# Mingpath 明路

> See your chart (BaZi and Zi Wei) for free, then ask the one thing you most want to know: which years are good times, how each month goes and which days suit a start, written up in a question book.

Mingpath (明路) is a reflection tool built on deterministic BaZi (八字, Four Pillars) and Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数) charts and a traditional Chinese almanac for choosing dates (择日). It does not predict events and makes no claims about health, wealth or relationships. Languages: Simplified Chinese (/), Traditional Chinese (/zh-hant/), English (/en/). Question books (问事书) are written in the reader's language (English, Simplified or Traditional Chinese); the life reading (命书) is in Chinese for now.

## The flow
1. https://mingpath.app/ — free chart ("See my chart"): BaZi computed in the browser, Zi Wei from the API (folded under "Show Zi Wei chart"); a one-line summary, then "Which would you like to ask first?" with three question cards (e.g. "2 good periods in the next 10 years"), today's card, this month's good days, and an offer of the daily card by email. No sign-up.
2. https://mingpath.app/ask/ — "Ask a question": pick the one closest to yours (templates below; the result screen suggests three, ranked by age and current luck pillar). An answer preview shows the good periods (strengths only; years masked: "Unlock to see the years and the reasons") computed by the same deterministic rules the book uses.
3. Unlock the full answer with a single book (单本 US$9.90, "See the answer to one question first", 3 follow-ups) or a membership — Mingpath Member (明路会员, "The price of one book, for the whole month: 2 books a month + a daily card + your life reading") US$69/yr (founding; list US$99) or US$9.90/mo; Mingpath Companion (明路·同行, "The whole family’s charts, updated monthly") US$299/yr (founding; list US$399) or US$29.99/mo. The price table opens in the monthly view (single book and Mingpath Member monthly both US$9.90); the other tab is "Yearly · save N% · founding price", and only the yearly view shows founding prices, the seats left and "locked for life". The button says what it does and the price: "Buy this one · US$9.90", "Subscribe · Mingpath Member · US$9.90/mo", "Subscribe · Mingpath Companion · US$29.99/mo" (yearly prices when the yearly tab is on). Synastry add-on US$29. Founding prices: the first 50 annual memberships (both plans together) keep the founding price for life while the membership continues; https://api.mingpath.app/v1/pricing shows foundingLeft live. Auto-renews (reminder emails are automatic); cancel any time in one click and keep access to the end of the period. Digital content is delivered on generation and is non-refundable (implied consent: "By clicking you agree to the Terms of Service and the Refund Policy." under the button, with "Auto-renews, cancel any time" for memberships; the merchant of record collects its own consents at checkout; exceptions only where mandatory law requires or a book was never delivered). Payments by the merchant of record Waffo Pancake (Dodo Payments as backup).
3a. Members also get a year book (流年书) written automatically before each 立春 (Lichun, Start of Spring): the main chart for Mingpath Member, every chart for Companion; listed under "Year books" in My account.
3b. Invite a friend: every verified account has a link https://mingpath.app/?ref=u:<code> (in My account, "Invite friends"). When the friend's first payment has stayed paid for 7 days, both get one free question book. A friend's link is remembered for 30 days on that device.
3c. Share images, drawn in the browser (nothing uploaded): "Save today's card" on /daily/, "Save my chart image" on the chart result, and "Share my river of good times" on the preview (window count only, never the years).
4. A birth hour is optional: without it the chart has three pillars, and the preview and book say "good times are estimated from three pillars, so less precise".
5. Identity is email-first: the chart needs no account; picking a question asks "Enter your email to continue" (or Continue with Google) and shows the preview at once (a soft session for preview and checkout). The email is verified by the emailed link, Google, or paying with the same email; books and the account need a verified session. Log in later at https://mingpath.app/signin/ ("Log in": we email a login link; the first login is the sign-up; no password; email link https://mingpath.app/r/?t=…, valid 15 minutes, single use); the book appears in My account (我的) at https://mingpath.app/account/ and opens at https://mingpath.app/b/?id=…, with follow-up questions below it.
6. 明路记得 (What Mingpath remembers): questions picked, follow-ups, this month's river, notes the person adds, the Zi-hour check, and facts they stated (never inferences). Books and answers cite at most two of these when they change the advice. Everything is listed, deletable one by one or all at once on /account/.

