Having Standards

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 1.8K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Zhang means tension, chi means relaxation. Zhangchi youdu literally means knowing when to tighten and when to loosen, to let out and draw in freely. It is often used to describe someone who knows how to live, balancing seriousness and liveliness: working when it is time to work, resting when it is time to rest, easy and unconstrained. Youdu shows the capacity for restraint.

Editor's review

This book unfolds around the two characters youdu, starting from the literal meaning of zhangchi youdu: zhang is to tighten, chi is to relax, and together they mean knowing the proper degree of tightness and looseness, to let out and draw in freely. In the book this describes an attitude toward life that balances seriousness and liveliness, working when it is time to work and resting when it is time to rest, easy and unconstrained, and further points out that youdu means having the capacity for restraint. As a title published by Bashu Press in 2024, its value lies not in offering profound theory but in explaining one everyday word clearly and thoroughly, helping readers build an intuitive grasp of du. Its strength is its narrow, life-close entry point, suitable as light reading for self-adjustment in today's fast-paced climate. Reading settings may include the commute, a moment before sleep, or as a prompt for team reading on balancing work and rest. Readers may treat it as a mirror, comparing their own routines and moods to consider where to tighten and where to relax.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Working readers with tense schedules who hope to adjust their routines and mindset
General readers interested in the meanings of traditional words and everyday wisdom
People who need light reading material for fragmented time
Organizers who wish to discuss balance in a team setting

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic psychology theory or practical methods
Professional researchers seeking deep academic textual criticism or etymology
People hoping for concrete time-management tools and steps

Reading tips

Read a section or two on the commute or before sleep; no need to rush.
As you read, compare your work and rest arrangements over the past week and note where things feel out of balance.
Read alongside colleagues or friends and exchange thoughts on when to tighten and when to relax.
After reading, turn youdu into a question: in this moment, should I tighten or loosen?

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
有度第六

FAQ

What exactly does youdu mean in this book?

The book begins with zhangchi youdu: zhang is to tighten, chi is to relax, and together they mean knowing the proper degree of tightness and looseness, to let out and draw in freely. It describes someone who balances seriousness and liveliness, working when it is time to work and resting when it is time to rest, easy and unconstrained; it also shows that youdu means having the capacity for restraint and knowing where to draw the line.

Is this a practical handbook on time management?

No. The book focuses on explaining the meaning and life implications of the word youdu, helping readers understand the sense of proportion between tension and relaxation rather than offering schedules, checklists, or other concrete tools. If you need actionable time-management steps, seek a dedicated methods book; this is better suited as conceptual inspiration and a prompt for reflection.

Is it suitable as a team reading?

Fairly suitable. The book is short and narrow in scope, centered on balancing work and rest, and easy to relate to. Teams can use its passages on working when it is time to work and resting when it is time to rest as discussion prompts, exchanging experiences of imbalance and adjustment, but should not expect systematic training content.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.