• Han Feizi – Chapter 23.14

    Han Feizi tells an elder chides a conceited Chu prince bent on attacking Chen. Citing Goujian’s decade-long grueling preparation to revive Yue, the elder mocks his blind overconfidence; great conquests demand persistent hard work instead of rash optimism.

  • Han Feizi – Chapter 23.13

    Han Feizi tells a skilled charioteer faced slander from jealous royal grooms. He outdrove the king in a deer hunt, proving his talent and exposing the rivals’ malicious envy through real performance.

  • Han Feizi – Chapter 23.12

    Han Feizi tells a Song merchant pretended to ruin pricey raw jade to outbid rivals. After paying compensation, he refined the stone and earned far more. The story highlights valuing long-term gains over temporary losses.

  • Han Feizi – Chapter 23.11

    Han Feizi records Duke Huan’s question about wealth’s limit. Guan Zhong compares wealth’s boundary to a riverbank: satisfaction sets wealth’s end, yet endless greed leaves people chasing riches without any natural cutoff.

  • Han Feizi – Chapter 23.10

    Han Feizi cites Hui Zi’s archery analogy: skilled Hou Yi earns strangers’ trust for steady shots, yet a kid with a cocked bow scares his own mother. Reliable outcomes build trust, while uncertainty drives people away.

  • Han Feizi – Chapter 23.9

    Han Feizi shares a fable: Yang Bu changed from white to black clothes after rain, so his dog barked at him. Before beating the dog, Yang Zhu reasoned outer shifts mislead judgment; never evaluate others merely by superficial appearance changes.