Yangshan, the Prime Minister of Wei, heard that the King suspected him, so he deliberately slandered Jiu Shu to test the King’s true intentions.
Nao Chi heard that the King of Qi despised him, so he posed as a Qin envoy to test the King’s true feelings.
A man of Qi who desired to rebel feared that the King would find out, so he feigned the expulsion of his favorite minister and had him flee to the King, in order to gauge the King’s discernment.
When Zi Zhi served as the Chancellor of Yan, he sat in his hall and falsely claimed, “Who is that running out the gate? Is it a white horse?” All his attendants said they saw nothing. Only one person ran out to chase it and reported back, “Yes, there is.” Zi Zhi used this to discover the dishonesty of his attendants.
When two parties were engaged in a lawsuit, Zichan separated them and prevented them from communicating with each other. He then reversed their statements and told each party the other’s reversed words, thereby uncovering the truth.
Duke Si of Wei sent an agent to pose as a traveling merchant passing through a border toll station. The toll officials harshly obstructed him, so the merchant bribed them with gold, and the officials let him pass. Later, Duke Si confronted the toll officials, saying, “At a certain time, a merchant passed through your station and gave you gold, and you let him go.” The officials were terrified and believed Duke Si to be perfectly clear-sighted.
Note
This excerpt is from “Explanation Seven” in Han Feizi · Inner Congeries of Sayings I, expanding on “Canon Seven: Contrary Words and Opposite Deeds“. Drawing on six dramatic bait‑and‑trap stories, Han Fei argues rulers should feign false appearances and use contrary words to probe suspects. Setting lures entraps them and lays bare their treacherous intentions.
Yangshan Slandering Jiu Shu:
Yangshan (阳山), the Prime Minister of Wei, suspected the King was doubting him. To test the King’s true feelings, he deliberately slandered the King’s favorite minister, Jiu Shu (樛竖). This is an example of testing a superior’s boundaries through provocation.
Nao Chi Posed as a Qin Envoy:
Chu general Nao Chi (淖齿) heard that the King of Qi despised him. To confirm this, he had someone impersonate a Qin envoy. The King of Qi’s reaction to the fake envoy revealed his true attitude toward Nao Chi. This illustrates indirect intelligence gathering via proxy.
Zi Zhi’s White Horse:
Zi Zhi (子之), the Chancellor of Yan, fabricated a scenario by claiming a white horse ran out the gate. Those who lied and said they saw it were exposed as sycophants willing to fabricate reality to please him, while those who said they saw nothing were honest. This is an ancient integrity test using a fabricated stimulus.
Zichan Isolating Litigants:
Zichan (子产), a renowned statesman of Zheng, separated two disputing parties and fed them reversed versions of each other’s claims. A guilty party would accept the false premise to minimize damage, thereby exposing their guilt. This is a brilliant application of cross-examination and psychological pressure in jurisprudence.
Duke Si’s Border Guard Sting:
Duke Si of Wei (嗣公) orchestrated a sting operation by having an agent bribe a toll collector. When the collector accepted the bribe, Duke Si confronted him with the exact details. This is the ancient equivalent of entrapment or a controlled sting operation to enforce compliance.
Contrary Words and Opposite Deeds / Reverse Psychology:
This method involves deliberately creating a false narrative or an abnormal situation to serve as bait. It relies on the psychological principle that people cannot easily suppress their true reactions when presented with favorable or threatening illusions.
To test one’s suspicions:
In this context, it means to actively probe or test. Unlike passive observation, this is a proactive, aggressive form of intelligence gathering where the ruler sets the trap.
The true nature of treachery is revealed:
The ultimate goal of this stratagem. By manipulating the environment, the ruler forces hidden agendas into the open, making the invisible visible.
说七
阳山君相谓，闻王之疑己也，乃伪谤勷竖以知之。
淖齿闻齐王之恶己也，乃矫为秦使以知之。
齐人有欲为乱者，恐王知之，因诈逐所爱者，令走王知之。
子之相燕，坐而佯言：”走出门者何，白马也？”左右皆言不见。有一人走追之，报曰：”有。”子之以此知左右之不诚信。
有相与讼者，子产离之，而无使得通辞，倒其言以告而知之。
卫嗣公使人为客过关市，关市苛难之，因事关市以金，关吏乃舍之。嗣公为关吏曰：”某时有客过而所，与汝金，而汝因遣之。”关吏乃大恐，而以嗣公为明察。
Leave a Reply