Guan Yin lot 59 of 100
Hiding in the high tower
Even (中平). Grade from lot 59 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.
直上高樓去避身
四邊繞處是荊榛
誰知造物安排定
得意番成失意人
You climb straight up the high tower to hide yourself.
All around the place are thorns and brambles.
Who knew the maker of things had settled it so?
The one who had his way becomes the one who lost it.
What this lot says
The tower looks like safety, and from the top you can see the thorns on every side. Getting up there was easy. Coming down is the problem.
The verse describes a retreat that boxes you in, and a turn of fortune you did not plan for. It advises seeing the position clearly before you climb any higher.
If you are avoiding a hard conversation by taking on a new role, moving away or going silent, ask what routes that choice closes. A success can sour, so keep a way back open with the people around you.
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
Zhang Liang retires to the mountains (張良隱山)
Zhang Liang helped found the Han dynasty and then retired from state affairs, and local tradition places him in a mountain cave, fasting and meditating. His retreat gives a gentler picture of the withdrawal this lot describes.
Source: Wikipedia, Zhang Liang (Western Han)
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)
直上高樓去避身 / 四邊繞處是荊榛 / 誰知造物安排定 / 得意番成失意人
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Jiěqiān Gé (解籤閣)
直上高樓去避身 / 四邊繞處是荊榛 / 誰知造物安排定 / 得意番成失意人
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.