When Lord Mengchang was banished from Qi and later returned, Tan Shizi met him at the border and said, "Do you bear any resentment toward the scholars and officers of Qi?" Lord Mengchang replied, "I do." Tan Shizi asked, "Do you wish to have them killed to be satisfied?" Lord Mengchang answered, "Yes." Tan Shizi said, "All things have their inevitable end, and all principles have their constant course—do you understand this?" Lord Mengchang said, "I do not." Tan Shizi explained, "The inevitable end of all things is death; the constant course of principles is that the wealthy and honored are drawn near, while the poor and lowly are cast off. Such is the inevitable end of things and the constant course of principles. Allow me to illustrate with a marketplace: in the morning, it teems with people; by evening, it stands empty—not because people love the market at dawn and loathe it at dusk, but because at dawn there are goods they desire, and at dusk there are none, so they depart. I beg you not to harbor resentment." Thereupon Lord Mengchang took out the five hundred wooden tablets on which he had recorded his grievances, scraped away the inscriptions, and dared not speak of these matters again.
💡 商战启示录
Tan Shizi's "market analogy" reveals the essential law of supply-demand dynamics and the ebb and flow of people in the commercial world—crowds gather where profit beckons and disperse when it fades, much like a marketplace that brims at dawn and empties by dusk. In modern business, this corresponds to the core logic of customer loyalty and employee turnover: when an enterprise offers value—be it superior products or platforms for growth—talent and customers naturally converge; once that value diminishes, they depart, not out of malice, but as an inevitable consequence of market rationality. Lord Mengchang's eventual erasure of his grudge-list exemplifies a strategic vision of the highest order—one that refuses to let personal emotion override the laws of commerce. Consider Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, who was ousted from the very company he founded; upon his return, he did not seek vengeance against the board that had dismissed him, but instead channeled his energy into product innovation, ultimately leading Apple to unprecedented heights. Conversely, certain founders, consumed by old grievances, have descended into internal strife and squandered critical market windows. Business leaders must understand that collaboration and departure are the natural mechanisms by which the market allocates resources; rather than agonizing over "betrayal," they should reflect on the adequacy of their own value proposition and maintain an open disposition, leaving room for future partnerships. This wisdom of "refraining from resentment while cultivating inner strength" is precisely the strategic composure modern enterprises require in navigating talent mobility and customer churn.