This concept is first found on the bamboo slips unearthed from a tomb of the State of Chu at Guodian Village, Hubei Province. According to the belief that the mandate of heaven or the way of heaven rewards the good and punishes the evil, virtuous individuals will be rewarded and become prosperous, while those who act immorally will be punished and live in poverty. The concept breaks the necessary connection between one’s moral character and their state of poverty or prosperity, indicating that one’s state of poverty or prosperity is influenced by their circumstances. At the same time, the limitations of circumstances should not affect a person’s moral cultivation, as moral cultivation should not aim for prosperity.

In people’s lives, being impoverished or prosperous is influenced by the circumstances of the times, but their moral character remains consistent. (Poverty and Prosperity Are Influenced by the Times, written on the bamboo slips unearthed from a tomb of the State of Chu at Guodian Village, Hubei Province)