Explanation III
When people are children, if their parents raise them carelessly, the children will complain when they grow up. When children become strong adults, if their support for their parents is meager, the parents become angry and reproach them. Father and son are the closest of kin, yet sometimes there is blame and sometimes complaint. This happens because each expects something from the other and feels the other has not done enough for him.
When a man hires laborers to sow and weed, he spends from his household and provides them with fine food, and he prepares cloth and money to pay them. He does not do this because he loves the laborers. He does it because, if he does so, the plowing will be deep and the weeding thorough. The laborers exert themselves and weed quickly, and use all their skill to straighten the ridges and paths. They do not do this because they love the master. They do it because, if they do so, the soup will be fine and the payment easy to obtain. In such employment, the care given to strength and skill may resemble the kindness between father and son, yet the minds of both sides are adjusted by use: each acts from a heart of self-interest. Therefore, if a person acts and gives with benefit in mind, even people from Yue, who are strangers, can easily harmonize. If he acts with harm in mind, even father and son will separate and resent each other.
When Duke Wen of Jin attacked Song, he first issued a declaration: “I have heard that the lord of Song is without the Way. He despises and insults his elders, distributes wealth improperly, and his orders are untrustworthy. I have come to punish him for the people.”
When Yue attacked Wu, it first issued a declaration: “I have heard that the king of Wu built the Ruhuang Terrace and dug the Yuanyuan Pool, exhausting the people, wasting wealth, and draining the strength of the commoners. I have come to punish him for the people.”
A woman of Cai became a wife of Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan was riding in a boat with her, and she rocked the boat. Duke Huan was greatly frightened. He ordered her to stop, but she did not. Angered, he sent her away. Later he was about to summon her back, but she was married to another man. Duke Huan was furious and intended to attack Cai. Zhongfu remonstrated: “A quarrel from the bedchamber is not sufficient reason to attack another state. You cannot hope for great merit from such a cause. Please do not make this your pretext.” Duke Huan did not listen. Zhongfu said, “If you insist, note that Chu has failed to present jingmao reeds to the Son of Heaven for three years. It would be better for you to raise an army and attack Chu on behalf of the Son of Heaven. After Chu submits, turn back and attack Cai, saying, ‘I attacked Chu for the Son of Heaven, but Cai did not follow with its troops.’ Then destroy it.” This would be righteous in name and beneficial in reality. Thus there would be the name of punishing for the Son of Heaven, and the reality of avenging himself.
Wu Qi served as a general of Wei and attacked Zhongshan. A soldier suffered from a festering sore. Wu Qi knelt and sucked the pus from it himself. The soldier’s mother stood and wept. Someone asked her, “The general has shown such kindness to your son. Why do you weep?” She answered, “Wu Qi once sucked the wound of this boy’s father, and his father died in battle. Now this son will also die. That is why I weep.”
Lord Father Zhao of Zhao ordered craftsmen to set up hooks and ladders and climb Mount Bowu. He had a human footprint carved there, three chi wide and five chi long, and inscribed: “Lord Father Zhao once wandered here.”
King Zhaoxiang of Qin ordered craftsmen to set up hooks and ladders and climb Mount Hua. He had game pieces made from the hearts of pine and cypress trees, with stakes eight chi long and pieces eight cun long, and inscribed: “King Zhaoxiang once gambled here with the spirits of heaven.”
When Duke Wen of Jin returned to his state and reached the river, he ordered the ritual vessels and mats to be discarded. Those whose hands and feet were calloused and whose faces were dark from hardship were placed at the rear. Jiu Fan heard this and wept at night. The duke said, “I was in exile for twenty years and have now returned to my state. Jiu Fan hears this and does not rejoice, but weeps. Does he perhaps not wish me to return?” Jiu Fan answered, “The ritual vessels are for eating, yet you discard them. The mats are for lying on, yet you abandon them. Those with calloused hands and feet and darkened faces are men who have labored and earned merit, yet you place them at the rear. I am among those placed at the rear, and I cannot bear my sorrow. That is why I weep. Moreover, I used much deceit on your behalf to help you return. I still dislike myself for it, so how much more should you dislike such conduct?” He bowed twice and took leave. Duke Wen stopped him, saying, “There is a proverb: ‘Those who build the altar of the soil dig and set it in place, but then wear proper robes and caps to sacrifice to it.’ Now you helped me seize the state, but will not help me govern it? You helped me establish it, but will not help me honor it?” He then unyoked the left trace horse and made a covenant by the river.
Bu Zi, a man from Zheng County, asked his wife to make trousers. His wife asked, “How should the new trousers be?” He said, “Like my old ones.” So his wife ruined the new trousers to make them like the old.
A man from Zheng County found a yoke for an ox cart but did not know its name. He asked someone, “What kind of thing is this?” The man answered, “It is a yoke.” Soon afterward he found another one and asked again, “What kind of thing is this?” The man answered, “It is a yoke.” The questioner became very angry and said, “Earlier you said it was a yoke, and now you again say it is a yoke. Why are there so many? You are deceiving me!” He then fought with the man.
