Yue Lao Oracle Lot 10 · Good

有道是養兒防老，積穀防饑。 As the saying goes, raise children to care for you in old age, and store grain against a year of famine.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 旗山天后宮本等第作「下」.

Background: what the original says

An old saying: people raise children so they will have someone to rely on when they grow old, and they store grain to be ready for a lean harvest.

Raise children to provide for old age; store grain against famine. Dictionaries usually trace this old saying to the Shilin Guangji, a household encyclopedia compiled by Chen Yuanliang in the late Southern Song, a practical reference covering everything from the calendar and farming to etiquette and everyday conduct. The logic is plain. There were no pensions, so in old age one relied on one's children; harvests depended on the weather, so grain saved in good years kept a family fed in bad ones. Both halves are about preparing for the future. The lot's opening words, you dao shi, roughly as the saying goes, are the phrase characters in traditional novels and plays use before quoting a proverb, signalling that what follows is common wisdom. There is no story or historical figure behind this lot. It probably found its place among the Yuelao lots for its sense of long-term planning: starting a family means two people looking after each other for decades to come.

What it means

Marriage is a long-term commitment in which you support each other into old age. Start planning for your shared future now.

Reminder: Beyond romance, plan your daily life and your finances together.

This is a plain reading of the words and their source. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.

How to ask Yue Lao for a lot

1. Yue Lao, the Old Man under the Moon, usually has a side shrine inside a larger temple, such as a City God temple or a Mazu temple. Follow the temple's route: pay respects to the main deity first, then go to Yue Lao.
2. Tell Yue Lao your name, birth date and address, describe where you are in love right now, and state the one question you want to ask (for example, "Will this relationship last?" or "When will I meet someone?").
3. 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 and cast again to confirm it. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, draw again.
4. Collect the slip with the matching number. Yue Lao lots are quotations from old books, so the meaning often depends on the original passage. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.

Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the lot is to apply. Yue Lao lots are for love and marriage only; for other matters, use the temple's general fortune poems.

Common misunderstandings

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