Following the Ripples to the Source
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The ripple metaphor: from the visible waves infer where the stone entered. Reverse tracing: follow from phenomenon back to cause. Textual application: follow the citation chain back to the original literature. It is a systematic source-tracing method: do not stop at secondhand accounts, but follow the chain of references to first-hand material.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Trace the chain: follow references and data provenance back to the original source. - Reverse causality: walk from symptom back along the causal chain to the root. - Prefer primary material: treat firsthand evidence as more reliable than retelling.
Anchor fast decisions
A phenomenon, the ripple, is produced by a source, the stone, through a chain of transmission. Working backward from the visible result along the causal or citation chain locates the root, the primary source. Each layer of retelling distorts or loses information, so closeness to the source means reliability.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikisource.orghttps://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%96%87%E5%BF%83%E9%9B%95%E9%BE%8D/%E7%9F%A5%E9%9F%B3verified
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