Chapter 6: Zhuge Liang's Wisdom: The Secret

Zhuge Liang's Wisdom: The Secret

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Zhuge Liang's Wisdom: The Secret: Caution

Remembering my childhood, once when my mother was about to go on a long trip, before she left, she instructed me: "Do not go out, watch the door well!" After my mother left, I could not resist the temptation and urging of my little companions, and I really wanted to go out to play.

But I did not dare to disobey my mother's highest instruction to "watch the door well." My little companions urged me again and again, and in my anxiety I came up with an idea. I suddenly recalled the story of Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem that adults often told me from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

So I opened all the doors and windows in the house, made everything look as if someone was at home, and then went out to play with peace of mind. When my mother returned, although nothing in the house was missing, she still scolded me severely.

Facing my mother's scolding, I was puzzled: "Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem scared away Sima Yi; I followed Zhuge Liang's 'stratagem' and set up my 'Empty City Stratagem,' and nothing in the house was lost, was it?"

This "puzzlement" accompanied me throughout my childhood: "Was I wrong? Or was Zhuge Liang wrong?"

Recently I happened to hear, from an elder who could be called my teacher, who was the father-in-law of his son-in-law who held an official position, a talk about Zhuge Liang's setting up the Empty City Stratagem. Only then did I suddenly understand my mother's scolding of me back then: Zhuge Liang at that time set up the Empty City Stratagem with a specific target: it was specifically aimed at Sima Yi.

Because Zhuge Liang understood that his enemy Sima Yi knew: "Zhuge Liang has always been cautious in his life, never taken risks. Today he opens the city gates wide, there must be an ambush. If our army attacks the city, we will surely fall into his trap."

So he disregarded the advice of those around him to "attack the city and capture Zhuge Liang alive," and ordered his eight hundred thousand troops to "retreat." He even boasted and lectured his officers: "What do you little brats know?"

My teacher enlightened his son-in-law with the two words "caution": "In officialdom, one should learn from Zhuge Liang. When successful, be cautious and never forget these two words."

But I still did not understand my teacher's words: "Your son-in-law is now in the spring breeze, rising straight to the clouds. All around him are flower wreaths and applause, and even when he farts, someone applauds. Why should he be cautious?"

The teacher looked at me like a blockhead. Then he taught me: "Have you not heard of 'When wood stands out in the forest, the wind will destroy it,' 'The higher you climb, the harder you fall'?"

Why could Zhuge Liang throughout his life 'calculate Hua Rong skillfully,' 'skillfully lay out the Eight Trigrams,' 'anger Zhou Yu three times,' 'seven times capture Meng Beauty,' 'borrow the east wind,' 'set up the Empty City,' 'receive his commission at the time of the defeated army, accept his orders in the midst of crisis'?

It is precisely because Zhuge Liang understood the connotation and meaning of the two words 'caution.' Therefore, on his deathbed, Liu Bei entrusted the Jiangshan Sheji of the Liu family to Zhuge Liang with both hands, because 'the late emperor knew that I am cautious.'"

After hearing my teacher's instruction, I truly felt I had gained more than ten years of reading: to be an official, one must be cautious; as ordinary people, do we not need to be cautious? These two words 'caution' are not only the secret for officials, but also the principle for being a person.

Have you never heard of 'When wood stands out in the forest, the wind will surely destroy it' and 'The higher you climb, the harder you fall'? Why could Zhuge Liang throughout his life 'calculate the victory at Huarong', 'skillfully arrange the Eight Trigrams',

'anger Zhou Yu three times', 'capture Meng Beauty seven times', 'borrow the east wind', 'set up the Empty City Stratagem', and 'receive his commission in the midst of a defeated army, accept his orders in times of peril'? This is precisely because

Zhuge Liang understood the connotation and meaning of the two words 'caution'. Therefore, on his deathbed, Liu Bei entrusted the Jiangshan Sheji of the Liu clan entirely to Zhuge Liang,

When the great British biologist Darwin of the 19th century saw the Compendium of Materia Medica written by the Ming dynasty Chinese physician Li Shizhen, he praised it, saying: "This is a Chinese ancient encyclopedia." It is truly hard to believe that a foreigner, without prejudice, would praise a book written by a Chinese person so highly. And what attitude do Chinese people have toward books written by their own compatriots? It is said that when Li Shizhen's son Jianyuan presented to the Ming emperor the Compendium of Materia Medica that his father had written after enduring thousands of hardships and exhausting his lifelong efforts, that dull emperor merely said indifferently: "Leave the book in the imperial library, let the Ministry of Rites know."

