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Someone painted a picture and asked the renowned poet-monk Master Cangxue (1588–1656AD) to inscribe it. Upon seeing the painting, Master Cangxue immediately picked up his brush and wrote this poem: “There is no one under the pine tree; only a game of Go, left unfinished, lies there. Mountain pine cones fall, scattering across the board.…
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During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there was a renowned physician revered as the ‘Father of Medicine’ named Bian Que. On one occasion, King Wen of Wei asked Bian Que, ‘You and your two brothers are all skilled in the art of medicine. Which of you is the best?’ Bian Que replied,…
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Wu Xun (1838–1896) lost his father in childhood and could not afford education. Later, whilst working as a labourer, he was cheated out of three years’ wages by his employer due to his illiteracy, an experience that deeply traumatised him. He set himself the grand ambition of “establishing a charity school for the poor” and…
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“All under heaven bustle about in pursuit of profit; all under heaven jostle about in pursuit of profit.” – Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Merchants “Fame and fortune are the things this fleeting world values most; how many throughout the ages have been able to cast them aside?” – Tang dynasty poem During…
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People who enjoy being flattered to their faces are called “those who delight in wearing high hats.” A court official in the capital was sent to take up a position in the provinces. Before his departure, he went to bid farewell to his teacher. The teacher said, “Being a local official is no easy task;…
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”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…