Yue Lao Oracle Lot 28 · Good

夫婦也，昆弟也。 Husband and wife, brother and brother.

The lot

Background: what the original says

The Doctrine of the Mean lists five basic human bonds: ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend.

These words come from the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong), in a passage where Duke Ai of Lu asks Confucius about government. Confucius answers that the policies of Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou are all recorded in writing; when the right people hold office, those policies flourish, and when they are gone, the policies end with them. Good government depends on finding the right people, and that begins with cultivating oneself.

Explaining self-cultivation, Confucius lists the five relationships shared by everyone: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friends. He calls them the universal ways.

The lot lifts out only two neighboring items, husband and wife, and brothers. The original does not equate them; it places them side by side among life's basic bonds. Set together on a Yue Lao lot, they invite a couple to see their tie as a lasting partnership of mutual support.

What it means

A married couple should support and understand each other the way siblings do.

Reminder: Treat your partner as family, and as a friend too.

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 27; next: Lot 29.