Yue Lao Oracle Lot 94 · Fair

巧言令色，鮮矣仁。 Clever words and a pleasing face: seldom do they go with a good heart.

The lot

Background: what the original says

Confucius says that people who flatter and put on an agreeable show rarely have much sincerity behind it.

This is the third passage of "Xue Er," the opening book of the Analects of Confucius. It records a single remark with no scene around it: those with clever words and an ingratiating face are seldom truly humane. The same sentence appears again in a later book, so Confucius evidently said it more than once.

The first passages of "Xue Er" deal with the roots of character: learning, filial devotion, loyalty and trust. This line follows a disciple's remark that filial and brotherly love are the root of humaneness, and read together the two make a contrast: humaneness grows out of real feeling and conduct, not out of words and expressions. Elsewhere Confucius says he is ashamed of smooth talk, a fawning face and excessive courtesy, and that the firm, resolute, simple and slow of speech are close to humaneness. Side by side, the meaning is plain.

The saying became an old rule of thumb for judging people. In a lot about love, it naturally points to words and deeds.

What it means

Be wary of someone who is all sweet talk. Look for sincerity and action.

Reminder: Listen to what they say, and also watch what they do.

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 93; next: Lot 95.