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The Knife You Didn’t Know You Were Holding
This article explores Han Fei’s “borrowing resemblance” stratagem through the Wei Beauty story. It unpacks the borrowed‑knife trap: plausible‑seeming advice makes you bear others’ conflict costs, urging full responsibility from the initiator.
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Luck, Survivorship Bias, and the Psychology of Unearned Rewards
This essay unpacks Han Fei’s “waiting‑by‑stump” fable. It links the farmer’s delusion to survivorship bias, exploring the psychological trap of unearned luck and warning against mechanically copying past successes for modern contexts.
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The Mountain You See, the Mound You Trip Over
This article unpacks Han Feizi’s proverb: people stumble over tiny anthills, not towering mountains. Citing Bai Gui’s levee‑repair case, it stresses guarding against overlooked minor risks and relying on external rules rather than fragile inner willpower.
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Why the Right Advice Can Still Make You a Suspect
This article analyses Han Fei’s “suspect the neighbour” fable. Identical sound advice can trigger suspicion, depending on the speaker’s positional‑relational standing, not argument merit. It stresses structural awareness before offering critical counsel.