Yue Lao Oracle Lot 56 · Excellent

永老無離別，萬古當團聚。願天下有情人，都成眷屬。 Grow old together, never to part, stay united through all the ages, may all who love each other under heaven, become lifelong partners.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《西廂記》原作「永老無別離，萬古常完聚，願普天下有情的都成了眷屬」，照錄流通本.

Background: what the original says

These are the closing words of blessing at the very end of the Romance of the Western Chamber.

The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang ji) is a Yuan-dynasty drama by Wang Shifu. Its story goes back to Yuan Zhen's Tang tale of Yingying, in which the scholar Zhang abandons her; a Jin-dynasty ballad version by Master Dong turned the ending into a marriage, and Wang Shifu built his five-part play on that.

Part Five is titled "Zhang Junrui Celebrates the Reunion." Zhang places first in the palace examination and writes home. Zheng Heng, Yingying's cousin and long-promised fiancé, arrives claiming that Zhang has married a Minister Wei's daughter in the capital. Madame Cui believes him and promises Yingying to Zheng again. Zhang returns to confront him, and General Du Que, who once rescued the Cui family, arrives to see justice done. Exposed, Zheng Heng dashes himself against a tree, and the lovers are married. The play closes with Zhang's song wishing that all lovers under heaven become husband and wife, now a familiar wedding blessing.

What it means

Lovers will end up together and stay by each other's side for the long run.

Reminder: Tend the relationship well, and let the blessing come true.

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 55; next: Lot 57.