Yue Lao Oracle Lot 41 · Good, steady

良人者，所仰望而終身也，今若此。 A husband: the one you look up to for a lifetime, and now he turns out like this.

The lot

Background: what the original says

A man of Qi went out daily to beg leftover offerings at the graveyards, then came home boasting to his wife and concubine of dining with the rich; when his wife discovered the truth, she wept that the husband she was meant to look up to all her life had turned out this way.

Near the end of the "Li Lou" chapters of the Mencius, the philosopher tells of a man of Qi who lived with a wife and a concubine. He came home every day full of meat and wine, claiming he had dined with rich and powerful men, yet no one of standing ever visited. One morning his wife followed him. No one in the city stopped to speak with him; he ended up in the graveyard outside the east gate, begging leftover offerings from mourners. At home she told the concubine what she had seen and spoke the words on this slip: a husband is the one we look up to for life, and now this. The two women wept in the courtyard, while he strolled back as smug as ever. Mencius was mocking those who chase wealth by any means. On a marriage slip the story is read from the wife's side: she learned the truth only by walking behind him herself.

What it means

See the other person for who they really are; an impressive surface does not mean someone you can count on for life.

Reminder: Pay attention to how the other person lives when no one is watching.

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 40; next: Lot 42.