Complete Collection of the Three Fates: Translation and Notes

The Comprehensive Treatise on the Three Fates is a monumental work on Chinese destiny studies written by Wan Minying, a Ming dynasty jinshi (courtesy name Yuwu, also known as the Hermit of Mount Yuwu). The work comprises twelve volumes and was included in the Arts and Divination category of the Qing dynasty's Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. The library's summary praised it for gathering and distilling the ideas of many authors to capture their essence. For more than two centuries since the Ming dynasty, those who studied astrology and fate have regarded it as a comprehensive reference.

The book is framed around Xu Ziping's Four Pillars method of fortune-telling, and also incorporates the interactions of the Five Elements, the origins of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, symbolic interpretations of the na yin, the Ten Gods and chart configurations, and the auspicious or inauspicious effects of various spirits. The first nine volumes present foundational theories, using the ten Heavenly Stems as their framework to discuss the fortunes associated with their Earthly Branches, months, and times, as well as personality, illness, family relationships, women's charts, and children's charts. Volumes eight and nine offer individual readings for each of the sixty sexagenary day-and-hour combinations. The final three volumes compile verse and rhyme texts such as The Fortune-Telling Verses, The Mysterious Formulas of the Jade Well, The Ode on Messages and Omens, and The Treatise on Continuing Goodness, offering practical guidance.

This annotated translation is based on the complete Wenyuan Pavilion edition of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. It has been collated, annotated, and supplemented with a translation into modern Chinese, clarifying technical terms and allusions and making it more accessible. It is suitable for readers interested in traditional Chinese divination, folk customs, and cultural history. The book's ideas about destiny reflect ancient cultural beliefs and are best approached as material for study and understanding, with a rational perspective.