During the Warring States period, Crown Prince Ying of Wei seized the throne after a power struggle with his brother, Prince Huan, becoming King Hui of Wei. When the states of Han and Zhao learned of Wei's internal discord, they allied and attacked, leaving Wei on the brink of collapse. Just then, a rift erupted between Han and Zhao; Han withdrew its forces unilaterally, and Zhao, unable to fight alone, also retreated. From that day on, Wei harbored a deep grudge against both Han and Zhao.
In 368 BCE, after years of diligent governance, King Hui of Wei had built his state into a formidable power. He launched campaigns against the states of Han and Zhao, securing victories that avenged past humiliations.
However, King Hui of Wei, intoxicated by his victories, recklessly launched successive campaigns against major states like Qi, Qin, and Chu. These wars drained Wei's national strength, and the common people voiced their grievances everywhere.
One day, Mencius arrived in the state of Wei, and King Hui, having long heard of his reputation, invited him to the palace and asked, "I have devoted myself to governing the state—when disaster struck west of the river, I moved the people east and sent grain along with them. Look at the neighboring states; none have been as diligent as I. Yet their populations haven't dwindled, and mine hasn't grown. Why is that?"
Mencius smiled and replied, "Let me use Your Majesty's fondness for warfare as an analogy. The war drums had barely sounded when one side was defeated, and the soldiers, throwing away their armor and trailing their weapons, fled. Some ran a hundred paces before stopping, while others stopped after just fifty paces. Those who had run fifty paces then laughed at those who had run a hundred, calling them cowards. What do you think of that?"
“Of course not—they just didn’t run as far as the one who fled a hundred paces, but they were still running away!” King Hui replied without hesitation.
Mencius continued, "Since you understand this principle, Your Majesty, you should develop production so the people have ample food and clothing, allowing everyone to eat chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and wear silk. If so, how would the people of the world not flock to you?"
King Hui of Wei suddenly understood and nodded in conviction. Later, people used the idiom "Fifty Steps Laughing at a Hundred Steps" to describe two people with the same flaw, where the one with the lesser fault lacks self-awareness and mocks the one with the greater fault.
Source: *Mencius*, Chapter "King Hui of Liang I"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "五十步笑百步" came to describe how two people with the same flaw, where the one with the lesser fault lacks self-awareness and mocks the one with the greater fault.