During the reign of Duke Ling of Wei, Mi Zixia enjoyed favor and monopolized power. A dwarf who came into the duke’s presence said, “My dream has been fulfilled.” The duke asked, “What dream?” He replied, “I dreamed of a stove, and so I have come to see you.” The duke grew angry and said, “I have heard that those who are about to see a ruler dream of the sun. Why, when you come to see me, do you dream of a stove?” The dwarf said, “The sun shines upon all under heaven, and no single thing can block it. A ruler illuminates his whole state, and no single person should be able to obstruct him. Hence those about to see a ruler dream of the sun. But a stove is different: if one person warms himself at it, those behind cannot see the flame. Perhaps there is someone warming himself at your expense? Then is it not fitting that I dreamed of a stove?” The duke said, “Well spoken.” He therefore removed Yong Chu, dismissed Mi Zixia, and appointed Sikong Gou.
Someone says: The dwarf was skillful in using a dream to reveal the ruler’s way, yet Duke Ling did not truly understand his words. To remove Yong Chu and Mi Zixia and to employ Sikong Gou was to cast aside those he loved and to employ those he deemed worthy. Zheng Zidu considered Qing Jian worthy and was obstructed by him; King Kuai of Yan considered Zhi Zhi worthy and was obstructed by him. To remove those one loves and employ those one deems worthy does not prevent one person from blocking the ruler. If an unworthy person blocks the ruler, this alone may not damage the ruler’s clarity; but if the ruler fails to examine matters and allows someone he regards as worthy to block him, he will surely be in danger.
Someone else says: The benevolent and the greedy do not share the same tastes. Qu Dao was fond of water caltrop, and King Wen of Zhou was fond of pickled calamus; these were not fine flavors, yet two worthy men valued them. What one enjoys is not necessarily beautiful. Duke Ling of Jin delighted in Shen Wuxu, and King Kuai of Yan esteemed Zhi Zhi; these were not upright men, yet two rulers honored them. Those one regards as worthy are not necessarily worthy. To treat the unworthy as worthy and employ them is no different from employing those one favors. But if one truly identifies a worthy person and raises him up, that differs from employing a favorite. Thus Duke Zhuang of Chu raised Sunshu Ao and achieved hegemony, while King Zhou of Shang employed Fei Zhong and perished. In both cases rulers employed those they regarded as worthy, yet the outcomes were opposite. King Kuai may have raised up someone he deemed worthy, but his case was like employing a favorite. How could Wei be compared with that? Then the dwarf’s warning need not be accepted. When a ruler is obstructed and does not know it, he is blind; when he later recognizes the obstruction and dismisses the obstructing minister, he has added clarity. If lack of clarity makes it dangerous for a worthy-seeming minister to block the ruler, then once clarity has been added, such obstruction need no longer be dangerous.
Note
This Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 39.4 debates the dwarf’s stove‑dream allegory. It questions whether merely replacing royal favorites with supposedly worthy officials can truly stop ministers from obstructing the ruler’s political vision.
Duke Ling of Wei:
A Spring and Autumn period ruler of Wei. He is often remembered for relying on favorites, though here he accepts criticism and changes ministers.
Mi Zixia:
A favorite minister of Duke Ling. He is famous in other texts for the “shared peach” story, showing how royal favor can turn into blame.
Yong Chu:
Another favorite of Duke Ling. Together with Mi Zixia, he is said to have monopolized access to the ruler.
Sikong Gou:
A minister appointed after Duke Ling dismissed his favorites. Little else about him survives in common sources.
The dwarf:
A court entertainer of low status who uses a dream about a stove to warn the ruler about being blocked by favorites.
Sun and stove metaphor:
The sun represents an ideal ruler who sees everyone; the stove represents a ruler whose view is blocked by someone standing in front of the fire.
Zheng Zidu and Qing Jian:
Cited as an obscure case in which a ruler regarded someone as worthy and was thereby misled.
King Kuai of Yan and Zi Zhi:
Qu Dao and water caltrop:
Qu Dao, a Chu minister, loved water caltrop. His son later refused to use it in sacrifice because it violated state ritual norms.
King Wen and pickled calamus:
King Wen of Zhou is said to have liked pickled calamus root, an unusual taste used here to show that even worthy people may prefer uncommon things.
Duke Ling of Jin and Shen Wuxu:
Presented as a ruler who favored someone not regarded as upright.
Duke Zhuang of Chu and Sunshu Ao:
Duke Zhuang, one of the Five Hegemons, appointed Sunshu Ao and strengthened Chu.
King Zhou of Shang and Fei Zhong:
King Zhou, the last Shang ruler, is traditionally blamed for relying on corrupt ministers such as Fei Zhong.
Legalist point:
Han Fei does not simply praise removing favorites. He asks whether the ruler truly understands obstruction, and whether replacing favorites with “the worthy” actually solves the problem.
四
卫灵之时，弥子瑕有宠于卫国。侏儒有见公者曰：“臣之梦浅矣。”公曰：“奚梦？”“梦见灶者，为见公也。”公怒曰：“吾闻人主者梦见日，奚为见寡人而梦见灶乎？”侏儒曰：“夫日兼照天下，一物不能当也。人君兼照一国，一人不能壅也。故将见人主而梦日也。夫灶，一人炀焉，则后人无从见矣。或者一人炀君邪？则臣虽梦灶，不亦可乎？”公曰：“善。”遂去雍鉏，退弥子瑕，而用司空狗。
或曰：侏儒善假于梦以见主道矣，然灵公不知侏儒之言也。去雍鉏，退弥子瑕，而用司空狗者，是去所爱而用所贤也。郑子都贤庆建而壅焉，燕子哙贤子之而壅焉。夫去所爱而用所贤，未免使一人炀己也。不肖者炀主，不足以害明；今不加知而使贤者炀主己，则必危矣。
或曰：屈到嗜芰，文王嗜菖蒲菹，非正味也，而二贤尚之，所味不必美。晋灵侯说参无恤，燕哙贤子之，非正士也，而二君尊之，所贤不必贤也。非贤而贤用之，与爱而用之同。贤诚贤而举之，与用所爱异状。故楚庄举叔孙而霸，商辛用费仲而灭，此皆用所贤而事相反也。燕哙虽举所贤，而同于用所爱，卫奚距然哉？则侏儒之未可见也。君壅而不知其壅也，已见之后而知其壅也，故退壅臣，是加知之也。曰“不加知而使贤者炀己则必危”，而今以加知矣，则虽炀己，必不危矣。
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