In feudal society, the emperor was supreme, the emperor could call a deer a horse, and who dared to say a single word of "no"? In the eyes of the Ming emperor, the Compendium of Materia Medica was just an ordinary book, nothing remarkable. "Give it to the people of the Ministry of Rites, take it away and store it!" A great work, Li Shizhen's lifelong efforts, the Ming emperor's single sentence, just like that, killed it. This is called "the emperor orders the minister to die, the minister dares not not die." This is also a kind of tragedy.

Some things' value is not their intrinsic value, but the standard of judgment is often in the hands of those with power and influence. He says you have value, then you have value; even if your thing is excellent, if he does not like it, then "pearls are just donkey dung." Is this not a kind of tragedy?

In many cases, the fate of small people is manipulated by those in power. If he finds you pleasing, he is happy inside, then you can rise straight to the clouds; if he finds you displeasing, then no matter how talented you are, you are just "making useless efforts."

But no matter what, gold will always shine one day.

53

When the great British biologist Darwin of the 19th century saw the《Compendium of Materia Medica》written by Li Shizhen, a Ming dynasty physician of our country, he praised it, saying: This is an ancient Chinese encyclopedia. It is truly astonishing that a foreigner, without prejudice, would so highly praise a book written by a Chinese person. And what attitude do Chinese people hold toward books written by their own compatriots? It is said that when Li Shizhen's son Jianyuan presented to the Ming emperor the《Essential Materia Medica》that his father had written after enduring countless hardships and pouring his entire life's heart and blood into, that muddle-headed emperor merely said indifferently: 'Leave the book with the Imperial Library, let the Ministry of Rites know.'

In feudal society, the emperor was supreme, and when the emperor pointed at a deer and called it a horse, who dared to say a single word of 'no'? In the eyes of the Ming emperor, the《Compendium of Materia Medica》was merely an ordinary book, nothing remarkable. 'Hand it over to the officials of the Ministry of Rites, take it away and store it!' A great work, Li Shizhen's lifelong painstaking effort, was nullified by a single sentence from the Ming emperor. This is called 'the sovereign commands the minister to die, the minister dares not refuse to die.' This is also a kind of tragedy.

Yesterday was my birthday, and I received two gifts from two little girls: one was a piece of white paper torn from an exercise book, on which was drawn a small pink flower with color, the small flower although not beautiful. The flower stalk was crooked, but the flower itself was very bright. This is probably because the little girl did not know how to color well, and put too much color on the flower. Although this small flower was not beautiful or fragrant, my mood was made beautiful by her, and from that crooked pink flower stalk, I smelled fragrance, the fragrance of spring, the fragrance of birthday.

The other gift was also from a little girl, who said she could not draw and had no white paper. "Teacher, I have nothing, let me give you a smile?"

"Good! Then you just give me your smile!" To be able to accept a little girl's innocent and sincere smile on my birthday, is it not also very happy? But when the little girl smiled, she did not grasp the measure, and turned her "smile" into a loud laugh. Her laugh made me also laugh happily, and even the people around me were made to laugh by her. This birthday passed amidst laughter, very happily, very joyfully!

I have always thought: a tiny life's birthday is not worth others remembering, let alone others coming to celebrate it. Why should people celebrate your birthday? What do you bring to others? You are old? You are young? If you are old, then you are worthless, as the saying goes: "All things grow in value, people grow old and become worthless." What value can a person who is about to wither have for others to celebrate? Celebrating old age and fading beauty, quickly approaching death? If you are young, then it is even less worthy of others celebrating. What merit? What virtue? Let others follow you, learn from you, take you as an example?

Birthday, by its literal meaning, is to commemorate the living. You thought of the month and thought of the day you were born. However, thinking of the month and thinking of the day, not only did it give birth to you, but also to me, to him. You, I, and he came into this world in the same month and day, why are there so many people thinking of you, while I am left out in the cold? And he, others even hate him for being born when heaven should not have given birth, earth should not have grown? Using the words of that little person on TV: "How can the difference between people be so great?" This is a very philosophical saying, and yet it is a universally existing reality.

