Jingwei Fills the Sea 精卫填海

In modern languages the word tragedy is often used loosely to mean a disaster - particularly a seemingly undeserved disaster that strikes unexpectedly powerful people and happy families.

There are two possible outcomes of any tragedy – it is either an unhappy or a happy ending. One of the most widespread assumptions about a good tragedy is that the characters must be subjected constantly to the successive blows of hardship and misfortune and it must have an unhappy ending in order for it to be ‘most tragic’. It is possible for a tragedy to have happy ending for the good after he overcomes numerous difficulties and obstacles. However, some considered such is not a good tragedy.

Tragedy depicts men and women who, dissatisfied with the hand destiny has dealt them, challenge the rules of the game. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but always they demonstrate the power of human spirit to stand against fate or the gods.

Tragedy also pushes the individual to the outer limits of existence where one must live or die by one's convictions. Facing the end of life, a person quickly recognizes life's ultimate values. All the trivial matters which occupy our daily routine suddenly vanish.

The Chinese myth on ‘Jingwei fills the sea’ is widely considered as a symbol of dogged determination and perseverance in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

The Fajiu Hill was two hundred li (a li is 0.5 km) away to the north. There was a lot of mulberry trees grew on it. Among them lived a bird which looked like a crow, but had a colourful head, a white bill and two red claws. Its call sounded like its name: Jingwei.

The bird was said to be Emperor Yandi's youngest daughter, Nuwa.

Nuwa, while playing on the East Sea, had been drowned and never returned. She had turned into Jingwei, and the bird would often carry bits of twigs and stones all the way from the West Mountains to the East Sea to fill it up.

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用现代话来说，悲剧一般指灾害，尤其是看来不应发生却出乎意料地发生在有权力的人的身上或快乐家庭里的灾难。

悲剧只有两种可能的后果，它的收场可以是不愉快的，也可以是愉快的。对于一个‘好’的悲剧来说，普遍的假设是其中的人物应经历连续不断的苦难与不幸事故；同时，为了要达到‘最惨’效果，其结果应该是不愉快的。但是，好人克服了无数困难与障碍之后，也可能会有好的结果。但一些人认为这不是‘好’的悲剧。

悲剧描述人们 – 男的或女的 – 不满命运给予他们的安排而向这些游戏规律挑战。有时候他们赢了，有时候输了，可是他们时时刻刻显示敢于向命运或神灵挑战的人类精神。

悲剧也把人类推向极限，人们必须为了他们的信念而面对生死的选择。面对生命的终结，一个人很快的就认识到生命的最终价值。占据了我们日常生活的琐琐碎碎事务，突然间都变得不重要。

中国神话《精卫填海》（来自《山海经》）被普遍认为是代表了面对看似没有成功的可能性时的坚定决心与坚持。

‘又北二百里，曰发鸠之山，其上多枯木。有鸟焉，其状如乌，文首，白喙，赤足，名曰“精卫”，其鸣自詨。

是炎帝之少女，名曰女娃。

女娃游于东海，溺而不返，故为精卫，常衔西山之木石，以堙于东海。’