To offer praise or congratulations that subtly includes advice, admonition, or a reminder of reality; to be skillful in praising and also in offering constructive counsel.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
When Jin Wenzi Zhao Wu had a new house completed, Zhang Lao, a high official of the Jin state, went to congratulate him and said, "How magnificent and splendid it is! May you sing here, weep here, and gather your clan here!"
Others present were greatly surprised by these seemingly ambiguous words.
Jin Wenzi, however, understood their deeper meaning and replied, "If I can indeed sing here, weep here, and gather my clan here, it means I have lived a full life, able to follow my ancestors in the afterlife."
People praised Zhang Lao's words as exemplifying "shàn sòng shàn dǎo," meaning skillful in offering praise that subtly includes advice or well-wishing that acknowledges the full spectrum of life.