Yue Lao Oracle Lot 36 · Good

投我以木桃，報之以瓊瑤。 You gave me a quince, a simple fruit, i gave you back a piece of fine jade.

The lot

Background: what the original says

The poem says: you give me a fruit, I return a precious jade, not as repayment but as a pledge that we will always stay close.

"The Quince" comes from the songs of Wei in the Book of Songs. Its three stanzas are nearly identical: you gave me a quince, and I gave you fine jade in return; you gave me a peach, I gave you jade; you gave me a plum, I gave you jade. Each ends by saying this is not repayment but a wish that we may always be close. The lot's line comes from the second stanza.

The Mao Preface reads the poem as praise for Duke Huan of Qi. When the state of Wei was overrun by the Di people, its survivors took refuge at Cao; Duke Huan came to their aid, built them a new city at Chuqiu,. The people of Wei, wishing to repay him generously, composed this song. The Southern Song scholar Zhu Xi read it instead as lovers exchanging tokens, and that reading has since become the more popular one. What the lot sees is feeling that grows with each exchange.

What it means

Your feelings will be returned, and a relationship where both give will keep growing stronger.

Reminder: Do not keep score; the sincerity behind a gift is what counts.

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 35; next: Lot 37.