Mazu Fortune Stick No. 33 · Ming Yi Hexagram
甜言巧語似開懷，纔入牢籠撥不開，酒色錢財宜早戒，貪求不免有非災。 Sweet talk and clever words seem open-hearted, but step into the cage and you cannot get out. Give up drink, lust and greed early, for grasping brings trouble you did not ask for.
The poem
甜言巧語似開懷
Sweet talk and clever words seem open-hearted,
纔入牢籠撥不開
but step into the cage and you cannot get out.
酒色錢財宜早戒
Give up drink, lust and greed early,
貪求不免有非災
for grasping brings trouble you did not ask for.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 33 第三十三首 | Ming Yi 明夷 (Darkening of the Light) |
No. 33 in the Baishatun system
The hundred-poem set used at Baishatun Gongtian Temple, Ganghu Tianyuan Temple and some others has twelve different poems at numbers 25 to 36. In that system this number reads:
寶物原來密密藏
Your treasure was hidden away with care,
被人暗損費周章
yet someone harmed it in secret, and it cost you dearly.
果然失脫增煩惱
Losing it has truly added to your worries;
若待尋時在近方
if you look, it is somewhere near.
If you drew your lot at one of those temples, go by that temple's poem.
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Why daydream; nothing gets done 何必妄想 一事無成 |
| Business | Goods scatter; spreading out helps nothing 貨物消散 百散無益 |
| Pregnancy | Take precautions early to avoid trouble 戒之在先 免生禍胎 |
| Marriage | Islands in the sea: apart, not joined 海中三山 離而不合 |
| Travel | Rushing about for nothing; you invite worry 空勞奔走 自惹憂愁 |
| Household | Bad days and dark months; hard to avoid a lean time 年災月晦 難免稀微 |
| Seeking wealth | No wealth in the chart; one loss after another 命無財祿 連逢破財 |
| Luck of the times | Fate has decided; truly hard to get 命卻註定 實是難求 |
| Lost items | A stone sunk in the sea; no need to search 石沈大海 不必找尋 |
| Farming & livestock | Be content; do not ask too much 凡事知足 不必過求 |
| Lawsuits | They are strong and you are weak; how can you not grieve 彼強吾弱 焉能無悲 |
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
Sweet words look sincere, but once you are caught in the trap you cannot get out. Give up drink, lust and greed early; greed invites disaster.
Reminder: Beware of words that sound too good, and do not let greed walk you into a trap.
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. 32; next: No. 34.
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. 33: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 33 say?
「甜言巧語似開懷，纔入牢籠撥不開，酒色錢財宜早戒，貪求不免有非災」 In English: Sweet talk and clever words seem open-hearted, but step into the cage and you cannot get out. Give up drink, lust and greed early, for grasping brings trouble you did not ask for. It is paired with the Ming Yi hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 33 mean?
Sweet words look sincere, but once you are caught in the trap you cannot get out. Give up drink, lust and greed early; greed invites disaster. Reminder: Beware of words that sound too good, and do not let greed walk you into a trap.