Hsi Quotes

Queens   “What is a queen without a king?” I don’t know, butlet’s ask Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, Sammuramat, Victoria, Elizabeth, mina, Tzu-hsi, and the countless other kingless queens who turned mere kingdoms into the greatest of empires.

If you want to really know something you have to observe or experience it in person; if you claim to know something on the basis of hearsay, or on happening to see it in a book, you'll be a laughingstock to those who really know.

The written word has its limits and its challenges, for the primal sound in the whole world is that made by the human voice, and the likeness of this human voice must be rendered in dots and strokes...Yet I never forget that the voice, too, is important...Don't mumble or hesitate. Speak...in a loud voice, clearly, and without fear.

Seek joyfulness when you can, for seeking joy leads to an auspicious atmosphere.

The HSI agent wasn’t caught in the Welcome to Video dragnet because IRS agents had violated his privacy. He was caught, the judges concluded, because he had mistakenly believed his Bitcoin transactions to have ever been private in the first place.

Our day-to-day life is bombarded with fortuities or, to be more precise, with the accidental meetings of people and events we call coincidences (...) They are composed like music. Guided by his sense of beauty, an individual transforms a fortuitous occurrence into a motif (...) Without realizing it, the individual composes his life according to the laws of beauty even in times of greatest distress. (...) it is right to chide man for being blind to such coincidences in hsi daily life. For he thereby deprives his life of a dimension of beauty.

To grow up steeped in these tellings was to learn two unforgettable lessons: first, that stories were not true (there were no "real" genies in bottles or flying carpets or wonderful lamps), but by being untrue they could make him feel and know truths that the truth could not tell him, and second, that they all belonged to him, just as they belonged to his father, Anis, and to everyone else, they were all his, as they were hsi father's, bright stories and dark stories, sacred stories and profane, his to alter and renew and discard and pick up again as and when he pleased, his to laugh at and rejoice in and live in and with and by, to give the stories life by loving them and to be given life in return. Man was the storytelling animal, the only creature on earth that told itself stories to understand what kind of creature it was. The story was his birthright, and nobody could take it away.

[The heading meansliterally "The Nine Variations," but as SunTzu does not appear to enumerate these, and as, indeed, he hasalready told us (V SS. 6-11) that such deflections from theordinary course are practically innumerable, we have little optionbut to follow Wang Hsi, who says that "Nine" stands for anindefinitely large number.

The superior man acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past, in order to strengthen his character thereby.

[The Chinese here is tricky and a certain key word in the context it is used defies the best efforts of the translator. Tu Mu defines this word as “the measurement or estimation of distance.” But this meaning does not quite fit the illustrative simile in ss. 15. Applying this definition to the falcon, it seems to me to denote that instinct of SELF RESTRAINT which keeps the bird from swooping on its quarry until the right moment, together with the power of judging when the right moment has arrived. The analogous quality in soldiers is the highly important one of being able to reserve their fire until the very instant at which it will be most effective. When the “Victory” went into action at Trafalgar at hardly more than drifting pace, she was for several minutes exposed to a storm of shot and shell before replying with a single gun. Nelson coolly waited until he was within close range, when the broadside he brought to bear worked fearful havoc on the enemy’s nearest ships.] 14.  Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. [The word “decision” would have reference to the measurement of distance mentioned above, letting the enemy get near before striking. But I cannot help thinking that Sun Tzu meant to use the word in a figurative sense comparable to our own idiom “short and sharp.” Cf. Wang Hsi’s note, which after describing the falcon’s mode of attack, proceeds: “This is just how the ‘psychological moment’ should be seized in war.”]

If one overshoots the goal, one cannot hit it. If a bird will not come to its nest but flies higher and higher, it eventually falls into the hunter's net. He who in times of extraordinary salience of small things does not know how to call a halt, but restlessly seeks to press on and on, draws upon himself misfortune at the hands of gods and men, because he deviates from the order of nature.

28.  Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances. [As Wang Hsi sagely remarks: “There is but one root-principle underlying victory, but the tactics which lead up to it are infinite in number.” With this compare Col. Henderson: “The rules of strategy are few and simple. They may be learned in a week. They may be taught by familiar illustrations or a dozen diagrams. But such knowledge will no more teach a man to lead an army like Napoleon than a knowledge of grammar will teach him to write like Gibbon.”] 29.  Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards. 30.  So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. [Like water, taking the line of least resistance.] 31.  Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. 32.  Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. 33.  He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain. 34.  The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant; [That is, as Wang Hsi says: “they predominate alternately.”] the four seasons make way for each other in turn. [Literally, “have no invariable seat.”] There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waning and waxing. [Cf. V. ss. 6. The purport of the passage is simply to illustrate the want of fixity in war by the changes constantly taking place in Nature. The comparison is not very happy, however, because the regularity of the phenomena which Sun Tzu mentions is by no means paralleled in war.]

1.    Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. 2.    Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. [One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.77 ] 3.    By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near. [In the first case, he will entice him with a bait; in the second, he will strike at some important point which the enemy will have to defend.] 4.    If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; [This passage may be cited as evidence against Mei Yao-Ch’en’s interpretation of I. ss. 23.] if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him to move. 5.    Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. 6.    An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not. [Ts’ao Kung sums up very well: “Emerge from the void [q.d. like “a bolt from the blue”], strike at vulnerable points, shun places that are defended, attack in unexpected quarters.”] 7.    You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended. [Wang Hsi explains “undefended places” as “weak points; that is to say, where the general is lacking in capacity, or the soldiers in spirit; where the walls are not strong enough, or the precautions not strict enough; where relief comes too late, or provisions are too scanty, or the defenders are variance amongst themselves.”] You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. [I.e., where there are none of the weak points mentioned above. There is rather a nice point involved in the interpretation of this later clause. Tu

the Western contingent and took the two leaders captive, and then seized all who were with them. The flag was torn and stamped into the dust, the captives were imprisoned and put to torture for their boldness in daring to invade the country. In great joy this good news was carried back to the capital. Once again the Western men were routed. The Emperor praised Tzu Hsi heartily and gave her a gold coffer filled with jewels. Then he announced seven days of feasting in the nation and in the palaces special theatricals

In this eyewitness story, we meet Tzu-hsi in the twilight of her reign. Advanced in age, the Empress on the Dragon Throne is no longer the young beauty whose skill at seduction and aptitude for court intrigue saw her rise from a lowly Imperial concubine to the second most powerful place under the Hsien-feng Emperor.

