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Brief: This article tells Zhang Liang’s legendary encounter with the Yellow‑Stone Elder. After a failed assassination on Qin Shi Huang, Zhang met the old man on a bridge, who tested his patience and rewarded him with Taigong’s Art of War. This wisdom shaped him into a key strategist for the Han Dynasty.
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The Master said, “Clever words corrupt virtue; lacking patience in small matters disrupts great plans.”
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Zixia, serving as magistrate of Jufu, asked Confucius about governance. The Master said, “Do not seek speed; do not pursue small gains. If you rush, you will not succeed; if you focus on petty profits, you will never accomplish great things.”
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When a family member makes a mistake, one must not fly into a rage; nor should one gloss over the mistake as if nothing had happened.
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A schoolboy was playing truant in the street when he saw an old woman grinding an iron pestle on a stone.
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Chapter 64 emphasizes preventive action, alignment with natural cycles, and the wisdom of addressing problems before they arise.