Guan Di Fortune Sticks · Lot 23
The 23rd Lot: Bing Bing
Traditional fortune label: Most Unfavorable
Lot poem
Flowers bloom and fade in the spring breeze, Nobility, lowliness, poverty, and success fill a hundred years. Envious of your past glory, but now it is gone, In the end, all things turn out to be empty.
Story and textual notes
Flowers bloom and fade: Prosperity and decline are impermanent. A fortune like this shows an immediate change of scenery. Glory has passed, and all things have become empty; what is there left to hope for? All undertakings are inauspicious; lawsuits should be settled; prevent old age illness from worsening; wealth does not last; official salary is ending; marriage cannot be achieved.
Interpretation
Life's fortunes have ups and downs. When good luck arrives, it is like a flower in the wind, easily blown away, while bad luck follows closely. You have already experienced all the wealth, honor, poverty, and success in your life, but glory and wealth have already drifted away and will not return. If you can see through this, you will be more at ease; if you force it, it will only be in vain, and no gains can be made, so recognize the truth early.
Traditional summary
Fame and fortune are like empty flowers; lawsuits are lost; illness worsens; marriage is not matched; travelers are delayed; undertakings have no success, resulting only in vain sighs.
Thematic references
- Fortune
- Betting here goes east, pressing there shifts west; encountering great misfortune, endure it for now.
- Family
- Changes occur within the household, causing distress; you must be strong to salvage it.
- Wealth
- No profit to be made, changing industries is the same; hold your position for now, and see next spring.
- Career
- Scraping by with three meals to sustain life is already difficult; endure and accept it.
- Promotion
- Gaining and then losing has become a habit; adjust yourself first to see any effect.
- Romance
- Knowing you are incompatible, part ways early; forcing a union will only harm both parties.
- Examinations
- Though studying diligently, fame is out of reach because the field of study does not suit you; consider changing fields.
- Health
- Serious this time; only finding a miraculous doctor (Hua Tuo) can save your life and extend it by another decade.
- Travel
- Not the right time; you may encounter disasters on the way, staying home is better.
- Lawsuits
- Lawsuits lead to misfortune; knowing it is unfavorable, settle immediately to save immense losses.
- Lost Items
- Lost items are gone with no hope of return; remember this lesson well.
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