Lot 52
CautionLi Bai Reaches for the Moon While Drunk
To catch the moon in water wastes your strength;
Spend all you have, and still your hands are empty.
Do not add idle claims or tangled words—
The heart may labour, yet the aim stays out of reach.
The Lot in Detail
Traditional image
The image is of grasping at the moon's reflection. The object appears close but is not presently attainable; distinguish reality from projection before spending more effort.
Traditional explanation
Words are difficult to settle
The heart is strained by fruitless effort
Trouble gathers within the home
Wait for guidance from a benefactor
Traditional guidance by topic
- Home
- Unsettled
- Self
- Unfavourable; pay close attention to health
- Wealth
- Balanced, but do not count on it
- Trade
- Difficult
- Marriage
- Not yet completed
- Pregnancy
- Pray for protection; guard against miscarriage
- Traveler
- Some difficulty is indicated
- Silkworms
- An even chance
- Livestock
- Declining
- Finding someone
- Will arrive, but brings difficulty
- Disputes
- Reconcile and end the dispute promptly
- Relocation
- Ordinary; best left alone
- Lost property
- Difficult; little is likely to result
- Illness
- Pray for protection; the outlook is difficult
- 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.