During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Jin fell into civil war. The crown prince, later known as Duke Hui of Jin, fled to the state of Qin for refuge, where he received generous care and assistance. At the time, he wept with gratitude and swore, "If I ever ascend the throne, I will cede land to heavily reward Qin for its great kindness." Later, with Qin's help, he returned to Jin and was enthroned as Duke Hui. However, he broke his promise and never again mentioned ceding land to repay Qin's aid.
In the fourth year of Duke Hui of Jin's reign, an unexpected calamity struck—a severe famine ravaged the state of Jin. Despite past grievances, the state of Qin generously shipped vast quantities of grain to aid them. But the following winter, Qin itself faced a devastating famine, while Jin enjoyed a bountiful harvest. When Qin sent envoys to request grain purchases, Duke Hui of Jin flatly refused.
Qing Zheng, a high-ranking official of the Jin state, strongly disagreed with Duke Hui of Jin's actions. He admonished the duke, saying, "To spurn another's kindness is to lose their affection; to delight in their misfortune is inhumane; to hoard one's wealth and refuse to aid others is an ill omen; to sow resentment among neighboring states is unjust. These four principles are the very foundation of a nation—if you abandon them all, what will you rely on to preserve your kingdom?"
"However, another Jin official, Guoshe, disagreed. He said, 'Since we have already broken our promise to cede land, what use is giving grain? It is like a fur coat—if the skin is gone, where can the hair attach itself?'"
Qing Zheng retorted, "If we abandon trust and offend our neighbors, when disaster strikes us, which country will come to our aid? Without good faith, unexpected calamities will arise; without foreign support, we will perish. All of this follows from the natural course of events."
Guo She countered, "Since we cannot eliminate Qin's resentment toward us, selling them grain would only strengthen our enemy—better to refuse." Qing Zheng urged again, "Turning your back on kindness and rejoicing in others' misfortune is despised even by common folk. Such behavior turns allies into enemies, let alone those already hostile." But Duke Hui of Jin stubbornly rejected Qing Zheng's advice. Walking out, Qing Zheng worried, "The ruler will surely regret this decision."
As expected, Jin's actions enraged Qin. The following year, Duke Mu of Qin launched an attack on Jin and captured Duke Hui of Jin alive.
The idiom "taking pleasure in others' misfortune" later came to describe the dark mentality of feeling joy at seeing others suffer.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, Chapter "Duke Xi's Fourteenth Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "幸灾乐祸" came to describe how the dark mentality of feeling joy at seeing others suffer.