The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 92 Patiently Waiting for the Opportunity to Arrive——Qianlong, Don’t Use It
【Original Code】

Ninth day, Qianlong, do not use.

"Xiang" said: Qianlong, don't use it, the sun is below.

——"Book of Changes Dry"

【Interpretation】

The ninth line of the hexagram "Qian" said: The dragon lurks in the water to recharge its energy and store up its energy, and it can't play its role yet.

"Xiang Zhuan" says: The dragon lurks in the water, and it can only be used if it is not used for a while. The yang energy is not yet abundant, and the corresponding rules must be followed in the lower position.

The "hidden" mentioned in the ninth line of the first day means to learn to be patient when the time is not ripe, to keep hidden and not revealed, and not to be used for the time being. "do not use"

It is to follow the nature, do not do it lightly for the time being, do not force yourself when the time comes, wait for the opportunity in forbearance, accumulate a lot and make a fortune, and then you can make a big difference instead of doing nothing.

The ancients said: "The hermit is clever, saves trouble and is safe." "Don't use Qianlong" is a magic weapon to protect oneself. A talented and ambitious person should not show his superiority by showing his superiority when the time is not ripe. Don't be competitive and too upright, but work hard, lurk in the water like a dragon, recharge your energy, and wait for the right time for you.

【Category】

Story [-]: Gou Jian's hard work and courage

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Fu Chai defeated Goujian, and the state of Wu took the opportunity to coerce Goujian and his wife to serve as slaves in the state of Wu.Gou Jian entrusted the state affairs to Wen Zhong, a doctor, and asked Fan Li to come to Wu State with him.Fu Chai asked Gou Jian to lead the horse for him, which was insulting. Gou Jian also acted like a slave, very tame.

Once Fu Chai fell ill, Gou Jian secretly ordered Fan Li to visit him.Fan Li came back and told him that Fu Chai's illness would be cured soon.So Gou Jian went to see Fu Chai in person on the grounds of "inquiring about his illness", and tasted Fu Chai's feces in front of everyone.After that, he congratulated Fu Chai, saying that the king's illness would improve in a few days, and knelt down to Fu Chai.Leaning close to him, he told him, "I once learned from a famous doctor. You can tell the severity of your condition just by tasting the feces of a patient. Just now, I tasted the feces of the great king. It tasted sour and a little bit bitter. It's worth it." Seasonal qi disease', peace of mind and self-cultivation will definitely improve, Your Majesty need not worry too much."

After a few days, Fu Chai really got better. Moved by Gou Jian's words and actions, Fu Chai felt compassion and sent him to Yue.After Goujian returned to the Yue Kingdom, he didn't approach women, he didn't watch singing and dancing, he caressed the officials and educated the people.He farms and eats by himself, and relies on his wife to weave and dress himself. He does not eat delicacies from mountains and seas, and does not wear silk or satin.Goujian didn't even want to use a mattress. The bed was full of dry firewood and hay. He hung a gallbladder by the bedside and tasted it every day, so as to remind himself not to forget the humiliation and suffering he had suffered.

He also often went to other places to inspect and visit the orphans, widows, old, weak, sick and disabled.The officials loved him even more, so he said to them: "I am going to fight with the Wu soldiers. I hope that you will show sympathy and courage to fight for the first place. I will intersect with the king of Wu and die in hand-to-hand combat. This is my long-cherished wish in my life. If this is not possible If it is done, I will abandon the country, bid farewell to the ministers, change my appearance and name, in order to find an opportunity to fight Wu. I know that this will be humiliated by the people of the world, but I have made up my mind, and I must realize this wish!"

Finally, the two countries of Wu and Yue fought a decisive battle.The Vietnamese army was extremely brave, and the Wu army was defeated.The Vietnamese army surrounded the palace of King Wu, captured the city gate, captured Fucha alive, and killed his prime minister.After the destruction of Wu, the power of the Yue State was greatly enhanced, and the people's hearts were happy, and the Yue State became the hegemony among the princes.

