Allegory

”It is upon bad fortune that good fortune leans, upon good fortune that bad fortune rests. “ – Lao Tzu There lived an old man near the frontier who was skilled in divination. One day, his horse ran off to the lands of the nomadic tribes beyond the border. The neighbours all came to console…

It is said that Chinese think long term. This allegory captures this mentality well. Once upon a time, there was an old man called Yu Gong (愚公 Foolish Old Man), who was nearly ninety years old. In front of his house stood two huge mountains, the Taihang Mountain and the Wangwu Mountain, spanning three hundred…