The origin and development of fortune telling
Fortune-telling is a method of inferring a person's fate and character by observing their characteristics such as birthdate, face, palmistry, and name. The origin of fortune-telling can be traced back to ancient times, when people invented various divination methods in order to explore the laws of natural phenomena and the relationship between man and nature, such as turtle divination, yarrow divination, hexagram elephant divination, etc. These methods of divination are all based on the idea that everything in heaven and earth has a number of qi, the so-called "celestial and human induction".
With the progress of society and the development of culture, the methods of fortune-telling have also evolved and improved. During the Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou Yi appeared, a classic based on gossip and expounding on the changes in the universe. The Zhou Yi is not only a philosophical work, but also a book of divination, which explains good fortune and evil through the combination of sixty-four hexagrams. "Zhou Yi" has a profound influence on the fortune-telling of later generations, and many fortune-telling methods are based on the theory of "Zhou Yi".
During the Han Dynasty, there was a new development in the method of fortune-telling, and numerology based on the eight characters of birth date appeared. The eight characters of birth refer to the four pillars of the year, month, day and hour when a person is born, each pillar is composed of a heavenly stem and an earthly branch, with a total of eight characters. Numerology believes that the birth date is the foundation of a person's destiny, and by analyzing the five elements, six relatives, ten gods and other elements in the eight characters, a person's personality, wealth, marriage, health and other aspects can be inferred.
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a new innovation in the method of fortune-telling, and physiognomy based on physiognomy appeared. Physiognomy refers to the method of inferring a person's fate and personality by observing their facial features, such as eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. Physiognomy believes that a person's facial features are the external manifestation of his inner temperament, and through physiognomy, a person's wisdom, morality, wealth, health, etc. can be seen.
During the Song Dynasty, there was a new development in the method of fortune-telling, and palm reading, which was mainly based on palmistry, appeared. Palmistry refers to the method of inferring the fate and personality of a person by observing the characteristics of his palm, such as hand shape, hand prints, fingers, nails, etc. Palmistry believes that a person's palm is the mirror of his soul, and through palmistry, a person's talent, character, love, career, etc. can be seen.
The role and limitations of fortune telling
Fortune telling, is an ancient and mysterious art, it has a wide influence in ancient China, not only ordinary people like to calculate, even the emperor and general are often with the help of fortune telling to make decisions and **.
However, the role of fortune telling also has its limitations, mainly in the following aspects:
Fortune telling cannot replace people's subjective initiative and free will, and people's destiny still depends on their own efforts and struggles to change and create. Fortune telling can only provide a kind of reference and advice, and cannot decide and control everything about people, and people's fate still depends on their own choices and actions to achieve and prove. Fortune-telling cannot become an excuse and dependence on people, and people cannot give up their responsibilities and responsibilities because of fortune-telling, nor can they lose their confidence and courage because of fortune-telling.
Fortune-telling cannot replace people's rational thinking and scientific judgment, and people's understanding still needs to be deepened and improved by their own observation and analysis. Fortune telling can only provide a possibility and probability, and cannot guarantee and prove everything about people, and people's understanding still depends on their own experience and evidence to support and verify. Fortune-telling cannot become people's superstition and blind obedience, and people cannot ignore their own facts and logic because of fortune-telling, nor can they blindly believe and follow because of fortune-telling.
Fortune-telling cannot replace people's moral conscience and social norms, and people's behavior still depends on their own conscience and reason to restrain and guide. Fortune telling can only provide a tendency and trend, and cannot change and eliminate everything about people, and people's behavior still depends on themselves to abide by the moral norms of society, and they cannot lose morality because of fortune telling.
Science is the most effective way for human beings to understand and transform the world, and divination is a superstitious and unscientific behavior that should not be indulged in. Some of the histories and stories of ancient fortune tellers are not advocating or promoting fortune telling. I hope that everyone can look at fortune-telling rationally, not be confused and influenced by it, but adhere to scientific attitudes and methods to explore and create their own future and destiny.