天干地支 HS / EB - Part 3 DTS

天干地支Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches - Part 3 

Di Tian Sui writes:

五阳皆阳丙为最，五阴皆阴癸为至。
Bing is the most Yang of the 5 Yangs, Gui is the most Yin of the 5 Yins

原注 (original annotation) ：

甲、丙、戊、庚、壬为阳，独丙火秉阳之精，而为阳中之阳；
Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng and Ren are Yang, only Bing fire holds the essence of Yang, and is the Yang amongst Yang.

乙、丁、己、辛、癸为阴，独癸水秉阴之精，而为阴中之阴。
Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin and Gui are Yin, only Gui water holds the essence of Yin, and is the Yin amongst Yin.

任氏曰 (Mr Ren TieQiao says)：

丙乃纯阳之火，万物莫不由此而发，得此而敛；
Bing is the fire of Pure Yang, it develops and arranges (gathers) creations.

癸乃纯阴之水，万物莫不由此而生，得此而茂。
Gui is the water of Pure Yin, it births and nurtures (grows) creations.

阳极则阴生，故丙辛化水；
At the threshold of Yang, Yin is birthed – thus Bing and Xin transform into water.

阴极则阳生，故戊癸化 火。
At the limit threshold of Yin, Yang is birthed – thus Wu and Gui transform into fire.

阴阳相济，万物有生生之妙。
Yin and Yang help each other; beings would live and flourish with this wonder.

夫十干之气，以先天言之，固一原同出，以后天言之，亦一气相包。
As to the Qi of the 10 Stems, from the pre-heaven perspective, inherently come out from one Source, from the post-heaven perspective, they wrap each other in one Qi

甲乙一木也，丙丁一火也，戊己一土也，庚辛一金也，壬癸一 水也，即分别所用，不过阳刚阴柔，阳健阴顺而已。
Jia and Yi is one Wood
Bing and Ding is one Fire
Wu and Ji is one Earh
Geng and Xin is one Metal
Ren and Gui is one Water,
They are used differently only because Yang is tough and Yin is gentle, Yang persists and Yin follows.  

窃怪命家作歌为赋，比拟失伦，竟以甲木为梁栋，乙木为花果；丙作太阳，丁作灯烛；戊作城墙，己作田园；庚 为顽铁，辛作珠玉；壬为江河，癸为雨露。
Some strange (thief) art of life practitioners created songs and poems to mislead, saying that Jia wood is pillar, Yi wood is flower and fruit, Bing fire as the sun, Ding fire as candle fire, Wu as the wall of a castle, Ji as the garden, Geng as rough metal, Xin as gems, Ren as rivers and Gui as rain and dew. 

相沿已久，牢不可破，用之论命，诚大谬也。
The idea has been used for a long time and cannot be changed, if used to discuss Life, is great absurdity.

Trey: Mr RTQ seems to strongly disagree with the idea that Jia is pillar, Yi is flower etc etc

如谓甲为无根死木，乙为有根活木，同是木而分生死，岂阳木独禀死气，阴 木独禀生气乎？
As they say, Jia has no root and is dead wood, Yi has root and is living wood, they are both wood but is divided into alive and dead, why does Yang wood takes all the dead Qi and why does Yin wood takes all the living Qi?

又谓活木畏水泛，死木不畏水泛，岂活木遇水且漂，而枯槎遇水反定乎？
And it’s also said that living wood is afraid of overwhelming water, dead wood is not afraid of overwhelming water, why is living wood, when it meets water becomes floating? And why a dead wood raft, when it meets water becomes stable?

论断诸干，如此之类，不一而足，当尽避之，以绝将来之谬。
When analyzing the stems, avoid all these ideas, prevent absurdity.

五阳从气不从势，五阴从势无情义。
The 5 Yangs follow Qi, does not follow intensity. The five Yins follow intensity without affection or duty.

原注：
五阳得阳之气，即能成乎阳刚之势，不畏财杀之势；
The five Yangs have the Qi of Yang, thus they can exhibit the intensity of (tough) Yang, is not afraid of the influence of Wealth and Authority (7k)

五阴得阴之气，即能成乎阴顺之义，故木盛则从木，火盛则从火，土盛则从土，金盛则从金，水盛则从水。
The five Yins have the Qi of Yin, they can fulfill the concept that Yin follows, when wood is strong, it follows wood, when fire is strong it follows fire, Earth is strong, follows earth, Metal strong follows Metal, Water strong follows water.

于情义之所在者，见其势衰，则忌之矣，盖妇人之情也。如此，若得气顺理正者，亦未必从势而忘义，虽从亦必正矣。
(This is a little hard to translate literally) 
The passage compares Yin stems affection to a woman’s. When the Qi is waned, it tends to follow, but if the Qi is smooth and the principle is true, it won’t necessarily follow and loses its duty; even if it follows it’s not truly following. 

任氏曰：
五阳气辟，光亨之象易观；
The Qi of Five Yangs is grand (majestic, royal) the image that is bright and prosperous can be easily seen; 

五阴气翕，包含之蕴难测。
The Qi of Five Yins is harmonious, the secret (stores, inner meaning) that it contains is hard to guess. 

五阳之性刚健，故不畏财煞，而有测隐之心，其处世不苟且；
The nature of Five Yangs is strong and healthy, thus is does not fear Wealth and Devil (7K), and has the heart that empathize, conduct oneself in good morals within society.

五阴之性柔顺，故见势忘义，而 有鄙吝之心，其处世多骄谄。
The nature of Five Yins is gentle and follows, thus when it encounters influence, it forgets its duty, and has the heart of a miser (鄙吝 could mean stingy, vulgar, mean), conduct oneself in an arrogant and flattering manner within society. 

是以柔能克制刚，刚不能制克柔也。
Is gentleness can control toughness, and toughness cannot control gentleness.

大抵趋利忘义之徒，皆阴气之为戾也；
Largely, those who hurriedly take all the benefits and forget his duty, are the negativity cause by Yin Qi

豪侠慷慨之人，皆阳气之独钟。
Those who are heroic, vehement, generous and giving are the affections Yang Qi 

然尚有阳中之阴、阴中之 阳，又有阳外阴内、阴外阳内，亦当辨之。
There’s also Yin within Yang, Yang within Yin, and there’s also Yang on the outside, Yin on the inside and Yin on the outside and Yang on the inside.

阳中之阴，外仁义而内奸诈；阴中之阳，外凶险而内仁慈；
Yin within Yang, is kind and righteous on the outside, treacherous and dishonest on the inside; Yang within Yin, is dangerous on the outside but is kind and compassionate on the inside.

阳外阴内者，包藏祸心；阴外阳内者，秉持直道。
Those with Yang on the outside and Yin on the inside, has a heart that conceal disasters; those with Yin on the outside and Yang on the inside walk and uphold righteous path.

此人品之端邪，故不可以不辨，然亦不可执着。
** A person morality, whether virtuous or evil, must be analyzed by taking into account all details. 

要当观其气势顺正，四柱五行停匀，庶不偏倚，自无损人利己之心。
It’s important to look at the Qi and influences to be straight and smooth, if the five elements in the four pillars are even, ordinary and not impartial, the subject would not have a tendency to take advantage of others for his own benefits.

凡持身涉世之道，必先知人，择其善者而从之道，亦不可不知也。
Bla bla bla..