The Outer Congeries of Sayings, Lower Left

Han FeiBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.5

Word count: 4.9K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Confucius believed that the way of holding office requires fairness, impartiality, and handling matters according to law. Do this well, and you will establish virtue among the people; those who cannot will only breed resentment.

Editor's review

"Wai Chu Shuo Zuo Xia" is one piece in the "Chu Shuo" series of the Han Feizi, presenting in itemized fashion, through numerous historical stories and fables, the principles by which a ruler controls ministers and officials govern. This 2024 Bashu Shushe edition makes it convenient for readers to study this piece in a concentrated way. In the piece, Confucius is invoked to state that the way of holding office lies in fairness, impartiality, and handling matters according to law: only by doing so can one establish a reputation for virtue among the people; otherwise one can only invite resentment. This judgment echoes Han Fei's overall thought, which emphasizes law, method, and position, and offers readers a concrete point of entry for understanding pre-Qin political ethics. The materials are mostly short chapters and stories with vivid dialogue among characters; they can be read closely as texts of intellectual history or used as comparative material for understanding differences between Legalist and Confucian views of office-holding. The book suits readers interested in the pre-Qin philosophers, political philosophy, and classical texts as accompanying material when reading the relevant chapters of the Han Feizi, and can also be used by traditional culture courses and reading groups for selected discussion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in pre-Qin philosophical thought who wish to read a single piece of the Han Feizi closely
Students of literature and history studying Legalist political ethics and the way of holding office
University teachers preparing courses on selected readings in traditional culture classics
General readers who enjoy understanding abstract political ideas through stories and fables

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light vernacular stories for entertainment and unwilling to engage with classical Chinese texts
Readers who need a complete, systematic translation and annotation of the whole Han Feizi and are not satisfied with a single piece
Readers uninterested in pre-Qin political thought who only want modern management techniques

Reading tips

First read all the stories in the piece, then return to the passage where Confucius discusses fairness and impartiality in office and sort out how it corresponds to each case.
Prepare two notebooks, recording cases of "establishing virtue" and "breeding resentment" respectively, and compare Han Fei's technique of using events to expound ideas.
Read alongside other Chu Shuo pieces of the Han Feizi to observe differences in how the same idea is expressed in different chapters.
While reading, note the context of the characters' dialogue and avoid extracting conclusions in isolation from the story background.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
序
【经一】
【经二】
【经三】
【经四】
【经五】
【经六】
【说一】
【说二】
【说三】
【说四】
【说五】
【说六】

FAQ

What does the title "Wai Chu Shuo Zuo Xia" mean?

"Chu Shuo" is a category of chapters in the Han Feizi that collect cases and expound them item by item; "wai chu shuo" (outer chu shuo) is opposed to "nei chu shuo" (inner chu shuo), and it is generally held that their sources of material or principles of arrangement differ; "zuo xia" (left, lower) indicates that this piece is divided into left and right within the "outer chu shuo" and stands below the left section. Readers need not cling to textual research on the title; the point is that the piece uses stories to clarify the principles of holding office and governing.

Does Confucius's discussion of the way of holding office in this piece contradict Han Fei's Legalist stance?

Han Fei often expresses his own views through the mouths of historical figures, and quoting Confucius does not mean fully accepting the Confucian stance. The emphasis in the piece on fairness, impartiality, and handling matters according to law can be reconciled with Han Fei's stress on legal standards. While reading, one may treat Confucius's words as an introduction and then observe how Han Fei uses concrete cases to ground the consequences of "establishing virtue" and "breeding resentment" in governing practice.

Can one read this piece directly without having read other chapters of the Han Feizi?

Yes. The piece consists mainly of short stories, and reading it on its own poses no great obstacle. But it involves concepts such as the ruler's control of ministers and the correspondence between reward, punishment, and name and reality; without any understanding of the Han Feizi's overall thought, comprehension will be diminished. It is advisable at least to skim a common introduction to the Han Feizi and understand the basic meanings of "law, method, and position" before reading this piece closely.

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About the author

Han Fei Author · Chinese

Han Fei (c. 280–233 BCE) was a nobleman of the late Warring States state of Han and a disciple of Xunzi, and he is regarded as the great synthesizer of pre-Qin Legalist thought. Combining Shang Yang's "law," Shen Buhai's "method," and Shen Dao's "position of power," he advocated rule by law and centralized monarchical authority. His writing is precise in argument and sharp in tone, often using historical examples and parables to persuade, and is marked by a cool, forceful style. His works include "Solitary Wrath," "The Difficulties of Persuasion," "The Five Vermin," and the Inner and Outer "Storage of Illustrations," later collected as the Han Feizi. His themes center on political strategy, ruler-minister relations, and statecraft, with excursions into prose miscellany and the use of language, giving him influence in both Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation. Sent as an envoy to Qin, he was slandered by Li Si and Yao Jia and died in prison.