On the Ten Celestial Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches - 7
Original Text
今人不知此理，甚有以出库为投库。如丁生辰月，壬官透干，不以为库内之壬，干头透出，而反为干头之壬，逢辰入库，求戌以冲土，不顾其官之伤。更有可笑者，月令本非四墓，别有用神，年月日时中一带四墓，便求刑冲；日临四库不以为身坐库根，而以为身主入库，求冲以解。种种谬论，令人掩耳。
然亦有逢冲而发者，何也？如官最忌冲，而癸生辰月，透戊为官，与戌相冲，不见破格，四库喜冲，不为不足。却不知子午卯酉之类，二者相仇，乃冲克之冲，而四墓土自为冲，乃冲动之冲，非冲克之冲也。然既以土为官，何害于事乎？
是故四墓不忌刑冲，刑冲未必成格。其理甚明，人自不察耳。
财官印食，四吉神也，然用之不当，亦能破格。
如食神带煞，透财为害，财能破格也；春木火旺，见官则忌，官能破格也；煞逢食制，透印无功，印能破格也；财旺生官，露食则杂，食能破格也。
煞伤枭刃，四凶神也，然施之得宜，亦能成格。如印绶根轻，透煞为助，煞能成格也。财逢比劫，伤官可解，伤能成格也。食神带煞，灵枭得用，枭能成格也。财逢七煞，刃可解厄，刃能成格也。
是故财不忌伤，官不忌枭，煞不忌刃，如治国长抢大戟，本非美具，而施之得宜，可以戡乱。
月令用神，配以四柱，固有每字之生克以分吉凶，然有同此生克，而先后之间，遂分吉凶者，尤谈命之奥也。
如正官同是财伤并透，而先后有殊。假如甲用酉官，丁先戊后，则以财为解伤，即不能贵，后运必有结局。若戊先而丁后时，则为官遇财生，而后因伤破，即使上运稍顺，终无结局，子嗣亦难矣。
印格同是贪财坏印，而先后有殊。如甲用子印，己先癸后，即使不富，稍顺晚境；若癸先而己在时，晚景亦悴矣。
食神同是财枭并透，而先后有殊。如壬用甲食，庚先丙后，晚运必亨，格亦富而望贵。若丙先而庚在时，晚运必淡，富贵两空矣。
七煞同是财食并透，而先后大殊。如己生卯月，癸先辛后，则为财以助用，而后煞用食制，不失大贵。若辛先而癸在时，则煞逢食制，而财转食党煞，非特不贵，后运萧索，兼难永寿矣。
丙生辛酉，年癸时己，伤因财间，伤之无力，间有小贵。假如癸己产并而中无辛隔，格尽破矣。
辛生申月，年壬月戊，时上丙官，不愁隔戊之壬，格亦许贵。假使年丙月壬而时戊，或年戊月丙而时壬，则壬能克丙，无望其贵矣。
以上举官星为例，馀如印畏财破，财惧比劫，食伤忌枭印，意义相同。救应之法，亦可例推矣。
八字格局，专以月令配四柱，至于星辰好歹，既不能为生克之用，又何以操成败之权？况于局有碍，即财官美物，尚不能济，何论吉星？于局有用，即七煞伤官，何谓凶神乎？是以格局既成，即使满盘孤辰入煞，何损其贵？格局既破，即使満盘天德贵人，何以为功？今人不知轻重，见是吉星，遂致抛却用神，不管四柱，妄论贵贱，谬谈祸福，甚可笑也。
况书中所云禄贵，往往指正官而言，不是禄堂贵人。如正财得伤贵为奇，伤贵也，伤官乃生财之具，正财得之，所以为奇，若指贵人，则伤贵为何物乎？又若因得禄而避位，得禄者，得官也，运得官乡，宜乎进爵，然如财用伤官食神，运透官则格条，正官运又遇官则重，凡此之类，只可避位也。若作禄堂，不独无是理，抑且得禄避位，文法上下相顾。古人作书，何至不通若是！
又若女命，有云"贵众则舞裙歌扇"。贵众者，官众也，女以官为夫，正夫岂可叠出乎？一女众夫，舞裙歌扇，理固然也。若作贵人，乃是天星，并非夫主，何碍于众，而必为娼妓乎？
然星辰命书，亦有谈及，不善看书者执之也。如"贵人头上带财官，门充驷马"，盖财官如人美貌，贵人如人衣服，貌之美者，衣服美则现。其实财官成格，即非贵人头上，怕不门充驷马！又局清贵，又带二德，必受荣封。若专主二德，则何不竟云带二德受两国之封，而必先曰无煞乎？若云命逢险格，柱有二德，逢凶有救，有免于危，则亦有之，然终无关于格局之贵贱也。
Interpretation
Today's people don't understand this principle. There are even those who mistake the "emergence from the storage" as "entering the storage". For example, in the Ding year and Chen month of the lunar calendar, when the Ren official qi appears on the Heavenly Stems, instead of considering it as the Ren qi stored in the Chen Earth emerging to the Heavenly Stems, they wrongly think that the Ren on the Heavenly Stems enters the storage when it meets the Chen Earth, and then seek the Xu Earth to clash with the Chen Earth, without considering the damage to the official qi. What's even more laughable is that when the monthly branch is not one of the four storage branches (Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei) but there is another useful element, and if one of the four storage branches appears in the year, month, day, or hour columns, they immediately seek punishment or clash. When the day stem sits on one of the four storage branches, instead of regarding it as the day stem having a root in the storage, they think that the day master enters the storage and seek to break it with a clash. All these fallacies make one want to cover one's ears.
