No state is permanently strong nor permanently weak. A state grows strong when those who uphold the law are resolute, and weak when they are feeble.
King Zhuang of Chu annexed twenty‑six states and expanded territory by three thousand li. Yet after his death, Chu declined.
Duke Huan of Qi conquered thirty states and expanded territory by three thousand li. After his death, Qi fell into ruin.
King Xiang of Yan (also known as King Zhao of Yan) took the Yellow River as his border and Ji as his capital. He captured Zhuo and Fangcheng, defeated Qi, and pacified Zhongshan. In his time, possession of Yan meant great influence. After his death, Yan perished.
King Anxi of Wei attacked Yan and rescued Zhao, seizing land east of the Yellow River. He occupied all lands of Tao and Wei, marched on Qi to take Pinglu, attacked Han and captured Guan, and won victories by the Qi River. At Suiyang, the Chu army retreated exhausted; at Cai and Shaoling, Chu forces were routed. Wei’s troops spread across the realm, its prestige prevailing among the central states. Yet after King Anxi’s death, Wei collapsed.
Thus with rulers like King Zhuang of Chu and Duke Huan of Qi, Chu and Qi could become hegemons. With King Xiang of Yan and King Anxi of Wei, Yan and Wei could grow powerful. Today all these states have fallen, because their ministers and officials devoted themselves to chaos rather than good governance.
Already disordered and weak, they abandoned state law to pursue private gains with external cliques. This is like carrying firewood to put out a fire – chaos and weakness worsen all the more.
Note
Han Fei concludes that individual heroic rulers cannot secure lasting national power. Only sustained rule by law can maintain long‑term prosperity.
Han Fei
Leading Legalist thinker of the Warring States Period. This passage is excerpted from *On Measuring Standards (You Du)*, arguing that law is the fundamental guarantee of national strength.
King Zhuang of Chu
Famous hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period, who expanded Chu into a powerful state through strict governance.
Duke Huan of Qi
The first overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period, renowned for reforming Qi with laws and institutions.
King Xiang of Yan & King Anxi of Wei
Powerful late‑Warring‑States rulers who achieved military victories, yet their states collapsed after their deaths due to law‑abandoning officials.
Legalist Core Idea: Rule by Law
National strength depends not on individual heroic rulers, but on the long‑term implementation of law by officials. Rulers die, but law should endure.
Carrying Firewood to Put out a Fire (Bao Xin Jiu Huo)
A classic ancient Chinese metaphor: using wrong methods to solve a crisis only makes it worse. Here it means abandoning national law intensifies national decline.
Hegemon Politics in Spring and Autumn Period
Powerful lords annexed smaller states to gain hegemony, but their regimes were fragile without stable legal systems.
Official Malpractice
Han Fei criticizes corrupt officials who prioritize private interests over national law, the root cause of state collapse after great rulers die.
国无常强，无常弱。奉法者强，则国强；奉法者弱，则国弱。荆庄王并国二十六，开地三千里；庄王之氓社稷也，而荆以亡。齐桓公并国三十，启地三千里；桓公之氓社稷也，而齐以亡。燕襄王以河为境，以蓟为国，袭涿、方城，残齐，平中山，有燕者重，无燕者轻；襄王之氓社稷也，而燕以亡。魏安釐王攻燕救赵，取地河东；攻尽陶、魏之地；加兵于齐，私平陆之都；攻韩拔管，胜于淇下；睢阳之事，荆军老而走；蔡、召陵之事，荆军破；兵四布于天下，威行于冠带之国；安釐王死而魏以亡。故有荆庄、齐桓公，则荆、齐可以霸；有燕襄、魏安釐，则燕、魏可以强。今皆亡国者，其群臣官吏皆务所以乱而不务所以治也。其国乱弱矣，又皆释国法而私其外，则是负薪而救火也，乱弱甚矣！
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