| | The Book of Master Guo says: "A gentleman does not gamble, because it involves engaging in evil ways simultaneously." The Analects say: "Are there not those who play weiqi and other games?" Engaging in them is still better than doing nothing at all." However, the sages did not use gambling or games as a method of instruction; they merely acknowledged that scholars cannot always be deeply focused, and when they feel tired at times, engaging in such activities is still better than eating until full and sleeping drowsily or sitting idly upright. As for the Prince of Wu, who considered it useless and ordered Wei Zhao to discuss it; Wang Su, Ge Hong, Tao Kan, and others did not allow themselves to watch or hold such games in their hands; these were all examples of diligent and devoted aspirations. Being able to do so is excellent. In ancient times, large gambling games used six sticks (zhu), while small ones used two pairs of dice; today there is no one who understands them. What people play in this age, using one pair of dice and twelve game pieces, involves shallow and limited strategies; it is not worth playing with. Weiqi (Go) has been called "hand conversation" or "seated seclusion," and is considered a refined game; but it can easily make people indulge in idleness, leading to many losses and neglect of real matters—thus it should not be played constantly.
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