Yue Lao Oracle Lot 87 · Poor

便如鳳去秦樓，雲斂巫山。 It is like the phoenix gone from the Qin tower, the clouds drawn back from Mount Wu.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《西廂記》原作「月暗西廂，鳳去秦樓，雲斂巫山」.

Background: what the original says

The maid Hongniang says that from now on it will be hard for the lovers to meet, like a phoenix that has flown from its tower or the clouds that have cleared from Mount Wu, both old images of lovers parted.

This aria comes from Part Three, Act Two of The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang Ji), the Yuan-dynasty play by Wang Shifu. The maid Hongniang has carried the scholar Zhang's love letter to Cui Yingying, who flares up: she visited Zhang only as a sister would, and next time she will tell her mother. Then she writes a reply for Hongniang to deliver.

Sure that it is over, Hongniang goes to Zhang feeling wronged. She sings: from now on meetings will be few and hard; the moon darkens over the west wing, the phoenix has flown from the Qin tower, the clouds have withdrawn from Mount Wu. Both images, a princess flying off on a phoenix and a king's dream of a mountain goddess, once stood for lovers' meetings.

Then the twist: Zhang opens the reply and finds Yingying inviting him to the garden that night. The lot takes the words as an image of parting and leaves the play's turn to the reader.

What it means

The bond is drifting apart, and meeting has become difficult. This relationship will be hard to continue for now.

Reminder: Accept things as they are, and give yourself some time.

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 86; next: Lot 88.