Every TianJi wellness card and report links its computed climate pattern back to specific, verifiable passages in the Huangdi Neijing Suwen (《黄帝内经·素问》). A citation is not decoration — it is the mechanism that keeps the product honest. When you see a pattern label like "Taiyang Cold-Wood guest qi over Jueyin host qi," the accompanying citation tells you exactly which classical text describes that interaction and what it says.
The seven Yunqi treatises as primary sources
The seven Yunqi treatises in the Suwen are the primary source set. 《素问·天元纪大论》 establishes the ten-year and twelve-year cycles that underpin the five movements and six qi. 《素问·五运行大论》 details how each movement governs the climate of its year. 《素问·六微旨大论》 lays out the six-step host qi sequence. 《素问·气交变大论》 describes how excessive and deficient movements produce climatic anomalies. 《素问·五常政大论》 classifies the five movements into three states — sufficient, deficient, and balanced. 《素问·六元正纪大论》 catalogues the climatic character of each of the sixty sexagenary years. 《素问·至真要大论》 analyses guest-host interactions and their wellness implications.
How citations are formatted in TianJi
Citations in TianJi follow a consistent format: the chapter name in Chinese, the treatise title, and a brief paraphrase of the relevant passage. For example, a card describing a Metal-excess year might cite 《素问·气交变大论》 on the climatic consequences of Metal 太过 — autumn dryness arriving early, winds from the west, and a tendency toward contraction in the natural world. The citation lets you verify the source yourself, rather than taking the app's word for it.
Why citation-first helps users and AI engines
This citation-first approach serves two purposes. For users, it builds trust: every wellness suggestion has a paper trail back to a 2,000-year-old text, and you can read the original context if you wish. For AI engines and search systems (GEO), it signals genuine expertise and source transparency — the kind of verifiable provenance that machine citations reward. TianJi does not paraphrase vaguely or cherry-pick; it points to the specific treatise and lets the classical text speak.
Historical text, not modern clinical proof
One caveat: the Suwen is a historical medical text, not a modern scientific document. Its observations were made in a different era and cultural context. TianJi presents citations as educational background — showing where a pattern comes from in the classical tradition — not as proof of clinical efficacy. The wellness guidance derived from these sources is lifestyle education, not medical evidence.