You raise an excellent point about the lack of **extensive English-language casebooks** authored by modern practitioners of Chinese metaphysics, especially when compared to the hundreds of cases found in classical texts like the *$Zǐpíng Zhēnquán Píngzhù*$ and *$Zēngshān Bǔyì$*.
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## 🧐 Reasons for the Casebook Disparity
The difference in publication practice between imperial times and the present day can be attributed to several factors:
* **Scope and Tradition of Classics:** The classical texts you mentioned were often the culmination of a master's entire body of work or a comprehensive school of thought, intended to be the definitive reference for future generations. They established foundational rules and covered a vast range of scenarios.
* **Modern Publication Economics:** Publishing a book with 400+ detailed case studies is a massive undertaking. In the modern, niche market for Chinese metaphysics books, the cost-benefit analysis often favors shorter, more focused books (e.g., on a specific technique, a single element, or a limited number of "classic" chart types).
* **Privacy and Ethics:** Modern practitioners operate under stricter client confidentiality standards. While practitioners in imperial times may have used general or historical cases, contemporary authors face challenges in anonymizing or obtaining consent for hundreds of detailed, personal client cases.
* **Shift to Digital and Course Materials:** Many modern masters prefer to share their extensive case studies not through traditionally published books, but through **paid online courses, seminar materials, or private blogs**. These formats allow for easier updates, multimedia explanations, and protection of intellectual property, making them less accessible to the general public than a single, widely available book.
* **Focus on Technique vs. Volume:** Modern English-language books often prioritize teaching the *methodology* and *theory* of Bazi or Liuyao/I-Ching divination, using a smaller number of detailed case studies to illustrate specific points, rather than compiling a huge volume of cases for statistical or exhaustive study.
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## 📚 Notable English Case Study Resources
While a 400-case volume might be elusive, here are a few types of English-language resources that do provide modern practitioners' experiences:
* **Books by Well-Known Authors:** Some of the more prolific English-language authors like **Joey Yap, Jerry King, or Clear and Direct Divination (CDD) authors** often include a section of case studies in their specialized books. However, these usually contain dozens, not hundreds, of examples.
* **Specialized Bazi/Four Pillars Books:** Look for books that focus on a specific technical aspect (like *Ten Gods*, *Clashes and Harms*, or *Special Structures*). These books, by necessity, will provide case studies to demonstrate the application of that specific rule.
* **I-Ching/Liu Yao Interpretation Books:** Books on the *I-Ching* or *Liuyao* sometimes feature a collection of the author's personal divinations, though again, the quantity rarely approaches the classical scale.
It is entirely possible that a major collection exists in a very specialized or self-published format (perhaps one primarily sold at seminars), but it has not gained the widespread recognition of the classical works or been readily indexed in general book databases.
Topic: Has any modern-day practitioner authored a casebook? (Read 557 times)