Cabiojinia
  • Contact Us
  • Bookstore
  • Gospel
  • Leadership
  • Business
  • Self Development
  • Nuggets
  • Stories
  • Life
  • Poem
Pages
  • About
  • Cart
  • Categories
  • Checkout
  • Contact Us
  • Heart Mender
  • Posts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Cabiojinia: The Heart Mender
Subscribe
Cabiojinia
  • Contact Us
  • Bookstore
  • Gospel
  • Leadership
  • Business
  • Self Development
  • Nuggets
  • Stories
  • Life
  • Poem
Subscription Form
Scriptures

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Mark 9:23  Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Proverbs 3:-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

  • Business
  • Stories

The Chinese word for crisis and the Igbo Proverb

  • cabiojinia
Chinese word for crisis by cabiojinia

I really need to tell this story because I think it’s important… I don’t really know for what reason, but I think it’s important. Just read it and tell me what you think in the comment section below.

How it all started

So, whenever I want to write a blog post, I often pray and think about what topic to write on. Then I do my little research in and outside the Bible depending on the topic. If you’ve been around my blog long enough you’d notice that I’m focused on unearthing the hidden treasures buried in the Bible. Yes, I read several other materials too but my principles are mostly from the teachings of Christ and the Bible in general.

So, men, women and children, I found a topic to write on after several hours of thinking. And the topic was on the quote below. This quote has actually been with me for about 6 years and I think I’ve used it a few times during my talks.

By the way, if your organisation or company or group needs a coach, speaker, writer or teacher, please let them know that I’m available for booking. I’m still learning the ropes but you can be sure that you’ll be satisfied at the end of the day. If you’re in doubt, book me.

Ok, back to the story my esteemed readers. So, I decided to eviscerate the quote below and use it to inspire you all for the week. But something unexpected happened. Hmmm.. how do I even start? Ok, first things first. Here is the quote:

The Chinese word for Crisis

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity”.

The above quote is attributed to John F. Kennedy, who used it in his speeches during his presidential campaign. It has since then become a mainstay among entrepreneurs, coaches, therapists, just name it.

So, your brother (if you regard me as one, else you can call me your blogger, heart mender, doctor, teacher, coach, thinker, speaker, writer, counsellor, moviemaker, actor, interior designer, events planner, food and juice taster… insomma sono quello che vuoi che io sia per te, ecco) had all his motivational lines ready to unleash. But I decided to check up the Chinese word in question to know if it truly corresponds to what late JFK said. And that was when I saw something.

It turns out that there have been debates as to whether the Chinese word 危机 (pronounced wēijī) actually stands for both danger (Wei) and opportunity (Ji). Here my blog post was already beginning to develop a K-leg.

So, I called my younger brother to understand more. He studies in China, so, hopefully, he’ll help me resolve the puzzle because I seriously wanted to motivate you all to go out there and conquer all your crises, and turn them into opportunities. DD Nnam, I’m sorry for revealing where you study… you know it’s for the blog. But DD didn’t respond to my message on time; it was around 2 am in his city when I sent the message. So, your brother (again) decided to search for other Chinese professors who have dealt with this subject because this blog post has to go up immediately. And luckily I found one.

According to Victor H. Mair, a professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania, the above quote stems from a misperception. In his essay, he wrote that while the word Wei means “dangerous or precarious”, Ji on the other hand means “incipient moment or crucial point”. However, when Jī is added to huì (“occasion”) we have the Mandarin word for “opportunity” (jīhuì). But by itself, jī does not mean “opportunity.”

The Igbo Proverb

Because I wouldn’t want to stretch the Chinese language so much just to motivate you, and because I don’t want to be “run out of town on a rail”, I decided to fall back to my own language, Igbo – the most beautiful of all existing tongues known to man.

In the Igbo language, we often say, though with a negative connotation “ala adighi mma bu uru ndi nze”, which means “the bad state of the land is the gain of the chieftains”. But seeing it’s my language, I’ll stretch it a bit to include this: in the face of prevalent ugly circumstances, some people see opportunities instead of obstacles.

So, when things get bad, think of restructuring instead of closing up. Think of research instead of retrenchment. Think of innovating yourself instead of involution. Focus on the solutions instead of the problems. Doors open when we think of opportunities instead of obstacles.

There you go; you have your motivation and I have my article of the day.

I think you’ve gotten the point now. What’s your opinion? Let’s chat in the comment section below.

P.S: My brother replied 5 hours later and his answer was the same as that of Professor Victor H. Mair. I would have given you his contact details so you could congratulate him, but I doubt he’ll appreciate it. So, just send the congratulatory messages through me or in the comment section. He’ll read them when he opens this article… because I’ll send the link to him 🙂

1
0
1
0
Kindly make a little donation:
Previous Article
what keeps me up at night by cabiojinia
  • Life & Thoughts

What keeps me up at night

  • cabiojinia
View Post
Next Article
Treasures from the book of Proverb. Cabiojinia
  • Gospel

Treasures from the book of Proverbs 1 verse 8

  • cabiojinia
View Post

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

You May Also Like
agriculture asia countryside cropland
View Post

The Farmer’s Knot

A note of gratitude
View Post

A note of gratitude

A LION IN THE NORTH SEA: THE BATTLE FOR CHEVRON NETHERLANDS
View Post

A Lion in The North Sea: The Battle For Chevron Netherlands

What you see in others is often a reflection of what is in your mind and who you are
View Post

What you see in others is often a reflection of who you are

View Post

Tips on how to build a workplace that encourages health

room 39. A secret worth dying for; a love worth killing for by cabiojinia
View Post

Room 39 is out on Amazon. Grab your copies Now!

Room 39| Chapter 26 by Cabiojinia
View Post

Room 39| Chapter 26

2 comments
  1. Anonymous says:
    March 23, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    From chinese to Igbo…. A wonderful journey of languages.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    1. Caleb says:
      March 23, 2021 at 11:45 pm

      With a touch of Italian in the middle 🙂
      Thanks for reading dear.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives
  • sometimes it's actually right to leave
    Sometimes, it’s actually right to leave
  • No experience is too small for your CV. by cabiojinia
    No experience is too small for your CV
  • Treasures from the book of Proverb. Cabiojinia
    Treasures from the book of Proverbs 1 verse 8
  • there's an eye watching you. by cabiojinia
    The king’s servant – there is an eye watching you.
  • No pain, no pain. Discomfort yields growth.
    Discomfort aids growth| No pain, no gain.
  • Start with a change of mindset
    Start with a change of mindset
  • If Eliab insults you, turn away and ask someone else. Nothing written. by Cabiojinia
    Not everyone will answer you. Mind your business
  • Room 39 chapter eight. by cabiojinia
    Room 39: Chapter Eight
  • You're in my prayers. by cabiojinia
    It’s always darkest before the dawn
  • Harmonious versus Obsessive Passion
    Harmonious versus Obsessive Passion in entrepreneurship

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Social Links

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

Archive
Cabiojinia
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
The Heart Mender

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

WhatsApp us