The poet Zang Kejia said: some people are alive, yet they are already dead; some people are dead, yet they are still alive. Living people, people hope they die early; dead people, people hope they can come back to life. And more people are neither dead nor alive, like walking corpses, like animals with two legs that can walk and talk. These "animals" are nothing, only living for the sake of living.

Yesterday was my birthday, and I received two birthday gifts from two little girls: one was a piece of white paper torn from an exercise book, on which was drawn a small pink flower with color, the flower itself, though not beautiful. The flower stem was crooked and askew, but the flower itself was very vivid. This is probably because the little girl did not know how to color properly, so she applied too much color to the flower. Although this small flower was neither beautiful nor fragrant, my mood was cheered by her, and furthermore, from that crooked and askew pink flower stem, I smelled fragrance, the fragrance of spring, the fragrance of my birthday.

The other birthday gift was also from a little girl, who said she could not draw and had no white paper. 'Teacher, I have nothing, so I will give you a smile.'

'Good! Then you just give me that smile!' Is it not also a joy to accept a girl's innocent and sincere smile on one's birthday? But when the little girl smiled, she did not gauge the propriety, turning her 'smile' into a loud guffaw. Her laughter made me laugh heartily as well, and even the people around me were made to laugh by her. This birthday passed amidst laughter, spent happily and joyfully.

I have always thought: the birthday of a tiny life is not worth others remembering, let alone others coming to celebrate it. Why should people celebrate your birthday? What do you bring to others? Are you old? Are you young? If you are old, then you are worthless, as the saying goes: 'All things increase in value with age, but people grow old and become worthless.' What value could a person about to wither have that others would celebrate? Celebrating old age and fading beauty, quickly approaching death? If you are young, then it is even less worthy of others celebrating you. What merit? What virtue? To let others emulate you, learn from you, take you as an example?

In the African Gobi beach, there is a group of weak wild animals: "?". This group of weak wild animals can survive well in an environment surrounded by enemies, and moreover, they have not declined for millions of years. For many years, people have been puzzled about the mystery among them. Recently, CCTV broadcast that scientists from the British Bridge University, after six years of tracking and researching the "?", finally uncovered the mystery, which is that the "?" particularly cherish and protect their "home." They regard protecting their own home as the mission of life. For the entire "?" group, it is not a group of "?", but a single "?", united as one, a "?" where damage to one is damage to all, honor to one is honor to all. Strong and powerful, as long as they find a bit of food, no matter how hungry they are themselves, they will not swallow it alone, but always bring the food back to their mouths, let the weak ones eat first, and after the weak ones have eaten their fill, they themselves eat. If there is nothing left, then the strong ones can only endure hunger and starvation. They consider this to be right, to love and protect the weak, to give convenience and benefits to the weak, this is natural and just. Because they themselves were once weak, they have come this way; they themselves will one day grow old and weak, from strong to weak. Now only the weak set an example, so that in the future they can receive care from the weak.

The scientists from Bridge University verified: in this weak group of the "?", the female is especially meticulous and careful, the male is responsible for taking care of the female, and they have clear targets. They regard the whole family as one limb, themselves are a part on that limb, protecting others is protecting themselves, loving others is loving themselves. This is the mystery of how the "?" family can survive and develop in the harsh environment surrounded by enemies.

This team spirit of home of the "?" reminded me of several ancient teachings in the Four Books: "To govern the state, one must first regulate the family. Those who cannot regulate their family, yet can teach others, do not exist." Do you want to pacify the state and bring peace to the world? You have great wealth, you hold high office, you are a great boss? That is very good. Then you must first set an example in your family, govern your family well, educate the people in your family well, and then go on to your great undertaking. If you do not even love the family that gave you birth and raised you, can you still love others? You see, even the "?" living on the African Gobi beach understand the principle of loving the home. They understand that the home is the foundation of one's life, without a home, one will lose the resting place of life and spirit.

The home is also a team of society, only by maintaining an intimate and seamless relationship with this team can one merge into more and larger teams. The ancients long ago told us: "Those who cannot regulate their family, yet can teach others, do not exist." If you cannot set an example in your own family, cannot educate your family well; to give an example to others, to society, that is empty talk.

55

Inspired by the Winter Sunshine…..

