Stick #66: When It Rains, It Pours (Unfavorable)
旧患未除新患来，屋漏连夜雨频催。先堵漏洞再前行，急缓有序免再灾。
Plain reading
The old trouble is not healed and the new trouble arrives — like a leaking roof under endless rain. Plug the leaks before moving forward; order urgent and slow tasks lest disaster repeat.
Interpretation
This is an unfavorable lot titled "When It Rains, It Pours." Old harm uncured, new harm arriving — holes must be stopped first. "Plug leaks before advancing; order by urgency" shows repair comes before travel.
Situation notes
- Career: Old project unfinished yet new order taken — close old work before opening new.
- Relationships: Old grievance unsettled and new quarrel starts — clear the old account before new matters.
- Wealth: Credit card unpaid yet investment planned — pay the card first, then discuss finance.
Common misread
Auspicious tiers (such as Unfavorable) are tone, not a verdict. Name one action you control before redrawing.
Advice
List every "leak" — unpaid debt, broken equipment, unsettled quarrel — and stop them by urgency. Open no new business until old harm is cleared.
From Du Fu: "No dry place by the bed as roof leaks" — even the poet knew to cover his head first — in linked disaster, protect the foundation.
Related sticks
- Stick #65: Adding Frost to Snow — neighboring lot for tone contrast
- Stick #67: Surrounded on All Sides — neighboring lot for tone contrast
Editorial note: entertainment and cultural reference. Source last revised: 2026-09-14. See Methodology and fortune stick guide.