式Mantic arts dossier · The Three Cosmic Boards and spatiotemporal methods
小六壬
Xiǎo Liùrén·Lesser Liuren
A quick hand mnemonic cycling month, day and hour through six states: Great Peace, Lingering, Swift Joy, Red Mouth, Small Fortune and Emptiness.
- Aliases
- Lesser Liuren hand mnemonic, Six-Spirit lesson
- Formation
- A late popular quick method chiefly standardized in recent and modern sources
- Evidence status
Study notes & citation
小六壬. Institute of Chinese Mantic Arts. https://www.manticarts.com/en/arts/xiaoliuren
On this page
01Core principles
Core principles
Translate formulas into structure: what enters, how the model is arranged, and which relations drive interpretation.
Counting proceeds from a set starting point through lunar month, day and hour branch. The final position gives a basic judgment; expanded schools add phases, relations, spirits and correspondences.
Key concepts
- Great Peace
- Lingering
- Swift Joy
- Red Mouth
- Small Fortune
- Emptiness
02Origins and historical development
Origins and historical development
Keep traditional accounts, surviving evidence and later transformations distinct.
Its lack of a complex chart encouraged broad popular circulation. Surviving evidence is mainly manuscripts, finger mnemonics and modern compilations, with regional additions and omissions.
STUDY / Xiǎo Liùrén
Local variants of Xiaoliuren
- Materials and inputs
- Month/day/hour convention, sequence and local text
Research question
Do identically named formulas use the same counting origin?
Practical exercise
Compare two sourced rules using a fictional date. Record origin, inclusive counting and cycle order step by step.
03Evidence limits and research debates
Evidence limits and research debates
Distinguish traditional interpretations, documented material and claims requiring testing.
Despite the name, a direct genealogy from Great Liuren's Four Lessons and Three Transmissions is unclear. Attributions to Li Chunfeng or Zhuge Liang lack reliable evidence.
This dossier supports historical, textual and methodological study. Internal traditional explanations are not modern empirical validation and do not replace medical, legal, financial or other professional advice.
04Core texts and materials
Core texts and materials
- 01Local manuscripts and hand mnemonics
- 02Modern compilations titled Xiao Liuren