What is Da Liu Ren (大六壬)? The Six Ren Divination

Da Liu Ren, together with Qi Men Dun Jia and Tai Yi Shen Shu, forms the "Three Styles" (三式) — the highest tier of Chinese divination systems. With origins dating back over 2,000 years, it is renowned for its precision in answering specific, practical questions about any aspect of life.

The Heaven-Earth Plate (天地盘)

At the foundation of every Da Liu Ren reading is the Heaven-Earth Plate — a dynamic grid formed by rotating the twelve Earthly Branches (地支) based on the current month and time. The Earth Plate (地盘) stays fixed while the Heaven Plate (天盘) rotates, creating a unique energetic map for the exact moment of divination.

The Four Lessons (四课)

From the Heaven-Earth Plate, four pairs of elements are extracted — the Four Lessons. Each lesson consists of a upper and lower element, representing different aspects of the situation:

• First Lesson — The querent's own position and resources
• Second Lesson — The querent's actions and capabilities
• Third Lesson — The counterpart or opposing force in the situation
• Fourth Lesson — The outcome or result direction

The Three Transmissions (三传)

The Three Transmissions — Initial (初传), Middle (中传), and Final (末传) — are the heart of the Da Liu Ren reading. Derived from the Four Lessons through specific rules, they trace the progression of events from beginning to end:

• Initial Transmission (初传) — The origin or trigger of the situation
• Middle Transmission (中传) — The development or main process
• Final Transmission (末传) — The resolution or outcome

The Twelve Heavenly Generals (十二天将)

Each element in the chart is accompanied by one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals — spiritual entities that add nuance and depth to the reading. Key generals include:

• Teng She (腾蛇) — Unexpected events, anxiety, deception
• Zhu Que (朱雀) — Communication, documents, disputes
• Gou Chen (勾陈) — Delays, entanglement, earth-related matters
• Bai Hu (白虎) — Danger, conflict, surgery, powerful forces
• Qing Long (青龙) — Good fortune, celebrations, wealth, joy
• Tian Hou (天后) — Women, marriage, harmony, partnerships

What Can Da Liu Ren Answer?

Da Liu Ren excels at answering specific, concrete questions about real-life situations:

• Will this business deal succeed?
• Is this a good time to travel?
• Will I find a lost item?
• What is the outlook for a legal case?
• Is a romantic relationship heading in the right direction?
• How will a job interview or exam go?

Da Liu Ren vs. Other Divination Systems

Unlike BaZi which requires birth data, Da Liu Ren is cast from the current moment — making it ideal for spontaneous questions. Unlike Liu Yao which uses hexagrams, Da Liu Ren uses the full Earthly Branch system with Heavenly Generals, providing richer and more nuanced readings. It is considered one of the most complete and sophisticated divination systems in Chinese metaphysics.

The Classical Commentary: Da Liu Ren Ji Ying Qian

Da Liu Ren Ji Ying Qian is the most comprehensive compilation of Liu Ren commentaries written up to the Ming dynasty. It is organised as sixty sexagenary days × twelve lessons — 720 lessons in total. All 720 are included in this app, about 700,000 characters of text.

Each lesson separately records the views of different traditional commentators, drawing on more than ten works including the Yu Li Qian, Bi Fa Fu, Jin Kui Jing, Tong Shen Ji, Wu Huo Qian, Zhen Yi Shan Ren and Ji Yi. These commentators approach a lesson from different angles — some stress the structure of the lesson, some the relationship of the generals, others give a direct judgement. The texts are presented side by side, not merged into one voice.

So in this app, casting the chart is not the end. Based on the day pillar and the lesson, the system brings up what the classical commentators wrote about that specific lesson, as reference for the reading. The interpretation therefore has a textual basis, rather than being a generic guess from broad rules.

Try Da Liu Ren with AI

Our AI-powered Chinese & Vedic Astrology app performs complete Da Liu Ren chart casting based on the current time (or any specified time). The AI interprets the Four Lessons, Three Transmissions, Heavenly Generals, and Spirit Killings to provide a comprehensive reading for your question.