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Great wisdom is like foolishness, great foolishness is like wisdom

People are divided into smart people and confused people; The same wise people can be divided into great cleverness and little cleverness; the same confused people can be divided into true confusion and false confusion.

Wisdom and foolishness have a great impact on people's life and destiny. "A lifetime of wisdom and a moment of confusion" means that smart people sometimes do stupid things; "It is rare to be foolish when it comes to great wisdom", and "It is rare to be confused" means that really smart people often appear to be stupid on the surface. This is a kind of intelligent life, and the real person does not show his appearance; and "Smart people are rarely fools". "You are misled by cleverness", which reveals the retribution of those who are clever.

"Great courage is like cowardice, great wisdom is like foolishness." This is Su Shi's point of view. He said in "Congratulations to Young Master Ouyang on his official career": "I have to quit my job before I can do it, and I will stop when I can't do it. I am as brave as cowardly, and I am as wise as foolish." We can understand that for those who are unwilling to do things, , you can avoid it with wisdom. You may be brave but pretend to be cowardly. You may be smart but pretend to be stupid. In this way, you can preserve your personality and avoid following the crowd. A truly wise and brave person does not necessarily have to show off his or her appearance, but must look at his or her strength. Li Zhi also had a similar point of view: "When all the rivers flow together, it is necessary to make it big; when it is built with earth and rocks, it is necessary to make it strong. Therefore, great wisdom is like a fool's ears." When hundreds of rivers merge, it is necessary to build it big, and the earth and rocks are built together to make it strong. It's strong, this is great wisdom and foolishness.

Both Taoism and Confucianism in ancient China advocated that "great wisdom is as good as foolishness" and that one should "preserve foolishness". "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng" says that Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, "keeps his ignorance" and is deeply loved by his teacher. On the surface, he appears to be dazed and confused, but in fact he is working hard, so after class he can always explain his teacher's teachings clearly and in an organized manner. It can be seen that Ruoyu is not really stupid. The impression given by people with great wisdom and Ruoyu is that they are open-minded, generous and gentle, without showing any edge, and even a little dull. In fact, behind "ruoyu", there is real wisdom and wisdom.

Great wisdom is like foolishness, it is really a wise life 1

1. It is rare to be confused

Zheng Banqiao, a writer, calligrapher and painter in the Qing Dynasty, engraved a seal with four seal characters engraved on it, "It is rare to be confused". The so-called "rarely confused" is actually the clearest. It is precisely because he sees things so clearly, clearly, and thoroughly, but cannot explain the reasons. If he does, he will become troubled again, so he pretends to be confused or seeks ways to escape.

In real life, there are indeed many things that should not be taken too seriously or too competitively. Especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships, they are complicated, intertwined, and too serious. They either pull their arms or move their muscles and bones, making them more complicated and messy. Let nature take its course, pretending to be confused once, without losing principles and personality; or for the sake of the public, even if you endure it temporarily and suffer a little grievance, it is worth it. If you know it well (tree), it is not a barren mountain. Sometimes, when things come to a head, I just play smart and give him "fuzzy mathematics" on the surface, leaving him confused as a monk and "rarely confused." During job evaluation and promotion, a certain candidate comes to you for advice and asks for your "popular opinion". You know clearly that he is not qualified, but you cannot disappoint him in person. What should you do at this time? No, no, no. , or laughing and joking, and be more serious when crossing the "O" without losing principle. He seems to have good character. When asked by the person concerned, he candidly pointed out his shortcomings. He didn't ask and just let the situation take its course. "It's rare to be confused" is a great way to avoid unnecessary personnel disputes while maintaining a pure personality.

"It's rare to be confused" as "complaint" is originally caused by "unfairness". The world is unfair, personnel is unfair, and treatment is unfair. If it is impossible to eradicate all kinds of injustice, or you are incompetent, then you have no choice but to raise this flag of "confusionism" to cover up the injustice in your heart. If he could be like Jigong and let people call him crazy and laugh at him, he would not mind it at all, and he would just go through wine and meat. "Wherever there is injustice, I will not be there." , The weak seek justice, go their own way, and enjoy themselves. This kind of madness, half awake and half drunk, drunk and awake at the same time, can also be regarded as a kind of "confusion". This kind of confusion is truly understood and understood. So when you face reality head-on and learn from the big-bellied Maitreya Buddha with a big smile, who "laughs at the ridiculous people in the world and tolerates the things that are intolerable in the world", then you will enter a transcendent realm.

