Great Master Yuan Hai Zi Ping

Author: Song Xusheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-03
Features: Yuanhai Ziping is one of the in the art category of the Forbidden City Rare Books Collection. The original book is stored in the Forbidden City. Ancient Chinese destiny arts were to have originated with the ancient strategist Guigulun; what can be verified started with Li Xuzhong in the Tang Dynasty. once wrote a epitaph for him, describing how Li Xuzhong "considered the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of a person's birth year, month, day, and time to deduce their life span, status, fortune, and misfortune, and always accurately predicted outcomes without fail." By , the system of discussing destiny was first established based on the four pillars (year, month, day, and time), commonly known as "" (each pillar is two characters, totaling eight). Thus, this art is also called .
Yuanhai Ziping was compiled by Yang Cheng during the 27th year of the Jiajing era (1548 AD) in the Ming Dynasty, supplemented by the eunuch Li Qin, but the original author is not signed. Regarding Li Xuzhong's Destiny Book, the Tang Yiwen Zhi (Records of the Library of the Tang Dynasty) does not list this title. The Song Yiwen Zhi first mentions Li Xuzhong's Destiny and Structure in Two Volumes. Although it circulated afterward, it was fragmented and incomplete. Only the Yongle Dadian (Yongle Encyclopedia) and the Siku Quanshu (Complete Collection of the Four Treasuries in the Art of Calculation Category) are relatively complete.
As for its content, the preface in the Siku Quanshu states: "After thoroughly reviewing the book's principles, it primarily discusses the Sixty Jiazi cycles but does not mention the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of birth time. Its method aligns with the approach described in's epitaph for Li Xuzhong, which focuses on the birth year, month, and day, and later emphasizes the four pillars. This concept actually originated in the Song Dynasty, which contradicts the earlier description. Additionally, many official titles in the text suggest it was influenced by the Song Dynasty, and it is clear that many parts did not originate from Li Xuzhong."
From this, we can see that before Li Xuzhong in the Tang Dynasty, destiny discussions were based on the Five Elements or focused on the year. Li Xuzhong, however, combined the year, month, and day for analysis. It was not until that the four pillars were used to discuss destiny, giving rise to . Compared to Li Xuzhong's method, is indeed far superior. Its key features are threefold:
1. Prioritizing the (day pillar) while combining it with the four pillars, which enhances the accuracy of calculations.
2. Emphasizing the primary deity () from the outset. For example, the principle "Using it as an official does not harm, using it as wealth cannot be taken" is exceptionally profound.
3. Establishing a structured framework and clarifying the roles of family members (), making each analysis distinct.
With these elements, the entire destiny calculation process forms a highly refined and comprehensive theoretical system.