In the Warring States Period (476 – 221 BC), there was a man named Chunyu Kun in the State of Qi. He usually used his eloquence and some interesting stories to remonstrate with the lords against their improper behaviors. The lords were usually glad to accept his advises without being angered.

At that time, the lord ruling the State of Qi was Duke Wei. He was a very smart man. However, after ascending to the throne, he indulged himself in a life of debauchery and ignored the affairs of the state. He spent every day in drinking and making merry, leaving all the things to be tackled by his ministers. Therefore, the State of Qi is really in a mess: the incomplete political system, the corrupt officials and the invasions from the other states pushed the State of Qi near its death.

Some patriotic people were worried about that. But no one dared to give out some exhortations.

Actually, Duke Wei was a smart man and liked to show his wisdom by using metaphor. He was also very glad to accept others’ exhortations if they were given in a proper way. After knowing that, Chunyu Kun thought of a way to admonish Duke Wei.

One day, he met Duke Wei and said: “My Lord, can I ask you a riddle? There is a big bird in a country. It lived in a large and splendid palace for three years. But it neither flew high nor warbled, just lying in his palace aimlessly. My Lord, what kind of bird do you think it is?”

Duke Wei immediately knew what Chunyu Kun was talking about. Chunyu Kun compared him with the lazy bird: do nothing but make merry. He decided not to be a fatuous lord any more. He stood up and told Chunyu Kun: “This bird, once choosing to fly, will rocket into the sky. And once it warbles, it will astonish all the people! I will try my best to recover my country. You will see it!”

From then on Duke Wei began to govern the country by himself. He took advantage of his wisdom and the State of Qi developed quickly. Duke Wei also won great reputations among the people in his country and the other states’ lords.