XinggeHidden Virtue Lengthens Life
〈論陰騭延壽〉
The Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu, Volume 3: Reading a life and its luck periods · Original text with translation
Introduction
Hidden Virtue Lengthens Life (論陰騭延壽) is a single paragraph, and one of the rare places where the Complete Book of Zi Wei Dou Shu says that a life is not wholly fixed by the chart.
The Quan Shu says that when someone's Decade Luck, Minor Luck and Tai Sui all reach malefic, fallen positions and yet the person outlives the span and does not die, it is because that person has stored up hidden virtue: in daily life he benefited others and helped people, examined himself and cultivated virtue, and because he did good, blessing came down, so that 'though the place is malefic, no harm is done'. The positive example is Song Jiao weaving a bridge of reeds to save ants; the negative one is Zhuge Liang burning the rattan-armour army, harming people so cruelly that his life was cut short by one ji, twelve years.
The base text's 陰騰 is a slip for 陰騭 (hidden virtue); the chapter title has 陰騭.
1陰騰延壽生百福，雖然倒限不遭傷。假如有人大小二限及太歲到凶陷地，有延過壽去不死者，乃是其人曾行陰騰，平日利物濟人，反身修德，以作善降福，雖凶不害。如宋郊編荻橋渡蟻是也。又如諸葛亮火燒藤甲軍，傷人太毒減壽一紀。當以此參詳。
TranslationHidden virtue lengthens life and brings a hundred blessings; even in a falling luck period one comes to no harm. Suppose someone's Decade and Minor Luck and Tai Sui reach malefic, fallen positions, and yet he lives on past his span and does not die: that is because this person has practised hidden virtue. In daily life he benefited things and helped people, examined himself and cultivated virtue; because he did good, blessing came down, so though the place is malefic, no harm is done. Song Jiao weaving a bridge of reeds to carry ants across the water is such a case. Again, Zhuge Liang burned the rattan-armour army, harming people too cruelly, and his life was cut short by one ji. Use these to weigh the matter in detail.
- 陰騰
- For 陰騭: hidden virtue, good deeds done without being seen (see the textual note).
- 倒限
- A falling luck period: a luck period that reaches an unfavourable place.
- 一紀
- One ji: twelve years.
- 宋郊編荻橋渡蟻
- The story of Song Jiao (Song Xiang), who wove reeds into a bridge to save ants from the water and later came first in the imperial examination.
Textual note: The 陰騰 in 「陰騰延壽」 and 「曾行陰騰」 should be 陰騭, hidden virtue (the chapter title has 陰騭).
This passage marks a limit of Dou Shu reckoning: the Decade Luck, Minor Luck and Tai Sui all reach malefic, fallen positions, the chart says death, and the person does not die, because of hidden virtue. The two stories, Song Jiao saving the ants and later coming first in the examination, Zhuge Liang burning the rattan-armour army and losing twelve years of life, show doing good lengthening life and doing harm shortening it. The same idea appears in the Gu Sui Fu as 「陰騭延年增百福」 (segment 70), so it is a stance the Quan Shu holds throughout.
Taken as written, it places a person's deeds above the chart. One way to carry it into the present: the chart describes tendencies and timing, while the outcome still depends on how a person acts and treats others. It is also one reason not to frighten anyone with the verdicts of a luck period.
Base text (Wikisource, partly in simplified Chinese)
FAQ
Does Zi Wei Dou Shu say that doing good lengthens life?
Hidden Virtue Lengthens Life says that a person whose luck periods reach malefic, fallen positions and who still does not die owes it to hidden virtue stored up, to benefiting others and helping people, to examining himself and cultivating virtue, and so 「雖凶不害」, though the place is malefic, no harm is done.
What is the story of Song Jiao and the ants?
When Song Jiao (Song Xiang) was young he saw an ants' nest being flooded and wove reeds into a bridge so the ants could cross; later he came first in the imperial examination. The Quan Shu uses it as an example of hidden virtue lengthening life.