When a ruler establishes standards that are impossible to meet and then punishes his ministers for failing to reach them, private resentments are born. When ministers are stripped of their areas of expertise and forced to undertake tasks that are impossible to fulfill, hidden resentments fester.
If the ruler does not comfort his subjects in their toil, nor show compassion for their sorrows; if in his joy he praises petty men, rewarding both the worthy and the unworthy; and if in his anger he slanders noble men, subjecting Boyi and Robber Zhi to the same humiliation – then ministers will inevitably rebel against their ruler.
Note
This excerpt is from Han Feizi · Employing People, a key chapter on the devastating damage emotional governance inflicts on ruler‑minister ties. Han Fei dissects how personal grievances fester into hidden resentment. He advances a core political‑philosophical view: rulers must not overburden subordinates nor base rewards and penalties on whims. Once values collapse, even the most loyal ministers may turn traitor.
Boyi:
A legendary nobleman from the late Shang dynasty who, along with his brother Shu Qi, refused to eat the grain of the Zhou dynasty because they considered its conquest illegitimate. They starved to death on Mount Shouyang. Boyi became the ultimate cultural symbol of extreme moral purity, integrity, and incorruptibility. Han Fei uses him as the benchmark for the highest moral standard.
Robber Zhi (盗跖):
The archetypal bandit and embodiment of greed and lawlessness in ancient Chinese literature. Han Fei pairs Boyi and Robber Zhi to illustrate the ultimate absurdity of emotional governance: when a ruler punishes out of blind anger, he destroys the moral compass of the state by treating the ultimate saint and the ultimate sinner exactly the same.
It is worth noting that Zhi, also known as Liuxia Zhi, was a leader of a slave uprising in the late Spring‑and‑Autumn Period. Zhi was his given name. The epithet “robber” was a derogatory label imposed on him by slave‑owners and later‑generation literati. In orthodox ancient histories, he was labelled a “robber” and denounced as a rebel brigand. From the perspective of historical materialism and the people‑centered view of history, Mao re‑evaluated this historical figure in his poem.
Private Resentments and Hidden Resentments:
Han Fei distinguishes between two types of grievances. “Private resentments” arise from direct, explicit injustices (like being punished for an impossible task). “Hidden resentments” are the slow-building, systemic frustrations that fester beneath the surface when people are chronically mismanaged or forced to do work they are unsuited for. Both are fatal to a regime.
Establishing impossible standards and punishing failure:
This is Han Fei’s critique of toxic management. A good legal system must set achievable goals (“A wise ruler establishes rewards that can be attained, and sets punishments that can be avoided.”). When a ruler sets unrealistic expectations and blames subordinates for failing, it destroys trust and motivates rebellion.
In joy, praising petty men; in anger, slandering noble men:
This is the classic description of “emotional management”. Han Fei argues that a ruler’s personal feelings must never dictate state rewards and punishments. When praise and blame are based on the ruler’s mood rather than objective facts, the entire incentive structure of the state collapses.
Subjecting Boyi and Robber Zhi to the same humiliation:
This phrase captures the ultimate consequence of arbitrary justice. When the law loses its objectivity, the distinction between good and evil disappears. For a loyal minister, being treated identically to a criminal is the ultimate insult and the final catalyst for treason.
人主立难为而罪不及，则私怨生；人臣失所长而奉难给，则伏怨结。劳苦不抚循，忧悲不哀怜，喜则誉小人，贤不肖俱赏，怒则毁君子，使伯夷与盗跖俱辱，故臣有叛主。
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