A man from Wei assisted in bird hunting. When a bird arrived, he first waved his sleeve at it. The bird was startled and flew away, and he did not shoot.
The wife of Bu Zi from Zheng County went to the market and bought a soft-shelled turtle. On her way home she crossed the Ying River. Thinking the turtle was thirsty, she released it to drink, and so lost it.
When a young person serves an elder at drink, he drinks when the elder drinks.
Another version says: A man from Lu who was pleased with himself saw an elder who could not finish his wine spit it out, and so he also spat it out. Another version says: A young man from Song wished to imitate excellence. Seeing an elder drain his cup, he tried to finish his own, though he could not bear the wine.
The Book says, “Bind it with the sash.” A man from Song who studied the classics therefore wrapped himself with heavy belts. Someone asked, “Why do you do this?” He answered, “The Book says so, and that is how it should be.”
The Book says, “After carving and polishing, return to simplicity.” A man from Liang who studied the classics made all his movements and speech imitate learning and ornamented his affairs. When asked, “Why do you make things so difficult?” he lost the reality of the matter. Someone asked, “Why do you do this?” He answered, “The Book says so, and that is how it should be.”
A man from Ying sent a letter to the prime minister of Yan. He wrote it at night, and the light was poor, so he said to the person holding the candle, “Raise the candle,” and by mistake wrote “Raise the candle” in the letter. “Raise the candle” was not part of the letter’s intended meaning. The prime minister of Yan received the letter and was pleased. He said, “‘Raise the candle’ means ‘esteem clarity.’ To esteem clarity is to raise the worthy and employ them.” The prime minister reported this to his ruler, who was greatly pleased. The state was thereby brought to order. It was indeed ordered, but this was not the writer’s meaning. Scholars of the present age are mostly like this.
A man from Zheng was about to buy shoes. He first measured his foot and placed the measurement on his seat. When he reached the market, he forgot to bring it. After he had found shoes, he said, “I forgot to bring the measurement.” He returned home to get it. By the time he came back, the market had closed, and he did not obtain the shoes. Someone said, “Why did you not try them on your foot?” He said, “I would rather trust the measurement than trust myself.”
Note
This Legalist excerpt from Han Feizi ‑ Chapter32.9 expounds human self‑interest via diverse anecdotes. It mocks rigid literalism and blind copying, stressing practical reality over mechanical adherence to ancient texts.
A Legalist political thinker of the Warring States period. He is skeptical of moral rhetoric and judges actions by practical results.
Self-interest and hired labor:
Han Fei uses the relationship between employer and laborer to argue that cooperation often comes from mutual benefit, not affection. This is a typical Legalist view of human nature.
Duke Wen of Jin (晋文公):
Duke Wen of Jin was a famous ruler of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period. Here he uses moral language to justify attacking Song.
Yue attacks Wu (越伐吴):
Refers to the long rivalry between Yue and Wu. The declaration shows how states frame wars as punishment for the people’s sake.
Duke Huan of Qi and Lady Cai (齐桓公,蔡女):
Duke Huan was a hegemon of the Spring and Autumn period. Lady Cai rocked his boat; he sent her away, she remarried, and he later attacked Cai.
Zhongfu (仲父):
In this passage, a minister who advises Duke Huan. The title “Zhongfu” is more commonly associated with Guan Zhong, but here it functions as an advisory voice.
Jingmao reeds (菁茅):
Reeds from Chu used in Zhou royal sacrifices. Failure to send them provided a formal pretext for military action.
Wu Qi (吴起):
A famous Warring States general. His act of sucking a soldier’s pus looks compassionate, but the mother sees it as a way to bind soldiers to deadly service.
Lord Father Zhao of Zhao (赵主父):
Another name for King Wuling of Zhao. His carved footprint on Mount Bowu satirizes rulers who create “sacred traces.”
King Zhaoxiang of Qin (秦昭王):
King Zhaoxiang of Qin was a powerful Qin ruler. The story of his gambling with heavenly spirits mocks invented political myths.
Jiu Fan (咎犯, 狐偃):
Also known as Hu Yan, an advisor to Duke Wen of Jin. His night weeping protests the ruler’s ingratitude toward old supporters.
Proverb about building the altar of the soil (筑社):
Means that rough labor establishes a thing, but ritual dignity is later used to honor it. Duke Wen uses it to keep Jiu Fan’s support.
Bu Zi of Zheng (郑县人卜子):
A comic figure representing foolish literalism. His wife ruins new trousers to imitate old ones.
Yoke (车轭):
A wooden frame used to harness oxen to a cart. The Zheng man’s anger shows ignorance rather than genuine suspicion.
Wei bird-hunter (卫人佐弋):
A hunter who frightens the bird before shooting, a metaphor for self-defeating methods.
Imitation stories:
The youths who imitate spitting or draining wine cups represent blind copying without understanding causes.
“Bind it with the sash” and “return to simplicity”:
Classical phrases taken too literally. Han Fei mocks scholars who follow texts mechanically.
