Yue Lao Oracle Lot 96 · Excellent

雖執鞭之士，吾亦為之。 Even as a man who holds the whip, i would do it.

The lot

Background: what the original says

Confucius said that if wealth and rank could truly be won by seeking, he would take even a lowly job like holding the whip for someone else.

The line is from "Shu Er," a book of the Analects of Confucius. The full saying runs: if wealth could be had by seeking it, I would do it even as a man holding the whip; if it cannot be sought, I will follow what I love. The "man holding the whip" is usually taken as a lowly attendant clearing the road for a noble's carriage; another reading makes him a market guard.

The Analects does not say when Confucius said this, and the weight falls on the second half. Whether one grows rich is not up to oneself; since it cannot be forced, better to live by one's own aims. In the same book Confucius says that with coarse rice, water to drink and a bent arm for a pillow there is still joy, and that wealth gained unjustly is to him a floating cloud.

The lot quotes only the first half, stressing the willingness to stoop and work hard. The easy second half goes unsaid.

What it means

For the person you love, you are willing to set your pride aside and work hard. If you are ready to put in the effort, it can succeed.

Reminder: Give because you want to, and do not keep score afterward.

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 95; next: Lot 97.