Can the crisis be an opportunity?

Deconstruction of a cliché

For decades, esotericists of various persuasions, gurus from the New Age movement, self-proclaimed consultants, and coaches have been preaching to us that every crisis is an opportunity. They claim that in Chinese characters, the characters for crisis and opportunity are identical. There are over a million entries on this topic online.

These many advisors felt completely vindicated when, in January 2009, the Chinese Premier also presented the theory of crisis as an opportunity to the official Swiss government.

The dutiful Swiss nodded thoughtfully, and Mr. Wen smiled quietly. But: The story is merely suitable for small talk; it isn't true. It's a modern legend, the product of a folklore cultivated in the West and promoted in the East, which romanticizes Chinese culture.

The fact that even Mr. Wen officially shared the story is a facet of Chinese humor, not unlike Viennese charm.

The reasons why the theory of crisis as an opportunity persists so stubbornly in the West lie, on the one hand, in the wishful thinking of the aforementioned popular psychologists and hocus-pocus therapists, and always also in female therapists; on the other hand, in a fundamentally erroneous understanding of how concepts are formed in Mandarin, as will be shown below.

Like most terms in modern Chinese, the word for "crisis" is composed of two syllables and thus two characters: "WEI" and "JIi." "WEI" means crisis. "WEI" signifies danger, while "JIi" denotes a turning point, the moment when something begins or changes. "WEI JIi" therefore means a profound crisis, a dangerous moment when things take a turn for the worse. "WEI JIi" indicates a perilous situation requiring extreme caution. It is not a situation where one hopes for opportunities, but rather one where saving one's own skin is paramount.

The syllable "JIi" itself is ambiguous. It is not only used to describe a turning point or a beginning, but also to form words for machines and devices, or for adjectives and adverbs such as supple, skillful, or organic. In combination with other characters, "JIi" can have hundreds of secondary meanings.

It is important to know that these secondary meanings can only have in connection with the polysyllabic term with which it is combined.

Anyone who is interested can see this for themselves in writing.

For example: If we combine the syllable "JIi" with "HUI" (opportunity), we get the term "JIi HUI", which means chance. But remember: "JIi" alone does not mean chance!

Confusing “WEIJIi” with “JiiHUI” is just as absurd as claiming that a crisis is the best opportunity to seize a chance.

If you precede the symbol “JIi” with “FEI”, which means to fly, you get the term “FEIJIi”, which means aircraft or airplane.

Using the same linguistic playfulness, one could claim that the crisis is an aircraft, which in the business world, where managers are often (out) flown, would at least have some connection to reality.

Finally, I would like to recall the parable of the well frog and the sea turtle by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. It should be noted that in Mandarin, a philosopher is not someone who seeks the truth, but rather a man of the path.

The story is about the well frog, who is the greatest in his well, who knows and rules his entire well world. The well frog receives a visit from the sea turtle, who wants to tell him about the ocean. But the frog understands absolutely nothing! The turtle, who already has one foot in the mud of the well, pulls it out again, realizing that teaching the well frog anything about the vastness of the ocean is impossible.

Thus, the legend of crisis as an opportunity, "Ex Oriente Lux," will likely remain alive in the West. Hordes of frogs will continue to croak it merrily, for good money, to the edification of all those who see the crisis as a chance to fly.

April 10, 2021, Hyeronimus Brosamer

Hyeronimus Brosamer, as head of his risk management department, has dedicated his life to dealing with opportunities and risks. His profound insights are his own responsibility.

HMS - Merlin

10/04/2022