2. Hiding skill in clumsiness

An ancient saying goes: "The eagle stands as if it is sleeping, and the tiger moves as if it is sick. This is exactly how it seizes birds and bites people. Therefore, a gentleman must be smart and not show off his talent, so that he can have the strength to carry out a long and long journey." ." This can probably vividly explain the specific meaning of the phrase "hide skill in clumsiness, use obscurity to make it clear." Generally speaking, human nature likes to be straightforward and hates ingenuity. However, if a person with great ambitions wants to achieve his goal, it will never be possible without ingenuity, especially when the environment he is in is not as expected. It is even more important to be clever and adaptable, but not to be disliked by others. Therefore, there are various ways to adapt to the world, such as an eagle standing up and a tiger walking, sleeping like a sick person, hiding cleverness and using obscurity. Cao Pi's beautiful article about defeating Cao Zhi by crying is an example, as is An Lushan's role as Yang Guifei's godson.

There is also a positive "clumsy behavior".

For example, Li Xun, an important minister in the early Tang Dynasty, was originally a subordinate of Li Mi. When he first raised his army, Li Mi and Li Yuan and his son were in conflict with each other. However, it was only after Li Mi was defeated by Wang Shichong that he followed his old master and surrendered to Li Yuan and his son. under his command. At this time, the general trend of the world has become clear. Li Jie knew that only by gaining the absolute trust of Li Yuan and his son could he have a future, so he arranged such an action: He occupied the counties and counties geographically and demographically "from the sea in the east, to Jiang in the south, to Ruzhou in the west, and to Weijun in the north". Tu sent people to Guanzhong and presented it to Li Mi in front of Li Yuan, saying that since Li Mi has decided to surrender, the land and population I possess should surrender with the master and be donated by the master. Otherwise, if I surrender, I will be doing it for myself. , inviting wealth and honor is an immoral act of "benefiting the owner". Li Yuan listened on the sidelines and was very emotional, thinking that Li Xun must be a loyal minister if he could be so loyal to his old master. After Li Xun returned to Tang Dynasty, he was quickly reused by Li Yuan. However, Li Mi harbored resentment after surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, and soon turned against the Tang Dynasty. He was "executed" before the matter was accomplished. It stands to reason that most people would avoid suspicion too late at this time, but Li Xun openly wrote a letter asking him to bury Li Mi - only his "openness" only added to his "high integrity", if it was secretly , it may have the opposite effect - "Follow the Sui Sui Sutra, and bury honey with the old officials and soldiers in the south of Lishan Mountain. The tomb is seven ren high, and Shifu San is released." Speaking of which, this is purely for the living people to see. Li Mi is dead, what does he know? On the surface, this seems to be detrimental to the face of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and is a kind of foolish loyalty from Li Jie. In fact, Li Jie has already expected this.

One action will receive the same magical effect as the population of the previous sacrifice land. As expected, he is "righteous to both the government and the public", and he is recognized by the public as a gentleman who is extremely benevolent and righteous. From then on, Li Xun gained more respect from the court and was favored for three generations. What Li Xun uses is a psychological effect of "negatives make positives"; it caters to the fact that people generally do not trust sweet words spoken directly to oneself, but believe in the qualities a person shows when getting along with others - that is, the results of side observations. In particular, it caters to people's general love for the kind of manly identity psychology that is separated from the most common human weaknesses of ordinary people, such as ingratitude, seeking good fortune and avoiding evil, and being cunning and changeable. It seems to be straightforward, but in fact it is It has profound meaning and is a typical example of success in life by "hiding skill rather than clumsiness".

