Han Wangxi

HAN FEIZI believed that when selecting and employing people, we need to follow objective criteria, and see whether a person’s true qualities align with his or her reputation, without being deceived by superficial phenomena.

Han told a story to illustrate his point. As we know, Confucius was an exceptionally wise person. One day, a man named Tantai Ziyu came to pay his respects to and seek guidance from Confucius. Tantai was ugly, short and fat, and Confucius initially thought that his talent might be average and difficult to excel. However, after learning from his teacher and inheriting his teachings, Tantai conducted himself with loyalty and benevolence, devoted himself to seeking knowledge, and never did anything improper. His reputation spread throughout various states, and many people followed him. Now you see, one should not judge people by their appearances.

There was another student named Zai Yu. When Confucius met him for the first time, he appeared elegant and refined, so Confucius believed that he must be a literary scholar and would achieve greatness. Confucius accepted him as his disciple, but after spending some time together, he found that although Zai Yu was eloquent and fluent in speech, his wisdom did not match his eloquence. He was all talk and empty-headed.

These two disciples made Confucius quite pensive. Judging people by their appearances led to an error in the case of Tantai. Judging people by their eloquence also resulted in a deviation with Zai Yu. Han joked that even with Confucius’ extraordinary wisdom, he still couldn’t accurately discern the true qualities of Zai Yu. So for ordinary people, who are far less wise than Confucius, how could they possibly avoid making mistakes? Therefore, relying on subjective impressions when hiring people is prone to making mistakes. It is correct to select individuals according to standards. Establish objective, comprehensive and feasible criteria for employing people. Merely listening to what they say is insufficient; observing their actions is also necessary.

Han attached great importance to the experience of grassroots work. He said, “Prime ministers rise from local offices, and valiant generals emerge from soldiers.” It is necessary to have management experience at low levels and gradually promote individuals to handle matters well. Without undergoing grassroots training, directly promoting will lead to mismanaging major issues.

The most typical example is Zhao Kuo, who only talked about military strategies on paper. He was the son of the renowned general Zhao She of the Zhao State and was exceptionally intelligent. Influenced by his father, Zhao Kuo had a fondness for military tactics and appeared knowledgeable in the art of war. Zhao She was well aware that while his son had memorized military books, he lacked the ability to adapt on the battlefield. He was an expert in theory but couldn’t truly shoulder important responsibilities.

History proved Zhao She was right. When the Battle of Changping broke out between the states of Qin and Zhao, the King of Zhao fell for Qin’s strategy of sowing discord, resulting in the removal of the esteemed general Lian Po and the appointment of Zhao Kuo as the commander-in-chief. The young and arrogant Zhao Kuo led an army of 400,000 soldiers. As soon as the battle began, he abolished the entire set of regulations established by Lian and recklessly launched an aggressive attack.

On the other side, Qin appointed Bai Qi as their commander-in-chief to lead the troops. Upon arriving in Changping, Bai focused on fortifying the position, setting up ambushes and deliberately suffered a few defeats. Zhao Kuo, oblivious to the trap and filled with arrogance, relentlessly pursued the enemy, resulting in falling into the ambush and the complete annihilation of the 400,000-soldier army.

(The author is a cultural scholar.)

(Translated by Cao Zhen)