Yue Lao Oracle Lot 24 · Fair

他思已窮，恨不窮，是為嬌鸞雛鳳失雌雄。 His longing has run its course, but the ache has no end, like a young phoenix pair torn from each other.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《西廂記》原作「他那裡思不窮，我這裡意已通，嬌鸞雛鳳失雌雄」，流通本改寫過，照錄.

Background: what the original says

Listening at night as Zhang Sheng plays the zither, Cui Yingying hears the longing in his music and sighs that the two of them are like a pair of phoenixes separated from each other.

The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang ji) by Wang Shifu of the Yuan dynasty turns in its second part on a broken promise. The young scholar Zhang is lodging at the Pujiu Monastery, where Cui Yingying is staying with her mother. When a rebel army besieges the monastery and demands Yingying, Madam Cui promises her daughter to whoever can drive them off. Zhang writes to his friend General Du Que, but afterward Madam Cui tells the two to treat each other as brother and sister.

The maid Hongniang suggests a plan: when Yingying comes to the garden at night to burn incense, Zhang should play the zither. He plays "The Phoenix Seeks His Mate," and Yingying understands every note. His longing is endless, she sings, and she has already understood; they are a pair of phoenixes torn apart, flying different ways, with everything left unsaid. Two people who feel the same, held apart by an elder's broken word: that is the situation the lot has in view.

What it means

You have feelings for each other but something stands in the way, and the longing seems endless. It is hard to be together right now; you will need to wait until the obstacle clears.

Reminder: First figure out exactly what is standing between the two of you.

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 23; next: Lot 25.