In the African desert, there is a group of weak wild animals: '?'. This group of weak wild animals is able to survive very well in an environment surrounded by enemies, and furthermore, has not declined for millions of years. For many years, people have been puzzled by the mystery of this group. Recently, CCTV broadcast that scientists from the University of Bridge Building in Britain, after six years of tracking and researching the '?', finally uncovered the secret: it is that the '?' especially cherishes and protects its 'home'. They regard protecting their home as the mission of life. For the entire '?' group, it is not a group of '?', but a single '?', united as one '?', sharing weal and woe, honor and disgrace. Strong and sturdy, as long as they find a bit of food, no matter how hungry they themselves are, they will not eat alone; they always bring the food back to their mouths, letting the weak ones eat first, and only after the weak ones have finished their share do they eat the remainder. If there is nothing left, then the strong ones can only endure hunger. This family believes this is right: to love and protect the weak, to give them convenience and benefits—this is natural and proper. Because they themselves were once weak and have grown up this way; they themselves will one day grow old and frail, changing from strong to weak. Now only if the weak set an example will they in the future receive care from the weak.

The winter sunshine is like the kind smile of an old person, as long as you glance at it, you will feel a warm current, a sense of coziness, making you radiant, making you think of a kind of care and protection. However, in the warm environment, it will also make people grow jealousy and quarrels. You see――one day, Ah Q saw Wang Hu basking in the sun at the foot of the wall, bare-chested and catching lice. "He suddenly felt itchy all over." Originally a pair of troublesome brothers, two big idlers, in the leeward place, in the sunshine, chatting about family matters, saying some heart-to-heart words, is quite a beautiful thing. But this Ah Q, born in blessing but unaware of blessing, he has nothing to do, yet insists on causing trouble.

In Ah Q's heart, he has always thought that Wang Hu is inferior to him. This Ah Q, using Lu Xun's words, is the image spokesperson of the "spiritual victory method," using our words, is a "two-five," not knowing good from bad. He can also be called a "rascal" or "local hooligan." Wang Hu basking in the sun at the foot of the wall, catching lice, is one of Wang Hu's rare leisurely enjoyments. Ah Q, what are your red eyes? Is there anything to be jealous of? If you have time, you could also sit with Wang Hu in the sunshine, enjoy the sunshine, is it not also a kind of pleasure in life? But this Ah Q is born with a jealous heart. It is not that others are better than me, but that everyone is inferior to me. Whoever is stronger, I envy him, create incidents, cause quarrels and attacks, cannot but stir up a good "clear pond" into mud. Using Lu Xun's words, such a person is a "hairworm," is a "mangy dog," is not thing of things, is human scum.

Look: in Ah Q's heart, Wang Hu is a "mangy Hu," not a notable figure in his village under his words. How is it that the lice he caught are not only more than his, Ah Q sees Wang Hu catching lice "yet it is one after another, two after three," and moreover they are larger than the lice he caught. Wang Hu puts the lice in his mouth and chews them with a "crackling sound." This Ah Q's heart became unbalanced, and he began to envy Wang Hu.

"His scabies spots were all over his body, red as fire, he threw his clothes to the ground, spat a mouthful of saliva, and said:

"This hairworm!"

"Mangy dog, you are cursing whom?" Wang Hu lifted his eyes slightly and said."

Wang Hu scolding Ah Q as a "mangy dog" is correct, he scolded well! People's Wang Hu is basking in the sun at the foot of the wall, provoking you, annoying you! Just because he caught more lice than you, larger lice than you, you are dissatisfied, you are jealous, you scold people? Ah Q this brat is not only utterly shameless, he is thoroughly so! It should be said that Ah Q was given several blows by Wang Hu, then pushed hard, so that Ah Q fell more than six feet away…… is deserved, he fell well, that little nun scolded him for cutting off descendants, that is not excessive.

How ignorant of good and bad, ugly and beautiful people are, what they do not compare, they go to compare dirtiness, ugliness. Ah Q thinks he is not as ugly as Wang Hu, not as dirty as Wang Hu, so he and Wang Hu have started to fight.

