Yue Lao Oracle Lot 32 · Good

因荷而得藕，有杏不須梅。 From the lotus comes the root, a pair, with apricots at hand, who needs the plum?

The lot

Background: what the original says

The lines are puns: read aloud, they also mean "How did you find a match?" and "With luck, no matchmaker is needed." Legend says the grand secretary Li Xian pointed to lotus root on the table and gave the first line, young Cheng Minzheng answered with the second, and Li Xian was so impressed he promised him his daughter.

The hero of this couplet is Cheng Minzheng of the Ming dynasty. According to the History of Ming, when he was ten, the provincial governor recommended him to the capital as a child prodigy. Emperor Yingzong examined him personally, was delighted, and had him study at the Hanlin Academy. The Grand Secretary Li Xian took a special liking to the boy and later gave him his daughter in marriage.

A Qing collection of anecdotes about gifted children, the Er shishuo, records how it began. Li Xian pointed to the food on the table and offered a line: "Because of the lotus, one gets the root." The boy answered at once: "With apricots, there is no need for plums." Read aloud, the words also sound like "How does one find a spouse?" and "With good fortune, no need for a matchmaker." Cheng later placed second in the palace examination and became a vice minister of rites, and the couplet became a favorite story of a match made by wit.

What it means

When two people are meant to be, they find each other, and with luck you will not even need a matchmaker. This match will come together naturally.

Reminder: When the right connection arrives, welcome it with open arms.

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 31; next: Lot 33.