Modern Method

The Ming dynasty was the golden age in which the modern-method metaphysical model was fully established and flourished. Ziping technique thoroughly triumphed over the ancient method in the Ming, and the modern-method system using the day stem as primary, the month branch as outline, pattern selection, and useful-god analysis became mainstream. The developed commodity economy and the growth of the urban citizen class in the Ming led to a surge in fortune-telling demand, giving rise to numerous metaphysical works and professional metaphysicians. The anxiety of literati under the imperial examination system about success and fame further drove the refined development of metaphysics. The metaphysical classics of this period were vast in number and mature in format, and Bazi metaphysics as an independent numerological discipline was completely finalized.

Key Figures

Wan Minying — a Ming-dynasty jinshi and famous metaphysician, who compiled Sanming Tonghui, gathering the comprehensive achievements of ancient and modern metaphysics; Zhang Nan — author of Shenfeng Tongkao, who created the 'illness-medicine theory,' proposing the method of selecting the useful god according to the strength of the day stem and harmonizing the climate, with far-reaching influence

Important Works

Sanming Tonghui — compiled by Wan Minying over many years, a twelve-volume magnum opus systematically organizing metaphysical literature through the ages, covering stem-branch, five elements, spirit-nobles, patterns, Na Yin, and all other aspects, acclaimed as the encyclopedia of metaphysics; Shenfeng Tongkao — by Zhang Nan, using the metaphor of 'illness and medicine' for imbalance and harmony in destiny, proposing a series of practical fortune-telling methods, with accessible language that hits the mark

Historical Significance

The maturation of the modern-method model marked the shift of Bazi metaphysics from complex spirit-noble auspiciousness/inauspiciousness judgments to a rational analytical paradigm centered on patterns and useful gods. This paradigm is closer to a kind of 'metaphysical diagnostics': inferring the course of destiny by analyzing the balance and imbalance of the Five Elements within the Bazi structure. The modern-method system established in the Ming remains the mainstream methodology of Bazi metaphysics to this day.