Letter from Ying, interpretation by Yan (郢书燕说):
A famous idiom for far-fetched interpretation. The Yan minister reads deep meaning into an accidental phrase.
The man from Zheng buying shoes (郑人买履):
A well-known Chinese fable. It criticizes rigid dependence on rules and measures instead of direct experience.
说三
人为婴兒也，父母养之简，子长人怨。子盛壮成人，其供养薄，父母怒而诮之。子父至亲也，而或谯或怨者，皆挟相为而不周于为己也。夫卖庸而播耕者，主人费家而美食，调钱布而求易者，非爱庸客也，曰：如是，耕者且深，耨者熟耘也。庸客致力而疾耘耕者，尽巧而正畦陌畦畤者，非爱主人也，曰：如是，羹且美，钱布且易云也。此其养功力，有父子之泽矣，而心调于用者，皆挟自为心也。故人行事施予，以利之为心，则越人易和；以害之为心，则父子离且怨。
文公伐宋，乃先宣言曰：“吾闻宋君无道，蔑侮长老，分财不中，教令不信，余来为民诛之。”
越伐吴，乃先宣言曰：“我闻吴王筑如皇之台，掘渊泉之池，罢苦百姓，煎靡财货，以尽民力，余来为民诛之。”
蔡女为桓公妻，桓公与之乘舟，夫人荡舟，桓公大惧，禁之不止，怒而出之。乃且复召之，因复更嫁之。桓公大怒，将伐蔡。仲父谏曰：“夫以寝席之戏，不足以伐人之国，功业不可冀也，请无以此为稽也。”桓公不听。仲父曰：“必不得已，楚之菁茅不贡于天子三年矣，君不如举兵为天子伐楚。楚服，因还袭蔡，曰：’余为天子伐楚，而蔡不以兵听从’，遂灭之。此义于名而利于实，故必有为天子诛之名，而有报仇之实。”
吴起为魏将而攻中山，军人有病疽者，吴起跪而自吮其脓。伤者之母立而泣，人问曰：“将军于若子如是，尚何为而泣？”对曰：“吴起吮其父之创而父死，今是子又将死也，今吾是以泣。”
赵主父令工施钩梯而缘播吾，刻疏人迹其上，广三尺，长五尺，而勒之曰：“主父常游于此。”
秦昭王令工施钩梯而上华山，以松柏之心为博，箭长八尺，棋长八寸，而勒之曰：“昭王尝与天神博于此矣。”
文公反国至河，令笾豆捐之，席蓐捐之，手足胼胝，面目黧黑者后之。咎犯闻之而夜哭。公曰：“寡人出亡二十年，乃今得反国。咎犯闻之，不喜而哭，意不欲寡人反国耶？”犯对曰：“笾豆所以食也，而君捐之；席蓐所以卧也，而君弃之。手足胼胝，面目黧黑，劳有功者也，而君后之。今臣有与在后，中不胜其哀。故哭。且臣为君行诈伪以反国者众矣。臣尚自恶也，而况于君。”再拜而辞。文公止之曰：“谚曰：’筑社者攐撅而置之，端冕而祀之。’今子与我取之，而不与我治之，与我置之，而不与我祀之焉。”乃解左骖而盟于河。
郑县人卜子使其妻为裤，其妻问曰：“今裤何如？”夫曰：“象吾故裤。”妻子因毁新令如故裤。
郑县人有得车轭者，而不知其名，问人曰：“此何种也？”对曰：“此车轭也。”俄又复得一，问人曰：“此何种也？”对曰：“此车轭也。”问者大怒曰：“曩者曰车轭，今又曰车轭，是何众也？此女欺我也！“遂与之斗。
卫人有佐弋者，鸟至，因先以其裷麾之，鸟惊而不射也。
郑县人卜子妻之市，买鳖以归。过颍水，以为渴也，因纵而饮之，遂亡其鳖。
夫少者侍长者饮，长者饮，亦自饮也。
一曰：鲁人有自喜者，见长年饮酒不能釂则唾之，亦效唾之。一曰：宋人有少者亦欲效善，见长者饮无余，非堪酒饮也，而欲尽之。
书曰：“绅之束之。”宋人有治者，因重带自绅束也。人曰：“是何也？”对曰：“书言之，固然。”
书曰：“既雕既琢，还归其朴。”梁人有治者，动作言学，举事于文，曰：“难之。”顾失其实。人曰：“是何也？”对曰：“书言之，固然。”
郢人有遗燕相国书者，夜书，火不明，因谓持烛者曰：“举烛“而误书“举烛“。举烛，非书意也。燕相国受书而说之，曰：“举烛者，尚明也；尚明也者，举贤而任之。”燕相白王，王大说，国以治。治则治矣，非书意也。今世学者，多似此类。
郑人有且置履者，先自度其足而置之其坐，至之市而忘操之。已得履，乃曰：“吾忘持度，反归取之。”及反，市罢，遂不得履。人曰：“何不试之以足？”曰：“宁信度，无自信也。”
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