Lot 17
BalancedCao Cao Speaks of Plums to Quench Thirst
Do not heed every idle word of right and wrong;
Morning and night, keep the mind upon what is true.
If empty talk is taken for solid fact,
How can a painted cake relieve real hunger?
GUANYIN FORTUNE LOTS
The Lot in Detail
Traditional image
The image is of a painted cake offered for hunger. Appearances and promises are plentiful, but substance is scarce; verify before you rely.
Traditional explanation
The mind is unsettled
Reading alone cannot settle it
A painted cake looks nourishing
Yet it cannot be swallowed
Traditional guidance by topic
- Home
- Pray for blessing
- Self
- Appears smooth, but setbacks remain
- Wealth
- Otherwise smooth, but do not count on this
- Trade
- Favourable, but do not hurry
- Marriage
- Obstructed
- Pregnancy
- Safe, though the pregnancy may not continue
- Traveler
- Delayed
- Silkworms
- Sow early
- Livestock
- Unfavourable
- Finding someone
- May be found, but with difficulty
- Disputes
- Seek harmony; do not press the matter
- Relocation
- Keep to the established course
- Lost property
- Not found
- Illness
- Honour your vow
- Ancestral grave
- Favourable
INTERPRETATIONRead the Signs · See the Way Forward
Bringing the classical oracle into conversation with your real circumstances, this reading first establishes the overall direction, then examines turning points and timing—so you can see your next move more clearly.