A ruler faces two disasters. If he appoints worthy men, ministers will exploit the reputation of worthiness to coerce him. If he promotes men arbitrarily, state affairs will collapse and fail.
Therefore, when a ruler admires worthiness, ministers will polish their conduct to cater to his desires, hiding their true selves. With ministers’ true nature concealed, the ruler cannot distinguish between good and bad subordinates.
King Goujian of Yue loved bravery, so many of his people risked their lives recklessly. King Ling of Chu favored slender waists, so many people in his kingdom starved themselves. Duke Huan of Qi was jealous and fond of female attendants; thus Shu Diao castrated himself to manage the inner palace. Duke Huan loved fine food, so Yi Ya steamed his own son’s head and presented it to him. King Kuai of Yan admired worthiness, so Zi Zhi pretended to decline the throne to win trust.
Hence when a ruler reveals his dislikes, ministers hide their faults; when he reveals his likes, ministers falsely claim talent. Once a ruler’s desires are exposed, ministers gain leverage for manipulation.
Zi Zhi seized power by taking advantage of King Kuai’s fondness for worthiness. Shu Diao and Yi Ya encroached on the ruler by catering to his cravings. In the end, King Kuai died in civil chaos, and Duke Huan’s corpse decayed with maggots crawling outside before burial.
Why did this happen? It is the disaster caused by a ruler exposing his true feelings to ministers. Ministers do not necessarily love their ruler; they act only for great profit.
If a ruler does not conceal his likes and dislikes, letting ministers exploit his weaknesses to encroach on his authority, it becomes easy for them to become usurpers like Zi Zhi and Tian Chang.
Therefore it is said: abandon personal likes and dislikes, and ministers reveal their true selves. With ministers’ true selves exposed, the sovereign will never be deceived.
Note
This passage delivers a vital Legalist warning: open personal preferences make rulers vulnerable to manipulation. A sovereign must remain neutral and concealed to maintain absolute authority.
Han Fei
Core Legalist thinker of the late Warring‑States Period. This passage is from The Two Handles (Er Bing), warning rulers against revealing personal emotions.
King Goujian of Yue
Famous ruler of Yue State; Han Fei uses his love of bravery to show how royal preferences shape harmful popular behavior.
King Ling of Chu
Known for favoring slender‑waisted attendants, leading people to starve – a classic anecdote of ruler’s taste distorting society.
Duke Huan of Qi, Shu Diao, Yi Ya
Duke Huan of Qi was the first Spring and Autumn hegemon. Shu Diao (self‑castrated eunuch) and Yi Ya (who killed his son for the ruler’s meal) were treacherous favorites who caused the duke’s miserable death.
King Kuai of Yan & Zi Zhi
King Kuai admired worthiness and yielded the throne to Zi Zhi, triggering civil war and his own death.
Tian Chang
Tian Chang, minister of Qi who usurped power by catering to rulers’ weaknesses, a repeated warning figure in Han Fei’s works.
Hide One’s Feelings
Key Legalist statecraft: the ruler must hide personal likes and dislikes to avoid being manipulated by ministers.
Ruler’s Preference Shapes Politics
Han Fei argues that royal tastes directly corrupt officials and society, as subordinates cater for personal gain.
Treacherous Favorites
Eunuchs and sycophants who exploit royal desires are major threats to monarchical power in Legalist theory.
True Nature of Ministers
Ministers are profit‑driven rather than loyal by nature; only an impartial, emotion‑hidden ruler can see their real intentions.
人主有二患：任贤，则臣将乘于贤以劫其君；妄举，则事沮不胜。故人主好贤，则群臣饰行以要君欲，则是群臣之情不效；群臣之情不效，则人主无以异其臣矣。故越王好勇而民多轻死；楚灵王好细腰而国中多饿人；齐桓公妒外而好内，故竖刁自宫以治内；桓公好味，易牙蒸其子首而进之；燕子哙好贤，故子之明不受国。故君见恶，则群臣匿端；君见好，则群臣诬能。人主欲见，则群臣之情态得其资矣。故子之托于贤以夺其君者也，竖刁、易牙，因君之欲以侵其君者也。其卒，子哙以乱死，桓公虫流出户而不葬。此其故何也？人君以情借臣之患也。人臣之情非必能爱其君也，为重利之故也。今人主不掩其情，不匿其端，而使人臣有缘以侵其主，则群臣为子之、田常不难矣。故曰：”去好去恶，群臣见素。”群臣见素，则大君不蔽矣。
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