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Sanming Tonghui · A Comprehensive Account of the Three Destinies
On the Grand Duke
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The Grand Duke is ruler of one year and leader of the spirits. There are two accounts: the birth year within the four pillars is the Natal Grand Duke; the yearly circulating one is the Traveling Grand Duke. The natal one governs a lifetime, as discussed earlier. The circulating one passes through twelve palaces to determine a year's misfortune and blessing and the four seasons' good and ill. The Grand Duke is like ruler, major fortune like minister. Harmony between them makes the year auspicious; punishment and combat make it harmful. A classic says: “Year injuring day stem brings lighter misfortune; day offending the Year Ruler brings heavier calamity.” Distinguish these. Year Ruler injuring day, as a Geng year conquering Jia day, is Indirect Office, like ruler governing minister or father governing son. Though there is calamity and obscurity, it is not great harm: above governs below in the proper direction and the relationship is not entirely severed. Day offending Year Ruler, as Jia day conquering Wu year, is Indirect Wealth, like minister against ruler or son against father, deeply unfavorable: below insults above in reverse order, and harm is unavoidable. Yet five-phase rescue and a favorable relation among the pillars can help. Jia day conquering Wu year, with original Gengshen Metal in the pillars or major fortune restraining Jia Wood completely so it cannot conquer Wu Earth, has rescue. Gui in major fortune and the pillars combining with Wu gives a favorable relation. A classic says: “Ren gives his younger sister Gui to Wu, and harm becomes a good omen.”
There are also True and Campaigning Grand Duke accounts. A classic says: “Birth time meets the True Grand Duke.” A Jiazi birth again seeing a Jiazi year is True Grand Duke, also called Turning-Toes Killing. Major fortune, day ruler, and Grand Duke should be harmonious and compliant for an auspicious year. Punishment, clash, disruption, harm, and mutual combat and conquest make it harmful. A Guisi day, with variant spelling, meeting a Dinghai annual year is an example. Day stem and branch clashing with or conquering the Grand Duke is Campaigning; fortune stem and branch injuring and clashing with it is also Campaigning; its stem and branch clashing with day's is also Campaigning. That year is harmful and calamity unavoidable. Jiazi annual year with Jiazi fortune is Year and Fortune Arriving Together. Only Sheep Blade and Seven Killings are harmful in this account; Wealth, Office, and Seal are also auspicious. Jiazi day seeing Jiazi Grand Duke is Day and Year Joined. A gentleman receiving it has Ruler and Minister Meeting: the year benefits memorials and audience, with the joy of seeing the ruler. A scholar awaiting official selection has signs of recommendation and entry into office, but must also harmonize with Year Ruler and Imperial Seat for exceptional results. An ordinary lesser person meeting it fares most unfavorably; harmony with birth hour makes calamity lighter. Thus a classic says: “Grand Duke stands overhead; the spirits dare not withstand it. If official troubles do not disturb, severe mourning is certain.” Is this not the meaning? Further simultaneous Gou-Lin, Original and Death, Salty Pool, Solitude and Hardship, Residence and Tomb, Illness and Death, Official Tally, Mourning and Funeral, White Tiger, Sheep Blade, Violent Defeat, Heavenly Misfortune, and other harmful Killings give a hundred calamities, death in severe cases.
Suppose a Jia day sees Wu as the annual Grand Duke. Jia is born in Yin, Mao, Hai, or Wei, and Jia and Yi repeat through year, month, day, and hour to conquer together. If the Wu-year pillars lack Geng and Xin and a Si–You–Chou Metal configuration to restrain Wood, or Bing–Ding Fire to burn it, the harm is extreme. One chart is Wuchen, Wuwu, Wuxu, Jiayin: Sheep Blade Turns Its Spear. In the fourth month of a Renshen year, the source reports a severe neck sore, the head seeming about to fall, and death. Another chart is Yichou, Yihai, Renshen, Yisi, with variant spelling. The fortune sequence names Xinwei and Bingyin. Day's Ren conquers the Grand Duke's Bing; the day branch's Geng and Shen conquer the Grand Duke's Yin and Jia. Yin punishes Si, Si punishes Shen, then Yin is punished. Xinwei fortune combines with the Grand Duke's Wood configuration as Hurting Office, all inauspicious. The text then names Jiawu that year, with Fire Flourishing and combat and conquest, and reports an unnatural death.
In general, day offending Year Ruler is heavier for the five yang stems and lighter for the five yin. If day stem is Heavenly or Monthly Virtue and Grand Duke the Useful Spirit, there is no fault and instead gain. Heavenly Clash and Earthly Strike already present in the pillars and met again annually likewise give no great fault. Grand Duke conquering birth hour, or hour conquering Grand Duke, also indicates calamity, but judge it through the children position.
Translator's note: All three chart examples and the complete symbolic-influence list are retained. The second fatal example names both Bingyin and Jiawu in its annual discussion; no year or pillar is silently substituted. Gou-Lin and other compressed labels remain as printed. Medical and death reports and hierarchical moral analogies belong to the historical text, not verified diagnoses or predictions.
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