Anecdotes about Making Friends (3)
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The friendship between gentlemen is subtle and elegant, lasting forever: such friendships are as calm as water, free from clinginess or entanglement, without any demands or selfish calculations. It may seem simple, but it provides a steady flow over time – clean and lasting.
Friendships among villains—sweet as honey at first, but heartless once relations turn sour: The interactions between villains may seem sweet and intimate on the surface, but are actually driven entirely by self-interest and calculations. Once a conflict of interest arises, they immediately turn against each other and reject one another.
Share joys and sorrows – stay together in prosperity and not abandon each other in adversity; be by each other’s side in good times, and never leave one another in difficult times. I long for neither wealth nor rank; I disdain poverty as well. Through life’s trials and hardships, we will stay together until old age.
Sharing weal and woe – fortune and misfortune go hand in hand, with care for one another: sharing in each other’s joys； Share the other person’s worries. Fated to be together, connected in heart, they are rare soulmates through life and death.
When kindred spirits meet—souls that connect—no words are needed: I understand the unspoken meaning in your words, and I know what you’re trying to say but haven’t expressed. No need for many words; a glance or a few casual conversations are enough to understand each other’s hearts.
Choose good people to befriend – one takes on the characteristics of those they associate with: by befriending kind, upright, and virtuous individuals, one themselves will also continually improve； If one befriends people of poor character, over time they will inevitably pick up bad habits.
Grass grows among flax – making friends in one’s environment has a subtle influence: Grass grows among flax plants, and it naturally stands upright without any support. The character of the friends around you can quietly influence your entire life; choosing friends carefully is, in effect, choosing your path in life.
White sand in mud—easily stained by evil; difficult to cleanse itself: Pure white sand, when mixed with black mud, gradually becomes stained and turns black. Even the most virtuous person, if they spend a long time among vile people, is likely to lose their true nature and become corrupted.
Making friends through literature – connecting with those who share similar interests and cultivate a refined relationship: getting to know one another through poetry, literature, interests, and elegant conduct. When minds are in sync and souls resonate with each other, such friendship is elegant, refined, and enduring.
Supporting each other with friendship – helping one another to grow and strive for goodness: Good friends encourage and motivate one another, working together to cultivate virtue and pursue a life of goodness. True friendship means supporting each other and helping one another become better people.
Sharing the same boat in a storm—meeting by chance and getting along as fate dictates: encountering each other unexpectedly during a stormy journey, and traveling together for a while. Our connection is superficial; it’s merely a relationship between strangers. There’s no need to force a deeper bond – it’s best to let things take their natural course.