《九天上圣秘传金符经》

The Jiutian Shangsheng Michuan Jinfu Jing (Scripture of the Secretly Transmitted Golden Talisman of the Supreme Sage of the Nine Heavens) says that there are nine stars in heaven, whose purpose is to protect and bless the world. People calculate according to the five musical tones and select auspicious days. Whenever one is to choose a day on which to act, one first consults the dates in the almanac, then selects day by day according to the four seasons and the sixty Jiazi (the system for recording days and years formed by combining the heavenly stems and earthly branches). One must see whether the stellar luminaries of that day are favorable or unfavorable to people. Many people merely leaf through various books and, on finding a statement that seems generally applicable, put it into practice, not realizing that this often leads people astray.

The scripture says that an improper choice of day may bring the ruin of the family and the death of its members, lawsuits and punishment, the loss of oxen and horses, the early death of children, or encounters with bandits, the alarm of fire, and the decline of fields and gardens. This comes from offending baleful stars. If one meets with auspicious stars, then every matter proceeds smoothly, errors are few, and what is sought is for the most part fulfilled; therefore this must not be treated lightly.

Whenever a household builds a residence or buries a grave, if one does not select an auspicious day to begin the work according to the Sanyuan Jiuxing (Three Origins and Nine Stars, a method of choosing days that calculates good and ill fortune by temporal cycles and stellar luminaries), one may invite sudden disaster, a decline in the household’s numbers, theft or lawsuits, and the depletion of money and grain. The scripture further lists all manner of inauspicious events: cooking vessels sounding of themselves, birds flying into the house, cats and dogs behaving strangely, troubles arising without cause, discord between men and women, disharmony between husband and wife, self-injury by falling into water, illness of the hands and feet, damage to the eyes, harm to the fetus of a pregnant woman, and juniors refusing to obey their elders. If one chooses a day when an auspicious star is presiding to begin the work, then those who hold office may be promoted, all affairs in the household go as one wishes, the household flourishes, old and young rejoice, men and women are intelligent, servants are obedient, livestock thrive, and everything proceeds as desired.

The Jinjing (Golden Scripture) further says that whenever one is to establish prefectures and counties, markets, monasteries, abbeys, community shrines and temples, official residences, estates, storehouses, or shops, one must examine the year, month, day, and hour. If an auspicious star is presiding, choosing the day accordingly and acting on it will be auspicious. The scripture then explains that the auspicious and inauspicious stellar luminaries corresponding to each day of the sixty Jiazi are set out below.

The phrase “the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth, the four meng months” refers to the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth months—these four meng months (the first month of each season).

This passage of the scripture (jing) arranges, according to the ganzhi—the sixty day-names formed by combining the heavenly stems and the earthly branches—the star name or designation corresponding to each day, such as Yaoxing, Hedao, Shagong, Zhixing, Bushui, Bumu, Jiaosi, Renzhuan, and Lizao. These designations belong to the shushu (mantic and numerological) terminology of the scripture. The original text does not explain their meanings here, and so only the names are retained, with no inferences drawn.

The scripture records them in sequence: Jiazi corresponds to Yaoxing, Yichou to Huoxing, Bingyin to Hedao, Dingmao to Shagong, and Wuchen to Zhixing; Jisi corresponds to Bushui, Gengwu to Jiaosi, Xinwei to Renzhuan, Renshen to Lizao, and Guiyou to Yaoxing; Jiaxu corresponds to Huoxing, Yihai to Hedao, Bingzi to Shagong, Dingchou to Zhixing, and Wuyin to Bumu; Jimao corresponds to Jiaoji, and Gengchen to Renzhuan. Thereafter the scripture continues to list the corresponding names according to the ganzhi.

“Er wu ba shi—the months of the four midpoints” is the subheading that follows. “The months of the four midpoints” (sizhong zhi yue) refers to the months that stand in the middle of the four seasons; the words “er wu ba shi” that precede this in the heading are retained as in the original. Under the heading are listed: Jiazi corresponds to Huoxing, Yichou to Hedao, Bingyin to Shagong, Dingmao to Zhixing, and Wuchen to Bumu.

