*Dongshi’s Dilemma* follows an ordinary retail investor named Dongshi and his decade-long struggle and awakening in the stock market. He once believed in candlestick-chart techniques, devoured financial news, and imitated big names such as Warren Buffett, yet repeatedly got fleeced chasing rising stocks and cutting losses as they fell. His account was more often in the red than in the black, leaving him bewildered by the fact that the more he learned, the more he lost.
The story focuses on the fractures in his understanding: technical indicators stop working, a flood of information leaves him confused, and the experience of successful investors proves ill-suited to his circumstances. On the verge of a breakdown, he gradually comes to understand the truth through everyday moments like climbing mountains, selling vegetables, and spending time with his child: there is no “Holy Grail” in the stock market. At the root of his losses are gaps in his understanding and the greed and fear of human nature.
Ten years later, Dongshi sheds his “parrot” persona. He no longer believes in predictions, but chooses stocks based on common sense; he stops chasing trends and holds on to good companies, growing wealth gradually; he no longer frets over every rise and fall, treating the stock market as a footnote to life. He goes from “learning how other people win” to “understanding how not to lose,” and finally finds his own sense of clarity in the market.
With its down-to-earth flavor, the book offers lessons in investing: true maturity means admitting what you don’t know, staying within your circle of competence, and being a clear-eyed ordinary person.
