Confucius said: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without crossing the line.” (Analects 2.4)
Sayings on Keeping the Peace
抬头不见低头见 If we do not meet when we look up, we meet when we look down. Said of people who see each other all the time.
冤家宜解不宜结 An enmity should be untied, not tied tighter.
不打不相识 No fight, no friendship. In chapter 38 of the Water Margin, Dai Zong tells two men: “Now you two can be close brothers. As the saying goes, without a fight there is no friendship (不打不成相识).”
和气生财 Friendliness brings wealth. A merchants’ saying: those who are pleasant and give no offense to customers will prosper.
化干戈为玉帛 Turn shields and spears into jade and silk. To turn war or a quarrel into peace and friendship.
An Old Horse Knows the Way
Guan Zhong and Xi Peng followed Duke Huan of Qi on a campaign against Guzhu. They set out in spring and came back in winter, and they lost their way. Guan Zhong said: “The wisdom of an old horse can be used.” They let an old horse go and followed it, and they found the road.
In the mountains there was no water. Xi Peng said that ants live on the sunny side of a mountain in winter and on the shady side in summer, and that water lies below an anthill. They dug and found water. Han Feizi comments: “Even the sage Guan Zhong and the wise Xi Peng did not find it hard to learn from an old horse and from ants.”
Lao ma shi tu, an old horse knows the way, describes an experienced person who knows the situation and can lead others.
Skilled in Human Feelings
In chapter 5 of Dream of the Red Chamber, Baoyu is taken to rest in a fine room. On the wall hangs a couplet: 世事洞明皆学问，人情练达即文章. “To see clearly into the affairs of the world is true learning. To be skilled in human feelings is true writing.”
Baoyu reads the two lines and refuses to stay, however fine the room. “Out! Out!”
Years Before Promotion
The 2019 Regulations on the Selection and Appointment of Party and Government Leading Cadres set minimum years. To be promoted to a county or division post, a cadre needs at least five years of work and two years at the grassroots. A deputy must serve two years before becoming the head. The head of a lower unit must serve three years before becoming a deputy one level up.
Promotion outside these rules is called poge tiba, breaking the frame. Article 9 says it must be strictly controlled. No one may break the frame on years of service twice in a row, or skip two levels at once.
Seven Times Captured, Seven Times Released
When Zhuge Liang set out to subdue the south, Ma Su advised him: “In war, attacking the heart is best, attacking cities is worst. Fighting with hearts is best, fighting with soldiers is worst.” The south, he warned, would rebel again as soon as the army left.
Zhuge Liang captured the local leader Meng Huo, showed him his camp and let him fight again. “Seven times released, seven times captured,” and still Zhuge Liang let him go. Meng Huo would not leave. “You have the might of heaven. The people of the south will not rebel again.” Zhuge Liang left the local chiefs in charge. As long as he lived, the south did not rebel.
National Masters of Chinese Medicine
Since 2008, China has named guoyi dashi, National Masters of Chinese Medicine. Four rounds, in 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2022, have produced 30 masters each, 120 in all. The title is in principle given only to the living.
One condition, as reported for the 2014 round, was more than 50 years of clinical work in Chinese medicine.
Wang Zhaojun Goes North
In 33 BCE, the Xiongnu ruler Huhanye asked the Han court for a marriage alliance. The palace lady Wang Zhaojun volunteered to go north and marry him. Emperor Yuan changed his reign title to Jingning. Peace between the Han and the Xiongnu lasted nearly half a century.
Soldiers Sortie
The television series Shibing tuji, Soldiers Sortie, first aired on Xi’an Television on December 24, 2006. Written by Lan Xiaolong and directed by Kang Honglei, its 30 episodes follow the growth of an ordinary soldier, Xu Sanduo, played by Wang Baoqiang. A shy village boy sent into the army, he becomes a top reconnaissance soldier.
After the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008, a line from the series became a motto for the rescue effort: bu paoqi, bu fangqi, never abandon, never give up.
Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya
Guan Zhong said of his friend Bao Shuya: “When I was poor, I traded with Bao Shuya and took the larger share of the profit. He did not think me greedy. He knew I was poor.” Guan Zhong failed in a plan for him, served three times and was dismissed three times, and fled from three battles. Each time Bao Shuya found a reason that was not a fault.
When Guan Zhong’s master lost the struggle for the throne of Qi, Guan Zhong was taken prisoner. Bao Shuya recommended him to the new ruler, Duke Huan, who put him in charge of the government. “My parents gave me life,” said Guan Zhong. “Bao Shuya is the one who knows me.”