Classic III
When people act on the assumption that others should serve them, they become demanding and resentful; when they act for their own interest, affairs get done. Thus even fathers and sons may reproach one another, while an employer who hires laborers will offer them fine food. This is illustrated by Duke Wen’s preemptive proclamation and by Goujian’s invocation of the Ruhuang Terrace. Likewise, Duke Huan concealed his anger toward Cai and attacked Chu, and Wu Qi sucked a soldier’s wound, hoping the man would recover and fight.
The odes and eulogies of former kings, as well as the inscriptions on bells and tripods, are like the footprints at Bowu and the game board on Mount Hua – traces shaped for a purpose. What former kings truly sought was benefit, and what they employed was force. The proverb about building the altar of the soil was merely a self-serving justification.
If we allow scholars to impose vague and fanciful interpretations upon the ways of former kings, would such ways still suit the present age? If not, they cannot be changed. Yet some still behave like the man from Zheng who obtained a carriage yoke without recognizing it, the man from Wei who assisted in fowling yet frightened the birds away, Bu Zi’s wife who ruined a new pair of trousers to make them resemble the old, or the youths who blindly imitated their elders while drinking.
Among the sayings of former kings, some were meant for minor matters but are now taken as grand principles, while others concerned great affairs but are now treated as trivial; their true meaning cannot always be known. This is shown by the man of Song who misread a classic and the man of Liang who misinterpreted a record. Hence the words of former kings have become like the letter from Ying, while later generations often offer explanations like those of the Yan minister. To pursue the ways of former kings without fitting them to present state affairs is like the man who returned home to fetch a measure for his shoes instead of trusting his own feet.
Note
From Han Feizi ‑ Chapter32.3, this Legalist passage stresses self‑interest drives human deeds. Via multiple fables, it warns against blind, rigid imitation of ancient kings, urging governance to adapt to present‑day realities.
A Legalist thinker of the Warring States period who argues that governance should rely on clear laws, rewards, punishments, and practical results rather than moral sentiment or reverence for antiquity.
Self-interest (自为):
A key Legalist idea that people naturally act for their own benefit. Han Fei believes rulers should design institutions that channel this tendency toward public order.
Duke Wen of Jin (晋文公):
Duke Wen of Jin was a Spring and Autumn hegemon. Han Fei presents his moral proclamations as political tools that mobilize support before military action.
Goujian and the Ruhuang Terrace (勾践、如皇):
Goujian, king of Yue, is famous for enduring humiliation before defeating Wu. Here he uses the Ruhuang Terrace as a pretext to rally people for war.
Duke Huan of Qi and Lady Cai (齐桓公、蔡姬):
Duke Huan attacked Cai partly because of a personal quarrel with Lady Cai, but framed the campaign in larger political terms. Han Fei uses this to show the gap between stated reasons and real motives.
Wu Qi sucking a wound (吴起吮伤):
Wu Qi, a famous general, sucked pus from a soldier’s wound. The act looks compassionate, but Han Fei reads it as a calculated way to secure loyalty and battlefield effort.
Inscriptions on bells and tripods (钟鼎之铭):
Bronze vessels often carried inscriptions praising ancestors and rulers. Han Fei treats them as political propaganda rather than pure moral testimony.
Footprints at Bowu and game board on Mount Hua (播吾之迹、华山之博):
Legendary markings attributed to powerful rulers, presented here as symbolic displays meant to impress people.
Bu Zi’s wife ruining new trousers (卜子妻写弊裤):
Told to make trousers “like the old ones,” she damages the new pair. It satirizes literal imitation without understanding purpose.
Man from Zheng and the carriage yoke (郑县人得车厄):
He receives the same object twice but thinks he is being deceived. It mocks ignorance combined with suspicion.
Man from Wei assisting in fowling (卫人佐弋):
He drives birds away before shooting, defeating his own aim. It illustrates rigid procedure that destroys the real goal.
Ying letter and Yan interpretation (郢书燕说):
A writer from Ying accidentally adds “raise the candle” to a letter; a Yan minister interprets it as “promote worthy men.” The state benefits, but the interpretation is still a misreading.
Returning to fetch a measure (归取度):
From the fable “Zheng man buys shoes.” It criticizes relying on fixed rules while ignoring concrete reality.
挟夫相为则责望，自为则事行。故父子或怨谯，取庸作者进美羹。说在文公之先宣言，与勾践之称如皇也。故桓公藏蔡怒而攻楚，吴起怀瘳实而吮伤。且先王之赋颂，钟鼎之铭，皆播吾之迹，华山之博也。然先王所期者利也，所用者力也。筑社之谚，自辞说也。请许学者而行宛曼于先王，或者不宜今乎？如是，不能更也。郑县人得车厄也，卫人佐弋也，卜子妻写弊裤也，而其少者也。先王之言，有其所为小而世意之大者，有其所为大而世意之小者，未可必知也。说在宋人之解书，与梁人之读记也。故先王有郢书，而后世多燕说。夫不适国事而谋先王，皆归取度者也。
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