When people think of Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮) or Kong Ming (孔明), they will recall how he employed his Fingers-Pinching Method (插指一算) to predict the outcome of an event.

He was actually employing a rapid Chinese divination procedure known as the 'Little Six Ren' or 小六壬 (Xiao Liu Ren). It is also known as 'Ma Qian Ke', 马前课 (lesson before the horse) in several literatures. This 'lesson' is actually divination performed in front of a horse before making a decision.

小六壬 (Xiao Liu Ren) is a simplified version of the 'Big Six Ren' or 大六壬 (Da Liu Ren), which is a considerably more sophisticated system with a longer processing time.

There is also a 中六壬 (Zhong Liu Ren) or 天罡掌诀 that practitioners are rarely aware of.

Because Xiao Liu Ren just uses six important stars for prediction, it produces quick results.

These 6 stars are: Big Auspicious (大安), Hasty Happiness (速喜), Little Auspicious (小吉), Hinderer (留連), Disputer (赤口), and Emptiness (空亡).