Da Liu Ren (大六壬)

The Grand Oracle of Four Courses and Three Transmissions

Overview

Da Liu Ren (大六壬), the 'Grand Six Ren', is one of the Three Styles (三式) of classical Chinese divination — alongside Qimen Dunjia (奇門遁甲) and Tai Yi Shen Shu (太乙神數). It is considered the most precise of the three for personal and event-specific divination, using a sophisticated system of Four Courses (四課) and Three Transmissions (三傳) derived from the day's celestial stems and branches to reveal the hidden dynamics of any situation.

Origin & history

Da Liu Ren's origins are attributed to the legendary Yellow Emperor (黃帝) and his court, with the system said to have been transmitted through the mythological figure of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl (九天玄女). The name 'Liu Ren' refers to the six instances of the heavenly stem Ren (壬) in the sixty-year cycle, which are considered particularly potent for divination. The system was systematised during the Han Dynasty and reached its mature form during the Tang Dynasty, when comprehensive manuals were compiled.

Da Liu Ren was historically the most prestigious of the Three Styles, used by imperial advisors, military strategists, and court diviners for the most important state decisions. The Tang Dynasty produced foundational texts including 'Da Liu Ren Daquan' (大六壬大全), and the Song Dynasty saw further refinement by scholars like Shao Yong. During the Ming Dynasty, the system was used extensively by military strategists. In the 20th century, the system was preserved primarily in Taiwan, where masters like Zhang Zhichun (張志春) and Lü Caiming (呂才明) produced comprehensive modern textbooks.

How it works

A Da Liu Ren chart is constructed by first determining the day's heavenly stem and earthly branch, then using a 12-position circular diagram (十二地支盤) to calculate the Four Courses (四課) — four pairs of heavenly and earthly branch combinations that represent the querent, the situation, the other party, and the outcome. From these four courses, Three Transmissions (三傳) are derived — the Initial Transmission (初傳), Middle Transmission (中傳), and Final Transmission (末傳) — which represent the past, present, and future of the situation. The twelve Heavenly Generals (十二天將) are then assigned to each position, adding a layer of divine influence to the analysis.

Good for

Use cases

Legal and Political Matters

Da Liu Ren has historically been the preferred divination method for complex legal and political situations. The Four Courses reveal the positions and intentions of all parties involved, while the Three Transmissions map the likely progression of events.

Military Strategy

Imperial military commanders used Da Liu Ren to assess the strength and intentions of enemy forces, determine auspicious timing for attacks, and identify the most favourable directions for troop movements.

Complex Relationship Dynamics

When a situation involves multiple parties with conflicting interests — a business dispute, a family inheritance conflict, or a complex romantic situation — Da Liu Ren's multi-course structure provides a more nuanced analysis than single-hexagram methods.

Key terms

Four Courses (四課)
The four pairs of heavenly stem and earthly branch combinations that form the structural foundation of a Da Liu Ren chart, representing the querent, situation, other party, and outcome.
Three Transmissions (三傳)
The three key positions derived from the Four Courses: Initial (初傳, past/cause), Middle (中傳, present/process), and Final (末傳, future/outcome).
Twelve Heavenly Generals (十二天將)
Twelve divine figures assigned to the twelve earthly branch positions, each with specific domains of influence: Heavenly Empress (天后), Vermilion Bird (朱雀), Six Harmony (六合), etc.
Month General (月將)
The heavenly general that governs the current month, used as the starting point for calculating the chart's positional assignments.

API

The askTIAN Da Liu Ren API calculates a complete Four Courses and Three Transmissions chart for any date and time, returning all positional assignments, Heavenly General placements, elemental relationships, and a 0–100 fortune score.

Endpoint: POST /trpc/daLiuRen.calculate — 1 TIAN Points. See the API documentation and Playground.