What's Good Can Be Better 精益求精 Jīng Yì Qíu Jīng

- Howard and Donovan brought this idiom to my mind

Gisela Jia

Yesterday, we CCBG teachers started our first formal calligraphy lesson with calligraphy expert Howard Li. We all can write decently to different degrees, but have much room to improve.

Howard has lived and breathed calligraphy writing since he was a child in a mountain village in Shanxi Province, using roadside rocks as his brush and ground as his paper. Many decades later, he still writes everyday, from Qian Zi Wen 《千字文》to the single strokes.

As expected, Howard gave us our first weekly homework assignments - practicing 10 basic characters to get to our best (for the week), no matter how many times it takes to get there.

Howard sent us his sample writing last night.

This morning, he sent out another one, which looks almost identical to the one he sent out last night. He explained that in the second version, he improved on a few characters.

When I received the second version, I found myself replying to him and said -

您真是精益求精啊。謝謝您！

You are one who turns what's good to better. Thank you!

精 jīng = very good

益 yì = more so 

求 qíu = seek for

精 jīng = very good

This four character idiom describes people who try their best to keep on improving things that are already very good. When writing to Howard, this idiom fits perfectly.

Fast forward from this morning to this evening. I taught Donovan who was our in person student pre-pandemic but has been our online student (now from San Francisco). 

I checked his homework assignment - make a video to introduce the rooms of your house (or apartment). Of course such an assignment doesn't have to be completed if there're privacy concerns. 

But among families who don't have this concern, Donovan's video was quite something. He was dressed up in a Chinese style outfit, walked us through the rooms with quite a professional manner. His explanations in Mandarin was clear and smooth.

When I complimented him, Donovan told me the video was shot again and again, for 15 times. Sometimes his little sister showed up in the frame. Sometimes he forgot or didn't compose well what he needed to say. Upon hearing this, nothing else came to my mind but these four syllables -

精益求精 jīng yì qíu jīng

In the video, Donovan has a big smile on his face, throughout. I know he enjoys doing good work and learning Chinese language. So is Howard. I know calligraphy occupies his soul. I bet when he wrote his second version of the homework assignment, he did that with great attention and finished with a big smile.

So, to me, a big source for happiness in life is to find things you don't hate, or even like or love, and just be 精益求精 jīng yì qíu jīng  with it!