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"If there is one common factor which unites Chinese divinatory methods and sets them apart from corresponding Western practices, it must be the prime importance attached to the significance of direction, whether in the taking of auspices, or their interpretation.
The term fang-shih means, literally, 'direction-scholar', that is, one versed in interpreting omens from their orientation, but what the term actually came to mean can only be gleaned from the several accounts of fang-shih to be found in the classics. It is apparent that their renown did not always lie in their prowess at reading 'wind angles' but also in their skill in such diverse arts as physiognomy, dream-interpretation, or even surgery. Doctors, Diviners and...>>