Yue Lao Oracle Lot 48 · Very good

五百英雄都在此，不知誰是狀元郎？ Five hundred heroes all gathered here, who knows which one will take first place?

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《琵琶記》原作「不知誰做狀元郎」.

Background: what the original says

Candidates crowd the imperial examination hall, and no one yet knows who will come out as the top scholar.

The Lute (Pipa ji) is a southern-style drama by Gao Ming from the end of the Yuan dynasty. Its hero, the scholar Cai Bojie, has only just married when his father forces him to sit the examinations in the capital, leaving his elderly parents in the care of his wife, Zhao Wuniang.

The two lines on this slip come from Scene Eight, "Selecting Scholars in the Examination Hall." Candidates pour into the capital and sing together: the locust blossoms are yellow, five hundred heroes are gathered here, and who knows which will be first? The exam itself is played for laughs. The examiner has candidates cap his rhymes; a hopeless one has his face blackened with ink and is beaten out, while Cai answers well and takes first place. Success traps him: the chancellor forces him to marry his daughter, famine strikes his home, his parents die, and Wuniang travels to the capital with her lute before the couple are reunited.

What it means

There are many options or rivals around you, and who comes out ahead is still undecided; show your best self.

Reminder: Do not rush to a conclusion; watch a while longer.

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 47; next: Lot 49.