Mazu Fortune Stick No. 60 · Qian Hexagram
常憑寶劍斬妖邪，十五年來事足誇，此去更宜韜悔好，磽磽易缺理無差。 With your treasured sword you have cut down evil; for fifteen years your deeds deserve praise. From here it is better to sheathe it and lie low: the hardest blade chips most easily, and that is plain.
The poem
常憑寶劍斬妖邪
With your treasured sword you have cut down evil;
十五年來事足誇
for fifteen years your deeds deserve praise.
此去更宜韜悔好
From here it is better to sheathe it and lie low:
磽磽易缺理無差
the hardest blade chips most easily, and that is plain.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 60 第六十首 | Qian 謙 (Modesty) |
Text notes: line 1: the temple website reads 常憑寶劍妖精碎.
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Build virtue first and hope follows 積德常先 自有後望 |
| Business | Nothing goes right from start to finish; losses 首尾不順 終歸折本 |
| Pregnancy | Old grievances; worries around the pregnancy 冤愆纏憂 胎孕驚惶 |
| Marriage | Very hard to find a match 望門守寡 萬難配偶 |
| Travel | Moving forward is unwise; resentment on the way 欲進不利 途遇怨尤 |
| Household | Disorder; the household declines 紛紛不以 門戶衰微 |
| Seeking wealth | Crooked motives: do not seek, do not seek 心邪理由 勿求勿求 |
| Luck of the times | Wealth is an empty hope; seeking is useless 財力空望 求之無益 |
| Lost items | Gone without a trace; stop thinking about it 去向渺茫 不去再想 |
| Farming & livestock | No profit this year; see next spring 今歲無利 且看明春 |
| Lawsuits | Stay calm and in your place to avoid lawsuits 平心安分 得免官非 |
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
For fifteen years you have fought evil with your sword, and you deserve credit. Now it is time to sheathe it; what is too hard breaks easily.
Reminder: After success, learn to keep a low profile.
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. 59; next: No. 61.
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. 60: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 60 say?
「常憑寶劍斬妖邪，十五年來事足誇，此去更宜韜悔好，磽磽易缺理無差」 In English: With your treasured sword you have cut down evil; for fifteen years your deeds deserve praise. From here it is better to sheathe it and lie low: the hardest blade chips most easily, and that is plain. It is paired with the Qian hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 60 mean?
For fifteen years you have fought evil with your sword, and you deserve credit. Now it is time to sheathe it; what is too hard breaks easily. Reminder: After success, learn to keep a low profile.