Detailed Explanation of the Lunyu: For All Those Who Misinterpret Confucius (33)
2006/11/21 12:00:00
The Master said: If a person has no far-reaching deliberation, there will certainly be near-clinging calamity.
Yang Bojun: Confucius said: If a person has no long-term considerations, there will certainly be immediate worries.
Qian Mu: The Master said: If a person cannot have far-reaching considerations, there will surely be daily anxieties.
Li Zehou: Confucius said: If a person lacks long-term considerations, there will surely be worries right before their eyes.
Detailed Explanation: On the surface, this is a very simple chapter; beneath the surface, things are not so simple. The key to understanding lies in: what is "far-reaching deliberation"? What is "near-clinging calamity"? None of the three scholars' explanations are penetrating. Taking immediate, day-to-day worries and anxieties as "near calamity" and long-term considerations as "far-reaching deliberation" — such people truly do not know what "far-reaching deliberation" and "near calamity" mean.
"Far" (yuǎn) — profound, deep, the same as in "practices in their appearances, are far-reaching," related to "practice-appearances." Divorced from "practice-appearances," there is no profundity or depth — only fantasy. "Practice-appearances" — first one must understand the "appearances," and to understand the "appearances" one must first understand their rank-order. To understand the rank-order of "appearances," one must have a clear grasp of the present logical relationships of those "appearances." Real existence is inseparable from time and space; real logical relationships must also constitute corresponding spatiotemporal relationships. Grasping real logical relationships requires cutting in from these real spatiotemporal relationships. "Deliberation" (lǜ) — to examine, contemplate, and plan. "Deliberation" is not Hamlet-style; it is the unity of examination, contemplation, and planning — all three are indispensable, and ultimately it must lead to action. Deliberation without action is nothing but fantasy. All the above efforts constitute one link in the chain of "practice," but still not the entirety of "practice." The key to "practice" lies in changing things after grasping the real logical relationships — to transform reality rather than be transformed by it. Only then can one barely qualify as having "far-reaching deliberation." Even in something as small as stock trading, one must have such "far-reaching deliberation"; otherwise, without deep mastery of the market, it will inevitably lead to "near-clinging calamity." One can see this clearly by observing the behavior of those who suffer cumulative losses — they are all typical examples of being transformed by the market.
"Near" (jìn) — to cling and attach, the same as in "dispositional appearances, are near/clinging"; "calamity" — worry, disaster. "Near calamity" — clinging calamity and disaster. Why is this so? Because "a person has no far-reaching deliberation." The seeds of worry and disaster are sown in the present moment; every thought, every action sows seeds. But seeds do not necessarily sprout immediately. Interpreting "near calamity" as immediate worries and troubles reflects a failure to understand this. In reality, many things done without "far-reaching deliberation" — when so-called luck arrives unstoppably and things look rosy with accelerating gains — where are the immediate worries and troubles? If so, is there no "near-clinging calamity"? This is obviously incorrect. Human action must be addressed from its budding signs. The simplest way to avoid eating bitter fruit is not to plant the seeds in the first place. Once the seeds of worry and disaster cling, they will sprout at the first opportunity and bear fruit. Don't think any method can eliminate these seeds — once planted, seeds are without rank-order. More precisely, relative to the real system, seeds are without rank-order. No real-world trick can destroy seeds. Seeds may not sprout immediately, but non-sprouting only means conditions aren't ripe. Once ripe, you can't escape. Worries and disasters that are currently invisible and show no signs are often the fatal ones. And this is the true meaning of "near-clinging calamity."
Between the absence of "far-reaching deliberation" and "near-clinging calamity," Confucius gave the strong judgment of "there will certainly be" (必有), from which we can see the emphasis and importance placed on this. These words are not directed solely at individual persons — they hold equally for families, states, and all under heaven. The society of "people not knowing" is ultimately a society of "people with no far-reaching deliberation," in which every person, every family, every region, every group, every nation, and so on, all exist in a state of "no far-reaching deliberation," thereby planting countless seeds of "calamity," which then "cling near" as worry and disaster. To transform the society of "people not knowing" into the society of "people not being resentful," the first thing to change is this "people with no far-reaching deliberation." Standing upon the understanding of social development, Marx thoroughly transformed the "no far-reaching deliberation" regarding social development. Marx's dissection of capitalist society was precisely the "far-reaching deliberation" upon the present "appearances" of real society. Without this "far-reaching deliberation," there can be no "practice." Marx's five-stage theory of social development is based on the complete classification of the three fundamental logical relationships in reality — "person to person," "person to society," and "person to nature." Without understanding this, one cannot understand his "far-reaching deliberation."
A person, family, state, or all under heaven that can have "far-reaching deliberation" must have the corresponding ability for it. Society must develop to a certain rank-order and display the appearances of a certain rank-order before corresponding "far-reaching deliberation" becomes possible. Any "far-reaching deliberation" is connected to society at a certain rank-order; divorced from a certain rank-order of real society, "far-reaching deliberation" ceases to be meaningful. But the real structure of society has depths and shallows. Some "far-reaching deliberation" can completely see through the deep structure of the entire society. Such "far-reaching deliberation" constitutes the most precious part of the history of human civilization. Confucius and Marx both became pillars of this most precious part. Posterity often uses the excuse that what Confucius said over two thousand years ago couldn't possibly be relevant now, that reality has changed, and so on. Yet they don't know that some "far-reaching deliberation" can penetrate the deep layers of social structure, and the deep layers of social structure have undergone absolutely no change in over two thousand years. Therefore, Confucius's "far-reaching deliberation" is still applicable today. Marx's, of course, is the same.
Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán's Vernacular Translation
The Master said: If a person has no far-reaching deliberation, there will certainly be near-clinging calamity.
Confucius said: If a person lacks profound examination, contemplation, and planning, calamity will inevitably cling.
(To be continued)
Strictly prohibit plagiarism, violators will be prosecuted
Replies
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 12:06:31
Tomorrow I'll continue writing about stocks. Title: "Mathematical Principles for Preventing 'Premature Ejaculation.'"
Old Man Confucius will be favored again the day after tomorrow.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 12:28:19
[Anonymous] nn
2006-11-21 12:24:23
The host's explanation today, while it expanded a bit on what those great scholars said, is essentially the same in meaning. Still giving my support. Also want to ask the host: was that crazy guy correct in his interpretation of your phrase "no position and yet giving birth to its foundation, no foundation and yet giving birth to its position"?
==============
Completely misunderstood. And his understanding of reality is even more off the mark. Reality is not the base position. If reality were the base position, why would we need to transform it? One must transform reality rather than be transformed by it. Marx didn't merely point out that we must start from reality — more importantly, we must change reality.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 12:41:21
Luoguo, you could speak a bit more gently. This is only this ID's suggestion — this ID does not interfere with anyone, as long as their comments aren't deleted by Sina, they can stay.
Market's opening, heading off first. Everyone take your time reading. Goodbye.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 21:57:53
[Anonymous] 傻妞
2006-11-21 21:15:16
"High Zen Master," after listening to your zen-discourse on stock trading, I'm truly impressed! But still in a fog. I'm a beginner retail investor. Let me ask a simple question: which line in the K-chart is the annual line? Please don't laugh — I only recognize the 5, 10, and 20-day lines. Please advise! Also, when will my Dongfang Jinyu (originally G Duojia 600086) go up? Could you analyze it during a water break? Thanks, awaiting your reply!
===================
This ID is not a stock commentator. Talking about stocks is just one aspect of this blog — it's purely hoping that people who come here can learn something. Normally your question shouldn't be answered, because this ID fears that once I start answering questions, this place will turn into a consultation desk. But seeing your sincere request, this ID will make an exception this once. The annual line generally refers to the 250-day moving average, but it can be used on charts of various timeframes — for example, minute charts, hourly charts, weekly charts, monthly charts, etc. For specifically how to set it up, ask someone nearby.
As for your 600086, it has already risen a lot — continuously posting positive monthly candles for 8 months, going from just over 1 yuan to over 7 yuan. A correction is the most normal thing. The key is your entry position. If you bought recently, you need to be prepared to endure the risk of the facing correction. This ID can only tell you its current specific situation. Its biggest long-term resistance is the 70-month moving average. In 2003, the stock hit that line and then fell from 13 yuan all the way down to 1 yuan, so this line is the stock's most important long-term resistance level, currently at 8.36 yuan, declining by 0.3 yuan each month. The mid-term key level is 5.9 yuan — if this position is effectively broken, the correction's magnitude will be significant. Currently, it can be seen as a box consolidation between 5.9 yuan and 7.2 yuan. You can trade short-term within the box — the so-called "sell high and buy back low." For the mid-term, wait for a directional breakout.
But please everyone note: don't casually enter stocks that have risen too much. From the very beginning, learn to exchange the smallest possible risk for the largest possible profit.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 22:05:11
[Anonymous] 冰火
2006-11-21 22:05:15
"But please everyone note: don't casually enter stocks that have risen too much. From the very beginning, learn to exchange the smallest possible risk for the largest possible profit."
============================
I thought experts only play the last frenzy leg. Didn't expect a master like the host to also be so risk-averse.
========================
For long-term victory, one must insist on exchanging the smallest risk for the largest profit. Risk comes first — there's no distinction of high or low here. Losses are measured in percentages. Whether it's ten billion or one million, a 100% loss is zero.
When others abandon it, I don't necessarily pick it up. When others fight for it, I definitely hand it over.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 22:06:05
[Anonymous] 冰火
2006-11-21 22:05:15
"But please everyone note: don't casually enter stocks that have risen too much. From the very beginning, learn to exchange the smallest possible risk for the largest possible profit."
============================
I thought experts only play the last frenzy leg. Didn't expect a master like the host to also be so risk-averse.
========================
For long-term victory, one must insist on exchanging the smallest risk for the largest profit. Risk comes first — there's no distinction of high or low here. Losses are measured in percentages. Whether it's ten billion or one million, a 100% loss is zero.
When others abandon it, I don't necessarily pick it up. When others fight for it, I definitely hand it over.
缠中说禅 2006/11/22 9:19:07
[Anonymous] 冰火
2006-11-22 00:59:00
"Unless the market is particularly bad, they won't let put warrants be exercised, because without exercising, it's just a blank check, while exercising requires real money"
===================
I especially can't understand this statement. Once a warrant is issued, it has legal force — how can a company default like investors buying call warrants? Also, does a company have the ability to manipulate warrant prices?
My questions are too basic — I admit I'm super inexperienced, but if I don't ask clearly I really can't rest in peace!!
====================
Sorry, just came online. If the stock price rises above the put exercise price, the put warrant becomes waste paper — no one will exercise it, because no one would exchange a stock worth 4 yuan for 3 yuan in cash. For example, if the put price is 3 yuan and the current stock price is 4 yuan, no one would do that.
OK, market's opening. Let's watch stocks. Heading off first. Will post the stock-related article at noon. Goodbye.
缠中说禅 2006/11/21 12:05:13
Old Man Confucius's hot pot restaurant is open again — everyone, eat up!