Chen Zhen enjoyed high favor with the King of Wei. Hui Zi said to him: “You must treat the king’s attendants well. A poplar tree will live if planted sideways, upside down, or even when broken and replanted. Yet if ten people plant it while one pulls it out, no poplar can survive.
Why cannot ten men succeed in growing such a hardy tree against one destroyer? Because planting is hard, but uprooting is easy. Skillful as you are at securing your position with the king, many seek to remove you. You will surely be in peril.”
Note
This text is excerpted from Han Feizi, Chapter: The Forest of Persuasions (Part I).
This passage warns that it takes great effort to establish a position, but little to destroy it. Even those trusted by the monarch must guard against numerous rivals and hidden dangers in officialdom.
Late Warring States Legalist philosopher, using this parable to warn about political risks.
Chen Zhen
Chen Zhen was a renowned political strategist and advisor during the Warring States period. He primarily operated among the states of Qin, Chu, Wei, and Qi, maneuvering through their courts with exceptional eloquence and strategic skill. He is best known for his role in facilitating several vertical alliance campaigns of the six states against Qin. He also left behind the enduringly popular idiom stories of “drawing a snake and adding feet” (gilding the lily) and “Bian Zhuangzi stabbing the tiger” (taking advantage of a quarrel between two parties).
In the story above, Chen Zhen was high-ranking official of Wei, trusted by the monarch but facing hidden rivals.
Hui Zi (Hui Shi)
Here is the English translation of the passage:
Hui Shi, also known as Hui Zi (Master Hui), was a native of the State of Song in the mid-Warring States period. He was a renowned statesman, thinker, and philosopher, as well as the founding father and a leading representative of the School of Names (Mingjia). He was also a close and dear friend of the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi, who once went to the state of Wei to visit Hui Zi, who was serving as the Chancellor of Wei.
Hui Shi’s political career unfolded primarily in the State of Wei, spanning approximately forty years.
King of Wei
Ruler of the State of Wei.
Royal attendants
People around the king, whose words greatly influence the ruler’s judgment.
Parable of poplar tree
The poplar stands for a person’s career and status. It is easy to ruin what takes great effort to build.
Court politics
In ancient courts, rivals often slandered or undermined others secretly. Winning the monarch’s favor was not enough for self-preservation.
Interpersonal wisdom
High officials needed to maintain good relations with people around the ruler, to avoid being attacked jointly by opponents.
陳軫貴於魏王，惠子曰：「必善事左右，夫楊橫樹之即生，倒樹之即生，折而樹之又生。然使十人樹之而一人拔之，則毋生楊至。以十人之眾，樹易生之物，而不勝一人者何也？樹之難而去之易也。子雖工自樹於王，而欲去子者眾，子必危矣。」
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