8.  The lucky star

Fang Lín, the day before going to the official examinations,
dreamt that a ghost was playing with a bushel. 
Stretched on his bed, he analysed:

The character gui : ghost, and the character dou: bushel 
(but also in "bei dou xing": the Great Bear), 
these give the character 
kuí : the first place, 
(but also used in "kuí xing": the star a of the Great Bear & the God of literature);
 indeed, he came out first at the literary examinations.

Fang Lín knows he can rely on his memory which is represented as the ghost. 
He is playing with it 
- under his lucky star - 
and gauges it (with the help of the bushel). 
To measure one's memory is the allegory - par excellence -
 of literary examinations.

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10/23/08 09:47