Prices Are Up Again: How the Ancients "Guarded Their Wealth"
Last week a friend in Istanbul sent me a photo of a gas-station price board — the numbers had changed again.
That same day, Turkey's central bank held its policy rate at 37% for the fifth meeting in a row (according to a press release issued by the Central Bank of Turkey on September 10, 2026); the August inflation published by the Turkish Statistical Institute was 31.51% year on year. In Madrid, an acquaintance of mine was working out his pension — Spain has officially confirmed a 2.7% inflation-linked rise for 2026 contributory pensions (according to the official website of Spain's Social Security administration).
This isn't an economics discussion, it's what every wallet feels. And it isn't one country's problem: Turkey and Spain are just the two examples that happened to cross my eyes these past two days.
The Ancients Didn't Talk About "Getting Rich Quick" — They Talked About "Not Leaking"
Open the old books and you'll find something interesting: in the traditional Chinese view of money luck, the "making wealth" part is actually small, while the "guarding wealth" part is very large.
Wealth is divided into zhengcai and piancai. Zhengcai is wages, money that arrives on schedule; piancai is windfall money and investment gains. Traditionally it is said that "zhengcai depends on diligence, piancai on luck," but what gets stressed again and again is actually a third concept — the wealth vault (caiku).
The wealth vault means: being able to earn does not equal being able to keep. So the most piercing old saying is never "you didn't get rich" — it is "wealth comes and wealth goes."
That "Wealth Position" at Home Most Fears Three Things
In the common feng shui account, a home has a "bright wealth position" (ming caiwei) — the quiet corner diagonally opposite the entrance. It has three taboos:
| Taboo | The saying | What it looks like in reality |
|---|---|---|
| Empty | The wealth position should be quiet and solid | So empty it is like a passageway, with nothing at all |
| Pressed | Heavy objects overhead are taboo | An air conditioner hung above, jammed full of overhead cabinets |
| Cluttered | Clutter and rubbish bins are taboo | The spot has become a pile of junk and a home for the bin |
These are all school-specific sayings, not hard rules. But the last one is quite real: a corner you can't even find time to tidy usually says something about its owner's attitude toward money.
There is also an old saying, "wealth is not displayed" (cai bu wai lu) — it doesn't mean hide your money, it means don't lay all your cards out for the outside world to see.
Four Things I Watch During a Period of Rising Prices
- Track first, then talk about saving. The ancients called it "daily clearing." Keep records for a month and you will know where the money leaks — usually it isn't the large expenses but a pile of inconspicuous small subscriptions
- Lend nothing, guarantee nothing. Once money leaves your account it enters risks you cannot fully control — a rare point where personal finance and social obligation overlap
- Don't treat the "wealth position" as a warehouse. When that corner at home is clear, your attitude toward money often clears up along with it
- Don't make big decisions inside anxiety. The easiest mistake during inflation is "I'm afraid the money will lose value, so I'll invest blindly" — that hurts more than not investing
One Last Honest Word
When fate calculation talks about the wealth position, it is really talking about "attention." Wherever you put your attention, your money tends to follow — it sounds like a motivational cliché, but it works better than any "wealth-attracting ornament."
I won't tell you which fund will make money, and I won't promise you'll get rich this year — none of that is within the range of anything reliable.
But if you want to sort out a concrete situation like "why do I always panic at the end of the month," you can describe it, let 占卜迷指 recommend a suitable method and give you a chart and reading to keep for reference — it won't tell you what to buy, and it doesn't promise results. The first step in guarding wealth is never saving money; it's seeing clearly how you spend it.
Sources
- Central Bank of Turkey (TCMB) press release 2026-38: policy rate held at 37%
- Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) official website: Consumer Price Index (TÜFE), August 2026
- Central Bank of Turkey (TCMB): consumer price data (monthly and annual TÜFE changes)
- Spain's Social Security administration (Seguridad Social): 2026 pension revaluation
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