Recommended Preface
Introduction

Part 1: On Attitude to Life

001 Live without shame as a human being
002 Live simply and honestly
003 Even if a master knows the strategy, he doesn't use it.
004 Welcome bitter advice and trials.
005 A strong will comes from a simple life.
006 The busier you are, the more relaxed you should be.
007: Act appropriately for the times and people.
008 Virtue is higher than power
009 Beware of Greed
010 Take charge of your own destiny
011 Life after middle age determines the rest of your life.
012 Dignity that comes from unadorned appearance
013 Be careful where you can't see
014 Don't be shallow
015 Live gently without raising your voice
016 Ultimately, the answer lies in the ordinary.
017 You can't just hope for life to be smooth sailing.
018 A person who shines more as he gets older
019 Going fast doesn't mean winning.
020 Don't waste your life bickering
021 If you can enjoy it anywhere without being tied down
022 In the words of a person who pursues power
023 Always think about the time of death and illness.
024 The True Taste of Life
025 The more you have, the more you lose
026 Natural is the most beautiful
027 An ordinary day without incident is happiness.
028 Things you only realize when you're about to die
029 Live the life of a master, not a slave
030 Like a drop of water pierces a rock
031 It's not good to be too idle, nor is it good to be too busy.
032 What I Need to Get Rid of in My Life Right Now

Part 2: About Attitude

033 When your heart is happy, everything goes smoothly.
034 I treat others with kindness first.
035 Enjoyment is not excessive, effort is not lacking
036 A person who attracts good fortune
037 Don't worry about things you can't do anything about.
038 What to pass on
039 Why Character is More Important Than Talent
040 Conditions for improving personality
041 Things that do not disappear even when people die and times change
042 Consideration and kindness create warmth.
043 Don't draw the line too clearly
044 Be happy to be scolded
045 The more you obsess, the more opportunities you lose.
046 Neither worry nor joy lasts forever.
047 Four Attitudes of a High-Performance Person
048 If you live a busy life without time to enjoy it
049 Illusions that occur when the mind is confused
050 When you are swayed by desire, stay away from the world.
051 Things You See When You Break Free from the Hamster Wheel of Daily Life

Part 3: On Self-Control

052 Express your opinions, but don't brag about your talents.
053 Don't let your guard down, even when things are going well.
054 The more successful you are, the more you should look back at yourself.
055 Free yourself from vain desires and obsessions
056 The moment you become complacent, you fall apart.
057 Arrogance is just a guest
058 It is also necessary to lower expectations.
059 The poor in spirit
060 Beware of stubbornness and self-righteousness
061 Controlling my mind comes first.
062 Not too kind or rude
063 Once you fall into temptation, you can't stop it.
064 Forget what you have given to others and remember what you have received.
065 A person who lives alone and lives in luxury
066 If you are too careful, you will suffocate.
067 Don't go to extremes
068 Maintaining dignity even in the worst situations
069 Don't take even the slightest shaking lightly.
070 How to Recognize Your True Self
071 Don't trust other people's words or your own strength too much.
072 Pretend not to know when someone is deceiving you.
073 Think deeply, but don't be too suspicious.
074 The poison of blaming others
075 How to Be Calm Without Trying
076 Frugality and stinginess are different.
077 Do not act on your feelings or emotions.
078 A person who pretends to be extraordinary or noble
079 Don't be swayed by others' opinions.
080 Compassion for the Insignificant
081 A truly dignified person does not show off.
082 Three Ways to Benefit the World While Keeping My Will
083 Flattery is more dangerous than slander.
084 Even humility, if excessive, becomes cowardly.
085 How to Use Wealth and Wisdom
086 Think carefully before you speak.
087 Train your mind when you have free time.
088 Obsession turns pleasure into pain.
089 Be cool when you're busy, be passionate when you're tired.
090 Don't be swayed by trivial matters
091 Whether you criticize or praise, I leave it alone.
092 Will avoiding people make my heart calm?
093 Become the Master of Your Desire
094 What is a better life?

Part 4: On Human Relationships

095 The Wisdom of Stepping Back and Giving In
096 Make friends with 30% trust
097 Taking a step forward by giving in
098 Do not monopolize honor and credit.
099 Family conversation is better than performance
100 Don't scold or force too much.
101 Be polite, but not mean.
102 Give without calculating
103 Impatient, stingy, or narrow-minded
104 Family members need to be gently addressed to avoid trouble.
105 Keep your beliefs, but don't show them sharply.
106 Three Things to Keep in Mind for Smooth Relationships
107 Don't expect to be treated well and thanked
108 Cherish old friends rather than making new ones.
109. Advise your friends without hesitation about their mistakes.
110 Helping should be tailored to the individual.
111 Do not expose other people's weaknesses.
112 Don't show your true feelings to anyone.
113 Do not praise or speak ill of others hastily.
114 Don't make a fuss between family members
115 If you boast about beauty, ugliness will follow.
116 Don't react to every whim and jealousy.
117 Make rewards and punishments clear.
118 Leave an escape route for the enemy.
119 Save people with a single word
120 Treat others with sincerity and kindness.
121 Sometimes things happen on their own if you wait patiently.
122 A person who is true to himself trusts others.
123 Three Things You're Often Missing in Your Work and Relationships
124 Be generous to others and strict with yourself.
125 Don't be too nice to me from the start
126 Four Things to Keep in Mind as Your Status Increases
127 How to Deal with Unjust People
128 Virtues Necessary for Official Office and Family Life
129 The more abundant you are, the more you should think about the suffering of living without.
130 You must maintain your convictions, but also know how to get along with others.
131 Look at other people's faults as small, and your own as big.

