Mazu Fortune Stick No. 64 · Cui Hexagram
爭名奪利竟何如，鏡裡看花總是虛，處世惟存忠厚好，閉門安樂享豐餘。 Fighting for fame and grabbing for gain: what is it worth? Flowers in a mirror are empty in the end. In dealing with the world, loyalty and kindness are best; close your door and enjoy peace and plenty.
The poem
爭名奪利竟何如
Fighting for fame and grabbing for gain: what is it worth?
鏡裡看花總是虛
Flowers in a mirror are empty in the end.
處世惟存忠厚好
In dealing with the world, loyalty and kindness are best;
閉門安樂享豐餘
close your door and enjoy peace and plenty.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 64 第六十四首 | Cui 萃 (Gathering Together) |
Text notes: line 4: the temple website reads 閑門安樂亨豐餘.
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Act by reason and heaven helps 動合循理 天必佑之 |
| Business | Treat people kindly and business revives 忠厚待人 生意重興 |
| Pregnancy | Do not argue; keep your spirits up 切莫爭校 志在心情 |
| Marriage | A good match; a quiet wedding brings joy 配合得宜 暗婚且喜 |
| Travel | Empty flowers, empty words; then real fruit 虛花虛言 結實桂子 |
| Household | Bad at first, good later 先時否極 後境泰來 |
| Seeking wealth | Kind and honest; it will come 厚道忠直 求之自有 |
| Luck of the times | Better and better; seek through good 漸入佳境 善求為要 |
| Lost items | Help with the search and it may return 幫尋得力 可望有回 |
| Farming & livestock | Grain fair; livestock improving 五穀尚可 六畜日善 |
| Lawsuits | Lucky stars and a patron turn bad into good 帛星貴人 逢凶化吉 |
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
Chasing fame and profit is like looking at flowers in a mirror. Be loyal and kind, and enjoy a quiet, comfortable life at home.
Reminder: Take fame and money lightly; peace is its own blessing.
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. 63; next: No. 65.
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. 64: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 64 say?
「爭名奪利竟何如，鏡裡看花總是虛，處世惟存忠厚好，閉門安樂享豐餘」 In English: Fighting for fame and grabbing for gain: what is it worth? Flowers in a mirror are empty in the end. In dealing with the world, loyalty and kindness are best; close your door and enjoy peace and plenty. It is paired with the Cui hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 64 mean?
Chasing fame and profit is like looking at flowers in a mirror. Be loyal and kind, and enjoy a quiet, comfortable life at home. Reminder: Take fame and money lightly; peace is its own blessing.