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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
How Do We Know?
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
How Do We Know?
How do we know the household’s parents are ill? White Tiger occupies the line together with Penalty and Control. How do we know the parents face calamity? Wealth moves and a Sha influence injures them.
How do we know a household has descendants? Green Dragon and Blessing and Virtue circulate among its lines. How do we know it has no descendants? None of the six lines is occupied by Blessing.
How do we know the descendants are ill? Parents moves to control them. How do we know they face calamity? White Tiger comes upon Blessing and Virtue.
How do we know a child in the household dies? Descendants is in Void with White Tiger added. How do we know the wife faces calamity? Tiger on Brothers moves to injure Wealth.
How do we know the wife is pregnant? Green Dragon and Wealth meet Heavenly Joy. How do we know there are wife and concubine? Two strong Wealth lines in the inner and outer hexagrams decide it.
How do we know a household loses a wife? Wealth carries Ghost and falls into Void. How do we know its litigation ends? Officer and Ghost is in Void and also in Rest and Imprisonment.
How do we know a household has many lawsuits? Bird and Tiger hold Self, with Ghost coming to support. How do we know its Six Ding flourish? The Six Relations possess qi and auspicious spirits occupy the lines.
Reading note: The supplied term Six Ding is retained without substituting an unstated category of household members.
How do we know household members will be added? Green Dragon obtains its proper place and guards upon Wealth. How do we know a household is greatly wealthy? Wealth flourishes and occupies Storehouse.
How do we know the household’s fields increase? Gouchen enters Earth with Descendants present. How do we know it gains property? Green Dragon upon Wealth in flourishing strength supplies the answer.
How do we know wealth arrives from outside? In the outer hexagram, Dragon meets Wealth and Blessing. How do we know happy events approach? Green Dragon and Blessing and Virtue stand at the gate.
How do we know wealth and rank flourish? Wealth is present, Blessing strong, and Green Dragon above. How do we know poverty and low status prevail? Wealth carries depletion and appears in Rest and Imprisonment.
How do we know the household has no support? Blessing and Virtue in the hexagram falls into Void and Death. How do we know its hearth is damaged? Dark Warrior carries Ghost at the troubled second line.
Reading note: The supplied 鰲 is read as 灶, hearth, following the corresponding classical transcription.
How do we know a pot is broken and leaking? Dark Warrior enters Water and Ghost approaches. How do we know the dwelling is new? Parents joins Green Dragon in flourishing strength.
How do we know the dwelling is decayed? Parents joins White Tiger in Rest and Imprisonment. How do we know wind enters a grave? White Tiger in Void meets an attack from Xun or Si.
How do we know water enters a grave? White Tiger in Void occupies Hai or Zi. How do we know the household has incense offerings? None of the hexagram’s six lines shows Fire.
Reading note: The supplied second question says “has,” although its answer says no Fire appears. The parallel classical transcription has “has no incense offerings.” The source’s affirmative is retained and the discrepancy disclosed.
How do we know the household has no fengshui? None of its six lines shows Water. How do we know two households cook separately? The hexagram must contain two Fire lines.
How do we know the household does not make offerings to the Buddha? The Metal Ghost line falls into Void. How do we know two surnames share a dwelling? Two flourishing Ghost lines reveal it.
How do we know one family contains two surnames? Two Parents lines occur together in the hexagram.
How do we know chickens crow erratically? Soaring Snake enters You—there is no doubt. How do we know dogs bark erratically? Soaring Snake enters Xu and also meets Ghost.
How do we know the household experiences quarrels? Vermilion Bird holds Self and Ghost has not been removed. How do we know quarrels approach? Vermilion Bird in the hexagram carries Wood.
Reading note: The supplied second answer ends in the obscure 笑, “laugh.” No further divination condition is invented from it.
How do we know the household has much contention? Infer through Vermilion Bird and Brothers at Self and Response. How do we know petty people arise? Dark Warrior and Officer and Ghost move upon Body.
How do we know the household encounters thieves? Dark Warrior upon Wealth receives strong support from Ghost. How do we know calamity approaches? Ghost upon Response comes to control Self.
How do we know the household suffers smallpox and rashes? A Soaring Snake line is burned by Fire. How do we know an ill person will die? The Useful Spirit has no rescue and also enters Tomb.
How do we know the household has many dreams? Soaring Snake carries Ghost and holds Self. How do we know apparitions occur there? Soaring Snake and White Tiger stand at the gate.
How do we know someone in the household throws themselves into water? Dark Warrior enters Water and Sha occupies Ghost. How do we know someone hangs themselves? Soaring Snake and a Wood Ghost occupy Self.
How do we know mourning clothes will arrive? White Tiger at a crossing or heavy line occupies Ghost. How do we know the household loses property? Dark Warrior carries Ghost and Response moves.
How do we know clothes are lost? Gouchen and Dark Warrior enter Wealth’s place. How do we know livestock is lost? White Tiger carries Ghost upon the relevant category.
How do we know an ox is lost? A Chou Ghost at the fifth line falls into Void. How do we know a chicken is lost? The first line carries Ghost and Dark Warrior intrudes.
How do we know the household has no cattle or pigs? Chou and Hai both occupy Void. How do we know it has no chickens or dogs? The You and Xu lines are in Void.
Reading note: The supplied 離犬 is read as 雞犬, chickens and dogs, following the corresponding classical transcription and the named You and Xu branches.
How do we know a person will not come? Self and Response both fall into Void. How do we know the dwelling lacks peace? All six lines move together in turmoil.
An immortal fashioned this How Do We Know chapter and left it as a livelihood for later generations. Misfortune, blessing, good and ill show real correspondences: practitioners of the time should infer carefully, sentence by sentence.
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