Part 5: On the Perspective on the World

132 Face your own mind in silence.
133 Remember that others are like you.
134 Money and fame are illusions.
135 If you keep making mistakes even though you know it is wrong
136 Be subjective and listen to the opinions of others.
137 The world doesn't always go as planned.
138 Don't blindly believe what others say; check for yourself.
139 It's difficult to work with someone who is mediocre.
140 Understand the spirit contained in the form
141 Life is as fleeting as dust and foam
142 After the passion has subsided
143 Long or short is a matter of perspective.
144 Enlightenment is in life
145 If you change your perspective, you see things differently.
146 No need to be impatient
147 Live in the world, yet transcend the world.
148 Only through change can one's true self emerge.
149 The essence of all things is the same.
150 If you let go of your worries, there is nothing to envy.
151 Think about life before and after death
152 Don't get caught up in the situation, take a step back and look at it.

Part 6: About Daily Life

153 Take some time for everything
154 A quiet yet lively person
155 Think before you act and see if you will regret it.
156 Excessive use of either is not beneficial.
157 Go back to the beginning
158 Once you fall into temptation, it's hard to turn back.
159 Never do what others tell you to do.
160 If you do what others do, you can't be better than others.
161 Focus on one goal
162 Be alert even if you have no eyes to see.
163 Think of the essence, not the shell.
164 Self-aggrandizement is just a sign of immaturity.
165 Why Wise People Reserve Their Words
166 Don't waste time just because you have free time.
167 If you only seek power, you will become a beggar with a government post.
168 If a gentleman is hypocritical, he is no different from a petty person.
169 Do fun things in moderation
170 Not too light, not too heavy
171 Life goes by in an instant
172 One mistake and you'll regret it for the rest of your life
173 Do not bend your will to please others.
174 Don't neglect even the smallest things.
175 Look around
176 A house with a weak foundation will not last long.
177 Let morality and learning become part of daily life.
178 Don't be discouraged if you don't see results.
179 When to Consider Pros and Cons and When to Forget
180 If you try to achieve something quickly, it will be shallow.
181 Dig deep until you get to the essence.
182 days to reduce work and protect your heart
183 Stop what needs to be stopped immediately.
184 Abandon fame and enjoy leisure.
185 Change your environment to find peace of mind
186 A bird that has been lying down for a long time will fly high.
187 The more you try to get rid of thoughts, the more they become trapped in you.
188 The man who knows when to leave
189 If there is no realization in the mind

Part 7: About Humans

190 The master is rather ordinary
191 You must have been in a low place to know the dangers of high places.
192 Bad friends are like weeds
193 There is no distinction between good and evil.
194 How to Recognize Conscience and Hypocrisy
195 There are no fish in water that is too clear.
196 A person without motivation will never progress in life.
197 A person with both hardness and softness
198 Adversity is the medicine that helps me grow.
199 It is a recognized trend to go back and forth for profit
200 There is no way to change someone who is stubborn about their own opinions.
201 Beware of those who seek fame
202 Don't be a hard-headed person
203 Training from a young age makes one a good vessel.
204 When what you say on the outside and what you really mean are different
205 It is harder to control a human heart than a beast.
206 Do not be tainted by the world's evil customs.

Part 8: On Happiness

207 People who have too many things to worry about are unhappy.
208 When things are going well, unexpected sadness comes.
209 Empty it so it doesn't overflow
210 There is greater unhappiness in a life of abundance.
211 The Secret to Attracting Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune
212 What is truly lasting happiness?
213 The more you try to avoid misfortune, the more it pursues you.
214 If you don't know satisfaction, you will become a beggar.
215 Happiness leads to unhappiness, life leads to death
216 The boundary between happiness and unhappiness lies in the mind.
217 Joy and sorrow are one
Beware of windfalls or fortunes that overflow within 218 minutes.
219 Moderation is beauty
220 Suffering is only of your own making.

★“A book that has become a guide to my life”—Includes a recommended preface by Professor Jeong Hee-won
★A classic guide to leading a dignified life
★A must-read for CEOs

Work, relationships, money, happiness, aging...
Encountered in life
"The Best Proverbs of the East," a collection of insightful proverbs for all your worries.

