神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 1-24

Numbers
001-024
025-048
049-072
073-096
097-120
121-144
145-168
169-192
193-216
217-240
241-264
265-288
289-312
313-336
337-360
361-384

*

001 The gate of the Heavenly Palace

天門一掛榜
頂定奪標人
馬嘶芳草地
秋高聽鹿鳴

A list of names hangs at the palace gate
The schedule of the competing people
Neighing horses and fragrant meadows
Autumn at its height
I hear the belling of the deer
-

  You worked hard for it and still do. Now is the moment to prove your weight and then spread your wings. It may be your first start or it can be an expansion of what you already accomplished, but make sure you really grab this chance. It may be a long time before another comes along, if ever. Life is not generous with new opportunities.

*

002 Earth has spirits

地有神
甚威靈
興邦輔國
尊主庇民

The earth has spirits
Very solemn and dignified gods
They rejuvenate the country
and assist the state
They respect the ruler and protect the people
-

  Everything you do should honor the earth, and in return, she will offer the same courtesy to you and those around you. Undertakings in harmony with the earth last for long times, because they mimic her power to nurture, to make things grow and prosper, to heal and harmonize. But she is also ruthless when things go against her spirit.

  This verse has some connection with this story

*

003 The flowers of Chang'an

長安花不可及
春風馬蹄疾
急早加鞭
驟然生色

The flowers of Chang’an cannot be surpassed
Swift horse’s hooves in the spring breeze
Eager and early I use the whip
Suddenly adding color
-

  Everything accomplished started with motivation. Use it, and if you just want to have a nice time, that is fine. It has its own value. But be aware that you will have to add substance in order to really accomplish anything. The success of the superficial is like its cause: superficial and short-lived. It has to be renewed again and again.

  色 color or significance.

*

004 Autumn Chrysanthemum

春花嬌媚
不禁雨打風瓢
秋菊幽芳
反耐霜凌雪傲

Flowers in spring sweet and charming
Cannot endure being hit by rain
or ruffled by wind
Autumn chrysanthemums with their mysterious fragrance
Proudly fight and endure frost and snow
-

  The choice is yours: go for the joyful beauty of a moment or go for the lasting beauty of something sturdy. Both have their value. You should follow your heart because your own choices are the seat of your destiny, but it is good to have some idea where a choice will bring you. And most of all if it will bring you anywhere worthwhile, so choose wisely.

*

005 Dragon and tiger

春雷震
夏風巽
臥龍起
猛虎驚
風雲會合
救濟蒼生

Spring thunderclaps
Gentle summer wind
The crouching dragon rises
The ferocious tiger startles
Wind and clouds gather
Relieving the peasants
-

  Every new beginning must chase the ‘old’ which holds it back. The dry winds of the tiger are useful to shatter the autumn leaves and dry the seeds, but spring needs the rains of the dragon. When times change, you need to leave the obsolete and put all your efforts in those new opportunities. Don’t miss it by holding on to the old or by waiting too long.

  臥龍 The saying (and also the title of a movie) is “Hidden dragon crouching tiger”: unnoticed talent. Here it refers to the weather, but like in most verses, also alludes to human life. Thunder: roar of the dragon, wind: movement of the tiger.

*

006 The one wonderful road

非玄非奧
非淺非深
一個妙道
著意搜尋

Not abstruse nor mysterious
Not shallow nor deep
The one wonderful road
Take pains to search for it
-

  What you really want is not mysterious. Unless of course you put it deep down, hidden below duties, common sense, wishes or assumptions from others, or buried under your own fears. Dig it out and take a good look! You will never be happy if you discard your higher destiny. Finding it is a duty you have toward yourself and those around you.

  道 Road or dao.

*

007 Change with changes

君須悟
勿誤疑
有平路
任驅馳
隨時變易
件件咸宜

Ruler be aware
Do not lapse in doubts
When the road is level
allow your horse to gallop
Always change with ease
And everything fits right
-

  When everything goes smooth and there are no problems, then move along with it and enjoy the ride. Make use of this space and let others join in. This is the opportunity to move ahead fast, or to enjoy the time of relaxation. You need to grab this opening, or else the opportunity is gone and life is back again to its same old pattern.

  驅馳 drive gallop: run about busily.

