Zhi Bo annexed the Fan and Zhonghang clans yet kept attacking the Zhao clan without cease. The Han and Wei clans turned against him; his army was defeated at Jinyang, and he was killed east of Gaoliang. His territory was eventually partitioned, and his skull lacquered to make a urinal. Hence the saying: “No misfortune is greater than insatiability.”
Note
This passage delivers a stark political lesson: unrestrained greed and insatiable ambition drive powerful rulers to ruin, making insatiability the greatest source of misfortune.
Late Warring‑States Legalist philosopher. This passage is excerpted from Illustrating Laozi (Yu Lao), his commentary on the Dao De Jing. He uses the well‑known fall of Zhi Bo to illustrate the danger of endless greed.
Zhi Bo
Powerful aristocrat of the State of Jin in late Spring‑and‑Autumn period. His insatiable expansion triggered the alliance of Han, Wei and Zhao, leading to his total ruin.
Fan, Zhonghang, Han, Wei, Zhao
Major noble clans of Jin, whose power struggles led to the partition of Jin into three states.
Zhi Bo Historical Parable
A classic Chinese cautionary tale: excessive ambition and greed lead to catastrophic downfall.
Insatiability as Fatal Flaw
Han Fei links personal greed directly to state collapse, applying Daoist moral warning to real‑world power politics.
Three‑Partition of Jin
Zhi Bo’s defeat paved the way for the division of Jin into Han, Wei, Zhao, marking the start of the Warring‑States period.
智伯兼范、中行而攻趙不已，韓、魏反之，軍敗晉陽，身死高梁之東，遂卒被分，漆其首以為溲器，故曰：「禍莫大於不知足。」
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