Citing six heroes elevated from hardship, Mencius states adversity tempers character and builds capability. People grow through mistakes and struggles; states without critics or external threats collapse. Thus hardship sustains life, ease brings ruin.
This article explains Sun Tzu’s tactic of feigning humility to inflate enemy arrogance. Modu Chanyu yielded treasures and his wife to lull Donghu, then crushed them. It also parallels Lu Xun’s flattering ploy that tricked arrogant Guan Yu into losing Jingzhou.
by Han Fei Long ago, Duke Wu of Zheng wanted to attack the State of Hu.
When you face trying circumstances, everything that you encounter has the effect of bitter medicinal herbs and the stone needles used in acupuncture. These needles and medicines serve to refine your character and conduct, although you do not realize it.
An unruly horse can still be ridden after taming. Melted metals from the smelting furnace are returned to the mould.
To constantly hear words that grate upon the ear and to always encounter matters that unsettle the heart—this is the whetstone for cultivating virtue.
To know that you do not know—that is true wisdom.Not to know yet think you know—that is affliction. Only by recognizing affliction as affliction can one avoid affliction.The sage is free from affliction because he recognizes affliction as such—thus he remains unafflicted.