Guanyin Oracle · Lot 52

Balanced

What it means

A lot of illusion. What you chase may be only a reflection, visible but out of reach, and others' promises may be exaggerated. The legend of Li Bai and the moon warns against clinging to illusions. Stop early, return your energy to real things, and wait for genuine help.

By matter

Line by line

1. 水中捉月費工夫
   Fishing for the moon in water wastes effort.
2. 費盡功夫卻又無
   After all your effort, there is nothing.
3. 莫信閑言併浪論
   Don't trust idle talk and boastful claims.
4. 枉拋心力也難圖
   Your strength is wasted, and the goal still out of reach.

Classic commentary

此卦貪求費力之象。凡事勞心費力也。

言諾難思。費力勞心。宅中憂慮。等遇貴人。

The image: costly striving; much effort and worry. The verdict: promises are hard to rely on; effort and worry; there are concerns at home; wait for a helper.

The story · Li Bai Reaches for the Moon

Legend says that late in life the poet Li Bai, drunk in a boat at Caishi, saw the moon in the water, reached for it, and fell in. The tale may not be true, but it is the most moving picture of grasping at the moon in water: the more you try to hold something beautiful but illusory, the more it slips away.

Reference: Lot 52 of the Guanyin Oracle at Mengjia Longshan Temple, Taipei, with its traditional image, verdict, guidance and story. Story summaries are our own.