Measurement Fun Talk -- China Folk Culture Series

Author: Hu Zhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: In the process of human civilization, people have always pursued an ideal—that is, transcending time and space. To understand the past, people created history; to grasp the future, they invested more. Generation after generation, they observed, thought, made decisions, and drew conclusions in a cycle. Deep down in their hearts, people always vaguely felt that everything yet to happen must follow a certain pattern. Thus, divination was born. In the rich soil of Chinese culture, from the classic I Ching to the street talk of commoners, the content of divination is everywhere; from the stars in the sky to plants and objects, anything could become a tool for divination. "The dragon flies high but meets with regret" and "extremes meet" are well-known idioms, while fortune-telling, face-reading, character divination, and spirit-writing are common topics of conversation after meals. People often have mixed feelings about divination—skeptical yet fascinated by its mystery. This book selects the main contents of divination from ancient Chinese folk customs and provides a basic introduction. In terms of chapter arrangement, it is mainly based on the different methods and ways of divination, aiming to introduce the origin, basic principles, evolution, and social impact of various forms of divination in an accessible manner. To enhance readability and interest, some small stories from historical books and previous notes have been chosen to illustrate the points, along with some images of related artifacts. As for the development of divination culture, some aspects gradually merged with philosophy and acquired rational and speculative value, while others remained mere remnants of shamanistic superstition, becoming a means of livelihood for some fortune-tellers. Some may even contain yet-unknown scientific principles, but a deeper analysis of these aspects is beyond the scope of this popular book. Additionally, "feng shui" (also known as kan yu), which should have been included in the category of divination, is omitted here because this series already has a dedicated book titled Feng Shui Fun Talk for its introduction. Due to the author's limited knowledge, errors and omissions in the book are inevitable, and the author hopes for corrections and criticisms from readers and experts. At the same time, this book has cited the academic materials and images of many researchers, but due to the format of this series, it is not possible to list them all here. The author extends their gratitude to all of them. Hu Zhen Zhang Kui