Even when the author Hong Ja-seong lived, life was not much different from now.
In the corrupt and chaotic times of the late Ming Dynasty, he too pursued success and advancement, but suffered all kinds of setbacks.
Then, after growing older and taking a step back from the world, he wrote down what he had deeply realized while struggling with his whole body during his youth, and that is 『Chaegeundam』.
As the title suggests, "If a person can chew the grassroots, he can do anything," "Chaegeundam" deals with how to achieve what you want without being frustrated or giving up in the face of harsh reality.
If you want to get through the hardships of life safely, you can't go forward with principles and ideals alone.
You have to face reality, discipline yourself, and sometimes learn to humble yourself and endure and wait.
This is why the author emphasizes a flexible attitude that suits the situation and a balance that does not go to extremes.
Ideologically, it is the same.
Although rooted in Confucianism, he also had insight into Buddhism and Taoism. Rather than sticking to just one ideology, he was flexible in adopting whatever would help him navigate the world.
And based on this, it provides answers to all kinds of worries and questions that readers encounter in life, such as work, relationships, money, happiness, and aging.


Don't worry about what you can't do, focus on what you can do.

The world Hong Ja-seong sees is characterized by unexpected hardships, trials, and a harsh competition for survival.
I can't just hope that my life will be smooth.
But just because life is suffering doesn't mean we should just passively endure it.
“If heaven does not bestow happiness upon you, cultivate yourself and seek happiness on your own” (p. 34), he advises.
Instead of worrying about things you can't control, those who focus on what they can do and achieve it are the ones who change their own destiny.
Such people have nothing to fear when faced with a crisis, as they use it as an “opportunity to train themselves and grow greatly.”
Rather, what you should be wary of is when things are going well and you are receiving positive reviews from those around you.
Because it is easy to fall down due to complacency or mistakes.
“If you only listen to lip service and compliments and everything goes your way, it’s like immersing your life in poison.” (p. 28) That’s why a wise person, whether things are going well or not, never neglects to take a step back, assess the situation, and discipline himself.


Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the essentials.

We must also be wary of the common belief that solving a problem requires doing 'more'.
As Professor Jeong Hee-won wrote in the preface to the recommendation, when we set “faster, more, and more splendidly” as the ultimate goal, we step on the accelerator of physical and mental stress, and in the end, we become “people who have lost their inner light,” left with only greed, anger, ignorance, and emptiness.
“I just ran hard to live a better life, but before I knew it, I found myself mentally exhausted” (page 7).
The prescription that 『Chaegeundam』 offers to these people is simple and clear.
“The more you let go of something in your life, the more you can free yourself from unnecessary worries.
If you reduce your interpersonal relationships, you will get involved in fewer annoying things, and if you talk less, you will make fewer mistakes.
“If you think less, you won’t be mentally exhausted, and if you reduce your pretense of being smart, you can recover your innate nature.” The principles of happiness and unhappiness are not far from here.
“There is no greater happiness than having little to do, and no greater misery than worrying about ten thousand things.” (p. 251)

One step forward by giving in

If you are tired of relationships that consume you, the author advises that you accept the fact that “humans are self-interested beings” (p. 240).
Then, there will be less expectation and disappointment from others.
When I'm doing well, people come to me diligently, but when I'm failing, they don't even look back. From that perspective, it's not surprising.
Moreover, since they “judge me based solely on my appearance, not my character or essence” (p. 108), if they were to react to every single evaluation from others, “there would not be a single day when I would feel at ease” (p. 148). Those who know this “would just nod their heads perfunctorily, regardless of whether others praised or criticized them” (p. 120). Of course, not all human relationships are driven by self-interest alone, and even in such relationships, a shallow approach that prioritizes only one’s own interests over consideration for others cannot lead to long-term success.
We must remember that “giving in to others is ultimately a step forward for ourselves,” and that “building good relationships by benefiting others ultimately benefits ourselves” (p. 129).


Don't get caught up in the immediate situation; look at the flow of life.

“Don’t worry if things don’t go your way, and don’t be happy if things turn out the way you want them to.
That is why the message, “You should not assume that your current happiness will continue in the future, and you should not run away right away just because you encounter difficulties when starting something” (page 72) is repeated several times throughout the book.
It means to remember at every moment that life is a continuous flow of hardships and happiness.
But we usually think and act in the exact opposite way.
If you are unhappy, be unhappy; if you are happy, be happy; without realizing it, you become absorbed in that moment and tie yourself up.
If you are helplessly tossed around by the endless waves of life, your body and mind will be worn away and bruised.
So the author speaks decisively.
Don't be overly excited or depressed by success or failure, by the evaluation of others, or by happiness or unhappiness.
To avoid wasting our lives fixated on constantly changing circumstances and times, we need a perspective that allows us to see not just the immediate aspects of life, but the entire flow of it.
『Chaegeundam』 is an excellent book of wisdom that awakens just such a perspective.
Because it is a collection of short sayings rather than a difficult scripture, it is easily accessible even to those who are new to Eastern classics.
When your mind is cluttered, when you feel unnecessarily shaken by trivial matters, when you simply want to live calmly and with dignity, I recommend opening any page that catches your eye and savoring it carefully, as if chewing on grass roots.