long. You could also say that it was a presage indicating the Qing dynasty would soon be over. These were unlucky words. If you say something unlucky to Cantonese people, they'll recite, "Knight of Great Fortune, Knight of Great Fortune." That's how superstitious they are. In this case, they would also have called upon the Knight of Great Fortune. "A three-year-old child enjoys only three years of blessings." He had three years of blessings. He only managed to be emperor for three years. It was all over in a little while.

What happened after it was over? The next line tells us very clearly: Under the moon there is no ruler, and the waters dry up. Beneath the character "moon" (¤ë) there isn't the character for "ruler" (¥D). There isn't such character, with a "ruler" under the "moon." But above the moon there is a ruler. The character for "moon" with the character for "ruler" above it and the three dots of the water radical beside it form the character "Qing" (²M) of the Qing dynasty. When he said "under the moon there is no ruler," it was to lead you to think that above the moon there is no ruler. He couldn't come right out and say, "Above the moon there is no ruler," because then it would be too obvious that it was referring to the character "Qing." "The waters dry up" means there's no more water. The water has flowed away and dried up. The drying up of the water refers to the end of the Qing dynasty. The three dots of the water radical are dried up (  ), and there's no ruler under the moon, because the ruler has gone above the moon. This refers to the character "Qing" (²M) of the Qing dynasty.

Although it was in the thirtieth year of the Guang Xu reign period [at the end of the Qing dynasty], no one understood this reference. Even to this day, perhaps there is still no one who understands. So, with the line, "Under the moon there is no ruler and the waters dry up," there was no ruler under the moon, no ruler above the moon, and no water, either. Where did the Qing dynasty go? You can study the meaning of this word. This is referring to the demise of the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty died a natural death and was gone.

The Qing dynasty went to its death, and the next line is an allusion to the person from whose hands the dynasty was lost. In a single day, the vast expanse of mists and ripples is taken over. "The vast expanse of mists and ripples" refers to the tens of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. They would all be lost. All the beautiful mountains and rivers in China, would one day be lost--the dynasty would change. Everything would be finished in a single day. The Chinese characters for "a single day" (¤@¥¹) combine to make the character Xuan («Å) minus the top element (¥Þ). If you take the top element (¥Þ) off the character Xuan, what remains (®Ï) can be divided to make the two characters for "a single day" (¤@¥¹). He couldn't come right out and say, "Xuan was finished." Instead he said it was over in a single day. He wanted you to figure out that the meaning of "Xuan Tong" was hidden in these words. "A single day" implies that it would all be over in one day. This is what happened to Emperor Xuan Tong. Later Japan used him as a puppet emperor to rule the Manchu empire, and his reign was called Kang De. The Manchu empire was different from both the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. This is the general story of the Emperor Xuan Tong.

The second verse describes the founder of the Republic. How does it go?

You, sir, are the grandfather,
Whose inner qualities are balanced.
A ten-thousand mile rainbow breaks the waves in its quest.
Within Yellow Crane Tower, a jade flute is blown.
And throughout the land they sing the song of victory together.
A new flag of five colors is unfurled.

You, sir, are the grandfather. You are the grandfather. Since there's a grandfather, naturally there is a grandchild. The character sun (®]) ["grandchild" = the founding father's surname] is hidden in this line. Whose inner qualities are balanced is not a complete idea. It's half of an idiom that comes from the Analects. The full line reads, "His external accomplishments (¤å) and inner qualities (½è) are balanced, and so he is considered a superior man." Isn't it obvious that the character which means "external accomplishments" (¤å) is hidden in this line? Those who understand will immediately guess that this is a reference to Sun (®]) Wen (¤å) [Dr. Sun Yatsen, founder of the Republic of China].

A ten-thousand mile rainbow breaks the waves in its quest. This refers to how Founding Father Sun travelled back and forth between Honolulu, Hawaii, and China for the sake of the revolution. Riding in a ship that continually braved the wind and broke the waves as he orchestrated the revolution, he was like a rainbow spanning the ocean. So the verse says, "A ten-thousand mile rainbow breaks the waves in its quest." The ten-thousand-mile rainbow is supposed to be in the sky, but because the verse says "breaks the waves in its quest," we know Dr. Sun was travelling by ship over the sea, braving the wind and waves.