In the wisdom of life in ancient my country, we attach great importance to "tide and concealment", that is, one's own goals of action cannot be easily exposed, and must be covered up to a certain extent. Only after the success of a major undertaking can the way of success be discussed.How to grasp one's aspirations and goals in the practice of life has become a major issue in the correct use of the strategy of hiding.

Story [-]: King Zhuang of Chu became a blockbuster

When King Zhuang of Chu ascended the throne in the Spring and Autumn Period, he wanted to know how many people would be loyal to him, so he came up with a trick.He didn't care about state affairs, he only knew about hunting for entertainment every day, and when he returned to the palace, he would drink and have fun with the maids day and night.He also hung an order at the gate of the court: "Anyone who dares to speak out will die without pardon!"

One day, a man named Cheng Gongjia came to see King Zhuang. King Zhuang asked, "Do you want to drink or listen to music? Or do you have something to say to me?" Cheng Gongjia replied, "I don't drink, I don’t listen to music either, I’m here to tell you some hidden words to relieve your boredom.”

Chenggong Jia told King Zhuang of Chu such a hidden saying.He said: "There is a big bird with five-color patterns on its body. It has been inhabiting the high slopes of Chu State for three years. I have never seen it fly high or sing. I don't know what kind of bird it is?"

Zhuang Wang replied: "I know, this is definitely not an ordinary bird. If you don't fly for three years, you are deciding your ambition; if you don't fly for three years, you are growing your wings and accumulating strength; if you don't sing for three years, you are observing the surroundings." Situation. If the bird does not fly, it will soar into the sky; if it does not sing, it will become a blockbuster." In fact, King Zhuang understood the meaning of Cheng Gong Jia Yin's words, and his answer was exactly to express his intention.

It turned out that King Zhuang of Chu was underage when he came to the throne.His two teachers, Dou Ke (also known as Ziyi) and Gongzi Xie, have great power and gang up to make trouble.

After King Zhuang came to the throne, they falsely passed on the king's order to send Yin Zikong and Pan Chong to fight. When Zikong and Pan Chong went out to fight, they divided the property of Zikong and Pan Chong, and sent someone to assassinate Zikong. .When the conspiracy was revealed, Dou Ke and Gongzi Xie took Zhuang Wang hostage and fled.King Zhuang returned to the capital to take charge after being rescued in Ludi.In this situation, Zhuang Wang had no choice but to use neither flying nor singing as a cover.Now that the wings have gradually grown, Zhuang Wang then said to Chenggong Jia: "I know what to do, just wait and see the result."

The next day, King Zhuang went to the court to govern, promoted five talented officials, and punished more than a dozen corrupt officials who committed crimes. The people rejoiced.Then, King Zhuang issued an order to send Zheng Gongzi back to attack the Song Dynasty, and Yao Jia to attack the Jin army to save Zheng Guo from danger.The results are all successful.Zheng Gongzigui defeated the Song people, captured the ruler of Song State Hua Yuan, defeated the Jin army, and captured the Jin army general Xie Yang.Since then, the strength of the Chu State has become stronger and stronger, and King Zhuang also began to prepare for the hegemony of the Central Plains, and later became one of the "Five Hegemons" in one fell swoop.

The reason why King Zhuang of Chu refused to reveal his purpose prematurely was to finally realize his hegemony.When he succeeds, he dares to challenge publicly, because no one can change his dominance, so there is no need to hide and hide.For this reason, whether to adopt the policy of keeping a low profile is only a conclusion drawn after analyzing the situation in which one was in at that time.

It can be seen that when doing things, we must actively avoid "changes between good and evil, and conflicts between interests and interests", wait patiently for the opportunity, and act according to the camera.Otherwise, going forward bravely may make you turn your back on your back. Only "waiting quietly and recharging your energy" is the fundamental truth.

