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胸有成竹 (xiong1 you3 cheng2 zhu2) Life lesson from artist
December 13, 2009, Sunday
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LIKE everywhere else in the world, to develop a well-thought-out plan before embarking upon a new undertaking is deemed to be wise and advisable by Chinese.
However, the Chinese tend to describe such prudent practices in a rather bizarre way.
They say people who act according to well-prepared plans are those who have grown bamboo in their chests, or "xiong1 you3 cheng2 zhu2"
The saying was first used during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126) to praise the exceptional artistry of bamboo paintings created by Wen Tong, a well-known scholar of the time.
Besides writing poems and practicing calligraphy, Wen loved painting bamboo most. He planted groves of bamboo all around his house and whenever he had the time, he could be seen wandering in his bamboo garden.
Careful observation year in and year out had enabled Wen to learn every graceful shape, nuance of color and detailed line of the plant.
So, when he started to paint bamboo art in his study, he worked according to the images formed in his mind, instead of from direct observation.
Wen's paintings of bamboo images were so vivid and impressive that his artworks were sought by other artists, scholars, government officials and rich merchants from all parts of the country.
Also, dozens of young artists came to visit Wen hoping to earn from some of his superb skills in painting bamboo.
While watching Wen at work, the young artists admired his knowledge and accomplishments.
But they could not quite figure out how anyone could reach such perfection in his art. So, they turned to Wen's close friend, the poet Chao Buzhi, for advice.
Chao told them: "If you want to paint bamboo like Wen, you must have grown bamboo in your chests before you unfold the paper and pick up the brush."
Since then, "xiong1 you3 cheng2 zhu2" (with grown bamboo in the chest, in the literal translation) has been widely used to describe people who are very well prepared for a new endeavor.
So, next time you're going to carry out a plan, don't forget to "grow bamboo in your chest" first.
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