A man from Wei married off his daughter and instructed her: “Be sure to hoard wealth privately. For a wife, being sent back home is common; staying with the husband for life is merely good luck.”
Following his words, the daughter secretly accumulated property. Her mother-in-law thought she was overly selfish and drove her away. The goods she brought back far exceeded what she had taken when she married. Instead of blaming himself for bad advice, her father rejoiced at gaining more wealth. Most officials today act in just the same way.
Note
Short-sighted greed leads people to seek private gain regardless of duty. Many officials act out of the same selfish mentality as the father and daughter in the tale.
Late Warring States Legalist philosopher. This text is excerpted from Han Feizi, Chapter: The Forest of Persuasions (Part I). He uses this fable to criticize corrupt officials.
Man from Wei
A narrow-minded father who taught his daughter to seek private gain.
His daughter
A young woman who hoarded property as told and was eventually divorced.
Mother-in-law
The wife’s mother-in-law, who dismissed the daughter-in-law for selfishness.
State of Wei
An ancient vassal state in the Warring States period.
Divorce in ancient families
In old times, husbands’ families could send a wife back to her original home for improper conduct, which was a common fate for women.
Private hoarding
The father held a pessimistic view of marriage and taught his daughter to prioritize personal gain, revealing a distorted outlook.
Analogy to officialdom
Han Fei draws a parallel: many officials assume their tenure will not last long, so they embezzle wealth while in power.
Criticism of corruption
Legalists emphasized upright governance. This story satirizes officials who abuse power for private interests.
衛人嫁其子而教之曰：「必私積聚。為人婦而出，常也。其成居，幸也。」其子因私積聚，其姑以為多私而出之，其子所以反者倍其所以嫁。其父不自罪於教子非也，而自知其益富。今人臣之處官者皆是類也。
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