During the Han Dynasty, there was a historian named Sima Qian. One day, the emperor got a message that the captain from northern China. It said that the general (将军) Li Ling had given in (投降) to the enemy. The emperor was very angry with Li Ling. But Sima Qian didn’t say a word.

The emperor asked Sima Qian what he thought about the matter. He answered, “The enemy has 30,000 soldiers, but Li has only 5,000 men. He has been fighting hard for more than ten days. Li only gave in because they had run out of food. I believe he is waiting for another chance to attack.”

When the emperor heard his words, he got even angrier. He punished Sima Qian badly. Sima Qian felt so humiliated (受辱的) that he once wanted to kill himself. But in a letter to his friend, “If I die now, it’s like one hair falling from nine cows. I don’t want to die like a nobody. I will first finish the history book that I am writing.

Later, Sima Qian did finish the book, Records of the Grand Historian (《史记》)

Modesty(谦逊) is a valuable quality in many cultures around the world. In China, this is no different. However, the phrase “毛遂自荐” seems to disagree with this.

During the Warring States Period, the Qin army marched(进军) on Handan. Seeing that Handan was in danger, Prince Pingyuan sought help from the state of Chu. He wanted to pick 20 talented people to go with him. However, he could only find 19 people who were good enough. Then, a man named Mao Sui volunteered.

Prince Pingyuan looked at Mao Sui with doubt, “How long have you been here with me?”

“Three years,” Mao Sui answered.

“I hear that a person with talent is like an awl(锥子) in a cloth bag. Its sharp point will soon pierce(戳) through the bag. You’ve been here for a long time, but I haven’t seen any of your achievements. Maybe you don’t have any talent.” said Prince Pingyuan.

“What I’m asking you now is to put me into that bag. If you do that, I will pierce through it. But not only the point—the whole awl,” Mao Sui said confidently.

Impressed, Prince Pingyuan allowed Mao to join his team, and Mao proved very helpful. Now the phrase “Mao Sui recommending himself” is used to describe someone who volunteers to do a task.

However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance(傲慢). It’s important to believe in yourself, but a strong ego can harm your career and professional relationships. So we recommend letting your work speak for itself.

In the Warring States Period, there were many shining names in the river of the history, Lian Po and Lin Xiangru were among them. Both of them were generals of the State of Zhao. They both contributed a lot to their country. Lian Po was good at fighting against enemies in the war while Lin Xiangru was strong in providing wise suggestions for the king.

One day, Lin Xiangru took a lot of trouble to get a valuable jade (壁) back for the king. Then the king highly praised him. Lian Po felt unhappy and said, “I’ll make Lin Xiangru feel ashamed and foolish the next time I meet him.” Lin Xiangru heard of this from others. In order not to cause trouble, he tried his best to avoid meeting Lian Po. Because Lin Xiangru put benefit of the country first, he thought that any trouble between him and Lian Po would be used by the enemy of their country. So he kept silent.

Later when Lian Po realized his mistake, he was so ashamed that he went to Lin Xiangru’s home carrying brambles on his back and asked for punishment. Lin Xiangru welcomed him warmly and considered him as his best friend.

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