Guanyin Oracle · Lot 3

Cautionary

What it means

This lot is about labour in vain. Effort is not the problem; the direction or the foundation is, so things keep collapsing. Pause and ask whether you are holding on where success is impossible. The Yan general clung to a city he could neither keep nor leave. Change direction, find firmer ground, and your work will bear fruit.

By matter

Line by line

1. 衝風冒雨去還歸
   Through wind and rain, coming and going.
2. 役役勞身似燕兒
   Toiling all day like a busy swallow.
3. 啣得泥來成疊後
   At last the nest is built from beakfuls of mud.
4. 到頭疊壞復成泥
   In the end it collapses and turns back to mud.

Classic commentary

此卦燕子啣坭之象。凡事勞心費力也。

千般用計。晨昏不停。誰知此事。到底勞心。

The image: a swallow carrying mud for its nest; much effort and worry. The verdict: a thousand schemes, busy from dawn to dusk, and in the end the matter still only wears out your heart.

The story · The Yan General Holds Liaocheng Alone

A Yan general captured the Qi city of Liaocheng but was slandered at home and dared not return, so he held the isolated city. Tian Dan of Qi besieged it for over a year; Lu Zhonglian shot a letter over the wall laying out his choices. Unable to return or surrender, the general hesitated until the end, and the city fell (Zizhi Tongjian, Qin Annals I).

Reference: Lot 3 of the Guanyin Oracle at Mengjia Longshan Temple, Taipei, with its traditional image, verdict, guidance and story. Story summaries are our own.