[Red Envelope] Hundredfold Brother reads Chapter 22 of the "Tao Te Ching": Understanding "Bend and You Will Be Whole," Say Goodbye to Pumping and Being Trapped

Chapter 22 Original Text [Taogu Ba]

The curved is complete, the crooked is straight, the hollow is full, the worn is new, the few gain, the many are confused.
Therefore, the sage embraces one as the model for the world.
Not seeking to appear wise, hence truly wise;
Not seeking to be recognized, hence truly distinguished;
Not seeking to boast, hence truly accomplished;
Not seeking to be proud, hence truly enduring.
Only by not争ing, can the world have no one to争 with.
Is the so-called “curved is complete” in ancient times just empty words? Truly complete and return to it.

In the previous chapter, we discussed “Confucian virtue’s appearance, only following the Way,” acknowledging that market laws are vague but have images, objects, essence, and信—fundamentals we can rely on in investing.

Chapter 22, Laozi discusses the wisdom of adapting to the market and trading patterns. It explains how to use柔克刚,静制动,简驭繁—how to conquer hardness with softness, control movement with静, manage繁 with simplicity—preserving oneself in the market and achieving long-term stable profits.

1. The curved is complete, the crooked is straight

Markets never rise in a straight line nor fall in a straight line; they don’t keep rising or falling forever. Instead, there are adjustments during rises, rebounds during declines, and twists within trends, with reversals above wave segments.

The curved is complete means accepting market twists to preserve positions and profits; following the trend’s ups and downs to capture the full trend. If one panics and leaves at minor fluctuations or hesitates at critical moments, how can they expect to harvest the full benefits of the trend?

Many cannot hold profits because they cannot handle the “curve.” They panic at minor corrections, get confused during震荡, and give up chips during洗盘. They prefer straightforward moves and refuse to accept twists, ultimately unable to go far, hold profits, or avoid losses. This is a cognitive error; wrong cognition inevitably leads to uncontrolled emotions and irrational trading behaviors.

Those who truly understand trends know that corrections are necessary paths of the trend, and retracements are essential costs for final profits. Just like fishermen must bait fish to catch fish, farmers must buy seeds to harvest.

Do not oppose temporary rises and falls, do not fight震荡; bend with the trend to go further and more steadily.

2. The hollow is full, the worn is new

The hollow is full—water flows to低处, low-lying places are full of vitality.

In investing, this means cycle lows, trend lows, valuation lows, and sentiment lows—places with the greatest potential and energy. Investors should quantify these low points to buy low, gaining cost advantages. Not chasing highs at the top, as highs are not profitable and are risky.

Avoid追高 in狂热, and avoid抛出 in恐慌; learn to守在低位, wait patiently, and布局在低洼, to harvest稳妥的收益.

The worn becomes new—when something is extremely outdated, it will be reborn. This is the cycle and the principle of物极必反.

A bear market ends with a bull market; a decline ends with an ascent. Old trends end, new trends begin.

Traders need foresight and judgment—seeing one step ahead prevents always追涨杀跌. This is one of the core differences between高手 and普通 traders. Do not cling to past行情 or固执旧走势; wait at the “worn” to迎来新生, and seize new trends and cycles.

3. The few gain, the many are confused

Our core in investing is to use correct methods to quantify trend changes. Focus only on trends,守住周期, and follow rules—simplicity is the most effective.

The more news you watch, the more乱 your mind; the more indicators you use, the harder to judge; the more frequently you操作, the more mistakes you make; the more欲望 you have, the easier to迷失.

Markets are never about努力越多越赚钱, but about clarity, simplicity, and focus—these bring the greatest gains.

Knowing when to止, then you can settle; less取 means more gains.

Many investors are poor at this. There’s a saying, “Wake up earlier than chickens, do more than oxen,” but results are often disappointing or even lead to losses. It’s not that努力 is useless, but that the方向 of effort is wrong—wanting everything results in nothing.

In investing,努力 is the foundation for success, but choosing the right方向 is the key. Effort is necessary but not sufficient; sticking to the right方向 is the goal.

4. The sage embraces one as the model for the world

Laozi gives the ultimate answer: embrace one.

One is the Dao, the law, the根本, the trend shown by K-line, the秩序 of周期.

Embracing one means守住唯一的根本,守住唯一的系统,守住唯一的规则.

Top traders do one thing: embrace one as the model for the world, establish rules, and strictly守住规则. It’s simple—whether complex or simple, it’s just that simple.

Don’t be swayed by news, don’t be disturbed by emotions, don’t be tempted by热点, don’t be迷惑 by波动. Only see the trend, keep the规律 in mind, and follow the rules.

Use the unchanging one to respond to变化的市场; use the simple one to驾驭复杂的行情.

5. Not seeking recognition, hence clarity; not seeking praise, hence achievement; not seeking to boast, hence success; not seeking arrogance, hence longevity

These four sayings provide another perspective on the top mentalities of traders. Let’s examine them one by one.

Not seeking recognition means humility, not being blinded by gains or losses, not being misled by subjective assumptions, so as to objectively see market trends.

Not seeking praise means not固执己见, not逆势硬扛, not thinking oneself smarter than the market, but truly grasping opportunities and steadily growing the account.

Not seeking to boast means not自作聪明, not醉于胜利, not rushing to prove oneself, but calmly守住利润.

Not seeking arrogance means not骄傲自满, not狂妄大意, always maintaining敬畏 and knowing when to stop, to stay undefeated and achieve long-term stable profits.

The greatest enemy in investing is never the market, but oneself. Let go of ego, follow规律, and we can truly see clearly, act correctly, and sustain long-term success.

6. Only because not争, can the world have no one to争 with

Not争 does not mean doing nothing or躺平. It means not争高低 with the market, not争对错 with趋势.

Follow the trend when it comes, wait when it goes,布局 when周期到, execute when规律显.

When you no longer oppose the market, no longer prove yourself, and no longer争抢 every fluctuation, you stand invincible. This is “Only because not争, can the world have no one to争 with.”

7. The curved is complete, is it just empty words? Truly complete and return to it

Laozi finally said, “The curved is complete” is never empty talk, but the way of nature and the way of investing. Is it虚言? Laozi is not easy—he speaks earnestly. These are timeless admonitions worth our diligent practice.

Everything ultimately returns to the Dao, to规律, to趋势, to根本.

Chapter 22 teaches us about the pattern, mindset, and wisdom for survival in investing.

By守住 the wisdom in this chapter, we can move steadily through牛熊 cycles, preserve ourselves amid周期波动, and achieve持续稳定的盈利.

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