邹忌修八尺有余，形貌昳丽。朝服衣冠窥镜，谓其妻曰：“我孰与城北徐公美？”其妻曰：“君美甚，徐公何能及公也！”城北徐公，齐国之美丽者也。忌不自信，而复问其妾曰：“吾孰与徐公美？”妾曰：“徐公 何能及君也！”旦日，客从外来，与坐谈，问之客曰：“吾与徐公孰美？”客曰：“徐公不若君之美也！”

明日，徐公来。孰视之，自以为不如；窥镜而自视，又弗如远甚。暮，寝而思之曰：“吾妻之美我者，私我也；妾之美我者，畏我也；客之美我者，欲有求于我也。”

于是入朝见威王曰：“臣诚知不如徐公美，臣之妻私臣，臣之妾畏臣，臣之客欲有求于臣，皆以美于徐公。今齐地方千里，百二十城，宫妇左右，莫不私王；朝廷之臣，莫不畏王；四境之内，莫不有求于王。由此观之，王之蔽甚矣！”王曰：“善。”乃下令：“群臣吏民，能面刺寡人之过者，受上赏；上书谏寡人者，受中赏；能谤议于市朝，闻寡人之耳者，受下赏。”

令初下，群臣进谏，门庭若市。数月之后，时时而间进。期年之后，虽欲言，无可进者。燕、赵、韩、魏闻之，皆朝于齐。此所谓战胜于朝廷。

谢百魁  译：

Zou Ji Prevailed upon the King of Qi to Welcome Remonstrance

Zou Ji, more than eight chi① in stature, was handsome and smart. One morning when he had put on his dress and headgear, he looked in the mirror and asked his wife,

“who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu in the north of the town?”

“You are very handsome,” she replied. “How can Xu compare with you?”

Xu was a good-looking man in the State of Qi. Zou, not convinced of his wife’s comments, asked his concubine,

“Who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu?”

“How can Xu be your equal?” she answered.

The next day a guest came to see him. In their talks Zou inquired, “Who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu?”

“Xu is not so well-favored as you.” said the guest.

On the third day Mr. Xu came to visit him. Zou looked at him closely and admitted that he could not match him. Later he contemplated himself in the mirror, and knew that Xu was by far his superior. At night he lay in bed and thought aloud, “My wife told me that I was handsome, because she was partial to me. My concubine told me the same, because she feared me. My guest echoed the praise, because he wanted to ask me a favour.”

Then he went to the court and was granted an audience by the King. He said, "I know for certain that I am not as personable as Mr. Xu. But my wife who was partial to me, my concubine who feared me and my guest who wanted to ask me a favour all alleged that I was the more handsome of the two. Since the State of Qi has a territory a thousand li② in circumference and possesses a hundred and twenty towns, your harem and eunuchs all flatter you, your courtiers all fear you, and people within the limits of the country all seek your favours. So I should say that Your Highness must be kept in the dark about the truth of the State." “Well said,” remarked the King. Then he issued an edict: “Any one, be he a courtier, an official or a commoner, shall receive a higher reword, if he criticizes us to our face, a moderate reward if he remonstrates with us by letter, and a lower reward if he expresses in public places his dissent or casts reproaches upon us, provided that they come to our ear.”

As soon as the edict came out, the subjects vied in making remonstrance to the King, and the palace presented a scene of crowded marketplace. A few months later, this became rather occasional. With the lapse of only one year, those who wished to say something already found that nothing was left to them to add. At this news the states of Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei all paid homage to the State of Qi. This was what was called “victory won at court”.

From the Warring States Records

①“尺”in Chinese, the classical criterion of length;

②“里”in Chinese, the classical criterion of length.