Ministers encroach upon their ruler gradually, just as terrain erodes little by little. They make the ruler lose his bearings, confuse east and west, without his awareness. Hence ancient sage‑kings created the south‑pointing compass to determine directions.
Therefore an enlightened ruler ensures his ministers never think beyond the law, never grant private favors within the law, and act in all things according to law. Law corrects faults and restrains unlawful self‑interest; severe punishments enforce orders and discipline subordinates.
Royal authority must never be shared; ruling power must never pass through multiple channels. If authority is divided, wickedness flourishes. If law lacks credibility, the ruler faces danger. If punishments are indecisive, evil cannot be subdued.
A skilled craftsman may align wood with the plumb‑line by eye, yet he still uses compasses and rulers as standards. A highly intelligent man may act appropriately with quick judgment, yet he still follows the laws of ancient sage‑kings as models.
When the plumb‑line is straight, crooked timber is hewn straight. When the level is even, uneven bulges are smoothed. When scales hang true, excess weight is balanced. When measuring vessels are set, surplus amounts are adjusted. Thus governing a state by law requires only consistent enforcement.
Law does not curry favor with nobles, just as the plumb‑line does not bend for crookedness. Where law applies, the clever cannot evade, the brave cannot resist. Punishments for faults spare no high ministers; rewards for good deeds overlook no commoners.
Nothing better than law can correct the ruler’s errors, expose subordinates’ treachery, settle disorder, judge fallacies, remove excesses, rectify wrongs, and unify the people’s conduct. Nothing better than punishment can discipline officials, awe the people, stop indulgence and laziness, and ban fraud and pretense.
Severe punishments prevent the powerful from bullying the weak. Clear law makes the ruler revered and unassailable. A revered and unassailable ruler becomes strong and holds the essential principles of governance. Thus sage‑kings valued law and passed it down. If a ruler abandons law for personal will, distinctions between superior and inferior vanish.
Note
This passage presents the definitive Legalist political ideal: law is the only impartial standard for governance; it applies equally to all people, and the ruler must enforce it strictly to maintain supreme authority.
The greatest Legalist thinker of the late Warring‑States Period. This passage is excerpted from *On Measuring Standards (You Du)*, the core text of Legalist rule‑by‑law theory.
South‑Pointing Compass
An ancient Chinese directional tool invented to determine north‑south directions. Han Fei uses it as a metaphor for law as the permanent standard guiding governance.
Craftsman’s Tools Metaphor
Compasses, rulers, plumb‑lines, levels, scales are analogies for law. Just as craftsmen rely on tools, rulers must rely on law rather than personal judgment.
Law Does Not Favor Nobility
The most famous Legalist principle: law applies equally to nobles and commoners; no one is above legal punishment.
Gradual Usurpation Metaphor
Ministerial power grows slowly like land erosion, which rulers often fail to notice. Only strict law can stop this long‑term threat.
Centralized Legal Authority
Power must be monopolized by the ruler through law. Sharing authority creates cliques and corruption, destabilizing monarchical rule.
夫人臣之侵其主也，如地形焉，即漸以往，使人主失端、東西易面而不自知。故先王立司南以端朝夕。故明主使其群臣不遊意於法之外，不為惠於法之內，動無非法。法所以凌過遊外私也，嚴刑所以遂令懲下也。威不貸錯，制不共門。威制共則眾邪彰矣，法不信則君行危矣，刑不斷則邪不勝矣。故曰：巧匠目意中繩，然必先以規矩為度；上智捷舉中事，必以先王之法為比。故繩直而枉木斲，準夷而高科削，權衡縣而重益輕，斗石設而多益少。故以法治國，舉措而已矣。法不阿貴，繩不撓曲。法之所加，智者弗能辭，勇者弗敢爭。刑過不避大臣，賞善不遺匹夫。故矯上之失，詰下之邪，治亂決繆，絀羨齊非，一民之軌，莫如法。屬官威民，退淫殆，止詐偽，莫如刑。刑重則不敢以貴易賤，法審則上尊而不侵，上尊而不侵則主強，而守要，故先王貴之而傳之。人主釋法用私，則上下不別矣。
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