Master Chi wants to share something straight from the heart with you.
To truly see through a person’s life circumstances, you often don’t need complex or profound destiny reading analysis. You simply need to know which key elements to look at and examine them carefully — and you can figure out roughly eighty or ninety percent of where their future is headed, high or low, noble or common.
So what is the key that determines a person’s destiny and opportunities?
As the year draws to a close, this becomes my busiest season without fail. Old friends from every corner come rushing to book time with me — not for anything dramatic, mind you, but simply for destiny readings, annual fortune cycle (流年) reviews, and the kind of heart-to-heart conversations that actually matter. They want clarity: what does the coming year hold, what to embrace, what to avoid. Over the years, this has quietly become a tradition in our circle. And because of it, I’ve been given something rare — a long, stable window to observe people across time.
Since this is a casual essay, let me just talk freely about something I’ve accumulated over many years of reading people and destiny charts — my thoughts on what it truly means to be a “good woman” or a “good man.” Think of it as a leisurely weekend conversation between friends.
But even though it’s casual, I hope you’ll treat it as a high-quality late-night heart-to-heart. Read every word carefully and let it settle in your mind.
Let me get straight to the point and directly answer the question posed in this article’s title: “Why are most people destined to be cast aside by the world?”
The answer is simple: because the core capital of the vast majority of people can only generate value when backed by physical stamina. Take a talented programmer — no matter how skilled, they still need the physical endurance to sustain endless 996 or even 007 work schedules (996: 9am–9pm, six days a week; 007: around the clock, every day). Take a hardworking sales rep — no matter how driven, they still need the physical stamina to pound the pavement from client to client. So if they cannot overcome the physical decline that comes with age, being discarded is their inevitable fate.
(This piece is a classic revisit, so that new readers won’t miss a gem from the archives.)
Today, Master Chi wants to talk with you about two things: noble benefactors (Gui Ren) and inner circles.
For most people who grew up without privilege, the knowledge they lack most is the art of transactional exchange in human relationships.
The result? Many have worked hard enough to develop real ability — but they remain alone, never managing to break into a tier where they can share the spoils with other powerful people.
A reader once asked a remarkably sharp question: “Master, across the different levels of society, are there concepts that belong exclusively to the upper tiers — things the lower tiers have no awareness of at all?”
I thought about it, and answered with two words: Planning.
The word “planning” doesn’t tend to circulate among ordinary people, because it’s almost exclusively used by those in positions of power and decision-making — strategic planning, urban planning, industrial planning, platform planning. The word itself carries an inherent meaning: set a goal with an execution plan, then advance toward it systematically. It radiates sophistication the moment you hear it.
Just a few days ago, I received a message from a reader in my inbox. It read something like this:
“Master Chi, first of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful and consistent sharing. But I’ve always felt that your language tends to be quite sharp when you discuss topics about women. I sometimes worry this might drive away many female readers who can’t handle such direct criticism — and that you might be losing potential followers as a result. After all, as a woman myself, I know all too well that many girls today don’t respond well to being called out. I also hope that when you have time, you might write an article specifically for girls like me — ordinary, or even poor, from humble beginnings — and offer us some real guidance. I hope that’s not asking too much? Hehe.”
We begin with a reader’s letter:
Dear Master Chi, I apologize for this unsolicited intrusion — I am truly sorry to disturb you. But I have been unable to sleep lately, and in the stillness of late nights, anxiety and restlessness overwhelm me. I hope you will forgive this abrupt letter.
I am a mother and homemaker. A friend recommended your writings, and I was deeply moved. I read every single post carefully. I feel so far behind your other readers — it is quite humbling.
But no matter how pleasant it is out there, the ones I miss most are my dear brothers and sisters — and that means you.
There is still so much I want to share with you. Wait until I return to Shanghai, and I will tell you everything, story by story, at our own unhurried pace.
Those familiar with Master Chi already know: my articles have never aimed to entertain.
Expanding awareness, broadening perspective, sharpening judgment — that is my domain. This is why the readers who have followed me over the years tend to be, across the board, a caliber above the rest — regardless of gender or background. Even my female readers are, by and large, formidable women who have made something of themselves.