A Forest of Parables

H an Fei did not write fables to charm anyone. He kept a stock of small stories and dropped them into his arguments like a coroner laying out instruments — each one cuts to a single cold point about power, want, and the gap between what a man claims and what he can do. Six of them follow. Read each as he meant it: not a moral, a diagnosis. [Editorial frame. The six anecdotes below are translated each from its own chapter of the Han Feizi; this opening paragraph is a bridge, not a rendering of the source.]

A man of Chu was selling shields and spears. He talked up the shield: "My shield is so hard, nothing gets through it." Then he talked up the spear: "My spear is so sharp, there is nothing it doesn't go through." Someone said: "With your spear against your shield — how does that go?" The man had no answer. A shield nothing can pierce and a spear that pierces everything cannot stand in the same world. There was a man of Chu selling shields and spears. He praised it, saying: "My shield is so firm, no thing can pierce it." He also praised his spear, saying: "My spear is so sharp, of things there is none it does not pierce." Someone said: "With your spear, pierce your shield — how would that be?" The man could not answer. A shield that cannot be pierced and a spear that nothing escapes being pierced by cannot stand in the same age.

King Xuan of Qi liked the yu played for him — and he wanted three hundred pipers at once. A retired scholar named Nanguo asked to play in the king's band. The king was pleased and put him on the payroll alongside the hundreds. Then King Xuan died. King Min took the throne, and he preferred to hear them one at a time. Nanguo ran. King Xuan of Qi had men blow the yu — it had to be three hundred men. A retired scholar of Nanguo asked to blow the yu for the king. King Xuan was pleased with him and fed him from the granary on the scale of several hundred men. King Xuan died; King Min succeeded, and liked to listen to them one by one. The scholar fled.

“"With your spear against your shield — how does that go?" The man had no answer.”

A man of Chu went to Zheng to sell a pearl. He built it a case of magnolia wood, smoked it sweet with cinnamon and pepper, strung it with pearls and jade, set it off with rose-gems, lined it with kingfisher feathers. The man of Zheng bought the case and gave the pearl back. You could call that selling a good box. You could not call it selling a pearl. There was a man of Chu selling his pearl in Zheng. He made a case of magnolia wood, perfumed it with cinnamon and pepper, strung it with pearls and jade, adorned it with rose-stones, edged it with kingfisher feathers. The man of Zheng bought his case and returned his pearl. This can be called good at selling a case — it cannot be called good at selling a pearl.

A man of Zheng wanted new shoes. First he measured his own foot, then set the measure down by his seat. He got to the market and found he'd left it behind. He had the shoes in hand, but said, "I forgot to bring the measurement," and went home for it. By the time he came back the market had closed. No shoes. Someone said, "Why not just try them on your foot?" He said: "I'd sooner trust the measure than trust myself." A man of Zheng county, about to buy shoes, first measured his own foot and set the measure down by his seat. Arriving at the market, he forgot to bring it. Having found the shoes, he then said, "I forgot to carry the measure," and turned back home to fetch it. By the time he returned, the market had broken up, and so he got no shoes. Someone said, "Why not try them with your foot?" He said, "I would rather trust the measure; I do not trust myself."

The physician Bian Que stood before Duke Huan of Cai a while, then said: "There is a sickness in your skin. Untreated, I fear it goes deep." The duke said, "I have nothing wrong." When Bian Que left, the duke said: "Doctors love to treat the well and call it a cure." Ten days on, Bian Que came again: "It is in your flesh now. Untreated, it deepens." The duke said nothing, and was displeased. Ten days on: "It is in your gut now." Again nothing, again displeasure. Ten days on, Bian Que took one look at the duke and turned and walked away. The duke sent to ask why. Bian Que said: "In the skin, hot compresses reach it. In the flesh, needles reach it. In the gut, strong decoctions reach it. In the marrow, it belongs to the Arbiter of Fate — nothing to be done. It is in the marrow now. That is why I make no request." Five days later the duke's body ached. He sent men to find Bian Que. Bian Que had already fled to Qin. The duke died. Bian Que saw Duke Huan of Cai, and after standing a while, Bian Que said: "My lord has an ailment in the skin-pores. Untreated, I fear it will go deep." The Marquis Huan said, "I have none." When Bian Que left, the Marquis said, "Physicians love to treat what is not sick and take it for an achievement." After ten days Bian Que appeared again and said, "My lord's illness is in the flesh. Untreated it will grow deeper." The Marquis did not respond. Bian Que left, and the Marquis was again displeased. After ten days Bian Que appeared again: "My lord's illness is in the stomach and intestines. Untreated it will grow deeper." The Marquis again did not respond, and again was displeased. After ten days Bian Que looked at the Marquis from afar and turned and ran. The Marquis purposely sent someone to ask him. Bian Que said: "When the illness is in the skin-pores, hot compresses can reach it; in the flesh, needles and stone-lancets can reach it; in the stomach and intestines, fire-brewed decoctions can reach it; in the bone-marrow, it belongs to the Arbiter of Fate, and there is nothing to be done. Now it is in the marrow, and so I make no request." After five days the Duke's body ached; he sent men to search for Bian Que, who had already fled to Qin. The Marquis then died.

Guan Zhong and Xi Peng were on campaign with Duke Huan against the Guzhu. They marched out in spring and turned back in winter, and on the way home they lost the road. Guan Zhong said: "The old horse's knowledge is worth using." So they loosed the old horses and followed them, and found the road. Later, marching through the hills, they had no water. Xi Peng said: "Ants winter on the south slope and summer on the north; where the ant-mound is one inch high, water lies eight feet down." They dug, and got water. With a man as wise as Guan Zhong and as shrewd as Xi Peng, when they hit what they did not know they did not think it beneath them to learn from an old horse and an ant. People today do not think it beneath them to keep their foolish minds and refuse to learn from the wisdom of better men. Is that not the greater error. Guan Zhong and Xi Peng followed Duke Huan to attack Guzhu. They went out in spring and returned in winter; confused, they lost the road. Guan Zhong said, "The wisdom of the old horse can be used." So they loosed the old horses and followed them, and thereby found the road. Marching in the mountains, they had no water. Xi Peng said, "Ants in winter dwell on the south of the mountain, in summer on the north; where the ant-soil is one inch, at a fathom there is water." So they dug the ground, and thereby got water. With Guan Zhong's sageliness and Xi Peng's wisdom, reaching what they did not know, they did not find it hard to take the old horse and the ant as teachers. People today do not know to take their foolish hearts and make teachers of the wisdom of the sages — is this not an error.

說林 The original Chinese · honored as an artifact

楚人有鬻楯與矛者，譽之曰：「吾楯之堅，物莫能陷也。」又譽其矛曰：「吾矛之利，於物無不陷也。」或曰：「以子之矛陷子之楯，何如？」其人弗能應也。

Opening lines, classical Chinese · The Han Feizi 韓非子