It means: Only when the earth is not afraid of its low position can it gather water to form a sea; only when people are not afraid of its low position can they become kings.
Being low-key is a philosophy that will eventually lead to success. Only those who are familiar with this philosophy will be wise and valuable. A true saint will eventually cultivate to a state of selflessness. The eagle is the majesty of the sky, and the tiger is the majesty of the earth. Such majestic animals often pretend to be sleepy and sick, so that the prey relaxes its vigilance. When the prey approaches, it will become majestic and hunt it.
Prosperity and wealth are what almost everyone yearns for. But expensive but not showy, flashy but not dazzling, not everyone can do it. Keeping a low profile is the philosophy of those who have achieved wealth and glory.
From - "Cai Gen Tan" by Hong Yingming, a Taoist at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.
Hong Yingming, the author of "Cai Gen Tan", also known as Zicheng, also known as Huanchu Taoist, lived during the Wanli reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty. A native of Xindu (now Xindu County), Sichuan, he later went to Nanjing to seek an official position and lived in Nanjing. From his passion for worldly affairs in his early years to his later devotion to immortals and Buddhas, it can be seen that the author has experienced many hardships and ups and downs, which are indescribable. Only at this point can he discuss life and the great path. Historians say that he has "miraculous traces of immortals and Buddhas".
Extended information:
Creative background
In the middle and late Wanli period, Emperor Shenzong was running the country without integrity, the eunuchs were monopolizing power, the government was weakened, and party disasters were rampant. From Jiajing The internal and external troubles that began to emerge in the dynasty became more serious. The thoughts of knowledgeable people were extremely dull and they could not extricate themselves from the very fierce social conflicts at that time. Therefore, people began to use pen and ink to express the aspirations of the times. ?
During the Wanli reign of Song Shenzong in the Ming Dynasty, Hong Yingming once lived in the Qinhuai River area of ??Nanjing and devoted himself to writing.
Where Hong Yingming lives, the soil quality is very poor, and the vegetables grown by farmers do not grow very well. The harvest is very poor, and life is very difficult.
Farmers take the vegetables they grow to the market to sell. The roots are bitter and heavy, so buyers usually remove the roots. As a result, farmers' incomes are even lower.
Hong Yingming's life was very poor at that time. He felt a pity when he saw a lot of vegetable roots being thrown away, so he wanted to take the roots away, but he didn't want to owe anyone anything, so he paid a little money to buy them away.
As time went by, local people called Hong Yingming "silly cabbage root".
One day, his friend Yu Kong Jian (a member of the Donglin Party in the Ming Dynasty) visited Hong Yingming at his home. Hong Yingming treated him with pickles and rice porridge. After Yu Kong tasted them, he clapped the table and applauded. Hong Yingming's pickles made from vegetable roots are dark and bright in color, salty and crispy, without the bitterness of the roots. Compared with ordinary pickles, the vegetable roots have a different taste.
When Yu Kong asked about the reason, Hong Yingming said: The vegetable root tastes bitter, and ordinary people throw it away after trying it. I thought it was a pity, so I pickled these roots into pickles. The reason why my vegetable roots are delicious is because I know that delicious food cannot be rushed. I first pickle the vegetable roots with salt and ferment them for a year to remove the bitterness of the roots and bring out the aroma of the roots.
Then remove the salt from the roots with water and dry them in the sun for three days to make the roots chewier. Finally, the vegetable roots are seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns and other spices, and then marinated for seven days before being served to the table.
Yu Kong Jian not only felt that "the root and fragrance of the dish are determined by its nature". Vegetables are basically discarded things, but only those with a calm and indifferent mind can appreciate the true flavor of the vegetable roots. Only an indifferent person like Hong Yingming can make a discarded vegetable root so delicious.
His "Cai Gen Tan" was finally named after Cai Gen, which was precisely due to this special experience.