Tales from the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government

Readers can think of Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance as a collection of case studies in personal growth. To help you quickly understand its style, let me first explain: the book is written in chronological order, but only the major historical events of each year are covered, and each event stands on its own. You only need to take away something that speaks to you from each story. As the saying goes, “Take history as a mirror, and you can understand the rise and fall of nations.” I hope that, with my modest efforts and in plain, accessible, humorous language, I can inspire you to read Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance from beginning to end and understand it, so you can build up historical wisdom and find the key to life's difficult problems when you face them. One last thing: the fastest way to grow through reading is to put yourself into the book, or, you could say, transmigrate into it. If you were one of the characters, what would you do? If you were the Son of Heaven of Zhou, when Han, Zhao, and Wei pressured you to make them lords, would you cave in and grant their request, or join forces with others to send them back to the Stone Age? Of course, Han, Zhao, and Wei could send you back to the Stone Age instead, and you might even lose your home. So you need to think carefully and put yourself in their shoes. Could you do better than the characters in the book? If not, learn from the good things they did. If you think you could, consider what makes your approach better and what it might still be lacking.