This morning I woke to find my phone filled with messages of blessing. For a moment, I couldn’t quite understand why. Opening them, it became clear — today is Teacher’s Day.
Seeing the warm wishes from friends and companions, Master Chi truly feels unworthy of them. The word “teacher” carries real weight — it speaks to the responsibility of passing one’s knowledge on to others. As far as Master Chi is concerned, what I have been doing all along is, at most, sharing: offering my worldview, my observations, my insights as a light embellishment woven into easy conversation. Because deep down, I know well that the knowledge Master Chi holds is, in truth, nothing remarkable — hardly worth mentioning. This is precisely why I believe you — my reader, and especially you — are far more deserving of the title “teacher.” For in you, Master Chi has seen and learned no less than anything I have ever shared with you, even without us ever having met or spoken face to face.
Today, if there is one small piece of advice Master Chi still wishes to offer, it is this: I sincerely hope that you will always carry a spirit of constant learning. Know this — people are never truly harmed by ignorance or shallowness. What you must truly guard against is arrogance and complacency. Once these two dispositions take root in the heart, a person’s height and depth are sealed right there — no further elevation, no further cultivation is possible.
This tends to strike most easily those who have achieved modest success. Their small accomplishments lead them to believe they are exceptionally gifted, even supremely clever — not realizing that their fortunate advantages and early lead, in the eyes of those who have quietly built deep foundations, are easily dismantled.
Indeed, the great life pattern (格局) is, as a rule, achieved late or in middle age. To build something truly enduring, the power to break open new ground often comes from boldness — but the wisdom to govern and sustain it comes entirely from depth. As the saying goes: Having come to know the vastness of heaven and earth, I still cherish the tender green of grass and trees. The more you know, the stronger and purer your inner reserves become. To cultivate this kind of capacity, you must maintain humility and self-awareness permanently, taking all of heaven, earth, and the ten thousand things as your teacher.
Do not look down on those who have failed — in them, you can learn from mistakes. Do not ignore those who are mediocre — in them, you can see the ways of the ordinary world. Do not envy those who have succeeded — from them, you can absorb wisdom. Do not reject those who are base — from them, you can come to understand strategy and cunning. Even your own children may help you reclaim a pure joy long forgotten.
At the same time, keep yourself perpetually on the road of further study. Only then will you discover how narrow and confined your own perspective truly is. Perhaps you are drawn to the fast-moving popular culture of today — but I encourage you to also engage with deeper bodies of knowledge: finance, real estate, politics, history, international relations. Only then will you begin to understand how this world actually operates, so that when life’s crossroads arrive, you won’t be left frozen with indecision.
Perhaps you chase the young and vibrant idols of youth culture — but I encourage you to also appreciate the traditional arts: Chinese ink painting, oil painting, Western fine art, Eastern aesthetics, symphonic music, the classical forms of Peking and Kun opera. Only then will you realize that what you currently enjoy is not yet the most refined pleasure available to you — let alone a matter of true taste and sensibility.
All of the above comes from Master Chi’s heart, and is offered only to you — my reader, my teacher.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude for your companionship along the way. May our connection endure, and may we always, on life’s long road, teach and guide one another as we climb together.
One who takes heaven and earth as teacher — their life pattern will stand shoulder to shoulder with heaven and earth. One who carries the spirit of constant learning — their destiny will forever grow and never cease.