Guan Yin lot 19 of 100
Waiting out the rapids
Favourable (中吉). Grade from lot 19 of the related Goodfate edition, whose verse is worded quite differently, so it is not compared line by line below. Grades differ between temples, and many Taiwanese temples print none.
急水灘頭放艇時
狂風作浪欲何為
待他浪靜風停後
穩載船歸過不危
You launch your boat at the head of fast rapids.
Wild wind whips up the waves: what will you do?
Wait until the waves are calm and the wind has dropped,
Then bring the boat home steady, past all danger.
What this lot says
A small boat is put out at the head of fast water just as the wind rises. The verse asks what you think you are doing, then answers its own question: wait.
It finds no fault with the trip itself. The timing is the problem, and the boat can come home safely after the water settles.
If you are about to send an angry email, launch a product into a bad market or force a hard conversation during a family crisis, hold off. Keep the plan, prepare your boat, and set a time to look at the conditions again.
A lot is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
The story behind it
Ziyi is made a prince (子儀封王)
Guo Ziyi was a Tang general who helped retake Chang'an during the An Lushan rebellion, was sidelined after a costly battle, then was recalled and later named Prince of Fenyang. His career suits a lot about waiting out rough water before bringing the boat home.
Source: Wikipedia, Guo Ziyi
Where this text comes from
This verse is a traditional temple text with no known author. No single original edition is known and wording differs between temples, so we compare named witnesses and record where they differ.
Míguāng (覓光) (the text shown above)
急水灘頭放艇時 / 狂風作浪欲何為 / 待他浪靜風停後 / 穩載船歸過不危
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Jiěqiān Gé (解籤閣)
急水灘頭放艇時 / 狂風作浪欲何為 / 待他浪靜風停後 / 穩載船歸過不危
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Where the sources differ
- The related Goodfate edition has a substantially different verse for this lot.
English translation and commentary are by Cast & Chart.