Han Feizi contrasts two official types: sycophants Chong Hou and E Lai pleased King Zhou but ignored Shang’s fall; loyal Bi Gan and Wu Zixu foresaw ruin yet died unjustly. Full wisdom needs both human insight and foresight of state trends.
Han Fei teaches strategic forbearance: enduring humiliation builds strength. Goujian and King Wu won by bearing insults calmly.
Han Fei cites history: brute force fails without wisdom. Qin has unmatched strength; he risks death to offer strategies to break alliances and unify China.
King Wu of Zhou (? – 1043 BCE) was the founder of the Western Zhou dynasty. His personal name was Ji Fa, and he was the second son of King Wen of Zhou. Because his elder brother, Bo Yikao, had been executed by the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, Ji Fa became heir and…
King Wen of Zhou (c. 1152–1056 BCE) was the paramount leader of the Zhou people at the end of the Shang dynasty. His personal name was Ji Chang, and during the reign of the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, he held the title “Western Count” (Western Lord or Xibo), ruling over the Zhou domain…
The Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gong) was a foundational statesman of the early Western Zhou dynasty (11th century BCE). His personal name was Ji Dan, and he was the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou and son of King Wen of Zhou – the two principal architects of the Zhou overthrow of the…
Mencius said: “Yu the Great detested fine wine but loved wise counsel. Tang held to the Golden Mean and appointed the worthy without regard to their background. King Wen of Zhou looked upon the people as if they were wounded, and though he longed for the Dao, he always felt he had not yet…
Mencius said: “Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang lost the empire because they lost the people;and they lost the people because they lost their hearts.”
Mencius said: “Can one reason with those unbenevolent men?They feel secure in danger, profit from disasters, and even take pleasure in the very things that will destroy them.If such people could still be reasoned with, how could there ever be ruined states or broken families?”