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Han Fei on Not Becoming Someone Else’s Piece
This essay explores Han Fei’s defensive framework: conceal intentions, cross‑verify information, and adopt unassuming outward demeanour. It warns against becoming manipulable by being overly legible to others, drawing Legalist state‑craft for modern‑day self‑protection.
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From “investigating things” to “extending knowledge
This passage is a famous commentary by Zhu Xi, in his Commentary on the Great Learning, on the concept of “Investigation of Things” (Gewu) from the Great Learning (Daxue). It represents the cornerstone of Neo-Confucian epistemology and moral psychology.
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The Bride Who Was Told She Would Be Divorced
This article unpacks a parable from Han Feizi about a bride whose pre‑emptive self‑protection brought about her predicted divorce. It explores self‑fulfilling prophecy, “pre‑knowledge”, and advocates verifying reality instead of acting on unproven assumptions.
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Reward Is a Public Statement, Not a Personal Favour
This essay draws on Han Feizi’s Shi Xie (Exposing Superstition). It argues rewards should serve as public signals of valued conduct rather than personal favours, laying out five practical rules to separate public merit‑based incentives from private gratitude‑driven bonds.