*

008 New is scary, steady is safe

虎戀高山別有機
眾人目下尚狐疑
雁來嘹嚦黃花發
此際聲名達帝畿

The tiger loves high mountains
for his own reasons
The people are rather suspicious
The wild geese come with loud honking
and the chrysanthemums open up
At this time fame arrives at the capital
-

  Most people don’t examine or evaluate things themselves. They listen to what others say. So if you want to be heard, then advertise. Repeat your message often and loud, make it colorful and strong. No matter how wise or courageous or creative you are, if you don’t, you will not be heard. People are apprehensive of what they do not know.

  機 Loom; machine, chance, occasion, crucial point. To have a loom: weave your own cloth/purpose)

*

009 A Phoenix appears

貴客相逢更可期
庭前枯木鳳來儀
好將短事求長事
休聽旁人說是非

Meeting with honored guests
and more can be expected
On the withered tree in the front hall
a Feng appears
A good handle on short matters
brings about lasting matters
Stop listening to outsiders
telling you right and wrong
-

  In everything all the details are linked together. And like chains are as strong as their weakest link, the same is true for an enterprise, a marriage, a body, a journey and whatever else you can think of. When the lucky omen of good connections shows up, you can be certain of a good outcome. Listen to the Phoenix in your life and your heart.

*

010 Good omens

嘹嚦征鴻獨出群
高飛羽翼更糾紛
雲程北進
好音遂聞
朝雲暮雨
交加有憑

Loud honking a lone wild goose
breaks away from the flock
Winging itself high
it resolves its confusion
Cloud formations come in from the north:
Good tidings and satisfying news
Clouds at dawn and rain at dusk:
Occurring on the same day it is evident
-

  Most omens have an origin in nature and her seasons or in life itself. Returning geese refer to loved ones or steadiness. Clouds mean a promise of rain to help the crop. Look around, maybe you did not notice the omens in your life? They can give you rest or make you happy and hopeful. They help you to do the work which makes them come true.

  Entering the cloudformations in the north - or: Cloudformations coming in from the north

*

011 No tracks or traces

無蹤又無跡
遠近均難覓
平地起風波
似笑還成泣

No tracks and no traces
Far and near the seeking is equally difficult
From level earth rise wind and waves
Like laughing turning into weeping
-

  Denying or procrastinating for a long time makes clarity leave. After a while you cannot discern anything anymore. The facts disappear, memory is hazy, it will get more difficult the longer you postpone. One day disaster will crash down on you, and then it will turn even worse. And the cause of all of this - a first step not taken.

  Level earth raising wind and waves: an unexpected incident

*

012 No fish to catch

神黯黯
意悠悠
收卻線
莫下釣

Such gloomy spirit
Such melancholy thoughts
Gather the line back in
No fish down there to catch
-

  When you feel gloomy or without hope, there is nothing you can accomplish. Recharge your batteries, get rest, find something harmless which lifts your spirits. Or find a remedy if you think something is seriously wrong mentally, physically or socially. For now, that is the only useful way to put in efforts.

*

013 Your aims achieved.

得意宜逢婦
前程去有緣
利名終有望
三五月團圓

When you are proud of yourself
it is right to meet a woman
From now on the future is fated
Making yourself a name is finally promising
In a few months when the moon is full
-

  Having a lot of yang is not enough to make a name for yourself in this world. You also need the cooperation of your yin, or of a woman at your side. Thinking needs feeling, power needs compassion, focus needs joy, seriousness needs play. Yin is usually less visible, but don’t underestimate it!

*

014 A waste of time

鼎沸起風波
孤舟要渡河
巧中藏卻拙
人事轉蹉跎

Wind and waves build up
like in a boiling kettle
A lonely boat needs to cross the river
Clever inside but hiding a lack of skills
Human affairs turn into a waste of time
-

  It is not enough to know the theory, you also need the hands-on skills and experience to deal with real life. It will present you with many unexpected turns and situations. You need to learn to deal with them, but also how to stay free yourself. Until you learn, mishaps and frustrations will follow you.

  鼎沸 Boiling kettle, noisy and confused.
  風波 Wind and waves, disturbance, crisis.

*

015 Some color returning

意在閒中信未來
故人千里自徘徊
天邊雁足傳消息
一點梅花春色回

You want to stay relaxed
when a letter is not yet coming
But your love who left is far away
and you pace back and forth
A message from beyond the horizon
brings news
A hint of plum blossoms
and spring scenery returns
-

  Both love and fear cannot be told how to behave. Mother nature has strong medicine to make things go the way she wants it. The mind can refuse to obey her, but your body and soul never got that message, they will react as nature intended them to. Try to find a solution which causes no hurt.

