六壬法教

Historical Origins (历史渊源)

The Transmission Lineage

While the He Tu and Luo Shu are attributed to mythological sage-kings (Fu Xi and Yu the Great), their systematic form was preserved and transmitted through a chain of Daoist hermits to the Song Dynasty polymath Shao Yong:

Chen Tuan (陈抟 Chén Tuán, c.871–989)

Chen Tuan, styled Xi Yi 希夷 (Xī Yí), was a Daoist hermit of Mount Hua 华山 (Huà Shān) during the late Tang and early Song dynasties. He is credited with settling the long-standing debate over which diagram was the He Tu and which the Luo Shu, transmitting the correct forms from an oral lineage preserved among Daoist hermits since antiquity. He is also credited with the Wu Ji Tu 无极图 (Diagram of the Limitless), which influenced Zhou Dunyi's 周敦颐 famous Tai Ji Tu Shuo 太极图说.

Shao Yong (邵雍 Shào Yōng, 1011–1077)

Shao Yong, posthumously honored as Kang Jie 康节 (Kāng Jié), was the Song Dynasty polymath who systematized He Luo number theory into the comprehensive cosmological and divinatory framework still in use today. His two great works:

• 皇极经世 Huáng Jí Jīng Shì (Supreme Principles Governing the World) — a grand cosmic calendar mapping all of history into mathematical cycles, deriving from He Luo numbers
• 梅花易数 Méi Huā Yì Shù (Plum Blossom Numerology, attributed) — rapid divination using spontaneous numbers converted to hexagrams via He Luo derivation

The Term "He Luo Li Shu" (河洛理数)

The system uses the principles (理 Lǐ) embedded within the He Tu and Luo Shu numbers (数 Shù) to derive personal hexagrams from birth data, then reads the hexagram lines as a chronological map of life unfolding through time.

The He Tu — River Map (河图)

The Dragon Horse Legend

According to tradition, during the reign of sage-king Fu Xi 伏羲 (Fú Xī), a Dragon Horse 龙马 (Lóng Mǎ) — a supernatural creature with the body of a horse and the scales of a dragon — emerged from the Yellow River 黄河 (Huáng Hé). Upon its back was a pattern of dots in a specific numerical configuration. Fu Xi observed this pattern and derived the Eight Trigrams 八卦 (Bā Guà) from it, establishing the Earlier Heaven 先天 (Xiān Tiān) arrangement.

Number Arrangement

The He Tu arranges numbers 1 through 10 in a cross pattern aligned with the cardinal directions, pairing each generation number 生数 (Shēng Shù) with its completion number 成数 (Chéng Shù):

              South 南
              2 · 7
             (Fire 火)

East 东              West 西
3 · 8                4 · 9
(Wood 木)           (Metal 金)

             Center 中
              5 · 10
             (Earth 土)

              North 北
               1 · 6
             (Water 水)

Generation and Completion Numbers (生成数)

The He Tu embodies the principle that creation requires two phases:

• Generation 生 (Shēng): Numbers 1–5 — Heaven's creative impulse, the initial potential
• Completion 成 (Chéng): Numbers 6–10 — Earth's response; materialization of potential into form
• Formula: Completion Number = Generation Number + 5

He Tu as Earlier Heaven Pattern (先天 Xiān Tiān)

The He Tu corresponds to the Earlier Heaven 先天 (Xiān Tiān) state — the pre-manifest, the blueprint of creation before actualization:

The Luo Shu — Luo Writing (洛书)

The Divine Turtle Legend

During the reign of sage-king Yu 禹 (Yǔ), the Great Yu who tamed the floods, a Divine Turtle 神龟 (Shén Guī) emerged from the Luo River 洛水 (Luò Shuǐ) bearing a pattern of dots upon its shell. Yu modeled the Nine Divisions 洪范九畴 (Hóng Fàn Jiǔ Chóu / Great Plan's Nine Categories) of governance upon this pattern. The turtle was sacred in ancient China — oracle bone divination 用甲骨 used turtle plastrons. The Luo Shu on a turtle's back thus links numerological structure to the entire mantic tradition.

The 3×3 Magic Square

  ┌───┬───┬───┐
  │ 4 │ 9 │ 2 │  ← South 南
  ├───┼───┼───┤
  │ 3 │ 5 │ 7 │  ← Center
  ├───┼───┼───┤
  │ 8 │ 1 │ 6 │  ← North 北
  └───┴───┴───┘
    ↑         ↑
  East 东   West 西

Nine Palaces and Later Heaven Ba Gua (九宫后天八卦)

The Luo Shu corresponds to the Later Heaven 后天 (Hòu Tiān) state — the manifest, the actual unfolding of creation in time and space. The Later Heaven Ba Gua arrangement (attributed to King Wen 文王) maps directly onto the Nine Palaces:

He Luo Li Shu Divination Method (河洛理数起卦法)

He Luo Li Shu converts a person's birth data into a personal hexagram 本命卦 (Běn Mìng Guà / Life Hexagram) using He Tu and Luo Shu number transformations. This hexagram is read line by line as a chronological map of the person's life, each line corresponding to a specific age range.

