The Twelve Noble Gods Arrangement Method in Da Liu Ren (大六壬十二贵神起法)

Overview

Da Liu Ren (大六壬, "Great Six Ren") stands as one of the Three Great Divination Arts (San Shi 三式) of Chinese metaphysics, alongside Qi Men Dun Jia and Tai Yi Shen Shu. At the heart of every Da Liu Ren chart lies the arrangement of the Twelve Noble Gods (十二贵神, Shi Er Gui Shen), a system of symbolic energies that represent various spiritual forces, human relationships, and environmental influences affecting the querent's situation.

The Twelve Noble Gods Arrangement Method (十二贵神起法, Shi Er Gui Shen Qi Fa) determines how these twelve deities map onto the Earth Plate (地盘, Di Pan) based on the Day Stem (日干, Ri Gan) and whether the divination occurs during day or night hours. This arrangement fundamentally alters the interpretation of the Four Pillars (四课, Si Ke) and Three Transmissions (三传, San Chuan), making it essential for accurate chart analysis.

Key Concepts

The Twelve Noble Gods (十二贵神)

Each god represents specific qualities and influences. They always appear in this fixed sequence, though their starting position and direction change based on calculation rules:

1. Gui Ren (贵人, "Noble Person"): Assistance, authority, protection, noble benefactors
2. Teng She (螣蛇, "Flying Serpent"): Anxiety, deception, strange occurrences, spiritual disturbance
3. Zhu Que (朱雀, "Vermilion Bird"): Communication, documents, litigation, fire, speech
4. Liu He (六合, "Six Harmonies"): Partnership, marriage, harmony, contracts, hidden affairs
5. Gou Chen (勾陈, "Hooked Array"): Obstacles, delays, old matters, earth-related issues, entanglement
6. Qing Long (青龙, "Azure Dragon"): Wealth, joy, celebration, nobility, righteous authority
7. Tian Kong (天空, "Empty Sky"): Emptiness, monks, religious matters, falsehood, metaphysics
8. Bai Hu (白虎, "White Tiger"): Violence, injury, military affairs, funerals, bloodshed
9. Tai Chang (太常, "Great Constant"): Food, drink, clothing, salary, consistent income
10. Xuan Wu (玄武, "Black Tortoise"): Thieves, loss, hidden matters, sexual affairs, intelligence
11. Tai Yin (太阴, "Great Yin"): Hidden assistance, female energy, secrecy, planning, darkness
12. Tian Hou (天后, "Heavenly Queen"): Female benefactors, marriage, washing, cleanliness, gentleness

Day Noble vs. Night Noble (昼贵与夜贵)

The system divides the day based on solar energy rather than clock time:

• Day Noble (昼贵, Zhou Gui): Used from Mao (卯, 5-7 AM) through Shen (申, 3-5 PM), representing yang energy ascending and flourishing
• Night Noble (夜贵, Ye Gui): Used from You (酉, 5-7 PM) through Yin (寅, 3-5 AM), representing yin energy growing and dominating

This distinction reflects the classical Chinese cosmological view that different spiritual forces govern different temporal phases.

Forward vs. Reverse Arrangement (顺布与逆布)

Once the starting position (Gui Ren's location) is determined, the remaining eleven gods are placed either:

• Forward (顺布, Shun Bu): Clockwise around the Earth Plate's twelve earthly branches (normal arrangement)
• Reverse (逆布, Ni Bu): Counter-clockwise, occurring under specific inauspicious conditions

How It Works: Step-by-Step Calculation

Step 1: Identify the Day Stem (日干)

Determine the Heavenly Stem of the day in question from the Chinese calendar. The ten stems divide into five pairs that share the same Noble God positions:

• Group A: Jia (甲) / Wu (戊) / Geng (庚)
• Group B: Yi (乙) / Ji (己)
• Group C: Bing (丙) / Xin (辛)
• Group D: Ding (丁) / Ren (壬)
• Group E: Wu (戊) / Gui (癸) - Note: Wu appears in both A and E

Step 2: Determine Day or Night Period

Check the local time of inquiry:

Step 3: Locate the Starting Position

Use the traditional rhyme to find where Gui Ren (the first god) begins:

"Jia Wu Geng Niu Yang, Yi Ji Shu Hou Xiang, Bing Xin Ji Yu Wei, Ding Ren Zhu Tu Dang, Wu Gui Huan Shi Niu, Zhou Ye Gui Shen Xiang."

