# The Eight Decision Heuristics in Zhangxuefeng-Skill: A Complete Guide

> Explore the eight decision heuristics in Zhangxuefeng-skill, a complete guide to Zhang Xuefeng's framework for personal and career choices. Discover your optimal path forward.

- Repository: [花叔/zhangxuefeng-skill](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill)
- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-06-12

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**The Zhangxuefeng-skill repository documents eight specific decision heuristics—from the "Soul-Query" method to the "Attitude-Only Apology"—that systematically encode Zhang Xuefeng's framework for personal and career choices.**

The open-source project `alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill` maintains a structured knowledge base that codifies Zhang Xuefeng's decision-making patterns. At its core lies a set of **eight decision heuristics** defined in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) under the "决策启发式" section, providing reproducible mental models for evaluating career paths, educational choices, and communication strategies. These heuristics draw from empirical research documented in [`references/research/05-decisions.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/references/research/05-decisions.md), which traces Zhang's major decision timeline.

## Overview of the Eight Decision Heuristics

The following eight heuristics represent the complete decision framework as implemented in the repository. Each serves a distinct function within Zhang Xuefeng's evaluation methodology.

### 1. 「灵魂追问」法 (Soul-Query Method)

The **"Soul-Query" Method** requires repeatedly asking concrete, personal questions before committing to any choice. According to the source code in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md), this involves interrogating specific contextual factors: score, province, family background, target city, and acceptable industry. This creates a structured decision frame that prevents impulsive choices by forcing explicit acknowledgment of personal constraints.

### 2. 「中位数」原则 (Median Principle)

The **Median Principle** instructs evaluation of options by examining the middle 50% of outcomes rather than extreme cases. When assessing career paths or educational outcomes, users should base judgments on what the typical case experiences, not outliers. This prevents optimism bias by grounding expectations in statistical reality rather than best-case scenarios.

### 3. 「不可替代性」检验 (Irreplaceability Test)

The **Irreplaceability Test** measures a role or skill's value by calculating replacement time. As documented in the repository, the heuristic calculates wage potential inversely proportional to how quickly someone could replace the incumbent. The formula implies that higher irreplaceability correlates directly with higher compensation potential and job security.

### 4. 「500强测试」 (Fortune-500 Test)

The **Fortune-500 Test** evaluates companies or sectors by their actual hiring behavior rather than public relations statements. This heuristic requires inspecting which majors a company recruits, salary levels offered, and hiring volumes to determine real market value. It treats corporate recruitment data as the ground truth for sector viability.

### 5. 「家庭背景分流」 (Family-Background Split)

The **Family-Background Split** separates decision paths based on family resource availability. The repository explicitly distinguishes between "mined" (well-connected) and "unmined" backgrounds, with advice diverging sharply between these categories. This acknowledges that optimal strategies vary significantly based on existing social capital and financial resources.

### 6. 「城市优先」原则 (City-First Principle)

The **City-First Principle** assigns higher weight to economically vibrant cities regardless of specific job offers. The heuristic prioritizes location over role, arguing that economically superior cities provide better networks, mindsets, and long-term opportunities. This reflects the repository's emphasis on environmental factors over immediate position specifics.

### 7. 「10年后」压迫测试 (10-Year Pressure Test)

The **10-Year Pressure Test** forces realistic appraisal by asking whether a decision remains acceptable if the outcome falls below peer income levels after ten years. This heuristic tests for resilience against comparative disadvantage and long-term regret. It filters out choices that only work under optimistic projections.

### 8. 「认态度不认事实」道歉法 (Attitude-Only Apology)

The **Attitude-Only Apology** governs communication strategy when facing criticism. Rather than modifying core viewpoints, practitioners adjust only tone or wording—apologizing for expression, not for underlying facts. This preserves strategic consistency while managing reputational risk.

