Mr. Li Zongwu's Thick Black Theory

  Li Zongwu first wrote "The Thick and Black Theory" in the early years of the Republic of China. In this article, Li Zongwu mercilessly exposed and criticized the hypocritical feudal ethics and sages under China's autocratic system, tearing apart the moral virtues that the feudal rulers had applied to history. Not only that, but he also directed his critical sword at the "saints" such as Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, claiming that saints were the highest level of thick and black theory, being "thick without shape, black without color", entering a realm of "no sound, no smell, no shape, no color". Whether in terms of the degree or depth of criticism, it is comparable to Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman" which exposed the cannibalistic nature of traditional morality. In terms of time, Li Zongwu published "The Thick and Black Theory" in the early years of the Republic of China, around 1912, earlier than the New Culture Movement of 1915. Moreover, when the New Culture Movement began, criticism and reflection of traditional culture had already become an unstoppable trend, while Li Zongwu, with his individual strength, dared to challenge a group of defenders of orthodoxy in 1911, his spirit is worthy of respect and admiration.

  I have been searching for heroes and great men since I learned to read, seeking them in the Four Books and Five Classics, but to no avail. I sought them among the various philosophers and the Twenty-Four Histories, still without finding any. I thought that the ancients who were heroes and great men must have had some untransmitted secret, but it was just that I was born foolish and couldn't find it. After years of diligent searching, forgetting to sleep and eat, one day I suddenly thought of a few people from the Three Kingdoms period, and suddenly realized: Ah, I've got it! The ancients who were heroes and great men were simply thick-faced and black-hearted.

  Three Kingdoms hero, first push Cao Cao, his specialty, all in the heart black: he killed Lü Bu's father-in-law, killed Kong Rong, killed Yang Xiu, killed Dong Cheng and Fu Wan, also killed the empress and prince, ruthless and unscrupulous, and even openly said: "I would rather betray others than be betrayed by them." The heart is so black, it has really reached the extreme. With such skills, of course, he can be called a hero of the ages.

  Next is Liu Bei, whose specialty lies in his thick skin: he relied on Cao Cao, Lü Bu, Liu Biao, Sun Quan, and Yuan Shao, fleeing east and west, taking refuge under others' roofs, without shame. Moreover, he was good at crying throughout his life. The creators of the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" portrayed him vividly: whenever faced with an unsolvable problem, he would cry in front of people and immediately turn defeat into victory. Hence the proverb: "Liu Bei's empire was cried out." He is indeed a skilled hero. Alongside Cao Cao, they can be called the ultimate duo. When they discussed heroes over wine, one had the blackest heart, while the other had the thickest skin. In their encounter, neither could gain the upper hand. Looking around at Yuan Benchu and others, they were too inferior to mention. Therefore, Cao Cao said: "The heroes of the world are only you and I."

  In addition, there was Sun Quan, who allied with Liu Bei and was also a close relative of his. Suddenly, he seized Jingzhou and killed Guan Yu. His heart was as black as Cao Cao's, but not quite to the same extent. Unable to sustain it, he then sought peace with Shu. The degree of his ruthlessness was slightly inferior to Cao Cao's. He rivaled Cao Cao in prestige, refusing to yield, yet suddenly became a vassal under Cao Pi's rule. His face was as thick-skinned as Liu Bei's, but not quite to the same extent. Unable to sustain it, he then broke off relations with Wei. The degree of his thickness was also slightly inferior to Liu Bei's. Although he was neither as ruthless as Cao Cao nor as thick-skinned as Liu Bei, he possessed both qualities and could not be considered anything less than a hero. These three men fully displayed their abilities, each refusing to submit to the others. At that time, the world could not help but be divided into three parts.

  Later, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan died one after another. The Sima father and son took advantage of the situation to rise to power. He was influenced by the likes of Cao and Liu, and became a master of cunning and deceit. He could deceive widows and orphans with a heart as black as Cao Cao's; he could endure humiliation from women, with a face thicker than Liu Bei's. When I read about Sima Yi enduring humiliation from women in history, I couldn't help but slam my fist on the table and exclaim: "The world will surely belong to the Sima family!" Therefore, by this time, the world had no choice but to be unified, all of which was a matter of course.

  Zhuge Wuhou, a rare talent in the world, was the first person under the Three Kingdoms. Even when he encountered Sima Yi, he still had no way out. He made up his mind to "exhaust himself to death", but ultimately failed to gain an inch of land in Central Plains and died vomiting blood. It can be seen that even a king-making talent like him was not a match for the cunning and ruthless Sima family.

  I studied the affairs of several historical figures repeatedly, and discovered the secret that has been lost for thousands of years. The twenty-four histories can be summarized in one phrase: "Thick and black is just right." Now I will use the example of Han to prove it once again.

