Sima Guang Breaks the Vat
童年司马光与伙伴玩耍，一人落水缸中，司马光砸缸放水救人。后世用作机智与果断的启蒙故事（历史叙事与演义有层）。
As a boy, Sima Guang smashed a water vat to save a playmate who had fallen in—a classic tale of quick wit (layered history and folklore). Popular in Chinese childhood education.
司马光砸缸：危急时打破容器救人——规则可被目的暂时压过。不是教人凡事砸碎，而是训练：保命优先于完好器物。保命优先，器物可以再造。今日：流程卡死时，问什么是真正的「缸」。
Sima Guang breaks the vat: in crisis, smash the vessel to save the child—purpose may briefly override rule. Not smash-everything; train that life outranks intact pottery. Today: when process locks, ask what the real “vat” is.
After the moral, ask one question: if a similar choice showed up today, where does the story snag? Name that tension first—then take your own step. You need not copy the ancients, only borrow their clarity.