Pearls and jade are what rulers urgently desire. Although He Shi presented unpolished jade which was not yet refined and brought no harm to the ruler, he still had both feet cut off before the treasure was acknowledged. How difficult it is to judge a treasure!
Now rulers do not desire law and statecraft as urgently as they desire the He Shi Jade Disc, yet law and statecraft restrain private wickedness among ministers, scholars, and common people. Therefore, that men who possess statecraft are not yet executed is only because the unpolished jade of imperial governance has not yet been offered.
If a ruler employs statecraft, high ministers cannot make arbitrary decisions, and close attendants dare not abuse their influence. If officials enforce the law, idle commoners turn to farming, and wandering strategists risk their lives on the battlefield. Thus law and statecraft become a disaster for ministers, scholars, and common people.
Unless a ruler can reject ministers’ opinions, overcome public slander, and wholeheartedly accept rational statecraft advice, law‑wise statesmen will die unrecognized, and true governance principles will never be acknowledged.
Note
This passage deepens the He Shi metaphor: statecraft and law are far harder to recognize than physical treasure. Since they harm elite private interests, rulers must possess strong willpower to support them; otherwise, reformist statesmen will be destroyed.
Core Legalist thinker of the late Warring‑States Period. This passage continues the allegory from He Shi, extending the He Shi Jade Disc metaphor from physical treasure to political statecraft.
He Shi (Bian He): The loyal commoner from the previous story, whose tragic fate symbolizes the suffering of Legalist reformers.
Jade‑Statecraft Allegory
Han Fei compares unpolished jade (He Shi’s raw gem) to unrecognized Legalist statecraft: both hold great value yet face severe misunderstanding and suppression.
Conflict of Interests
Law and statecraft restrict ministerial monopoly, attendant power‑abuse, idleness, and unproductive strategists, thus threatening the interests of entrenched elites.
Ruler’s Weakness
Rulers often yield to group pressure from powerful ministers and ordinary people, failing to uphold impartial law.
Legalist Tragedy
Reformers who advocate strict law face persecution even more severe than He Shi, because their ideas challenge broader social interests.
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