If a ruler personally inspects every official one by one, he will lack time and energy. Moreover, if the ruler relies on his eyes, subordinates will disguise their appearance; if he relies on his ears, they will polish their words; if he relies on his judgment, they will confuse him with verbose rhetoric.
The ancient sage‑kings knew these three personal faculties were insufficient. Therefore they abandoned personal ability, relied on laws and statecraft, and carefully enforced rewards and punishments.
By grasping essential principles, sage‑kings kept laws concise and protected royal authority from infringement. Ruling the whole realm alone, the ruler prevents cunning people from practicing fraud, sinister and impetuous people from spreading slander, and wicked officials from finding shelter.
Even officials a thousand li away dare not alter their reports arbitrarily. Close attendants at court dare not hide good deeds or gloss over faults. All ministers report facts truthfully without overstepping their duties.
Thus governance is achieved effortlessly with ample spare time, all because the ruler wields his supreme power.
Note
This passage advocates rule by law and power rather than personal observation, showing that institutional control is more effective than individual supervision in maintaining monarchical authority.
Representative Legalist thinker of the late Warring States Period. This passage comes from *On Measuring Standards (You Du)*, emphasizing institutional governance over personal supervision.
Limitations of Personal Inspection
Han Fei points out that individual senses (sight, hearing, thinking) are unreliable for rulers, because subordinates can manipulate appearance, speech and information. Personal supervision leads to inefficiency and deception.
Law and Statecraft
Core Legalist governance tools: objective laws and hidden political techniques replace personal wisdom. Strict reward‑punishment ensures obedience.
Supreme Power
Rulers must hold supreme authority. Power, not personal talent, controls officials both near and far, preventing cover‑ups and fraud.
Centralized Institutional Control
The Legalist ideal: govern by systems rather than personal effort, so the ruler achieves stable rule with minimal labor.
夫為人主而身察百官，則日不足，力不給。且上用目則下飾觀，上用耳則下飾聲，上用慮則下繁辭。先王以三者為不足，故舍己能，而因法數，審賞罰。先王之所守要，故法省而不侵。獨制四海之內，聰智不得用其詐，險躁不得關其佞，姦邪無所依。遠在千里外，不敢易其辭；勢在郎中，不敢蔽善飾非。朝廷群下，直湊單微，不敢相踰越。故治不足而日有餘，上之任勢使然也。
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