What ancient texts call the Great Dao is the upright way. What appears ostentatious is the crooked way. What are called fine‑looking side‑paths mean extravagance, which is a branch of the crooked way.
When courts are overly polished and decorated, lawsuits multiply. Lawsuits waste farmland; wasted farmland empties granaries; empty granaries impoverish the state; poverty leads to extravagant customs; extravagance ruins food‑and‑clothing production; ruined production forces people into trickery and fraud, which leads to gaudy ornamentation – this is “wearing fine embroidered clothes.”
Multiplied lawsuits and empty granaries paired with extravagant customs wound the state like a sharp sword piercing it, hence “wearing sharp swords.”
Those who scheme cleverly to harm the state enrich their own households, hence “having surplus wealth.”
When such figures exist, common folk imitate them, breeding petty thieves. Thus great villains rise and petty thieves follow; great villains lead and petty thieves echo.
The yu reed‑pipe leads the five notes: when the yu plays first, bells and zithers follow. When great villains arise, common people respond, and petty thieves echo them.
Therefore those who wear fine robes, carry sharp swords, feast abundantly, and hoard surplus wealth are the “yu‑pipe of thieves” – the leaders of all thieves.
Note
This passage reveals a core Legalist political critique: corrupt, extravagant elites are the root of social crime; their vice leads common people into theft and disorder, just as a leading instrument guides all other music.
Late Warring‑States Legalist philosopher. This passage is from Explaining Laozi (Jie Lao), his commentary on the Dao De Jing. He re‑interprets Laozi’s “bandit display” metaphor into a sharp political critique of corrupt elites.
The Yu‑pipe Metaphor (竽)
The yu (竽) is a leading musical instrument; corrupt high‑ranking officials act as the “yu‑pipe of thieves,” triggering widespread social crime.
Chain of Social Decay
Excessive court luxury → lawsuits → wasted agriculture → empty granaries → poverty → folk fraud → banditry, a typical Legalist causal analysis of social disorder.
Critique of Elite Extravagance
Han Fei blames upper‑class indulgence and trickery for social chaos, not only common thieves, reflecting Legalist anti‑luxury and anti‑corruption ideology.
書之所謂大道也者，端道也。所謂貌施也者，邪道也。所謂徑大也者，佳麗也。佳麗也者，邪道之分也。朝甚除也者，獄訟繁也。獄訟繁則田荒，田荒則府倉虛，府倉虛則國貧，國貧而民俗淫侈，民俗淫侈則衣食之業絕，衣食之業絕則民不得無飾巧詐，飾巧詐則知采文，知采文之謂服文采。獄訟繁、倉廩虛、而有以淫侈為俗，則國之傷也若以利劍刺之。故曰：「帶利劍。」諸夫飾智故以至於傷國者，其私家必富，私家必富，故曰：「資貨有餘。」國有若是者，則愚民不得無術而效之，效之則小盜生。由是觀之，大姦作則小盜隨，大姦唱則小盜和。竽也者，五聲之長者也，故竽先則鍾瑟皆隨，竽唱則諸樂皆和。今大姦作則俗之民唱，俗之民唱則小盜必和，故服文采，帶利劍，厭飲食，而貨資有餘者，是之謂盜竽矣。
Leave a Reply