Liu Yong: Forge a sword

Text / Liu Yong

Have you ever seen a forged sword? The red-hot steel strips were pulled out of the furnace, placed on the anvil and pounded hard, poured in cold water, let it cool, and put it back into the furnace. And so on and

　　Steel is like man, the deeper it is forged, the more tenacious it is; the colder it is quenched, the stronger its will is; the finer it is sharpened, the sharper its blade. Therefore, it is also ordinary iron sand, after different smelting, some become pig iron, casting bulky utensils; some become wrought iron, making precision instruments; some become steel, shaping blades and guns.

　　"Burn yourself again and again to shape, and repeatedly temper yourself for sharpness." If you can be like this iron sand, you can become steel; if you can be such a mortal, you can become a great man.