Unlike BaZi, which focuses on Stem-Branch elemental dynamics, He Luo Li Shu derives meaning from pure number and hexagram imagery — making it a distinct methodology within the Destiny (命 Mìng) branch of the Five Arts. Its practitioners consider it more precise than standard BaZi for timing life events.

Step 1: Number Tables

Each Heavenly Stem is assigned a He Tu number; each Earthly Branch is assigned a Luo Shu number:

Steps 2–4: Deriving the Life Hexagram (本命卦)

Two Levels of Hexagram Reading

Life Stage Analysis (六爻对应人生阶段)

Each of the six hexagram lines corresponds to a life stage. The moving line 动爻 (Dòng Yáo) marks the life stage of greatest change, crisis, or opportunity:

When the moving line changes, the hexagram transforms into a changed hexagram 变卦 (Biàn Guà), revealing the outcome of that critical life transition. This changed hexagram is the resolution of the life's most intense period.

Integration with Tie Ban Shen Shu (铁板神数)

He Luo Li Shu and Tie Ban Shen Shu 铁板神数 share the same mathematical DNA — both trace their number theory to Shao Yong's system:

The He Luo Li Shu derivation narrows down which Tie Ban clauses apply to a specific person. Together, practitioners consider them the most precise destiny-reading system in the Chinese tradition.

Shao Yong's Cosmic Calendar (皇极经世)

Shao Yong's Huang Ji Jing Shi 皇极经世 (Supreme Principles Governing the World) applies He Luo number theory to the entire sweep of cosmic time, creating a mathematical calendar that maps the rise and fall of civilizations. It is one of the most ambitious intellectual constructions in Chinese intellectual history.

The Four Time Divisions

The system uses four nested units of time, each derived from He Luo number relationships:

The Grand Total: 1 Yuan = 12 × 30 × 12 × 30 = 129,600 years = 360 × 360 (the square of the annual cycle — the He Luo number 360 embedded in cosmic time).

The 12 Hui and the Civilizational Cycle

Each of the 12 Hui corresponds to one Earthly Branch and represents a phase in the cosmic cycle of civilization:

Applications Across the Five Arts (五术应用)

Feng Shui — He Tu Combinations (河图合)

In Xuan Kong 玄空 (Xuán Kōng) Feng Shui, the He Tu number pairs define the fundamental directional-elemental relationships. He Tu combinations are considered superior to the standard Five Element productive cycle combinations because they represent the original generative impulse:

Qi Men Dun Jia — Luo Shu Nine Palaces

The Luo Shu provides three essential elements to Qi Men Dun Jia:

1. The Nine Palaces Board 九宫格: The game board upon which all Qi Men Stems, Doors, Stars, and Deities are arranged
2. The Flight Path 飞布路线: The sequence 1→2→3→4→5→6→7→8→9 governs how all elements move through the palaces (forward flight 顺飞 Shùn Fēi for Yang charts; reverse 逆飞 Nì Fēi for Yin charts)
3. Palace-Element Relationships: Each palace inherits the Luo Shu number's elemental nature, determining how it interacts with Stars, Doors, and Deities placed upon it

Na Yin — He Luo Mathematical Basis

The Na Yin 纳音 system (which assigns a Five Element nature to each Stem-Branch pair) has its mathematical basis in He Luo number theory. This is why Na Yin elements often appear counterintuitive compared to standard Stem/Branch elements — they arise from a different mathematical layer of the same system.

Mei Hua Yi Shu — Direct He Luo Application

Mei Hua Yi Shu 梅花易数, attributed to Shao Yong, is the most direct application of He Luo number theory to spontaneous divination:

1. Any observed number → trigram via Earlier Heaven Ba Gua sequence (乾=1, 兑=2, 离=3, 震=4, 巽=5, 坎=6, 艮=7, 坤=8)
2. Two numbers yield upper + lower trigrams → a hexagram
3. Total sum mod 6 → the moving line
4. Ti-Yong 体用 (Body-Function) analysis: the trigram without the moving line is Ti (body/subject); the trigram with it is Yong (function/object)
5. Five Element relationship between Ti and Yong determines the outcome

This entire procedure is a direct simplification of He Luo Li Shu for rapid field divination — Shao Yong's genius was making his cosmic number theory instantly accessible in a portable form.

Case Studies (河洛案例)

Key Terminology Glossary (关键术语)

Synthesis — The Root of All Systems

He Luo Li Shu occupies a unique position in Chinese metaphysics: it is simultaneously a foundational theory (the He Tu and Luo Shu underlie all Five Arts) and a complete divination system (the Ben Ming Gua hexagram and Huang Ji Jing Shi cosmic calendar). Every practitioner who studies Chinese metaphysics is, knowingly or not, working with He Luo numbers every time they:

• Calculate a Na Yin element from a Stem-Branch pair
• Place Stars on a Qi Men Dun Jia Nine Palaces board
• Read a Flying Stars chart using the 1-9 flight path
• Derive a Mei Hua hexagram from an observed number
• Calculate a Tie Ban Shen Shu clause number
• Map an annual Flying Star for Feng Shui advice