When Zhou Chu was young, he was violent, reckless, and feared by everyone in his village. The village had three scourges: a tiger in the mountains, a dragon in the river, and Zhou Chu himself. People whispered: "If only two of the three would destroy each other."
Zhou Chu killed the tiger and hunted the dragon. The battle lasted three days and three nights. The villagers, assuming he was dead, celebrated. When Zhou Chu emerged victorious and saw the celebration, he realized the truth: he was the third scourge.
He resolved to change. He sought out the two greatest scholars of the age — the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun — and asked: "I have wasted my years. Is it too late to become a good man?" They answered: "The day you realize your errors is the day you begin to correct them."
Zhou Chu reformed completely. He became a loyal minister and a filial son — proof that a wasted past does not determine the future.
周处年少时，凶强侠气，为乡里所患。又义兴水中有蛟，山中有白额虎，并皆暴犯百姓。义兴人谓为三横，而处尤剧。或说处杀虎斩蛟，实冀三横唯余其一。处即刺杀虎，又入水击蛟。蛟或浮或没，行数十里，处与之俱。经三日三夜，乡里皆谓已死，更相庆。竟杀蛟而出，闻里人相庆，始知为人情所患，有自改意。乃入吴寻二陆，终为忠臣孝子。
周处年少时，凶强侠气，为乡里所患。又义兴水中有蛟，山中有白额虎，并皆暴犯百姓。义兴人谓为三横，而处尤剧。或说处杀虎斩蛟，实冀三横唯余其一。处即刺杀虎，又入水击蛟。蛟或浮或没，行数十里，处与之俱。经三日三夜，乡里皆谓已死，更相庆。竟杀蛟而出，闻里人相庆，始知为人情所患，有自改意。乃入吴寻二陆，终为忠臣孝子。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
It is never too late to change. The years you have wasted are gone — but the years ahead are still yours to shape.
The phrase "蹉跎岁月" (wasting the years) describes the regret of squandered time. Zhou Chu's story is one of the most dramatic redemption arcs in Chinese history: from village terror to national hero.
The Lu brothers' answer — "the day you realize your errors is the day you begin" — is one of the most encouraging statements in Chinese philosophy. It does not minimize the wasted years; it simply says they do not determine what comes next. The past is a lesson, not a prison.