Work and choice

She asked whether to apply for a PhD or keep building her brand

24 September 2025Jinan, Shandong Translated by AI

A client asked whether to apply for a PhD or focus on her ceramic brand. The reading pointed to career growth through hands-on work, not further study.

The screenshots were masked before they were posted. Names, avatars and birth details are covered in the originals; where a translated line reads [redacted], the source was covered too and nothing has been guessed.

Client

Hello Zongyuan, I found you on Douyin. Your videos feel very calming. I have some questions right now, and I’d like to ask how your consultation fee works.

猫猫道长你好，我是dy来的，觉得你的视频好让人安心，现在有一些疑惑不知道润金怎么收取🙏

Zongyuan

Hello, thank you for liking my content.

你好，谢谢喜爱

09:52

Client

Here’s my situation: I graduated with a master’s in 2023 and planned to apply for a PhD. Back then I didn’t really know why I wanted to do one, and I didn’t have much drive for it — I was mostly following my family’s wishes. I applied to programs in Hong Kong, Macau (Macau was my safety option), and the UK (the UK application was sort of a last-minute thing). I wanted Hong Kong most, but I didn’t get any good news there. I got an offer from the UK, but I hesitated a lot because the tuition was too expensive and I was feeling really drained. I thought if my safety school in Macau accepted me, I’d go there — but I never heard back, so I figured maybe further study wasn’t right for me. I started my own small brand instead. It’s going okay so far, I have a small product line, and the money is circulating back into the business. Lately I’ve been doing an artist residency, and I keep running into little reminders about PhD programs. I also checked my email recently and found I actually did get that offer from the Macau safety school last July — I just gave up on it back then and only saw it now. It feels like these little signs are pointing me toward something, and I’m getting the urge to apply again. A friend recommended a program at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, so I tried cold-emailing a professor there, but I haven’t heard back.

我现在是这样：2023年硕士毕业打算考博士的（不过当时没想清楚到底为什么读博，也没有自驱力，主要是听家里话）然后申请了香港，澳门（澳门是保底），英国（英国也是阴差阳错）。我个人最想去香港，但是香港没有收到一个好消息。英国拿到了一 offer，我就很犹豫纠结，因为学费太贵且我很内耗，最后想着如果澳门的保底学校能录取，就去读，结果当时一直没收到，我就想可能是不适合再读书了。我就开始自己做小品牌，目前就还行吧，算是有一些产品积累，然后钱在里面滚动起来了。这段时间我参加艺术家驻场活动，最近就一直有接收到一些关于博士的讯息，并且我看邮箱去年7月还是收到保底院校的offer的，只是我当时放弃了，现在才看到。我感觉最近的信息有点像外应。就有点蠢蠢欲动，然后经朋友推荐一个香港理工大学的专业，我尝试套磁还是没有回复。

Zongyuan

Haha, following your family’s wishes.

哈哈听家里话

You’re describing all this very honestly, it’s sweet.

你描述的非常真诚可爱

09:53

You want to know whether to do a PhD or focus on work, right?

想问自己去读博还是工作是不

09:54

Client

My question is: Is now a good time to apply for PhD programs? If it is, I have a few directions in mind, and I want to know which one is more likely to work out, so I can put more energy there.

我的问题是：未来这段时间适合申请博士读书吗？如果适合，我心中有几个方向，不知道哪个更容易实现，可以放更多精力在那边。

Zongyuan

You can list the options, I’ll take a look at them later.

可以列举几个方向，一会我来看看

09:56

Client

A. DDES program at Hong Kong Polytechnic University — it seems very practice-focused, but the professor hasn’t replied to my two emails. I really want to go to Hong Kong, I can’t really explain why. B. Nanjing University of the Arts — my undergraduate supervisor posted in a group chat a couple days ago that he’s taking PhD students starting next year, and anyone interested should contact him. When I studied under him before, it was really hard on me, physically and mentally — it felt very oppressive. But I think if I applied, he’d probably take me. C. China Academy of Art — I haven’t contacted any supervisors there yet, but I could try. D. University of Auckland in New Zealand, or maybe schools in Australia. I’ve only looked into New Zealand so far — I like the scenery and weather there, and the tuition isn’t too expensive.

A. 香港理工大学 DDES 专业，感觉挺实践的，但是老师没有回复，我发了两封邮件了，而且我本人很想去香港，不知道为什么。B. 南京艺术学院，前两天我的本科导师突然在群里发，他明年开始招博士，想读博的联系他，不过以前我在他手下学习，真的非常难受辛苦，身心都不太舒服，很受压迫，但是我自己分析感觉他能要我。 C. 中国美术学院虽然没有联系上导师，但是可以试试 D. 新西兰奥克兰大学或者澳大利亚找找看，目前只查询了新西兰的信息，感觉风景天气我蛮喜欢，而且学费也不贵

Zongyuan

Looking at your BaZi (known in the West as the Four Pillars of Destiny), you’re a very creative person. Did you study art before, or do you work in ceramic design?

看你八字是个很有创造力的人，之前是学艺术的么，还是说你本身就是做陶瓷创意的？

Client

Yes, I studied art.

是的，我就是学艺术的

Zongyuan

Mm, you have good potential. A lot of people like your work.

嗯，挺有发展的，很多人喜欢你的东西

Client

My family has been in the zisha (purple clay) teaware business since I was little. I studied ceramic art for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but it was more fine art — I didn’t really learn to make functional pieces. But for my brand now, since I need to make money, I mostly make product-focused pieces.