  Xiang Yu was a hero of his time, unmatched in bravery. His loud and clear voice could stun thousands, yet he died in the eastern city, becoming a laughing stock for the world. The reason for his failure lies in two phrases spoken by Han Xin: "the kindness of a woman" and "the bravery of an ordinary man". The former refers to being too soft-hearted, with the root of the problem lying in not being ruthless enough; the latter refers to being unable to bear humiliation, with the root of the problem lying in not having thick skin. At the Hongmen Banquet, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang sat at the same table, and Xiang Zhuang had already drawn his sword. With just one slash on Liu Bang's neck, the banner of "Great Emperor" could have been raised immediately. But he hesitated and couldn't bring himself to do it, allowing Liu Bang to escape. At the Battle of Gaixia, if he had crossed the Wu River and regrouped, who knows who would have emerged victorious? Instead, he said: "I led 8,000 brothers from Jiangdong across the river to the west, but not one has returned. Even if the people of Jiangdong do not speak of it, I am ashamed in my heart." These words were truly a grave mistake! He was saying that he had no face to show to others and that he felt guilty in his heart. But what is the origin of this "face" and this "heart"? Without examining these questions, he instead said: "This is heaven's will, not a crime of war." I fear that even heaven cannot be blamed for this.

  Let's take a look at Liu Bang's skills again. According to historical records: Xiang Yu asked the King of Han, "The world has been in chaos for several years, and it is only between you and me. I want to challenge you to a duel to decide who is the champion." The King of Han smiled and said, "I would rather compete with wisdom than strength."

  As for the two words "smiled and thanked", where did they come from? When Liu Bang met Lü Zhi, he had two women wash his feet. Lü Zhi blamed him for being rude to his elders, and he immediately apologized.

  There is also his own father, who was on the chopping block, and he wanted to share a cup of soup; his own children, Emperor Hui of Han and Empress Lü, when the Chu army arrived, he could push them down from the carriage; later, he also killed Han Xin and Peng Yue. "When the birds are gone, the bows are put away; when the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked." What state was Liu Bang's heart in? Is it that Xiang Yu, with his "benevolence of a woman and the bravery of an ordinary man", could have dreamed of?

  The Grand Historian wrote this biography, only saying that Liu Bang had a majestic appearance, while Xiang Yu had double pupils. Only by looking at the thickness of their skin and the blackness and whiteness of their hearts can we see that there is not a single word mentioning this. It's a pity for the good historian.

  Liu Bang's face, Liu Bang's heart, is particularly different from others, and can be called a natural saint. The word "black" is indeed "born with harmony and peace, doing what one wants without exceeding the limits", as for the aspect of thickness, it has been added to the point of history. His master was Zhang Liang, one of the three heroes, and Zhang Liang's master was the old man from the mountain. Their true transmission is clear and verifiable. The old man's reception of the book was nothing but teaching Zhang Liang to have a thick skin. This principle is clearly stated in Su Dongpo's theory of leaving candidates. Zhang Liang was a person with innate roots, once pointed out, he immediately understood, so the old man regarded him as a king's teacher. This supreme and mysterious method is not something that dull-witted people can understand, so it is said in the Records of the Grand Historian: "When Zhang Liang spoke for others, they were all unenlightened, only Liu Bang was good at it, and Zhang Liang said, 'Liu Bang must have been granted by heaven'." It can be seen that this question is entirely related to innate talent. A good teacher is hard to find, but a good student is also not easy to seek out. When Han Xin asked to be enfeoffed as the King of Qi, Liu Bang almost misunderstood, and it was only thanks to his master's guidance that he was able to correct his mistake, just like how teachers correct students' homework nowadays. With Liu Bang's natural talent, there were still mistakes sometimes, which shows the profundity of this question.

  Liu Bang's natural talent was high, and his experience was deep. He broke through the five cardinal relationships of ruler-subject, father-son, elder-younger brother, husband-wife, and friend-friend that were commonly passed down, and he swept away all sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. Therefore, he was able to pacify the warlords and unify the empire. It wasn't until after four hundred several decades had passed that the remaining aura of his brutal and dark ways was finally eliminated, and the Han dynasty's system was finally severed.

  During the Chu-Han Contention, there was a person with the thickest skin and not a black heart, but ultimately failed. Who is this person? It's the well-known Han Xin.

