Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 145-168

Numbers
1-24
25-48
49-72
73-96
97-120
121-144
145-168
169-192
193-216
217-240
241-264
265-288
289-312
313-336
337-360
361-384

145 The power of nature

遇險不須憂
風波何足忌
若遇草頭人
咫尺青雲路

Running into danger does not need anxiety
Storms don’t need to be avoided
If you meet one of the Caotou people
You are very close to high official rank

   風波 disturbance, storm; incidence, crisis; disputes, quarrels.
   草頭 Caotou, bandit chief; clover, trefoil; short for
   草字頭 caozìtóu: “grass” radical (in the surname)

146 Many doubts

船棹中流急
花開春又逢
事寧心不靜
惹起許多疑

Rowing a boat midstream in a hurry
Early spring flowers appear again
Matters are calm but your heart is not quiet
Provoking many doubts

147 Prepare

可蓄可儲
片玉寸珠
停停穩穩
前遇良圖

You can save and you can store
Slices of jade and little pearls
By and by a solid stock
Even before you have a good plan

148 Education *

小子早趨庭
青雲久問程
貴人來助力
花謝子還成

A boy receives his father’s teachings early
High in virtue for a long time
he is asking for rules
A respectable person arrives to assist
Flowers wither but the child
repays with maturity

149 In its own time

一心兩事
一事兩心
新花枯樹
直待交春

One mind two things
One thing two minds
Fresh flowers on a bare tree
Wait until you can join with spring

150 Withering flowers

大事恐難圖
殘花不再鮮

For important events
fearing the difficult plans
Whithered flowers are no more fresh

151 Perfection

莫道事無訛
其中進退多
桂輪圓又缺
光彩更揩磨

Do not say a matter is free from errors
It involves a lot of advancing and retreating
The osmanthus has cycles
like full and new moon
More splendor with tear and wear

  莫道 litt: not dao: do not say.
   桂 false; error; fallacy; demon words, rumors.
   桂 Laurel or osmanthus grows on the moon.

152 Stop talking start doing

莫歎事遲留
休言不到頭
長竿終入手
一釣上金釣

Don’t sigh about lingering matters
Stop talking without end
Finally put your hands to the long rod
After casting once the fish is on the hook

153 Slow but steady

事前應有忌
未為恐先躓
欲往且遲遲
還須借勢力

Before starting it is okay to be apprehensive
But one should not stumble in advance because of fear
For now you desire to proceed very slowly
Yet you must also borrow strength

154 Two sides to everything

足不安
與不安
兩兩事相得
憂來卻又歡

On foot and not at ease
In a carriage and not at ease
Events get along well in twos
When worry comes then also happiness

155 People of value

鼎折足
車脫輻
有貴人
重整續

The vessel breaks a foot
The car loses spokes
There are valuable people
Who find it important to repair things continuously

156 A lot of talking

參詳言語
波濤揚沸
事久無傷
時間不利

Taking part in detailed debates
Great waves surge and boil
Affairs get opposed and are without effect
The time is not favorable

157 The rising sun

貴客自相親
功名垂手成
獲金須積德
仰望太陽升

An honored guest and you are mutually close
Official rank comes within easy reach
For obtaining gold one must
accumulate merit
Looking up at the rising sun

  親 close, relation, relative, marriage, fond of.
  太陽升 great yang rise: the rising sun; a great man.

158 Understanding

平步起波瀾
所求事日難
笑談終有忌
同心事覺歡

From level earth great waves rise up
You seek a job on a difficult day
A funny remark ends in hatred
Being of one heart makes matters feel joyous

159 Stay alert

狂風吹起墨雲飛
月在天心遮不得
閒時無事暫相關
到底依然無剋剝

A gale-force wind blows and unexpected black clouds build up
They cannot keep the moon right overhead covered
Correlating with temporary times of leisure with nothing to do
In the end you can still not overcome
the peeling away

160 The building

人倚樓
許多愁
澹然進步
事始無憂

A man leans against a building
With many worries
Advance in an unconcerned way
Then matters start to be free from worry

161 A touch of spring

一點著陽春
枯枝朵朵新
志專方遇合
切忌二三心

Just a little touch of spring
And the bare branches are full
of fresh blossoms
Aspiration and focus get along well
By all means avoid a fickle heart

  陽春 ‘yang spring’, springtime, enlightened rule.
  二三心 'two three heart': a heart without focus.

162 May the sun come out

道路迢遙
門庭閉塞
霧擁去兮
雲開見日

The road is far
The house fronts are closed off
Oh may the choking mist disappear!
May the clouds lift and the sun come out

163 A fragile line

魚上釣
絲綸弱
收拾難
力再著

A fish on the hook
The silk fishing line is fragile
Hauling it in is difficult
The force should be just right

164 Partnership

相引更相牽
殷勤喜自然
施為無不利
愁事轉團圓

Pulling each other along
and also leading each other
Eagerly attentive and with genuine happiness
Actions are without exception favorable
Worry about things turns into completion

165 Used and jilted

疑疑疑
一番笑罷一番悲
落紅滿地無人掃
獨對西風悵黛眉

Always be suspicious!
A laugh ceases - a sadness
Red falls on the floor
there is no-one to clean up
Alone facing the Western wind
with sad dark-painted brows

  掃 sweep, paint the eyebrows.
  落紅 bleed during one's first sexual intercourse (of a virgin).,
  西風 Western wind, mood of the west: sunset when birds find their nests.
  黛眉 women's blackened eyebrows.

166 Your own road

上下不和同
勞而未有功
出門通大道
從此保初終

Superior and inferior
are not getting along together
Hard work and yet no results
Go out and hit the wide road
Henceforth ensuring a beginning and end

167 A man with a whip

大事可成功
有益還無咎
雲中執鞭人
報在三秋後

Important events can succeed
In a profitable way and without hindrance
In the clouds sits a man with a whip
He reports three years later

  執鞭人 Man with a whip: a teacher.
  三秋 three/third year or period, autumn season or third month of autumn.

168 Helpers

桑榆催暮景
缺月恐難圓
若遇刀錐客
方知喜自然

Sunset will soon become the scene of dusk
I fear the new moon has trouble
to grow round
But when I meet visitors with swords
I know for the first time genuine happiness

  桑榆 Mulberry and elm: sunset or old age.
  暮景 scene of dusk, situation in old age.
  刀錐客 Knives and awls guests: merchants or robbers or people of the swords and chains class: strong people.