*

016 Harmony and concord

心和同
事和同
門外好施功
交加事有終

Hearts together in harmony
Matters together in expertise
Outdoors it is easy to carry things out
Everything comes together
The work gets done
-

  When heads and hearts and hands trust each other and collaborate, any enterprise can be tackled and completed. Same goes for your inner whole. Even your health is a matter of cooperation between all organs but also your head and heart. Families and marriages exist thanks to this unity.

*

017 Jade and pearls

欲行還止
徘徊不已
藏玉懷珠
寸心千里

Desires flare up and then again stop
Wavering endlessly
Hiding jade and cherishing pearls
Your heart too small to match
all your conjectures
-

  Both speculation and greed have their hazards, in whatever direction you go. On the stock market or with gems or gold, or maybe in the field of love. You will never be sure, never at ease, always hoping for more and afraid of less. Are you biting off more than you can chew?

  寸心千 One inch heart: feelings. 里Thousand miles: a long distance or a vast expanse. 寸心千里A small heart with a huge space.

*

018 One thought

心戚戚
口啾啾
一番思慮一番憂
說了休時又不休

Heart worrying
Mouth chirping
Every thought a worry
Talking stops and sometimes doesn’t stop
-

  Thoughts have a huge power. You should be in charge or else they will be. Try to find a calm place, for your body, your mind, your heart. Going on like this is detrimental for anything which concerns you, like health or relations. Stop doubting yourself, find a way out or try to find help.

*

019 Smiling from the clouds

不遠不近
似易似難
等閑一事
雲中笑看

Not far not near
Seems easy seems difficult
It is not important and the same thing
If you watch smiling from the clouds
-

  It is very difficult to keep some distance from yourself and your life. When you are in the middle of it, there is no overview at all. Try to look from high above, and look with a smile. So many worries will suddenly become relative. The big picture will look very different and so much more beautiful.

  等閑 Usually; thoughtlessly, casually.

*

020 No footing

桃李謝春風
酉飛又復東
家中無意褚
船在浪濤中

Peach and plum trees are grateful
for a spring breeze
You fly west and back again to the east
Not interested in your family
A boat in the waves
-

  You flutter around from one flower to the next and forget about what matters. If you don’t pick up your life, the day will come when there is nothing left. Maybe colorful memories, but nothing substantial. Spring does not last forever, winter will eventually catch up with you.

  桃李 Peaches and plums can also mean the beauty of a woman.

*

021 Surmounting obstacles

一水遠一水
一山旋一山
水窮山盡處
名利不為雞

A river and beyond another river
A mountain turns into another mountain
Rivers to exhaustion and mountains
to the farthest point of sight
To achieve fame and wealth
will not be difficult
-

  You went through huge hardships and never gave up, never let them win. You honed your will and wisdom, your vigilance and your carefulness. Nothing will be beyond your abilities now, whatever you set your mind to. Bad times are important for a better future, they teach you the necessary skills.

*

022 Mutual help

事相扶
在半途
翻覆終可免
風波一點無

In matters helping each other
For half of the road
An overturn in the end can be avoided
Not the slightest wind and waves
-

  Help can make a big difference, but it should not take things out of your hands. So accept and appreciate help but don’t rely on it. It can certainly make the road a lot smoother, and it can make the difference between success and failure. But you are still the one responsible.

  風波 wind and waves; disturbance.

*

023 The moon is bright

喜喜喜
春風生桃李
不用強憂煎
明月人千里

Happy and joyous and jubilant
A spring breeze causes the peaches and plums to bud
No need for the slightest worries or concerns
The bright moon shines on people for a thousand miles
-

  When times are good, then enjoy them to the fullest. They will not stay that way, they never do, but that is even more reason to revel in a good time as long as it lasts. And who knows, maybe its fruits will bring you something later as well. Fruits grow and ripen when the season treats them well.

*

024 Restless

意孜孜
心戚戚
要平安
防出入

The mind tireless
The heart filled with worries
You want to be peaceful and content
And safe when traveling
-

  For many worries the solution is discipline. Not a list of to-do’s, but the unrelenting way of doing what you should do at this moment. Most are small things, with discipline they will be kept in order. They will extend to big things, and in the end you will feel safe and comfortable in whatever you do.

  出入go out and enter; traveling, inconsistency.

*