《滴天髓阐微》 The Canon of Heavenly Essence
"同邑王姓造。俗以身强杀浅论,取庚金为用,谓春木逢金,必作栋梁之器,劝其读书必发;至三旬外,不但读书未售,而且家业渐销,嘱余推之。"
The horoscope (造, zào) of a certain Wang from the same city. Conventional interpreters, following the principle of "strong body (身强, shēn qiáng) and weak killer (杀浅, shā qiǎn)," selected 庚金 (gēng jīn, Metal) as his "helper deity" (用神, yòng shén). They argued that spring wood (春木, chūn mù), when encountering Metal, would inevitably become "material for beams" (栋梁之器, dòngliáng zhī qì), insisting that if he pursued education, he would surely achieve success. Yet by the age of thirty, not only had he failed academically, but his family’s prosperity had gradually dwindled. He then asked me to analyze his chart.
"观其支坐两寅,乘权当令,干透两壬,生助旺神,年支之辰土,乃水之库,木之余气,能蓄水养木,不能生金,一点庚金,休囚已极,且午火敌之,壬水泄之,不惟无用,反为生水之病。"
I observed that within his Earthly Branches reside two 寅 (yín, Tiger-Wood), positioned in 乘权当令 (chéng quán dāng lìng—dominant and in command). The Heavenly Stems reveal two 壬 (rén, Water), which nourish and amplify the dominant element. The annual branch 辰土 (chén tǔ, Dragon-Earth) acts as a 水之库 (shuǐ zhī kù—reservoir for Water) and retains 木之余气 (mù zhī yúqì—residual Wood energy). While it can accumulate Water and sustain Wood, it cannot generate Metal.
The solitary 庚金 (gēng jīn, Yang Metal) exists in a state of 休囚已极 (xiū qiú yǐ jí—extreme weakness and decay). Further weakened by the opposition of 午火 (wǔ huǒ, Horse-Fire) and drained by 壬水 (rén shuǐ, Yang Water), this Metal not only proves futile but becomes a 病 (bìng—pathogenic factor), exacerbating Water’s disruptive influence.
"大凡旺之极者,宜泄而不宜克,宜顺其气势,弗悖其性也。以午火为用,将来至火地,虽不贵于名,定当富于利,可弃名就利,如再守芸窗,终身误矣。"
When an element becomes excessively strong (旺之极者, wàng zhī jí zhě), the proper approach is to weaken it (泄, xiè) rather than suppress it (克, kè). One must follow its innate energy (顺其气势, shùn qí qìshì), not oppose its nature. For this chart, 午火 (wǔ huǒ, Horse-Fire) should be chosen as the "helper deity" (用神, yòng shén). In future Fire phases (火地, huǒ dì), he may not achieve renown (贵于名, guì yú míng) but will undoubtedly attain wealth (富于利, fù yú lì). He must abandon the pursuit of prestige and focus on profit. If he persists in clinging to scholarly pursuits (守芸窗, shǒu yún chuāng), he will waste his life in vain.
He heeded the advice, abandoned scholarly ambitions (弃儒, qì rú), and turned to commerce. When the 丙午 (bǐng wǔ, Fire) phase arrived—utterly subduing the harmful 庚金 (庚金之病, gēng jīn zhī bìng)—he amassed over a hundred thousand in wealth (发财十余万, fācái shí yú wàn) in less than a decade. This conclusively proved that 庚金 (gēng jīn) had indeed acted as the pathogenic factor (病, bìng) in his chart.
"彼即弃儒就经营,至丙午运,克尽庚金之病,不满十年,发财十余万,则庚金为病明矣。"
He heeded the advice, abandoned scholarly ambitions (弃儒, qì rú), and turned to commerce. When the 丙午 (bǐng wǔ, Fire) phase arrived—utterly subduing the harmful 庚金 (庚金之病, gēng jīn zhī bìng)—he amassed over a hundred thousand in wealth (发财十余万, fācái shí yú wàn) in less than a decade. This conclusively proved that 庚金 (gēng jīn) had indeed acted as the pathogenic factor (病, bìng) in his chart.