Twenty-Five Histories: One Insight a Day

Author: Wei Haiyan, Yan Nan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The State of Yue was originally a barbaric land, but through the efforts of its successive rulers, its strength gradually grew. It was not until King Goujian took the throne and defeated his formidable rival, the State of Wu, that Yue truly became respected by the feudal lords and established itself as a dominant regional power. The key factor determining the outcome of the long and arduous war between King Goujian of Yue and King Fuchai of Wu was the ability to endure humiliation. Self-respect is extremely precious; it requires a lifetime of effort to attain and maintain. However, throughout history, the wealthy have often bullied the poor, the noble have oppressed the lowly, the powerful have dominated the weak, the fierce have wronged the kind, the young have humiliated the old, the brave have the timid, the evil have defied the righteous, and the many have exploited the few. Yet such acts of humiliation frequently occur. Therefore, upholding self-respect often manifests in refusing to submit to humiliation. In China, there are many idioms and proverbs that correspond to this idea, such as "prefer to break than to bend," "rather be a broken jade than a whole clay tile," and "neither fear nor move under intimidation." People often praise those who, for the sake of self-respect, disregard fame and fortune and disdain tyranny and violence. For example, Lu Zhonglian's refusal to become a vassal of Qin, the reclusive scholar of Qi who refused to eat food offered with disdain, and Tao Yuanming's refusal to bow his head for five bushels of rice are stories that have been widely circulated. However, we must not blindly admire them, thinking that we should never do anything that dishonors our dignity. In reality, every situation must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. If a person temporarily endures humiliation to achieve greater success in the future, not only will they not be mocked by society but also deserve our respect and learning. Both "rather be a broken jade than a whole clay tile" and "able to bend and stretch" are acts of true men.
In the late Shang Dynasty, King Zhou was tyrannical, and the people suffered greatly. King Wen of Zhou thus harbored political ambitions to replace the Shang with the Zhou. However, before he could act, King Zhou discovered his plans and imprisoned him in Youli. Yet King Wen remained calm and studied the I Ching in Youli to pass the time. He was eventually released only after his ministers bribed King Zhou with treasures.
In the early Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu seized the opportunity to rise up and crossed the Great Wall, threatening the Central Plains. Emperor Gaozu of Han had already defeated the powerful Qin and the formidable Chu and was not afraid of the Xiongnu. He personally led his army to confront the Xiongnu, hoping to achieve a decisive victory and then celebrate his triumph. However, the Xiongnu leader, Chanyu Modun, was a skilled strategist who exploited Emperor Gaozu's overconfidence and underestimation of his enemy. He lured the Han forces deeper into enemy territory, encircling Emperor Gaozu's advance guard at Pingcheng. Seeing that he was surrounded by Xiongnu troops on all sides and had no hope of escape, Emperor Gaozu followed the advice of Chen Ping and sent someone to bribe Chanyu Modun's wife with heavy gold. Through her, Emperor Gaozu persuaded Chanyu to spare his life.
It can be said that King Wen of Zhou, a feudal lord, was reduced to a prisoner, and Emperor Gaozu, the ruler of a great empire, humbled himself before a barbarian king—all of them suffered varying degrees of humiliation to their dignity. However, their actions were far from mere self-preservation. They did so to seize the opportunity to create a great cause, and thus, throughout history, they have never been criticized but have instead become role models for later generations to emulate.
In contrast, Xiang Yu, during the Chu-Han contention, lost the Battle of Gaixia. Although the ferryman at Wujiang offered to rescue him, he was informed that although the land of Jiangdong was small, it still spanned over a thousand li.