Look: in Ah Q's mind, Wang Hu is 'the scabby Hu', a nobody in Weizhuang beneath his notice. How is it that the lice he caught are not only more numerous than Ah Q's, but Ah Q sees Wang Hu catching lice 'one after another, two after three', and moreover, they are larger than the lice Ah Q caught. Wang Hu puts the lice in his mouth and chews them with a 'crack-crack' sound. Ah Q's mind became unbalanced, and he began to envy Wang Hu.

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"You mangy dog, who are you cursing?" Wang Hu said, lifting his eyes with disdain.

Wang Hu scolded Ah Q 'mangy dog'—quite rightly, well said! For Wang Hu was basking in the sun by the wall, provoking you, annoying you! Just because he caught

Just because he has more lice than you, bigger lice than you, you refuse to accept it, get jealous, and curse at people? This Ah Q is not only utterly despicable, he is rotten to the core! One could say Ah Q deserved it when Wang Hu "struck him several times in succession, then shoved him hard, sending Ah Q tumbling over six feet away..." — he got what he deserved, a good fall. That little nun cursing him to die without descendants wasn't excessive either.

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In our country during the Wei and Jin periods, there were people who competed in wealth. So-called competing in wealth means comparing who has more money. This is "being rich but not benevolent," a kind of extravagant and licentious indulgence of the rich, a special kind of scum in society; and those like Q who "compete in poverty"? Are they not also a kind of scum?

People like Q and Wang Hu who compare ugliness and dirtiness, mutually "competing in poverty," are not extinct now. Society does have such people: when they see themselves in poverty and distress, they do not seek the root of poverty, nor use their own hands to serve society, create wealth for society, and change their fate. Instead, while "basking in the sun at the foot of the wall," they compare "ugliness" and "dirtiness" with their peers, compare who has more lice, who chews lice loudly—this is not "this hairy worm," it is "mangy dog," a kind of scum?

One cannot say those basking in the sun are "this hairy worm," "mangy dog," or scum. I mean those who, in warm sunshine, do not seek progress, do not strive upward, do not strive, do not exert effort, even do not labor, but instead take a magnifying glass, aim at others' flaws, criticize people's character, gossip, harbor jealousy, and intentionally create trouble—such people who do not know good from bad, "Ah Q," are not "hairy worms," "mangy dogs," or scum. What else could they be called?

56

Very simple principle

Liu Guozong

To understand the meaning of happiness is very simple. To make it clearer by analogy: the meaning of happiness is like the food we eat every day—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, all five flavors present. So, you need not quarrel over others' shortcomings, for you will have them too; others may have some advantages, even ones you lack; you need not be hard on yourself, for the setbacks you now face, others have already endured; life's problems are not specially set for you, others' problems may be even harder than yours.

"Because he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." God is always just and fair. He will not show favoritism to any one person. Look at the sunlight in the sky: it shines on you, on me, and on him at the same time. The various bumps and hollows in the journey of human life are like the wind and rain in the sky—not aimed at any one person or place, but all people on earth must experience them. You, I, he—all people in this world are the same in God's eyes. The ancients said: "The moon has its waxing and waning, full and crescent; people have joy and sorrow, parting and reunion. This is hard to achieve fully." If the moon in the sky were always full year after year, it would not only be unattractive but also fail to inspire people's reverie and imagination. People not only long for the full moon, loudly asking the heavens, "When will the bright moon appear? Raising my cup, I ask the blue sky," but also cast admiring glances at the waning moon: "Alas, on the third night of the ninth month, dew like pearls, the moon like a bow." Look at that crescent moon hanging quietly in the sky—how beautiful it is!

What is the true meaning of happiness, then? It is through experience. Remember, the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, American writer Singer, answered a question people generally care about: What is the joy of life? He told people a very interesting little story, telling them what joy is: a child who has just begun to understand things wants to find joy in life. According to adults' experience, to be joyful, one must have money. For only money can represent all the joys of the world. Through his own efforts, he finally won one hundred kopecks in rubles (but I do not know, at that time, how many renminbi could one hundred rubles be exchanged for? Anyway, in that one hundred rubles, at that time, in the child's eyes, it was also a very large number.). So, the child took the one hundred rubles that could represent all the joys of the world: "Decided to go and enjoy once the joy of the world, to enjoy all the good things I long for."

With money, one would not be satisfied with what one sees, hears, and eats; one would want to see what one has not seen, hear what one has not heard, eat what one has not eaten. This is a kind of curiosity unique to humans. And this curiosity, for a child, is even stronger. That child decided to go to a faraway big city to enjoy the scenery.

The city, especially a big city, to a rural person, is simply heaven. How much more so for a rural child? The temptation is even greater. The child decided to hire a carriage to go (there might have been taxis then). Look at a child, a rural child—people five people!

The child, seeing the carriage driver whipping away with the hundred rubles that could bring joy, cursed angrily: "Damn it, I will tear you apart limb from limb, may you not die well!" But that person who may not die well was very happy soon after.

The deceived child, very disconsolate, fumbling about. Not knowing what to do, but when he felt his pockets and found a little loose change, he turned from sorrow to joy. He decided to walk into the city. Just as he walked until his mouth was dry and his belly was empty, his shoe broke, and the nail on the shoe pierced his foot, drawing drops of blood. At least the way to the city was not far anymore. After a few more steps, wasn't there a small shop ahead? My loose change should still be enough to buy candy, bread, and fruit juice? The child looked forward to it, calculated, and trudged forward with difficulty.

"This country bumpkin of a child, looking like he's from the countryside—where did he get money to buy so many things? This money won't be stolen, will it?" "This idiot, may the devil descend upon your father, why don't you properly discipline him, this thing that doesn't understand distance?" The child seeking joy, holding candy, bread, and fruit juice, amidst a group of city people who were suspicious and mocking, left the shop. In a daze, he somehow walked into the hospital's infirmary.

"Are you an orphan? Here to see a doctor? Why is no one accompanying you? Tell me your name? Where do you come from?" The doctor asked. "I am an orphan……" The child fabricated his identity, mismatched like a donkey's lips on a horse's mouth. The doctor grew angry: "You little rascal, get out! Hurry up! Or I'll set the dogs on you!" The child looked at the big wolfdog in the doctor's courtyard, terrified, and rolled and crawled away from the infirmary.

The child who left the infirmary, the candy and other things he had just bought in the shop, were all frightened away by the doctor's wolfdog. Now the child had nothing at all. Amidst the vast sea of people, yet not knowing a single acquaintance, penniless, looking at the darkening dusk, where would he go to lodge and eat?

Just as the child was exhausted and dispirited, his aunt saw him. "Ah, child, where have you run off to? Everyone at home has been searching for you, worried sick. Come back home with me!"

Look: deceived, mocked and ridiculed by others, suffering hunger and cold, |misunderstood and chased by wolfdogs, exhausted and dispirited, having a home but unable to return—this is what we humans are supposed to seek, the so-called joy?

57

Continuously writing one's own story

Liu Guozong

It was drizzling lightly, autumn drizzle. The trees stood still, bird calls were soft. The world lay in a hush, quietly moving toward winter. "The Master stood by the river and said: 'What flows by is like this!'" That was Confucius gazing at the endless river, making this lament. In modern terms, it is called "being moved by the scene." Yes, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign—"When viewing things, are feelings not the same?" People live in the world, surrounded by people, events, and all kinds of scenery. Therefore, these people, events, and all kinds of scenery constantly influence us, making us sing, dance, sigh, sigh, or rest. Remember, an American writer said: This world, every day, the people and events around us undergo change. People are also changing entities. Yesterday's me and today's me are two concepts. Yesterday you heard a story, today you heard it; yesterday you did not see a person, today you see him. Thus, yesterday's "I" and today's "I" are not the same; this difference in concept is: you saw what you had not seen yesterday, heard what you had not heard yesterday. Yesterday you were still an uncomprehending child; today, you suddenly understood many principles, became versed in human affairs.

Since this world is constantly changing, so too are the people in it, constantly changing. Those who change are constantly writing their own stories. "What has not happened today may happen tomorrow. What has not happened in this country may happen in another country. The world is boundless and endless; what has not happened on earth may happen on another planet."

Time passed like the river Confucius sighed over, and gone forever. "One day passed, and this day no longer exists. What does this day leave behind?" Yes, what would the river leave behind? It naturally only flows on without stopping, leaving nothing behind. What did Confucius leave behind? Confucius left the world many vivid stories and precious cultural heritage. Confucius sighed over the river, at that time Confucius made a strenuous shout: We cannot be like the river, scattering vast expanses of time pointlessly! We must cherish time, cherish all the time in our lives.

