Xiao Liu Ren
Bring one question. Three counts on the fingers, from the moment you ask, lead to one of six palaces.
- 留連Lingering
- 速喜Swift JoyMonth
- 赤口Red Mouth
- 大安Great PeaceDay
- 空亡Emptiness
- 小吉Small FortuneHour
小吉 Small Fortune
A good result. People come together, and matters settle by agreement.
The verse
小吉最吉昌，路上好商量，陰人來報喜，失物在坤方，行人立便至，交關甚是強，凡事皆和合，病者禱上蒼。
What it says
- Plans
- Everything comes into harmony.
- Talks and deals
- Strong. Talk it through on the way.
- Lost things
- Look to the southwest.
- Travellers
- They arrive very soon.
- News
- A woman brings good news.
- Illness
- The verse says to pray.
A traditional text for culture and reflection, not advice.
Understanding Xiao Liu Ren
Xiao Liu Ren, the Small Six Ren, is one of the quickest Chinese ways to ask about a matter. You need no coins or sticks. You count the lunar month, day and double hour around six points on the fingers, and the point where you stop gives the answer. Our version follows 「李淳風六壬時課」 in the almanac handbook 《玉匣記》.
How it works
- Count the monthStart on 大安 for the first lunar month and count forward to the current month.
- Count the dayStart where the month stopped. Call that point the first of the month and count to today.
- Count the hourStart where the day stopped. Call that point the 子 hour and count to the current double hour.
- Read the palaceThe point where the hour stops is your answer.
How to read it
- Hold one questionAsk about one matter at the moment it is on your mind. The time of asking is the whole method.
- Read the summaryThe first line tells you whether the palace leans good, slow or poor.
- Find your topicThe verse speaks to plans, lost things, travellers, disputes and illness. Read the row that fits.
- Check the handThe three marks show how the count moved, so you can repeat it on your own fingers.
Our method
- Text
- Method, worked example and verses come from 「李淳風六壬時課」 in 《玉匣記》, as transcribed on Chinese Wikisource.
- Check
- The engine reproduces the book’s example: third month, fifth day, 辰 hour gives 小吉.
- Day change
- We start the new day at 23:00, when the 子 hour begins. The book does not say, so this is our reading.
- Leap months
- A leap month counts as the month it repeats. The book does not cover this.
- Text correction
- Our source writes 「赤日主口舌」 for the verse of 赤口. We read it as 赤口, the palace’s own name.
- Left out
- The book also gives each palace lucky numbers. Copies disagree about 空亡, so we do not show them.
Common questions
Who invented it?
Tradition names Li Chunfeng, Zhuge Liang and others. None of these can be proved. 《玉匣記》 credits Li Chunfeng.
Is it related to Da Liu Ren?
Only by name. Da Liu Ren is a far larger system with its own charts.
Can I ask twice?
Tradition says to ask once. The answer also changes only every two hours, so asking again soon gives the same palace.
Can it answer health or legal questions?
The old verses mention them, and we show them as history. Please see a doctor or a lawyer for real decisions.
Why does the time use my clock?
The method reads the moment of asking where you are. The lunar date is taken from the China calendar.
Sources
- 《玉匣記》「雜占篇 李淳風六壬時課」, Chinese Wikisource transcription.
- English translations and plain summaries are drafted by TaoDial and await human review.