The original text contains repetitions and what appear to be corruptions, for example “Xin Jisi,” “Jimao Jiaoji,” and “Guisi Heli,” as well as the repetition of certain ganzhi passages. Because no edition or commentary is available as a basis, the characters are not emended on one’s own authority. The principal form of the passage as a whole is a listing of names day by day.

This passage arranges the dates according to the ganzhi—the sixty day-recording symbols formed by combining the heavenly stems and earthly branches—and assigns each date a name, such as “Jiaosi,” “Renzhuan,” “Lizao,” “Yaoxing,” “Huoxing,” “Hedao,” “Shagong,” “Zhixing,” and “Bumu.” These names belong to the shushu (mantic numerical) classifications in the scripture. The original text does not explain their meanings, so the original names are retained here.

“Jisi Jiaosi, Gengwu Renzhuan…” means that the day Jisi corresponds to “Jiaosi,” the day Gengwu corresponds to “Renzhuan,” and the day Xinwei corresponds to “Lizao,” with the rest following in the same way. The text that follows likewise marks the corresponding name for each day according to the order of the ganzhi.

“San liu jiu shi’er, siji zhi yue” should refer to the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth months of the lunar calendar, the months in which the four seasons alternate, after which the passage lists the table of correspondences between ganzhi and names used for these months.

In the original, the sequence around “Jihai Yao, Renchen Hedao” does not connect smoothly with what precedes and follows it, and missing or miswritten characters may be suspected. The items that follow can still be read, according to the original, as correspondences between ganzhi and names.

“Jichou, Yaoxing; Jimao, Lizao…” Each of the sets of gan-zhi (heavenly stems and earthly branches) that follow corresponds to a star name known as Yaoxing (Demon Star), Lizao, Hedao, Shagong, Zhixing, Bumu, Jiaosi, Renzhuan, or Huoxing. The original text lists, in order, how these stems and branches match those star names.

If on these star-days one breaks ground and builds, marries, moves house, offers sacrifice, takes up residence, or opens a shop, the original holds that—whatever the scale of the matter—calamity may be drawn in within a year, a condition called Xuanwu fu ru zhai (the Dark Warrior talisman entering the dwelling). The misfortunes named include accidents befalling family members, lawsuits, theft, imprisonment, drowning, or death from abdominal illness; land and family property may also decline, the eldest son may come to harm, and there may even be a death in the household. The text further says that disaster may strike on the very day: someone may fall into the water, or quarrels and gossip may arrive from the east or the south.

Here a “star-day” means a day marked by a stem-and-branch pair together with a star name. Matters such as entering a dwelling belong to zeri (the choosing of days) and to popular ideas of rangbi (rites of warding off and avoidance). The original is stating the inauspicious omens in which it believes.

If, in choosing a day, one meets with “the Vermilion Bird entering the residence” (Zhuque ruzhai)—the inauspicious sign of the Vermilion Bird star standing over the house—it brings great calamities such as fire and theft. Within a year one is easily deceived by others, and property is liable to be seized. Should a wedding, a move, the assumption of office, the opening of a shop, or the building of a house be carried out on this day, the family fortune may decline within the year, livestock may be injured or die, and the children may come to nothing. The women of the household may also fall into licentiousness, or suffer ruin through some unforeseen turn of events. The original phrase “xian zhu yin ren” is unclear in meaning. It is further said that within sixty days there may be dysentery and a death in the family—greatly inauspicious. On the day itself there may also be quarrels, and women or young children may meet with disaster, with further misfortune to follow. This day is suitable only for burial; for any other matter it should not be chosen.

Hedao

If, in choosing a day, one meets with “the White Tiger entering the residence” (Baihu ruzhai)—the inauspicious sign of the White Tiger star standing over the house—then in less than a year someone in the household may suffer harm for no clear reason, which is greatly inauspicious. Whether one assumes office, undertakes works, builds a house, marries, moves, buries the dead, or opens a shop, within less than a year someone in the family may fall ill or meet with bereavement, and there may also be injury by tigers, casualties, or the calamity of arms. When baleful stars offend, nothing is favorable. Even a household that has accumulated hidden merit may encounter a disaster of bloodshed, the misfortune falling upon the servants.

