XingWu🐉ChineseFolklore

Imagine time-traveling to ancient China with no skill. Becoming a fortune-teller (算命先生) might save you.
The Qing Dynasty’s Jiangxiang School(江相派) wrote 'Yingyao Pian(英耀篇),' a cheater guide to TURN ANYONE INTO A REVERED CHINESE DIVINER and earn a living from that. 🤫
Here’s how👇
#folklore

The Yingyao Pian(英耀篇) is divided into three sections:
1. Understanding the visitor’s intentions. That is, discern the motives of the person seeking advice.
2. Assessing their situation. Evaluate the comers' circumstances based on their social status and expressions.
3. Extracting the truth. Uncovering the visitor’s true situation.

1. Intentions

It begins with a simple yet powerful line:
入門先觀來意，既開言切莫躊躇。
"When someone enters, first observe their intentions. Once you speak, do not hesitate."
Carefully assess a visitor’s motives the moment they walked in. Silent observation was key—guessing could lead to failure, but a well-planned response (termed “military tactics”) would earn trust.

Now, interpreting social cues and expressions. Appearances often held subtle truths.
For example,
A father asking about his son? Likely dreaming of his child’s success.
A wife with a hopeful gaze? She longs for her husband’s rise to wealth.
A wife with resentment? A husband who gambles or favors concubines lurks behind the question.
Every interaction was a puzzle, solved by understanding human psychology.

There are also some pitfalls which may get you into trouble: 
The “admirer” praising your reputation might actually be the most gullible client (coded as “Number One,” a term for the dead).
Those with cheerful curiosity could be wealthy influencers—or disruptive troublemakers (“animals” in code).
Some wealthy clients would pretend to be poor to test the fortune-teller, while others concealed desperation under rich attire.

2. Assessing the visitors' situations

The second section of the manual focuses on analyzing people’s appearance, speech, and personality to discern their intentions, psychological state, and possible fate.
砂礫叢中辨金石，衣冠隊內別魚龍，僧道縱清高不忘利慾，廟廊之士志在山林， 初貴者志極高超，久困者志無遠大，聰明之子家業常寒，百拙之夫財終不匱。 
"Even the most self-proclaimed virtuous monks and Daoists cannot forget their greed for profit. Yet high-ranking officials, though deeply attached to their positions, like to talk about retiring to the mountains. Newly appointed scholars or officials, filled with ambition, are often arrogant and overconfident. On the other hand, those who have long struggled with failure or disappointment have modest hopes and lack grand aspirations."

3. Extracting the truth
The third section of the Yingyao Pian discusses the "methodology" of uncovering a visitor’s background. It outlines six key strategies:

Knock (敲): Probe indirectly through subtle hints.
Hit (打): Ask unexpected questions to catch them off guard and reveal the truth.
Examine (审): Analyze their expressions and words to distinguish truth from lies and deduce future possibilities.
Threaten (千): Intimidate or provoke by targeting their vulnerabilities.
Praise (隆): Flatter, comfort, and encourage to gain trust.
Sell (卖): Confidently present conclusions in a manner that surprises and convinces the client, leaving them in awe. 

急打慢千，輕敲響賣，隆賣齊施，敲打審千並用， 十千九響，十隆十成，敲其天，而推其比，審其一而知其三...定教四海揚名。

It took some time to gather materials for this, and I hope you enjoy reading it. 
In traditional Chinese thought, there's a belief that those who deceive others will ultimately be deceived themselves. If you trick someone, you'll carry the burden of being tricked in return. Understanding the tricks of con artists is meant to help reduce the chances of being deceived, not to scam others.
For those who want to look up the original sources, they are in the image ALT.