Zhang Qian
Ten Years Holding the Tally
In the years you are stuck halfway, keep hold of where you were going
Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian, ch. 123, 'Account of Dayuan'
He was held for more than ten years. This asks what to keep hold of while a plan is stuck halfway.
What actually happened?
Soon after leaving the frontier, Zhang Qian was captured and taken to the Xiongnu ruler. The Yuezhi lie north of us, the ruler said; how could Han send envoys there? Would Han let me send mine across its land to the south? He kept Zhang Qian for more than ten years and gave him a wife, who bore him a son. Through all of it Zhang Qian kept the envoy's tally. When the guard slackened, he escaped with his men, and went west.
Do not lose the tally
The tally was an envoy's proof of office. For ten years he lived among the Xiongnu, married, raised a child, and kept it. It reminded him who had sent him and where he was going. The longer you are stuck, the easier that is to lose.
Moved to a side role for two years, you still keep the plan you meant to finish and revise it now and then.
Wait for the slack, not for a pardon
He neither defied the ruler nor surrendered to his fate. He lived there until the watch on him loosened. Nobody set him free; the people guarding him simply relaxed over time.
Your project is frozen. You neither fight nor give up; you finish the groundwork and wait for the quarter the budget loosens.
West, not east
The easy road after escaping was home; after ten years nobody would have blamed him. He walked west for dozens of days to find the Yuezhi. The job you had before you got stuck is the first thing to do once free.
Out of a long slump, go back and finish the thing you left undone, rather than picking an easier goal.
How do I use it today?
Where you are: something you started has been stuck for years, life has gone on, and the original plan feels like another life.
Ask first: what do I still keep that reminds me where I was going, and if things loosen tomorrow, which way is my first step?
Where it goes wrong: reading it as 'hold out at any cost'. He married, raised a son and lived an ordinary life there; he did not fight his captors. What he kept was the tally and the direction. When the Yuezhi refused, he came home. Keeping the direction is not the same as insisting it must succeed.
Lines to keep
The longer you are stuck, remember who sent you.
Nobody frees you. The people watching you relax.
Once free, go back to the job you left.
Same situation, other people are asking
I've been saying it for years and nobody listens.All these years of not making it — did I write any of it down?I planted it years ago and nothing has come up.I've been at this for years and it has never worked.It still hasn't worked · all 22 questions →If this one named what you are going through,
send it to someone who needs it, or keep it somewhere you will find it again.