Story [-]: Liu Bang "endures his anger" to achieve great things

Xiang Yu flattened the Qin army in the Battle of Julu and became an invincible hero in the world. He divided the kings, but only gave Liu Bang a small Han King.Not only that, Xiang Yu also sent three generals from the Qin Dynasty to lead troops in Guanzhong to contain Liu Bang's forces.For example, according to the agreement of the king of Chu, Liu Bang was originally the king of Guanzhong, but now not only has he not become the king of Guanzhong, but even his fiefdom has changed, so he was furious and wanted to fight Xiang Yu desperately.Under the persuasion of all the counselors, he held back, and finally achieved his great cause after recuperating.If Liu Bang couldn't bear it at that time, but impulsively led his troops to fight Xiang Yu, the result could be imagined.

According to the agreement of the king of Chu, the first to enter the pass will be the king of Guanzhong.Liu Bang was the first to pass, but Xiang Yu aggressively came to Xingshi to inquire about his crimes, and held a Hongmen banquet, and even Xiang Zhuang danced his sword, hoping to assassinate Liu Bang.Liu Bang was on the verge of death, Xiang Bo drew his sword and danced to protect him with his body. Later, Zhang Liang, a counselor next to Liu Bang, came up with a way to escape and escaped.If Liu Bang couldn't bear it at this time and competed with Xiang Yu, the consequences would naturally be unimaginable.

Liu Bang ruled the world and became the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and then the Huns invaded the frontier.In order to promote the prestige of the country, he personally led the army to the north to fight against the Huns.The Huns were not only good at fighting, but also had many tricks. They designed to trap Liu Bang in Baideng Mountain, and then used Chen Ping's trick to escape.Since he couldn't think of a better way to restrain the Xiongnu, Liu Jing proposed a marriage strategy.He picked the daughter of the clan from the harem and sent her to make peace with the Huns.In this way, the frontier was finally stabilized and the people in the frontier fortress were protected from the suffering of swordsmen.It is a wise strategy to bring peace to the world through peace. If Liu Bang can't bear it and raises his teacher, it is very likely that he will be trapped again.Liu Bang raised troops in Pei County, and his power has always been weak, but he has self-knowledge, endures everywhere, and finally dominates the world and achieves hegemony.In real life, one must be good at patience and waiting for opportunities when dealing with people and things. This is the best decision to successfully embark on the road to success.

Story [-]: Liu Bei grows vegetables in the back garden
There is a passage in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that tells the story of Liu Bei and Cao Cao "cooking green plums and cooking wine to discuss heroes".

At that time, Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu and had no choice but to defect to Cao Cao.Cao Cao "took the emperor to order the princes", holding the power of life and death in the court, and Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was actually a puppet.So Liu Bei planted vegetables in the back garden of his residence to show that he "has no ambitions", and even hid his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Guan and Zhang once said: "Brothers don't pay attention to world affairs , and learn the things of villains, why?"

In fact, Liu Bei's strategy was "Don't use Qianlong, don't use it", so as to prevent Cao Cao from seeing through and murdering him.In front of Cao Cao, Liu Bei tried his best to pretend to be doing nothing, watering and planting vegetables in the vegetable garden every day, hoeing the ground and loosening the soil.Because Liu Bei knew that Cao Cao was a traitor all his life and could not tolerate the existence of heroes who competed with him. Only by showing a lack of ambition would he not attract Cao Cao's attention in order to save his own strength.

How smart is Cao Cao?He thought that there must be a reason for Liu Bei to suddenly grow vegetables.So he sent Xu Chu and Zhang Liao to lead dozens of people into the garden and invited Liu Bei to the prime minister's mansion, "Put green plums on a plate, boil wine in a bottle, sit opposite each other, and drink happily", performing a well-known historical drama.

Cao Cao asked Liu Bei almost knowingly, asking Liu Bei to admit that he was originally a man with heroic ambitions.On the other hand, Liu Bei deliberately pulled others, and first brought out Yuan Shu, who was the most despised, and Cao Cao denounced him as a dry bone in the tomb.Liu Bei also cited Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Liu Zhang and others, but he did not mention Ma Teng and himself who were discussing the Cao League.

