By Guo Zhensheng

My father received little education and seldom talks in his daily life; but he has delved deep into the mystery of Chinese characters,and even has a unique interpretation about some of them.

I remember when I graduated and found a job,my father prepared some food at home and asked me to drink with him.Though a moderate drinker,he drank a lot that evening.His face became rosy,and he started to talk more.

“Now my little boy is a grown-up.In your future life,I tell ya,there’s nothing more important than understanding two characters,輸 (shū) and 贏(yíng).”

“Okay...What about them?”

“Well.Let’s begin with 贏 ,‘winning.’ The character of 贏 can be separated into five characters,亡 (wáng),口 (kǒu),月 (yuè),貝(bèi),and 凡 (fán).The first one,亡 ,means ‘death.’ That is to say,if you want to win,firstly you have to overcome the fear of death.One who doesn’t fear death will fear nothing,right? Such a desperate fighter can win anything!”

These words did make sense.I became interested.

“The next one is 口 ,‘mouth.’Mouth is related to two things,reputation and eloquence.The former is all about how other people talk about you,and the latter is all about your skill of talking with your own mouth.Both of them are key to success.

“月 ,‘moon’ or ‘month,’ is related to time,and you need time to become better.

“貝 ,‘seashell,’ is the ancient form of money,and your attitude towards money is essential.You should neither ignore its power nor care about it too much.

“And the last character,凡,‘ordinariness,’ is like a warning to you.Only one who refuses to be ordinary can be a winner.”

The unexpected explanation of my father about winning was so thought provoking that I went silent.Seeing his deeply impressed son,my father patted me on the shoulder and said,“And don’t forget 輸 ,‘losing,’ the twin brother of 贏 !”

“Oh yes! Please enlighten me,father!”

My father was in no hurry.He gave me a gentle smile,lit a cigarette,took a drag slowly and then resumed his sermon.

“The character of 輸 also can be separated into five characters,車(chē),人 (rén),一 (yī),月 (yuè),and刂 (dāo).The first one,車 ,here means 前車之鑒 ,‘lessons drawn from others’ mistakes,’which is important if you don’t want to lose the same way as some others did.

“人 ,‘person,’ here means interpersonal connections.Only after useful connections have been established you can make a business.If you don’t understand the importance of such connections,you will surely lose.一 ,‘one.’ You should keep pursuing one goal until you achieve it.You should do one thing at a time.Forget that and you lose.

“月 in 輸 means ‘moon’ other than ‘month.’ A moon may be the only light at night; this character tells you not to lose your hope even in the complete darkness.

“And the last character is the most important.刂 is another form of 刀 ,‘knife’ or ‘blade.’ If you hold a blade,it means you are cautious of potential danger,and are prepared to defend yourself.However,you have to remove that blade from your mind when the time is right.Open your heart to your close friends and trusted partners,or you will lose in the end.”

My father’s explanation of 輸and 贏 did enlighten me.I never thought these familiar Chinese characters could be so charming,and so full of life’s philosophy.