Reverse Thinking Strategies: Learning Ancient Wisdom from the Fan Jing, History's Most Practical Guide to Workplace Machiavellianism

The classic "Fan Jing" (Classic of Opposites) has been passed down for a thousand years—the elixir distilled from the diverse schools of ancient philosophy.

It allows you to advance as a high-ranking official or retreat to preserve your life in safety!

From political power struggles and the fires of war to the ups and downs of the business world and social etiquette;

From the labor of self-cultivation to the art of identifying talent.

It is both a treasure trove of wisdom tailored for "people"

And a guidebook providing direction for "events."

A rare masterpiece paired with the "Zizhi Tongjian," the "Fan Jing" (The Classic of Long and Short) is here presented with its most essential chapters carefully selected.

By combining practical real-life examples with historical stories,

it introduces profound Eastern wisdom in the most approachable way,

explaining complex concepts simply to ensure you understand it all in one go!

【What is the "Fan Jing"? Who is the author?】

People traditionally call Sima Guang's "Zizhi Tongjian" the "Orthodox Classic" (Zheng Jing) and Zhao Rui's "Changduan Jing" (The Classic of Long and Short) the "Classic of Opposites" (Fan Jing).

The "Fan Jing" draws widely from various schools of thought and combines historical facts to discuss the techniques of hegemony and the secrets of officialdom with depth and sharpness. The historical events discussed range from the ancient Yellow Emperor period to the early Tang Dynasty, summarizing the gains and losses of political maneuvering throughout Chinese history. Written in response to the corrupt politics of the time, it possesses triple value: literature, historical data, and a mirror for governance.

The "Siku Quanshu" states: "This book analyzes the trends of situations; its words originate from the School of Diplomacy, hence it is named 'Long and Short'."

The author, Zhao Rui (styled Dabing, also known as Yunqing), was a famous Tang Dynasty strategist of the School of Diplomacy.

Zhao Rui and Li Bai were known as the "Two Talents of Shu." They were celebrated together as "Zhao Rui for strategy and Li Bai for literature." Legend has it that after the "Changduan Jing" was published, Li Bai visited Zhao Rui out of admiration and studied under him for over a year.

【Knowing People and Assigning Tasks: To Climb High, Understand How to Stay Low】

As a team leader, how do you judge the strengths and weaknesses of your subordinates?

As an ordinary person, what kind of cultivation do you need to rise rapidly?

No matter who you are, only by understanding cooperation and leveraging the power of others can you find your place in human society.

Liu Bang came from humble beginnings but knew how to use Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Han Xin to win the empire.

We can say he was "skilled at using people," or from an economic perspective, call it opportunity cost—recognizing one's own deficiencies and using others to compensate, creating individual achievement through teamwork.

【Schemes and Strategies: Live Freely, But Use Your Brain】

Schemes and strategies sound sinister, but they aren't meant for harming others; rather, they are the art of using your brain to think about "how to do things" in life.

With the rise of working from home, how can a team work more efficiently?

Spending more time at home, are you forced to face mother-in-law/daughter-in-law issues?

Use the strategic maneuvers of the ancients to bring you modern life wisdom. Handle work and home life with such ease that it's like a master butcher carving an ox!

Book Features:

This book interprets the "Fan Jing" through sixty-four aspects, extracting original text from the source, providing complete and concise translations, and combining them with detailed, vivid historical plots. It decodes the impact of the "Fan Jing" on modern life through governance, management, personnel, and strategy. This allows you to experience the essence of the original work while grasping the wisdom of life through numerous related stories.