Explanation 6
King Wen of Zhou provided funds to Fei Zhong and sent him to operate near King Zhou of Shang, ordering him to remonstrate with King Zhou and thereby unsettle his mind.
The King of Chu sent an envoy to Qin. The King of Qin received him with great courtesy, then said: “When a rival state has a worthy man, it is a source of worry for one’s own state. Now the King of Chu’s envoy is most worthy – this troubles me.” His ministers advised: “With Your Majesty’s wisdom and the wealth of your state, since you admire the King of Chu’s worthy man, why not gain his full confidence and secretly recruit him? If Chu believes he is being used abroad, they will surely execute him.”
When Confucius governed Lu, no one picked up lost articles on the road. Duke Jing of Qi was troubled by this. Li Qie said to Duke Jing: “Removing Confucius is as easy as blowing a hair from your palm. Why not invite him with generous salary and high rank, and send Duke Ai of Lu sixteen female musicians to inflate his vanity? Duke Ai, newly delighted by the music, will surely neglect affairs of state. Confucius will surely remonstrate; if his remonstrance is rejected, he will sever ties with Lu and leave.” Duke Jing said: “Excellent.” He then ordered Li Qie to send sixteen female musicians to Duke Ai. Duke Ai delighted in them and indeed neglected affairs of state. Confucius remonstrated but was not heeded, so he departed for Chu.
The King of Chu said to Gan Xiang: “I wish to use Chu’s support to install Gan Mao as chancellor of Qin. Is this advisable?” Gan Xiang replied: “It is not.” The king asked: “Why not?” Gan Xiang said: “When Gan Mao was young, he served Master Shi Ju. Shi Ju was a gatekeeper in Shangcai – disloyal to his lord above and unfaithful to his family below – yet famous throughout the world for his harshness. Gan Mao served him with obedience. With the brilliance of King Hui and the eloquence of Zhang Yi, Gan Mao served them both and obtained ten offices while avoiding punishment. This proves Gan Mao is worthy.” The king asked: “If installing a worthy man as chancellor of a rival state is inadvisable, why not?” Gan Xiang replied: “Previously, Your Majesty sent Shao Hua to Yue, and within five years Yue was destroyed. The reason was that Yue fell into chaos while Chu remained well-governed. You once knew how to use this method against Yue – have you now forgotten it when it comes to Qin? Is that not hasty forgetfulness?” The king said: “Then what should be done?” Gan Xiang replied: “It would be better to install Gong Li.” The king asked: “Why is Gong Li suitable?” Gan Xiang replied: “Gong Li was favored from childhood and grew into a noble minister. He wears Your Majesty’s robes, holds sweet grass in his mouth and jade rings in his hands, and attends court audiences. A man like him would be useful for bringing chaos to Qin.”
When Wu was attacking Chu, Wu Zixu sent agents to spread rumors in Chu: “If Chu employs Zi Qi, we will strike; if Chu employs Zi Chang, we will withdraw.” The people of Chu heard this and accordingly employed Zi Chang while dismissing Zi Qi. The Wu forces then attacked and defeated them.
When Duke Xian of Jin planned to attack Yu and Guo, he sent them the fine horses of Qu, the jade disc of Chuiji, and sixteen female musicians, to inflate their vanity and disorder their governance.
When Shu Xiang slandered Chang Hong, he forged a letter from Chang Hong to Shu Xiang, which read: “Tell the ruler of Jin on my behalf that the agreed time has arrived – why not bring your troops swiftly?” He then deliberately “lost” the letter in the court of the Son of Zhou and fled in haste. The Zhou court concluded that Chang Hong was betraying Zhou, and so they executed him.
When Duke Huan of Zheng planned to attack the state of Kuai, he first inquired about the names of Kuai’s heroes, worthy ministers, eloquent and resourceful men, and bold warriors. He then selected fine lands in Kuai as supposed bribes, inscribed official titles and ranks for them, set up an altar outside the city gate, buried the documents there, and smeared them with the blood of a rooster and a boar – mimicking the ritual of a sworn alliance. The ruler of Kuai, believing his own ministers were plotting an internal revolt, executed all his worthy ministers. Duke Huan then attacked Kuai and seized it.
A dwarf in Qin was on good terms with the King of Chu, while secretly maintaining relations with the king’s attendants and enjoying influence with King Huiwen of Qin. Whenever Chu had plans, the dwarf would learn of them first and report them to King Huiwen.
The magistrate of Ye, Xiang Ci, secretly cultivated ties with the attendants of the King of Zhao. Whenever the King of Zhao plotted to attack Ye, Xiang Ci would learn of it and report it to the King of Wei in advance. The King of Wei would prepare his defenses, and Zhao would withdraw.
