Thinking three times before giving up a rabbit

Not a Monday Briefing but maybe something better?

Context: My somewhat ranty, tongue-in-cheek, LinkedIn bait post got more traction than I expected, so I’m reposting it for my Substack readership. Let me know if you think this should become some kind of series!

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I absolutely abhor the way 孫子Sun Tzu has been deified beyond anything he ever really achieved in real life, commodified into meaningless, contextless soundbites for English-speaking business professionals (hint: you'd do better reading 鬼谷子Guiguzi, 商君Lord Shang and maaaaybe some 孫臏Sun Bin).

As a native (competently) multilingual person who's had to juggle East and West her entire life, Chinese idioms (成語 / 詞語) tend to pop up at the most inconvenient times, usually when English fails me and I really need to describe a situation, or convey a point in English.

Mastery of these idioms is also a marker of erudition and refinement in Chinese culture as they encode millennia of wisdom into four or five characters, and the more I do not use Chinese in a business context, the more I find I lose it.

Recently, three idioms popped up in everyday conversation with fellow multilinguals:

1. 改邪歸正 (Gǎi xié guī zhèng) - "To give up evil and return to good."

This is the ultimate lesson in strategic pivoting. It’s about having the courage to abandon a failing product, an outdated process, or a toxic company culture. True strength isn't sticking to a bad path, but correcting course to align with your core values and long-term vision. Thank you Peter Loke for reminding me of this!

2. 守株待兔 (Shǒu zhū dài tù) - "To guard a tree stump waiting for a rabbit."

This idiom warns against complacency. The farmer who caught one rabbit by chance waited for another to crash into the same stump, and needless to say the idiot sod starved. In business, this translates to relying on one past success and failing to innovate. Don't wait for luck to strike twice; go out, hunt, and adapt to the market. Thank you C-drama Legend of the Female General (my current guilty binge watch) for reminding me of this.

3. 三思而後行 (Sān sī ér hòu xíng) - "Think three times then act."

The ancient call for strategic due diligence. In a world that prizes speed, this reminds us that impactful action is born from careful consideration. It’s about mitigating risk, anticipating outcomes, and sense-making decisions instead of rushing into costly mistakes. Thank you Carol Lim for reminding me that the world might be a better place if people thought more before they yap and act!

(I might start a series highlighting gems from the 三十六計 Thirty-Six Stratagems – watch this space)