Eight-character prediction is one of the most common and commonly used prediction methods. Most people who learn Yi, whether they are scholars of study school (theoretical school) or warlocks of Jianghu school (practical school) who make a living from it, must be familiar with some methods and theories of eight-character prediction, and the skill of Zi Ping has become a compulsory course for those who learn Yi, just like a compulsory course for everyone at school in modern society.
The eight-character prediction method is the most common and probably the most widely used method, so for those who don't know how to learn easily, many people will go into a misunderstanding and think that the eight-character prediction method is the most correct method. This concept is actually wrong. There are dozens of traditional prediction methods in China, such as four pillars, six hexagrams, eight diagrams, physiognomy, palm reading, astrology, Taiyi, Qimen, Liu Ren, divination and drawing lots. These forecasting methods are actually just different tools.
In martial arts, it is often said that a martial artist should practice eighteen weapons. No matter what kind of weapon he is practicing, the ultimate goal is to be able to kill the enemy and win. As for which weapon he chooses when he really goes into battle, it depends on the situation and personal preference. You don't have to use only one weapon. Short swords are used in melee and long spears and halberds are used in distant battles. These forecasting methods are the same as these weapons, and different forecasting methods are selected according to different situations and people. I have met some forecasters who deliberately raise the status of eight-character prediction, saying that eight-character prediction is the most clear and correct method in prediction. In fact, this is a narrow statement, in order to deceive those laymen. The real reason is that these forecasters have only learned the method of eight-character prediction, and they will not use other methods.
Everyone who practices martial arts knows that there are very few people who can really know the eighteen weapons like the back of their hands. Most people only know one or more of them, and it is good that other weapons can be used poorly. The same is true for a forecaster. It is impossible to know everything about all methods. It is not easy to know everything about the five categories of life fortune telling of mountain doctors. Here, I would also like to remind those fans who have just started to learn Yi. Don't see that you have to study every subject. If you learn more, it will be complicated but not refined. First, choose the most basic method, which is the simplest and most suitable for you. After learning, you will be familiar with it, and then you will study others, so you will take fewer detours.
There is a story in Zen. Endless Zangni said to Huineng, the sixth ancestor: "I have studied Nirvana Sutra for many years, and there are still many puzzles. I hope to get some advice. " Huineng said to her, "I can't read." Please read me the classics, so that I may help you solve some problems. " Endless Tibetan smiled and said, "You can't even read, how can you explain the classics?" Huineng said to her, "Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth seems to be the bright moon in the sky, while words only refer to the fingers of the moon. Fingers can point out where the moon is, but fingers are not the bright moon, and you don't have to look at the moon through your fingers, do you? "
No matter what kind of forecasting method, it is just a tool. The ultimate goal of the tester is to get the correct answer, not to care about what tools the forecaster uses. Just like everyone eating, eating with chopsticks, drinking soup with a spoon, eating western food with a knife and fork, what kind of tableware is the most convenient to choose depends on different foods. Of course, if you can only use chopsticks or knives and forks, you can still eat them. If you can't, you can grab them with your hands. It is the forecaster's business to choose what kind of tools to make predictions. Of course, the higher the level of the forecaster, the better the tools, and the simpler and more correct the calculation.