Consultation and inquiry are two words, discussion at the consultation table and questions at the inquiry table. The word "consultation" was first found in the Book of Songs, and there is a poem "riding fast, loving consultation in a week", which means that the monarch condemns the envoys and asks them to visit the people's sufferings carefully to show the world. In ancient times, counselors, councilors, military advisers and diners who advised the rulers were those who specialized in consulting activities [1]. Of course, China's ancient consulting activities and his understanding of the word "consulting" were random and random, which was different from modern consulting activities.
In English, it corresponds to the verb consult and the noun consult, while in French it is consultant, which comes from Latin consult and means consultation, diagnosis and understanding opinions [2]. There are also foreign scholars who call consultation a kind of "intervention" and "intervention" from the perspective of behavior. In Japan, people call consultation "diagnosis". 1972 The Oxford Dictionary published in Britain defines a consultant as "a person who is capable of providing professional advice and services." The book Consulting Engineer published by the United States 1982 defines engineers engaged in engineering consulting as: "Consulting engineers are independent professional engineers who provide professional engineering services to customers on a fee basis", and "they sell services, knowledge and judgment" [3].
As an intelligence-intensive knowledge service industry, consulting in the modern sense refers to the specialized skills from external individuals and organizations. Based on professional knowledge, information and experience, it provides solutions or decision-making suggestions for different users' needs.