Tsung Ch'ueh of the Southern Sung Dynasty (420-479) became proficient at martial arts as a young boy. He was very brave and harbored great ambitions.
On the day his older brother Tsung Pi was to marry, many guests arrived and the family was busy as bees. A band of robbers took advantage of the confusion to break in and steal things. Tsung Ch'ueh boldly stepped forward and drove out the robbers single-handedly. When his uncle Tsung Shao-wen asked him what his future ambition was Tsung Ch'ueh replied, "I want to ride the high wind and break 10,000 leagues of waves!"
Later, Tsung Ch'ueh did in fact win many battles and render great service to his country. The emperor appointed him General of the Left Guard and conferred upon him the marquisate of T'ao-yang.
Tsung Ch'ueh's words, simplified to "ride the wind and break the waves," are now used to describe a person's far-reaching and ambitious aspirations.
(Peter Eberly)
