Yue Lao Oracle Lot 44 · Good

遐邇一體，率賓歸王。 Near and far become one body, all guests come home to the king.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 流通本作「率賓舊王」，依《千字文》改「歸王」.

Background: what the original says

People near and far are joined as one, and every land turns to the ruler.

The Thousand Character Classic (Qianzi wen) was composed by Zhou Xingsi under Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty in the sixth century. By a well-known tradition, the emperor had a thousand different characters copied from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy for the princes to practice, and asked Zhou to arrange them into rhymed verse without repeating one; one account says he finished in a night and his hair turned white. In lines of four characters it moves from the creation of the world to human duties, and it became the standard first reader for Chinese children.

These two lines sit in the passage on the sage kings of antiquity: rulers who handed on the throne to the worthy, overthrew tyrants, asked about good government, and cared for the people until even the frontier tribes submitted. Near and far became one body, and all came to the king. The oracle borrows the idea of distance dissolving into one home.

What it means

Distance is no obstacle; near or far, you can become one family. A long-distance connection can still come to something.

Reminder: The greater the distance, the more often you should keep in touch.

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 43; next: Lot 45.