The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 120 Retire after success

【Original Code】

Upper nine, fat escape, no disadvantages.

"Elephant" says: Fat escape, no disadvantages, no doubts.

—— "Book of Changes: Escape"

【Interpretation】

The nine lines on the hexagram of "Dun" say: Take it when you see a good one, there is no disadvantage.

"Xiang Ci" said: "Just accept it when you see it. If there is no disadvantage, don't hesitate any longer."It tells people to keep a good watch on the situation and choose the time to retreat bravely according to the changes of the situation.

"Fat escape, no disadvantage" means that there are great benefits, and there is no disadvantage in retiring with ample body and mind.Here we can understand that it is an appropriate choice for him to retire, or he retires out of success, or he already has better conditions, and he retires if he should, or he retires after making a lot of money. All are auspicious.

"Fat escape, no disadvantage" means to tell us that people should not be too greedy, and they must know how to accept as soon as they are good, and enough is enough.Wise people live by the adage: Get rid of things before they betray you.

【Category】

Story [-]: Fan Sui resigns from office to avoid disaster

Fan Sui was born as a lobbyist. When he was the prime minister of the Qin State, he used the strategy of "making friends from afar and attacking closely" to make Qin's military strength stronger and stronger. He himself made great contributions to the development of Qin.

But in his later years, he made a major mistake. The general he recommended to King Qin led [-] soldiers to surrender to the enemy.Surrendering to the enemy is the crime of "involving the nine clans", and the recommenders cannot escape the blame.Fan Sui was deeply trusted by the King of Qin, so he could be saved from death, but he always felt a sense of guilt in his heart, and he was always uneasy.

At this time, Cai Zelai comforted him and said: "There is a saying in the Yishu that 'if you succeed, you will not be here soon', why don't you take advantage of this to resign from the position of prime minister? In this way, you can not only keep your reputation of incorruptibility, but also enjoy a life like red pine nuts." Longevity! If you are still nostalgic for the position of Prime Minister, you will definitely bring disasters in the future! I hope you think twice."

After hearing Dawu, Fan Sui resigned and recommended Cai Ze as his prime minister.Fan Sui's result can be regarded as a successful retirement, "fat escape".It is passed on to others, so that they can enjoy their old age in peace, so the disaster did not reach him and his family in the end, and he is really a high-level person.

Story [-]: Han Xin didn't know how to back down and was harmed
In the struggle between Chu and Han, the most important advisers and generals around Liu Bang were Xiao He, Zhang Liang and Han Xin.After Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, Xiao He and Zhang Liang "retired bravely" one after another, and they reached a good end only by being cautious everywhere.However, Han Xin became the victim of "the rabbit died while the dog cooked".

Han Xin's command of marching and fighting is indeed a superior move, and it is also a wise choice for Liu Bang to worship him as a general.However, Liu Bang has always been wary of him. In the final analysis, this kind of psychology is the emperor's worry about his inability to control his subjects, and he is always afraid that Han Xin will rebel against him by relying on his merits.Han Xin's military ability is indeed very high, but in terms of political struggle, his level is relatively poor.He always had illusions about Liu Bang, thinking that he had made special military exploits for Liu Bang, and Liu Bang would not do anything to him.Therefore, in front of Liu Bang, he has no scruples and speaks without restraint.

One day, when the two were discussing the pros and cons of the generals, Liu Bang asked, "How many soldiers and horses do you think I can lead?" Han Xin blurted out: "Your Majesty can only lead one hundred thousand." Liu Bang asked, "How many soldiers and horses can you lead?" " Han Xin said confidently: "The more the better." Liu Bang smiled: "The more you are, the better, why are you under my control?" Han Xin replied honestly: "Your Majesty is not good at commanding troops, but he is good at controlling generals." Liu Bang's suspicion of Han Xin, No one can realize it, let alone Han Xin himself, who is unaware of it.

Kuai Tong is a very intelligent debater. He has long been aware of Liu Bang's suspicion of Han Xin, and once persuaded Han Xin to leave Liu Bang's side as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.Han Xin was indifferent after hearing this, and still went his own way.After Liu Bang officially ascended the throne as emperor, Han Xin was relegated from the former false king of Qi to Marquis of Huaiyin, feeling unhappy.Therefore, Chen Xi, who was unwilling to go out with Liu Bang to rebel.Empress Lu took this opportunity to attack Han Xin.She asked Xiao He to persuade Han Xin to enter the palace under the pretext that Han Xin's entourage, Luan, reported that Han Xin had conspired with Chen Xi.Xiao He came to Han Xin's mansion and said: "Now all the civil and military men and women of the Manchu Dynasty come to the palace to congratulate the Lord on his victory in defeating Chen Xi. Isn't it inappropriate for you to say that you will not go away?" Han Xin listened to his words and had to follow him into the palace.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the palace gate, the ambush soldiers who had already set up jumped up and arrested Han Xin.In Changle Palace, Empress Lu scolded angrily: "Why did you give an ultimatum to Chen Xi?" Han Xin was puzzled: "Where did you start?" Empress Lu immediately announced without any explanation: "Now here is the edict of the Lord, saying that Chen Xi Xi's rebellion was all at your instigation, and your followers have also exposed the matter, so what else can you say?" Before Han Xin could plead, Empress Lu ordered him to be pushed out and beheaded, and executed immediately.

In this historical story, if Han Xin had obeyed Kuai Tong's words and left Liu Bang as soon as possible, he probably would not have suffered from this disaster.If Han Xin himself had been wiser and retreated bravely or behaved cautiously like Zhang Liang and Xiao He, I am afraid that he would not have suffered such a sad ending. "Take it as soon as you see it, so that you can do it for yourself", don't get too hot-headed because of greed for temporary wealth, this is the lesson we should learn from it.

