Classical ideas in everyday decisions

01 · Xiang: images and analogy

Resemblance is not identity

擬諸其形容，象其物宜。

Source: Zhou Yi Zheng Yi, volume 7, Xi Ci Shang, the passage beginning “聖人有以見天下之賾”. Chinese text and commentary

The passage concerns representing things through their forms and fitting images. An image can organise an interpretation; it is not an independently verified fact. Explain why this analogy was chosen, which alternatives were left aside and what it invites us to check.

A stalled meeting: from an image to a checkable question

1. InterpretationRead “obstruction” provisionally as “conditions for progress are not yet in place”. This is a hypothesis.
2. ObservationCheck whether the documents are complete, responsibility is assigned and schedules match. Do not assume someone is deliberately obstructing the work.
3. DecisionMissing documents call for preparation; a scheduling conflict calls for a new time. These are different responses, not one universal remedy for “resistance”.

Counterexample: all three conditions are met and progress still stalls. The explanation is insufficient. Keep that mismatch in the record and investigate; changing the image afterwards does not make the original reading correct.

Limit: analogy can organise questions. Alone, it cannot establish someone's motives, character or past conduct. The meeting procedure is our example, not a procedure stated in the classical passage.

02 · Shi and wei: time and position

Timing includes circumstances and responsibility

時止則止，時行則行。

Source: Zhou Yi, hexagram 52, Gen, Tuan commentary. The adjacent Great Image also discusses position. Chinese text of Gen

The passage relates stopping and acting to their appropriate time. We use time and position as a reading lens for the stage of a task and the responsibility a person holds. This is not a date-selection algorithm given by Gen. Stopping does not always mean delay; acting does not always mean an immediate commitment.

One event date, two different sets of conditions

Example A

The venue is unconfirmed, but an internal planning discussion can proceed. Hold that discussion without announcing a public event date.

Example B

The venue, participants and materials are confirmed, with a firm submission deadline. Work to that deadline rather than lose the opportunity while waiting for a preferred traditional date.

Reverse check: a pause with no pending condition, responsible person or review date may simply be delay. Immediate action without the necessary resources is not automatically good timing either.

Limit: deadlines, appointments and safety requirements remain real constraints. A traditional timing interpretation cannot replace them. The date tool records practical filtering and traditional rules separately.

Date-selection rules (Simplified Chinese)

03 · Qi and qi kou

A traditional concept is not an air-flow reading

氣乘風則散，界水則止。

Source: Zang Shu, Inner Chapters, section 2, the passage introduced by “經曰”, following this digital edition's divisions. Chinese passage and context

The passage describes qi dispersing with wind and stopping at water in a traditional discussion of burial sites and terrain. It is not a modern ventilation specification or, by itself, a Flying Star rule for a building entrance. It provides context for qi; the use of qi kou still needs a stated school, orientation, building period and chart method.

Sharing the word qi does not make the classical concept identical to air speed, carbon dioxide concentration or a measured form of energy. Keep two records: how the traditional interpretation was formed, and what was actually observed or measured.

A meeting room beside an entrance: two records, one decision

Traditional record

How were entrance position and orientation verified? What supports the building date? Which chart rules were used? Without those inputs, do not assign this entrance an auspicious or inauspicious reading.

Site record

For comparable meeting periods, record passing traffic, interruptions and access needs. Distinguish outside noise, internal discussion and unscheduled deliveries.

Reversible step

Compare scheduled deliveries or a different meeting time first. Before proposing a screen, check access and safety conditions.

Counterexample: if most interruptions come from participants' phones, the entrance may not be the main cause. Even if a seating change produces a quieter meeting, that observation alone does not establish a scientific basis for Flying Star theory.

Limit: this example contains no measured data and makes no claim about health, wealth or family outcomes. Appropriate professionals should check design and safety questions.

04 · Gong wei: palaces

A chart category is not a personal history

其星分布一十二垣。

Source: Zi Wei Dou Shu Quan Shu, volume 1, opening of Tai Wei Fu. The surrounding text also cautions against treating every case alike. Chinese text of Tai Wei Fu

The passage places stars within twelve divisions. Palaces organise topics within the chart. Palace names, stars, relationships and time layers are distinct information; one name or star cannot establish a real-world outcome. A career palace is not a job offer, and a wealth palace is not an account statement. Historical judgements about status, gender and fortune must not be copied into labels for people today.

A change of role: separate the chart from the available choice

1. Establish the inputRecord the birth date, time, calendar and adopted time convention. Mark any uncertainty before interpreting.
2. Read the chartIdentify the relevant palaces, stars, time layer and rules. Do not turn “possible change” into a claim that a resignation has already happened.
3. Check circumstancesCompare the actual role, working hours, household commitments and handover conditions. Keep the original reading and later record both events and non-events.

Counterexample: a reading suggests change, but no job opportunity is confirmed. That is not sufficient reason to resign. If the uncertain birth time crosses a chart boundary and changes key palaces, choosing the more familiar-looking chart does not resolve the uncertainty.

Limit: the twelve palaces are not a validated psychological scale, medical test, financial assessment or recruitment evaluation. Saving inputs and versions makes a reading reviewable; it does not establish predictive validity.

Continue to the Zi Wei introduction

05 · Zhi fu and zhi shi

Identify the lead star and gate before interpretation

九星逢甲為直符，八門直使自分明。

Source: Dun Jia Yan Yi, Siku Quanshu edition, volume 1, Yan Bo Diao Sou Fu. The comparison below follows examples in the same volume's Shi Jia Qi Men passage. The source writes 直; the contemporary labels here use 值. Chinese text, volume 1

Here zhi fu denotes the lead star and zhi shi the lead gate. A spirit layer can also have an item called Zhi Fu; that is not the same field as the lead star. State the yin or yang arrangement, configuration number, ten-period cycle head and chart convention before identifying these roles and their subsequent positions.

Two Jia Zi examples in the source: different premises, different roles

Cycle-head roles, not a complete chart for the current time

Source premise	Lead star	Lead gate
Yang 1 Jia Zi in Kan	Tian Peng	Xiu
Yin 9 Jia Zi in Li	Tian Ying	Jing

1. Read the arrangement and Jia Zi position supplied by the example. Do not substitute today's date.
2. Identify the star and gate from the text. Both rows mention Jia Zi; the yin or yang arrangement and configuration number still matter.
3. This identifies roles only. A Gregorian time, complete chart and event conditions have not been specified, so no personal recommendation follows from it.

Counterexample: translating the Rest Gate into “everything should stop”, or an auspicious gate into “this contract will certainly succeed”, skips the question, adopted rules and actual conditions. A name in a chart does not fulfil a missing real-world requirement.

Limit: this is a reading of a classical rule fragment, not a complete test of the site's engine or evidence of predictive accuracy. Yi Ce is our section name; its traditional method is Qi Men Dun Jia.

Continue to the Qi Men introduction