Shagong

If, in choosing a day, one meets with “the Azure Dragon and Heavenly Virtue token entering the residence” (Qinglong Tiande fu ruzhai)—the auspicious sign of the Azure Dragon together with the auspicious star Heavenly Virtue standing over the house—then in building a house, marrying, opening a shop, moving, assuming office, or building a bridge, benefit may come within three years. Those who hold office may be promoted; those without office may gain more fields and see the family prosper, and a noble son may be born. After three years the household may obtain wealth and grain in abundance, with fathers kind and sons filial, servants numerous, and every matter joyful. When auspicious stars shine upon the house, construction great or small need not be avoided; if Buddhist monks or Daoist priests use this day, it is likewise auspicious.

Zhixing

If this star is chosen as the time to begin work, the occasion is called “the Golden Cabinet Talisman Entering the Residence” (Jingui fu ruzhai). When this star is encountered, in all matters of breaking ground and building, taking up or assuming office, marriage, opening a business, or constructing a yin residence (a grave), there will be great joy within three years. Those who hold office will be promoted; those without office will find everything going smoothly; cattle and horses will flourish, and the household will be numerous. Sometimes as many as seventy-two people may share wealth, rank, and splendor, and the indication is unexpected wealth gained in that year. If one meets the “Golden Spirit Seven Killers” (Jinshen qisha), a star-spirit regarded as an inauspicious killer, an ominous sign will appear within half a year, at about three times seven days—twenty-one days. Within five months the indication is loss of property and involvement in a lawsuit. For monks and Daoist priests, however, all undertakings are auspicious.

Bumu

If this star is chosen as the time to begin work, the occasion is called “the Black Path Talisman Entering the Residence” (Heidao fu ruzhai). When this star is encountered, within one year there will be the calamity of “chu feng tuo and entanglement in official affairs.” The meaning of the original phrase “chu feng tuo” is unclear. For monks and Daoist priests, however, all undertakings are auspicious.

Bumu

If this star is chosen as the time to begin work, the occasion is called “the Black Path Talisman Entering the Residence.” When this star is encountered, within one year an evil reputation will spread, vicious people will be drawn in, and one will suffer punishment and disaster. If one undertakes construction, marriage, burial, moving house, opening a storehouse or shop, or if monks and Daoists enter a cloister, or if buildings are added or repaired, within two years there will be great alarm, and one may meet bereavement, disasters of water and fire, and lawsuits. Descendants will be at odds and brothers will lose harmony; there will also be thieves, fright, and depletion. Livestock will not flourish, and all affairs will decline—greatly inauspicious within seven years. If the head of the household is protected by blessed virtue, people and property will still not be at peace, yet one may worship the worthy sages and pray for protection.

Jiaoji

This star is named “Great Yin Entering the Residence” (Taiyin ruzhai). Encountering it is not auspicious. In matters of marriage, moving house, taking up a post, changing the household gateway, burial, and the like, within three years one may suffer illness and abdominal pain, and meet beating with staves, snakebite, thieves, and disasters of water and fire; family property will also decline and scatter. If the head of the household is protected by blessed virtue, one will meet only verbal disputes. The original phrase “death has inauspicious stars and evil affairs” is unclear; it seems to mean that, as regards death, inauspicious stars and evil affairs still remain.

Renzhuan

This star is named “the Six Yin Golden Hall Talisman Entering the Residence” (Liuyin jintang fu ruzhai). If it is encountered, the original text continues: “If the head of the household is supported by blessed virtue, one will see only verbal disputes; death has inauspicious stars and evil affairs.” The wording here seems to have omissions. The sense is roughly that, under the protection of blessed virtue, there are only verbal disputes, yet an ominous indication concerning death is still mentioned.

Renzhuan

This star is called “Six-Yin Golden Hall Talisman Enters the Residence.” If one meets this star, there is hope of bearing a noble son within the year. All undertakings such as building, marriage, burial, opening a business, moving, taking up an official post, moving into a residence, altering doorways, or extending a house are said to bring good fortune within three years: those who already hold office will be promoted; those without office will see their affairs go smoothly and joy arise in the household, while grain and wealth increase greatly. One may also receive help from outsiders, and auspicious events will follow one after another. Buddhist monks and Daoist priests who use this day will likewise find it auspicious.

