When a sage king establishes laws, his rewards are sufficient to encourage good conduct, his authority is sufficient to overcome violence, and his provisions are sufficient to ensure the law is fully upheld. In a well-governed age, those who render great service hold high rank, those who exert themselves to the utmost receive generous rewards, and those who devote their loyalty earn lasting renown. Good deeds flourish like spring, and evil deeds wither like autumn; thus the people are motivated to give their utmost effort and take joy in devoting their full devotion – this is called harmony between ruler and subjects.
When ruler and subjects are in harmony, those who labor can push themselves to the limit of the scales and aspire to become like Ren Bi; warriors will face death and willingly become like Ben and Yu; those who uphold the Way will all harbor hearts of gold and stone, and die with the integrity of Wu Zixu. When those who labor become like Ren Bi, warriors fight like Ben and Yu, and hearts are firm as gold and stone, then the ruler may rest on a high pillow, and his own security shall be complete.
Note
This Han Feizi chapter describes sage‑king legislation with motivating rewards and overcoming violence. A sound system creates ruler‑subject harmony, inspiring loyal, courageous subjects so the ruler may govern securely without worry.
Ren Bi (任鄙):
A legendary strongman of the State of Qin during the Warring States period. He was renowned for his extraordinary physical strength and served under King Wu of Qin (秦武王), who was himself famous for his love of feats of strength. Ren Bi became the archetype of supreme physical labor and effort. Han Fei uses him to represent the ideal of a subject who pushes his capabilities to the absolute limit.
Meng Ben (孟贲) and Xia Yu (夏育):
Two of the most celebrated warriors in ancient Chinese history. Meng Ben was a legendary warrior of the State of Qin, said to be able to pull bulls by their tails and drag tigers by their paws. Xia Yu was a famous warrior of the State of Wei. Together, “Ben and Yu” (贲育) became a fixed expression in Chinese literature for supreme martial courage. Han Fei uses them to illustrate that a good legal system can inspire even ordinary soldiers to fight with the ferocity of legendary heroes.
Wu Zixu:
A brilliant statesman and military strategist who served the State of Wu. Wu Zixu helped King Helü of Wu transform it into a major power, but was later forced to commit suicide by King Fuchai after his warnings about the rival State of Yue were ignored. He became the ultimate symbol of unwavering loyalty and righteous self-sacrifice in Chinese political culture. Han Fei uses him to represent the ideal of a subject whose loyalty is as unbreakable as gold and stone.
Rewards sufficient to encourage good; authority sufficient to overcome violence:
This is Han Fei’s core formula for legislation. It reflects the Legalist belief that human behavior is driven by the pursuit of profit and the avoidance of harm (好利恶害). A well-designed legal system harnesses this natural tendency by making rewards attractive enough to motivate good behavior and punishments severe enough to deter evil.
Good deeds flourish like spring; evil deeds wither like autumn (善之生如春，恶之死如秋):
This is one of Han Fei’s most elegant metaphors. Just as spring naturally brings growth and autumn naturally brings decay, a well-functioning legal system should make good behavior flourish effortlessly and evil behavior wither inevitably – without the need for constant intervention. The seasonal metaphor implies that the system should operate with the regularity and inevitability of nature itself.
Harmony between ruler and subjects:
Literally “the upper and lower obtain what they need from each other.” This is Han Fei’s vision of political harmony – not the Confucian harmony based on moral cultivation and ritual propriety, but a pragmatic harmony based on mutual benefit through law. The ruler gets stability and security; the subjects get fair rewards for their efforts.
A heart of gold and stone:
Gold and stone were among the most enduring materials known in ancient China. A “heart of gold and stone” means an unbreakable, unwavering loyalty. Han Fei uses this to describe the ideal mental state of subjects in a well-governed state – their loyalty is not based on personal affection for the ruler, but on the structural integrity of the legal system.
Rest on a high pillow, and one’s own security is complete:
“高枕” (resting on a high pillow) is a Chinese idiom meaning to be free from worry, to sleep soundly without fear. Han Fei uses it to describe the ultimate reward of good governance: a ruler who has established the right system need not toil endlessly or fear constant threats – he can rest easy, knowing the system will protect him. This is the Legalist answer to the problem of governance: not the ruler’s personal virtue, but the system’s structural integrity.
The scales / the balance (权衡):
Literally referring to a weighing scale, this term is used by Han Fei as a metaphor for the legal standard – the objective measure by which all actions are judged. In a well-governed state, people measure themselves against this standard and push themselves to its limits voluntarily.
聖王之立法也，其賞足以勸善，其威足以勝暴，其備足以必完法。治世之臣，功多者位尊，力極者賞厚，情盡者名立。善之生如春，惡之死如秋，故民勸極力而樂盡情，此之謂上下相得。上下相得，故能使用力者自極於權衡，而務至於任鄙；戰士出死，而願為賁、育；守道者皆懷金石之心，以死子胥之節。用力者為任鄙，戰如賁、育，中為金石，則君人者高枕而守己完矣。
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