Wu Shu: New Edition of the Little Five Classics and the Four Books

Author: Gu Shuguang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In a complex society, how can one establish oneself and act to ensure smooth living and career success? How can one handle relationships to avoid setbacks and harm? The ancients offered us advice, which is to emphasize strategic wisdom: "Act when you must act, speak when you must speak." This means to be cautious in speech and prudent in action. "Do not easily show joy or anger, do not overly cling to love or hatred; suppress your own desires, forgive others' desires," this teaches self-restraint. "To be superior in dealing with others, yield one step; retreating is the foundation for advancing; to be benevolent to others, show leniency; benefiting others is the root of benefiting oneself," this explains the dialectical relationship between advancing and retreating, and between benefiting others and benefiting oneself. "In a stable era, be straightforward; in chaos, be flexible; in times of decline, use both straightness and flexibility; treat the good with leniency, the evil with severity, and the ordinary with a mix of leniency and severity." "To be a person is like a divine dragon, bending and extending as needed." "Hide skill in clumsiness, use yielding as extension," this means in different eras and with different people, one must adopt flexible strategies and methods, adapt to the times, and vary approaches according to individuals. One must not be foolishly stubborn or rigid like a drumstick hitting a drum. "Hear words that slander you, but do not inquire about the slanderers." It is rare to be ignorant in life; "Even without status, wealth, or knowledge, there is still a dignified way to be a person." Even without position, money, or learning, a flexible person must act with integrity and stand tall. "When things go well, think of retreating." "When advancing, think of retreating; when starting, plan to let go." One must know when to stop, take profits when they are good, leave room for the future, to avoid joy turning into sorrow and extremes leading to reversal. Do not easily show joy or anger, do not overly cling to love or hatred.
[Original Text]
A scholar and gentleman in the world should not lightly show joy or anger toward people, for if joy or anger is shown too easily, his thoughts and feelings will be fully exposed to others; toward things, he should not overly express love or hatred, for if he does, his will and spirit will be controlled by external objects.
— Ming Hong Yingming, The Root of Vegetables
[Translation]
A learned and refined person in society, when facing various people, should not easily reveal their joy or anger, because once such emotions are easily expressed, their inner thoughts will be fully seen by others; when dealing with external things, they should not excessively show love or hatred, because excessive expression of such attitudes will control their will and spirit with external objects.
[Original Text]
Relying on outstanding talent to play with the world, one must guard against hidden envy; wearing a thick mask to deceive others, one fears the mirror that reveals the truth.
— Ming Hong Yingming, The Root of Vegetables
[Translation]
Depending on exceptional talent to mock the world, one must guard against hidden envy; feigning a thick mask to deceive others, one fears the mirror that exposes one's false face.
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