The gate is like a city

(From "Warring States Policy·Qi Ceyi": "The ministers come to give advice; the gate is like a city.")

"Zou Ji satirizes the King of Qi for accepting advice" "

1. Basic information

"Zou Ji satirizes the king of Qi for accepting advice" comes from "Warring States Policy·Qi Ceyi", which tells the story of Zou Ji, a counselor of Qi State during the Warring States Period, who persuaded the king to accept advice. A story that opens up the world's voices and improves politics.

The article creates the image of Zou Ji, a wise man who is self-aware, good at thinking, and courageous in giving advice. It also shows the image of King Wei of Qi as a wise king who knows his mistakes, can correct them, and obeys his advice, as well as his eager desire and great determination to eliminate shortcomings and improve politics. Tell readers that those who are on top can succeed only by opening up their voices, adopting the opinions of others, humbly accepting criticism and actively correcting them.

2. Original text of the work

Zou Ji was more than eight feet tall, and his appearance was beautiful. He looked into the mirror and asked his wife, "Who is more beautiful than Mr. Xu in the north of the city?" His wife said, "You are so beautiful, how can Mr. Xu be as beautiful as you?" Mr. Xu in the north of the city is also the most beautiful in Qi. He was not confident, so he asked his concubine again: "Who is more beautiful between us and Mr. Xu?" The concubine said: "How can Mr. Xu be as good as you?" One day, a guest came from outside and sat down to talk with him. He asked the guest: "I and Mr. Xu are more beautiful." "Who is more beautiful?" The guest said, "Mr. Xu is not as beautiful as the king." Tomorrow, when Gong Xu comes, he will think that he is not as good as he is. I thought about it when I went to bed at night, and said: "My wife loves me because she is private about me; my concubine loves me because she is afraid of me; my guests love me because they want something from me."

So he went to the court to see me. King Wei said: "I sincerely know that I am not as beautiful as Mr. Xu. My wife is a private minister, my concubines are afraid of me, and my guests want to ask for anything from me. They all regard me as beautiful than Mr. Xu. Today, Qi is thousands of miles away and has one hundred and twenty cities. All the ladies in the palace are secretive to the king, all the ministers in the court are afraid of the king, and all the people in the four realms are looking for the king: from this point of view, the king is very shielded."

The king said: "Good." He then ordered: "Those ministers and officials who can criticize others for their faults will receive a higher reward; those who write letters to admonish others will receive a medium reward; those who can slander and ridicule the people in the city and hear the ears of others will receive a lower reward." At the beginning of the order, The ministers came to admonish, and the court was like a market; after a few months, they came from time to time; after a period of years, although they wanted to say something, they could not advance. Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei heard about it and all came to Qi. This is called victory over the imperial court.