The word "crisis" in mandarin language is "wēijī", which consists of two syllables written in different characters "wēi" and "jī".
The interpretation of "wēi" and "jī" has let to a perception that "crisis" in mandarin means "danger" (wēi) and "opportunity" (jī).
According to Victor H. Mair, professor of Chinese language and literature, the syllable of "wēi" indeed conveys the notion of "danger", whilst the syllable of "jī" does not mean "opportunity" in a genuinely positive way as a favorable junction of circumstances or a good chance for advancement or progress. (see http://pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html)
The jī in wēijī apparently means something like "incipient moment; crucial point (when something begins to change)".
Whilst jī as such does not automatically provide a favorable opportunity, it emphasises the crucial point when something begins to change, which could be seen as the tipping point in a systemic context.
The real opportunity therefore seems to be the sensitivity of the system for a conscious change when reaching the tipping point. Because the system is not very stable at such a moment, even a small impulse can determine the direction the system will take - either favorable or unfavorable, depending on the impulse.
These dangerous crucial moments ("crises") ask for a high level of consciousness rather than a naiv belief that everyhing will almost automatically turn into something favorable. This consciousness is the imparative requirement when aiming to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
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