01

Theoretical Arguments

Be born in sorrow and die in happiness. ——Mencius

When misfortunes come, blessings depend on them; when blessings come, misfortunes fall upon them. ——Lao Tzu

How can the plum blossoms smell so fragrant if it’s not so cold that it cuts to the bone? ——Pei Xiu

There is no way out in the mountains and rivers, but there is another village with dark willows and bright flowers. ——Tao Yuanming

When times are good, take a step back and think; when times are bad, think further. ——Zhang Tingyu

A great mind should show such a spirit: greet tragic misfortune with a smile, and deal with all misfortunes with a hundredfold courage. ——Lu Xun

02

Factual arguments

Living on the fire and tasting courage

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the five countries competed for hegemony. At the beginning of the confrontation between Wu and Yue, each other won. However, when King Wu Fu Chai arrived, he defeated the Yue Kingdom and the Yue King Gou Jian was captured.

After the Kingdom of Wu withdrew its troops, Gou Jian took his wife and doctor Fan Li to the Kingdom of Wu to serve the King of Wu, herding cattle and sheep, and finally won the favor and trust of the King of Wu.

Three years later, they were released and returned to China. After Gou Jian returned home, he determined to seek revenge and rejuvenate the country.

He was afraid that his desire for a comfortable life would squander his will for revenge. He would sleep on a pile of straw with his weapon on his pillow at night, hang a gall in the house, and taste the gall every morning when he got up.

He sent Wen Zhong to manage the country's political affairs and Fan Li to manage the military. He went to the fields to work with the farmers.

These actions of Gou Jian moved the officials and people of the Yue State. After ten years of hard struggle, the Yue State finally had enough troops and food, and turned from weakness into strength.

Gou Jian believed that the time had come for revenge, so he used elite troops to raid the Wu Kingdom and defeated the Wu soldiers in one fell swoop.

Pu Songling wrote a self-encouragement couplet based on Gou Jian's story of lying on the firewood and tasting the courage: For those who are determined, things come true. The cauldron sinks the boat, and the hundred and two passes of Qin finally belong to Chu. If you work hard, God will not let you down. If you lie down on the firewood and taste the courage, three thousand Yuejia can swallow Wu.