However, there are also cases where something develops after being in conflict. Why is that? For example, an official position in the Bazi (Chinese fortune - telling system) most fears conflict. In the Gui year and Chen month, when Wu is revealed as the official element and conflicts with Xu, the pattern is not broken. The four storage (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei) like conflict and it is not considered a deficiency. People don't know that for Zi, Wu, Mao, and You and the like, when two of them are in opposition, it is a conflict of mutual restraint. While for the four tomb - soils (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei) having a conflict among themselves, it is a conflict that stirs things up, not a conflict of mutual restraint. Since the soil is regarded as the official element, why would it be harmful to the situation?
Therefore, the four tomb-storages are not afraid of punishment and clash. Punishment and clash do not necessarily form a pattern. The principle is quite clear; people just fail to notice it.
Wealth, official position, seal (representing power), and food (indicating sustenance) are the four auspicious deities. However, if they are not used appropriately, they can also break the good fortune pattern.
For example, if the God of Cookery is accompanied by an inauspicious star and wealth is revealed, it brings harm because wealth can break the favorable pattern. In spring when the wood element is strong and the fire element is prosperous, it is inauspicious to see the official star as the official star can break the favorable pattern. When the inauspicious star is controlled by the God of Cookery, if the seal star is revealed, it is of no avail as the seal star can break the favorable pattern. When wealth is strong and generates the official star, if the God of Cookery is revealed, it causes complexity as the God of Cookery can break the favorable pattern.
The killing qi, the wounding qi, the owl qi, and the blade qi are the four inauspicious qi. However, if applied appropriately, they can also form favorable configurations. For example, when the root of the seal is weak and the killing qi appears to assist, the killing qi can form a favorable configuration. When wealth encounters the competing qi, the wounding officer can resolve the issue, and the wounding officer can form a favorable configuration. When the gourmet qi is accompanied by the killing qi, and the owl qi is put to good use, the owl qi can form a favorable configuration. When wealth encounters the seven - killing qi, the blade qi can relieve the misfortune, and the blade qi can form a favorable configuration.
Therefore, wealth need not be feared when it is damaged, the official star need not be feared when it is countered by the seal-star, and the seven-kill star need not be feared when it is confronted by the yang blade. Just like in governing a country, long spears and great halberds are not inherently good tools, but when used appropriately, they can suppress chaos.
When using the God of the Month and matching it with the four pillars of the birth chart, there are indeed the interactions of generation and restraint of each character to distinguish good and bad luck. However, there are cases where with the same interactions of generation and restraint, the order can lead to different fates of good or bad, which is truly the profound mystery in fortune - telling.
If both the Wealth and the Hurting Officer are revealed simultaneously with the Proper Officer, the sequence matters. For example, if Jia uses You as the Proper Officer, and Ding appears first followed by Wu, then the Wealth can resolve the harm of the Hurting Officer. Even if one cannot achieve high - status, there will be a good ending in the later fortune. If Wu appears first and then Ding, the Proper Officer is nourished by the Wealth at first but then damaged by the Hurting Officer. Even if the early fortune is a bit smooth, there will be no good ending in the end, and it will also be difficult to have offspring.
In the Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny) analysis, when both the Earthly Branch and Heavenly Stem represent the combination of "greed for wealth and destruction of the Seal," the sequence matters. For example, if the Yang Wood (Jia) uses the Yang Water (Zi) as the Seal, when the Earthly Branch has the Earthly Stem of the Earth (Ji) first and then the Heavenly Stem of the Water (Gui), even if the person is not wealthy, their later years will be relatively smooth. However, if the Gui appears first and the Ji is in the Hour Pillar, their later years will be miserable.
In the Bazi (Chinese astrological system), when both the Wealth Star and the Robbery Wealth Star are revealed along with the Eating God, the order of their appearance makes a difference. For example, if the Day Master is Ren (Yang Water), and the Eating God is Jia (Yang Wood). When Geng (Yang Metal) appears first and Bing (Yang Fire) appears later, the person will surely have a prosperous late - life, and the Bazi pattern indicates both wealth and the potential for high social status. However, if Bing appears first and Geng is in the Hour Pillar, the person's late - life will be dull, and both wealth and high social status will be out of reach.
