Yuan Hai Zi Ping (Deep Ocean of Ziping)

In one line: The compendium of the Zi Ping BaZi school — the first systematic compilation of Xu Ziping's Four Pillars method, forming the foundation of later BaZi.

Background

Compiled by Xu Dasheng (徐大升) in the Song Dynasty, based on Xu Ziping's surviving methods. The character "Yuan Hai" (渊海, "deep sea") alludes to the content being as deep and vast as an abyss or sea — the founding classic of Zi Ping BaZi.

Xu Dasheng wrote in his preface: "Ziping's method takes the Day Stem as the master, the year as the root, the month as the seedling, the day as the flower, the hour as the fruit. By examining birth, flourishing, death, exhaustion, resting, imprisonment, restraining, and transformation, one determines a person's fortune and misfortune. This principle is inevitable — what further doubt is there?"

Book Structure (80+ Chapters)

5 Core Discussions (In-Depth Reading)

1. On the Day as Master (Core)

I once observed the Tang History's record: there was Li Xuzhong, who took the stems and branches of a person's birth year, month, day, and hour, and their generating and restraining, to discuss the nobility, poverty, longevity, and early death of one's fate — already detailed! As for the Song era, only then was there the Zi Ping theory; take the Day Stem as the master, the year as the root, the month as the seedling, the day as the flower, the hour as the fruit; by examining birth, flourishing, death, exhaustion, resting, imprisonment, restraining, and transformation, one determines a person's fortune and misfortune.

Four-Pillar Positioning:

• Year Pillar: root (ancestral foundation, childhood)
• Month Pillar: seedling (parents, youth)
• Day Pillar: flower (self, spouse)
• Hour Pillar: fruit (children, old age)

Ten Gods Five Categories:

Generally, nobility, poverty, longevity, and early death all come from these five:

1. Officer (split into yin/yang: Officer, Killings)
2. Wealth (split into yin/yang: Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth (Pian Cai))
3. Breath-qi (Seal, Reverse Food)
4. Stealing-qi (Food God, Hurting Officer)
5. Same-kind (Rob Wealth, Yang Blade)

2. On the Month Branch (Outline)

Take the Day as the master. First see what the Day is added to, or body strong? or body weak? Then see what Pattern the Earthly Branches have? The numbers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth; then see which of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth in the Month Branch is flourishing? Then see what year luck is flourishing? Then discuss in detail below the Day.

Three Steps of Discussing the Month Branch:

1. Month Branch is the outline — first look at the Month Branch's element
2. Flourishing, prospering, resting, imprisoned, dying — find the flourishing one
3. Combine to choose the Useful God — combine with the Day Master

3. Stem-Branch Forms (Ten Stems Verse)

Jia Wood

Jia Wood, the Heavenly Stem leads the rank, originally without branches or roots; To preserve a thousand years of heaven and earth, it must be buried in a fathom of sand and mud. Cut to form ridge-pole and beam, Metal's work; Carved into a great sword, Fire's success.

Yi Wood

Yi Wood's roots are planted deep, only suitable for the sunny side, not the shady; Floating and drifting most fears meeting Water too much, how can it bear bitter use of Metal to cut.

Bing Fire

Bing Fire, clearly one sun, originally established the great norm from the upright; Vast light does not only gaze a thousand miles, the great flame can still reach the eight wildernesses.

Ding Fire

Ding Fire's form is one candle lamp, when meeting the sun its light is seized; In its time it can cast a thousand catties of iron, when out of season it's hard to melt an inch of gold.

Geng Metal

Geng Metal, dull and stubborn by nature, when Fire shapes it successfully fears the watery land; Born in summer, southeast is over-refined; born in autumn, northwest also shines.

Xin Metal

Xin Metal, pearl and jade by nature, most loves warm yang and clear sand and water; Achievement comes not from Fire's refinement; support and nurture especially favor wet mud's birth.

Ren Water

Ren Water, vast as a hundred streams merging, flowing over the world without bound; Stems and branches gather much forming drifting, Fire and Earth meeting again dries the source.

4. On Direct Officer (80+ lines, Core)

The Direct Officer is the correct qi of heaven and earth, the origin of elegant qi, holding the power of giving and taking, carrying out the work of execution. It is the most powerful god in the pillar.

Seven Categories of Direct Officer Overview:

• Officer Star likes to be revealed; revealed it is lofty
• Officer Star likes to be flourishing; flourishing it is weighty
• Officer Star loves Wealth; Wealth to generate Officer
• Officer Star protects Seal; Seal to guard Officer
• Officer Star dislikes mixing; Killings must be distinguished
• Officer Star dislikes being hurt; Hurting Officer meets Officer brings a hundred misfortunes
• Officer Star dislikes clashing; clashing is unfavorable

5. On Yang Blade (With Favor/Aversion Section)

Yang Blade is where the Five Elements reach their extreme, flourishing without more flourishing, strong without more strong, not stubborn iron but rather fine gold.

Wu Wu · Wu Wu · Wu Wu · Jia Yin: This fate has both Blade and Killings, and uses Wu Fire as the Seal, hence noble. Therefore Xi Ji Pian says: "Wu day Wu month, do not treat as Blade; hour meets Jia Yin, instead treat as Seal."

