Da Liu Ren question chart

Da Liu Ren (大六壬, “great six Ren”) is one of the three classical Chinese arts of timing and divination, alongside Qi Men Dun Jia and Tai Yi. A chart is cast for the moment a question is asked: the heaven plate is turned over the twelve earthly branches, four “lessons” are drawn from the day, and three “transmissions” describe how the matter begins, develops and ends.

How Da Liu Ren works

The “monthly general” is the earthly branch that the Sun occupies, changing at each mid-term solar point. Placing it on the branch of the hour turns the heaven plate against the fixed earth plate. Four lessons are drawn from the day stem and day branch, and the first imbalance between an upper and a lower element, judged by the nine traditional methods, gives the initial transmission; the middle and final transmissions follow along the plate. Twelve heavenly generals, led by the Noble, colour each branch, and the five-element relation of each transmission to the day stem (the six relations) shows what the matter concerns.

Sources: “Da Liu Ren Zhi Nan” (大六壬指南), “Liu Ren Da Quan” (六壬大全) and “Ren Gui” (壬归).