It is said: “There is no such thing as undertaking affairs without encountering trouble; even Yao could not achieve this.” Yet the world has never been without trouble. A ruler who is stingy with ranks and emoluments, and reluctant to bestow wealth and honor, cannot expect to be rescued by others when his state is in peril. Therefore, a wise ruler encourages a sense of honor and shame, and summons men through benevolence and righteousness.
In ancient times, Jie Zitui received no rank or emolument, yet out of a sense of righteousness he followed Duke Wen of Jin. Unable to bear seeing his lord go hungry, out of benevolence he cut off a piece of his own flesh to feed him. Therefore, the ruler bonded with him through gratitude, inscribed his name in the records, and depicted his image in portraits.
A ruler takes joy in having people exert themselves for the public good, and is distressed when they seize his authority for private gain. A minister feels secure when he receives an office commensurate with his abilities, and is distressed when he is burdened with responsibilities beyond his competence. Therefore, a wise ruler eliminates what distresses his ministers and establishes what brings joy to himself. There is no greater advantage for both superior and subordinate than this.
Failing to investigate matters within private households, treating grave affairs lightly, imposing heavy punishments for minor offenses, harboring long resentments over trivial faults, indulging in insults for momentary pleasure, and repeatedly trying to remedy disasters through unearned favors – this is like cutting off a hand and replacing it with jade. It may look ornate, but the loss far outweighs the gain. It is precisely because of such folly that the world has seen the calamity of rulers being usurped.
Note
This excerpt comes from Han Feizi · Employing People, a key chapter on how rulers avoid ministers’ resentment and foster sound sovereign‑minister relations. Drawing on Emperor Yao’s worries and Jie Zitui’s self‑sacrifice, Han Fei puts forth a core political‑philosophical idea: rulers should not morally coerce ministers, but motivate them via clear benefits and institutions. A ruler’s gravest folly is driving subordinates to revolt through personal grudges and hasty punishment.
Yao:
The legendary sage king, epitome of wisdom and virtue. Han Fei uses him to shatter the illusion of perfect governance – even the greatest sage in history faced troubles and crises. This sets up the Legalist argument that institutional solutions, not saintly perfection, are needed.
Jie Zitui (介子推):
A loyal follower of Prince Chong’er (later Duke Wen of Jin) during his nineteen years of exile. When they ran out of food, Jie Zitui secretly cut flesh from his own thigh to make soup for Chong’er. After Chong’er became duke, Jie Zitui, feeling that his reward had already been given through the restoration of his lord, refused any official position and retired to Mount Mian, where he eventually died (some legends say he was burned to death when the duke tried to smoke him out). He became the ultimate symbol of selfless loyalty and the origin of the Cold Food Festival (寒食节). Han Fei uses him to illustrate that loyalty can be motivated by moral bonds (righteousness and benevolence) even without material rewards.
Duke Wen of Jin:
One of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period. His story of exile and eventual restoration is one of the most famous narratives in Chinese history. He serves as the model of a ruler who properly rewarded and remembered the loyalty of his followers.
There is no undertaking without trouble; even Yao could not achieve this:
This proverb demolishes the Confucian fantasy that a sage ruler can create a perfectly harmonious society. Han Fei uses it to establish a pragmatic baseline: governance is inherently about managing crises, not achieving utopia.
Encourage honor and shame; summon through benevolence and righteousness:
Han Fei is often caricatured as believing only in harsh punishments. This passage shows his nuanced understanding: while law is the foundation, moral incentives (honor, shame, benevolence, righteousness) are essential supplementary tools for motivating loyalty, especially when material resources are limited.
Being burdened with two responsibilities / mismatched duties:
Literally “using one to bear two,” this means assigning someone tasks beyond their competence or forcing them to hold multiple incompatible positions. Han Fei identifies this as the primary source of ministerial resentment – a remarkably modern insight into organizational mismanagement and role overload.
Cutting off a hand and replacing it with jade:
One of Han Fei’s most vivid metaphors for catastrophic mismanagement. A jade hand may be beautiful, but it cannot perform the function of a real hand. Similarly, a ruler who indulges in petty vindictiveness and then tries to compensate with lavish favors has permanently damaged the relationship. The ornamental cannot replace the functional.
The calamity of changing one’s person / usurpation:
Literally “the disaster of having one’s body replaced,” this refers to a ruler being overthrown and replaced by a minister or rival. Han Fei traces this ultimate catastrophe not to external enemies, but to the ruler’s own accumulation of petty cruelties and mismanagement that drive his own ministers to rebellion.
闻之曰：“举事无患者，尧不得也。”而世未尝无事也。君人者不轻爵禄，不易富贵，不可与救危国。故明主厉廉耻，招仁义。昔者介子推无爵禄而义随文公，不忍口腹而仁割其肌，故人主结其德，书图著其名。人主乐乎使人以公尽力，而苦乎以私夺威；人臣安乎以能受职，而苦乎以一负二。故明主除人臣之所苦，而立人主之所乐。上下之利，莫长于此。不察私门之内，轻虑重事，厚诛薄罪，久怨细过，长侮偷快，数以德追祸，是断手而续以玉也，故世有易身之患。
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