Q0174
“Those who in ancient or modern times achieved great enterprises and profound…” — Wang Guowei (Remarks on Lyrics in the Human…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Remarks on Lyrics in the Human World, §26. Theme: learning.
English
Those who in ancient or modern times achieved great enterprises and profound learning must pass through three realms: first, standing alone atop a high tower after the west wind withers the green trees, gazing to the end of the road at heaven's edge; second, the belt growing looser without regret, wasting away for the beloved; third, searching a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly turning — and finding that person standing where the lanterns grow sparse.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Remarks on Lyrics in the Human World, §26 and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Wang Guowei
Wang Guowei (1877–1927) was a late Qing–Republican scholar who joined classical Chinese learning with Western aesthetics and philosophy. He wrote on tragedy, ci poetry, oracle bones, and the history of Song–Yuan drama.
Interpretation
Wang Guowei borrows three lines of ci poetry to describe stages of a large undertaking. The first is standing alone and seeing the whole distance; the second is persistence to the point of emaciation without regret; the third is the recognition arriving without being sought. His claim is that genuine achievement has this structure regardless of field, and that the last stage cannot be forced. The formulation is unusual in taking literary images as the account.
Why it matters
The third stage is the one that matters: the arrival is unprepared, but it follows the second, which is a matter of endurance rather than insight.
Concepts in this quote
- Learning
- Learning is philosophy’s practical twin: how judgment is formed through study, error, dialogue, and habit.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Wang Guowei. (n.d.). Those who in ancient or modern times achieved great enterprises and profound learning must pass through three realms: first, standing alone atop a high tower after the west wind withers the green trees, gazing to the end of the road at heaven's edge; second, the belt growing looser without regret, wasting away for the beloved; third, searching a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly turning — and finding that person standing where the lanterns grow sparse. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0174
MLA: Wang Guowei. “Those who in ancient or modern times achieved….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0174.
Chicago: Wang Guowei. “Those who in ancient or modern times achieved….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0174.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Those who in ancient or modern times achieved…”?
The passage is attributed to Wang Guowei, Remarks on Lyrics in the Human World, §26. The archive attributes this English wording to Remarks on Lyrics in the Human World, §26 and files it under Modern Chinese Thought. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Wang Guowei mean by learning?
Education is not only information transfer; it is the shaping of attention and character. Confucian learning, Socratic midwifery, and Deweyan growth offer rival models. This passage enters that discussion through learning.