Volume 3: Inauspicious & Special Structures · Chapter 39
On the Oblique Officer (Lun Pian Guan)
Shen Xiaozhan (Qing Dynasty)
The Killings, Put to Use
The killings attack the self, yet great structures keep them — like a champion who is hard to bridle but, handled well, does world-shaking work. Shen ranks control by the food god first, then works through the alternatives: the seal protecting the killings, the seal taken up when the body is too light to bear the food god, wealth used to clear the food and generate the killings, and wealth borrowed to clear a structure muddled by the killings turning into the seal. He finishes on the officer-killings mixture and how to clear it.
Classical Verse & Annotated Translation
Line-by-line alignment between Classical Chinese and precise English translation.
煞以攻身，似非美物，而大贵之格，多存七煞。盖控制得宜，煞为我用，如大英雄大豪杰，似难驾驭，而处之有方，则惊天动地之功，忽焉而就。此王侯将相所以多存七煞也。
Note: 【煞以攻身】七煞克身，本非美物；制之得宜则为我用。【大贵多存七煞】以英雄难驯为喻 —— 全章基调。
The killings attack the self and seem no fine thing, yet structures of great rank mostly keep the seven killings. When controlled properly the killings are put to my use, like a great hero or champion who seems hard to bridle but, handled with method, accomplishes world-shaking deeds in a moment. This is why kings, lords, generals and ministers so often keep the seven killings.
七煞之格局亦不一：煞用食制者，上也，煞旺食强而身健，极为贵格。如乙亥、乙酉、乙卯、丁丑，极等之贵也。
Note: 【煞用食制】七煞格的上格：煞旺、食强、身健三者兼备。【乙亥乙酉乙卯丁丑】即其例，极等之贵。
The killings structure also takes several forms. Killings controlled by the food god rank first: with killings prosperous, food strong and the body healthy it is a structure of the highest rank — yi hai, yi you, yi mao, ding chou, a rank of the very highest.
煞用食制，不要露财透印，以财能转食生煞，而印能去食护煞也。然而财先食后，财生煞而食以制之，或印先食后，食太旺而印制，则格成大贵。如脱丞相命，壬辰、甲辰、丙戌、戊戌，辰中暗煞，壬以透之，戊坐四支，食太重而透甲印，以损太过，岂非贵格？若煞强食泄而印露，则破局矣。
Note: 【煞用食制，忌露财透印】财党煞、印护煞，皆夺食制之力。【财先食后 / 印先食后】次序不同则可成贵格（食太旺则以印制其太过）。【脱丞相命】辰中戊土为食、壬透则暗煞显；食重得太过而以甲印裁损 ⇒ 贵。
When the killings are controlled by the food god, wealth should not be revealed nor the seal; for wealth can turn the food god to generate the killings, and the seal can remove the food god and protect the killings. Yet if wealth comes first and food after — wealth generating the killings while the food controls them — or if the seal comes first and food after, the food being too prosperous and the seal checking it, the structure becomes greatly noble. The chart of Minister Tuo — ren chen, jia chen, bing xu, wu xu — has the hidden killings of chen revealed by ren, while wu sits on all four branches: the food is too heavy, and the revealed jia seal reduces the excess — is this not a noble structure? But if the killings are strong, the food drains and the seal is revealed, the structure is broken.
有七煞用印者，印能护煞，本非所宜，而印有情，便为贵格。如何参政命，丙寅、戊戌、壬戌、辛丑，戊与辛同通月令，是煞印有情也。
Note: 【煞用印】印护煞本非所宜；但若煞印同根月令（有情）则成贵格。【何参政命】戊（煞）与辛（印）同通月令。
There is the use of the seal with the seven killings: the seal protects the killings and is not fitting by nature; yet where the seal has feeling it becomes a noble structure. The chart of Councillor He — bing yin, wu xu, ren xu, xin chou — has wu and xin both rooted in the month command: killings and seal have feeling.
亦有煞重身轻，用食则身不能当，不若转而就印，虽不通根月令，亦为无情而有情。格亦许贵，但不大耳。
Note: 【煞重身轻则就印】食制煞须身能当之；身轻则改取印（印化煞而生身）。虽印不通月令，仍属「无情而有情」，贵而不大。
There is also the case where the killings are heavy and the body light: using the food god the body could not bear it, so one turns instead to the seal. Though it is not rooted in the month command, this too is feeling out of no feeling, and the structure may be granted rank — though not great.