Within Yellow Crane Tower, a jade flute is blown. The Yellow Crane Tower is in the city of Wuchang, Hubei Province. From the top of the Yellow Crane Tower, the horn of revolution was blown, summoning Li Yuanhong to join the revolution and help Dr. Sun in his wave-breaking quest of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and establishing the Republic. Thus, "Within Yellow Crane Tower, a jade flute is blown." The clarion call to the Revolution was made from Yellow Crane Tower.

Throughout the land they sing the song of victory together. When the Wuchang Uprising occurred [October 10, 1911], those in all directions responded to the call of revolution, like clouds being blown together by the wind. They all sang songs of triumph. A new flag of five colors is unfurled. When the Republic was first established, a five-colored flag was adopted as the national flag. It was later that they changed to the flag showing a blue sky with a white sun. This is the second verse, which is about the Wuchang Uprising instigated by Dr. Sun, the founder of the Republic. It is said, "One who possesses virtue is truly rich. One who lacks virtue is a pauper." Therefore, moral virtue is not just the talk of pedantic scholars. Rather, the scope of moral virtue includes wise sayings and true principles. When we look at the successive reigns and political regimes of China that have come and gone, we can understand this principle: "Those possessing virtue will keep hold of the reins of government. Those lacking virtue will lose hold of them." We have been discussing the important figures in the recent hundred years of Chinese history. Some of those people were like a night-blooming cereus, making only a brief appearance. Why? Because they didn't have any virtue. A person who lacks virtue may gain control of the country, but he won't be able to keep it. On the other hand, a virtuous person may not become the ruler of a country, but he will win the hearts of the people. Thus, virtue is very important. The ancients also said, "Virtue is the root. Wealth is the branch tips. If people cast out the roots and pursue the branch tips, what they obtain will be seized from them." You may forget the roots and frantically try to amass money, but because you lack virtue, the wealth you obtain will be stolen and confiscated in the end. If you possess virtue, you will win the willing cooperation and admiration of the people. That's something you can enjoy forever.
For example, when the virtue of Xuan Tong of the Qing dynasty was exhausted, his reign came an end, and the Qing dynasty also ended. Dr. Sun, who initiated the revolution in China, had wisdom but no blessings. His virtue was insufficient, and so after the revolution succeeded, his power was seized by Yuan Shikai. Now we come to the third verse, and we'll talk about Great President Yuan--Emperor Yuan. This is what the verse says:

Gentlemen use the pacifying policy.
Change thirty years a bit.
How could he be a common person?
The night-blooming cereus briefly appears.
In the east, west, north, and south,
Dragons quarrel and tigers battle.
At seven and eight the fate is fixed.
And throughout the land, things are roughly stabilized.

Gentlemen use the pacifying policy. "Pacifying" has the meaning of gentle and soft. According to the literal meaning of the words, this must be talking about an honest official who pacifies those who are ready to revolt, right? No! When the character ji (¦N) in the compound for "gentlemen" and the bottom half of huai (Ãh) in "pacifying policy" (which resembles the character yi (¦ç) without the dot and horizontal stroke on top) are put together, they form the character "Yuan" (°K). Therefore, let me explain clearly: This line, "Gentlemen use the pacifying policy," is alluding to the character "Yuan."

Change thirty years a bit. Most people interpreted this literally as a prediction that there would be a change after thirty years. Actually, that's not what's meant. What does it mean? It means under the writing of "thirty" (¤Ê) some strokes are added to make the character "Shi" (¥@). The next line says: How could he be a common person? Taken literally, this line would seem to imply that this individual is no ordinary person. However, this is not what's meant. When the character for "how" (°Z) and the character for "common" (¤Z) are put together, they form the character "Kai" (³Í). Taken together, the three lines, "Gentlemen use the pacifying policy. / Change thirty years a bit. / How could he be a common person?" are a reference to the three characters "Yuan Shikai" (°K¥@³Í) [The first president of the Republic of China who proclaimed himself emperor]. Before the time came, no one knew of the existence of Yuan Shikai. When the time came, people still didn't know these lines referred to him. That's why this is called a prophecy. When one carefully reflects upon the words of the prophecy, one will figure out that these lines refer to the name Yuan Shikai.