Long ago, a novice was bragging he was the best coder among his brothers.
Jinyu heard of this, came to him, and said: “Your code is no good.”

“I code fast and well, my parts don’t break in production!” was the outraged novice’s reply.
“Still no good,” said Jinyu.

— — —

The novice became monk. He was caught bragging again.
Jinyu came and said: “Your code is no good.”

“During the reviews, my code is well accepted by others!” he said angrily.
“Still no good,” said Jinyu.

— — —

The monk was given new projects. He was glad his skills were at least recognised.
Jinyu came and said: “Your code is no good.”

“The defects in each of my projects declined sharply, and the velocity went up!” he said proudly.
“Still no good,” said Jinyu.

— — —

The monk became senior. He was given architectural tasks.
Jinyu came and said: “Your code is no good.”

“My code is elegant, easy to maintain and evolve!” he said defensively.
“Still no good,” said Jinyu.

— — —

Years passed. The senior monk was not bragging anymore.
He came to Jinyu. “After all these years,” he said bowing, “my code is no good.”

“But with each passing year you’re tackling harder problems with fewer effort!” said Jinyu.
“Still no good,” said the monk.

On that very instant, Jinyu asked him to become a master.

Qi's Poem

It’s good to be satisfied
But look behind you
Would you have gotten this far?