Guan Yin lot 41 of 100
A thief taken for a son
Even (中平). Grade from the related Goodfate edition. Grades differ between temples, and many Taiwanese temples print none.
無限好事君須記
恰如認賊作為子
莫貪眼下有些甜
可慮他時還受苦
Of endless good things, you must remember this:
It is like taking a thief for your own son.
Do not crave the little sweetness in front of you.
Beware the bitterness it may bring later.
What this lot says
Treating a thief as your own child is a vivid picture of trusting the wrong person because the arrangement feels good. The verse warns that a small sweetness now can turn bitter later.
Its advice is to examine what you are being offered before you grow attached to it. Flattery, quick favors and easy money all deserve a second look.
If a new business partner, employee or friend seems too helpful too fast, check references and past dealings. Ask what they gain. You can be warm while you keep control of keys, accounts and decisions until trust has been earned over time.
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
Dong Zhuo adopts Lü Bu (董卓收呂布)
Dong Zhuo accepted Lü Bu as a foster son after Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan and defected to him, and in 192 Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo himself. It suits a lot about taking a thief for a son.
Source: Wikipedia, Lü Bu
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)
無限好事君須記 / 恰如認賊作為子 / 莫貪眼下有些甜 / 可慮他時還受苦
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Jiěqiān Gé (解籤閣)
無限好事君須記 / 恰如認賊作為子 / 莫貪眼下有些甜 / 可慮他時還受苦
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Goodfate (今日運勢), a related edition
無限好言君記取 / 卻為認賊將作子 / 莫貪眼下有些甜 / 更慮他年前樣看
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Where the sources differ
- Line 1 reads 無限好言君記取 in the related Goodfate edition.
- Line 2 reads 卻為認賊將作子 in the related Goodfate edition.
- Line 4 reads 更慮他年前樣看 in the related Goodfate edition.
English translation and commentary are by Cast & Chart.