In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, Li E served as an imperial advisor known for his sharp writing and eloquence, earning the admiration of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian.
In the early Sui Dynasty, literary style was heavily influenced by the ornate and flashy trends of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, where writers obsessed over fancy phrases and obscure references while ignoring real substance. Li E, an imperial advisor, grew alarmed that this hollow trend was corrupting society. He submitted a memorial to Emperor Wen of Sui, urging a clear ban on such frivolous writing.
Li E wrote in the text:
A former ruler of Wei was obsessed with ornate poetry and flowery prose, neglecting the proper rites between ruler and subject while indulging in trivial literary tricks. This trend has persisted to this day, where everyone—noble and common, wise and foolish—pretends to be cultured, competing over who can string together the most beautiful phrases. Their writings abandon all meaningful principles, focusing instead on empty, impractical details, chasing after a clever rhyme or a striking word, polishing every minor flourish. Piles of pages fill the desks and stuff the boxes, all just moaning about the moon, the dew, the wind, and the clouds—sickly sighs without real feeling. This is to lose the root and chase the branches.
"Yet society regards such writing as brilliant, and the court uses it to select talent. Writing this way has become a path to wealth and status, so this trend only grows stronger."
When people heard that talent selection ignored actual conduct, those who boasted were promoted while the honest and unassuming were left aside, they would shamelessly exaggerate their own merits before the emperor, recommending themselves and inflating their reputations, only making court affairs more chaotic each day. The official recorded, "For such individuals, their cases should be documented and submitted to the Department of State Affairs, clearly punishing or dismissing them to serve as a warning, thereby reforming this corrupt trend and establishing proper standards of conduct."
Li E's essay caused a major stir in its time, shaking society and gradually transforming the ornate, frivolous literary style and unhealthy social trends.
Later, the idiom "sacrificing the root for the branch" came to describe abandoning the fundamentals while focusing only on trivial details.
Source: *Book of Sui*, "Biography of Li E"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "损本逐末" came to describe abandoning the fundamentals while focusing only on trivial details.