Lord Jingguo planned to build city walls for Xue, and many retainers came to dissuade him. He ordered his reception official: “Refuse to admit any persuaders.”
A Qi native begged an audience: “I shall speak merely three words; put me in boiling cauldron if I exceed.” Lord Jingguo received him. The guest stepped forward and said: “Big sea fish!” then turned to leave.
Lord Jingguo urged him to elaborate. The man said he dared not risk his life for jest, yet was pressed to explain: “A giant sea fish cannot be trapped by nets or fishing lines, but once stranded out of water, even ants and crickets prey on it. The whole State of Qi is your sea. While you hold power in Qi, Xue needs no heavy fortifications; once you lose Qi’s backing, lofty city walls of Xue reaching heaven serve no purpose.”
Lord Jingguo agreed and canceled the construction project.
Note
Small private strongholds cannot replace the protection of a big backing foundation; ignoring the core source of power leads to useless investment.
Late Warring States Legalist, uses the allusion to expound the importance of fundamental reliance.
Lord Jingguo (Tian Ying)
Qi noble, fief lord of Xue, father of Lord Mengchang.
The unnamed persuader
Clever orator who used metaphor to stop city construction.
Fief system of Warring States
Aristocrats owned private fiefs such as Xue; building city walls on fief meant preparing for self-defense away from central state.
Capital punishment of boiling
Boiling alive was a cruel ancient penalty used to guarantee the speaker’s self-restraint of words.
Metaphorical persuasion
Short suspense opening (“sea big fish”) was a classic lobby skill in pre-Qin persuasion culture to break the listener’s rejection.
靖郭君將城薛，客多以諫者。靖郭君謂謁者曰：「毋為客通。」齊人有請見者曰：「臣請三言而已，過三言，臣請烹。」靖郭君因見之，客趨進曰：「海大魚。」因反走。靖郭君曰：「請聞其說。」客曰：「臣不敢以死為戲。」靖郭君曰：「願為寡人言之。」答曰：「君聞大魚乎？網不能止，繳不能絓也，蕩而失水，螻蟻得意焉。今夫齊亦君之海也，君長有齊，奚以薛為？君失齊，雖隆薛城至於天猶無益也。」靖郭君曰：「善。」乃輟，不城薛。
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