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Issue: Continuity of 60 Cycle Counts

The Da Liu Ren divination applies the Four Pillars system with its 60 cycle counts toget the signs of the year, month, day and hour for calculations of the dizhi signs foruse in the arth and !eaven plates" Unfortunately, research evidence showsthat the 60 cycle counts concept is a myth!

# ma$or feature of the current %hinese arts of astrology and Feng &hui is theconcept of the Four Pillars" The %hinese methods would determine the tiangan anddizhi signs of the year, month, day and hour, hence its other term 'ight%haracters'" The com(ination of the tiangan and dizhi signs composes the nayinse)agenary sign" That is, each of the Four Pillars will have one of the 60 se)agenarysigns"

The modern %hinese geomancers assume that these 60 cycle counts have (eencontinuous since the time of *ellow mperor !uang Di and mperor *ao" Theirdating calculations will (e +uestiona(le if the 60 cycle counts are not continuous"

s the 60 cycle count continuous since the &hang dynasty-

.ost of those who e)amined the issue too/ the easy way out and largely assumedthe 60 cycle counts are continuous

For the Western Zhou period, there is no conclusive means of demonstratingthat the 60-cycle was uninterrupted, either in its progress from the earlierShang period, or onwards to later periods when the mapping of Julian days to60-cycle days can be performed with complete confidence !onceivably, the60-cycle could have been reset in an assertive act of calendrical reform

"owever, no trace of such a move is to be found in any te#t, and scholarlydoubts about the continuity of the 60-cycle are seldom raised" 1#dam &mithp"26" 'The %hinese &e)agenary %ycle and the Ritual 3rigins of the %alendar,'in %alendars and *ears #stronomy and Time in the #ncient and .edieval4orld, edited (y 5ohn ." &teele" 3)ford 3)(ow oo/s, 2070"8"

!owever, #dam 120708 did note that some few scholars were s/eptical that the 60cycle was continuous

$% &he only e#pression of s'epticism regarding the continuity of the 60-cyclethat ( am aware of in !hinese-language scholarship is by )i *ue+in %$./, p% Shaughnessy %$$%/, pp %12%16, and 3eightley %$../, p 6., simplynote the nature of the assumption being made

#dam 120708 also is not aware that certain %hinese historical records show that the60 cycle counts were tampered with, as we shall see (elow"

There are some te)ts which noted the se)agenary signs of ancient dates"%alculations can (e made on these dates to find out whether the 60 cycle counts for

days and years have (een continuous"

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Data: Historical Records of Signs of Days

Ancient Counts for Days

4echsler 179:;8 pu(lished an analysis of the 5ade and %otton &acrifices 14echsler,!oward 5" 79:;" 3fferings of 5ade and &il/" Ritual and &ym(ol in the Legitimisationof the Tang Dynasty" *ale 70; % was a winter solstice and the new moon and 7st day of theeleventh month and had the sign $iazi" This date was the (eginning of the !an'?reat nception' calendar"

3n 5une 72, #D 67: the &ui dynasty handed over the imperial em(lems to thefounding emperor of Tang dynasty" t was a $iazi day and the 7>th day of thefifth month"

Dec 2> #D 6>0 was also a winter solstice and the first day of the eleventhmonth" ut according to the 4u Lin calendar the 2nd day of the eleventh

month had the sign $iazi" The Tang emperor shifted the $ia zi sign to the firstday of the eleventh month"

&suma @ianAs &hih 5i" &hih %hi 2: The Treatise on the Feng and &han &acrifice,page ;B also noted 3n the first day of the eleventh month, the day hsin ssu 1Dec2>, 77B %8 which corresponded to the winter solstice, $ust (efore daylight theemperor for the first time performed the su(ur(an sacrifice in honour of the ?reat 77B % to Decem(er 2> 70; % covers : years"

f the years are multiplied (y B6;"2>276>> days, there will (e 2927"9BCB7;2days"f these days are divided (y 60, there will (e >:"69:9;;2;BBBBB cycles ofse)agenary signs" The fraction involves 0"69:96 ) 60 >7"9BCB day"f Decem(er 2> 77B % was a hsin ssu 1)in si 7:8, then the calculations showthat Decem(er 2> 70; % should >2 signs later, a gui hai sign 1608, not $ia zi