There is an intriguing poem by Li Bai, which is called "The great virtuous tiger turned stupid unexpectedly, but he was quite like an ordinary person at that time", which reveals another sense of the obscure way of life. This means that in some special occasions, people should have the mind to be flexible and changeable like a tiger lurking in the forest or a dragon sinking into the pond, making it difficult for others to predict, but you can act calmly during this period. After Zhu Yuanzhang captured Nanjing at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, because the heroes were facing each other, in order to avoid becoming the target of public criticism because of his emergence, he adopted the advice of the elder Zhu Sheng and won the victory with the strategy of "build walls high, accumulate grain widely, and slowly become king". The time and strength of each defeat passed through Chen Cang secretly under the eyes of everyone, and finally the heroes became the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty together.

The above are all typical examples of typical people. However, for ordinary people, the ancients also believed that they should have a dignified mind and tolerance. There is a famous saying that says: The image is taken from money, which is round on the outside and square on the inside. Everyone knows the round square holes of ancient coins. When dealing with people, you must be like this money. The "edge" must be flexible and able to change randomly, but the "heart" must be strong and have its own purpose and principles. For example, if you are dissatisfied with the surrounding environment or people, you don’t need to show off your sharp edges or overly show your differences. , and should not be hated." This can not only preserve your moral integrity, but also protect yourself.

3. There is a story about "Cao Cao cooking wine and discussing heroes" in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". At that time, Liu Bei was in trouble and took refuge with Cao Cao. Cao Cao received Liu Bei sincerely. Liu Bei lived in Xudu. After signing the Yidai Edict, he also guarded against Cao Cao's plot. He planted vegetables in the back garden and watered them himself, in order to confuse Cao Cao and relax his gaze on him. One day, Cao Cao invited Liu Bei to his house for a drink. They talked about people who looked like dragons and who was the hero of the world. Liu Bei named Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Liu Zhang, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, and Han Sui, but they were all belittled by Cao Cao. Cao Cao pointed out that the criteria for a hero are: "Have a great ambition, a good plan, the opportunity to contain the universe, and the ambition to swallow up the world." Liu Bei asked, "Who is worthy of it?" Cao Cao said, only Liu Bei and him are. Liu Bei was hiding in Xudu, but when Cao Cao pointed out that he was a hero, he was so frightened that he dropped his spoons and chopsticks on the ground. It happened that heavy rain was coming and there was a loud thunder. Liu Bei calmly picked up the spoon and said, "The power of a shock is as great as this." He skillfully concealed his panic. This also avoided a disaster. Liu Bei was very clever in his answer to the question of heroes over a pot of wine.

Liu Bei hid but did not reveal himself, did not exaggerate, show off, brag, be arrogant, pretend to be deaf and do not count himself among the "heroes" in front of others. This method is very reassuring. He grows vegetables and counts heroes, at least on the surface, he restrains his behavior. A person cannot be too arrogant in this world.

When Confucius was young, he was taught by Laozi. At that time, Lao Tzu once said to him: "A good man hides his secrets as if they are empty, and a gentleman's virtues are as virtuous as a fool." That is to say, a businessman who is good at doing business always hides his treasures so that others cannot easily see them; but a gentleman has a noble character. , but looks stupid. Its profound meaning is to warn people that it is useless to show off their abilities excessively and abuse their worldly aspirations or energy without restraint.

In old Chinese shops, valuable goods were not displayed in the storefronts. The shopkeepers always kept them. Only when you meet people who are rich and knowledgeable can you tell them that there are good things inside. If high-quality goods are casually displayed on a bright surface, there is no reason why thieves would not care about them. This is not only true for commodities, but also for people's talents. As the saying goes, "fullness will cause losses, but modesty will benefit." People with outstanding talents and who like to show off themselves will inevitably arouse the disgust of others, so they will suffer big losses without realizing it. Therefore, no matter how high your talent is, you must be good at concealing it, that is, a state where it appears to be nothing on the surface but is actually full of it.

4． Be confused about small things, but be clear about big things

People should not care about everything in life. They should be confused when they should be confused, and be smart when they should be smart. There is an idiom "Lu Duan is not confused about big things", which means that he pretends to be confused about small things and does not act clever, but only shows great wisdom at critical moments. There were many such wise fools in ancient China.