## Encoding the Heuristics in Python

The repository provides illustrative Python implementations demonstrating how these heuristics function as callable logic. While not executable production code, these snippets from the analysis show how to operationalize each decision rule.

```python

# 1. Soul-Query (灵魂追问)

def soul_query(context):
    """Ask a cascade of concrete personal questions."""
    questions = [
        "Score?",
        "Province?",
        "Family background?",
        "Target city?",
        "Acceptable industry?",
    ]
    answers = {q: context.get(q) for q in questions}
    return answers   # used to shape the decision frame

# 2. Median Principle (中位数)

def median_principle(data):
    """Return the median outcome of a list of numerical results."""
    sorted_vals = sorted(data)
    mid = len(sorted_vals)//2
    return (sorted_vals[mid] + sorted_vals[-mid-1]) / 2

# 3. Irreplaceability Test (不可替代性)

def irreplaceability_test(role, replacement_time_days):
    """Higher score means more irreplaceable."""
    return role.base_salary * (1 / replacement_time_days)

# 4. Fortune-500 Test (500强测试)

def fortune500_test(company):
    """Inspect recruiting patterns to assess real market value."""
    hires = company.recruitments   # dict {major: count}

    return {
        "preferred_majors": [m for m, c in hires.items() if c > 0],
        "average_salary": company.avg_salary,
    }

# 5. Family-Background Split (家庭背景分流)

def family_split(advice, family_type):
    """Choose advice branch based on family resources."""
    return advice[family_type]   # e.g. {"mined": ..., "unmined": ...}

# 6. City-First Principle (城市优先)

def city_first(cities):
    """Rank cities by economic index and return the best."""
    return sorted(cities, key=lambda c: c.economic_score, reverse=True)[0]

# 7. 10-Year Pressure Test (10年后)

def ten_year_pressure(decision, future_income):
    """Accept decision only if future_income ≥ threshold."""
    threshold = decision.min_acceptable_income
    return future_income >= threshold

# 8. Attitude-Only Apology (认态度不认事实)

def attitude_apology(statement, is_offensive):
    """Apologize for tone while preserving core claim."""
    if is_offensive:
        return f"Apology for wording: {statement}. Core view unchanged."
    return "No apology needed."

```

## Source Code References

The eight decision heuristics are distributed across three key files in the `alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill` repository:

- **[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md)**: The central document listing all eight heuristics under the "决策启发式" heading, along with the "Expression DNA" that defines Zhang's communication style.
- **[`README.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/README.md)**: Provides project overview and mentions the "8条决策启发式" with links to detailed sections.
- **[`references/research/05-decisions.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/references/research/05-decisions.md)**: Contains chronological research on Zhang Xuefeng's major decisions, serving as the empirical basis for the heuristics.

## Summary

- **Eight defined heuristics**: The repository codifies Zhang Xuefeng's decision-making into eight specific rules, from the Soul-Query Method to the Attitude-Only Apology.
- **File location**: Primary definitions reside in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) under the "决策启发式" section, with empirical backing in [`references/research/05-decisions.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/references/research/05-decisions.md).
- **Functional implementation**: Each heuristic can be encoded as Python functions that evaluate context, calculate medians, assess irreplaceability, and filter decisions by long-term viability.
- **Practical application**: These rules apply to career selection, educational planning, and communication strategies, with specific branching logic for different family backgrounds.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the "Soul-Query" method in Zhangxuefeng-skill?

The **Soul-Query Method** is the first of the eight decision heuristics that requires asking a cascade of concrete personal questions—including score, province, family background, target city, and acceptable industry—before formulating any career advice. This technique appears in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) and functions as a decision frame that prevents generic recommendations by forcing context-specific evaluation.

### How does the "Irreplaceability Test" determine wage potential?

The **Irreplaceability Test** calculates value by measuring how long it would take to replace a worker in a specific role, with higher replacement times indicating higher irreplaceability and thus higher wage potential. According to the repository, this heuristic treats replacement difficulty as a direct proxy for compensation ceiling.

### Where are the eight decision heuristics documented in the repository?

The eight heuristics are formally documented in **[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md)** under the "决策启发式" heading, with additional context in the [`README.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/README.md) and empirical research backing in [`references/research/05-decisions.md`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill/blob/main/references/research/05-decisions.md). These files collectively form the complete specification of Zhang Xuefeng's decision framework.

### How does the "10-Year Pressure Test" work?

The **10-Year Pressure Test** evaluates current decisions by projecting whether the outcome remains acceptable if, ten years later, the individual's income falls below their peers. This heuristic forces decision-makers to filter choices based on long-term resilience rather than short-term gains, ensuring selections withstand comparative disadvantage over time.