During the reign of Duke Si of Wei, a spy was placed among the attendants of a county magistrate. The magistrate lifted his mattress and found his sleeping mat was badly worn. Duke Si immediately sent someone to present him with a new mat, saying: “I hear that when you lifted your mattress today, your mat was badly worn. I grant you this mat.” The county magistrate was greatly alarmed and believed his ruler to be divine.
Note
This is Explanation Six from Han Feizi: Inner Congested Sayings, Part II. Han Fei reveals a Spring‑Autumn political law: a foe’s deadliest attack is not military invasion, but espionage and stratagems to manipulate a ruler’s official appointments. Enemies seek to muddle the ruler’s judgment and steer his decisions astray.
King Wen of Zhou (周文王, c. 1152–1050 BCE):
King Wen of Zhou, the virtuous founder of the Zhou dynasty. In this passage, he is depicted not as a moral sage but as a cunning strategist who used Fei Zhong as a covert agent to destabilize the Shang dynasty from within – a portrayal that reflects Han Fei’s tendency to read all political action through the lens of power and deception.
Fei Zhong (费仲):
A minister of the Shang dynasty’s last ruler, King Zhou (纣王). Traditionally portrayed as a sycophant, Han Fei recasts him as an unwitting (or willing) tool of Zhou’s intelligence operations – a man whose “remonstrance” was actually designed to confuse and mislead the Shang ruler.
King Zhou of Shang (商纣王, d. c. 1046 BCE):
The infamous last ruler of the Shang dynasty. His name became synonymous with tyranny and decadence in Chinese political tradition. Han Fei uses him as the archetype of a ruler whose mind can be “disordered” by seemingly loyal advice.
Confucius / Kongzi (仲尼/孔子, 551–479 BCE):
China’s most famous philosopher. Here he appears not as a sage but as a political threat – his effective governance of Lu alarmed the rival state of Qi enough to warrant a covert operation to drive him away. The episode illustrates Han Fei’s view that even moral excellence is ultimately a form of political power.
Duke Jing of Qi (齐景公, r. 547–490 BCE):
Ruler of Qi who, troubled by Confucius’ success in Lu, employed the “female musician” stratagem to undermine him. His minister Li Qie devised the plan.
Li Qie (黎且):
Minister of Qi who devised the plan to use female musicians to corrupt Duke Ai of Lu and drive away Confucius. His strategy is a textbook example of indirect political warfare.
Duke Ai of Lu (鲁哀公, r. 494–468 BCE):
Ruler of Lu who received sixteen female musicians from Qi, became addicted to their entertainment, neglected governance, and ultimately drove Confucius away.
Gan Mao (甘茂):
A prominent statesman of Qin during the Warring States period. Originally from Chu, he served Qin with distinction. Han Fei’s passage presents a debate about whether to install him (or a lesser man) as a tool for destabilizing Qin – illustrating the Legalist principle that mediocrity, not excellence, serves the interests of a rival state.
Gan Xiang (干象):
Advisor to the King of Chu who argued against installing the capable Gan Mao in Qin, recommending instead the pampered Gong Li – a man whose incompetence would be more useful for bringing chaos to Qin.
Shao Hua (邵滑):
An agent sent by Chu to Yue who, over five years, successfully destabilized the state of Yue from within, contributing to its eventual destruction. His story is cited by Gan Xiang as a precedent for using incompetent agents to create chaos.
Wu Zixu (伍子胥, d. 484 BCE):
One of the most famous strategists of the Spring and Autumn period. Originally from Chu, he fled to Wu and masterminded Wu’s devastating attack on Chu. In this passage, he uses a reverse-psychology rumor campaign to manipulate Chu’s military appointments – telling Chu “we fear Zi Qi” so that Chu would replace Zi Qi with the inferior Zi Chang.
Zi Chang (子常) and Zi Qi (子期):
Two military commanders of Chu. Zi Chang was the inferior commander whom Chu chose based on Wu’s planted rumors, while Zi Qi was the capable one whom Chu dismissed.
Shu Xiang (叔向):
A nobleman and statesman of Jin. In this passage, he forges a letter to frame Chang Hong as a traitor to the Zhou court – one of the earliest recorded instances of a “false document” intelligence operation.
Chang Hong (苌弘, d. c. 492 BCE):
A minister of the Zhou court known for his loyalty and knowledge. He was framed by Shu Xiang’s forged letter and executed by the Zhou court – a tragic example of how fabricated evidence can destroy even the most loyal officials.
Duke Huan of Zheng (郑桓公, d. 771 BCE):
Founder of the state of Zheng. His “fake alliance” stratagem against the state of Kuai – burying forged documents smeared with sacrificial blood to make it appear that Kuai’s own ministers were conspiring – is one of the most elaborate deception operations in pre-imperial Chinese history.
Duke Si of Wei (卫嗣君, r. 361–325 BCE):
A ruler of Wei known for his sophisticated surveillance techniques. His act of sending a replacement sleeping mat to a county magistrate – demonstrating knowledge of something the magistrate had just discovered in private – is a striking example of using intelligence to create an aura of omniscience.
