围棋十诀

We were born in a society when winning has taken an important place in our lives.

We hear advices like:

• Score A’s in your exams and get enrolled into the best school
• Don’t lose out, take up many tuition lessons so you can out performed in class
• Be the most outstanding employee in your company, so you can be in your boss’s good books…

First statement of learning in Weiqi (围棋十诀, Weiqi ten commandments?), You must not get greedy in winning. (不得贪胜)

I think it is good to study and understand this since this is the first commandment in Weiqi.

Winning and losing is part and parcel in life, so therefore also in Weiqi

Winning is good in many ways but it may not mean good in some sense.

Winning is good, but if indulge in over-dosing of winning pills, it does harm instead.

When you win and win and win…

1. Pride builds up
2. You are enclosed in your own world
3. You do not learn anymore

I would say that if a person enters into a winning streak, he builds up a tendency that he does want to lose to anyone the next time.  This closes the person’s emotion and hinders his personal and social development.

This is no longer positive attribute in winning.

Positive attitude behind losing

The game of Weiqi is about balance, not just on winning. So what are the “rewards” of losing?

When you lose,

1. You get to know more about yourself
2. You will know you are not the best and will begin to humble yourself
3. You can keep learning and become better

Next time when you lose, it is alright. Enjoy the hidden learning process. And when you win next time, you will know that have gone through the learning stage and will continue to learn even by losing.

Win with humility, lose with grace.

I am at all costs not saying winning is no good, what i am trying to say is that we must always stay in balance, be humble at all times, knowing the pitfalls of winning and understand the benefits of losing too.

Always remember this truth, no one in this world will ever be at the top forever. Our history factually proven this statement.

If we are not ready to lose, we are heading for a great emotional pain. Losing is inevitable. 胜败乃兵家常事, no big deal to lose.

If you lose, it is OK, be content and happy in yourself, and know that you will win someday if you keep learning and learning. You will get better if you do not give up.

Be ready to lose a game or a few with grace. This instruction is not a suggestion, it is a wisdom for life.

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.”

– Thomas John Watson, Sr., the Founder of IBM.

“You will make some mistakes but, if you learn from those mistakes, those mistakes will become wisdom…”

– Robert Kiyosaki