Every year, as the Spring Festival approaches, we find ourselves gripped by the same quiet worry: will the year ahead bring us soaring fortune — or a relentless string of misfortune?
Master Chi believes this is a worry everyone should carry. Everyone, that is, except you.
If you have walked alongside Master Chi this past year — truly walked, growing together — then I am certain you have gathered a wealth of wisdom and inner tools that will serve your rise. That is enough. You need not worry about a thing. Because you have already acquired something far more valuable: the insight to draw nourishment from every joy and sorrow life brings.
Note: Master Chi’s long-form writings on the art of mind are meant to be absorbed in quiet contemplation. Before reading, ensure you have at least ten uninterrupted minutes — and save this for future reference.
On the path of personal advancement, Master Chi has one crucial principle he wants you to carry with you always: every person who has risen to the heights of power and glory — without exception — carries within them some deeply flawed and unsightly imperfections.
After years of wandering the world, Master Chi has had the privilege of observing many powerful clans and distinguished households. If there is one insight to distill from all of it, this phrase captures it best: A family that puts family tradition first will rarely fall into ruin; a family that puts wealth and status first carries the seeds of its own decline.
Those families who measure everything by material standing — so many of them have eventually collapsed amid turbulence, scattered and estranged, their bonds dissolved. The root cause is nothing other than an excess of pragmatism and snobbery.
On the matter of marriage — that great undertaking of a lifetime — Master Chi has one golden principle he hopes you will hold in your heart and live by: before formalizing your marriage commitment, you must bring your partner to share a meal with the most successful and respected acquaintance in your social circle. Prepare for this meal properly — set a generous table, bring some good wine, eat slowly, and let the conversation flow. Afterward, sincerely ask this acquaintance to speak to you candidly about their impressions of both of you — holding nothing back. Yes, it truly is that simple: one meal, a few honest words, and they genuinely can save the course of your entire life.
The hottest topic making the rounds these days is none other than a tech giant’s little princess making her debut in the entertainment world (梨园行 — literally the “Pear Garden,” the traditional term for China’s performance arts industry).
For most people, it’s genuinely baffling. Here’s a girl born with every advantage imaginable — a flawless life trajectory, top-tier resources from day one — choosing to walk into this world. It’s not that entertainment is lowly or beneath anyone. But at its core, the entertainment industry is fundamentally a trade built on getting people to talk about you and keeping eyes on you.
By tradition, the Chinese New Year marks the proper moment for celebration — the most auspicious window to offer congratulations and warm wishes.
But 2020 was truly extraordinary. So extraordinary, in fact, that simply having made it through — even a little worn down — is itself something worth celebrating. These hardships are a chapter worth pausing to remember.
What matters more, however, is this: standing here today and looking toward the year ahead, what we can see before us is already unmistakably bright and full of promise.
As the new year approaches, it is always the finest opportunity to reflect on the full sweep of the year’s experiences. The insight I’ve distilled from this year can be captured in a single line: “A lucky carp seeks only momentary right or wrong; a prosperous dragon decides the length of an entire life.” This is the finest gift this turbulent year of 2020 has given me. Put plainly: being right in the moment doesn’t matter much — being right over a lifetime matters enormously.
Tonight is Christmas Eve in the Western tradition — let me wish you a happy holiday in advance. But rather than simply wishing everyone peace and safety, I thought I’d do something more useful and talk about two topics directly related to “keeping safe.”
This article is divided into two parts. The first covers how to protect your own interests before the big gambling game shows its true face. The second is about protecting yourself on life’s road — inspired by the recent situation involving Master Wu.
As part of the “main text” series that Master Chi writes every so often, this article focuses on how to cultivate and consolidate a powerful personal network in the social arena.
Because this article is intended for those brothers and sisters who are already sharp and gifted, please set aside at least 30 uninterrupted minutes before reading.
My motivation for writing this is simple: I’ve seen far too many readers dragged down by the “foxes and dogs” around them — especially women. Frankly, in today’s world, at least 90% of good women are ruined by the influence of toxic “best friends.”
This morning I came across the story that’s been making waves lately — a driver saved a couple’s child, yet the couple refused to testify on his behalf. I have to say a few words about this.
The question on everyone’s lips: will this couple — who pressured someone into breaking the rules, then walked away without a care — face consequences?
My answer: without a doubt. It’s only a matter of when.