King Huai of Chu sent Chen Zhen as an envoy to the state of Qin. King Hui of Qin said to Chen Zhen, "You have left me and gone to Chu—do you still think of me?" Chen Zhen replied, "Has Your Majesty heard the story of Zhuang Xi, a man of Yue?" King Hui of Qin said, "I have not." Chen Zhen said, "Zhuang Xi, a native of Yue, held office in Chu and rose to the rank of Zhigui. Before long, he fell ill. The King of Chu asked those around him, 'Zhuang Xi was originally a humble commoner of Yue. Now he holds office in Chu and has attained wealth and honor—does he still long for Yue?' His attendants replied, 'It is in times of sickness that men most yearn for their native soil. If he longs for Yue, he will speak the Yue tongue; if not, he will speak the Chu tongue.' The King of Chu sent someone to listen secretly, and found that Zhuang Xi still spoke the Yue dialect. Now, though I have been cast off by you and have come to Chu, how could I cease to speak the language of Qin?" King Hui of Qin said, "Well said."
💡 商战启示录
Chen Zhen's response reveals the paramount importance of "cultural identity and loyalty" in modern business. In multinational corporations or cross-regional operations, managers often confront the question of employees' or partners' sense of belonging to their home country or parent company. Chen Zhen's metaphor of "still speaking the Yue dialect even in illness" illustrates that deep-seated cultural identity does not easily vanish with changing circumstances. This offers a profound lesson for corporate leaders: during mergers and acquisitions or expansion into new territories, they should respect and harness the cultural DNA of the existing team rather than forcibly assimilate it. For instance, when Lenovo acquired IBM's PC division, it retained the original management team and honored its international culture, thereby strengthening its global competitiveness. Conversely, neglecting cultural identity and imposing a monolithic culture can lead to talent attrition and integration failure. Moreover, Chen Zhen's "longing for home" serves as a reminder to brands that consumers' preference for local brands is deeply entrenched; foreign brands entering new markets must adopt localization strategies without abandoning their core values. True loyalty stems from deep-rooted identification, not superficial adaptation. Managers, like King Hui of Qin, should listen to the "dialects" of their people to discern genuine sentiments, building long-term relationships founded on trust rather than mere short-term incentives.