Dripping Heavenly Marrow “is an important work in ancient Chinese numerology. The following is a detailed introduction to its main content:
1、 Book Background and Author
Background of Writing: “Dripping Heavenly Marrow” is said to have been written by a person from the Song Dynasty in Beijing, but the specific date of writing is unknown.
Author Controversy: Despite the title ‘Dripping Heavenly Marrow’, there is controversy in academia about its true author. One theory suggests that it was created by Jingtu, while the other lacks conclusive evidence to support it. However, this controversy does not affect the status and value of ‘Dripping Heavenly Marrow’ in the field of fortune telling.
2、 Content and Structure
Form and Content: “Dripping Heavenly Marrow” uses a seven character poem to explain the theory and ideas of fortune telling based on Chinese characters in a simple and profound manner. The entire book covers many chapters such as Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Physical Use, Decline and Prosperity, Neutrality, Origin and Development, Customs Clearance, Hardness and Softness, Conformity and Reversal, Coldness and Warmth, Dampness and Drought, Hidden Appearance and Crowdness, etc. These chapters together constitute the core elements of Eight Character Fortune Telling.
Structural characteristics: The structure of ‘Dripping Heavenly Marrow’ is complete and highly unified, and its destiny theory is like a well prepared army, both unified and flexible. Each piece of destiny in the book is interrelated and mutually corroborated, forming a complete theoretical system.
3、 Core Concepts and Destiny Methods
Core concept:
Yin Yang Imaging: The first core concept in “Di Tian Sui” is Yin Yang Imaging, which emphasizes the importance of Yin Yang balance in numerology.
Qi machine change: The second core concept lies in Qi machine change, which holds that fate is constantly changing with time and environmental changes.
Fate assessment method:
Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches: “Dripping Heavenly Marrow” elaborates in detail on the interdependent relationship between the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, as well as their application in fortune telling. The Heavenly Stems represent the sun, while the Earthly Branches represent the environment. Through the combination and interaction of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, one can infer a person’s fate.
Balance of the Five Elements: The Five Elements are the fundamental elements that make up all things in the universe and are also an important concept in fortune telling. Dripping Heavenly Marrow emphasizes the importance of balance in the Five Elements, believing that whether a person’s Five Elements attributes are balanced directly affects their fate and personality traits. Therefore, in fortune telling, it is necessary to pay attention to the balance and harmony of the five elements.
The method of using gods: “Di Tian Sui” also proposes the method of using gods, that is, based on the combination of the Eight Characters and the attributes of the Five Elements, determine a god who can assist the Lord of the Day and harmonize the Five Elements. The method of using God is flexible and varied, and requires judgment based on specific circumstances.
4、 Version and Annotations
Version circulation: Since its publication, “Dripping Heavenly Marrow” has been widely praised by fortune tellers and has spawned multiple versions. Among them, Liu Ji, a master of numerology in the early Ming Dynasty, provided annotations for it, making “Di Tian Sui” easier to understand and apply.
Annotation contribution: Liu Ji’s annotations not only explain the difficulties and doubts in the book, but also further elucidate the deep meaning and principles of destiny in “Di Tian Sui”. In addition, the famous Qing Dynasty scholar Ren Tieqiao also provided annotations for “Di Tian Sui”, forming a relatively complete and rigorous system.
5、 Impact and Evaluation
Profound influence: “Di Tian Sui” is one of the “Four Books” of fortune telling and can be regarded as the culmination of Chinese fortune telling. Its theoretical system and divination methods have been widely applied in the practice of fortune telling, becoming an important reference for many fortune telling scholars to infer fate.
Highly praised: Xu Lewu, a fortune teller of the Republic of China, highly praised the status and value of “Dripping Heavenly Marrow” in the preface of “Commentary on Ziping Zhenquan”, believing that it is a classic work in fortune telling and that future fortune tellers cannot go beyond its scope.
Dripping Heavenly Marrow “is a rich, structurally complete, and theoretically rigorous work on fortune telling. Its unique method of divination and practical application value make it widely influential and influential in the field of fortune telling.