live.
After completing his studies, Li Si did not wish to go back to his native state of Chu. Recognizing that Qin was becoming increasingly powerful, Li Si, like many gifted scholars from the other states, decided that he would travel there to seek employment. On leaving, he said to his teacher, Xun Zi,
“I have heard that one should not hesitate when the right moment dawns. Now is the time. The King of Qin wishes to devour the other states and rule them. This is the opportunity for the common man to rise. It is the golden period of the wandering scholar. One who does not move and decides to remain passive at this juncture is like a bird or deer that will merely look at a tempting morsel of meat but not touch it. There is no greater ignominy than lowness of position, nor deeper pain than penury. Therefore, I shall go west to give advice to the King of Qin.”
Xun Zi, knowing that he himself was a Confucian moralist whereas his pupil was a realist, said to him,
“You and I think at cross-purposes. What you consider an advantage is a disadvantageous advantage. The true advantage is what I call benevolence and righteousness. These are the two essential qualities with which to conduct a government. Under such a government, the people have affection for their ruler. They celebrate their prince and are willing to die for him. Therefore it has been said: ‘Of governing matters, generals and commanders should come last.’ Although the state of Qin has been triumphant for four generations, it has lived in constant terror that the other states will unite and destroy it some day. Now you are seeking not for what should come at the beginning (that is, benevolence and righteousness) but what should come at the end (that is, generals and commanders). My conclusion is that your generation is confused.”
In 247 B.C.E. Li Si traveled from his village home to Xianyang, the capital of Qin. There he found that the King of Qin had just died. He sought out Prime Minister Lu Buwei and became one of Lu’s 3000 houseguests. Impressed with Li Si’s literary talent, Lu Buwei took him under his wingand introduced him to thirteen-year-old King Zheng, who had just ascended the throne following the death of his father. According to Shiji, this was Li’s advice to the boy king:
“The little man is one who discards his opportunities, but great feats are achieved only by giants who can profit from the mistakes of others and single-mindedly complete their mission….
“Many feudal lords of the other six states are already paying allegiance to Your Majesty, as if they were your prefectures. With the might of Qin and Your Majesty’s great ability, conquering the other states would be as easy as wiping dust from the surface of a kitchen stove. Qin possesses sufficient power at present to annihilate the other rulers, found a single empire, and rule the world. This is the chance of ten thousand generations. If you should let go of this opportunity, the various nobles might form a great alliance against you from north to south and rediscover their power. Against that union you will never prevail, even if you were the Yellow Emperor himself.”
Lu Buwei as well as the boy king were impressed by Li Si’s presentation, so much so that they conferred upon him the office of senior scribe. Shiji tells us,
The king listened carefully to Li Si’s plans and secretly recruited agents, provisioned them with gold and precious jewels, and commissioned them to go from state to state lobbying the feudal lords and ministers of note. They were instructed to reward those whose submission could be bought with gold. As for those who would not acquiesce, they were to be killed with sharp swords.
Li’s advice closely echoed King Zheng’s own inclinations. From then on, the young king made every effort to weaken and sever the various alliances between the different states by bribery, threats, espionage, and negotiation. Meanwhile, the other states were themselves
After completing his studies, Li Si did not wish to go back to his native state of Chu. Recognizing that Qin was becoming increasingly powerful, Li Si, like many gifted scholars from the other states, decided that he would travel there to seek employment. On leaving, he said to his teacher, Xun Zi,
“I have heard that one should not hesitate when the right moment dawns. Now is the time. The King of Qin wishes to devour the other states and rule them. This is the opportunity for the common man to rise. It is the golden period of the wandering scholar. One who does not move and decides to remain passive at this juncture is like a bird or deer that will merely look at a tempting morsel of meat but not touch it. There is no greater ignominy than lowness of position, nor deeper pain than penury. Therefore, I shall go west to give advice to the King of Qin.”
Xun Zi, knowing that he himself was a Confucian moralist whereas his pupil was a realist, said to him,
“You and I think at cross-purposes. What you consider an advantage is a disadvantageous advantage. The true advantage is what I call benevolence and righteousness. These are the two essential qualities with which to conduct a government. Under such a government, the people have affection for their ruler. They celebrate their prince and are willing to die for him. Therefore it has been said: ‘Of governing matters, generals and commanders should come last.’ Although the state of Qin has been triumphant for four generations, it has lived in constant terror that the other states will unite and destroy it some day. Now you are seeking not for what should come at the beginning (that is, benevolence and righteousness) but what should come at the end (that is, generals and commanders). My conclusion is that your generation is confused.”
In 247 B.C.E. Li Si traveled from his village home to Xianyang, the capital of Qin. There he found that the King of Qin had just died. He sought out Prime Minister Lu Buwei and became one of Lu’s 3000 houseguests. Impressed with Li Si’s literary talent, Lu Buwei took him under his wingand introduced him to thirteen-year-old King Zheng, who had just ascended the throne following the death of his father. According to Shiji, this was Li’s advice to the boy king:
“The little man is one who discards his opportunities, but great feats are achieved only by giants who can profit from the mistakes of others and single-mindedly complete their mission….
“Many feudal lords of the other six states are already paying allegiance to Your Majesty, as if they were your prefectures. With the might of Qin and Your Majesty’s great ability, conquering the other states would be as easy as wiping dust from the surface of a kitchen stove. Qin possesses sufficient power at present to annihilate the other rulers, found a single empire, and rule the world. This is the chance of ten thousand generations. If you should let go of this opportunity, the various nobles might form a great alliance against you from north to south and rediscover their power. Against that union you will never prevail, even if you were the Yellow Emperor himself.”
Lu Buwei as well as the boy king were impressed by Li Si’s presentation, so much so that they conferred upon him the office of senior scribe. Shiji tells us,
The king listened carefully to Li Si’s plans and secretly recruited agents, provisioned them with gold and precious jewels, and commissioned them to go from state to state lobbying the feudal lords and ministers of note. They were instructed to reward those whose submission could be bought with gold. As for those who would not acquiesce, they were to be killed with sharp swords.
Li’s advice closely echoed King Zheng’s own inclinations. From then on, the young king made every effort to weaken and sever the various alliances between the different states by bribery, threats, espionage, and negotiation. Meanwhile, the other states were themselves
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