Yue Lao Oracle Lot 15 · Fair

君子審禮，不可誣以姦詐。 A gentleman who knows proper conduct well: no cunning or deceit can fool him.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 流通本作「不呆誣以奸詐」，依《禮記》改「不可誣以姦詐」.

Background: what the original says

The text compares proper conduct to a steelyard and a carpenter's plumb line: a person who truly understands it cannot be tricked by the schemes of others.

Jingjie (Explaining the Classics) is a chapter of the Book of Rites. Its first half, framed as the words of Confucius, describes how each classic shapes people. The second half turns to the role of ritual, and this line comes from there. The author offers a series of comparisons: ritual is to governing what a steelyard is to weight, a carpenter's inked line to straightness, and compass and square to circles and corners. Once the steelyard hangs true, no one can cheat on weight; once the line is snapped straight, no one can cheat on straightness; once compass and square are set, no one can cheat on shape. In the same way, a gentleman who has examined ritual carefully cannot be deceived by trickery. It adds that the marriage rite marks the proper distinction between men and women. There is no story here, only argument; the lot takes from it the idea of a true scale carried within.

What it means

Keep appropriate boundaries while getting to know someone, and see them clearly. A person with a steady, upright heart will not be carried off by smooth talk.

Reminder: The sweeter someone's words, the more closely you should watch what they actually do.

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

Previous: Lot 14; next: Lot 16.