Guan Yin lot 26 of 100
The letter that promised
Even (中平). Grade from the related Goodfate edition. Grades differ between temples, and many Taiwanese temples print none.
上下傳來事總虛
天邊接得一封書
書中許我功名事
直待終時亦是無
Reports from high and low are all empty.
From the edge of the sky a letter reaches me.
In the letter, rank and fame are promised me.
Wait to the very end and there is nothing.
What this lot says
Reports arrive from every side, and none of them hold up. A letter comes from far away promising rank and success. The verse says that if you wait to the end, nothing comes of it.
Its advice is to judge a promise by what has actually been done.
If you have been told a promotion is coming, or a distant contact has offered you a big opportunity, ask for the terms in writing and set a date. Keep your other options open in the meantime. If the details never come, you can move on without regret.
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
Zhong Kui attains the Way (鍾馗得道)
In legend, the scholar Zhong Kui failed the imperial examination and died in shame, and after an honorable burial he swore to rid the realm of evil ghosts. His worldly promise came to nothing and his lasting role came from elsewhere, which suits a verse about a letter that fails.
Source: Wikipedia, Zhong Kui (a legendary account)
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)
上下傳來事總虛 / 天邊接得一封書 / 書中許我功名事 / 直待終時亦是無
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Jiěqiān Gé (解籤閣)
上下傳來事總虛 / 天邊接得一封書 / 書中許我功名事 / 直待終時亦是無
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Goodfate (今日運勢), a related edition
上下傳來事轉虛 / 天邊接得一封書 / 書中許我功名遂 / 直到終時亦是虛
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Where the sources differ
- Line 1 reads 上下傳來事轉虛 in the related Goodfate edition.
- Line 3 reads 書中許我功名遂 in the related Goodfate edition.
- Line 4 reads 直到終時亦是虛 in the related Goodfate edition.
English translation and commentary are by Cast & Chart.