When the Seven Killings are combined with both the Wealth and the Eating God being revealed, the order makes a great difference. For example, in the case of a person born in the month of Mao with the Earthly Branch and the Day Stem being Ji, if Gui (Water representing Wealth) appears first and Xin (Metal representing the Seven Killings) appears later, the Wealth helps the useful element, and then the Seven Killings are controlled by the Eating God. This person can still achieve great nobility. However, if Xin appears first and Gui appears at the Hour Pillar, the Seven Killings are controlled by the Eating God, but the Wealth turns the Eating God to support the Seven Killings. Not only will this person not be noble, but also their later fortune will be bleak, and it will be difficult for them to enjoy a long life.
Bing was born in the year of Xin You. The heavenly stem of the year is Gui and that of the hour is Ji. The Hurting Officer is affected by the Wealth element in between, making the Hurting Officer ineffective, and there will be a little bit of nobility. For example, if Gui and Ji appear together without Xin separating them in the middle, the entire pattern will be completely broken.
When a person is born in the month of Shen under the Xin element, with Ren at the year pillar and Wu at the month pillar, and Bing as the official star at the hour pillar, there's no need to worry about the Ren being separated from the Bing by Wu. This pattern is also considered to indicate nobility. Suppose there is Bing at the year pillar, Ren at the month pillar, and Wu at the hour pillar, or Wu at the year pillar, Bing at the month pillar, and Ren at the hour pillar. Then, Ren can overcome Bing, and there's no hope for nobility.
The above takes the official star as an example. Similarly, the seal is afraid of being damaged by wealth, wealth is afraid of being countered by peers, and the output and harm are averse to the owl seal. The meanings are the same. The methods of rescue and response can also be deduced by analogy.
In the eight - character pattern, it is specifically about matching the month branch with the other three columns of the four pillars. As for whether the stars are good or bad, since they cannot be used for the interactions of generating and overcoming in the five - element theory, how can they hold the power to determine success or failure? Moreover, if they are obstructive to the pattern, even the favorable elements like wealth and official positions cannot bring about good results. Then, how can we even talk about auspicious stars? If they are useful to the pattern, even the so - called inauspicious elements like the seven - killing and the damaging officer, why should they be regarded as evil spirits? Therefore, once the pattern is formed, even if the entire eight - character chart is filled with the inauspicious stars of solitude and the seven - killing, it will not detract from one's nobility. Once the pattern is broken, even if the entire chart is filled with the auspicious stars of Heavenly Virtue and Nobleman, what good can they do? Nowadays, people don't know what is important and what is not. When they see auspicious stars, they abandon the useful element (the key element in the eight - character analysis) and ignore the four pillars. They randomly judge one's nobility or lowliness and wrongly talk about good or bad fortune. It's really ridiculous.
Moreover, what the book says about "good fortune and nobility" often refers to the "proper official" rather than the "lucky star in the official position". For example, it is considered extraordinary when the proper wealth encounters the "injuring noble". Here, the "injuring noble" means the "injuring official", which is a means to generate wealth. It is extraordinary for the proper wealth to have it. If it were referring to the lucky star, then what would the "injuring noble" be? Also, if one withdraws from the position because of obtaining "good fortune", the so - called "obtaining good fortune" means obtaining an official position. When one's fortune enters the realm of the official position, it is appropriate to be promoted. However, if one uses the "injuring official" or the "eating god" for wealth, when the official appears in the fortune, the pattern is disrupted. When one is already in the fortune of the proper official and another official appears, it is too much. In all such cases, one can only withdraw from the position. If we interpret it as the "lucky star in the official position", not only is there no such logic, but also the statement of "withdrawing from the position after obtaining good fortune" does not match grammatically. How could the ancient scholars write a book so illogically!
Moreover, regarding the fate of women, there is a saying that "when there are many 'gui', she will be involved in a life of singing and dancing." Here, "many gui" means many "guan". For a woman, "guan" represents her husband. How can a woman have multiple legitimate husbands? When a woman has multiple husbands, it is natural that she will lead a life of singing and dancing. If we take "gui" as noble stars, which are not her husbands, what's the problem with having many of them? Why must it mean that she will become a prostitute?
However, the astrological books also mention this, which are misinterpreted by those who are not good at studying them. For example, it says, "When a noble person has wealth and official positions on the head, the house will be filled with four - horse carriages." Here, wealth and official positions are like a person's good looks, and the noble status is like a person's clothes. For those with good looks, beautiful clothes will make them more prominent. In fact, if the wealth and official positions form a favorable pattern, even if it's not on the "head of a noble person", the house will probably still be filled with four - horse carriages! Moreover, if the horoscope is clear and noble and also has the two virtues, the person will surely receive an honorary title. If it only focuses on the two virtues, then why doesn't it simply say that those with the two virtues will receive titles from two countries, but instead it must first mention the absence of malevolent stars? If it is said that when one's life encounters a dangerous pattern but has the two virtues in the horoscope, they can be rescued from misfortune and avoid danger, which is also possible. However, it ultimately has nothing to do with the nobility or lowliness of the overall pattern.