Dụng thần

The Governing Line

The governing line (yong shen) is the most central concept in Liu Yao divination. The governing line refers to the line within a hexagram that represents the matter or person being asked about. Identifying the governing line correctly is the first and most critical step in interpreting a hexagram.

Principles for Selecting the Governing Line

Depending on the subject of inquiry, different of the Six Relations are selected to serve as the governing line:

Asking about wealth: The Wealth line serves as the governing line. Asking about career: The Officer and Ghost line serves as the governing line. Asking about examinations: The Parent line serves as the governing line (representing documents). Asking about children: The Offspring line serves as the governing line. Asking about marriage (for a man): The Wealth line serves as the governing line. Asking about marriage (for a woman): The Officer and Ghost line serves as the governing line. Asking about illness: The Officer and Ghost line serves as the governing line (representing the disease). Asking about travel: The subject line (shi yao) serves as the governing line. Asking about lawsuits: The Officer and Ghost line serves as the governing line.

Assessing the Strength of the Governing Line

The strength of the governing line directly determines the outcome of the prediction:

Conditions for a prosperous governing line:

• Supported and generated by the day stem and branch.
• Supported and generated by the month stem and branch.
• Supported and generated by a moving line.
• The governing line itself is moving.

Indications of a weak governing line:

• Restrained by the day stem and branch.
• Restrained by the month stem and branch.
• Restrained by a moving line.
• The governing line falls into a Void (kong wang).
• The governing line enters a grave.

Duplicate Governing Lines

When two or more of the same relation appear in a hexagram (such as two Wealth lines), it is known as a "duplicate governing line." The principles for resolution are:

1. Select the moving line as the governing line.
2. Select the more prosperous one as the governing line.
3. Select the one with a closer relationship to the subject line.

Generating Line, Unfavorable Line, and Hostile Line

Around the governing line, there are three other important concepts:

• Generating line - The line that produces the governing line; it acts as a support.
• Unfavorable line - The line that restrains the governing line; it acts as an obstacle.
• Hostile line - The line that produces the unfavorable line, indirectly causing detriment to the governing line.

The Core of Hexagram Interpretation

The core logic of interpreting a hexagram in Liu Yao is straightforward: if the governing line is prosperous and strong, the matter will succeed; if the governing line is weak and powerless, the matter will be difficult to achieve. This is then combined with factors such as the transformations of moving lines, the influences of the day and month, and the auxiliary roles of the Six Spirits to arrive at the final conclusion.