Sanming Tonghui: The Encyclopaedia of Ming-Dynasty BaZi

If other classics are 'specialised works', Sanming Tonghui is the 'encyclopaedia' — it compiles almost the entire BaZi tradition from Han-Tang through Ming into a single great work. Today's practitioners — whether checking terms, tracing origins, or studying shensha — often return to it.

1. The Author Wan Minying

Wan Minying (1521–1603), Ming BaZi scholar, courtesy name Ruhao, style name Yuwu. Over decades he organised the BaZi tradition since the Song-Yuan period into Sanming Tonghui (三命通会) — 'three lives' referring to 'year-fate, sound-element, and BaZi', the three main ancient fortune-systems.

2. Structure

The work is divided into twelve volumes:

Volumes 1–4: foundational theory — stems, branches, five elements, Ten Gods, shensha, sound-element (nayin), twelve life-stages, etc.
Volumes 5–7: pattern determination and rhymed formulas (with many traditional verses systematised).
Volumes 8–10: luck pillars, annual pillars, case examples.
Volumes 11–12: female charts, juvenile limit, supplements, miscellaneous.

Its hallmark is comprehensiveness — almost no more systematic pre-Ming compilation exists.

3. The Most Important Source for Shensha

Its shensha treatment is especially systematic:

Detailed derivation and meaning of over a hundred shensha
Distinction between noble stars (Heavenly Nobleman, Academic Nobleman, Fortune Nobleman) and adverse stars (Robbery, Hidden, Solitary, Widow)
Detailed treatment of specialised shensha (Red Beauty, Peach Blossom, Canopy, Traveling Horse)

Modern BaZi (including our classical sources) traces most shensha references back to Sanming Tonghui.

4. Systematising the Nayin Five-Element

Nayin (the sixty Jiazi each carrying a 'sound-element' such as 'Sea Gold' for 甲子乙丑) — an ancient classification — receives its most complete systematisation here. Our classical sources builds on this for the modern narrative meaning of nayin.

5. Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

Extremely comprehensive, a 'treasure-house' of BaZi material
Preserves traditions that would otherwise have been lost
Contains many pre-Ming case examples

Weaknesses:

Dense; difficult for beginners
Some content carries superstitions later discarded (e.g., excessive shensha verdicts)
Lacks the clear methodology of Diantian Sui or Ziping Zhenquan

6. Modern Use of Sanming Tonghui

Our platform treats it as a reference work:

Look up shensha derivation and meaning — primary reference.
Look up nayin — authoritative source.
Look up traditional verses — understand ancient BaZi thinking.
Look up case examples — reference, but examine with a modern lens.

Not recommended as a primer — its scope is too wide and lacks progressive teaching structure. Build a framework first via modern textbooks or Ziping Zhenquan, then use Sanming Tonghui as reference.

7. Complementarity of the Major Classics

Yuanhai Ziping, Diantian Sui, Ziping Zhenquan, Qiongtong Baojian, Sanming Tonghui — often called the Five Major Classics (or Six, including Shenfeng Tongkao):

Yuanhai Ziping: foundational system
Diantian Sui: philosophical depth
Ziping Zhenquan: practical method
Qiongtong Baojian: climate-balancing perspective
Sanming Tonghui: encyclopaedic reference

A modern practitioner should have basic familiarity with all five and select the appropriate source for specific questions.

8. Reading Suggestions

Don't treat Sanming Tonghui as a 'cover-to-cover' book — it is a reference.
When encountering an unfamiliar shensha or term, check it here first.
For content that conflicts with modern values (such as some gender-discriminatory phrasings), keep a critical distance.
It is the 'toolbox' of a BaZi scholar — mastering it marks deepening study.

Next step: Read BaZi for Australian-Chinese: In a Cross-Cultural Context to enter the next series.

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