Yang Blade Favor/Aversion:

• Favor: Authority Stars (Guan Sha) control (only with control is it noble)
• Avoid: no Officer or Killings (then it's inauspicious)
• Avoid: clash (clashing breaks the Pattern)

Shen Qu Eight Methods (Rare Pattern Overview)

Eight Methods of Shen Qu: shining, returning, ghost, hidden, dependent, attached, categorized, transforming.

Women's Eight Methods (Specialized on Women's Fate)

Reading a woman's fate is very different from a man's. Mr. Cao Tang Ding, the Jinshi, wrote the Yuan "Shen Qu Eight Methods" — shining, returning, ghost, hidden, dependent, attached, categorized, transforming; Women's Eight Methods focus purely on the Husband and Children stars.

Women's Eight Methods:

1. Husband Star in its place
2. Children Star in authority
3. Husband and Children both pure
4. Hurting Officer meets Officer
5. Authority Stars mixed
6. Peach Blossom with combination
7. Lonely Phoenix and Widowed Star
8. Rolling Peach Blossom

Lonely Phoenix Sha:

Wood Tiger widowed without a husband, Gold Pig how can have a husband; Red Yellow Horse lies alone, Black Mouse guards the empty room. Presiding over the woman's widowhood and the man's loneliness.

Stem-Branch Hidden Total Verse (24 Solar Terms Hidden-Stem Verse)

Lichun's 23rd day Bing Fire is used, the remaining days Jia Wood is the flourishing outline. Jingzhe Yi Wood is not yet in charge; Spring Equinox Yi Wei is exactly right. Qingming Yi Wood governs ten days, later eight days Gui Water floods; the first three days of Guyu Wu Earth is flourishing, the Wu Earth flourishing in it must be examined in detail. Lixia again hides Wu Earth to take; Xiaoman's afternoon Bing Fire's light. Mangzhong Ji Earth is just right, in the middle stops for seven days Earth is lofty; Summer Solstice Yin is born, Yang reaches its limit, Bing Ding Fire is flourishing with Earth stretching. Xiaoshu's ten days Ding Fire is flourishing, later three days Yi Wood is fragrant, Ji Earth three days' prestige flourishes; Dashu Ji Earth ten days is yellow. Liqiu's ten days Ren Water rises; Chushu's fifteen Geng Metal is good. Bailu's seven days Geng Metal is flourishing, eight days Xin alone moves alone. Hanlu's seven days Xin Metal governs, eight days Ding Fire again Water descends; Shuangjiang Ji Earth fifteen days, the mixed qi in it takes no hindrance. Lidong's seven days Gui Water is flourishing, Ren Water eight days is more busy; Xiaoxue's seven days Ren Water is urgent, eight days Jia Wood is fragrant again. Daxue's seven days Ren Water governs; Winter Solstice Gui Water is more rippling. Xiaohan's seven days Gui Water nurtures, eight days Xin Metal hides in the Ox store; Dahan's ten days Ji Earth wins, the skilled researcher examines in detail.

Practical application: Each solar term is 15 days; the first 7–10 days are governed by the previous stem, and the last few days are governed by the next stem.

6 Enduring Contributions

1. Established the Four Pillars method: year, month, day, hour pillars for fate deduction
2. Ten Gods system: clear distinction between direct and indirect, complete system
3. Shen Sha system: systematic auspicious and inauspicious Shen Sha
4. Pattern prototype: Direct Officer Pattern, Hurting Officer Pattern, Food God Pattern, Yang Blade Pattern, etc.
5. Women's Eight Methods: specialized patterns for women's fate
6. Verse compilation: Mind Mirror Verse, Hundred Chapters Verse, True Determination Theory, etc.

Relationship to Other Classics

Learning Path Recommendations

Step 1: Memorize the Stem-Branch Form Verses (10 Stems + 12 Branches)

This is the essence of Yuan Hai Zi Ping; 50% of the content is condensed in these 22 verses

Step 2: Master the Shen Qu Eight Methods

Understand dependent patterns, transforming patterns, hidden chanting and returning, and other rare patterns

Step 3: Carefully Read On Direct Officer

This is the 80+ line core chapter; grasp the seven categories of Direct Officer overview

Step 4: Reference the Six Relatives Volume

On Father/Mother/Siblings/Wife/Children; required reading for deducing six relatives

Step 5: Study Women's Eight Methods

Required reading for those specializing in women's fate consultations

Step 6: Practically Reference the Verses

Mind Mirror Verse, Inch-Gold Search-Marrow Theory, Favor and Aversion Section; practical reference book

Study Recommendations

• ✅ Best for: Understanding the history of BaZi development + practical reference
• ⚠️ Difficulty: ★★★★☆ (content is vast; selective reading required)
• 📖 Recommended edition: Ming-dynasty Yuan Hai Zi Ping corrected edition (the project's digital edition is included)
• 🎯 Learning path: Read as "historical material + reference book"; use Zi Ping Zhen Quan in practice

🔗 Related reading: Zi Ping Zhen Quan (Pattern School compendium) · San Ming Tong Hui (Case library) · Di Tian Sui (Qi-Li method)