Variant Terminology across Bazi Classics
Compare variant Bazi terms by edition, passage, commentator, and rule function so spelling or translation differences do not create false doctrines.
Overview
Bazi classics contain variant characters, titles, punctuation, chapter order, transliterations, and technical definitions because texts were copied, compiled, printed, annotated, and modernized across different periods. The same term may narrow or broaden in a later commentary, while different terms may point to the same test. A responsible page records the source edition, original wording, normalized form, romanization, translation, local definition, and whether the difference changes the rule. It does not silently standardize every text to modern vocabulary. Terminology control improves search and multilingual consistency, but the canonical label remains an editorial key—not proof that historical sources agreed on one meaning.
At a glance
- Variant types
- Characters, titles, punctuation, order, definitions, and attribution
- Minimum record
- Edition, passage, original form, normalized form, and note
- Semantic test
- Whether the variant changes inputs, conditions, or output
- Locale need
- Chinese forms, pinyin, standard English, Japanese, and Korean mapping
- Canonical role
- Stable navigation key with preserved aliases
- Cannot imply
- Historical consensus or one original wording
Record provenance before normalization
Capture the visible wording, edition, volume, heading, page or line locator, and whether the passage is root text, quotation, commentary, or modern punctuation.
If the source survives only through quotation, record the transmission path. Do not present a later reproduction as an independent witness.
- Preserve the source form.
- Make the textual layer retrievable.
Test whether the difference changes the rule
Compare reference point, required symbols, formation conditions, exceptions, and output. A character variant may be cosmetic, while a changed verb or order may alter the method.
Classify variants as orthographic, editorial, translational, definitional, or operational. Only merge entries after confirming that they share one canonical concept.
- Compare rule function, not appearance alone.
- Keep operationally different terms separate.
Use one concept graph across five locales
Store one canonical concept ID with traditional and simplified Chinese, pinyin, standard English, Japanese, Korean, and documented aliases. Each page should remain primarily in its own language.
Use the source term once where it aids recognition, but avoid parallel full-page translation and keyword lists. Search aliases should lead to the canonical page without creating duplicate routes.
- One owner per concept.
- Aliases support retrieval, not duplicate pages.
Do not manufacture certainty through standardization
Editorial normalization helps readers navigate, but it cannot prove authorship, chronology, doctrinal unity, or the correctness of one interpretation.
When a variant affects the reading, show both scenarios and uncertainty. Do not hide textual conflict to make a prediction look more precise.
- Label editorial choices.
- Preserve uncertainty that changes conclusions.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《淵海子平》 (Yuanhai Ziping)《淵海子平》不同篇章、重刊與整理本用於核對字形、標點、篇次、術語與規則條件，避免無標示現代化A foundational Ziping reference for branch months, hidden stems, roots, and stem-branch relationships.
- 《三命通會》 (Sanming Tonghui)《三命通會》多卷引文、編纂說明與規則家族提供比較來源層、引書歸屬及同名術語功能的例證A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology古籍術語異文頁保存原形、版本、定位、標準形與語義影響，五語共用概念 ID 但正文維持單一主要語言OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.