Kau Cim in English: A Complete Guide to Fortune Stick Terms

What is Kau Cim?

Kau Cim (求籤, also written Kau Chim) is the Cantonese term for drawing fortune sticks — a traditional Chinese divination practice. The sticks are also called Fortune Sticks, Chinese Fortune Sticks, or Oracle Sticks in English. At Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, millions of visitors practice Kau Cim every year.

Key terms in English

Fortune stick container: the cylindrical holder you shake
Draw a stick: the act of shaking until one falls out
Stick number: the number on the stick (1–100)
Fortune poem: the four-line classical Chinese poem on each stick
Interpretation: the plain-language explanation of the poem
Grade: the overall rating — Best (上上), Great (上吉), Good (中吉), Fair (中平), Poor (下下)
Deep reading: a personalised AI-powered interpretation based on your specific situation

Fortune stick topics in English

Each stick on lingcim has readings for 7 life topics: General, Career, Love, Wealth, Health, Study, and Family. All free readings are available in English at the English draw page.

How to use the English version

Visit lingcim.com/en to access the full English interface. Tap the container to draw a fortune stick online, then read the English interpretation. Every stick has a translated poem, a retold historical story, and plain-language readings across all 7 topics.

FAQ

Q: Is Kau Cim the same as fortune cookies?
A: No. Fortune cookies are an American-Chinese restaurant invention. Kau Cim is a centuries-old temple tradition with 100 unique poems and stories.

Q: Can non-Chinese speakers use fortune sticks?
A: Absolutely. lingcim provides full English translations and readings. The guidance in the poems is universal.