This week I decided to do something different: I am bring you a pair of Chinese expressions that are polar opposites of each other.
In English, we have acronyms.
In Chinese, there are acronyms too. Although they have a lot more poetic charm, symbolism, and history behind them.
Can you tell I’m biased 😀 ?
Here they are :
- 不拘一格 （bù jū yī gé）vs.
- 墨守陈规（mò shǒu chén guī）
不拘一格 describes a person who thinks and acts outside of the box. Someone who is adaptable and has skills in many disciplines.
Basically, a person who has range.
In contrast, 墨守成规 describes someone who lives “by the book”.
Someone who resorts to established rules and prefers staying within their comfort zone.
I will dive deeper into the story and meaning behind each expression in upcoming videos.
But first, let’s talk about the power of range.
What is “range” ?
I first encountered this term through Matt Gottesman’s podcast “The Niche is You”.
He used it to describe people like Leonardo DaVinci and Virgil Abloh whose influence echoes through multiple disciplines.
These people are hard to categorize and hard to define.
They move swiftly from one field to another, often misunderstood by others until their fruits prove their genius.
This is not a new idea.
Marie Forleo talked about the power of being a “multi-potentialite” as a business owner.
Mathew Hussey emphasized the importance of building your identity on more than one thing.
These successful entrepreneurs all point to one central idea :
Having range in your work, interests, skills, and social circle is the ultimate protection against life’s uncertainties.
My recently retired patients inspired me to write about range.
Because they showed me in real time what can happen when range is absent from their lives.
The literal word-by-word translation of 不拘一格 (bù jū yī gé) is : Not limited to one box.
What is a box ?
Well, it is the way you define yourself.
In western societies, it is often your title, profession, or traditionally defined roles (i.e. mother, father).
One client gave her honest take on how retirement forced her to confront the scary existential question:
“What is the meaning of life, now that my life is no longer defined by my profession?”
Similar sentiments are expressed by others who are approaching retirement age in my circle.
But why aren’t we taught about the importance of developing range sooner?
We were taught to follow a linear path.
And to keep following it without questioning its validity
In childhood, most of us leveled up grade by grade.
Then we were supposed to pick a career and stick with it through adulthood.
Uncertainty is seen as immature. You should have it figured out by 18, or latest by 25 for God’s sake.
We were taught to perform certainty by gripping onto a safe path laid out in front of us.
And this path becomes the foundation to your identity.
Your dreams? Too frivolous.
That gnawing feeling that something isn’t right, even if the profession pays well and has job security ?
Too inconvenient. Better disregard that feeling and play it safe.
Most of us were never encouraged to embrace our complexities.
Society traditionally sees complexity as inconvenient.
We all know a couple stories about outcasts and misfits, and how much they suffered.
Perhaps you once ignored your inner knowing because it felt too dangerous.
But my retiree clients taught me something important :
Jobs are temporary. Most roles are temporary.
The very things that they thought would give them a “safe life” led to the collapse of their identities.
All because they never took the time to understand their own complexities outside of the roles they were performing.
Range protects you against nihilism and self-abandonment.
Having range means embracing your own complexity.
And what if your complexity is not an inconvenience, but the ultimate key to unlocking your greatest life?
Now, how can you add more range into your life ？
This article is getting kind of long. So I will save my personal rundown on how I built range in different aspects of my life for the next newsletter.
For now, go and deep dive into ancient Chinese wisdom on my YouTube channel here.
Want to see these reflective articles the moment they come out? Sign up to Chinese Deep Dive weekly newsletter, written by yours truly. I only bring you high quality content.
Until next time.
Love,
Crystal
