TL;DR: The five source texts of Tử Bình are not five editions of one system but five layers of knowledge: Uyên Hải Tử Bình is the primer of basic rules; Tam Mệnh Thông Hội is a multi-school encyclopedia; Trích Thiên Tủy stresses khí thế and thần khí; Cùng Thông Bảo Giám takes tiết khí as its axis; Tử Bình Chân Thuyên builds on cách cục and dụng thần. Learners should read in order from Uyên Hải to Chân Thuyên to avoid mixing standards.
How Do the Five Source Texts of Tử Bình Differ?
The five books usually named are Uyên Hải Tử Bình, Tam Mệnh Thông Hội, Trích Thiên Tủy, Cùng Thông Bảo Giám and Tử Bình Chân Thuyên. They are not five translations of one book, nor five editions of a single system. Each appeared at a different time, for a different purpose, and presents Tử Bình by a different standard. Reading all five together without knowing their layers leads to judging one book's statements by another book's standards.
What Is Uyên Hải Tử Bình and What Does It Teach First?
Uyên Hải Tử Bình is the classic primer. It teaches beginners starting from the most concrete matters: how to place the pillars, how to read can chi, basic rules of sinh khắc and hợp xung, and a series of short mnemonic verses for quick reference.
Its hallmark is the use of mnemonic verses and rhymed lines for memorization. On judging female charts, for example, it says: "女人官旺兼财旺，招得贤夫更好儿；若是财官俱受损，伤夫剋子守空帷", meaning that if in a female chart both quan tinh and tài tinh are vượng, she obtains a worthy husband and good children; if both tài and quan are harmed, she harms her husband and clashes with her children and must stay alone[1]. The line is compact and easy to remember, but it is a rigid rule with no conditions about cách cục or tiết khí.
The same passage on female charts has the line: "日如乙巳、戊辰、庚午、辛未，日干带之，权贵之妻也", meaning that a day of birth on Ất Tị, Mậu Thìn, Canh Ngọ or Tân Mùi is ranked by the book as the wife of a person of power and nobility. This method judges by fixed can chi combinations, not by cách cục.
Uyên Hải's strength is its clear system of rules, suited to beginners. Its weakness is that many mnemonic lines are absolute, and applied to a complex chart they often give rigid results. Tử Bình Chân Thuyên, as shown below, places rules of this kind under nguyệt lệnh and hỷ kỵ.
How Does Tam Mệnh Thông Hội Differ from Uyên Hải?
Tam Mệnh Thông Hội is an encyclopedia of mệnh lý, not of Tử Bình alone. It was compiled by Vạn Dân Anh and completed in 1578, in many volumes, gathering from many sources. Being a composite work, it does not present a single system but contains several schools coexisting.
The book has advanced chapters that Uyên Hải lacks, for example "总论岁运" on thái tuế and vận hạn. The opening of that chapter reads: "夫太岁者，年中天子，一岁诸神煞之尊", meaning thái tuế is the king of the year, the noble one among the thần sát of a year[2]. The style is highly symbolic, using the image of a sovereign to speak of thái tuế's place in the system.
It also has a chapter "论十干合" explaining ngũ hợp by personification: "甲兄遂将乙妹嫁金家，与庚为妻，所以乙与庚合", meaning brother Giáp gave his younger sister Ất in marriage to the Kim family, to Canh as wife, and therefore Ất combines with Canh. This is explanation by family metaphor, not by pure ngũ hành logic.
Compared with Uyên Hải, Tam Mệnh Thông Hội is far broader but also looser. Readers must select among the schools themselves because the book is not always consistent. Its greatest value is preserving many editions and many methods that more compact books dropped.
How Does Trích Thiên Tủy Differ in Method?
Trích Thiên Tủy is an advanced book on khí thế and thần khí, not a primer. The commonly circulated version today is the one annotated by Nhậm Thiết Tiều, often called Trích Thiên Tủy Xiển Vi. Nhậm Thiết Tiều lived in the Qing dynasty, and his commentary makes up a large share of the current version.
The book stresses the concepts of thanh khí and trọc khí. In the chapter on thanh and trọc, Nhậm Thiết Tiều's commentary says: "浊者四柱混杂之谓也", meaning trọc is the state of the four pillars being mixed and confused. He distinguishes several kinds of trọc: khí trọc, cách trọc, tài trọc, tỷ kiếp trọc, quan trọc, ấn trọc, thực thương trọc. This classification is not in Uyên Hải.
The book also stresses chân thần and giả thần. The commentary says: "真者，得时秉令之神也；假者，失时退气之神也", meaning chân thần is the spirit that gains the time and holds the command, giả thần is the spirit that loses the time and retreats in qi[3]. The criterion here is time and command, that is tiết khí and nguyệt lệnh, not fixed can chi combinations.
Trích Thiên Tủy's fundamental difference from Uyên Hải is the shift from rigid rules to dynamic assessment. The same can chi combination, depending on thanh or trọc, chân or giả, may be judged entirely differently. The book is therefore hard for beginners but gives great depth to those who already grasp the basic rules.
What Does Cùng Thông Bảo Giám Take as Its Axis?
Cùng Thông Bảo Giám takes tiết khí and seasonal ngũ hành as its main axis. The book is traditionally attributed to Dư Xuân Đài, but this is a traditional attribution, not a proven historical fact. It presents each day stem combined with each month, forming a seasonal reference system.
On Đinh hỏa in the seventh month: "七月丁火，退气柔弱，端用甲木", meaning Đinh hỏa in the seventh month retreats in qi and is weak and soft, and Giáp mộc should be used. The book continues: "金虽乘旺司权，无伤丁之理，仍取庚劈甲，为引火之物", meaning that although Kim is vượng and holds power, it has no reason to harm Đinh, and Canh is still taken to split Giáp as the thing that draws fire.
