Mazu Fortune Stick No. 35 · Qian Hexagram
蓬窗草舍暫淹留，知命樂天休謾悲，竚看震雷驚曲竇，直教群蟄盡回頭。 For now you linger in a thatched hut by a reed window; know your fate, trust heaven, and do not grieve. Wait and watch: the thunder will shake the burrows, and every hibernating creature will stir and turn.
The poem
蓬窗草舍暫淹留
For now you linger in a thatched hut by a reed window;
知命樂天休謾悲
know your fate, trust heaven, and do not grieve.
竚看震雷驚曲竇
Wait and watch: the thunder will shake the burrows,
直教群蟄盡回頭
and every hibernating creature will stir and turn.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 35 第三十五首 | Qian 謙 (Modesty) |
No. 35 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:
乘雲馭氣一神仙
An immortal riding the clouds and the winds
來到南方結善緣
comes south to form good bonds.
欲買金丹求不死
If you would buy the golden elixir of life,
須將牛犬戒為先
first give up eating beef and dog.
If you drew your lot at one of those temples, go by that temple's poem.
Beyond the poem: your own chart Cast a free BaZi chart →
Reminders by topic (written by us)
| Topic | Reminder |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Build yourself up where you are and wait for opportunity to knock 先在原位充實自己，等時機來敲門 |
| Business | When business is slow, tend your relationships and reputation 生意清淡時，先顧好人情與口碑 |
| Pregnancy | For pregnancy and childbirth, please follow your doctor's advice and prenatal checkups 懷孕生產請遵從醫師與產檢 |
| Marriage | Love keeps its own timing; there is no need to hurry it 緣分有它的時間，不必急著催 |
| Travel | There are obstacles now; setting out once spring warms up goes better 眼前有阻，等到春暖再出發較順 |
| Household | With everyone doing their part, home life moves along steadily 家人各守本分，日子平穩向前 |
| Seeking wealth | Get through the slow season; the turn comes later 熬過淡季，轉機會在後頭 |
| Luck of the times | The low point is temporary; wait quietly for the thunder of spring 低潮只是暫時，靜待雷聲響起 |
| Lost items | Hard to find for now; search again at another time 一時難找，換個時間再翻找一次 |
| Farming & livestock | Rest through winter and get busy sowing after the spring thunder 冬天先休養，春雷過後再忙播種 |
| Lawsuits | Be patient; someone will speak up fairly for you 耐心等待，會有人替你說句公道話 |
These short reminders are written by us from the poem and its hexagram; they are not the readings printed on the temple's slip, so for a real reading go by the temple where you drew the lot. The temple's list also has an "illness" topic, which we leave out, and the pregnancy topic is always a reminder to follow your doctor. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.
What it means
You are staying in a humble place for now. Accept your lot, stay cheerful and do not despair; when the spring thunder rolls, everything that was sleeping wakes.
Reminder: Stay steady during the low point; the turn will come like thunder.
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. 34; next: No. 36.
A straight word: fortune poems are a matter of faith, and the meanings here are ours
The Chinese text and hexagram names follow a widely circulated edition, checked line by line against three other versions; we only corrected obvious copying errors, and every page shows the base text's original wording wherever we changed it. The topic reminders, English translations and plain-English meanings are our own reading of the words and the hexagram, not the temple's readings or 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. 35: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 35 say?
「蓬窗草舍暫淹留，知命樂天休謾悲，竚看震雷驚曲竇，直教群蟄盡回頭」 In English: For now you linger in a thatched hut by a reed window; know your fate, trust heaven, and do not grieve. Wait and watch: the thunder will shake the burrows, and every hibernating creature will stir and turn. It is paired with the Qian hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 35 mean?
You are staying in a humble place for now. Accept your lot, stay cheerful and do not despair; when the spring thunder rolls, everything that was sleeping wakes. Reminder: Stay steady during the low point; the turn will come like thunder.