Che Kung fortune sticks
Che Kung stick 27
Lower · caution
Look at the harm within your own defences
This lower-grade stick uses a ruler and his defences to question where a problem begins. You may be watching an outside rival while overlooking a decision, habit, or trusted arrangement that is causing harm closer to home. The useful response is to examine what you can change before adding more defences.
The poem, line by line
君不須防人不肖
You need not guard only against other people's wrongdoing.
眼前鬼卒皆為妖
The ghostly guards before your eyes are all demons.
秦王徒把長城築
The king of Qin built his long wall in vain.
福去禍來因自招
Good fortune leaves and trouble comes through one's own doing.
English translation by kaucim.ai. The explanation below describes our reading of the poem.
Words and references
秦王 and 長城 evoke the Qin ruler and the Great Wall. The poem uses that familiar historical image as a moral warning; it is not a complete account of Qin history. The first line is deliberately expanded with 'only' in English so that it reads with the remaining three lines. The final line should not be used to blame someone for abuse, illness, or events outside their control.
Bring it back to your question
Name one rule, agreement, or recurring decision within your control that deserves a second look. A lower grade is a prompt for caution, not evidence that disaster will occur.
You can use the poem to reflect on a situation. It cannot confirm a future event or decide another person's intentions.
Text and source notes
Chinese text and grade: Chinese Temples Committee, Che Kung stick 27. Compared with the independent 96-stick text in our July 2026 corpus review.
Our source comparison records no wording difference for this stick.
English edition: 2026-09-05. The translation and interpretation are independently written by kaucim.ai. There is no official temple affiliation or authorization.
Other Che Kung readings
Read this stick by topic in Traditional Chinese. Chinese question previews and personalized readings are available there.