The Difficulty with “The Difficulties of Persuasion” (“Shuinan” 說難)

This chapter considers the place of “The Difficulties of Persuasion” (“Shuinan” 說難) both within the Han Feizi corpus and in early Chinese intellectual history generally. In contrast to those who have read it as evidence of the amorality or even the immorality of the Han Feizi author(s), I argue that the “Difficulties of Persuasion” should be read as Sima Qian 司馬遷 read the text in the early Western Han, i.e. as advice by a righteous persuader for righteous persuaders. In addition to considering the place of “persuasion” (shui 說) in the Han Feizi corpus, I also compare the text’s advice to persuaders with other writings on persuasion known from early China and ancient Greece.