The greatest asset : Faith
The worst thing to be without : Hope
Where Water Flows, a Channel Will Form
Success will naturally come when the necessary conditions are fulfilled; there is no need for strong pursuit.
Pipa, a Chinese lute, is the king of Chinese folk music.
Its body, by traditional Chinese measurement, is three feet five inches, representing the three powers—heaven, the earth, and man, and the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Meanwhile, the four strings represent the four seasons.
Traditional Chinese paintings:
Bamboo symbolizes loftiness, straightforwardness, and character; orchids symbolize not drifting with the current, of living a simple life; and stones and rocks symbolize strength and durability.
—Qing Yan
via en.minghui.org
Bamboo:
It has pride even before it breaks out of the ground. It is filled with modesty when it is high enough to reach the clouds. — Chinese saying
“A mountain is famous not because it is high but because it has a spirit dwelling in it. A well is efficacious not because it is deep but because it has a dragon hiding in it. No matter how humble my drawing-room is, the fragrance of my virtue has brightened it. Look! The moss has already dyed the steps green! The reflective light of the grass through the bamboo curtain has colored my room a shadowy blue! Easy conversations mingled with merry laughter burst forth from the room now and then. Not a single vulgar person among my friends; they are all learned scholars. Sometimes we play ancient strings and sometimes we enjoy ourselves with the delightful books. There is no decadent music to numb our brains nor office correspondence to weary us to death. Oh! I’ve always longed for Zhu Gouliang’s thatched cottage and yearned for Yang Zhiyun’s pavilion as well. I fancy they were just as humble as mine, weren’t they? Confucius says, ‘What harm will it be to be plain?’”
A Motto for My Humble Drawing-Room : Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty
