Explanation V
Duke Huan of Qi loved to wear purple, and the whole state wore purple. At that time, five plain garments could not buy one purple garment. Duke Huan was troubled by this and said to Guan Zhong, “I love to wear purple, and purple has become very expensive. The people of my state cannot stop wearing purple. What should I do?” Guan Zhong said, “If you wish to stop it, why not try not wearing purple yourself? Say to those around you, ‘I greatly dislike the smell of purple.’ Then, whenever someone wearing purple comes before you, say, ‘Step back a little; I dislike the smell of purple.’” Duke Huan said, “Very well.” That day, none of the palace attendants wore purple; the next day, no one in the capital wore purple; within three days, no one in the state wore purple.
Another version says: A ruler of Qi loved to wear purple, and the people of Qi all loved it. In Qi, five plain garments could not buy one purple garment. The ruler was troubled by the high price of purple. His tutor said to him, “The Book of Poetry says, ‘If you do not act yourself, the common people will not trust you.’ If you wish the people not to wear purple, please take off your purple robes and hold court without them. If any minister enters wearing purple, say, ‘Go farther away! I dislike the smell.’” That day, none of the palace attendants wore purple; that month, no one in the capital wore purple; that year, no one in the state wore purple.
Duke Jian of Zheng said to Zi Chan, “Our state is small and pressed between Jing (Chu) and Jin. Our inner and outer walls are incomplete, and our weapons and armor are insufficient. We cannot deal with unexpected danger.” Zi Chan said, “I have long secured our outer defenses, and I have firmly guarded our inner affairs. Though our state is small, it is not in danger. Do not worry.” Thus, throughout Duke Jian’s life, the state suffered no disaster.
Another version says: When Zi Chan served as chancellor of Zheng, Duke Jian said to him, “I do not enjoy drinking, because the ritual vessels are not grand, the bells, drums, pipes, and zithers do not sound, my affairs are not orderly, the state is not stable, the people are not well governed, and farming and warfare are not harmonized. This is also your fault. You have your duties, and I have mine. Let each keep to his duties.” Zi Chan withdrew and governed for five years. The state had no thieves; nothing lost on the road was picked up; peach and jujube trees shaded the streets, yet no one plucked their fruit; a knife or awl left on the road could be recovered even after three days. After three years without change, the people suffered no hunger.
Duke Xiang of Song fought the men of Chu above the Zhuo River. The Song troops had already formed their ranks, but the Chu troops had not yet crossed. The Sima Gou Qiang hurried forward and remonstrated: “The Chu are many and the Song are few. Let the Chu cross halfway and attack them before they have formed ranks; they will surely be defeated.” Duke Xiang said, “I have heard gentlemen say, ‘Do not wound a man twice, do not capture those with graying hair, do not push men into danger, do not press men when they are in distress, and do not beat the drums to advance against an enemy that has not yet formed its ranks.’ To attack the Chu before they have crossed would harm righteousness. Let them finish crossing and form their array; then beat the drums and advance.” The Sima said, “You do not love the people of Song. Your heart is not sound; you care only for righteousness.” Duke Xiang said, “If you do not return to your rank, I will enforce the law.” The Sima returned to his rank. The Chu had already formed their ranks and drawn up their array. The duke then beat the drums. The Song were greatly defeated; the duke was wounded in the thigh and died three days later. This was the disaster caused by admiring personal righteousness and benevolence. If a ruler must personally perform every task before the people will obey, then he would have to plow the fields himself and fight in the front ranks before the people would be willing to farm and fight. Would the ruler not be in extreme danger, while the ministers would be at ease?
Duke Jing of Qi was touring near the Lesser Sea. A mounted messenger came from the capital to report, “Yan Ying is seriously ill and near death. I fear that if you delay, you will not arrive in time.” Duke Jing suddenly rose. Another messenger arrived. Duke Jing said, “Quickly harness my carriage Fanju, and let the groom Han Shu drive.” After a few hundred paces, he thought the groom was not driving fast enough, so he seized the reins and drove himself. After another few hundred paces, he thought the horses were not advancing quickly enough, so he left the carriage entirely and ran on foot. Though Fanju was an excellent horse and Han Shu a skillful groom, he believed that running on foot was faster.
King Zhao of Wei wished to take part in official affairs and said to Lord Mengchang, “I wish to participate in official affairs.” Lord Mengchang said, “If you wish to participate in official affairs, why not first try reading the laws?” The king read more than ten bamboo strips of law and then fell asleep. He said, “I cannot read these laws.” Not personally holding the essentials of power, yet wishing to do what ministers ought to do, is it not natural that he should fall asleep?
Confucius said, “A ruler is like a vessel; the people are like water. If the vessel is square, the water is square; if the vessel is round, the water is round.”
The ruler of Zou loved to wear long tassels. Those around him all wore long tassels, and tassels became very expensive. The ruler of Zou was troubled and asked those around him. They said, “Because you love to wear them, the people also wear them in large numbers, and so they are expensive.” The ruler therefore cut off his own tassel before going out, and no one in the state wore tassels. He could not issue an order to regulate what the people wore and so forbid it; instead, he cut off his tassel and went out to show the people first. This was to humble himself before governing the people.
Shu Xiang distributed the spoils of the hunt. Those whose merit was great received much; those whose merit was small received little.
Marquis Zhao of Han said to Shen Zi, “Laws and standards are very difficult to put into practice.” Shen Zi said, “Law means granting rewards according to merit and assigning offices according to ability. Now you establish laws but listen to the requests of those around you. This is why they are difficult to practice.” Marquis Zhao said, “From now on, I know how to enforce the law. Whose requests should I heed?” Another day, Shen Zi asked that his cousin be given an office. Marquis Zhao said, “This is not what I learned from you. If I grant your request, shall I ruin your way? Or should I simply use your request to test the law?” Shen Zi withdrew from his place and asked to be punished.
Note
This Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 32.11 Legalist section presents assorted historical anecdotes. It admits a ruler’s personal example has influence yet insists governance must rely on law, merit‑based rewards rather than moral posturing.
Han Feizi / Han Fei (c. 280–233 BCE):
A major Legalist philosopher of the Warring States period. He argues that a state should rely on law, administrative method, and the ruler’s authority, not on moral performance or personal kindness.
Duke Huan of Qi:
Duke Huan of Qi was a famous Spring and Autumn period ruler and one of the Five Hegemons. The story shows how a ruler’s taste can change fashion and prices.
Duke Huan’s chief minister, remembered as a capable statesman. Here he solves a social problem by changing the ruler’s visible behavior.
Purple clothing:
Purple dye was costly in early China. The phrase “five plain garments could not buy one purple” shows how elite fashion could distort markets.
Another Qi ruler and the Book of Poetry:
The second version replaces Duke Huan with an unnamed Qi ruler and quotes the Book of Poetry: “If you do not act yourself, the common people will not trust you.” Han Fei uses it to show the power of example, though he does not think example alone is enough.
Duke Jian of Zheng and Zi Chan:
Duke Jian ruled the small state of Zheng; Zi Chan was his famous minister. Their story represents good governance through clear responsibility rather than micromanagement.
Jing and Jin:
“Jing” is another name for Chu. Zheng lay between two powerful neighbors, Chu and Jin, so its security depended on diplomacy and internal order.
Duke Xiang of Song:
Duke Xiang of Song was a Spring and Autumn ruler famous for insisting on chivalrous conduct in war. Han Fei criticizes him for valuing personal righteousness over victory.
Gou Qiang (购强):
The right Sima (Minister of War). He urges a practical attack but is silenced by Duke Xiang’s rigid moral code.
“Do not beat the drums against an unformed array”:
Ancient warfare used drums to signal advance. Duke Xiang refuses to attack before the enemy is ready, which Han Fei sees as foolish.
Duke Jing of Qi and Yan Ying:
Duke Jing was a Qi ruler; Yan Ying, also called Yan Zi, was his wise minister. The ruler’s panic shows how personal emotion can disrupt proper procedure.
Fanju (烦且):
The name of Duke Jing’s fine horse.
King Zhao of Wei (魏昭王) and Lord Mengchang:
King Zhao wanted to join in administration; Lord Mengchang was a famous Warring States noble. The episode mocks a ruler who tries to do ministers’ work without mastering the system.
Confucius’ vessel-and-water metaphor:
Confucius often emphasized moral influence. Han Fei cites this saying to acknowledge that rulers shape society, but he warns against relying only on personal example.
Ruler of Zou (邹君) and long tassels:
Zou was a small state. The ruler cuts off his own tassel to stop an expensive fashion. The idiom “Zou tassels and Qi purple” later came to mean “those above set the trend, and those below follow.”
Shu Xiang (叔向):
A Jin minister. His distribution of hunting spoils illustrates reward according to merit.
Marquis Zhao of Han (韩昭侯) and Shen Zi / Shen Buhai (申不害):
Shen Buhai was a Legalist thinker known for “method” in governing officials. Marquis Zhao’s refusal to appoint Shen’s relative shows that law should not bend for personal requests.
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