Sanming Tonghui, Volume 12: Classical Rhapsodies, Treatises, and Verse Compendiums

[The 'Rhapsody on Original Principles' (元理賦) is attributed to Xu Dasheng (徐大升) with commentary by Wan Minying. It opens with a systematic statement of five-phase interaction dynamics before proceeding to practical Bazi principles:] 'The Prime Qi generates the five phases, unifies the Three Powers, encompasses all things. It unfolds the marvelous workings of Heaven and Earth, dissects the pivot mechanism of yin and yang.' The five-phase interaction rules: 'Metal relies on earth for birth, but too much earth buries metal. Earth relies on fire for birth, but too much fire scorches earth. Fire relies on wood for birth, but too much wood makes fire blaze wildly. Wood relies on water for birth, but too much water sets wood adrift. Water relies on metal for birth, but too much metal muddies water.' The conquest cycle with qualifications: 'Metal can conquer wood, but hard wood notches metal. Wood can conquer earth, but heavy earth snaps wood. Earth can conquer water, but much water washes earth away. Water can conquer fire, but blazing fire heats water. Fire can conquer metal, but much metal extinguishes fire.' The principle of moderation through conquest: 'Strong metal gets water to blunt its edge. Strong water gets wood to drain its force. Strong wood gets fire to transform its stubbornness. Strong fire gets earth to stop its flames. Strong earth gets metal to control its harm.' On the Killer-Blade relationship: 'Killer without Blade lacks authority; Blade without Killer lacks distinction. Killer-Blade both displayed and balanced -- authority shakes Heaven and Earth.' Practical rules follow: the conditions under which abandoning the Seal for Wealth is correct (distinguish proper from partial); when abandoning the self to follow the Killer is appropriate (distinguish yin from yang rigidity); the Food-Killer-Owl triangle and its consequences; gendered chart analysis for marriage; the critical importance of wealth and official stars for overall fortune. [The rhapsody was written by Xu Dasheng to supplement what he saw as gaps in the Xiji Pian and Jishan Pian.]

[The 'Rhapsody of True Treasures' (真寶賦) is attributed to Wan Qi (萬騏), the Ming dynasty Minister of War, with commentary by Wan Minying. It is the most detailed format-by-format analysis in the entire Sanming Tonghui, treating each standard and special format with specific chart examples:] Proper Official format: 'Official star bearing the Blade without damage -- commands the great authority of military justice. Wealth and Seal mutually supporting without clash -- ascends to the nobility of the three ducal ministers.' Seven Killer format: 'Wealth funding the Seven Killer, with authority pressing down alone on ten thousand men. If Seal additionally supports, one is certain to hold the highest office.' Injury Official format: 'Injury Official meeting the Robbery Blade -- joins generalship with ministry in a brilliant age. If Seal additionally supports, one ascends the Dragon Gate in early years.' Special formats treated include: Six Yin Courts the Sun, Six Yi Rat Noble, Zi-Chou Reaching Si, Day Salary Returning to Hour, Railing-Fork, Flying Salary, Inverted Clash, the Five-Phase Special Formats (Crooked-Straight, Blazing-Up, Following-Revolution, Moistening-Down), Cloud-Dragon Wind-Tiger, One Qi Generating in Sequence, Gold Spirit with Blade, and Father-Transmitting-Son's-Way. Historical examples cited include: Wang Yangming (new-establishment marquis), Hu Zongxian (provincial military governor), Wu Yue (Minister), Tan Lun (Minister), Yao Lai (top-ranked jinshi), Li Bangzhen (censor), and numerous others whose charts are matched to specific format configurations. [The Zhenbao Fu represents Wan Minying's own school of analysis, emphasizing the practical combination of Seven Killer, Blade, Injury Official, and Food Spirit formats for military and administrative careers -- reflecting his own background as a Ming official.]

