Shao Jimei fell into a deep drunken sleep and lost his fur coat. The Lord of Song asked: “Could mere drunkenness cause you to lose your coat?”
Shao Jimei replied: “Jie, the tyrant of Xia, lost his realm because of excessive drinking. The Announcement of Kang states: ‘Do not indulge in constant wine.’ Here ‘constant wine’ means drinking habitually. If a sovereign drinks constantly, he will lose the realm; if an ordinary man does so, he will ruin himself.”
Note
This text is excerpted from Han Feizi, Chapter: The Forest of Persuasions (Part I).
The story warns that excessive drinking and indulgence bring harm to everyone. A trivial mishap can reflect great hidden dangers. Both rulers and common people need to maintain self-discipline.
Late Warring States Legalist thinker. He uses this dialogue to warn against indulgence and intemperance.
Shao Jimei
A man of Song, who drew profound lessons from a trivial accident.
Lord of Song
Ruler of the State of Song.
Jie
The last king of the Xia Dynasty, historically regarded as a tyrant who indulged in wine and pleasure, leading to the fall of his dynasty.
The Announcement of Kang (Kang Gao)
One chapter of The Book of Documents, an ancient classic containing moral and political teachings for rulers.
Indulge in constant wine
It means drinking wine habitually and immoderately, a conduct strongly discouraged in ancient etiquette and governance.
Analogy from trivial to major
The story uses a small personal loss to illustrate a serious political warning, a common rhetorical method in ancient Chinese essays.
Self-discipline for rulers
Ancient political ideology held that rulers must restrain desires such as drinking, for personal indulgence would bring disaster to the whole nation.
紹績昧醉寐而亡其裘，宋君曰：「醉足以亡裘乎？」對曰：「桀以醉亡天下，而。《康誥》曰：『毋彝酒。』者，彝酒、常酒也，常酒者，天子失天下，匹夫失其身。」
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