有煞而用财者，财以党煞，本非所喜，而或食被制，不能伏煞，而财以去印存食，便为贵格。如周丞相命，戊戌、甲子，丁未、庚戌，戊被制不能伏煞，时透庚财，即以清食者，生不足之煞。生煞即以制煞，两得其用，尤为大贵。
Note: 【煞用财】财党煞本忌；但若食神被制而煞不能伏，则取财以去印存食，并以财生煞 —— 生煞即所以制煞，两得其用 ⇒ 尤贵。【周丞相命】戊被甲制、时透庚财。
There is the use of wealth with the killings: wealth gives partisanship to the killings and is not welcome by nature; yet when the food god is checked and cannot subdue the killings, wealth may remove the seal and preserve the food, and then it is noble. The chart of Minister Zhou — wu xu, jia zi, ding wei, geng xu — has wu checked so that it cannot subdue the killings, and geng wealth revealed in the hour, clearing the way for the food god and generating the killings that lack support. To generate the killings is at the same time to control them, and both are served — all the more noble.
又有身重煞轻，煞又化印，用神不清，而借财以清格，亦为贵格。如甲申、乙亥、丙戌、庚寅，刘运使命是也。
Note: 【身重煞轻，煞又化印】煞生印而用神不清 ⇒ 借财去印以清格 ⇒ 亦贵。
There is also the case where the body is heavy and the killings light, while the killings themselves transform into the seal, leaving the useful god unclear; then wealth is borrowed to clear the structure, and it too is noble. The chart of Transport Commissioner Liu — jia shen, yi hai, bing xu, geng yin — is one.
更有杂气七煞，干头不透财以清用，亦可取贵。
Note: 【杂气七煞】四库中所藏之煞（如辰中之煞）；不透财则用不杂，故亦可取贵。
There is also the mixed-qi seven killings: where wealth is not revealed in the stems to clear the useful god, rank may still be taken.
有煞而杂官者，或去官，或去煞，取清则贵。如岳统制命，癸卯、丁巳、庚寅、庚辰，去官留煞也。夫官为贵气，去官何如去煞？岂知月令偏官，煞为用而官非用，各从其重。若官格杂煞而去官留煞，不能如是之清矣。如沈郎中命，丙子、甲午、辛亥、辛卯，子冲午而克煞，是去煞留官也。
Note: 【煞杂官者取清】或去官留煞、或去煞留官，取清则贵。【各从其重】月令为煞则以煞为重（去官留煞）；月令为官则以官为重（去煞留官）。
There is the case where the killings are mixed with the officer: whether the officer or the killings are removed, clarity brings rank. The chart of Commander Yue — gui mao, ding si, geng yin, geng chen — removes the officer and keeps the killings. But the officer is noble qi — why remove the officer rather than the killings? Know that where the month command is the oblique officer, the killings are the useful god and the officer is not: each follows what is weightier. Where an officer structure is mixed with killings, removing the officer and keeping the killings would not be so clear. The chart of Shen the secretary — bing zi, jia wu, xin hai, xin mao — has zi clashing wu and controlling the killings: this is removing the killings and keeping the officer.
有煞无食制而用印当者，如戊辰、甲寅、戊寅、戊午、赵员外命是也。
Note: 【煞无食制而用印当】煞无食制则以印当之（化煞生身）⇒ 亦成格。【赵员外命】即其例。
There is the case with killings and no food god to control them, where the seal is taken up instead: wu chen, jia yin, wu yin, wu wu, the chart of the Squire Zhao.
至书有制煞不可太过之说，虽亦有理，然运行财印，亦能发福，不可执一也，乃若弃命从煞，则于外格详之。
Note: 【制煞不可太过】书有此说（制煞太过则煞无力）；然行财运（生煞）、印运（护煞）亦能发福 ⇒ 不可执一。【弃命从煞】属外格，另详。
As for the books' saying that the killings must not be controlled too much: it has its reason, yet luck running into wealth or seal can also bring fortune, and one should not be bound to a single rule. As for abandoning the self to follow the killings, that is set out among the outer structures.
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