Story [-]: Liu Wenhan throws away old shoes
In the early 20s, Liu Wenhan, a Hong Kong native, accidentally learned that wigs had great market potential in the United States during a conversation with an American friend.Later, through careful understanding and investigation, he found that the "fake fever" in the United States did have its profound social reasons: at that time, the blacks in the United States opposed racial discrimination, struggled for equal rights, and the massive student movement against the Vietnam War. Synthesized a huge trend, impacting the political circles of the United States.In the turbulent society, some hippies with long hair appeared, so wearing wigs became a popular fashion at that time.The market demand for wigs has also expanded unprecedentedly, which undoubtedly created an unprecedented golden age for the wig manufacturing industry.

After Liu Wenhan saw the broad prospects of the wig market, he immediately started making wigs.From the source of raw materials to the production personnel and production process, all are inspected one by one.At that time, some people in Hong Kong used real hair imported from India and Indonesia to make hair hats for various hairstyles. The cost was quite low, but the price of the finished product was as high as 300 Hong Kong dollars.After some deep thinking, Liu Wenhan immediately made a major decision, deciding to set up a wig factory in Hong Kong and sell it in the US market.

At that time, there was no factory producing wigs in Hong Kong, and even a sample of wigs needed by the American market could not be obtained. Liu Wenhan did not know anything about this industry.So he hired a master who specializes in making wigs and wigs for Cantonese opera actors as a production consultant, and modernized the traditional wig making process. At the same time, he purchased wig making machines and raw materials overseas.Finally, the first batch of wigs were successfully produced.

When Liu Wenhan brought a new type of wig made by himself to the American Lane Crawford Company, the senior staff of Lane Crawford Company could not believe that such a high-quality wig would be made in a Hong Kong factory.Because before this, there was not a decent wig factory in Hong Kong.Most of the wigs imported to the United States are produced in French factories.It's incredible how fast Hong Kong is developing.

Lane Crawford was very satisfied with the quality of Liu Wenhan's wigs, and immediately signed a contract with him to purchase 100 wigs per month, each at a price of HK$500, which is only 1/3 of the price of similar products in France.After the first shot was fired, the news spread like wildfire, and orders flew in like snowflakes. Liu Wenhan's wallet quickly swelled up, and he soon became a rich man in Hong Kong.

A year later, Hong Kong developed more than 300 wig manufacturing factories, employing thousands of workers.During the decade of the 20s,

The total export value of Hong Kong's wigs is as high as 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, ranking fourth among Hong Kong's export products.Liu Wenhan was elected as the chairman of the Hong Kong Wig Manufacturers Association and is known as the "father of the wig industry".

There is a good saying: "If old shoes are not broken, you have to throw them away; old business is easy to do, and you have to change it." So he made a decisive decision, retreated bravely, put down the wig manufacturing industry, and returned to Australia, where he was born, to create Winemaking.He first bought a vineyard only 10 kilometers away from Sydney, and then bought a local winery with tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.In the late 20s, the demand for wigs in the United States subsided like a tide, and wig manufacturers in Hong Kong also closed down.But Liu Wenhan, known as the "father of wigs", is safe and sound, and has no loss, and also owns a large winery that ranks among the top 70 in Australia.

"Willing to stop" requires wisdom and foresight, as well as careful and meticulous thinking.Make up your mind, then break the boat and act decisively.Only when you stop in time can you fully demonstrate the vision of a master.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

To be a person and do things, we must not only "advance when we know the time", but also "retire when the time is right".As the saying goes: "Flowers are impermanent to be good, and the moon is impermanent to be round", so "you have to look back when you get some benefits."A good decision to retreat is as lauded as a great victory.

If you lack a wise judgment on the environment at that time, and you are so attached to it that you should advance instead of retreating, you should retreat instead of advancing, then you will not only be in a dangerous situation, but it will also be difficult for others to feel sympathy for you. Heart.On the road of life, it is very important to be able to accurately grasp the timing and adjust your goal. When it is time to retreat, you must retreat, and you must be able to retreat.

The ancients said: "Retiring after success is the way of heaven; knowing and retreating is the way of doing." After achieving success and fame, you should choose to retreat bravely, so as to conform to the laws of nature.For fame and fortune, a wise person can endure the desire for power and retreat completely.If your career has reached its peak and you still don't realize the downturn is coming, it won't be long before you hit a rocky spot.

Generally speaking, disasters are often planted in the heyday, and a certain kind of opportunity often sows good fruits in adversity.If a person can "retire" at an appropriate time, whether it is voluntary or forced, it is a good turning point for him, because it allows him to set aside enough time to observe and think, so that You find your own inner real world at this time.

In the vast sea of ​​people, in the vast world, there are straight roads and rough roads.If a person wants to stand upright and stand upright, he must know the principles of maneuvering, judging the situation, advancing and retreating according to the fate, and being cautious about the end as the beginning.

People who really know how to play poker can always stop after winning money. "Stop when you see a good deal, and don't be greedy in life" is a famous saying that wise people always remember.Throughout the ages, there have been many heroes who can do "addition", but very few wise men who can do "subtraction".Instead of being wiped out by "subtraction" by the outside world, it is better to do "subtraction" ourselves first, stop the game suddenly, and escape the control of the original game rules, so that our life will be safe.

To manage one's life lies in being able to learn to be patient.We must win in strategy and in execution. We should not look back at the road we have traveled because of the gains and losses of one city and one place overnight.As the saying goes, "If you make progress, think backwards, and you will avoid the disaster of the vassal; if you try to let go when you start, you will get rid of the danger of riding a tiger." This way of living in a curve of retreat is sometimes more effective than the way of living in a straight line. .New hope is bred in retreat, which is also a manifestation of a better understanding of life.

(End of this chapter)