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178 as noted"

.ay 7C, 770 % was a imao day 1;28" Decem(er 2> 770 % to Decem(er 2> 70;% covers ; years"

f the years are multiplied (y B6;"2>276>> days, there will (e 7:26"270:22days" 4ith the rest of Decem(er in 770 %, the days in months 5une to=ovem(er and .ay 7C to B7, the days are 20>C"270:22"f these days are divided (y 60, there will (e B>"7207:0B66666C cycles" Thefraction involves 0"7202 ) 60 C"270: day"f .ay 7C 770 % was a imao day 1;28, then the calculations show thatDecem(er 2> 70; % should C signs later, a ren )u sign 1;98 or gui hai 1608not $ia zi as noted"

oth historical dates of Decem(er 2>, 77B % and .ay 7C, 779 % show thatDecem(er 2> 70; % was either a ren )u 1;98 or more li/ely a gui hai 1608 day" Thisindicates that for the !an ?rand nception calendar the emperor had purposefullyand artificially reset Decem(er 2>, 70; %, a ren )u or gui hai day, to (ecome a $iazi day"

!an Eao Tsu had (ro/en the continuity (y forcing the winter solstice of Decem(er2> 70; % to assume the $ia zi sign which actually was that of Decem(er 2;" Thus,the historical evidence is that by Han Kao Tsu time the 60 cycle counts were nolonger continuous.

#nother historical tampering of the 60 cycle count occurred in the Tang dynasty"Decem(er 2> 70; % to Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 covers C>> years"

f the years are multiplied (y B6;"2>276>> days, there will (e 2C7C>0"7C0B7B6days"f these days are divided (y 60, there will (e >;29"002:B:;6 cycles" Thefraction involves 0"76: day"!ence, if Decem(er 2> was a $iazi day, then the calculations show thatDecem(er 2> #D 6>0 should also (e a $iazi day"

!owever, the 4u Lin calendar actually noted that it was Decem(er 2; #D 6>0which was a $ia zi day" vidently, the creator of the 4u Lin calendar was aware

that the Decem(er 2> 70; % $ia zi sign for the !an ?rand nception calendarwas a shift and corrected it (ac/" 3nly, during the Tang dynasty, the Tang courtdecided that for calendrical purposes, the $iz zi sign for the !an ?randnception should (e accepted and Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 (ecame a $ia zi daywhen it should (e a gui hai day"

%onsider 5une 72 #D 67:, which was supposed to (e a $iazi day"

Decem(er 2> #D 67: to Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 covers 22 years"f the years are multiplied (y B6;"2>276>> days, there will (e :0B;"B2C676:

days"f these days are divided (y 60, there will (e 7BB"9227269>666C cycles" Thefraction involves ;;"B2C: days"The rest of Decem(er #D 67: (ac/ to 5une 72 covers 79; days" 4ith the

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;;"B2C: days this totaled to 2;0"B2C: days" f 5une 72 #D 67: was a $iazi day,Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 should not (e a $iazi day (ut at least 70 signs aheadG &o,(etween 5une 72 #D 67: to Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 there was a slip of at least70 signsG

The historical evidence is that considera(le ar(itrary (rea/s and shifts in the 60

cycle counts for the day occurred since the !an dynasty"=ow, let us ta/e Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 as a $ia zi day" Loo/ at the recent %hinesecalendar" 5anuary 70, 796; was a $iazi day"

Decem(er 2> #D 6>0 to Decem(er 2> #D 796; covers >:B;:0"62;66;6 days"

The duration involves :0;9"6CC09>>266C cycles" The fraction has >0"6C>days"The rest of Decem(er 796> and the ne)t 70 days of 5anuary 796; totaled 7Cdays"Hence, 0 anuary "6# should not be a $ia%i day but at least & signsbac'!

