Ying Shu Yan Shuo (The Letter from Ying and the Interpretation from Yan)
【Explanation】
"Ying": the capital city of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; "shu" (書): letter; "Yan": an ancient feudal state; "shuo" (說): interpretation. This idiom is used to describe the act of forcing an interpretation or distorting the original meaning through far-fetched reasoning.
【Source】
From *Han Feizi·Outer Storage: Part One (Left)*:
"A man from Ying was writing a letter to the prime minister of Yan at night. Because the light was dim, he said to the servant holding the candle: 'Juzhu (hold the candle higher).' While saying this, he accidentally wrote 'Juzhu' into the letter. 'Juzhu' was not part of the intended message. The prime minister of Yan received the letter and interpreted it, saying: 'Juzhu means valuing brightness. To value brightness means to promote the worthy and appoint them to office.' He reported this to the king of Yan, who was delighted. As a result, the state was well-governed. The state was indeed well-governed, but this was not the original intent of the letter. Today's scholars often resemble this case."
【Explanation】
A man from Ying (the capital of Chu) was writing a letter to the prime minister of Yan at night. Since the lamplight was dim, he said to the servant holding the candle: "Juzhu (hold the candle higher)." While speaking, he inadvertently wrote the words "Juzhu" into the letter. However, "Juzhu" was not part of the intended message. When the prime minister of Yan received the letter and read the words "Juzhu," he interpreted them as follows: "Juzhu means to uphold clarity and brightness; upholding brightness means promoting capable and virtuous people and assigning them important roles." He reported this interpretation to the king of Yan, who was very pleased. The king then followed the prime minister's understanding of "Juzhu" by selecting and appointing capable individuals to govern the state. As a result, the country was well-administered. Although the state was indeed well-governed, this outcome did not reflect the original intention of the letter's author. Many scholars today are similar to this case.
【Idiom Story】
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a high-ranking official from the Chu capital city of Ying was good friends with the prime minister of the northern state of Yan. They often exchanged letters, using them to discuss their differing views and exchange ideas on governance.
One evening, the official from Chu decided to write a letter to the prime minister of Yan. He ordered a servant to hold a candle to provide light. Because the candlelight was dim, he said to the servant standing nearby: "Juzhu" (hold the candle higher). However, as he was deeply focused on writing, while saying "Juzhu," he unconsciously wrote the two characters "举烛" (juzhu) into the letter itself.
When the prime minister of Yan received the letter and saw the words "举烛," he pondered them for a long time and, feeling clever, declared: "These two words 'Juzhu' are excellent! 'Juzhu' means advocating a policy of brightness and integrity. To advocate brightness means promoting talented individuals and entrusting them with important responsibilities." The prime minister shared both the letter and his interpretation with the king of Yan. The king was very pleased and, acting on the prime minister's interpretation of "Juzhu," selected and appointed capable and virtuous people to govern the state. As a result, Yan was indeed well-governed.
The man from Ying made an accidental error in writing, and the prime minister of Yan misunderstood it. The prime minister read the letter and interpreted it literally, mistakenly understanding the meaning of "Juzhu"—yet this misinterpretation led to the effective governance of the state. The country was well-governed, but this was entirely contrary to the original intention of the letter's author. This is a classic example of forced interpretation. From this story, later generations derived the idiom "Ying Shu Yan Shuo" to describe the act of distorting the original meaning through far-fetched or arbitrary interpretations.