Naturally, Cao Cao was dissatisfied, so he simply told him: "Today, the heroes are the only envoys and Cao's ears!" What Liu Bei was worried about was the exposure of the Cao alliance. Hearing Cao Cao calling himself a "hero", he thought that the matter had been exposed. , The spoon in the hand was also frightened and fell to the ground.In order to prevent Cao Cao from doubting himself, he had no choice but to say that he was frightened by thunder.

Cao Cao thought that such a person who is afraid of thunder may not be considered a "hero" at all, but he relaxed his guard against Liu Bei.Later, Liu Bei led the army in the name of crusade against Yuan Shu, "broke through the iron cage to escape the tiger and leopard, and opened the golden lock to escape the dragon", which laid the foundation for his future achievements.

The strategy of keeping a low profile is a strategy used by shrewd people to pretend to be confused. Correct use of the strategy of keeping a low profile is one of the important contents of grasping the wisdom of ancient Chinese life.When one's own strength is still unable to achieve the goal pursued, in order to prevent others from interfering, obstructing, and destroying one's own action plan, he deliberately creates false appearances.Although there are many retreats and forbearance on the surface, it shows people's resilience and inner strength to endure humiliation.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

If we want to make ourselves invincible, we must adapt to the changes of the outside world, hide ourselves flexibly, observe the timing at the same time, and then strike at the critical moment to win the victory.Sometimes retreating is for advancing; sometimes defending is for attacking;To deal with the world in life, we must learn to adapt to change and advance and retreat according to the times, instead of being stubborn and pedantic, and blindly enterprising.The still water flows deep, the sword hides the front, and concealing it is the secret to avoiding disaster.

Wise people are good at basing their intentions on a practical basis. When the conditions are not met and the time is not ripe, they wait patiently for the arrival of luck.Patience is both a skill and a practice.In ancient and modern China and abroad, those who achieve great things are good at patience, grow strong in patience, and seek opportunities for development in patience.

When you have not accumulated enough strength, don't act rashly. You must know that the water is not deep enough, and the big ship can't go.We should consciously cultivate our willpower to endure the world.In order to have a more successful life, we must be prudent and forbearing.

"The time is not ripe, so don't force yourself to stand out." "Strength" has two meanings here. The first meaning is "reluctantly".Although it is possible to achieve unexpected success by reluctantly doing it, this possibility is unlikely. The usual result is that the effort fails, which compromises one's ambition and provokes some ridicule.In the eyes of others, your failure is a manifestation of "insufficient ability" and "overthinking one's abilities".The second meaning is "strength". Although one has sufficient ability, it is not good to do things when the objective environment is not yet mature.If the conditions of the general environment are not suitable, it will take a lot of effort to act forcefully with one's own ability.There is not enough support for you around you, if you want to do things forcefully, you will be suppressed and excluded by others, and you will also hurt others.

Therefore, when the objective environment is unfavorable to you, when you are in a weak position, it is difficult to have the space to display yourself, like a trapped animal.In this situation you have to learn to be patient.Some people encounter this kind of situation and often let their temperament and act according to their emotions. Although they dare not say that doing so will ruin a person's life, but without patience, it will definitely bring negative effects to your career. influences.

In fact, there are not many people who are not good at forbearance and "blessing in misfortune". Most of them are not so happy, and they always sigh when they are middle-aged: "You were so young and vigorous at that time!" This is not to say that they cannot bear it. People with bad luck have bad luck, but those who can't bear it can't bear it wherever they go, can't bear anger, suffering, resentment, and scolding.

The most basic principle of life is to know how to endure.Half of the truth of wisdom is hidden in it. A wise man can penetrate everything in this world and have the ingenuity to escape.Only those who can bear the burden of humiliation can accept great responsibilities and achieve great achievements.Patience is a strength that helps us overcome ourselves.Patience also brings immeasurable peace of mind, which is the source of wisdom and the blessing of the world.

(End of this chapter)