What means a small state lacking etiquette? In ancient times, Prince Chong Er of Jin went into exile and passed through Cao. The Lord of Cao stripped himself to secretly watch Chong Er bathing (for he was said to have fused ribs). Li Fuji (Xi Fuji) and Shu Zhan attended nearby.
Shu Zhan said to the Lord of Cao: “I see Prince Chong Er is no ordinary man. If you treat him discourteously, once he returns to Jin and raises troops, he will harm Cao. Better kill him now.” The Lord of Cao refused.
Returning home, Li Fuji looked unhappy. His wife asked why. He replied: “I have heard that blessings never reach me, yet disasters always involve me. Today our lord treated Prince Chong Er discourteously while I was present; hence my worry.”
His wife said: “I see Prince Chong Er will become a ruler of a great state, and his followers future high ministers. Now exiled and poor, he passes through Cao yet is treated rudely. Once he regains his state, he will punish those who were discourteous, with Cao first to suffer. Why not win his favor in advance?”
Li Fuji agreed. He filled a jar with gold and food, laid a jade disc on top, and sent it to Chong Er by night messenger. Chong Er bowed twice, accepted the food, and declined the jade.
Chong Er traveled from Cao to Chu, then to Qin. After three years in Qin, Duke Mu of Qin consulted his ministers: “Duke Xian of Jin was my close friend, known to all feudal lords. Ten years have passed since his death, and his successor is unworthy. I fear Jin’s ancestral temples will be abandoned. If I do not stabilize Jin, I fail our friendship. I wish to restore Chong Er to Jin’s throne.” All ministers agreed.
Duke Mu sent five hundred war chariots, two thousand elite cavalry, and fifty thousand infantry to install Chong Er as Lord of Jin (Duke Wen of Jin).
Three years after his coronation, Chong Er attacked Cao. He ordered the Lord of Cao: “Hang Shu Zhan out; I will execute him publicly.” To Li Fuji he sent word: “My troops approach your city. I know you were loyal to me. Mark your neighborhood; I shall order my army not to harm it.”
When Cao’s people heard this, more than seven hundred clans gathered to protect Li Fuji’s quarter. Such is the power of etiquette.
Cao was a small state sandwiched between Jin and Chu, its ruler’s position as precarious as stacked eggs. Yet he acted without etiquette. This is why his royal line perished.
Hence it is said: a small state lacking etiquette and rejecting remonstrating ministers faces the extinction of its royal lineage.
Note
This final tale of The Ten Faults delivers a concluding Legalist lesson: small states, more than large ones, must uphold etiquette and accept loyal counsel. Rudeness and recklessness inevitably lead to the extinction of the royal house.
Representative Legalist thinker of the late Warring‑States Period. This passage is the tenth and final story of The Ten Faults (Shi Guo), illustrating the last fatal mistake of rulers: discourtesy and rejection of loyal advice in small states.
Duke Wen of Jin (Chong Er)
Duke Wen of Jin, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring‑and‑Autumn Period. His exile‑and‑return story is one of the most famous in Chinese history.
Lord of Cao
Short‑sighted, rude ruler of tiny Cao State, who insulted the future hegemon and ignored counsel.
Shu Zhan
Loyal minister of Cao who warned to kill Chong Er, later executed for his warning.
Li Fuji (Xi Fuji)
Wise minister of Cao who treated Chong Er politely and was later protected by the Jin army.
Duke Mu of Qin
Powerful ruler of Qin who supported Chong Er’s restoration.
Precarious Small‑State Survival
Small states between great powers must rely on ritual diplomacy and prudent conduct; arrogance and rudeness bring quick ruin.
Fused Ribs
A legendary physical feature of Chong Er, used by Cao’s ruler as an excuse for his rude intrusion into privacy.
Etiquette as Political Capital
Li Fuji’s polite treatment of an exile brought safety to his whole clan, proving etiquette yields long‑term political benefit.
Classic metaphor for extreme political fragility, widely used in ancient Chinese political writing.
奚謂國小無禮？昔者晉公子重耳出亡過於曹。曹君袒裼而觀之。釐負羈與叔瞻侍於前。叔瞻謂曹君曰。臣觀晉公子非常人也。君遇之無禮。彼若有時反國而起兵。即恐為曹傷。君不如殺之。曹君弗聽。釐負羈歸而不樂。其妻問之曰。公從外來而有不樂之色何也。負羈曰。吾聞之。有福不及。禍來連我。今日吾君召晉公子。其遇之無禮。我與在前。吾是以不樂。其妻曰。吾觀晉公子。萬乘之主也。其左右從者。萬乘之相也。今窮而出亡過於曹。曹遇之無禮。此若反國。必誅無禮。則曹其首也。子奚不先自貳焉。負羈曰。諾。盛黃金於壺。充之以餐。加璧其上。夜令人遺公子。公子見使者。再拜受其餐而辭其璧。公子自曹入楚自楚入秦。入秦三年。秦穆公召群臣而謀曰。昔者晉獻公與寡人交。諸侯莫弗聞。獻公不幸離群臣。出入十年矣。嗣子不善。吾恐此將令其宗廟不祓除而社稷不血食也。如是弗定。則非與人交之道。吾欲輔重耳而入之晉。何如？群臣皆曰善。公因起卒。革車五百乘。疇騎二千。步卒五萬。輔重耳入之于晉。立為晉君。重耳即位三年。舉兵而伐曹矣。因令人告曹君曰。懸叔瞻而出之。我且殺而以為大戮。又令人告釐負羈曰。軍旅薄城。吾知子不違也。其表子之閭。寡人將以為令。令軍勿敢犯。曹人聞之率其親戚而保釐負羈之閭者七百餘家。此禮之所用也。故曹小國也。而迫於晉、楚之間。其君之危猶累卵也。而以無禮蒞之。此所以絕世也。故曰。國小無禮。不用諫臣。則絕世之勢也。
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