籖 (qian) - Divination stick — a thin slip of bamboo & lot
籖 · qian
Divination stick — a thin slip of bamboo or wood used in temples for fortune-telling;
lot;
tally.
Divination stick — a thin slip of bamboolottally.
Usage highlights
fortune stickdraw a lotdivination sticklucky stickunlucky stickstick container
Usage & contexts
Examples
- He drew a fortune stick (求籖) at the temple.
- The divination stick indicated good luck (吉籖).
- She shook the container until a stick fell out (摇籖).
- The temple provides interpretation slips for each stick (解籖纸).
Collocations
- fortune stick(籖枝)
- draw a lot(求籖)
- divination stick(卜籖)
- lucky stick(吉籖)
- unlucky stick(凶籖)
- stick container(籖筒)
Idioms
- Draw a divination stick to ask about one's fate(求籖问卜)
- Shake the stick container to get an omen(摇籖卜卦)
- Interpret the stick to understand fortune(解籖知运)
Cultural background
FAQ- Used in Chinese folk religion and Taoist temples for divination and seeking guidance.
- Typically made of bamboo with numbers corresponding to poetic verses that are interpreted by temple staff.
- The practice involves shaking a container until one stick falls out, which determines the fortune.