Chinese Rules: Mao's dog, Deng's cat, and five timeless lessons from the front lines in China

Even a beast like a thousand-pound ox must lower its head to drink

A tree may grow to a thousand feet, but the leaves still return to their roots

When the horse has reached the edge of the cliff, it's too late to draw on the reins

Up in the sky there is paradise, but down on the Earth we have Hangzhou

The first Chinese rule: how can we go so far as to change the regulations of the Celestial Empire at the request of one man?

Sacrifice the plum tree in order to save the peach

The second Chinese rule: the long-divided shall unite, the long-united shall divide

Learn from the past; seek truth from facts

The flowers on a liverwort may be as small as a grain of rice, but they still want to blossom like a peony

The third Chinese rule: the art of war is of vital importance for the state and should on no account be neglected

When Master Jiang hangs out his hook, it's the willing fish that gets caught

Kill with borrowed knife

The fourth Chinese rule: cross the river by feeling for the stones

Who could say it was gain or loss when the old man lost his horse?

The fifth Chinese rule: know yourself and know the other and you'll survive a hundred battles.