Explanations II
Duke Huan of Qi was about to honor Guan Zhong as “Second Father.” He ordered his ministers, “I intend to establish Guan Zhong as my Second Father. Those who approve should enter and stand on the left; those who do not approve should stand on the right.” Dongguo Ya stood in the middle of the gate. The duke said, “I have appointed Guan Zhong as Second Father and ordered, ‘Those who approve stand on the left; those who do not approve stand on the right.’ Why are you standing in the middle of the gate?” Dongguo Ya replied, “With Guan Zhong’s wisdom, is he capable of planning for the whole realm?” The duke said, “He is.” “With his decisiveness, would he dare to undertake great affairs?” The duke said, “He would.” Dongguo Ya said, “If his wisdom can plan for the realm and his decisiveness dares to undertake great affairs, yet Your Lordship entrusts him with the entire authority of the state, then with Guan Zhong’s ability and the power derived from your position, would this not be dangerous?” The duke said, “Well said.” He then appointed Xi Peng to manage internal affairs and Guan Zhong to manage external affairs, so that they would check and balance each other.
When Duke Wen of Jin was in exile, Ji Zheng carried a pot of food and followed him. They lost their way and became separated from the duke. Ji Zheng wept on the road from hunger, yet even when near starvation he did not dare to eat the food in the pot. When Duke Wen returned to his state, he raised an army to attack Yuan, captured it, and took the city. Duke Wen said, “He endured the hardship of hunger yet insisted on preserving the pot of food. Such a man will not rebel by relying on Yuan.” He therefore appointed Ji Zheng as the governor of Yuan. The minister Hun Xuan heard this and criticized it, saying, “To rely on the fact that he did not touch the pot of food and thus assume he will not rebel in Yuan – is this not a lack of statecraft?” Hence an enlightened ruler does not depend on his ministers’ not rebelling against him, but on making it impossible for them to rebel. He does not depend on their not deceiving him, but on making it impossible for them to deceive him.
Yang Hu said, “If my lord is wise and enlightened, I will serve him with all my heart. If he is unworthy, I will conceal my treachery and test him.” Expelled from Lu and suspected in Qi, he fled to Zhao. Lord Jian of Zhao received him and made him his chancellor. The attendants said, “Yang Hu is skilled at seizing control of a state’s government. Why make him your chancellor?” Lord Jian replied, “Yang Hu strives to take power; I strive to hold it.” He then applied statecraft to control him. Yang Hu did not dare to act wrongly, served Lord Jian well, strengthened his lord’s power, and nearly brought Zhao to hegemony.
Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius, “I have heard that in ancient times there was a man named Kui who had only one foot. Did he truly have only one foot?” Confucius replied, “No. Kui did not have only one foot. Kui was resentful and disagreeable, so most people did not like him. Even so, he escaped harm from others because he was trustworthy. People said, ‘Having this one man is enough.’ Thus Kui did not have one foot; rather, having one such man was enough.” Duke Ai said, “If this is indeed so, then that is certainly sufficient.”
Another version says: Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius, “I have heard that Kui had one foot. Is this true?” Confucius said, “Kui was a man. How could he have only one foot? He had no other special distinction, but he alone mastered music. Yao said, ‘Having Kui alone is enough.’ He therefore appointed him Director of Music. Thus gentlemen say, ‘Kui had one quality that was enough.’ It does not mean that he had only one foot.”
Note
This Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 33.8 Legalist excerpt presents four historical tales. It advocates checks‑and‑balances and statecraft, warning rulers against blind personal trust in ministers, even the seemingly loyal ones.
Han Feizi / Han Fei (c. 280–233 BCE):
A Legalist thinker who warns rulers not to trust ministers’ loyalty blindly. He prefers institutions, checks, and statecraft that make betrayal or deception difficult.
Duke Huan of Qi (齐桓公):
Duke Huan of Qi was a major hegemon of the Spring and Autumn period. He is often remembered for employing Guan Zhong to reform Qi.
Guan Zhong (管仲):
Guan Zhong was a famous prime minister of Qi. Han Fei recognizes his ability but warns that excessive concentration of power in one minister can endanger the ruler.
“Second Father” (仲父):
An honorific title showing extreme trust. Here it signals that Guan Zhong would be treated almost like a senior relative of the ruler.
Dongguo Ya (东郭牙):
A minister who warns Duke Huan. He does not deny Guan Zhong’s talent, but argues that talent plus unchecked power creates risk.
Xi Peng (隰朋):
A Qi minister. By giving him internal duties while Guan Zhong handled external affairs, Duke Huan creates a system of mutual oversight.
Duke Wen of Jin (晋文公):
Ji Zheng (箕郑):
A follower of Duke Wen. He preserved a pot of food during exile, which Duke Wen took as proof of loyalty.
Yuan (原):
A city attacked by Jin. Duke Wen appoints Ji Zheng as its governor based on a test of endurance rather than systematic judgment.
Hun Xuan (浑轩):
A Jin minister who criticizes Duke Wen. For Han Fei, his remark represents the Legalist view: rulers should rely on control, not on personal trust.
Yang Hu (阳虎):
A powerful and dangerous minister of Lu. He was expelled from Lu, suspected in Qi, and later served Zhao. Han Fei uses him to show that a skilled ruler can use even a treacherous minister.
Lord Jian of Zhao / Zhao Jianzi (赵简子):
A leading statesman of late Spring and Autumn Jin. He keeps Yang Hu under control through statecraft rather than naive trust.
Duke Ai of Lu (鲁哀公):
Ruler of Lu during Confucius’s later years. His question about “Kui one foot” shows how easily sayings can be misunderstood.
Kui (夔):
A legendary music official under Emperor Yao. The phrase “Kui yi zu” can be misread as “Kui had one foot,” but Confucius explains it means “Having one such man is enough.”
Director of Music (乐正):
The official in charge of music and ritual music. In early Chinese thought, proper music was linked to moral and political order.
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