{
  "schemaVersion": "wenbu-knowledge-v1",
  "id": "guide-ask-a-better-question",
  "slug": "ask-a-better-question",
  "language": "en",
  "title": "How to turn a vague worry into a useful question",
  "description": "Examples for work, relationships and learning, plus a simple way to give the Agent enough context without writing your life story.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Start with what happened",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Your first message does not need to be polished. Describe an event, then where you feel stuck. “Work has been frustrating” might become: “Requirements keep changing at short notice. I am unsure whether to keep adapting or discuss boundaries with the project lead.”",
        "If finding the words is difficult, ask: “Help me narrow this down. Ask one question at a time, with a few options and space for my own answer.” The choices are suggestions you can change, not a test you have to pass."
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "Try this starting point",
      "paragraphs": [
        "“I am dealing with [situation]. What matters most is [priority or concern]. I know [fact], but I am unsure about [missing information]. Please help me [one task].” Fill in only the parts you know.",
        "For example: “I want to talk to my housemate about our different schedules. I need more quiet at night. They often come home late, but we have not discussed it properly. Help me find an opening that does not sound accusatory.” A conversation can help with this directly; you do not need a card draw first."
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "Keep the concern; make the question answerable",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Focus on something you can observe, check or act on, while keeping the issue that matters to you."
      ],
      "bullets": [
        "Work: “Will I definitely succeed?” → “What do I need to find out before accepting this opportunity?”",
        "Relationships: “What are they really thinking?” → “What have I observed, what am I assuming, and how could I ask?”",
        "Self-reflection: “Am I just unlucky?” → “Help me examine a recurring difficulty using a recent example.”",
        "Learning: “Which school is most accurate?” → “Which calculation rules differ, and what sources describe them?”"
      ]
    },
    {
      "heading": "Give the next reply a clear direction",
      "paragraphs": [
        "If you want to use tarot or I Ching, add: “Use the symbols as prompts, and keep track of what I still need to check in real life.” For research, name the concept, the claim you have encountered and the comparison you want.",
        "Then follow up on a specific point: “Your second point is closest to my concern. Can you give an example?” Or: “That suggestion is beyond my budget. What could I try in two hours a week?” You can start with one sentence now and refine it through the conversation."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "updated": "2026-09-30",
  "authorship": "Wenbu · AI-assisted editorial; no independent expert review claimed",
  "evidenceType": "editorial",
  "links": {
    "html": "https://wenbu.app/en/learn/ask-a-better-question/",
    "markdown": "https://wenbu.app/knowledge/en/ask-a-better-question.md",
    "json": "https://wenbu.app/knowledge/en/ask-a-better-question.json"
  },
  "outline": [
    {
      "id": "quick-answer",
      "title": "The short answer"
    },
    {
      "id": "section-0",
      "title": "Start with what happened"
    },
    {
      "id": "section-1",
      "title": "Try this starting point"
    },
    {
      "id": "reference-table",
      "title": "Five questions you can make more useful"
    },
    {
      "id": "section-2",
      "title": "Keep the concern; make the question answerable"
    },
    {
      "id": "section-3",
      "title": "Give the next reply a clear direction"
    },
    {
      "id": "worked-example",
      "title": "Worked example: discussing last-minute requests at work"
    },
    {
      "id": "glossary",
      "title": "Key terms"
    },
    {
      "id": "questions",
      "title": "Common questions"
    },
    {
      "id": "sources",
      "title": "Sources and their scope"
    }
  ],
  "answer": "A useful question says what happened, what matters to you, what you do not know and what you want from this exchange. A short account with one real constraint usually gives the Agent more to work with than a request to analyze your entire life.",
  "takeaways": [
    "Describe observable events and label assumptions about motives separately.",
    "Include a relevant limit: time, budget, missing information or something you have already tried.",
    "Ask for a concrete result, then correct a specific omission in the next reply."
  ],
  "figure": {
    "caption": "Four questions that need more context",
    "description": "The cards select work, relationships, learning and birth information, pairing each with an initial question such as “Will I regret changing jobs?” These are starting questions, not complete requests. The five-row table below supplies the fuller rewrites and adds a research example."
  },
  "table": {
    "title": "Five questions you can make more useful",
    "columns": [
      "Situation",
      "First attempt",
      "A more workable request"
    ],
    "rows": [
      [
        "Work",
        "Will I regret changing jobs?",
        "I value regular hours and know the salary, but not the travel schedule. List three things to ask before accepting."
      ],
      [
        "Relationships",
        "Do they care about me?",
        "They canceled our last two meetings. I feel disappointed but do not know why. Help me ask without assuming a motive."
      ],
      [
        "Learning",
        "Am I suited to design?",
        "I can try design for two hours a week. Suggest a two-week exercise and what to reflect on afterward."
      ],
      [
        "Birth information",
        "Find my exact birth time.",
        "My family remembers between six and eight in the morning. Explain which fields may differ and what records I could check."
      ],
      [
        "Research",
        "Which solar-time method is most accurate?",
        "Explain longitude correction and the equation of time. Separate astronomical definitions from Wenbu’s conventions and school differences."
      ]
    ]
  },
  "example": {
    "title": "Worked example: discussing last-minute requests at work",
    "intro": "You begin with “Am I in the wrong job?” Start by examining one recent situation before deciding what it means for your whole career.",
    "steps": [
      "Write the observation: “Twice this week, a new request arrived just before I finished work. Both times I stayed late.” Do not present disrespect as an established motive.",
      "Add your priority and limit: “I want fewer late changes, but Friday’s delivery cannot slip. I have not asked which requests genuinely need same-day completion.”",
      "Name the task: “Help me prepare three sentences to check priorities with the project lead. Do not decide whether I should leave.” The answer now has a specific job to do.",
      "Revise a mismatch: “The second sentence is too formal for our chat messages. Make it shorter but keep the question about delivery priorities.” Remove any background the model invented.",
      "Try: “This new request would take the evening. Which comes first: task A or request B? If B is needed tonight, can A move to tomorrow?” Record the reply before deciding on a follow-up."
    ],
    "conclusion": "A clear request cannot guarantee cooperation. It does let you check whether the answer actually prepares you for the conversation."
  },
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Will more personal information make the answer more accurate?",
      "answer": "Not necessarily. Share details that could change the advice. Names, addresses and other people’s contact information are usually unnecessary."
    },
    {
      "question": "What if I cannot identify my goal?",
      "answer": "Ask for one question at a time with two or three options and space for your own answer. You can remain unsure."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does a clear prompt guarantee a correct answer?",
      "answer": "No. It can clarify the task, but the model may still miss a constraint or misuse a source. Check important claims."
    }
  ],
  "glossary": [
    {
      "term": "Observation",
      "definition": "Something you witnessed or have a record of, with its scope intact."
    },
    {
      "term": "Inference",
      "definition": "An explanation that needs evidence beyond the observation itself."
    },
    {
      "term": "Constraint",
      "definition": "A practical limit the answer should respect, such as time or missing data."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Wenbu · Question drafting",
      "url": "https://github.com/Digidai/wenbu/blob/main/src/lib/agent-guidance.ts",
      "scope": "Supports how topic, goal, background and method form a draft. Work and relationship examples are original exercises."
    },
    {
      "title": "Wenbu · Clarification and interpretation rules",
      "url": "https://github.com/Digidai/wenbu/blob/main/worker/agent.ts",
      "scope": "Supports focused clarification, answer choices and rules against invented context or motives. These are product rules, not guarantees of every model response."
    }
  ]
}