4th century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
Riddles are one technique in the rag-bag of fools’ tools and can prove a playful, indirect way of bringing someone round to another view. First they focus the person on solving the riddle, allowing a moment for the real meaning to sink in quietly. The decoy of...
4th century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
This account of a Chinese jester is from what may be the earliest study of their exploits. It highlights a common technique for influencing behaviour – not through confrontation but by lightly indirect means, allowing the king to draw his own conclusions.In the...
4th century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
A common theme in the interactions between fools and kings is the need to rein in regal carousing or other forms of distraction from the affairs of state.On one occasion Chunyu Kun (Baldy Chunyu 淳于髡) used a riddle to talk Weiwang of Qi (c. 356-319 BC, whose name has...