Lizao

This star is called “Gouchen Talisman Enters the Residence.” If one meets this star, building, marriage, burial, opening a business, taking up a post, construction, and the like are all said to be inauspicious. If one acts within that year, the household may lose members and its fortunes decline; nothing goes smoothly, and the residence may even come to ruin. Cutting timber, stacking lumber, raising the ridgebeam, building a boat, or arranging a voyage may bring craftsmen injury from knives and axes and the calamity of bloodshed. If a woman assists in the matter, quarrels and disputes may also arise, making affairs still less favorable.

The Golden Talisman Scripture (Jinfu Jing) is an essential teaching secretly transmitted by the sages, and it differs from other books of day selection. It is also called the Scripture for Relieving Suffering or the Scripture of the Treasures of the Dwelling. It is an efficacious and extraordinary scripture (Jing) and should not be transmitted to the foolish.

Master Zhuge’s Myriad-Year Chart of Setting Out

Tradition holds that Master Zhuge of Nanyang compiled a Myriad-Year Chart of Setting Out, which has come down to later ages. This book differs from other day-selection manuals and is also called the Scripture for Relieving Suffering or the Scripture of the Treasures of the Dwelling. It sets out methods for choosing days for opening channels and releasing water, erecting pillars and raising the ridgebeam, welcoming a bride, receiving money and goods, the rite of asking the name, installing stone blocks and milling tools, building a house, burial, and other matters, so that people may select auspicious days and avoid inauspicious ones.

If one meets an inauspicious hour, even the presence of another auspicious day will not take effect; one should therefore not act, and it is best to avoid it. In choosing an auspicious hour, one must also avoid the baleful influences within a range of one hundred and twenty paces; used in this way, the choice is held to be greatly auspicious. The book divides the hours into three grades—upper, middle, and lower—which cycle in succession; hours are then selected according to the month and the day, and good or ill fortune may be judged on that basis.

Chart of the Auspicious and Inauspicious Governed by the General of the Upper Prime

The chart of auspicious and inauspicious matters governed by the General of the Upper Prime is set out for the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth months.

Diagram of the Four Meng (a chart for judging the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of travel by the four Meng months, the opening months of the four seasons)

Traveling on a Shunyang (Compliant Yang) day, the road is open and unobstructed. If a lawsuit arises, one will have right on one’s side, and one will not meet thieves. Seeking wealth goes smoothly, one may meet good people, and on going out one may even come upon wine and food. Travel on this day is greatly auspicious.

Traveling on a Tangfang (Hall Chamber) day, the spirits of the household are not present. Seeking wealth goes smoothly, and one may also meet good people. This day is suitable for travel and is greatly auspicious.

Traveling on a Jinku (Metal Treasury) day, carriages and horses do not move smoothly, and mishaps easily occur. One will meet thieves on the road, and seeking wealth is unlikely to bring any gain. This day is greatly inauspicious.

In the scripture, the statements on the fortune of “travel on a Jintang (Metal Hall) day” are repetitive and contradictory. The earlier passage says that travel is auspicious, that a lawsuit finds one in the right, and that seeking wealth goes smoothly, yet it also says that mishaps easily occur, that one meets thieves, that seeking wealth yields nothing, and it judges the day greatly inauspicious. The later passage says that travel proceeds smoothly, that a lawsuit finds one in the right, that seeking wealth goes smoothly, that the day is fit for use, and that it counts as auspicious.

Travel on a Zeidao (Thief and Robber) day is unfavorable. What one seeks is hard to realize, and calamity will come upon one’s person; the only proper course is to avoid this day. Nothing should be undertaken on it. The original wording, “the person concerned will surely perish, and willow-locks will come upon the body,” is suspected of textual corruption and is read here according to its ominous sense.

Traveling on a Baocang (Treasure Granary) day, one will win the favor of elders or persons of eminence. All affairs go smoothly, seeking wealth accords with one’s wishes, and one may return home in splendor. One may travel on this day; all matters are auspicious.

Diagram of Auspiciousness and Inauspiciousness under the Charge of the Zhongyuan General

The months under the charge of the Zhongyuan General (General of the Middle Origin) are the second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh months.

Diagram of the Four Zhong (a chart for judging the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of travel by the four Zhong months, the middle months of the four seasons)

Traveling on a Tiandao (Heavenly Thief) day, seeking wealth is hard to accomplish, and one will also draw gossip and disputes upon oneself. This day is greatly inauspicious and unsuitable for travel.

