Guan Yin lots · 觀音靈籤
Guan Yin lot 23
Reaching for the Cassia · Huai De is taken as a son-in-law
中籤Middle Lot in the Hong Kong text
繁體中文
In one line
A lot about an application, an examination, or a request that is waiting on someone else's decision. It says the door is not closed, and that the opening comes from above. More effort is not what moves it.
The verse, line by line
欲攀仙桂入蟾宮
You mean to pluck the immortal cassia and enter the moon palace.
豈慮天門不任君
Why fear that heaven's gate will not admit you?
忽遇一朝音信好
Then one morning good word arrives unlooked for,
高人自送嶺頭雲
and someone above sends the cloud down from the ridge.
The Chinese is the Hong Kong published text. The English is a plain rendering written by kaucim.ai to carry the sense of each line; it is not an official or literary translation, and a classical verse supports more than one reading.
Hong Kong and Taiwan texts compared
| Line | Hong Kong | Taiwan |
|---|
| 1 | 欲攀仙桂入蟾宮 | 欲攀仙桂蟾宮去 |
|---|
| 2 | 豈慮天門不任君 | 豈慮天門不放開 |
|---|
| 3 | 忽遇一朝音信好 | 謀望一般音信好 |
|---|
| 4 | 高人自送嶺頭雲 | 高人自送嶺頭來 |
|---|
Nine characters differ between the two published traditions. The one that changes the meaning is in line 3: the Hong Kong text has 忽遇 (unlooked for), the Taiwan text has 謀望 (what you plan for). Under the Hong Kong reading the news is unexpected; under the Taiwan reading it is the thing you were already working toward. Line 1 and line 2 also differ in the final characters.
Compare the line on your own slip before applying a reading. Lot numbers match across the two traditions; individual characters do not always.
Huai De is taken as a son-in-law
Plucking the cassia in the moon palace is the standard classical phrase for passing the imperial examination, so this lot spoke directly to candidates. The allusion, Huai De being chosen as a son-in-law, adds the second half of the pattern: advancement that arrives through someone else's recognition, with the candidate's own push spent long before.
That is why the verse spends its second line on reassurance and its last two on an arrival. It is built for the interval between submitting something and hearing back.
Traditional palace assignment: Si palace (宮位), one of the twelve branch positions the old lot books use to file each verse.
Reading lot 23
Lot 23 is graded a Middle Lot, and the grade matters here. The verse is encouraging, but it stops short of the unreserved grade, and the encouragement is aimed at the waiting.
The practical content is in the third and fourth lines. "Unlooked for" and "someone above sends the cloud down" both place the initiative outside you. Read against a real situation, that argues for two things: make sure the decision-maker actually has what they need from you, and then stop adding to the pile. Applications that keep being amended after submission are the common form of getting this lot's advice backwards.
Nine characters differ between the Hong Kong and Taiwan texts, including the third line, where the Hong Kong 忽遇一朝 ("then one morning, unlooked for") reads 謀望一般 ("what you plan for") in Taiwan. That is a real difference in sense, deep enough to change the reading, so check your slip.
A verse can give you a frame for thinking about a situation. It cannot report what another person has decided, and it cannot confirm that a particular event will happen.
Questions about lot 23
Is Guan Yin lot 23 good for exams or job applications?
It is the lot traditionally read for examinations, since "plucking the cassia in the moon palace" is the classical phrase for passing the imperial exam. It is graded a Middle Lot, and its encouragement is aimed at the waiting period.
Why do the Hong Kong and Taiwan versions of lot 23 differ?
Nine characters differ between the two published texts, and one of them changes the sense: line 3 reads 忽遇 (unlooked for) in the Hong Kong text and 謀望 (what you plan for) in the Taiwan text. Match the characters on your slip. The lot number alone will not tell you which text you have.
What should I do after drawing lot 23?
Confirm the person deciding has everything they need from you, then stop revising. The verse places the opening outside your own effort, so continuing to add material works against the reading.
Text and sources
Chinese text checked against both traditions on 2026-07-25; English edition 2026-09-22. The verses are public-domain classical text. The English rendering, the comparison notes and the reading are written by kaucim.ai. kaucim.ai is independently developed and has no official affiliation with, or authorization from, any temple.
