Liu Chen Meets the Immortals
Neutral
The poem
Original: 一锥草地要求泉 / 努力求之得最难 / 无意俄然遇知己 / 相逢携手上青天
The story
Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao went into the Tiantai mountains to gather herbs, lost their way, and met two immortal women, with whom they lived as husbands for half a year. When they came home a hundred years had passed and nobody knew them. They turned back to find the immortals, but the path into the mountain could not be found again.
What it means
The image is digging for a spring with an awl. The harder you drive the point, the less water you get; then, with no effort at all, you meet the person who takes you straight up into the sky. The lot is not telling you to stop working. It is telling you that you are aiming your effort at the wrong target. Do your ordinary duties thoroughly, then loosen your grip on outcomes and on people. Hurrying defeats the purpose; grasping breaks the bowl. What arrives by chance is the real opportunity.
By area of life
Wealth
The harder you watch the market, the less you make. Handling it lightly and letting it run is the winning move; favour patience over chasing.
Love
Pursued directly, love stays away; the moment you stop chasing, the person appears. The one you meet by accident is the one you can walk with.
Work
Hunting for work yields nothing, then an opening appears by chance. Run your business with an even temper; forcing it backfires, and partners must share your outlook.
Health
Aggressive treatment worsens things and anxiety invites unnecessary intervention. Face the illness in a relaxed, cheerful spirit and the body settles.
Travel
Straining for the perfect outcome halves your results. You need not go far; developing where you stand is cheaper, easier and more effective.
Advice
Do your own work thoroughly and then let go, because the spring usually comes up where you were not digging.