Life is surrounded by eight sides.

Author: Zhao Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Therefore, this book aims to help readers savor life, using 72 Chinese historical satire stories to illustrate eight common pitfalls in life, which are: power, endurance, trust, laziness, deception, hatred, arrogance, and playfulness. When facing the troubles of these pitfalls, these short stories may help readers overcome them. Even if this goal isn't achieved, at least they can bring a light-hearted laugh and relieve some psychological stress. The stories in the book are primarily written in a satirical style, so the humor has a certain absurdity, with some articles even feeling a bit "over-the-top." For example, Zhuge Liang racing with Sun Quan, Zhao Kuangyin falling ill, Han Xin constantly jumping around in the workplace, Liu Shan, who only knows about drinking and having fun, writing philosophical diaries, and even Qin Qiong's horse, Huangluo Ma, speaking.
"As the saying goes, 'If it's said in the story, it is; if it's not said, it isn't. If it's said, it isn't; if it's not said, it is.' Because they are just stories, used as tools to illustrate certain principles. Therefore, these plot designs are intended to be engaging, allowing readers to better seek life's wisdom from the stories and improve their adaptability to life. Since these are satire stories, they inevitably deviate from historical facts, which may also significantly diminish the image of certain heroic figures in readers' minds. So, I suggest approaching these articles with a satirical perspective, aiming to discover some human weaknesses and satirical critiques of certain social phenomena."