Enemy-State Manipulation of Appointments:
The sixth of Han Fei’s “Six Subtle Points” It refers to the practice whereby a rival state covertly influences or controls the appointment and dismissal of officials in another state – the ultimate form of political warfare, because it makes the enemy destroy itself.
Temple Attack / Court Strategy:
A term coined by Han Fei meaning “strategic attack conducted from the ruler’s court.” Rather than military invasion, it involves using intelligence, bribery, and deception to weaken an enemy from within. The passage’s final examples – the Qin dwarf, Xiang Ci, and Duke Si’s mat – all illustrate this concept.
Female Musicians / Entertainment Troops:
In pre-imperial China, sending female musicians was a recognized form of diplomatic gift – but also a weapon. The practice of gifting entertainment troupes to rival rulers to induce decadence and political neglect appears repeatedly in Han Feizi and other Warring States texts.
Smearing with the Blood of Rooster and Boar:
A ritual act used to simulate a sworn alliance. In ancient China, alliances were sealed by smearing the lips of participants with animal blood. Han Fei describes how Zheng Huan Gong (Duke Huan of Zheng) exploited this ritual symbolism to fabricate evidence of a conspiracy.
No One Picked Up Lost Articles on the Road (道不拾遗):
A Chinese idiom describing ideal governance – so orderly and honest that no one would steal even unattended belongings. Han Fei uses Confucius’ achievement of this state in Lu as the trigger for Qi’s covert operation to remove him.
Believing the Ruler to Be Divine:
The psychological effect Duke Si aimed to create. By demonstrating knowledge of the magistrate’s private actions, the ruler cultivated an image of supernatural omniscience – a classic Legalist technique for maintaining control through fear and awe.
说六
文王资费仲而游于纣之旁，令之谏纣而乱其心。
荆王使人之秦，秦王甚礼之。王曰：”敌国有贤者，国之忧也。今荆王之使者甚贤，寡人患之。”群臣谏曰：”以王之贤圣与国之资厚，愿荆王之贤人，王何不深知之而阴有之。荆以为外用也，则必诛之。”
仲尼为政于鲁，道不拾遗，齐景公患之。黎且谓景公曰：”去仲尼，犹吹毛耳。君何不迎之以重禄高位，遗哀公女乐以骄荣其意。哀公新乐之，必怠于政，仲尼必谏，谏必轻绝于鲁。”景公曰：”善。”乃令黎且以女乐二八遗哀公，哀公乐之，果怠于政。仲尼谏不听，去而之楚。
楚王谓干象曰：”吾欲以楚扶甘茂而相之秦，可乎？”干相对曰：”不可也。”王曰：”何也？”曰：”甘茂少而事史举先生。史举，上蔡之监门也，大不事君，小不事家，以苛刻闻天下。茂事之，顺焉。惠王之明，张仪之辨也，茂事之，取十官而免于罪，是茂贤也。”王曰：”相人敌国而相贤，其不可何也？”干象曰：”前时王使邵滑之越，五年而能亡越。所以然者，越乱而楚治也。日者知用之越，今忘之秦，不亦太亟忘乎？”王曰：”然则为之奈何？”干象对曰：”不如相共立。”王曰：”共立可相，何也？”对曰：”共立少见爱幸，长为贵卿，被王衣，含杜若，握玉环，以听于朝，且利以乱秦矣。”
吴政荆，子胥使人宣言于荆曰：”子期用，将击之；子常用，将去之。”荆人闻之，因用子常而退子期也，吴人击之，遂胜之。
晋献公伐虞、虢，乃遗之屈产之乘，垂棘之璧，女乐二八，以荣其意而乱其政。
叔向之谗苌弘也，为书苌弘，谓叔向曰：”子为我谓晋君，所与君期者，时可矣。何不亟以兵来？”因佯遗其书周君之庭而急去行。周以苌弘为卖周也，乃诛苌弘而杀之。
郑桓公将欲袭郐，先问郐之豪杰、良臣、辩智、果敢之士，尽与姓名，择郐之良田赂之，为官爵之名而书之，因为设坛场郭门之外而埋之，衅之以鸡豭，若盟状。郐君以为内难也而尽杀其良臣。桓公袭郐，遂取之。
秦侏儒善于荆王，而阴有善荆王左右而内重于惠文君。荆适有谋，侏儒常先闻之以告惠文君。
鄴令襄疵阴善赵王左右。赵王谋袭鄴，襄疵常辄闻而先言之魏王。魏王备之，赵乃辄还。
卫嗣君之时，有人于县令之左右。县令发蓐而席弊甚，嗣公还令人遗之席，曰：”吾闻汝今者发蓐而席弊甚，赐汝席。”县令大惊，以君为神也。’
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