[The 'Rhapsody of Golden Sound and Jade Vibration' (金聲玉振賦) is attributed to the 'Void-Dwelling Daoist' (玄虛道人) with commentary by Wan Minying. Its title alludes to the Mencius passage describing Confucius as one who 'collected the golden sound and the jade vibration' -- unifying all preceding wisdom:] 'Receiving fate is never the same, like receiving bodily form. Measuring principle is hard to master, harder than measuring the sea.' The rhapsody organizes chart analysis into eight fundamental categories: following-type (從), transforming-type (化), illuminating-type (照), concealing-type (伏), arching-type (拱), reaching-type (遙), bright formats (明), and dark formats (暗). It then treats specific configurations: 'Mandarin ducks with wings aligned see rivers and lakes -- life's aspirations are certainly fulfilled' -- when the four pillars form paired combinations (stem-to-stem, branch-to-branch) with water elements present. 'Mining refined gold from green sand and yellow desert; distinguishing sharp blades from knotted roots and coiling trunks' -- matching nayin elements (Sand-Middle Gold at Jia-Wu/Yi-Wei) with branch configurations. On the relative value of relationships: 'What I generate is not as secure as what generates me. What conquers me is not as illustrious as what I conquer.' This establishes that Seal (印, what generates me) is more reliable than Food Spirit/Injury Official (what I generate), and that using Wealth (what I conquer) is preferable to being used by Official/Killer (what conquers me). Advanced configurations: the Already-Crossed (既濟) and Not-Yet-Crossed (未濟) patterns; the Three Proper and Three Partial hidden within the Si branch; the conditions under which apparently conflicting elements (heavy Blade with light Official, tired Horse with broken Seal) produce specific vocational outcomes. [The rhapsody concludes with a statement of its purpose: 'Displaying the subtle, illuminating the hidden, respecting the departed sages, extending by analogy and inference -- this is left to those who come after.']

[Volume 12 contains four shorter rhapsodies that address specialized topics:] 'The Golden Tripod's Secret Rhapsody' (金鼎神秘賦, authored by Wan Minying himself): A comprehensive survey covering chart analysis for officials, soldiers, merchants, artisans, and monks/Daoists. Each social role is associated with specific chart configurations: officials require clash-and-control patterns with some noble elements; soldiers need similar patterns but with heavier Killer emphasis; merchants need the Courier Horse in clash with wealth stars and the self traveling toward the wealth direction; artisans have refined but damaged formats; monks and Daoists have charts dominated by emptiness, solitude stars, and Flower Canopy. The rhapsody also treats family relationships (parents, spouse, children, siblings) through the five-phase relationship system. 'The Continuous Thread Rhapsody' (絡繹賦): A concise survey of chart analysis organized by the day-stem's encounter with each branch position, covering official career, wealth, personality, health, and family matters. Notable for its systematic treatment of stem-branch interaction at each position. 'The Gold and Jade Rhapsody' (金玉賦): Focuses on the practical assessment of wealth and official stars, with emphasis on their 'direction and weight' (向背輕重). Treats the relationship between year (root), month (sprout), day (management), and hour (fruit) in determining the timing of fortune across a lifetime. 'The Heart Mirror Five-Seven Rhapsody' (心鏡五七賦): Written in alternating five-character and seven-character verse lines (hence the name), this is a quick-reference mnemonic covering noble-person stars, salary positions, monk/Daoist indicators, criminal indicators, marriage timing, and cycle analysis. Its verse format made it the most easily memorized of the rhapsodies.

[Volume 12 preserves five classical treatises (論) from various pre-Ming authors, each offering a distinctive perspective on Bazi analysis:] 'Creating the Subtle' (造微論): Organized around the metaphor of the four pillars as root, sprout, management, and fruit. Treats the relationship between format clarity and life outcomes: 'Format clear and position correct -- one becomes a minister of the terrace pavilion. Seal vigorous and official generating -- one certainly holds the authority of the balance and scales.' Emphasizes that the five phases must be evenly distributed (勻配) and balanced (均調) for optimal results. 'Mirror of Men' (人鑒論): A 'human assessment' manual that pairs chart configurations with historical exemplars: Yiyin's ministerial position, Fushuo's rise as chancellor, Jia Yi's exile to Changsha, Taigong's late success at the Wei River, Yan Hui's poverty, and Sima Qian's castration. Each historical case is matched to a specific chart pattern to demonstrate the predictive system's accuracy. 'Original Mystery' (元妙論, also known as the Biyuan Fu 碧淵賦 and Qianli Ma 千里馬): The most comprehensive treatise, covering seasonal variations for each element, the conditions for examination success, format-specific cycle requirements, and vocational destiny. Contains the famous rule: 'Have illness to be noble; without wound there is nothing remarkable' -- the principle that the best charts contain a 'flaw' (病) whose resolution by another element creates the dynamic tension that produces achievement. 'Essential Subtlety' (精微論): Focuses on the six primary formats with emphasis on practical assessment: 'Meeting official, examine wealth -- encountering wealth brings riches and honor. Meeting killer, examine seal -- encountering seal brings glory.' Treats the paradox of apparent weakness becoming strength (using-Killer-as-authority, abandoning-fate-to-follow-wealth) with particular attention to the conditions that distinguish genuine transformation from false. 'Startling the Spirits' (驚神論): A rapid-fire compilation of diagnostic rules covering longevity, family relationships, vocational destiny, criminal liability, and health. Notable for its blunt assessments: 'Kuigang with Killer-Blade -- men of the military ranks. Xiangchi meeting vigorous-with-Blade -- through lust one loses one's life.'

