing to generate the seal so as to assist the body and restrain the hurting officer. For example, in the case of the bazi with the year pillar being Jiwei, the month pillar being Bingzi, the day pillar being Gengzi, and the hour pillar being Bingzi, this was the bazi of Concubine Cai. The seven - killing is restricted by the hurting officer, and both are in an appropriate state. As long as there is no wealth element, it is considered an auspicious pattern. For instance, in the bazi with the year pillar being Renyin, the month pillar being Dingwei, and the day pillar being Bingyin, this was the bazi of Grand Secretary Xia.
There are cases where an official is used when there is an injuring officer. In other configurations, this is not applicable, but it is particularly suitable for the metal - water combination. However, wealth and seal symbols should serve as auxiliaries, and the injuring officer and the official should not both be revealed. For example, in the case of the birth date with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of Wushen, Jiazi, Gengwu, and Dingchou, the Gui element is hidden and the Ding element is revealed, with Wu and Jia acting as auxiliaries. Moreover, the official gets its prosperous state, so it is a configuration fit for a prime - minister. If there is only an isolated official without auxiliaries, or if both the official and the injuring officer are revealed, then the good fortune obtained will not be great.