On Mậu thổ in the three spring months: "三春戊土，无丙照暖，戊土不生，无甲疏噼，戊土不灵，无癸滋润，万物不长", meaning Mậu thổ in the three spring months, without Bính to warm it Mậu thổ does not generate, without Giáp to open it Mậu thổ is not effective, without Quý to moisten it the ten thousand things do not grow[4].
Cùng Thông Bảo Giám's method is very specific by month, but also very rigid if applied mechanically. It does not discuss cách cục as Tử Bình Chân Thuyên does, nor khí thế as Trích Thiên Tủy does. Its main value is a very detailed seasonal reference system, used as comparison material when judging điều hậu.
Where Does Tử Bình Chân Thuyên Place Its Focus?
Tử Bình Chân Thuyên is an advanced book on cách cục and dụng thần, written by Thẩm Hiếu Chiêm and later annotated by Từ Lạc Ngô in 1936. It takes nguyệt lệnh as the root for determining cách cục, then from cách cục finds dụng thần and hỷ kỵ.
The book stresses the principle of not being rigid. In the chapter on wives it says: "以妻论之，坐下财官，妻当贤贵；然亦有坐财官而妻不利，逢伤刃而妻反吉者，何也？此盖月令用神，配成喜忌", meaning that judging by the wife, if she sits on tài and quan the wife should be worthy and noble; yet there are cases of sitting on tài and quan while the wife is unfavorable, and of meeting thương nhận while the wife is instead auspicious, why? It is because the nguyệt lệnh dụng thần forms the hỷ and kỵ.
Từ Lạc Ngô's commentary adds: "总之妻宫为喜神，则为美，妻宫为忌神，则为凶；财为喜神则为美，财为忌神则为凶", meaning in sum, if the wife palace is a hỷ thần it is good, if it is a kỵ thần it is bad; if tài is a hỷ thần it is good, if it is a kỵ thần it is bad.
The core of Tử Bình Chân Thuyên is turning Tử Bình from a set of scattered rules into a system with internal logic: nguyệt lệnh generates cách cục, cách cục generates dụng thần, dụng thần generates hỷ kỵ. It is the hardest of the five books, but also the best systematized.
How Do the Five Books Differ? Comparison Table
| Book | Era (traditional) | Focus | Method | Suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uyên Hải Tử Bình | Unknown, often said to be Song dynasty | Primer, basic rules | Mnemonic verses, fixed can chi combinations | Beginners |
| Tam Mệnh Thông Hội | 1578 (Vạn Dân Anh) | Multi-school encyclopedia | Several schools coexisting | Readers needing broad reference |
| Trích Thiên Tủy | Commentary by Nhậm Thiết Tiều, Qing dynasty | Khí thế, thanh trọc, chân giả | Dynamic assessment by time and command | Those who already grasp basic rules |
| Cùng Thông Bảo Giám | Traditionally attributed to Dư Xuân Đài | Tiết khí, seasonal ngũ hành | Reference by day stem and month | Those needing điều hậu comparison |
| Tử Bình Chân Thuyên | Thẩm Hiếu Chiêm, annotated 1936 | Cách cục, dụng thần, hỷ kỵ | Logical system from nguyệt lệnh | Advanced learners |
The table shows the five books do not compete but complement each other. Uyên Hải teaches rules, Tam Mệnh Thông Hội broadens sources, Trích Thiên Tủy teaches dynamic assessment, Cùng Thông Bảo Giám teaches seasonal reference, Tử Bình Chân Thuyên teaches systematization.
Why Is Reading the Five Books Together Prone to Error?
Reading them together easily errs because each book has its own standard, and one book's standard may contradict another's. For example, Uyên Hải judges by fixed can chi combinations, while Tử Bình Chân Thuyên judges by cách cục. For the same chart, Uyên Hải may say good, Tử Bình Chân Thuyên may say bad, and both are correct by their own standards.
The book warns against rigidity: "是须以喜忌配合，非可执一也", meaning one must combine hỷ and kỵ, and cannot hold to one way. Từ Lạc Ngô's commentary adds: "论妻子，均须参配活看，执一而论，必无是处", meaning in judging wife and children one must cross-reference and combine and look flexibly; judging by one way alone will surely find no correct ground.
The reasonable way to read is by layer in order: begin with Uyên Hải to grasp the rules, go through Cùng Thông Bảo Giám to grasp tiết khí, through Tam Mệnh Thông Hội to broaden sources, through Trích Thiên Tủy to learn dynamic assessment, and finally Tử Bình Chân Thuyên to systematize. Reading in reverse order easily leads to applying high standards to an unsteady foundation.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestions
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: for beginners, read Uyên Hải Tử Bình first to grasp the rules, then read Cùng Thông Bảo Giám to become familiar with tiết khí. Once these two are grasped, read Tam Mệnh Thông Hội to broaden understanding of the different schools. Trích Thiên Tủy and Tử Bình Chân Thuyên should be left for last, because these two require an already steady foundation to be read.
When consulting a specific chart, note clearly which book's standard is being used. If using Tử Bình Chân Thuyên's standard, one should not cite Uyên Hải's mnemonic lines to refute it, because the two books do not share a standard. Conversely, if using Uyên Hải's standard, one should not use Tử Bình Chân Thuyên's cách cục to deny it, because cách cục is not within Uyên Hải's system.
This is a suggestion about reading method, not a claim about the effectiveness of any book. Whether Tử Bình gives correct results is another question, outside this article's scope.
