Xu Wugui (14)

1 Each medicine, such as wolfsbane, radix platycodi, cockscomb grifola has its unique function and is precious when being used properly for certain disease. But it is no use to other disease and even is harmful to the patient. For example, a patient needs to emit heat while you treat him with the medicine that makes him cool, which may worsen the disease.

2 As Goujian underwent self-imposed hardships to strengthen his country, Wen Zhong was his major lieutenant who helped him to enforce army and rejuvenated the country. Wen Zhong should know his own strongpoint, and leave at once when accomplished his mission; just as Fan Yu did, to go far away from Goujian and act as Taozhu Daddy in state of Qi. Wen Zhong didn’t know that Goujian was a person whom he could suffer with but couldn’t enjoy the success with. Therefore, Wen Zhong incurred the killing.

3 So, people said that eyes of owl can see in the evening but it is blind in day; Crane’s neck is long enough to catch fish and insect, but to be a woodpecker, crane is no good.

4 We should know that each thing has its strongpoint and shortcoming, and we should not misuse them.

5 When wind blows through the surface of water, it brings away some vapor. When sunlight casts on water, it vapors some water too. Under the continuous condition of wind blowing and sunlight casting, water flow appears to reduce less.

6 The reason for the phenomenon is that water flow has a source that keeps sending out water. The property of the “effect of source” is that its process is slow and persistent, so it is not easy to be found.

7 Water have influence on the changes of land, temperature and other creatures. For instance, it may cause desertification, wetland or aridness. Also, a material may change due to other material. These changes have influence or do harm but their processes are gradual and slight.

8 For the same reason, eyes do harm to sight, so did ears to hearing and mind to comprehension. Each function of body (vision, sound, smell, taste and touch) can do harm to its responding organ (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin).

9 After doing harm, our body can’t however, make up for themselves, because the harm keeps accumulation and increasing. Therefore, the aging phenomenon appears.

10 The abuse of eyes, ears, nose, body and consciousness is the real reason for our aging, but we think vision, sound, smell, taste and touch are precious. Isn’t it woeful?

11 Dynasties substituted one after another and war happened every now and then, which results directly from the people who don’t know what the source of disasters is. The people don’t know that strategists, intellects and politicians are the accused, though they are useful in our society in some ways. It is because people don’t beware of them, and let them have the opportunity to do evils.