If a man possesses talent but lacks power and position, even if he is a sage, he cannot control the unworthy. Therefore, if a piece of wood one foot long is placed on a high mountain, it will overlook a gorge a thousand fathoms deep. The wood is not long; its position is high. Jie, as the Son of Heaven, was able to control the world not because he was virtuous, but because his power was heavy; Yao, as a commoner, could not govern even three households, not because he was unworthy, but because his position was low. A weight of a thousand jun will float if it has a boat, while an ounce will sink if it lacks a boat. It is not that a thousand jun is light and an ounce is heavy; it is the difference between having and lacking power. Thus, the short overlooks the high because of its position, and the unworthy controls the worthy because of its power.
The ruler is borne by the combined strength of all under Heaven, and therefore he is secure; he is established by the united hearts of the multitude, and therefore he is honored. Ministers guard their areas of expertise and exhaust their abilities, and therefore they are loyal. When an honored ruler governs loyal ministers, lasting joy is born and fame and achievement are established. Name and reality support each other to form a whole, just as a shape and its shadow correspond to each other. Therefore, the ruler and his ministers share the same desires but have different functions.
The ruler’s greatest worry is lacking a response; thus it is said, “Clapping with one hand alone, however fast, makes no sound.” The minister’s greatest worry is lacking focus; thus it is said, “Drawing a circle with the right hand and a square with the left cannot result in both being completed.”
Therefore, it is said: In a state of ultimate good governance, the ruler is like the drumstick, the ministers are like the drum; skill is like the carriage, and affairs are like the horses. When men have surplus strength, they can easily respond; when skills have surplus ingenuity, they can easily accomplish tasks. If those who establish merit lack strength, those who are close lack trust, and those who achieve fame lack power, then even if the near are intimate, the distant will not be allied, and fame will not match reality. Even if a sage possesses the virtue of Yao and Shun and the conduct of Boyi, if his position is not established in the world, his merit will not be built and his fame will not be realized.
Therefore, those in ancient times who achieved fame and merit were assisted by the strength of the multitude, allied by the near through their accomplishments, praised by the distant through their reputation, and elevated by the noble through their power. Because of this, their merit stood as enduring as Mount Tai within the state, and their fame shone as long-lasting as the sun and moon between Heaven and earth. This is why Yao faced south to preserve his name, and Shun faced north to render his service.
Note
This excerpt comes from Han Feizi · Achievements, a pivotal chapter on the decisive role of political authority in governance. Through metaphors like short trees on high mountains, ships carrying immense weight and the contrast between Yao and Jie, Han Fei argues personal talent and virtue are secondary to positional power. Rulers must consolidate their authority, employ ministers properly, and achieve perfect sovereign‑minister coordination to secure enduring fame.
Yao and Shun:
Legendary sage kings and epitomes of moral perfection in Chinese history. Han Fei uses them to prove a radical Legalist point: even ultimate moral virtue is useless without institutional power. Yao as a commoner couldn’t manage three households, while Shun only succeeded when he was granted power and position.
Jie:
The infamous last ruler of the Xia Dynasty, an archetypal tyrant. Han Fei uses him as the ultimate contrast to Yao: a morally bankrupt ruler who could control the entire world simply because he possessed the supreme power of the throne.
Boyi:
A legendary nobleman who starved to death rather than submit to the Zhou Dynasty, representing the pinnacle of moral integrity and personal conduct. Han Fei uses him to argue that personal virtue alone cannot achieve political success without a platform.
Power and Position / Strategic Advantage:
The core concept of this passage. “势” (shì) is the inherent leverage, momentum, and authority derived from one’s structural position. Han Fei argues that political success is largely a function of physics (position) rather than ethics (virtue).
A thousand jun floats with a boat; an ounce sinks without one:
A brilliant metaphor for institutional leverage. The “boat” represents the institutional power and position. Without the institution, even a tiny burden (an ounce) will drag a person down; with it, massive undertakings (a thousand jun) can be effortlessly sustained.
Clapping with one hand alone makes no sound:
A famous Chinese idiom originating from this text. It illustrates that a ruler’s decrees are meaningless without the active cooperation and response of his ministers. Governance is a collaborative act.
Drawing a circle with the right hand and a square with the left cannot be completed:
This illustrates the principle of specialization and focus. A minister cannot be effective if pulled in multiple directions or burdened with conflicting duties. Clear division of labor is essential.
The ruler is like the drumstick, the ministers are like the drum:
The ultimate metaphor for organizational harmony. The drumstick (ruler) initiates the rhythm and provides the force, while the drum (ministers) resonates and amplifies it. They are distinct in function but perfectly synchronized in purpose (“同欲而异使”).
Facing South and Facing North:
In ancient Chinese court protocol, the ruler always sat facing south (the position of honor and authority), while ministers and subjects faced north to show respect and submit. “Yao facing south” and “Shun facing north” symbolizes the perfect, harmonious alignment of supreme authority and loyal service.
夫有材而无势，虽贤不能制不肖。故立尺材于高山之上，下则临千仞之谷，材非长也，位高也。桀为天子，能制天下，非贤也，势重也；尧为匹夫，不能正三家，非不肖也，位卑也。千钧得船则浮，锱铢失船则沉，非千钧轻锱铢重也，有势之与无势也。故短之临高也以位，不肖之制贤也以势。人主者，天下一力以共载之，故安；众同心以共立之，故尊。人臣守所长，尽所能，故忠。以尊主御忠臣，则长乐生而功名成。名实相持而成，形影相应而立，故臣主同欲而异使。人主之患在莫之应，故曰，一手独拍，虽疾无声。人臣之忧在不得一，故曰，右手画圆，左手画方，不能两成。故曰，至治之国，君若桴，臣若鼓，技若车，事若马。故人有余力易于应，而技有余巧便于事。立功者不足于力，亲近者不足于信，成名者不足于势。近者不亲，而远者不结，则名不称实者也。圣人德若尧、舜，行若伯夷，而位不载于世，则功不立，名不遂。故古之能致功名者，众人助之以力，近者结之以成，远者誉之以名，尊者载之以势。如此，故太山之功长立于国家，而日月之名久著于天地。此尧之所以南面而守名，舜之所以北面而效功也。
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