Explanation I
Mi Zijian was governing Shanfu. You Ruo saw him and asked, “Why have you grown so thin?” Mi Zijian replied, “The ruler did not know my unworthiness and appointed me to govern Shanfu. Official affairs are urgent, and I worry about them, so I have grown thin.” You Ruo said, “In former times, Shun played the five-stringed zither and sang the poem ‘The Southern Breeze,’ and the world was well governed. Now Shanfu is only a small place; if you worry so much in governing it, how will you manage to govern the world? Therefore, if one has the proper method of governance, one may sit calmly in the court and still govern without harm; if one lacks such a method, even wearing oneself out and growing thin will bring no benefit.”
The King of Chu said to Tian Jiu, “Mozi’s teaching is a prominent school. His personal conduct is commendable, yet his words are numerous but not elegant. Why is this?” Tian Jiu replied, “In the past, the ruler of Qin married his daughter to a prince of Jin and ordered Jin to prepare her trousseau. Seventy attendant women followed in patterned robes. When they arrived in Jin, the people admired the concubines and looked down on the duke’s daughter. This may be called skillful in marrying off concubines, but not skillful in marrying off a daughter. A man from Chu sold pearls in Zheng. He made a box of magnolia wood, scented it with cassia and pepper, adorned it with pearls and jade, decorated it with rose-gems, and inlaid it with kingfisher jade. The man from Zheng bought the box and returned the pearls. This may be called skillful in selling the box, but not skillful in selling pearls.
Today, when people speak, they all delight in ornate and polished language. Rulers admire the elegance of their words and forget what is useful. Mozi’s teachings transmit the way of the former kings and explain the words of the sages, so as to make them known to the people. If he made his language too elegant, he feared that people would cherish the ornament and forget the substance, allowing style to damage usefulness. This is the same kind of mistake as the Chu man selling pearls and the Qin ruler marrying off his daughter; therefore his words are often not elegant.”
Mozi made a wooden kite. It took three years to complete, yet it flew for only one day before breaking. His disciples said, “Master, your skill is such that you can even make a wooden kite fly.” Mozi said, “I am not as skillful as the maker of carriage yokes. With a small piece of wood, and without spending more than a morning, he can bear a load of thirty shi, carry weight over long distances, exert great force, and last for years. I spent three years making this kite, and it flew for only one day before breaking.” When Huizi heard this, he said, “Mozi is truly skillful: his skill lies in making yokes, not in making kites.”
The king of Song was hostile to Qi and built a Martial Palace. When the singer Ou Kui sang, passersby stopped to watch, and the builders did not grow weary. The king heard of this, summoned him, and gave him a reward. Ou Kui said, “My teacher She Ji’s singing is even better than mine.” The king summoned She Ji and asked him to sing. Yet passersby did not stop, and the builders grew weary. The king asked, “If passersby do not stop and the builders grow weary, how can his singing be better than Ou Kui’s?” Ou Kui replied, “Your Majesty should measure the results. When Ou Kui sang, the builders completed four boards; when She Ji sang, they completed eight. When the walls were tested, those built during Ou Kui’s singing could be pierced five cun, but those built during She Ji’s singing only two cun.”
Good medicine tastes bitter, yet a wise person urges himself to drink it, knowing that once taken it will cure his illness. Loyal advice offends the ear, yet an enlightened ruler listens to it, knowing that it can bring about real achievement.
Note
This Legalist excerpt from Han Feizi ‑ Chapter 32.7 uses multiple tales to stress practical measurable results. It warns against superficial ornament over substance and advises rulers to embrace frank, beneficial yet unpleasant advice.
A Warring States Legalist thinker who judges speech, conduct, and policy by practical results rather than by reputation, elegance, or moral appearance.
Mi Zijian (宓子贱):
A disciple of Confucius and governor of Shanfu. Here he represents a ruler who works hard but lacks efficient governing method.
You Ruo (有若):
A disciple of Confucius. He argues that good governance depends on method and delegation, not on personal exhaustion.
Shun and the Southern Breeze (舜,《南风》):
Shun is a legendary sage-king. The story of him playing the zither and singing “The Southern Breeze” symbolizes effortless, well-ordered rule.
Method of governance (术):
In Legalist thought, “shu” means the techniques a ruler uses to assign duties, verify results, and control officials.
King of Chu and Tian Jiu (田鸠):
The Chu king asks why Mozi’s words are not elegant. Tian Jiu explains that plain speech protects practical meaning.
Mozi / Mohism:
Mozi advocated frugality, universal care, and practical benefit. Han Fei often criticizes Mohists, but here he uses Mozi to argue against empty ornament.
Qin ruler marries off his daughter (秦伯嫁女):
The dowry attendants are more splendid than the bride, so people admire the attendants instead. It warns against letting decoration overshadow the main purpose.
Buying the box and returning the pearl (买椟还珠):
A famous Chinese idiom meaning to value packaging more than content, or form more than substance.
Magnolia wood, cassia, pepper, rose-gems, kingfisher jade:
Luxurious materials used to decorate the pearl box. “Rose” here refers to a red gem, not the modern flower.
Mozi’s wooden kite (木鸢):
A wooden flying device said to take three years to make but break after one day. It represents cleverness without practical value.
Carriage yoke (车輗):
A small wooden part connecting oxen or horses to a carriage. Han Fei uses it to praise humble but useful craftsmanship.
Huizi (惠子):
A Warring States logician and friend of Zhuangzi. Here he concludes that true skill serves practical use.
King of Song and the Martial Palace (武宫):
A ruler builds a military hall while hostile to Qi. The episode tests whether singing truly improves labor results.
Ou Kui and She Ji (讴癸,射稽):
Two singers whose effects on builders look opposite, yet measured output shows She Ji is more effective. Han Fei uses this to demand measurable results.
Boards and cun (板,寸):
“Board” measures wall sections built; “cun” measures how deeply the wall can be pierced. Less penetration means firmer construction.
Good medicine is bitter; loyal advice offends the ear:
A well-known Chinese proverb. Han Fei adapts it to argue that rulers should accept uncomfortable advice if it produces results.
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