An Introduction to 《渊海子平》: The Origins, System, and Functions of Zi Ping Bazi Metaphysics
This introduces the composition background, Zi Ping method lineage, main content, and destiny-analysis function of 《渊海子平》, explaining why it is an essential foundational classic in Bazi studies and in structuring a fortune-telling knowledge base.
Contents · 3
Yuanhai Ziping (《渊海子平》) is an important title in the Ziping tradition, but authorship and extent depend on the edition. Xu Ziping, Xu Sheng and later editors must not be collapsed into one person.
Attributions and editions
Chuo University’s Chinese-book catalogue records a five-juan Xin kan hebing guanban yinyi pingzhu Yuanhai Ziping. It names Xu Sheng of Song as author and Yang Cong of Ming as reviser, while the actual copy is a Qing printing by the Fujian Yu-family Shanchengtang. Traditional attribution, revision and printing are separate layers. Chuo catalogue.
A different text titled Ke Jingtai zengbu Yuanhai Ziping Daquan has a six-juan contents list and different compilation attribution. Its contents must not be described using the five-juan edition’s structure. Six-juan contents.
Reading advice
Compare the same topic across editions, retaining full titles, juan and page references. Discussions of conventional fate categories, relatives, cycles and verse formulas are not arranged identically everywhere. Nor should yongshen automatically receive one modern textbook definition.
The lineage history of Ziping and the transmission of this particular title are related but distinct questions.
2026-10-24: replaced single-author and fixed-extent narratives with edition-specific evidence and removed unverified Song-composition stories and generic Siku availability claims.
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