门庭若市 — “The gate and courtyard are like a market”

During the Warring States period, Zou Ji, the Prime Minister of Qi, was tall and handsome. To persuade King Wei of Qi to open up channels for speech and encourage his ministers to offer advice, he told King Wei a story: One morning, after putting on his court attire and hat, he admired himself in the mirror and then asked his wife, 'Compared to Mr. Xu from the north of the city, who is more handsome?' His wife replied, 'You are extremely handsome; how could Mr. Xu compare to you?' Mr. Xu was a famous handsome man in Qi. Zou Ji heard his wife's words but didn't quite believe that he was really more handsome than Mr. Xu. So he asked his beloved concubine, who replied, 'How could Mr. Xu compare to you?'

The next day, a guest visited Zou Ji's home. Zou Ji asked the guest the same question, and the guest said, 'How could Mr. Xu be as handsome as you?' A few days later, by chance, Mr. Xu visited Zou Ji's house. Zou Ji seized the opportunity to carefully observe Mr. Xu and compare him to himself. As a result, he found that he was not as beautiful as Mr. Xu.

So, he said to King Wei, 'I am originally not as handsome as Mr. Xu, but my wife, concubine, and guest all said I was more handsome than him. This is because my wife favors me, my concubine fears me, and the guest had something to ask of me, so they all flattered me and did not speak the truth. Our state of Qi is so vast, from the palace staff to the common people, who does not favor you? All the civil and military officials, who does not fear you? All the people of the country, who does not hope to receive your care? It seems there must be even more people flattering you, and you must be severely misled!'

Zou Ji then advised, 'Now Qi is a land of a thousand li, with numerous cities. Your Majesty interacts with far more people than I do, and you must be even more severely misled. If Your Majesty can openly seek opinions, it will certainly benefit the country.' King Wei listened and found it very reasonable.

He immediately issued an order: 'Whoever can point out my faults to my face will receive the highest reward; those who submit memorials to advise me will receive a medium reward; those who discuss my faults in the court or market and whose words reach my ears will receive a lower reward!' After the order was issued, ministers rushed to offer advice, forming an endless stream, and the palace entrance was as bustling as a market every day.