WORDS & TRANSLATIONS
A shared language
for careful reading.
Preferred labels follow common English usage. Where Wikipedia uses a different title, it is kept here as a cross-reference. Context still matters: traditions and schools do not always use a term in the same way.
| Preferred term | Other English forms | Wikipedia title | Usage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese metaphysics玄学 · xuánxué | Xuanxue · Neo-Taoism · Neo-Daoism | Xuanxue | Chinese metaphysics is the modern umbrella label used by this site. Xuanxue is also the name of a specific post-classical philosophical movement. |
| yin and yang阴阳 · yīnyáng | yin-yang · Yin and Yang | Yin and yang | A relational framework for paired, changing tendencies; not a simple moral opposition. |
| Five Elements五行 · wǔxíng | Five Phases · Five Agents · Wuxing | Wuxing (Chinese philosophy) | Five Elements is widely used in English; Five Phases can better convey process and change in some contexts. |
| qi气 · qì | chi · ch'i | Qi | A context-dependent term in Chinese thought; do not reduce every use to a single physical substance. |
| Heavenly Stems天干 · tiāngān | Ten Heavenly Stems · Celestial Stems | Heavenly Stems | The ten signs in a traditional cyclical notation. |
| Earthly Branches地支 · dìzhī | Twelve Earthly Branches · Terrestrial Branches | Earthly Branches | The twelve signs used with the Heavenly Stems. |
| sexagenary cycle (Gan-Zhi)干支 · gānzhī | stem-branch cycle · Chinese sexagenary cycle · Gan-Zhi cycle | Sexagenary cycle | The paired cycle of ten stems and twelve branches, producing sixty combinations. |
| BaZi八字 · bāzì | Four Pillars of Destiny · Four Pillars · Eight Characters | Four Pillars of Destiny | BaZi is common in practitioner and learning contexts; Four Pillars of Destiny is the established English article title. |
| I Ching易经 · Yìjīng | Yijing · Book of Changes · Zhouyi | I Ching | Use Zhouyi when discussing the received classic text specifically; I Ching is the most familiar English label. |
| eight trigrams八卦 · bāguà | bagua · Eight Trigrams | Bagua | The eight three-line figures used in Yijing traditions and other systems. |
| hexagram卦 · guà | gua | Hexagram (I Ching) | In the Yijing, a hexagram is a six-line figure; gua can also mean a trigram in broader usage. |
| feng shui风水 · fēngshuǐ | Feng Shui · Chinese geomancy · kanyu | Feng shui | Use feng shui in general audience copy; use kanyu in historical or technical context where appropriate. |
| Qi Men Dun Jia奇门遁甲 · qímén dùnjiǎ | Qimen Dunjia · Qi Men · 奇门 | Qimen Dunjia | Keep the pinyin name; explain the chart system rather than translating it literally in every instance. |
| Zi Wei Dou Shu紫微斗数 · zǐwēi dòushù | Purple Star Astrology · Purple Star Astrology system | Zi Wei Dou Shu | Use the familiar pinyin name as the primary label; Purple Star Astrology is a descriptive translation, not the English Wikipedia article title. |
| Meihua Yishu梅花易数 · méihuā yìshù | Mei Hua Yi Shu · Plum Blossom method · Plum Blossom Numerology | No dedicated article; see Chinese fortune telling | Retain Meihua Yishu in technical passages; use Plum Blossom method for an introductory gloss. The linked Wikipedia article is broader; it lists the method but has no dedicated entry. |
| Liuyao (six-line divination)六爻 · liùyáo | Six-line divination · Six Lines · Wen Wang Gua | No dedicated article; see Chinese fortune telling | Methods and line-based procedures vary; the linked Wikipedia article is broader and has no dedicated Liuyao entry. |
| Xiao Liuren小六壬 · xiǎo liùrén | Little Six Ren · Small Six Ren | No dedicated article; see Chinese fortune telling | A compact divination method that uses a six-position cycle. The linked Wikipedia article is broader and has no dedicated Xiao Liuren entry. |
| Taiyi太乙 · tàiyǐ | Taiyi Shenshu · Grand Unity | Taiyi shenshu | Use Taiyi as the concise system name; explain the historical form being discussed. |
| Da Liu Ren大六壬 · dà liùrén | Daliuren · Great Six Ren · Liu Ren | Daliuren | A time-based divination system, distinct from Xiao Liuren. |
| Na Yin纳音 · nàyīn | Na-yin · sound categories | No dedicated article; see Wuxing (Chinese philosophy) | A traditional set of sound-based labels paired with the sixty stem-branch combinations. The linked Wikipedia article is broader and discusses Na Yin within its Wuxing coverage. |
| auxiliary stars and spirits神煞 · shénshà | shen sha · spirit stars · symbolic markers | No dedicated article; see Chinese fortune telling | Terminology differs across schools; the linked Wikipedia article is broader and does not provide a dedicated Shen Sha entry. |
| internal alchemy内丹 · nèidān | Neidan · inner alchemy | Neidan | A Daoist self-cultivation tradition; historical descriptions are not medical claims. |
| 24 solar terms二十四节气 · èrshísì jiéqì | Twenty-Four Solar Terms · jieqi | Solar term | A sequence of solar markers used in traditional calendars. |
| Chinese almanac黄历 · huánglì | Tong Shu · Tung Shing · traditional almanac | No dedicated article; see Chinese calendar | The almanac and its contents vary by edition and publisher. The linked Wikipedia article is broader and discusses almanacs in its calendar coverage. |
| physiognomy相术 · xiàngshù | face reading · palmistry | Physiognomy | Use face reading or palmistry only for the relevant practice; these are not interchangeable. |
This glossary is a house style guide, not a claim that one English translation is universally accepted. We update terms as sources and usage are reviewed.