  He could endure humiliation to an extent that wasn't below Liu Bang's. Unfortunately, he didn't study the dark characters; when he was the King of Qi, if only he had listened to Kuai Tong's words, his honor would have been unspeakable. But he kept thinking about Liu Bang's kindness in giving him clothes and food, and recklessly said: "Those who wear others' clothes worry for them; those who eat others' food die for their sake." Later, in the Long Lü Temple, his body was beheaded, and nine generations of his family were exterminated. It's truly a case of self-inflicted blame. He ridiculed Xiang Yu as having "womanly benevolence", showing that he himself didn't have a black heart, but still failed in his actions. This major principle he originally knew, but he also failed here, which is not Han Xin's fault to be blamed for.

  At the same time, there was another person with a very dark heart and thin skin, who also ended in failure. This person is well-known to everyone, surnamed Fan and named Zeng. When Liu Bang captured Xianyang, he tied up Zi Ying, but did not harm him, and stationed his army on the outskirts of the city without committing any atrocities. Fan Zeng used every trick in the book to try to get rid of him, but his heart was just as dark as Liu Bang's; however, because he had thin skin, he couldn't bear the humiliation. The Han dynasty used Chen Ping's plan to secretly alienate Chu King Xiang Yu from his advisors, and Fan Zeng became enraged and asked to leave. When he returned to Pengcheng, he died of a carbuncle on his back. Generally speaking, people who do great things don't get angry at the drop of a hat. "If Fan Zeng hadn't left, Xiang Yu wouldn't have perished." If he had been able to endure for just a moment, Liu Bang's weaknesses would have been exposed and could have been easily attacked. But because he got angry and asked to leave, he threw away his own life as well as Xiang Yu's empire. Because of his inability to tolerate small things, he ruined great matters. Su Dongpo still called him a hero, but this is excessive praise?

  According to the above study, the method of "thick and black" is very simple, but it is very effective when used. Small use has small effect, big use has big effect. Liu Bang and Sima Yi mastered it and unified the world; Cao Cao and Liu Bei each got a part of it and could be called heroes; Han Xin and Fan Zeng also got a part of it, unfortunately they were not born in the right time and coincided with Liu Bang who had both "thick" and "black", which led to their failure. However, during their lifetime, relying on their strengths, they obtained kings, generals, and officials, and were famous for a while. After their death, they also occupied a place in historical records. Later generations talked about their stories with relish, it can be seen that "thick and black" never fails people.

  Heaven gives birth to man, giving him a face, and the nose is in it. Heaven gives birth to man, giving him a heart, and the black is in it. On the surface, it's only a few inches wide and can't hold much, seemingly ordinary, but if examined closely, one will know that its thickness is infinite and its blackness is unparalleled. All worldly honors, wealth, and glory, palaces, wives, clothes, carriages, and horses all come from this small area. The wonder of creation is truly inconceivable. Foolish people, having a precious treasure in their bodies, abandon it without using it, which can be called the greatest foolishness under heaven.

  The three-step method of being thick and black is divided into the following steps: "thick as a city wall, black as coal". At first, one's skin was like paper, but gradually it became thicker, from inches to feet, until it was as thick as a city wall. Initially, the color of one's heart was milky white, then it turned charcoal grey, and finally blue-black, until it was as black as coal. Having reached this state, one can only be considered a beginner; because even though the city wall is thick, it can still be breached with cannons, and although the coal is black, its color is unpleasant, and people are unwilling to get close to it. Therefore, this is only considered the initial stage of the method.

  The second step is "thick and hard, black and shiny". People who are thick-skinned, how can they be attacked? They don't move at all. Liu Bei is this kind of person, even Cao Cao couldn't do anything to him. People who are darker than black, like a signboard with a glossy finish, the more it's black, the more customers it attracts. Cao Cao is this kind of person, he's notorious for being ruthless, yet famous scholars from the Central Plains flocked to him, truly "heart as dark as lacquer, signboard shining bright". Being able to reach the second step, naturally has a world of difference with the first step, but still shows signs, having shape and color.

  The third step is "thick and formless, black and colorless". Extremely thick and black, in the heavens and later generations, all think it's not thick or black. This realm is very difficult to reach, so one can only seek it among the great sages of ancient times. Someone asked: "What kind of question is this, how can it be so profound?" I said: "The Confucian doctrine of the mean must be discussed until 'no sound no smell' in order to terminate; The Buddha's teaching must be discussed until 'Bodhi has no tree, bright mirror is not a stand', only then can it be considered correct fruit. How much more so for the thick and black, which are secrets that have been transmitted for thousands of years without being spoken, of course one must reach 'formless and colorless' in order to stop."

  In short, from the Three Dynasties down to the present day, there have been countless kings, princes, generals, and wise and virtuous men who have achieved great things. If their accomplishments are examined, it will be found that none of them were not due to this [the Tao]. The books are all here; the facts are undeniable; if readers can follow my indications and search for themselves, they will naturally find that everything is in harmony with the Way.

  Those who have read "The 36 Stratagems" will also understand the meaning of this book!