This Legalist section from Han Feizi ‑ Chapter32.8 presents multiple tales including the thorn‑tip monkey fraud. It argues rulers must test theories against real‑world outcomes, rejecting persuasive yet impractical empty rhetoric.
Six or seven years passed in the blink of an eye. One day, as Patriarch Subodhi lectured from the altar, Sun Wukong listened with gleeful excitement, scratching his ears and cheeks. Noticing this, the patriarch demanded, “Why are you distracted?” Wukong replied, “Your teachings are so profound, Master, I couldn’t contain my joy. Forgive…