千字文 / The Thousand Character Classic, part 46

靡恃己長

mí shì jǐ cháng 

"do not rely on one's own merits"

Just as one shouldn't talk too much shit about others, one shouldn't think too much of oneself, no matter how skilled or talented one might be. 

The characters used for "shortcomings" (短) and "merits"(長) mean, among other things, "short" and "long," respectively. When used together in modern Chinese, 長短 can mean "length," as well as "right and wrong" or "good and evil." The use of two antonymous characters to express the concept that connects them is pretty common in Chinese.

微臣
史大偉

千字文 / The Thousand Character Classic, part 45

罔談彼短

wǎng tán bǐ duǎn 

"do not discuss the shortcomings of others"

 

This line directly corresponds to the following one, so I'll write that one up in a minute. I'm relying on my own skills and usual Chinese reading tools at the moment, since I'm still in isolation and my 千字文 materials are in the other room (where my wife could get them for me, but I don't want to bother her since she's got things to do).

While it can be cathartic to talk shit about someone else's failings, and in some cases is a completely necessary step towards resolving problems involving or caused by that person, the Thousand Character Classic wisely warns against it. Focusing on another's shortcomings allows you to ignore your own, and to deflect any blame that might rightfully fall on you. Besides, it's just shitty and unconstructive to snipe at people all the time. 

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史大偉

The Plague, At Last

Early on in the pandemic, I told myself that it was only a matter of time until I got COVID-19: not if, but when. And behold! The time has come.

I woke up feeling sore and congested in the middle of the night a couple days ago, and on a hunch took a COVID test, which came back resoundingly positive. I have since spent my time quarantined in our guest bedroom, and will be here for several more days. Physically, I think the worst is over, and it hasn't been all that bad in the first place, thanks to vaccinations and what I hope is a fairly robust immune system. Any discomfort at this point is due mostly to spending far more time sitting or lying down than I'm used to, and to congestion, though I still have little energy or motivation. (I'm surrounded by books and want to read none of them.)

I quite smoking about three months into the pandemic. My habit had dwindled down to a few cigarettes a day by then, and most of those were purely routine nicotine addiction maintenance, so along with the concerns caused by COVID's penchant for pulmonary damage, it wasn't too hard to stop completely. It's now been two years and two days since I had a cigarette or used tobacco in any form, and I'm grateful that I didn't get COVID any sooner. I've got over 20 years of lung damage to cope with, and I sure as shit don't need that compounded.

I'm not proud to admit that I've been lax these last few months about COVID protocols, primarily mask-wearing, so I bear a good deal of responsibility for my current state. Things seemed to be getting better—or rather, not getting any worse, at least among the vaccinated population—and restrictions were lifted at work and elsewhere, so I got complacent. I'm less concerned about how this has affected me than I am about how my behavior has impacted others, so from now on I'll be more cautious.

All right, time to get some rest. I had to stop writing in order to repair the bed frame, which collapsed under me, and I did not have the energy for manhandling mattresses and box springs in a tight space, not to mention hammering nails. I am, as seems to be the case every five minutes since I got sick, exhausted.

千字文 / The Thousand Character Classic, part 44

得能莫忘

dé néng mò wàng

"If you gain an ability, do not ignore it"

Paar, in my edition of the 千字文, parenthetically notes that the ability (or as he puts it, "capacity") is "for virtue": should you develop the capacity for virtue, don't neglect it. There's nothing in the line that immediately points to "virtue" as an underlying object of discussion, other than that the character most frequently associated with virtue, 德, is pronounced the same way and in the same tone. Not that this would've necessarily been the case when the Thousand Character Classic was assembled, since spoken Chinese has, like all languages, changed a great deal over time; nevertheless, you could replace 得 with 德 in this line and it'd still make sense.

Whether or not one's newly-acquired ability or capacity is for virtue or something else entirely, this is another good bit of practical wisdom that takes little effort—literally—to ignore. How many of us have been told we have a real knack for something, especially something we worked hard to get good at, only to turn our attention elsewhere and let our skills atrophy? 

If you couldn't tell already, I'm pretty much always up for talking shit about Confucian moralizing, and moralizing in general, but I guess I've reached the point in life when watching someone piss away talent, or the stronger points of their character, for no good reason bothers me more than it would have in the past. I still don't think that anyone should be pressured into doing something they don't want to do—just because you're good at, say, painting doesn't mean you're obligated to paint—but it can be a bummer to see potential get squandered, even if it's that person's right to squander it.

微臣
史大偉