The drizzle outside the window, autumn drizzle, still falls without cease. In the drizzle, the scenery also changes without cease: "The sun and moon hurry on, not lingering for a moment; spring and autumn succeed each other; only the plants wither and fall, fearing the beauty's late years." The great poet Quyuan said, the sun and moon rush about, unwilling to pause for anyone even a split second; spring and autumn also succeed each other without cease; look, in the autumn wind and rain, the plants are again shedding. Quyuan, the great poet, also sentimentally said: "I truly worry that the beauty's face in my dream will also fade with the passage of time, like the plants in the autumn wind and rain, losing the luster of youth."

To preserve the beauty still not withered in the autumn wind and rain, the great poet thus "plucks the orchid in the morning, gathers the wormwood in the evening." Look at the poet: in the morning he goes to pick fragrant flowers, in the evening to gather fragrant herbs. Look at how busy our great poet has become. Could it be that he truly goes to gather fragrant flowers and herbs? No! He is using metaphor. Poets are all sentimental and sensitive; he sees that autumn has come, "plants shed their leaves, dew becomes frost," and thinks of his own vibrant life, which, like the flowers and grasses, will also be blown down by the bleak autumn wind, drizzled by the autumn rain, and fall into the mud—what a pity! Let us hurry to do something for the country and the people. If we cannot do great things, let us do small things. Thus we will not waste life in vain. This is not the poet being sentimental, but rather he is secretly indignant, striving to raise the value of life.

The drizzle outside the window has gradually stopped; the chirping of sparrows, like raindrops, on the leaves, chasing the light wind after the rain. Do these little spirits also know to cherish time?

58

When he was down on his luck, he happened to see a pretty girl……

Liu Guozong

During the Qianlong era, in Linfen, Shanxi, there was such a bookish simpleton: he read books, read until his head was muddled, and also became impoverished from reading. Yet when he was in dire poverty, he happened to take a fancy to his pretty little cousin. The cousin's family was quite wealthy; in the conventional world of matching doors, how could there be any reason for the rich to marry into poverty? Moreover, he was a "bookish simpleton" with no skill whatsoever.

Yet this bookish simpleton, though he had nothing at all, was unwilling to let go of the love in his heart. He pondered for a long time, finally hit upon a plan: use celebrity influence to satisfy the love in his heart. As long as a celebrity says a word, nods, or signs his name, or writes a character, that matter is considered done. At that time, celebrities were perhaps few, or perhaps that bookish simpleton only knew how to read, knew nothing of outside information, did not know who was a ball star, a song star, or what other stars there were. He had long wanted to go, had thought of Qianlong. If this renowned Qianlong could give him a title, sign his name, or come forward to act as a matchmaker, then this beautiful affair would be settled.

This bookish simpleton thought too extremely: for the sake of his little love affair, he actually thought of having the emperor act as matchmaker. Is that possible? This bookish simpleton also thought of needing to see the emperor, and thus must bring a presentation gift. This emperor, who does not worry about clothing or food, lacks nothing, for all under heaven is his—what does he lack? Does Qianlong not love elegance? Then I will give him a book? So he painstakingly wrote a book on difficult questions and answers about the Yijing and the Shijing, titled 《Yijing and Shijing Questions and Answers》, as the condition for presenting it to Qianlong to act as matchmaker for himself. This book was written not badly, with some of his own views and insights. If he were to give it directly to his cousin, her heart would be moved, she could break through the family opposition, like the literary love of Sima Xiangru, not allowing anyone to stand tall or short, and thus achieve his heart's desire. But this bookish simpleton, having advantages, did not use them, instead insisting on using celebrity influence—is this not like seeking poison in a bottle?

The book was written, and coincidentally Qianlong was to pass through his hometown. The bookish simpleton, feeling inferior, believed this was a heaven-sent opportunity. He inquired about where Qianlong would pass, then brought his book, and of course also brought his dreams and hopes. When Qianlong passed before him, he boldly stepped forward to block the carriage, presented his 《Yijing and Shijing Questions and Answers》, and told the emperor the purpose of blocking the carriage to present the book.

Qianlong flew into a rage: "You damned brat, dare to, for your own petty marriage, offend the emperor, disturb the ceremonial guard? Are you blind, or do you wish to toy with me?" Qianlong threw the book aside, and said to the attendants nearby: "Drag him away, beat him heavily, then send him to the frontier to serve as a slave."

This bookish simpleton was truly dense. He did not rely on his own strength, ability, learning, or virtue to pursue his love and happiness; instead, he wholeheartedly depended on celebrity influence, pinning his hopes on celebrities and those in power. How could his beautiful wish possibly be fulfilled? He truly believed that only beauty like jade exists before him, and that books inherently contain golden objects.

59

This world "fishy and fragrant together"……

Liu Guozong

The affairs of the human world are hard to explain, hard to say completely. Cannot be cut short, still chaotic inside. "Not seeing the ancients before, not seeing the comers after, contemplating the vastness of heaven and earth, alone I grieve and tears fall." This is the ancients, being sentimental, is the poet being sensitive. "Not seeing the ancients before," how can you moderns see the ancients? This is nonsense. "Not seeing the comers after," this depends on how long you can live, what kind of comers you see. These comers are those who are born after you, born a little later than you, all are latercomers. "Not seeing the comers before" the ancients may have meant something else when saying this. He might have meant those born after his death. A person cannot live for ten million years; if everyone lived forever, that would not suit human will, nor divine will. People all want to have descendants, to see what their descendants are like, and all hope their descendants are better than themselves, hope their descendants are better than themselves, that is, hope the world's tomorrow is better than yesterday and today. Hope this world keeps getting better. Hope this world keeps getting better—this is the shared wish and beautiful aspiration of all people in this world, also the hope that sustains people in life.

The recent broadcast of 20 episodes of the serial drama 〈Qinqin Tree〉 on Jiangsu Satellite TV also carries the theme that humanity will be better in the future, but wish you fare better than me. 〈Qinqin Tree〉 speaks of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Shanghai having such an ordinary family: a mother, bringing along four un** children. And among these four children, only one is her biological. The rest are orphans. The mother's original hope was to raise them all, to make them good people, do things well, and have them all enter university. But heaven does not follow human wishes; just as her eldest daughter was about to enter university, the mother was secretly harmed. The mother's death, for these four siblings, is equivalent to "mother leaves children scattered." This family is thoroughly finished. The elder sister, already admitted to Peking University, in order to make her two younger sisters and younger brother grow up healthily, not fall again into being orphans, she voluntarily gave up her chance to attend Peking University, took over the burden of raising her siblings that the mother had borne. This is another display of human beauty: for others, sacrifice oneself; but wish others fare better than me.

But wish others fare better than me—this is human beauty. If everyone could possess this beautiful quality, this world would be better than people imagine. But, the fact is: this world has only one percent of people who possess: but wish others fare better than me, for others, willingly sacrifice oneself. This is an unchangeable reality and fact. Some people are born bad, just bad seeds. Even in the womb they are bad. No one can turn that bad seed good. Some people are born not bad, but later, due to being with worse people, influenced by bad people, brought bad by bad people. Of course, there are also some people who are born not bad, and have not brought bad, but they themselves turned bad. This world's good and bad people are intricately intertwined, this is the world I see before me. No wonder the great poet Quyuan of the Warring States period said: "Fishy and fragrant together, fragrance not to be despised." Foul-smelling things and fragrant flowers placed together, if not carefully distinguished, who again could smell, which is fragrant, which is foul?

6o

Dusk also has good sunlight

Liu Guozong

Occasionally, the evening sun shines on my desk, very bright, very warm. How I wish I could hold onto this bright, warm evening sun! The evening sun moves inch by inch, no matter how hard I try to keep it. "Deep feeling yet annoyed by indifference," also I do not know whether the evening sun knows or not that I want to keep it. The tree shadows outside the window sway back and forth, the evening in the swaying of the tree shadows, gradually distant, gradually dark, gradually boundless. Gazing at the receding evening sun, my heart is filled with vast emptiness.

I wrote a boring text below the window, these texts, some have lingered in my heart for a long time. Like the flowers of early spring, which have undergone an entire winter's gestation, she wants to offer her beauty to spring. Regardless of whether people like or dislike admiring it, this flower must bloom. The texts I wrote are also like those early spring flowers. I have many flowers in my heart that I want to release to the world. I hope this world can give me a good appreciation.

The ancients said: "Evening has no limit of beauty, only near dusk." Dusk also has good sunlight.

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