The calculations shows that there were repeated discontinuities in the 60cycle day counts between the Han dynasty to the present.

Calculations on the Continuity of 60 Cycle Counts for Years

There are also calculations evidence that the 60 cycle counts are not continuous forthe years" =ote that 79:> was a $ia zi year"

Year Case 1&suma @ianAs &hih 5i" &hih %hi 2: The Treatise on the Feng and &han &acrificepage 60 notes n addition, let a general amnesty (e granted in the empire of thesame /ind as that ordered in the year imao 1720 %8"

% 720 to #D 79:> 270> yearsDivide (y 60 B;"066666666666C cyclesFraction >"0002 yearsf 720 % was a imao 1;28 year, then #D 79:> should (e sign > signs later, a5i 4ei 1;68 year not a $ia zi year" There was a deviation of >; yearsG

Year Case 2

!o 1200B8 noted that in 72:2, during Eu(lai Ehan time, The Tai *i divination had aTai *i Dun num(er of *ang Dun B2" The Tai *i astrology has a B60 years cycle,where the first year is a 5ia Hi *ear with a Dun count of 7" There are C2 Duns"

n the current Tai *i divination, 79:> was a &uperior poch" The %hinese calendarshows that 79:> was 5iazi year" Let us ma/e calculations as follows

79:> (ac/ to 72:2 C02 years"B60 years (efore 79:> 762>C20 years (efore 79:> 726>

79:>, 762>, 726> should (e &uperior pochs and 5iazi years, with Dun 7"

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726> should have Dun 7" f so, then 72:2 was 7: years later and should (e Dun 79"ut the *uan history noted it as Dun B2 7B years different" That is, ?anzhi countfor years has deviated 7B yearsG

f 792> is used as the &uperior poch, then 720> would (e the &uperior pochclosest to the Eu(lai Ehan incidence and will have Dun 7" Dun 7 will come

again C2 years later in 72C6" 72:2 was 6 years later and should have Dun Cf 70:> was the &uperior poch, then Dun 7 would (e 70:>, 77;6, 722:" 72:2was ;> years after 722: and should have Dun ;;"

They all do not fit Dun B2 as recorded"

These historical evidence indicate the 60 cycle counts for years are notcontinuous.

Conclusions

There have (een misleading assumptions among practitioners of a wide range ofgeomancy arts that the 60 signs in the Four Pillars have continuous counts since thetime of *ao (ac/ in 2>00 % or *ellow mperor !uang Di (ac/ in 26;0 %"(valuations of certain historical data yield the startling findings that, at leastsince the Han dynasty to the present, both the 60 cycle counts for the day andyear were never in continuity!

The &tem of the hour is calculated from the &tem of the day" &o, since the daycounts are not continuous, the hour counts also cannot (e continuous"

t is said that the first historical record of the 60day cycle was from .arch :,26BC %" t also said that the @i .en Dun 5ia cycle starts from 77C %" fcalculations are made, these years 26BC and 77C % would have completecycles of 60 counts and seem to (e $ia zi years" !owever, this is misleading,as the calculations were made (ac/ward from the modern dates and 26BC and77C % will (e forced to fit into the 60 cycle counts""

Date calculations in geomancy are (ased on the scientific premise that celestial

movements e)ert real physical effects on human foetal development and adult(ehaviour" These inaccuracies had never trou(led earlier emperors who hadprudently resorted to direct o(servations of the s/y, for(idden planetary ta(les andthe actual astronomical positions of stars and planets"

t is impossi(le for any calendar to faithfully trac/ the movements of the stars andplanets in the long term" n due time, any calendar has to (e revised and recali(rated" Deviations in inaccurate calendars, inaccurate records /eeping and theintermittent wars too/ their toils in the memory of astronomers trying to pic/ up thereins of date calculations"

3nce calendars are used, the connections to the astronomical movements got lost")eomancy practitioners cannot be certain of the 60 cycle count of any Timeunit. )eneration after generation of practitioners $ust uncomprehendinglyapply the formulas, unaware of the serious errors creeping in.