Mazu Fortune Stick No. 14 · Guan Hexagram
十年窗下苦操修，今日彈冠事壯遊，萬里長風欣得意，直登彼岸不須愁。 Ten years of hard study by the window; today you dust off your cap and set out in style. A long wind for ten thousand miles, and you are glad; you will reach the far shore, so do not worry.
The poem
十年窗下苦操修
Ten years of hard study by the window;
今日彈冠事壯遊
today you dust off your cap and set out in style.
萬里長風欣得意
A long wind for ten thousand miles, and you are glad;
直登彼岸不須愁
you will reach the far shore, so do not worry.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 14 第十四首 | Guan 觀 (Contemplation) |
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Success and high office 功名成就 祿位崇高 |
| Business | A hundredfold profit; merchants flock in 利市百倍 萬商雲集 |
| Pregnancy | Joy at a son's birth, one after another 弄璋喜慶 先後欣娛 |
| Marriage | He leads and she follows; a hundred years of harmony 夫唱婦隨 百年好合 |
| Travel | Gentle wind and morning sun; spring wherever you go 和風旭日 隨處皆春 |
| Household | Joy throughout the house; peace at home 滿門喜慶 家屋安寧 |
| Seeking wealth | Hard work in mind and body; the road to profit is open 勞心勞力 利路亨通 |
| Luck of the times | Build your character and you are welcome everywhere 立德修身 到處歡迎 |
| Lost items | Lost along the way; no need to rush the search 遺失前途 不心急尋 |
| Farming & livestock | Fields and livestock; profit through working together 田園牧產 同心獲利 |
| Lawsuits | Like-minded people gather; it is close at hand 同心相聚 即在目前 |
Readings follow the Grand Matsu Temple website; the English is our translation. The temple's list also has an "illness" reading; we leave it out. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.
What it means
After ten years of hard study your time has come. Ride the long wind straight to the far shore; there is nothing to worry about.
Background: "Dusting off one's cap" means getting ready to take up office.
Reminder: Something you have prepared for a long time is ready. Go ahead.
This is a plain reading of the words. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.
How to draw a lot
- Light incense and tell Mazu your name, birth date and address, then state clearly the one matter you are asking about.
- Cast the moon blocks (jiaobei, two crescent-shaped wooden blocks) to ask whether you may draw. One face up and one face down means yes; then pull one stick from the cylinder.
- Cast the blocks again to confirm that this is your stick. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, put it back and draw again.
- Collect the poem with the matching number. Read the whole poem, then find the topic below that fits your question. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.
Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the poem is to apply.
Common misunderstandings
A gloomy poem means the matter is doomed.
Most poems are reminders and directions. The same poem means different things for different questions, so look at the topic that matches yours.
You can keep drawing on the same question until you get a good poem.
By custom you ask once per matter. If you are still unsure, ask the temple's interpreter, or wait a while and ask again.
Previous: No. 13; next: No. 15.
A straight word: fortune poems are a matter of faith, and the meanings here are ours
The Chinese text, hexagram names and topic readings follow the Grand Matsu Temple of Tainan, checked line by line against three other sources; we only corrected obvious copying errors, and every page shows the temple's original wording wherever we changed it. The English translations and the plain-English meanings are our own reading of the words, not the temple's official interpretation. For a real reading, ask at the temple where you drew the lot. For legal, medical or financial questions, see a professional, and if you feel unwell, see a doctor. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond the poem: your own chart
Enter your birth date to cast a free BaZi Four Pillars chart and see your Five Elements and Ten Gods.
Mazu fortune stick No. 14: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 14 say?
「十年窗下苦操修，今日彈冠事壯遊，萬里長風欣得意，直登彼岸不須愁」 In English: Ten years of hard study by the window; today you dust off your cap and set out in style. A long wind for ten thousand miles, and you are glad; you will reach the far shore, so do not worry. It is paired with the Guan hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 14 mean?
After ten years of hard study your time has come. Ride the long wind straight to the far shore; there is nothing to worry about. Reminder: Something you have prepared for a long time is ready. Go ahead.