At a glance
- Positions
- Twelve branches on each plate
- Operation
- Month General over the hour
Definition and terminology
The Earth plate fixes the twelve branches in cyclic order; Heaven retains that order with a changed alignment. Month General is a calendrical sign with traditional alternative names. Placing it over the hour defines the offset. Heaven/Earth naming does not imply calculated coordinates of every celestial object or a map of physical energy.
Structure and rules
Establish the month-general boundary and hour, align the two signs, then install the rest of Heaven in sequence. Looking for a heavenly branch’s destination differs from finding the sign above a ground branch. Month General and Month Branch are distinct concepts; declare the boundary convention rather than swapping them because both mention months.
Worked reading
In a teaching alignment Chen over Yin hour, the plates differ by two branch positions. Zi below carries Yin above, and Mao below carries Si above. Check all twelve positions for consistent cyclic mapping. No actual date, lessons or transmissions are supplied, so the alignment cannot establish a person’s arrival or a localized event.
Context and limits
Month General is traditionally linked with calendrical accounts of the Sun’s station, and modern calendars can help date boundaries. The plate remains a symbolic rule. Check names and tables by edition, and distinguish Great Liuren from simplified Little Liuren mnemonics. Mapping consistency does not establish a physical mechanism determining real events.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- 《六壬大全》（四库全书本）Primary / tradition source
Public-domain Liuren compilation; editorial account covers plates, lessons, transmissions and textual history.
- 《六壬大全》卷一：入手法Primary / tradition source
Public-domain rules for transmission selection; associated predictions are not modern evidence.