[The 'Bone Marrow Song' (骨髓歌, attributed to Master Mingjin 明津先生) and the 'Marrow-Searching Song' (搜髓歌) are two extended verse compositions that serve as practical diagnostic manuals for determining the timing and nature of major life events:] 'The Bone Marrow Song': Focuses on determining longevity and the timing of death through cycle analysis. 'Want to know the five phases' life and death formula? / It is not easily told to ordinary men. / Five-star methods rely on the period limit for evidence; / Ziping methods decide solely within the cycle.' The song provides detailed rules for each format's vulnerability: 'Official star fears the Seven Killer cycle; Partial Official especially dreads the Proper Official arriving.' It then treats cycle-year interactions for each branch position, establishing which annual stem-branch combinations trigger crises within each major cycle. The song concludes: 'This is the thousand-gold secret never transmitted. / I have written these tracks to help the world; / practitioners must not rashly make light of this.' 'The Marrow-Searching Song': A comprehensive verse manual covering chart assessment from beginning to end. 'Creation's work must first examine the day-master; / then take the monthly command to rank the order. / The four pillars focus solely on wealth and official; / self vigorous with wealth and official brings great riches and honor.' The song treats day-branch seat analysis for each of the sixty stem-branch combinations, identifying which are 'beautiful' (carrying hidden wealth and official), which are 'empty' (lacking useful hidden elements), and which are 'dangerous' (carrying hidden killers or clashes). A notable section addresses women's charts through the lens of specific day-pillar combinations.

[The 'Four-Character Solo Steps' (四言獨步) and 'Five-Character Solo Steps' (五言獨步) are the final texts of the Sanming Tonghui, consisting of mnemonic verses in four-character and five-character lines respectively. They serve as the ultimate quick-reference summary of the entire Bazi system:] 'Four-Character Solo Steps': 'Where is the prior heaven? / Where is the later heaven? / Know the place of coming, / then know the place of going.' Opens with the cosmological framework, then proceeds through format-by-format rules in compressed form: 'Day Salary at the Hour, / Azure Cloud finds the Path. / Geng day at Shen hour, / transparent wealth returns to salary.' Each major format receives a four-character distillation: Gold Spirit with Killer, Ren Riding Dragon-Back, Arching Salary and Arching Noble, the five-phase transformations, and cycle-analysis principles. Stem-specific rules occupy the bulk: 'Jia-Yi born in autumn / gold much, cycle auspicious. / Not suitable to see killer again; / fire territory gets provisions.' Each of the ten stems receives multiple verses covering seasonal variations, favorable and unfavorable cycle directions, and specific day-branch configurations. 'Five-Character Solo Steps': 'Have illness, then you are noble; / no wound means nothing remarkable. / If the format removes the illness, / wealth and salary joyfully follow.' Opens with the 'illness and medicine' principle, then covers each format's essential requirements. Seasonal rules: 'Earth thick often meeting fire, / returning metal vigorous meets autumn. / Winter's water and wood flooding -- / fame and profit all empty floating.' Format-specific mnemonics and cycle-direction rules follow in rapid succession. [These two texts, positioned at the very end of the Sanming Tonghui, were designed as the last thing a student would memorize -- a portable summary of the entire twelve-volume work that could be carried in the mind and consulted without books.]