Traveling on a Tianmen (Heavenly Gate) day, all affairs go as one wishes and the parties are in harmony, and one’s destination is readily reached. This day is suitable for travel and is greatly auspicious.

Traveling on a Tiantang (Heavenly Hall) day, whatever one seeks can be realized and all goes as one wishes. Buying and selling proceed smoothly, and one will also receive help from persons of eminence. This day is greatly auspicious.

Traveling on a Tiancai (Heavenly Wealth) day, seeking wealth brings wealth, and one may also meet good people. All affairs are fit to be undertaken; all are auspicious.

When one sets out on a “Heavenly Thief Day” (tianzei ri), it is easy to lose money and misplace things; in a lawsuit or an audience with an official it is also hard to make one’s case clearly, and nothing one undertakes goes smoothly. This day is greatly inauspicious.

When one sets out on a “Heavenly Yang Day” (tianyang ri), seeking wealth readily brings a return, marriage is harmonious, and all affairs turn out as one wishes. This day is auspicious.

When one sets out on a “Heavenly Monkey Day” (tianhou ri), the auspicious is scant and the inauspicious abundant; quarrels easily arise, and one may also meet with bloodshed or injury. It is unsuitable to discuss a marriage or to marry on this day. Here the original repeats a passage on the “Heavenly Monkey Day,” and at the end states that this day should not be used.

When one sets out on a “Heavenly Granary Day” (tiancang ri), what is sought is easily obtained, and seeking wealth is advantageous; if there is official business, one may also encounter happy events. This day is very auspicious.

Diagram of the Auspicious and Inauspicious under the Charge of the Lower Prime General

It applies to the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth months of the lunar calendar.

Diagram of the Four Midpoints

When one sets out on a “Vermilion Bird Day” (Zhuque ri), one will in most cases lose money; seeking wealth seldom yields a return, and if one meets with official business it is likewise hard to make one’s case clearly. This day is greatly inauspicious.

When one sets out on a “White Tiger Head Day” (Baihu tou ri), it suits a long journey; seeking wealth goes smoothly, and the place one is bound for is also easy of access. This day is greatly auspicious.

When one sets out on a “White Tiger Flank Day” (Baihu xie ri), seeking wealth goes as one wishes; one may proceed toward either east or west, and north and south are likewise safe. This day is auspicious.

When one sets out on a “White Tiger Foot Day” (Baihu zu ri), seeking wealth is unfavorable, a long journey is unsuitable, and affairs are hard to accomplish. This day should not be used. In the original this entry is repeated once.

When one sets out on a “Dark Warrior Day” (Xuanwu ri), disputes of word easily arise and undertakings do not go smoothly. This day must not be used. The original inserts wording such as “the west at will; north and south at peace,” which does not connect in sense with what comes before or after; it may be a disordered slip or a mixture introduced in copying, and so no definite reading is given. The same passage then appears again in repetition.

When one sets out on an “Azure Dragon Head Day” (Qinglong tou ri), seeking wealth is advantageous. In general, if the day of departure falls in the mao double-hour after the cock’s crow (roughly five to seven in the morning), that hour is auspicious.

When one sets out on an “Azure Dragon Face Day” (Qinglong lian ri), seeking wealth proceeds smoothly and all affairs turn out as one wishes. This day is auspicious.

When one sets out on an “Azure Dragon Foot Day” (Qinglong zu ri), seeking wealth is unfavorable, and if one meets with official business it is also hard to make one’s case clearly. This day should not be used.

Year-by-Year Directions Occupied by the Nine Auspicious Stems

This is the heading for what follows, meaning the directions occupied by the “Nine Auspicious Stems” (jiuliang gan) as reckoned according to the year.

In the heavens there is an inauspicious star called Jiuliang (“Nine Good”). In the years of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei, it comes to rest upon the monks’ hall, the place where monks live or cultivate themselves.

City God temples, dedicated to the City God, and she temples, where the earth god and other local deities are sacrificed to, are likewise affected. The text holds that starting construction in these places will bring great ruin, and may even lead to successive deaths within the household.

