Heaven has unpredictable weather; people have unpredictable gains and losses.

A centipede has a hundred feet, but a snake travels faster;

a highly expensive chicken has wings but a crow, which fetches no coin, flies much better;

a horse can travel a thousand leagues, but many other animals can complete that journey;

a person may have grand ambitions, but if fortune does not arrive she does not succeed.

Already known to be crucial for the betterment of the whole of China, Kongzi and his students were trapped by two rebellious states for seven days without food;

already an outstanding strategist, Jiang Shang was living hand to mouth, fishing in local rivers;

Yan Hui, Kongzi’s favorite student, died in his 40s, though he could not have been more kind;

Dao Tuo, the notorious murderous thug, lived till ripe old age;

Sage King Yao, the wisest of us all, had a son who was disloyal and unpious;

Gu Sou, an entitled and useless aristocrat, had a son who was wise like King Yao;

Zhang Liang, who helped to set the Han dynasty on the course of peace and justice, used to be a poor peasant;

Xiao He, the first Marquis of the Han dynasty, permitted to be armed in court, used to run nothing but a single prefecture;

Yan Ying measured not even five feet, though none but him rose to the rank of Chancellor in Qi;

Zhuge Liang laid in a straw shed every night until he became the legendary Chancellor of Shu Han;

Duke of Chu, never bested by a single soul, cut his own throat in front of ten thousand enemy soldiers;

Duke of Han, unable to swing a sword properly, unified all of China;

Li Guang, the legendary “Flying General” who could kill a tiger with a single arrow, received no accreditation during his life;

Feng Tang, whose wisdom could have changed China for the better, was never assign to the right post at the right time.

Han Xin, before becoming a general, never had three meals a day.

After proving himself as the best living commander, he wore jade pendants as long as three yards.

Once fortune left him, he met a gruesome death at the hands of treacherous actors.

Some start poor and become rich; some start strong and become weak.

A well-read scholar can have white hair and no accreditation; a young graduate can get coveted placements.

A drake, at the wrong time, will swim among fishes;

a hero, at the wrong time, will bow to the villains.

Heaven, at the wrong time, has no sun, no moon;

earth, at the wrong time, spawns no grass, no tree;

seas and rivers, at the wrong time, have endless storms;

people, at the wrong time, can’t ride the flow of good fortune.

Alas! In real life, if you have something in abundance, do not deplete it; if you are impoverished of something, do not equate your worth to zero.

Sooner or later, heaven and earth shift places. History proceeds by seasons.