During the Warring States period, King Kuai of Yan abdicated his throne to his prime minister, Zizhi. Crown Prince Ping, refusing to accept this, was incited by the state of Qi to rebel alongside General Shibei. Their revolt failed, and both were killed, plunging Yan into chaos.
Mencius, then in the state of Qi, urged King Xuan of Qi, "Seize the moment—now is the perfect time to conquer Yan." King Xuan dispatched General Kuang Zhang to lead an army against Yan, where they killed King Kuai of Yan and his son Zi Yuan. However, the Qi troops plundered and massacred, sparking fierce resistance from Yan's soldiers and civilians, forcing a retreat. King Kuai had a son named Zhi, who had been exiled in Han; after the Qi withdrawal, he returned to Yan under Zhao's escort, ascended the throne, and became known as King Zhao of Yan.
After assuming power, King Zhao of Yan wanted to attract talented administrators with generous rewards. He sought advice from Guo Wei, saying, "In the past, Qi took advantage of our internal turmoil to invade and defeat Yan. Now Yan is weak and small, and I wish to recruit talented individuals to strengthen our state and avenge the humiliation of our former king. Who do you recommend to me?"
Guo Wei said, "Please treat me as a talent first. If the world knows you value me, then those more capable than I will come to Yan from a thousand li away."
King Zhao of Yan then built a grand mansion for Guo Wei and honored him as his personal teacher.
When word spread, Yue Yi from Wei, Zou Yan from Qi, and Ju Xin from Zhao all came to Yan, followed by other renowned scholars. King Zhao of Yan also mourned the dead and cared for the orphans, sharing hardships with his people. After over twenty years of recovery and diligent governance, the state's strength grew immensely.
In 284 BC, King Zhao of Yan appointed the general Yue Yi as supreme commander, leading a coalition of Yan, Qin, Chu, Han, Zhao, and Wei forces to invade Qi. Yue Yi's army crushed Qi, capturing over seventy cities and forcing King Min of Qi into exile, ruling the occupied territories for six years and making Yan the most powerful state in the north.
Later, the idiom "Please Start with Me" came to mean self-recommendation or volunteering to take the lead.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Duke Zhao of Yan"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "请自隗始" came to describe self-recommendation or volunteering to take the lead.