Han Qi, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, was known for his dignified character and followed the life principles of being kind and forgiving. He had never been praised for his courage, but he had magical powers in the following two things In the vast world, there is really no second person. This is the footnote of "real people don't show their faces". Who would be on guard against such a good old man? As a result, he was able to do these two important things silently:

When Song Yingzong just died, the courtiers hurriedly summoned the prince into the palace, but the prince had not yet Upon arrival, Yingzong's hand moved again. Prime Minister Zeng Gongliang was startled and hurriedly told Prime Minister Han Qi that he wanted to stop calling the prince into the palace. Han Qi refused and said: "If the late emperor lives again, he will be a supreme emperor." Han Qi urged people more and more to summon the prince. This avoids power struggles.

Ren Shouzhong, who held the post of imperial magistrate, was very treacherous and capricious. He secretly inquired about Dongxifu's situation and drove a wedge between the emperor and the empress dowager. One day, Han Qi issued a false edict, and Ouyang Xiu had already signed it. Yue Gui felt very embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Ouyang Xiu said, "As long as it is written down, Han Gong will definitely have his own opinion." Han Qi sat down. In the political hall, Ren Shouzhong was sent to the court with a document issued directly without Zhongshu Sheng, and he was asked to stand in the court. He accused him and said: "Your crime deserves the death penalty. Now you are demoted to the deputy envoy of Qizhou Tuanlian. Prefecture resettlement." Han Qi took out the empty imperial edict and filled it in, and sent envoys to take Ren Shouzhong away on the same day.

If it were another person who loves to play power, would Ren Shouzhong give in easily? Obviously not, because he also believes in the statement of the always honest Han Qi and will not suspect that there is fraud. In this way, Han Qi easily got rid of the silverfish without losing his loyalty. Therefore, being wise and foolish is actually the highest cultivation in life, and it is also a great strategy in life. A wise person always has more chances of success.

Yang Kan, a native of the Liang Kingdom in the Southern Dynasties, was named Zuxin and was a Liang scholar in Mount Tai. He began to serve as the Taishan prefect of the Wei state in the Northern Dynasties. Yang Kan wanted to return to the south because his grandfather Yang Gui had been a wine minister for Emperor Gaozu of the Song Dynasty. On the way back, I went to Liankou and held a big banquet. There was a guest named Zhang Rucai who got drunk and started a fire on the boat. More than 70 boats were burned and countless gold and silver properties were burned. When Yang Kan heard about it, he hardly cared about it and asked everyone to continue drinking. The child was ashamed and frightened, so he ran away. Yang Kan sent someone to comfort him and retrieve him, still treating him as before. Later, Yang Kan returned to the Southern Dynasty and became the army commander of Emperor Wu of Liang.

Pei Xia, a native of the Jin Dynasty, was a guest at the home of Zhou Fu, the general of Dongping. Zhou Fu is the master, and Pei Xia plays Go with others. Zhou Fu's Sima persuaded him to drink, but Pei Xia was in the mood for fun, so he didn't drink the wine in time. Sima was very angry, thinking he had been slighted, so he dragged Pei Xia to the ground. The people nearby were shocked, thinking that the embarrassment was unbearable. Unexpectedly, Pei Xia slowly got up and sat on his seat. His behavior remained unchanged, his expression was calm, and he continued to play chess as if nothing had happened. Wang Yan later asked Pei Xia why his expression didn't change at that time. Pei Xia replied: "It's just because I was confused at the time."

Another Jin Dynasty man, Xie Wan, whose courtesy name was Wanshi, was Xie An's younger brother. Once when he and Cai Xi were competing for a seat, Cai Xi pushed Xie Wan from his seat, causing his hat and headscarf to almost fall off. Xie Wan slowly stood up, patted his clothes, sat back in his seat, and said, "You almost hurt my face." Cai Xi said, "I didn't consider your face in the first place." Later, both of them They didn't take this matter seriously, and people praised them at the time.

These are famous stories of tolerance in history. The insulted and injured party did not get angry or hold a grudge for their embarrassment and loss. On the contrary, they all showed magnanimity and showed no mercy. The virtue and grace of not giving a shit. As a result, not only did he not suffer more harm, but he gained everyone's respect and made the person who hurt others feel ashamed.

