by Han Fei
The people of Qi loved extravagant burials.
Silk and fabrics were all used for grave clothes and shrouds, while timber was exhausted for inner and outer coffins.
Duke Huan was worried and said to Guan Zhong:
“When all fabrics are gone, we will have nothing to make clothes from. When all timber is gone, we will have nothing for defense and fortifications. Yet people never stop holding lavish funerals. How can we ban this practice?”
Guan Zhong replied:
“All people act for either fame or profit.”
Thereupon the duke issued an order:
“Anyone who uses excessively elaborate coffins shall have the corpse disinterred and disgraced, and the person in charge of the funeral shall be punished.”
Having one’s corpse disgraced brings no fame; being punished brings no profit.
Why would people do such a thing then?
Note
Duke Huan of Qi
Guan Zhong
A famous statesman and reformer who helped Duke Huan make Qi strong. He was known for practical governance and focusing on national wealth and strength.
Han Fei
A leading Legalist philosopher of the Warring States Period. He used this story to show that laws and punishments can effectively change social behavior.
Thick burial
In ancient China, people believed elaborate funerals showed filial piety and social status, often wasting huge amounts of cloth, wood and wealth.
Legalist way of governing
Han Fei emphasized that human behavior is driven by fame and profit.
By taking away both (punishment and disgrace), bad customs can be stopped effectively.
齐国好厚葬，布帛尽于衣衾，材木尽于棺椁。桓公患之，以告管仲，曰：”布帛尽则无以为蔽，材木尽则无以为守备，而人厚葬之不休，禁之奈何？”管仲对曰：”夫凡人之有为也，非名之则利之也。”于是乃下令曰：”棺椁过度者戮其尸，罪夫当丧者。”夫戮死无名，罪当丧者无利，人何故为之也？
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