Pretending to be Insane while being Intelligent, 假痴不癫 - 36 Strategies
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36 Strategies - Strategy No 27: Pretending to be insane while being intelligent, 假痴不癫
Original: 宁伪作不知不为，不伪作假知妄为。静不露机，云雷屯也。
Modern: 宁可假装糊涂而不次采取行动，也绝不假装聪明而轻举妄动。要沉着冷静，深藏不露，就像雷电在冬季蓄力待发一样。
English: It is better for one to pretend that he knows nothing and take no action rather than pretending to know everything and rush into a situation. One should prepare his forces in the dark and not let others know of his secret and wait for an opportunity to strike, just as lightning and thunder await to strike in winter.
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During the period just before Three Kingdom periods, where the many warlords are fighting for territories, two prominent heroes were outstanding and they are Liu Bei and Cao Cao. When Liu Bei was serving under Cao Cao, he hide his ambitions by drinking and tending to his vegetables everyday. There was once Cao Cao invited Liu Bei over for a drink and the topic that came up during the chat was who is considered the heroes of that time. Liu Bei listed several names but was denounced by Cao Cao. Cao Cao said,"The only people that can be considered heroes of our time are you and me." This shocked Liu Bei till he dropped the chopsticks he was holding because he thought all along he had hide his ambition from Cao Cao very well. At the right moment, the lightning struck and immediately, Liu Bei used it as an excuse for dropping his chopsticks saying,"I was scared stiff by the lightning. That is why I dropped the chopsticks." With that explanation, Cao Cao laughed and thought that since Liu Bei is so cowardly, it is unlikely he will achieve his ambition. Cao Cao from then onwards, let down his guard on Liu Bei. In the end, Liu Bei managed to break free from Cao Cao and formed one of the three kingdoms, vying with Cao Cao.
三国时期，曹操与刘备青梅煮酒论英雄这段故事，就是个典型的例证。刘备早已有夺取天下的抱负，只是当时力量太弱，根本无法与曹操抗衡，而且还处在曹操控制之下。刘备装作每日只是饮酒种菜，不问世事。一日曹操请他喝酒，席上曹操问刘备谁是天下英雄，刘备列了几个名字，都被曹操否定了。忽然，曹操说道：“天下的英雄，只有我和你两个人！”一句话说得刘备惊慌失措，深怕曹操了解自己的政治抱负，吓得手中的筷子掉在地下。幸好此时一阵炸雷，刘备急忙遮掩，说自己被雷声吓掉了筷子。曹操见状，大笑不止，认为刘备连打雷都害怕，成不了大事，对刘备放松了警觉。后来刘备摆脱了曹操的控制，终于在中国历史上干出了一番事业。