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Sanming Tonghui · A Comprehensive Account of the Three Destinies
On the Six Combinations of the Branch Origins
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Combination is harmony, yin and yang harmonizing and their energies joining naturally. Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu are the six yang; Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai the six yin. One yin and one yang harmonizing are therefore combination. Why Zi with Chou and Yin with Hai, rather than Zi with Hai or Yin with Chou? Though creation combines yin and yang, its numerical energy honors yang. Zi is one yang and Chou two yin, making three. Yin is three yang and Hai six yin, making nine. Mao is four yang and Xu five yin, making nine. Chen is five yang and You four yin, making nine. Si is six yang and Shen three yin, making nine. Wu is one yang and Wei two yin, making three. Zi–Chou and Wu–Wei each obtain three, which generates all things. The others obtain nine, the utmost yang number.
Combinations include Combining Emolument, Horse, and Nobility. Luoluzi says: “Establishing presence from absence means seeing an unseen form.” For a Jia birth, Yin is Emolument; not seeing Yin but seeing Hai is Combining Emolument. For a Yin birth, Shen is Horse; not seeing Shen but seeing Si is Combining Horse. For Jia, the printed Xu, and Geng people, Chou and Wei are Noble Persons; not seeing them but seeing Zi and Wu is Combining Nobility. A classic says: “Manifest combination is inferior to hidden combination; support the real, not the empty.” This is the meaning. The Book of Transformations of the Heavenly Origin says: “Zi combining with Chou gives light blessings; Chou with Zi abundant blessings. Yin with Hai gives clear blessings; Hai with Yin slow blessings. Xu with Mao gives empty blessings; Mao with Xu substantial blessings. Chen with You gives weak blessings; You with Chen great benefit. Wu with Wei gives slow blessings; Wei with Wu great benefit. Si with Shen gives slow blessings; Shen with Si abundant Office energy.” Jiawu with Xinwei merely has strong Body but weak Life and Emolument. Yiwei with Renwu, though weak in Emolument, gains something broadly. Another saying: men fear combining with Extinction; women fear combining with Noble Person.
Translator's note: Both the initial yin-yang branch grouping and the later numbered yang/yin counts are retained, as are all twelve direction-sensitive combination judgments. Xu in the Noble Person stem list is printed as a branch and has not been replaced with Wu. The comparison of hidden combination with supporting the real remains as supplied.
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