In the years of Yin and Shen, Jiuliang comes to gates, wells, and the area of bridges and roads. In the years of Zi and Wu, it draws near the kitchen and the so-called “Ao quarter,” a direction named in the original whose precise meaning is unclear. The years of Mao and You each carry corresponding taboos as well. In the years of Mao and You, Jiuliang comes to Daoist abbeys; if one builds then, the text says disaster will break out at once. In the years of Si and Hai, Jiuliang gathers in a single place, so that anyone traveling by boat must above all refrain from building or repairing vessels.

The text warns people not to take this shensha lightly—a stellar spirit which, in the divinatory arts, is said to bring auspicious or inauspicious effects—or else many members of the household may die.

The sequence of the Five Phases (Wuxing) is Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal.

The sequence of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) is Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui.

The Heavenly Stems are Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. Of these, Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, and Ren are yang stems, while Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, and Gui are yin stems.

The Earthly Branches are Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Of these, Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Jia, and Xu are given as yang branches, while Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai are yin branches. The “Jia” in the yang-branch list does not agree with the usual sequence of the Earthly Branches and is retained here as in the original.

The hours of the Heavenly Official nobleman are as follows. The days Jia and Wu correspond to the hours of Chou and Wei; the days Yi and Si correspond to the hours of Zi and Shen; the days Bing and Ding correspond to the hours of Hai and You; the days Geng and Xin correspond to the hours of Wu and Yin; and the days Ren and Gui correspond to the hours of Mao and Si.

For the hours of the Literary Star nobleman, the original mnemonic says that Jia corresponds to You, “the golden rooster,” and Yi to Shen, “the monkey”; Bing is paired with “the rat,” and Ding corresponds to Hai; Ji corresponds to Yin, and Wu to Chou; Geng corresponds to Wu, and both Xin and Gui correspond to Si. The mnemonic further says that Ren corresponds to Chen, “riding the dragon’s back,” a sign of good fortune. The original wording is repetitive and disordered, and the above is set out only from what can be made out of the mnemonic.

The auspicious times of Fusheng are these: the first month corresponds to the day You (“two rabbits”), and the second month to the day Mao; the third month corresponds to the day Xu, and the fourth month to the day Chen. The text that follows does not give the remaining months.

In the fifth month, Hu and Cai come onto the field to eat vegetables, while six snakes and seven mice walk along the road. Eighth Brother rides a horse along the road, and nine oxen and ten sheep are suitable for boiling into a thick soup. Eleven tiger cubs pass by the foot of the mountain, and twelve monkeys enter a deep pit.

Auspicious Times of Heavenly Virtue (Tiande liangchen; a mnemonic for determining auspicious days and auspicious directions according to the month and the orientation). In the first month one takes the Ding position; in the second month, the Ren position; in the third month, the Xin position; and in the fourth month, the Xin position as well. In the fifth month one takes the Qian position, and in the sixth month the Jia position. In the seventh month one takes the Gui position, and in the eighth month the Gen position. In the ninth month one takes the Bing position, and in the tenth month the Yi position. In the eleventh month one takes the Xun position, and in the twelfth month the Geng position.

Auspicious Times of Monthly Virtue (Yuede liangchen; a mnemonic for determining the direction of Monthly Virtue according to the month). Bing, Jia, Ren, and Geng rotate in the order of the first, second, third, and fourth months.

The Direction of the Earth Official’s Talisman, Year by Year (a mnemonic for determining, according to the year, the direction in which the Earth Official’s talisman, Diguan fu, is located). In a Zi year it lies in the Chen direction; in a Chou year, in the Si direction. In a Yin year it lies in the Wu direction; in a Mao year, in the Wei direction. In a Chen year it lies in the Shen direction; in a Si year, in the You direction. In a Wu year it lies in the Xu direction; in a Wei year, in the Hai direction. In a Shen year it lies in the Zi direction; in a You year, in the Chou direction. In a Xu year it lies in the Yin direction; in a Hai year, in the Mao direction.

A Model for Beginning the Yellow Path (a mnemonic for calculating the auspicious days of the Yellow Path, Huangdao). “When will the distant road become passable, and on what day will the long journey lead back home?” is the formula used when starting the count. The first and seventh months begin from the Zi position; the second and eighth months from the Yin position; the third and ninth months from the Chen position; the fourth and tenth months from the Wu position; the fifth and eleventh months from the Shen position; and the sixth and twelfth months from the Xu position.