从小家里就是做紫砂这一块儿，然后我大学硕士都是学的陶瓷艺术。嗯，但是偏纯艺术这一块儿，就是不太会做实用器皿。但是我现在的品牌，因为要挣钱，我就是基本上都是做产品这一类的

Zongyuan

I don’t know if anyone’s told you this, but the things you make are different from what’s on the market. Your work makes people feel calm.

不知道有没有和你说过，你做出来的东西和市面上的不同，你的东西会让人安静。

It has more depth to it.

多了点内涵

Client

Haha, thank you. I also think my work is different from what’s out there.

哈哈，谢谢，我自己也觉得我的东西跟市面上的不一样

[emoji]

Zongyuan

To break down what I see: 1. Career is the priority right now. 2. You will work with partners. 3. Your brand will expand its reach. 4. 2026–2027 will be a forging, refining phase for you — you’ll produce a lot of work, but it will be busy and hard. 5. Starting in 2028, you’ll enter a harvest period, with scalable returns. The whole reading doesn’t mention formal study at all. If we really stretch to talk about learning, the pattern emphasizes learning through doing — all the knowledge and experience you need you’ll gain through your work. You don’t need to do a PhD.

对应到 1 事业优先 2 会合作 3 品牌范围会扩大 4 你在2026-2027 年属于锤炼，锻造阶段，会有不少作品，但是忙碌辛苦。 5 从2028 年开始往后进入收获期，开始规模化的取得收益了。整个画面没有谈到学习的事儿，真要说到学习，画面蛮强调锻造过程，属于练中学，你所有的知识经历都可以在事业里取得，就不用读博了。

Please take this for what it is.

请收

11:22

Client

Thank you so much ~

谢谢道长～

One of my big flaws is that I always romanticize the path I didn’t take. Back then I was so torn, I didn’t even know why I wanted a PhD. I thought the best outcome after graduating would be getting a university job, but I really don’t like that kind of rigid, rule-heavy environment.

我这个人就是很大的一个缺点，很容易美化没有走过的路。当时就是很内耗，不知道自己为什么要读博。感觉读完博士回来最好的归宿是进高校。但是我实在是非常不喜欢那种充满规

It feels like I had a chance to reach the top of one path, but I gave it up because of my own mindset — so I feel a little regretful. That’s why all these little reminders lately have been making me want to try again. Thank you!

感觉在一个道路上。明明有机会走到最顶尖的位置，但是因为自身心态的原因放弃了，所以觉得有点可惜。然后最近一直出现这样的信息，我就有点蠢蠢欲动的。谢谢道长！

Zongyuan

Mm, I totally understand [emoji]

嗯，很能理解你[emoji]

Client

Zongyuan, I also want to ask about relationships and marriage.

猫猫道长，我还想看一下感情婚姻方面的

Zongyuan

There’s a less common detail in your BaZi: you have a tendency toward bisexuality. In your romantic life, you’re likely to have same-sex attractions or advances — for example, women pursuing you or showing interest. In the [redacted] part of your chart, you’re quite selective in relationships: you care a lot about looks, and you have high standards for spiritual connection. You’re drawn to men with presence who share your values, and you have a kind of emotional purity standard. But you also face setbacks in love: you’re prone to getting caught in love triangles — partners cheating, or married men pursuing you, those kinds of situations. Looking ahead, your serious relationships come late. Someone reliable won’t show up until 2028, and your marriage timing is also late, between 2028 and 2031. It might even be a little untraditional — like staying together without getting married. Before then, most people who come into your life are just passing through, so you don’t need to put much thought into them. As for what your partner will be like:

你的八字有个小众信息，就是双性恋的倾向，在你一生的感情里，容易发生同性之间的感情，比如有同性追求你，朝你示好之类的。八字的[redacted]，你感情里还是比较挑剔的，有一点颜控，而且对于精神追求也把控的很严，喜欢有气质的男性，且要和你三观都差不多，你才会进入感情，而且还有精神洁癖。但是呢感情里你也有挫折，你容易进入三角恋爱，比如对象劈腿，或者是有妇之夫追求你，都容易发生。往后看，你的感情来的晚，比较靠谱的人在2028年才到，你的婚年也晚，在2028-2031年之间，甚至说会有点不走寻常路，比如只是待在一起，但是不领证。这之前过客多，可以基本不用多考虑。配偶画像:

Client

Oh my god, that’s so true. I only had one three-and-a-half-year relationship in college, and after that it’s just been all kinds of messy, terrible dates. And in college I did wonder if I liked girls. Also, there was this married man, around my dad’s age — a little younger than my dad — who pursued me. It was so weird.

天呐，天呐，确实，我就大学里谈了一个三年半的，后面就是各种牛鬼蛇神，桃花烂的要命。然后大学我也怀疑自己是不是喜欢女生。然后。确实有那种结了婚了，跟我爸差不多大的人，跟我比我爸稍微小几岁的人追我。我真服了

Relationships also line up with 2028? So 2028 is going to be a big year for both career and love, haha

感情也是2028年，那2028年我岂不是事业感情双丰收嘛，哈哈

Zongyuan

Mmhm. Have you ever had a girl pursue you before?

嗯呢，之前有过女孩儿追你吗

12:14

Client

Yes! My master’s program roommate.

有！我硕士舍友

I think she saw me as her girlfriend.

我感觉她把我当对象