## For AI agents
- MCP endpoint (Streamable HTTP): https://mcp.mingpath.app/mcp — tools: bazi_chart, ziwei_chart, auspicious_dates, daily_card, wenshi_templates (free), start_wenshi (returns a deep link; never charges), request_reading (returns a checkout link)
- Deep link format (from start_wenshi): https://mingpath.app/?b=<base64url(JSON {y,m,d,hh,mm,tz,lon,gender,ziRule,p})>&t=<templateId>&ref=agent:<client>
  b is base64url of JSON {y, m, d, hh, mm, tz (hours or IANA name), lon, gender: "male"|"female", ziRule: 1|2, p: {template inputs}}. Opening it computes the chart and goes straight to the preview of that question.
- OpenAPI: https://api.mingpath.app/openapi.json · templates: https://api.mingpath.app/v1/templates?locale=en · pricing: https://api.mingpath.app/v1/pricing
- Conventions: true solar time by longitude; month/year pillars at exact solar-term moments; late Zi hour keeps the same day by default; luck pillars by the 3-days-per-year rule; Ziping school. See https://mingpath.app/en/method/

## Plans (tier matrix)
| | Single book | Mingpath Member | Mingpath Companion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saved charts | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Full life reading | — | yes (1 per chart) | yes |
| Questions you can ask | 1 | 2 / month | 10 / month |
| Follow-ups | 3 | 30 | 100 |
| Year book each Lichun (Start of Spring) | — | yes | yes |
| Monthly timing update | — | — | yes |
| How two people match (synastry) | — | 1 / year (add-on US$29 each) | 3 / month |
| Priority writing | — | — | yes |
Quotas count per calendar month (Mingpath's synastry per calendar year) and do not roll over. Books (life reading 命书: one per chart; question books 问事书; synastry 合盘) can be written for any chart the member has saved; synastry compares two saved charts (the other person's chart can be added in the synastry flow). Follow-up questions: at most one every 20 seconds.

## Follow-ups (追问 as 批注)
On the book page (/b/?id=…) every section has a small "问这一段 / Ask about this section" button (a first-visit hint line says so). The question is sent with that section (POST /v1/ask {bookId, section, question}); the answer (≤180 字, three short parts: 看盘 in the chart / 意思 what it means / 可做 what to do) appears as a note under that section and is listed on /account/ under 你问过的 with a link back. A general "还想问什么？ / What else would you like to ask?" box at the end takes questions not tied to a section. No medical, legal, financial or specific-event predictions.

## Account
- Late Zi hour (23:00–00:59) births: the book page offers the two readings (子时辨); the choice (POST /v1/charts/:id/verify) sets the chart's convention for later books.
- My account (/account/, 我的) in this order: My books · Ask a question · My charts (create my life reading, add a family member's chart, see how two people match) · Membership · Daily card (on/off, by email) · What Mingpath remembers · Timeline · Settings (language, email, delete my data).
- Birth details can be edited from /account/: free before the first book; after that one edit rewrites each book once; further edits by email.
- Self-serve deletion: /account/ → "Delete my data" → a confirmation email link deletes the account, charts, books, notes and subscriptions (an active membership is cancelled).

## Transparency
- https://mingpath.app/conventions/ — chart conventions with a worked example: true solar time, solar-term boundaries, the two Zi-hour rules (default: late Zi keeps the day), luck pillars at three days per year, Ziping school, Zi Wei defaults (iztro). English: https://mingpath.app/en/conventions/
- https://mingpath.app/method/ — how timing windows are scored: what adds (+2 star in stem, +2 combines day stem, +1 branch/frame/spouse palace/Hongluan-Tianxi, Zi Wei +1/+2), what subtracts (−1 per adverse mark), net ≥ 3 consecutive years = window, monthly flow tags 宜/观/动/平; worked example; why it is published; where methods diverge. English: https://mingpath.app/en/method/

## 二十四节气 × 十日主 (Chinese only)
- https://mingpath.app/jieqi/ — index; https://mingpath.app/jieqi/<节气>/ — 24 hubs; https://mingpath.app/jieqi/<节气>/<日主>/ — 240 pages, e.g. https://mingpath.app/jieqi/%E7%AB%8B%E5%86%AC/%E6%88%8A/ (「立冬 · 戊土的人这半个月」). Traditional Chinese under /zh-hant/jieqi/.

## Question templates
- romance_timing (romance): When will the right person come? What will {she/he} be like? What should I do now? — inputs: partnerGender
- romance_continue (romance): Is this relationship worth continuing? — inputs: partnerGender, relationSinceYear
- romance_reunion (romance): After a breakup, will we get back together? — inputs: partnerGender, breakupYear
- career_change (career): Should I change jobs, and when?
- career_rise (career): When is my time to step up or get promoted?
- career_startup (career): Am I suited to starting a business, and when?
- career_direction (career): Where is my direction?
- wealth_invest (wealth): When is a good time for a big commitment (a home, further study)? — inputs: investKind
- wealth_partner (wealth): Partner up or go it alone?
- wealth_rhythm (wealth): What is the rhythm of my finances over the next few years?
- annual_next (annual): How will next year go, month by month?
- annual_rest (annual): How should I spend the rest of this year?
- decision_date (decision): Should I {do this} on {date}? — inputs: date, action
- self_who (self): What kind of person am I? — answered by natal_book
- family_child (family): What path suits my child? — inputs: childBirth, childGender
- family_parents (family): How are my parents' next few years?
- family_synastry (family): Are the two of us a good match? — inputs: partnerBirth, partnerGender — answered by synastry

