A ruler has three safeguards. When the three safeguards are fully maintained, the state is secure and the ruler honored; when they are neglected, the state is endangered and the ruler imperiled. What are the three safeguards?
When ministers discuss the faults of those in power, errors of officials in charge, and merits of recommended men, if the ruler fails to keep such matters secret and leaks them to close attendants and favored subordinates, ministers who wish to speak will first cater to the attendants before reporting to the ruler. Thus upright and straightforward speakers cannot gain audience, and loyal‑hearted men grow distant day by day.
When favoring someone, the ruler does not grant benefits directly but waits for praise from others; when disliking someone, he does not inflict harm directly but waits for others’ blame. In this case the ruler loses authority, and power falls to his attendants.
Dreading the toil of personal governance, the ruler allows ministers to cluster and scheme, transferring authority and influence. He lets the power of life‑and‑death, reward‑and‑punishment rest with high ministers – this means the ruler is encroached upon.
These are the neglected three safeguards. Their neglect signals seizure and assassination of the ruler.
Note
This opening section establishes Han Fei’s core warning: a ruler must keep secrets, control rewards and punishments personally, and never delegate supreme power. Carelessness in these three areas leads to being seized or killed by treacherous ministers.
Late Warring‑States Legalist political thinker. This passage opens his essay The Three Safeguards (San Shou), which outlines three essential rules for autocratic rulers to maintain supreme power and avoid ministerial usurpation.
Three Safeguards (San Shou)
Core Legalist rules for rulers: keep state secrets confidential, exercise reward‑punishment independently without relying on others, and monopolize the power of life and death.
Attendant‑Centered Power Risk
Rulers often leak information to palace attendants, letting intermediaries control information flow, which corrupts upright speech and enables ministerial manipulation.
Ministerial Encroachment
A key Legalist political term meaning high ministers seize royal power step‑by‑step, eventually leading to regicide.
人主有三守。三守完則國安身榮，三守不完則國危身殆。何謂三守？人臣有議當途之失、用事之過、舉臣之情，人主不心藏而漏之近習能人，使人臣之欲有言者，不敢不下適近習能人之心而乃上以聞人主，然則端言直道之人不得見，而忠直日疏。愛人不獨利也，待譽而後利之；憎人不獨害也，待非而後害之；然則人主無威而重在左右矣。惡自治之勞憚，使群臣輻湊之變，因傳柄移藉，使殺生之機、奪予之要在大臣，如是者侵。此謂三守不完。三守不完則劫殺之徵也。
Leave a Reply