(甲戊庚牛羊，乙己鼠猴乡，丙辛鸡虎位，丁壬猪兔乡，戊癸还依牛，昼夜贵神详)

Step 4: Determine Direction (Forward or Reverse)

Normally, gods arrange clockwise (forward). However, use Reverse (逆布) if:

• The Noble position falls on the Day Branch (日辰, Ri Chen) - the earthly branch of the day
• The Noble position falls on Empty Death (空亡, Kong Wang) - the "empty" branches for that specific day

When reversing, Gui Ren stays in place, but subsequent gods move counter-clockwise (Zhu Que moves to the left/previous branch instead of right/next branch).

Step 5: Arrange the Remaining Gods

Place the remaining eleven gods in sequence from the starting position:

Forward order: Gui Ren → Teng She → Zhu Que → Liu He → Gou Chen → Qing Long → Tian Kong → Bai Hu → Tai Chang → Xuan Wu → Tai Yin → Tian Hou

Reverse order: Gui Ren → Tian Hou → Tai Yin → Xuan Wu → Tai Chang → Bai Hu → Tian Kong → Qing Long → Gou Chen → Liu He → Zhu Que → Teng She

Examples

Example 1: Jia Wood Day, Noon Inquiry

Scenario: Day Stem is Jia (甲), inquiry at 12 PM (Wu 午时).

• Step 1: Jia belongs to Group A (Jia/Wu/Geng)
• Step 2: Noon is daytime → use Day Noble
• Step 3: According to rhyme "Jia Wu Geng Niu Yang" → Chou (丑, Ox)
• Step 4: Check if Chou is Day Branch or Kong Wang. Assuming neither, use Forward arrangement
• Step 5: Gui Ren sits at Chou (2nd position). Moving clockwise: Teng She at Yin (寅), Zhu Que at Mao (卯), Liu He at Chen (辰), Gou Chen at Si (巳), Qing Long at Wu (午), Tian Kong at Wei (未), Bai Hu at Shen (申), Tai Chang at You (酉), Xuan Wu at Xu (戌), Tai Yin at Hai (亥), Tian Hou at Zi (子)

Example 2: Bing Fire Day, Evening Inquiry

Scenario: Day Stem is Bing (丙), inquiry at 8 PM (Xu 戌时).

• Step 1: Bing belongs to Group C (Bing/Xin)
• Step 2: Xu hour is nighttime → use Night Noble
• Step 3: According to rhyme "Bing Xin Ji Yu Wei" (鸡虎位) → Yin (寅, Tiger)
• Step 4: Assuming no special conditions → Forward arrangement
• Step 5: Gui Ren at Yin (3rd position), then moving clockwise through the remaining gods

Example 3: Reverse Arrangement Case

Scenario: Yi Wood Day (乙), inquiry at 10 AM (Si 巳时), Day Branch is Chou (丑).

• Step 1: Yi belongs to Group B
• Step 2: Daytime → Day Noble at Shen (申)
• Step 3: Check conditions: Is Shen the Day Branch (Chou)? No. Is Shen in Kong Wang for this day? Let's assume Kong Wang is Shen-You (申酉空亡) for this example.
• Step 4: Since Shen is Empty, use Reverse arrangement
• Step 5: Gui Ren at Shen (9th position), then counter-clockwise: Tian Hou at Wei (未), Tai Yin at Wu (午), Xuan Wu at Si (巳), Tai Chang at Chen (辰), Bai Hu at Mao (卯), Tian Kong at Yin (寅), Qing Long at Chou (丑), Gou Chen at Zi (子), Liu He at Hai (亥), Zhu Que at Xu (戌), Teng She at You (酉)

Common Pitfalls

• Time Confusion: Using clock time instead of traditional Chinese hours (Shi Chen 时辰). The transition at 5 PM (You 酉时) is crucial; 4:59 PM uses Day Noble, 5:01 PM uses Night Noble.
• Stem Group Errors: Forgetting that Wu (戊) appears in both Group A and Group E, or confusing the Yi/Ji pairing.
• Direction Mix-ups: Assuming reverse means swapping start/end positions. It doesn't—the starting position remains the same, only the direction of subsequent placement changes.
• Kong Wang Miscalculation: Empty Death branches change daily based on the Day Stem pairings. Always verify which two branches are "empty" for the specific day before determining direction.
• Earth Plate Orientation: Forgetting that the Earth Plate runs clockwise from Zi (子, North) through Chou (丑), Yin (寅), etc. Drawing the plate incorrectly leads to wrong god positions.

Related Terms

Mastering the Twelve Noble Gods Arrangement requires memorizing the starting positions rhyme and practicing the logic of forward/reverse determination. Once internalized, this method provides the spiritual "flavor" of each earthly branch in the chart, revealing whether a particular position brings noble assistance (Gui Ren), deception (Teng She), or wealth (Qing Long).