[2] This divination form is called Da Liu Ren because the heavenly stem rén (壬), indicating "yang water", appears six times in the Sexagenary cycle.
In order, it appears in rénshēn (壬申), rénwǔ (壬午), rénchén (壬辰), rényín (壬寅), rénzǐ (壬子), and rénxū (壬戌).
In addition, the Da Liu Ren cosmic board indicates the Three Transmissions (三傳; sānchuán) and Four Classes (四課; sìkè).
The sexagenary cycle date is given in the upper right–hand margin, with the corresponding situation (局; jú) number, the location of pertinent vacancies, and an indication of whether the array belongs to daytime or evening divination.
Divination in Da Liu Ren is determined by relationships of five elements (wu xing 五行) and yin and yang (陰陽) between and among the Three Transmissions, Four Classes, Twelve Generals, and the Heaven and Earth Plates.
By the time of the Yuan dynasty, Da Liu Ren had overtaken Qi Men Dun Jia in popularity, at least according to source documents found in the caverns of Dunhuang.
The overwhelming popularity of Da Liu Ren in ancient China was perhaps due to its higher degree of precision, in comparison with Qi Men Dun Jia.