Turned 50,000 principal into 4 million—I've been drifting around Yunnan for several years, relying on crypto trading without ever working a single day after graduating from college. I bounce between Kunming and Dali, monthly expenses are 1,500 yuan, and life is pretty carefree.

To be honest, going from 5,000U to 580,000U with zero liquidation isn't because I was lucky, but because I really figured out a survival strategy.

Not long ago, someone added me, saying he lost badly and wanted to give it one last shot by learning from me. I saw he had a good attitude, so I taught him the three survival rules I’ve summarized over the years—in this market, staying alive is more important than anything else.

**First Rule: Split your funds, don’t go all in at once**

I told him to divide his money into three parts. Use one part for short-term trades—trade once a day, take profits and stop. Use another part for swing trades, catching those big trends that last several days. The last part is for backup, to keep yourself steady when your mindset starts to crack. 99% of people lose because they go “all in.”

**Second Rule: Play dead during sideways markets, go all out when there’s a trend**

Most of the time, the crypto market just chops around. If you keep trading out of boredom, you’re just handing fees to the exchange. My experience: don’t move without a trend, but when a real trend comes, hold on tight and don’t let go. If a single trade gains over 20%, immediately cash out 30% and put it in your pocket, let the rest ride.

**Third Rule: Lock yourself in with rules, don’t let emotions take the wheel**

I set three hard rules for him: Cut your losses at 2%—don’t dream it’ll bounce back. Take partial profits at 4%—unrealized profits are just numbers. And the harshest one—no averaging down, ever. Averaging down is a red flag that your emotions are out of control.

He followed this system for a few months, and a few days ago he told me not only did he recover his past losses, but his account is up nicely.

See, going from 5,000U to 580,000U isn’t about gambling, it’s about having a system. If you avoid liquidation, you’re halfway to winning. With a system, you can keep winning. If you want to survive in this market for the long haul, you have to first learn how not to die.