Mazu Fortune Stick No. 71 · Wu Wang Hexagram
今朝坐賈勝行商，莫向江頭趁野航，待得陽生冬至後，出門事事見榮昌。 For now, keeping shop beats trading on the road; do not go down to the river to catch a stray boat. Wait until yang returns after the winter solstice, then everything you set out to do will flourish.
The poem
今朝坐賈勝行商
For now, keeping shop beats trading on the road;
莫向江頭趁野航
do not go down to the river to catch a stray boat.
待得陽生冬至後
Wait until yang returns after the winter solstice,
出門事事見榮昌
then everything you set out to do will flourish.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 71 第七十一首 | Wu Wang 无妄 (Innocence) |
Text notes: line 2: the temple website reads 莫向江頭爾野航.
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Hold firm and wait; sweetness after bitterness 堅心靜守 苦去甘來 |
| Business | Do not avoid hard work; smooth later 莫辭勤苦 後來順適 |
| Pregnancy | Joy at a son; blessings and long life 弄璋喜慶 福壽雙全 |
| Marriage | Relax and all goes your way; a good match 寬心遂意 自有良緣 |
| Travel | Wait until after the winter solstice; good for meeting important people 候冬至後 利息大人 |
| Household | Good news; a lucky home 喜報佳音 門庭迪吉 |
| Seeking wealth | The worst is over; seek through good and it comes 否極泰來 善求必有 |
| Luck of the times | Very good after spring; money comes 交春大好 運逢得財 |
| Lost items | Look ahead and behind; you will get it back 瞻前顧後 必可回手 |
| Farming & livestock | A rich year; still, be frugal 年豐物阜 必須儉約 |
| Lawsuits | Even in triumph, leave room 得意之時 必留餘地 |
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 now it is better to run your business from home than to trade on the road; do not rush off on an uncertain boat. After the winter solstice, when yang energy returns, everything goes well.
Reminder: Stick to your main business for now; make your move at year-end.
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. 70; next: No. 72.
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. 71: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 71 say?
「今朝坐賈勝行商，莫向江頭趁野航，待得陽生冬至後，出門事事見榮昌」 In English: For now, keeping shop beats trading on the road; do not go down to the river to catch a stray boat. Wait until yang returns after the winter solstice, then everything you set out to do will flourish. It is paired with the Wu Wang hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 71 mean?
For now it is better to run your business from home than to trade on the road; do not rush off on an uncertain boat. After the winter solstice, when yang energy returns, everything goes well. Reminder: Stick to your main business for now; make your move at year-end.