Great wisdom is like foolishness. From one perspective, it can also be understood as being foolish about small things and wise about big things. It is a very high accomplishment for an individual. The so-called stupidity does not mean self-deception or self-narcosis, but intentional confusion. When you should be confused, don't worry about your own face, your own knowledge, your own status, and your own power. You must be confused; when you should be smart and sober, you must be smart.

If you turn from being smart to being confused, and from being confused to being wise, you will have both sides, and you will not be disturbed by troubles or burdened by people and things. In this way, you will also have a happy, joyful, and successful life.

5. Free yourself from attachment

Attachment and confusion are exactly the opposite. Zen, in particular, prohibits attachment.

There is an anecdote that warns people how foolish it is to be persistent.

That was what happened when Monk Mazu and Monk Nanyue were practicing. One day, Monk Nanyue came to visit Monk Mazu and said:

"Mazu, what have you been doing recently?"

"I sit in meditation every day."

" Oh, I see; what is the purpose of your zazen?"

"Of course it is to become a Buddha!"

The purpose of zazen is to observe the true self, and to achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha. This is Mazu also thought the same thing about how ordinary people think about zazen, so he went to zazen.

However, when Monk Nanyue heard what Mazu said, he actually took a tile and started grinding it silently. Mazu felt incredible and asked:

"What do you want to do?" What are you doing!"

Nanyue replied calmly: "Didn't you see me grinding the tiles?"

"What are you grinding the tiles for?"

"Make a mirror."

"Master, you can't grind a tile into a mirror."

"Mazu, you can't become a Buddha even by sitting in meditation."

< p> Monk Nanyue used the principle that tiles cannot be ground into mirrors to tell Mazu why he cannot become a Buddha even if he meditates. The content of this dialogue seems to be a lie to children, which is a bit funny, but in fact it is very profound.

As mentioned before, most people believe that sitting in meditation is the only way to achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha. Therefore, when practicing, he attaches great importance to zazen and advocates doing it thoroughly. However, Nanyue saw Mazu's life of zazen every day and gave a negative evaluation.

Why?

Nan Yue’s implicit purpose was to tell Mazu that he was too attached to the form and method of sitting meditation. Although zazen is very meaningful, if you are restricted by zazen, your freedom of mind will be restricted and controlled, and you will not be able to achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha. Therefore, although the method of sitting meditation is the most important thing in Zen, once you become too attached to it, you need to deny it.

In this way, from a Zen perspective, attachment must be completely denied, otherwise once you fall into attachment, you will get nothing.

In other words, people often cling to some things to live their lives, but once they are clinging to something, they cannot live truly freely, nor can they use flexible ideas to seek self-realization.

So, what will happen if you are too obsessed with one thing? A young man who failed in the college exam was brought by his mother to see the Japanese monk Guan DaChe. This young man has been studying hard since he was a child in order to enter a first-class university. However, the walls of first-class universities are too thick, and he failed repeatedly. As a result, he wanted to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills.

In the minds of young people, because they have the idea that they would rather die than enter a first-class university, their thinking becomes obsessed. Getting into a first-class university is his life goal. As long as he can strive for it, everything will go smoothly. In short, he was too obsessed with the idea of ??entering a first-class university, so after several failed challenges, he had no choice but to die because he could not overcome this barrier.

Persistence often narrows one's vision. In fact, entering a first-class university is not everything in life. If you don't think this way, you will lose many of your strong ideas one by one. When you go to extremes, you will become like Like this young man, he chose suicide to deny himself. That's because attachments harden your heart.

Therefore, people must give up their attachments, look down on it, look away, and take a step back to open up the world. This is the intelligent life advocated by Mushology.

6. With the sorrow of cleverness

The allusion of "accompanying the wife and then defeating the army" comes from "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It is a metaphor for those people who fail to fix their plans and instead stick to their own laurels.

Zhou Yu was from Shucheng, Lujiang. He was the same year as Sun Quan's elder brother Sun Ce. They had a close friendship and became Kunzhong. Zhou Yu had a good life, with elegant qualifications, beautiful appearance, and unparalleled talents and learning. With Cao Cao stationing millions of troops and eyeing the Yangtze River, many people in Soochow wanted to surrender, and the morale of the army was disorganized. If Zhou Gongjin had not stood out, Soochow would have belonged to Cao Cao long ago.

