Heaven has its eternal laws, and human beings have their essential nature. Fragrant, delicate and crisp delicacies, rich wine and fatty meat please the palate yet harm the body. Soft‑skinned and white‑toothed beauties delight emotions yet drain vitality. Therefore, abandon excess and extravagance, and the self shall suffer no harm.
Royal power must not be revealed; remain plain and non‑active. Specific affairs lie in the four quarters of the realm, while the essential authority rests in the central court. The sage ruler holds the core power, and all regions render service. He awaits outcomes with an empty mind, letting subordinates manage affairs by themselves.
When conditions across the four seas are perceived, the ruler conceals himself in shadow to oversee visible developments. Once close ministers are appointed, he opens governance channels to respond to all matters. Do not alter principles arbitrarily; follow both natural and human laws persistently – this is called abiding by reason.
All things have their proper roles, and talents have their suitable functions. When each occupies its rightful place, superiors and subordinates both practice non‑action. Let roosters announce dawn and wildcats catch mice; employ each according to its ability, and the superior remains free from trivial labor.
If a superior displays personal strengths, governance will lose impartiality. Conceited and fond of showing talent, he shall be deceived by inferiors. Eloquent and emotional, he lets subordinates exploit his weaknesses. When superior and inferior swap roles, the state cannot be well‑governed.
Note
This passage proposes the Legalist ideal of governance: the ruler keeps supreme power hidden and centralized, practices non‑action, assigns tasks according to people’s natural strengths, and avoids personal self‑display to prevent manipulation by ministers.
The representative Legalist thinker of the late Warring States Period. This passage is excerpted from Upholding Authority (Yang Quan), a classic work combining Taoist quietism with Legalist centralized statecraft.
Heavenly and Human Laws
Refers to universal natural rules and inherent human nature. Han Fei emphasizes that both individuals and rulers must avoid excess and follow inherent order.
Non‑action (Wu‑wei)
Derived from Taoism. For example, Laozi had claimed that:
Thus the sage says:
“I practice non-action, and the people transform themselves; I cherish stillness, and the people right themselves….”
Here Han Fei re‑interpreted “non-action”: the ruler does not handle trivial daily affairs personally but controls subordinates by institutional power and role division.
Centralized Authority Principle
Core Legalist political view: daily affairs are undertaken by local officials, while supreme power belongs solely to the central ruler.
Employing Talent by Nature
The rooster‑dawn and wildcat‑mouse metaphor: assign people according to their natural abilities; the ruler should not compete with subordinates in personal skills.
Role Distinction between Ruler and Ministers
Superiors must not show off personal talents or emotions; otherwise subordinates will manipulate them, reversing power roles and causing national chaos.
天有大命，人有大命。夫香美脆味，厚酒肥肉，甘口而病形；曼理皓齒，說情而捐精。故去甚去泰，身乃無害。權不欲見，素無為也。事在四方，要在中央。聖人執要，四方來效。虛而待之，彼自以之。四海既藏，道陰見陽。左右既立，開門而當。勿變勿易，與二俱行，行之不已，是謂履理也。夫物者有所宜，材者有所施，各處其宜，故上下無為。使雞司夜，令狸執鼠，皆用其能，上乃無事。上有所長，事乃不方。矜而好能，下之所欺。辯惠好生，下因其材。上下易用，國故不治。
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