Minda
and I joined Prof. Pang’s (彭泓基教授) course named “Chinese
Traditional Wisdom Management” (中華智慧管理學) and the last lecture was
held on 13th Jun 2026. It
was raining heavily this morning.
Before
lecture, Minda and I took a photo with Ben Tsang and Andy Law (as well as 易渭東).
In the
beginning, Prof. Pang introduced “Zhuangzi's wonderful articles” (莊子的精彩文章)
including Autumn Waters (秋水篇) and Free & Easy Travel (逍遙遊).
Prof.
Pang also recommended a book named “Fisherman and Woodcutter's Questions” (漁樵問對)
to us.
It is
the source of many famous statements in the Autumn Waters (秋水篇).
For example, You can't talk to a frog in a well about the sea, and you can't
talk to a summer insect about ice. (井蛙不可以語於海, 夏蟲不可以語於冰).
Then he
explained the term “Not envious, not demanding” (不忮不求)
that achieved noble character.
And
the Prof. Pang concluded that the core ideas of "Autumn Waters" (秋水篇)
lies in breaking free from attachments, broadening one's horizons, and
returning to the holistic nature of the Tao.
After
that he explained the second article named Free & Easy Travel (逍遙遊)
and its core ideas.
Four key
concepts are i) Break free from attachment to relative value; ii) Depending on
something vs. depending on nothing; iii) The perfect man is selfless, the
divine man is without merit, the sage is without fame and vi) The use of uselessness (无用之用). The last concept fill with
wisdom.
In the
second part, Prof. Pang introduced the first chapter of Guiguzi (鬼谷子)
named “Opening and closing” (捭阖).
Finally,
he mentioned “Mastering the rhythm of opening and closing, tension and
relaxation, speech and silence, and conforming to the yin and yang (阴阳)
aspects of human nature and the principles of things, in order to achieve the
purpose of probing, guiding, controlling or transforming the situation.”
And Prof.
Pang used some examples for demonstrating how to use the Strategic Maneuvering
(纵横捭阖)
such as how to communicate with bosses and subordinates at work.
Lastly,
he concluded that the core idea is an art of "control": controlling
one's own expression and emotions to control the flow of information;
controlling the other party's psychology and expectations to control the
development of the situation.
At the
end, he introduced an article entitled "Ode to the Cold Kiln"(寒窯賦)
from which we discovered that many famous and commonly used maxims originated.
The
five core ideas focus on navigating the unpredictability of life by balancing
external factors and internal attitudes. First, it emphasizes that timing and
fortune (时机运势) play a decisive role in
shaping one's destiny, while acknowledging that personal effort and talent (个人努力)—though
valuable—cannot guarantee success on their own without the right opportunities.
Because fate is inherently unpredictable and inconstant (命运无常),
it advises individuals to remain content with their current situation (安于现状)
during setbacks, maintaining an optimistic mindset while patiently waiting for
the right moment. Ultimately, it guides people to align with nature (顺应自然)
by understanding and living in harmony with the cyclical, natural laws of the
universe.
After
the last lecture, we had lunch together to celebrate.
