Opinion | In Chinese astrology, why are benefactors and networking so important?
Benefactors in Chinese culture are people who swoop in to save you or give a leg up. They are your essential allies – and that’s a big deal
In my years of interviewing fortune-tellers and feng shui masters for Lunar New Year content, the term “benefactor” – 貴人 or guiren in Chinese – comes up time and again.
While I feel that is the best translation for what literally means a “precious” or “noble” person, it seems there is a lack of appreciation for how profound the concept is in Chinese culture.
The character 貴 or gui in Chinese has many applications. It could mean expensive, elegant, prestigious or important, and is even used as an honorific. Usually, the term “benefactor” in Chinese metaphysics can encapsulate all these meanings.
There is a high element of destiny in the metaphysical world of Chinese philosophy, and your character determines part of that destiny. While your choices can take you on different tangents or paths, they will always circle back to the major inflection points of fate. This presents the underlying belief of the inseparable cycle of predestiny and choice in the Chinese mythological ethos.
This may be oversimplifying the concept of fortune-telling in Chinese culture, but that is more or less the gist.
