Our Methodology 研究方法論

How the content on this site is researched, verified, and written.

Much of what circulates online about BaZi, Feng Shui, and the I Ching is secondhand and thirdhand — simplified, commercialized, or quietly invented. Daoist Arts was founded on a simple alternative: go back to the primary sources. This page explains exactly how we do that, so readers can judge our work for themselves.

The Lineage of the Texts 源流

Every system we write about descends from a traceable textual lineage. Understanding that lineage — who wrote what, when, and why — is the first step of our research.

c. 2800 BCE — LEGENDARY
Fuxi & the Eight Trigrams 伏羲畫卦
The legendary origin of the bagua; the first binary framework in recorded human thought.
c. 1000 BCE — WESTERN ZHOU
The Zhou Changes 周易
The hexagram text of the I Ching takes form; the King Wen sequence is established.
c. 300 BCE — WARRING STATES
The Ten Wings 易傳 / 十翼
The philosophical commentaries that make the I Ching a work of cosmology, not just divination.
276–324 CE — JIN DYNASTY
Guo Pu & the Zang Shu 郭璞·葬書
The foundational text of classical Feng Shui; our article on Guo Pu explains it in depth.
c. 900 CE — TANG DYNASTY
The Four Pillars Emerge 四柱
Li Xuzhong (李虛中) develops year-based prediction; the system later evolves to day-master-based analysis.
c. 1100 CE — SONG DYNASTY
Xu Ziping 徐子平
The Day Master (日主) becomes the center of BaZi analysis — the foundation of the "Zi Ping" school named after him.
c. 1300 CE — YUAN DYNASTY
San Ming Tong Hui 三命通會
A comprehensive BaZi compendium, still one of the most cited references in the field.
c. 1600 CE — MING DYNASTY
Di Tian Sui 滴天髓
Attributed to Liu Ji (劉基); a dense, structural text on chart analysis, favored by modern practitioners.
c. 1700 CE — QING DYNASTY
Zi Ping Zhen Quan & Qiong Tong Bao Jian 子平真詮·窮通寶鑑
The pattern-based school (格局) and the seasonal adjustment system that shape most modern English-language BaZi teaching.

Our Research Framework 研讀框架

LayerWhat We DoWhat We Avoid
Primary textsRead the classical canon in the original where possible; consult authoritative annotated editions (e.g., 任鐵樵 annotations of Di Tian Sui).Relying on unverified English summaries of the classics.
School comparisonPresent the major interpretive schools (Zi Ping, 盲派; 三合/三元 Feng Shui) and explain where they diverge.Claiming a single "correct" reading where the tradition itself disagrees.
Tool verificationBuild free tools (BaZi calculator, almanac engine, name generator) directly from the calendar systems we write about, so claims are testable.Publishing unverifiable "secret" techniques.
Citation practiceName the text, chapter, or school behind each claim in our articles.Anonymous authority ("masters say...").

What This Means for Readers

When you read an article on this site, you are reading a documented interpretation — not an anonymous horoscope. Where the tradition is ambiguous, we say so. Where a claim is modern invention presented as ancient wisdom (a common problem in English-language content), we flag it. Where a topic is beyond the classical record, we tell you that too.

We publish our source texts openly because the tradition belongs to everyone. If you study the classics yourself, our articles should serve as a roadmap — not a replacement — for your own reading.

Tools Built from This Research

Responsibility. The content on this site is published for educational and cultural study. It is not medical, legal, or financial advice. Readers should treat these traditions as cultural heritage and intellectual history, and should not make high-stakes decisions on divination alone.

Meet the Researcher →