But it was said that Liu Bei had lost his wife. Zhou Yu knew the news and hatched a plan. He wanted Sun Quan's sister to marry Liu Bei and let Liu Bei come as his wife. Then he imprisoned Liu Bei in prison, but asked someone to go. Conquer Jingzhou for Liu Bei. Waiting to win Jingzhou. Then deal with Liu Bei. So he sent Lu Fan as a matchmaker to Jingzhou to negotiate a deal. Zhuge Liang didn't want to hear the news and guessed it was Zhou Yu's plan, so he asked Liu Bei to agree. He also asked Zhao Zilong to protect Liu Bei and gave him three tips before leaving, which contained three clever strategies.

Over in Soochow, Sun Quan's mother heard the news and saw Liu Bei's talent, but she sincerely wanted to betroth her daughter to him. Zhou Yu and Sun Quan did not want this matter to be false, but they did not dare to openly imprison and kill Liu Bei. Liu Bei persuaded his wife to go to Jingzhou, and she agreed, so the two agreed to go to the river to worship their ancestors and take the opportunity to escape Soochow. Zhou Yu sent troops to pursue him, but his wife blocked him back. Just when Zhou Yu was about to make a desperate move, he saw Zhuge Liang waiting on the shore, and Liu Bei and others had boarded the ship and headed for Jingzhou. Arrows were shot from the shore, but they went far away. Liu Bei's soldiers looked at the Wu soldiers who were chasing after them, and shouted: "Zhou Lang's clever plan to calm the world, accompanied his wife and then defeated his troops!"

Zhou Yu believed that he was sure of victory and did not want to meet Zhuge Liang. This "accompanying his wife but losing his troops" is actually the result of Zhou Yu's cleverness being mistaken for his cleverness. As the saying goes: "Stealing chickens will only cost you rice", which means that not only will you not get the final result by being clever, but you will also have to do your own business, which will make people laugh at you.

Wang Xifeng in "A Dream of Red Mansions" can also be regarded as a typical example of "being clever but being misled by cleverness" in literary works. Sister Feng was considered a heroine in the Jia family. She tried many ways and used various strategies to revive the Jia family, or at least maintain everyone's situation. However, her hard work and dedication resulted in dissatisfaction from everyone in the Jia family, and ultimately came to a tragic ending. In response to the verdict of her in the book: "The agencies were too clever in their calculations, and they lost their lives."

In fact, intelligence is a wealth, and the key lies in how to use it: wealth can make people live a better life. It's great, but it can also be devastating. Really smart people will use their intelligence, but it should be hidden deep down or not on the cutting edge. Don't use it easily when the fire is not strong. You must appear to be honest and honest so that others will not envy you. Playing tricks is often the source of disaster. No matter what you do, don't be clever.

Scheming villains all think they are smart and have wonderful calculations, but because of their sinister intentions, they cannot last long. It is necessary to punish people, but it is inconvenient to say it clearly, which is doomed to defeat. A plan that cannot be seen by others is a treacherous plan; a treacherous plan is unpopular and makes heaven and man angry. Even though you plan carefully, you still feel guilty. The slightest hint of revelation made my heart tremble with fear. And no matter how secret it is, there is still a ventilation wall. Once people know about it, the "lady" and the "soldier" will also be broken. A person who always shows shrewdness in everything he does will not gain the trust, sympathy, love and cultivation of others, and therefore will not achieve real and great success.

7. Get rid of scheming

There is such a fable in "Zhuangzi": Zhuangzhou was playing in the chestnut garden in Diaoling. When he approached the fence, he suddenly saw a strange magpie flying from the south with seven-foot wings. It was wide and its eyes were an inch long. It flew past Zhuang Zhou's forehead and stopped in the chestnut forest. Zhuangzi said, "What kind of bird is this? Its wings are too big to fly far, and its eyes are big but its vision is dull." So he picked up his clothes and walked over quickly, holding a slingshot to watch for its movements. At this time, I suddenly saw a cicada, being shaded by beautiful leaves, and forgot about myself: at this moment, a mantis was sheltered by the leaves, stretched out its arms and caught the cicada in one fell swoop. When he hunted the cicada, he showed his signs when he saw the gain. It happened that this strange magpie took advantage of him to catch the cicada and snatched the mantis. The strange magpie saw the benefit but did not realize that his life was in danger. Zhuang Zhou was frightened when he saw it, and said vigilantly: "Alas! Things harm each other. This is due to the mutual attraction and covetousness between the two types!" Thinking of this, he quickly dropped his slingshot and ran away. At this moment, the orchard guard thought he had stolen chestnuts, so he chased him and scolded him.

