卜吉

Event 1：

On 21/01/2017, the HK newspapers Apple Daily showed the 2 Wong Tai Sin’s fortune lucky sticks of the two ex-senior government officers participating in the HKSAR chief executive election. It seems to me the lucky sticks were pre-set by Apple Daily rather than from Tsang and Lam Cheng themselves. The lucky sticks were shown on TV as well. According to the fortune teller, he advocated Tsang to Lam Cheng based on the tips. However if you read the tips carefully and if you believe you have certain knowledge in Chinese, you may think differently.

Here is an example. What is the meaning of 浮災意外来？ Most fortune tellers would interpret 浮 means anything that is related to floating such as airplane, boat etc. and advise you to avoid travelling on those vehicles. If you believe those types of street mates, you are deadly wrong and would cause you real bodily injury.

I would interpret MuLan lucky stick as it was finally done regardless of difficulties on the way. It was one of the rare cases in history a female could earn that honour recognised by the supreme boss. In fact, I doubt the real MuLan if she's really feminine as 1. she would have been found out a female as it was not about a day or two, it was many years in the army; 2. a person that fought many years in battle fields must be muscular, no way a feminine lady could. 

I would interpret Emperor Zhu lucky stick as bullshits. I put the 4 scripts in simple English below.
1. All mountains bow to the middle mountain (the shape is a mid point and a circle)
2. (sentence 1 is) similar to crown subordinates listed/queued orderly.
(bullshits: sentence 1 is circular, sentence 2 is list and row. How can the word "similar" be used!)
3. It repeats sentence 2 in particularly it pointed out it was listed in two columns (or listed by 2 sides), definitely not in a circle!
4. Staying there (having attained such an achievement) would be happy.

So exactly what do these scripts mean? How could it link to Emperor Zhu? 朝中嶽 - Zhu's capital was in NanJing, not the Middle Mountain in HeNan!  HKSAR has no emperor, only the North Chairman is the emperor. 

We are talking about a tough job that the previous 3 chiefs have been badly damaged during their tenure. That position is to serve and to sacrifice, not self-contented nor to be admired! 

Event 2：

On 29/01/2017, the Chinese traditional day of wishing good fortune from heaven that people go to Shatin Che Kung 車公Temple for fortune telling. It was the traditional day the rural community chairman who represented the Hong Kong people to draw a lucky stick. He got the #61, said to be a good one.

The scripts「傳來信息果無差，轉運時來自興家；篤志雲程須着力，何天今日賜榮華。」  On its back, it was (籤背後的偈語)「月會花名秋夏好」。

As far as I can see, the 3rd and the 4th sentences should be reversed, i.e. 何天今日賜榮華? 篤志雲程須着力。

Therefore the scripts and my interpretation:
傳來信息果無差 - known, pre-determined
轉運時來自興家 - turn to good fortune and prospecting the family
何天今日賜榮華 - why the heaven commends the honour today?
篤志雲程須着力 - determine to take the high post with undaunting efforts

月會 - mid Autumn festival； for scholars, it is the Autumn exam 秋試
花名 - 華名 name on golden list 中榜
月會花名秋 - 秋 - it is not “Autumn”, rather it is "the success in imperial exam."

There is no hint that Lam Cheng will be the winner though her name has the word 月。
It seems to me, either the winner is related to Summer or the situation will become good in Summer. We have the candidates: 曾俊華、林鄭月娥、胡國興、葉劉淑儀、 曾鈺成。

If the lucky stick really reveals heaven secrecy, 林鄭月娥、曾鈺成 were born in HK Summer (May to July), 葉劉淑儀 was in Autumn . The other two were born in Winter.

It is ironic so many in our advanced society believe in fortune tellers of the street.

冲天

電影“冲天”，給我兩點感受。第一點是，那時的年輕人，中文文字根底非常好，不一定專供中文科也寫出詞藻典雅優美的文詞。從劉粹剛與許希麟的書信往來（注），可見一斑。那時他們還不過是十八、二十多的大孩子。第二，一群優秀的年輕人，擁有大愛無畏的精神，挺起保衛國家使命，敢於犧牲，無私奉獻，承傳偉大高尚的中華傳統。

我也不知道是不是因為在社會上工作久了，體會了人生和社會的現實，對小時受的儒家節義已幾無餘剩。回想自己小時讀書，書本上讀到的，不乏古聖先賢事蹟。他們滿腔熱血，拚拋頭顱，不畏縮，不貪生。清末民初不少從事革命年輕人，盡皆如此，以他們的生命換取日後中華的福祉。從林覺民的“與妻訣別書”，便可以印證上述兩點。

昔者往矣，無論兩岸三地，炎黃子孫已然蛻變，生存的環境也隨時代轉變。不能要求今日二十多歲的大學畢業生，中文和家國情懷能如往昔。特別是神州大地，數十載共產薰陶下，物慾自私的一面像傳染病迅速傳播，多少人性陰暗事不絕層出。我自小感受到，百多年前，在日本人眼中，神州靈魂早已如鑒真般東渡，留在神州土地上只不過是行屍酒肉，酒囊飯袋，文化低劣的支那人，不配稱為中國人。他們大和人，是承受了真正中華神髓，才是正統的中國人。那片神州大地，應該是給予“值得”的人，而不是那群土生而無中華神髓的支那人。但是日本人想不到，中華大地上仍然存著數不盡，肯犧牲，毫不畏縮的中國人，粉碎了他們的侵略夢。今日的中國，國民溫飽已不是問題，但是無論是個人或是國家，一點很重要的是保著尊嚴，讓尊重重回。



注：劉粹剛給許希麟的情書

希齡女士：
初遇城站，獲睹芳姿，娟秀溫雅，令人堪慕；且似與余曾相識者! 初余之注意女士，而女士或未之覺也；車至筧橋，匆促而別，然未識誰家閨秀，如是風姿，意不復見，耿耿此心，望斷雙眸，而盈盈倚影，直據余之腦蒂，揮之不能去。 ……月餘以來，不復得見女士之影跡，佇探為勞，積勞積思，望穿雙眸。