Mazu Fortune Stick No. 63 · Ge Hexagram
我今與子說分明，此去崎嶇路不平，救得難中人一個，卻憑陰騭免災生。 Let me tell you plainly now: the road ahead is rough and uneven. Save just one person from trouble, and that hidden merit will spare you disaster.
The poem
我今與子說分明
Let me tell you plainly now:
此去崎嶇路不平
the road ahead is rough and uneven.
救得難中人一個
Save just one person from trouble,
卻憑陰騭免災生
and that hidden merit will spare you disaster.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 63 第六十三首 | Ge 革 (Revolution) |
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Hidden merit turns bad to good 何省陰騭 凶化吉祥 |
| Business | Deal fairly and you keep your capital 存心公道 可免居本 |
| Pregnancy | For heirs, cultivate virtue quickly 欲求後嗣 速修德行 |
| Marriage | Do not agree to the marriage; it will not work 婚姻莫許 配合不成 |
| Travel | Cultivate virtue at home; wait to travel 在家修德 出門待時 |
| Household | Much hardship; stay calm and settle 事多艱難 靜心安身 |
| Seeking wealth | Money scatters; seeking is useless 財氣失散 求之無益 |
| Luck of the times | Luck not open; the same whatever you do 運氣未通 求之亦然 |
| Lost items | A time of loss; searching is useless 運合破財 尋之何益 |
| Farming & livestock | An unlucky year; livestock effort wasted 歲逢不順 空勞畜牧 |
| Lawsuits | Follow heaven's way; let things take their course 循乎天理 聽其自然 |
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
The road ahead is rough. But if you help one person in trouble, that good deed will protect you from harm.
Reminder: Helping others is helping yourself.
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. 62; next: No. 64.
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. 63: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 63 say?
「我今與子說分明，此去崎嶇路不平，救得難中人一個，卻憑陰騭免災生」 In English: Let me tell you plainly now: the road ahead is rough and uneven. Save just one person from trouble, and that hidden merit will spare you disaster. It is paired with the Ge hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 63 mean?
The road ahead is rough. But if you help one person in trouble, that good deed will protect you from harm. Reminder: Helping others is helping yourself.