His poetry was like Li Po’s, his calligraphy like that of the great Wang Hsi-Chih, and in strategy his cleverness matched that of Sun Pin and Wu Ch’i. He was well versed in astronomy and geomancy, in the six tactics and three practicalities.

Some of the gardeners, Nanao said, worked according to the precepts of Muso Soseki, others according to other Japanese Zen masters; others still to Fu Hsi, the legendary inventor of the Chinese system of geomancy called feng shui; others to Persian gardening gurus, including Omar Khayyam; or to Leopold or Jackson, or other early American ecologists, like the nearly forgotten biologist Oskar Schnelling; and so on. These

Hu sözü, Çinlilerin kendilerinden olmayan, bütün kuzey ve batı kavimlerini tanıtmak için kullandıkları, gayet geniş bir deyiştir. Çin kaynaklarına inemeyenler de bu konuda, O. Franke'nin Çin Tarihi adlı ünlü eserine bakabilirler. Çinlilerin Hu deyimi, eski Yunanlıların yabancı kavimlere, 'İskit' demelerine benzer. Hu deyimi üzerinde en derin araştırmayı, ünlü Çin ansiklopedisti ve ilim adamı Wang Kuo-wei yapmıştır. Bu büyük araştırıcının adı ve araştırmaları, bu kitabımızda sık sık yer almıştır. Kuan t'ang-chilin, 13, 14 adlı eserindeki bu araştırma Kui-fang, Hien-yün, Kun-i gibi, eski Çinlilerin kuzey kavimleri için söyledikleri sözleri, eski Çin klasiklerinden toplayarak bir araya getirmiştir. Fevkalade geniş bir kaynak bilgisine sahip olan bu araştırıcıya göre, Hu sözü başlangıçta Hun veya Hiung-nu kavim adlarının başka bir yazılışı idi. Fakat zamanla Çinliler bu sözü diğer yabancı kavimler için de kullanmaya başlamışlardı. Bu ünlü ilim adamı, bir sonuca giderken daima son derece zengin vesika veriyordu. O. Franke de eserinde, sık sık bu görüşü benimser görünmektedir. Bütün bu görüşleri, öz olarak vermek için bile yeterli yerimiz yoktur. Çinliler, batıyı ve Türkistan'ı, oldukça geç çağlarda tanıdılar. Çinliler batıyı tanıdıktan sonra, her iki Türkistan halkına da, Hu demeye başlamışlardı. Bu deyimler az sonra, daha da gelişeceklerdi. Çinliler Türkistan şehir halkına Hsi-hu yani Batı Hunları demek yolu ile onları, çevrelerindeki diğer yabancılardan da ayırmak istemişlerdi. Yukarıda adı geçen Wang Kouwei, bunları bol miktarda vesika kullanma yolu ile, çok derin olarak incelemiştir. Prof. Eberhard da, Kui-fang, K'un-i, Hun-i Hsien-yün, Hsün-yü gibi Çin'in kuzeyindeki eski kavimler üzerinde durmuştur. Çin tarihlerine yapılan eski Çin şerh ve notlarına göre bu kavimler, Hunların, yani Hiung-nu kavimlerinin ataları idiler. Çin edebiyatında böyle bir inanış, köklü ve yerlidir. Biz de vaktiyle, DTCF Dergisi'nde bu kavimler ile ilgili vesikaları, bir araya getirmiştik. Fakat bu çok eski vesikalardan, kesin sonuçlara gitmek doğru değildir. Bundan dolayı kitabımızda, kavimler coğrafyasını esas aldık. Çin tarihlerinde kuzeybatı kavimleri için Hu sözü kullanıldıkça, bu deyimi Hunlar diye belirledik. Çünkü ana Hun kitlelerinin bulunduğu bölgeler, bu yönde idi. Yoksa Çinlilerin zamanla değişen geniş etnik deyimlerine bakarak ırk ve kavim birlikleri kurmak, elbette ki doğru olamazdı.

I have a bag over my head. I hate having a bag over my head. It's always the same goddamn thing with kidnappers. "Let's put a bag over hsi head. That way he won't know what's happening!" I know what's happening. I'm being kidnapped. Don't have to be Sherlock fucking Holmes to figure that one out. Oh, and protect the location of your secret hideout? Really? Do you hacve any idea how easy it is to track a cell phone? I can feel mine inside my pocket. But wait! What about frightening and disorienting your victim? Blow me. I'm already disoriented. Fucking flash-bang did that for me. And frightened? Seriously? Do you have any idea how many times I've been kidnapped, stuck in a trunk, handcuffed, or left for dead in the desert? Try something new. Shoot me into space or something.

What we call brainwashing (a word derived from the Chinese “Hsi Nao”) is an elaborate ritual of systematic indoctrination, conversion, and self-accusation used to change non-Communists into submissive followers of the party (Hunter). “Menticide” is a word coined by me and derived from “mens”, the mind, and “caedere”, to kill.