1. As an official, if you don't covet wealth, you won't go to jail; if you don't covet lust, you will encounter fewer troubles. This is a state of life. — Wen Qingchen
Placing this at the beginning is because it serves as a sincere warning to officials. Director Wen Qingchen once turned a democratic meeting into a one-man show, but he remained unshakeable because he did not covet wealth. Lust, however, often undermines the foundation of 'not coveting wealth.' Ultimately, simply not coveting wealth is enough.
2. As for a person, it doesn't matter if you are good or bad; you must define and grasp who you are. If you wish to be noble, be noble to the end, without desire or demand, and you will achieve a certain state where others dare not look down on you. If you wish to enter the world, then let go of your ego and join it. The fear is becoming a 'neither-here-nor-there'—neither pure nor turbid, losing the virtues of a good person while acquiring the flaws of a bad one. — Wen Qingchen
Few in this world can be truly noble. Even those called noble are often pure on the outside but worldly on the inside. Liang Zhiyuan's indignation over Wu Guo's large house and his act of seizing public housing perfectly illustrates Director Wen's point: in the pursuit of a perceived nobility, he lost the virtues of a good man and gained the flaws of a bad one, suggesting he might follow in Wu Guo's footsteps.
3. Home is always your safe harbor. A good man must take care of his family; in this life, career and kinship are what matter most. — Wen Qingchen
The world is the domain of others, but home is the world of one's kin. What is 'important' refers to possessing and maintaining stability. A man may ride like a stallion in high office, but once retired, he must immediately return to the embrace of home.
4. Everything has a reason; one should not be full of grievances at every setback, for that would waste your inner talent. — Wen Qingchen
'Inner talent' sometimes turns into 'inner grievances' because that talent is merely academic knowledge, lacking social maturity. Such people are often disparagingly called 'bookworms.'
5. I was the same when I was young, full of vigor and always finding fault in others while ignoring myself. Later, after being 'boiled in salt water, soaked in alkaline water, and scalded in boiling water,' I understood and began to see things objectively. — Wen Qingchen
This metaphor of being 'boiled, soaked, and scalded' is vivid, making Director Wen sound as if he were once a chef. It illustrates the growth of intellectuals: they may acquire vast knowledge quickly but often struggle to adapt to society due to being impractical. Learning to adapt to society is a lesson that must be learned, and the earlier, the better.
6. Some of our leading comrades have neglected to care for their colleagues for a long time, immersing themselves in small circles and forgetting the responsibilities on their shoulders. Some use rigid rules to judge others, lacking the responsibility and ability to truly serve the masses and speak the truth. — Wen Qingchen
Some leaders are precise when measuring others, but fail to apply that same measure to themselves. If one can practice self-reflection, self-awareness, and voluntary responsibility, there is no such thing as an unmanageable leader.
7. Selfless and fearless. If a leading official thinks too much of themselves, no matter how capable or skilled they are, they will never perform their duties well. — Wen Qingchen
If one is driven by private interest, how can they effectively exercise public power?
8. People like this... they've studied so much they've become crippled. In short, they are 'senseless.' — Wu Guo
Wu Guo's assessment of Liang Zhiyuan as 'senseless' is apt, as Liang truly does not understand the 'business' Wu Guo refers to. In this play, Wu Guo has neither profound knowledge nor a prestigious background; instead, he thrives by following the 'path of flattery.' Perhaps a degree in 'Public Relations' is simply a formal name for a degree in flattery.
9. The older one gets in this world, the more one feels the need to submit. If you won't submit, then what? — Wu Guo
Wu Guo's drunken lament that he 'cannot even be a dog' was a moment of self-respect's awakening. He realized that the world increasingly demands our submission. Just as humanity has learned that 'man cannot conquer nature,' understanding when to 'submit' is an essential part of survival.
10. Women, you know, it's normal for them to vent on their husbands when things go wrong. If she doesn't vent on you, who will she vent on? — Xu Xiaoman
The phrase 'vent on the husband' is exquisite; it suggests that while women may be unreasonable, they do so with a certain endearing charm that is perfectly justified in front of their husbands.
11. People always feel they are wronged. But in this life, who isn't wronged? — Xu Xiaoman
If one understands that 'grievance is absolute, while lack of grievance is relative,' half the world's grievances could be diminished.
12. There are only blessings one cannot enjoy, not hardships one cannot endure. — Xu Xiaoman
Enjoying blessings is active, while enduring hardship is passive. Since it is 'endured,' one cannot avoid it. The crux lies not in the blessing or the hardship, but in the difference between being active and being passive.
13. How do you write the word 'play' (玩)? It is composed of 'Wang' (王) and 'Yuan' (元). 'Wang' represents power, and 'Yuan' represents money. This ancestral creation of characters is brilliant—only when money and power are together can one truly 'play'! — Zhou Yongxiang
When 'power' and 'money' play together, what is the result? It results in corruption.