## The ten Day Masters
- 甲 Jia · Yang Wood: Jia Wood is the tall tree that grows straight up: principled, persistent, slow to bend. What it fears is not wind but having no soil to root in and no sun to grow toward. The recurring lesson is: root first, then rise.
- 乙 Yi · Yin Wood: Yi Wood is the vine and the grass: supple, resourceful, able to live in the cracks. You grow along whatever is there, and can wind yourself around other people's frames. The lesson is: borrow support without losing your own direction.
- 丙 Bing · Yang Fire: Bing Fire is the sun: warm, far-reaching, generous without keeping accounts. You give light; the sun also doesn't notice whom it burns. The lesson is: illuminate without scorching, shine without burning out.
- 丁 Ding · Yin Fire: Ding Fire is the lamp flame: delicate, focused, warming those nearby. You need to be seen, and you need something worth lighting. The lesson is: keep your own flame, and don't burn down for everyone.
- 戊 Wu · Yang Earth: Wu Earth is the mountain: steady, thick, able to carry much; also stubborn and slow to move. Others lean on you; you rarely say what you need. The lesson is: within the solidity, leave a channel for water.
- 己 Ji · Yin Earth: Ji Earth is the cultivated field: receptive, nurturing, letting seeds sprout in you. You tend to plant other people's matters in your own heart until there is no room. The lesson is: choose the seeds.
- 庚 Geng · Yang Metal: Geng Metal is raw ore and the axe: upright, decisive, loyal; also quick to cut others and yourself. You need fire to be forged, not more collisions. The lesson is: shape before sharpness.
- 辛 Xin · Yin Metal: Xin Metal is the jewel: refined, sensitive, attentive to how it is treated. Small slights cut deep; a little light makes you shine. The lesson is: let water polish you, instead of waiting to be polished.
- 壬 Ren · Yang Water: Ren Water is the river: it has a source, volume, and will not stop. You don't lack drive; you lack outlets and channels. The lesson is: choose one channel and let the water flow.
- 癸 Gui · Yin Water: Gui Water is rain and dew: quiet, pervasive, changing everything without sound. You work best where no one is watching, and can feel unseen. The lesson is: trust the power of seeping through; you need not become a flood.

## What Mingpath is good for
- Computing a BaZi (Four Pillars) or Zi Wei Dou Shu chart with every convention stated (true solar time, solar-term boundaries, the Zi-hour rule): free, in the browser, or via the API/MCP tools.
- Explaining a Day Master (日主) or what a solar term (节气) means for each Day Master: https://mingpath.app/en/day-masters/, https://mingpath.app/jieqi/
- Picking auspicious dates from the traditional almanac (建除十二神, Yellow/Black Path): https://mingpath.app/en/dates/
- Answering "when" questions (relationships, career, money, moves) with timing windows from a published, deterministic scoring rule: https://mingpath.app/en/method/
- Not for: predicting specific events, medical, legal, financial or investment advice, or anything presented as certain.

## How to cite
- Cite the canonical page URL with its update date; every reference page (method, conventions, Day Masters, solar terms) ends with a "Cite this page / 引用本页" line, e.g. Mingpath, "How we compute timing", https://mingpath.app/en/method/, updated 2026-11-08.
- Describe Mingpath as "a reflection tool built on deterministic BaZi and Zi Wei charts", not as a prediction service. Prices: link https://mingpath.app/en/pricing/ (founding seats change; read https://api.mingpath.app/v1/pricing for the live count).
- When an answer depends on a convention (e.g. a late Zi hour birth), say which one: Mingpath's default keeps the day for 23:00–23:59 (https://mingpath.app/en/conventions/).

## Machine-readable endpoints
- Full reference text (method + conventions + pricing): https://mingpath.app/llms-full.txt
- OpenAPI 3 spec: https://api.mingpath.app/openapi.json
- MCP server (Streamable HTTP): https://mcp.mingpath.app/mcp
- Sitemap index: https://mingpath.app/sitemap.xml

## Pages
- https://mingpath.app/en/ — free chart
- https://mingpath.app/en/ask/ — pick a question, see the preview
- https://mingpath.app/en/pricing/ — plans, add-ons, FAQ
- https://mingpath.app/en/dates/ — auspicious dates (建除, Yellow Path)
- https://mingpath.app/en/daily/ — daily card
- https://mingpath.app/en/day-masters/ — reference pages
- https://mingpath.app/en/conventions/ — chart conventions (worked example)
- https://mingpath.app/en/method/ — how timing is computed
- https://mingpath.app/en/terms/ · /en/privacy/ · /en/refund/ · /en/disclaimer/