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In the Chinese culture, the concept of luck, or 運氣 (Yunqì), holds a prominent position, weaving its influence into people’s beliefs, decisions, and behaviors. Each year around the Chinese New Year, many people would look into the Chinese Zodiac for tips for better luck. And this is not a privilege of the Chinese people, many Westerners are very into it too. Just like us, the Chinese will also read the horoscope. It speaks for a common humanity- we all know some sort of insight and guidance, sometimes beyond scientific or rational analysis. People often read their horoscopes or zodiac to find out what makes them different and unique. They want to understand who they are, and why they act the way they do, as well as to gain a sense of meaning in their lives. Many are seeking guidance in their lives.
How the Chinese see our fate?
According to ancient Chinese philosophy, a person’s life is affected by the date and time of birth (Ba Zi 八字, literally means 8 letters, which is a combination of energy properties in terms of five phases) and the orientations of the place he lives (Feng Shui 風水, literally means wind and water which implies the objective environment).
The Chinese do believe that your success is based on 5 areas of influence. In order of importance, they are:
命 Ming – Fate or Destiny
運 Yun – Luck or Fortune
風水 Feng Shui – Environmental Influences
陰德 Yin De – Intention, Virtue & Character
讀書 Du Shu – Education & Effort
The Chinese do not believe that our fate is fixed or destined. Fatalism is the belief that events are fixed in advance and unchangeable by human agency. Instead, fate is subject to the exercise of human choice and free will. And we will look deeper into details.
Ming 命 – Fate or Destiny
An English dictionary defines fate as the power which is supposed to determine the outcome of events, destiny. It also defines destiny as 'the seemingly inevitable succession of events'. In the Chinese language, astrology is often called Ming Shu 命書 or fate calculation 命數, as fate is seen to be set at birth, but knowable and predictable. The Chinese believe knowing your fate will save you from trying to move down a road that is blocked for you. The energies present at the time of your birth, which are pictured as stars and/or the stems 天干 and branches 地支, have a profound impact on you.
Yun運 – Luck or Fortune
Westerners tend to believe that luck is random. The English dictionary defines luck as, 'the seemingly chance happening of events which affect one.'
The Chinese view luck as variable with time and at least as predictable as the weather. The concept of luck, is often perceived as a cyclical force, resembling the ebb and flow of the tides. Just as the tides rise and fall, so does luck, bringing periods of good and bad luck throughout one’s life. This cyclical nature is not seen as a random occurrence but rather a natural rhythm that shapes people’s experiences and challenges them to grow and evolve.
Understanding destiny and taking in charge
Even with the same translation in English, in Chinese 命運 means fate and fortune. One can imagine that fate is like a car and fortune is the road. In most cases, the model and power of a car are more of less fixed (but can be fine-tuned), it is up to the type of road that determines if the car is running at its best. Note that the car is not a Tesla, it does not drive itself, so it is always up to us, the driver, to decide what to do. If you want to keep your car in good condition and get to your destination, you need to know a little about the model of car that you have. A person's birth chart is like the owner's manual for a new car. It gives the specs and the operating instructions.
How to get better luck?
Before we go into that, we must talk about Feng Shui. So, if our birthday is a secret code of success, then how come people with the same birthday are not equally successful? One determining factor is environment. Imagine if Bill Gates was not born in America or was born 200 years earlier, story would be different. In other words, this is a wisdom of objective analysis of environment and external factors.
Feng Shui 風水 – Environmental influences
Feng Shui is more than the practice of arranging pieces in living spaces bring good luck. It is a complex system of studying the environment and its energetic influences. You can manipulate these influences to reach the higher levels of what your fate and luck allow. For example, if you know how, you can remodel your house to make the best use of the sunlight therefore saving you money on energy or gives better ventilation. Or, you could choose certain colour or decoration to give psychological hint to improve your mood or motivation. This also applies in your neighborhood. If you live a nice neighborhood, your children are more likely to make friends with good behaviour children. Otherwise, if you live in a disadvantaged neighborhood, your children are more likely to get in touch with drug dealers.
Knowing your fate is the owner's manual for your car (life). Knowing your luck is your road map and a weather report for the trip. With Feng Shui you can give your car an annual tune-up to maintain and/or increase its performance. But a Toyota is still a Toyota, and a Jeep is still a Jeep.
The real deal lies in our intention and effort
Yin De 陰德 – Intention, Virtue and Character
Yin is the same concept of Yin Yang. It means something unseen. Virtue is defined as general moral excellence. In this instance, the definition of character that fits is moral strength, reputation, status or position. You have control over both of these aspects of your life. While fate is like a car and fortune is the road, it is always up to us, the driver, to decide what to do. This works like the law of attraction, kind heart attracts more kindness, giving gives more power to give. If you drive in anger, you are more likely to get a car crash. If you have good manners, you are more likely to be respected.
Du Shu 讀書 – Education and Effort
The application of your knowledge is the last, but not least important factor regarding how far you will go in life. Ultimately, you must acquire the necessary knowledge and take the appropriate action to be successful in your life. Not making an effort is just sitting in your car (life) and expecting success to come to you. Education and effort allow you to drive with better skills, learn how to tune up your car, know how to read the weather forecast or the map, allow you to have the wisdom to practice good manners, etc, In such way you are less like to have an accident or damaging the car or know when to push hard on the accleration and get better results.
If you don't use everything: your owner's manual (fate), road map & weather report (luck), a well maintained vehicle (Feng Shui), a positive attitude (virtue) and your knowledge (effort), you can get stranded and never arrive where you want to go. In life it’s vital that you combine all these factors satisfactorily to allow you to fulfill your destiny.