Chronicles of the Planetary Stars
The five planets lined up at the pole of Heaven: the essence of Taiyi, whose qi belongs to the Purple Palace, governs generation. The essence of the five planets, whose qi belongs to Taiyi, serves as assistants. Its color belongs to Yinghuo (Vesper Mars), governing military punishment and anxiety. The essence of the five planets, whose qi belongs to Taibai (Venus), governs conscription and generals and ministers. The essence of the five planets, whose qi belongs to Chenxing (Mercury), governs the Yulin guards, campaigns, and defense in war. Taiyi is also taken as Tianyi; the years, months, days, and stars form the constellations. All have the twelve branches, each in its own order with its stellar configuration, yet the positions of the stars themselves are not among them. In the Tang astronomical treatise, astronomers ranked stars as first class, also meaning that this is the method of the Heavenly Ancestor and the ranks of the Twenty-Eight Mansions—this is likely so.
Stars have changes and shifts, and what is called the Heavenly Ancestor can only mean this. Extending from this upward, for all Twenty-Eight Mansions, the motions of years, months, days, and stars are the same for everyone, so celestial phenomena can be prognosticated. Master Liu also added a category of star names—the so-called five planets, which each year travel one step per day and complete a circuit of the heavens once a month. One step yields five degrees; thus the twelve lodges form the ranks of the constellations, and within the year the Year Star has its twelve stations, equal to the twelve lodges before the year, while the twelve hours after the year likewise each have eight lodges—all speaking of these. Each set is determined by the fixed seasonal measures on the Sun's own Heaven: because the Sun shares the positions of the constellations on that same Heaven, and because the number of thirty-nine fen is fixed relative to the twelve hours after the year, they are said to be the same.
As for the Way of Heaven, that of Earth is established in Heaven as Earth; thus when the Sun is fixed on Earth, this is precisely how one discusses the Sun's degrees in Heaven and Earth, and only afterward is the fixed measure of ninety-six fen obtained. Therefore the Sun's degrees are discussed in terms of precession, while the Sun's degrees use the same numbers as Earth. This theory differs from that of all other schools: on the Sun's own Heaven it is thirty-six degrees, counted from the Sun on that same Heaven, so precession is excessive.
Now fix one year by human days and fix the celestial motion of that year—there are also multiplicative degrees that are clearly excessive. It is also said: taking Taiyear as odd, odd means an odd number. Taiyear is the same—and what is "the same" again? There is the pitch of the Wu-zi palace note, which Taiyi fixed. The palace note is the fundamental note of the palace; the palace has nothing to do with Yi-Metal, but is related to Ding-Wood. And it becomes mother and child generating each other, so sound arises naturally: Yi generates from Metal, yet it is also a natural generation of each other. Why? Metal and water are one, and if put in one, one speaks of Metal, yet Yi-Wood is called two. Earth is overcome by water; Wu is the mother of Earth, and Yi has Ding-Wood—one might say they are not of a kind.
This palace-Yi is the mother of Metal, Fire, and Earth. The same holds for the remaining Yi; Metal and Fire are those that cannot overcome, so when yang follows yin, though it does not obtain its position, yet it must gradually wax and wane, and only then be auspicious. Unless it is the numbers of four-five-two-three, qi does not reach above and below to become the victor—this is it. Excess harms, the continuation restrains, and reverse restraint transforms; hence there are the multiplicative interactions of five qi, six qi, seven qi, eight qi, and nineteen qi, each governing differently. And judging from the qi itself, one can know: within the nine cycles there are those that cannot overcome!
Five qi, six qi, seven governors, five phases, six virtues, five uses, five illnesses, six qi, six illnesses, six deficiencies, six retreats—namely the six subtleties, six extremes, six excesses, six combinations, and the qi of the six subtleties—also have qi that cannot overcome.
Yet speaking of celestial motion, there is excess and deficiency. When excess, its qi returns at the time of completion; when deficiency, its cycle returns—and then the qi overcomes, and what overcomes is overcome. Unless the sage arises again, who could equal this? Within this there is also the sense that ministerial fire restrains Metal—and that too is one sense.
Some interpreters hold that Fire is of the class of Metal and restrains Metal, which also has meaning: because it restrains and obtains its position, it may be named Fire. In terms of qi it is wind; wind is native Earth and belongs to Wood. Metal is of the class of water and restrains its qi, so it may be named Wood. Metal. As for dryness, it is Metal; as for restraint, it is Metal. Fire is in Heaven and Earth—the qi of Earth, Earth. The five phases go below; Fire, moving through the four phases above, can transform them—then below is not Heaven, for what is below is not Heaven; what overcomes what does not overcome is what is below.