The famous allusion "The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole stalks behind" comes from this fable. This fable leads to a conclusion: if you deliberately plot against others, you will attract others to plot against you.

Therefore, only by eliminating scheming can we avoid being involved in the cyclical struggle of material competition.

However, others tend to blindly pursue desires and forget their true nature. This is what Zhuangzi said, "Looking at the turbid water and getting lost in the clear abyss."

But desires are infinite and satisfying. It is always limited, and this will inevitably lead to tragic consequences. But this view is unacceptable to modern people, because modern people tend to indulge in material desires and never return.

Being indifferent and contented is not a passive avoidance or aloofness, but it contains the meaning of prudence. "Laozi" believes that contentment is reflected in the following three points: first, kindness; second, diligence and frugality; third, not daring to be the first in the world. "The first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world. Compassion leads to bravery, frugality leads to broadness. Not daring to be the first in the world, so one can become a leader." If a person can do the above three points, he will Can become a brave, wealthy and prestigious person.

Some people have compared the British and the Japanese, and concluded that the British can maximize their own egoism and the egoism of others without conflict, and do not interfere with each other; but the Japanese cannot Share your joy with others. From this point of view, the Japanese either go too far, or they love to get into trouble too much. This is a terrible shortcoming. In fact, ignoring the other party's position and interests and blindly pursuing one's own interests may go unimpeded for the time being, but it will never go far because one day it will be counterattacked.

"Laozi" strongly emphasizes that you must not have this mentality.

"No disaster is greater than not being satisfied, and no fault is greater than desire." The meaning of this sentence is that the greatest disaster in the world is not being satisfied; the greatest fault in the world is greed. People who are too obsessed with pursuing fame, wealth and status will surely suffer great losses. People who accumulate too much material wealth are far less able to enjoy it than others. Only when you are content can you not feel humiliated, and only when you know enough is enough can you not go to extremes. This is what "Laozi" said: "Love is free, and hoarding a lot will lead to death. Being content is not humiliating, knowing is stopping, and it can last for a long time."

8. Silence is golden

The ancients believed that to be a truly wise person, one must observe and be measured. "To be observant is not to be knowledgeable. To be able to observe or not to observe is to be aware." What does "to be able not to observe" mean? It is that among a group of people, you are the only one who has penetrated the essence of this matter, but some people do not want you to tell the truth, so you have to pretend not to know, lest your wisdom is too great and you will be surprised. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a wise man named Xi Simi in Qi State. The official in power at that time was Tian Chengzi, who had great ambitions to steal the country. Once, Tian Chengzi invited him to talk, and the two of them climbed to the high platform to enjoy the scenery. The plains on the east, west, north and west were vast, and the scenery was unobstructed. However, in the south, there was a lush forest of Xi Simi's family, which blocked their view. After the conversation, Xi Simi returned home and immediately asked his servant to take his saw to cut down the woods. But just after cutting down a few trees, he asked the servant to stop and go home quickly. His family looked at him and felt puzzled and asked him why he was so confused. Xi Simi said: "In the wilderness, my home is the only one with a forest suddenly standing out. Judging from Tian Chengzi's expression, he will not be happy, so I came home in a hurry." I was busy thinking about cutting it off, but then I thought about it and realized that Tian Chengzi didn’t say anything to express his dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he was very scheming and wanted to gain the throne. I am afraid that someone smarter than him will see through his mind. In this case, if I cut down the tree, it will show that I have the ability to observe things carefully, which will make him wary of me.

Therefore, not cutting down the tree shows that I do not know his thoughts, which is not considered a sin and I can avoid harm; but cutting down the tree shows that I know what others are not saying, and this is a huge disaster!"