During the Qin Dynasty, there was a short but witty performer and comedian named You Zhan, whose jokes were so sharp that they made people laugh while also revealing profound truths, earning him the favor of Qin Shi Huang.
During a grand imperial banquet at the palace, Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his civil and military officials feasted indoors while a heavy rain poured down. The guards stationed on either side of the palace steps were drenched and shivering, forbidden from moving.
At this moment, You Zhan approached, sympathizing with the guards and deciding to find a solution. He asked if they wanted to rest. Seeing him, the guards knew he must have a plan and quickly replied, "We really do! Do you have any ideas?"
You Zhan smiled at the group and whispered, "Wait here—I'll call for you to rest soon." Then, still grinning, he strode into the palace hall.
After the First Emperor of Qin arrived, Youzhan loudly called out the guards' names and pointed at them, laughing, "Though you are tall and strong, you are not as fortunate as I am. You can only stand outside in the rain, while I am spared from its misery."
This joke caught the attention of Qin Shi Huang, who realized many soldiers outside were getting soaked in the rain. He quickly ordered half the guards at the palace steps to be dismissed and replaced in shifts, giving them time to rest. The guards were naturally delighted, and those relieved from duty gathered around You Zhan, deeply grateful to him.
Not long after, Qin Shi Huang ordered You Zhan to accompany him on a stroll through the imperial garden. Surrounded by blooming flowers, fluttering butterflies, and leisurely deer and cranes, the emperor appeared lost in the serene beauty. Yet, after a moment, his expression soured. You Zhan noticed and asked, "Your Majesty, why does such a splendid scene bring you displeasure?" The emperor replied, "All this peace and prosperity—what use is it if I cannot enjoy it forever?"
You Zhan hurried forward and asked, "Your Majesty, with such beautiful scenery before your eyes, what could still make you unhappy?" Qin Shi Huang sighed and said, "Though the imperial garden is lovely, I find it too small and not grand enough. I want to expand it from Hangu Pass in the east to Chencang in the west—what do you think?"
Although You Zhan was displeased, he did not want to displease the First Emperor, so he quickly clapped and said, "This is truly wonderful. Not only can deer roam freely in the garden to enhance its grandeur, but if enemies invade, we can simply use the deer's antlers to fend them off, sparing the need to expend a single soldier."
Emperor Qin Shi Huang burst into laughter at the suggestion, wondering aloud, "How could deer antlers possibly repel an enemy?" Yet upon reflection, he realized his own thinking had been flawed.
After the First Emperor of Qin passed away, his son Hu Hai ascended the throne, known historically as Qin Er Shi. He was an absurd emperor, and once, on a whim, he decided to paint the entire city wall of the capital, Xianyang, with lacquer. The ministers knew Er Shi's temper was violent and he would not listen to advice, so none dared to remonstrate.
You Zhan heard this and went to see the Second Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty's idea is truly excellent; even if it consumes some manpower and resources, it is well worth it."
The Second Emperor of Qin, however, became intrigued by You Zhan's words and eagerly pressed, 'What benefits would that bring?'
You Zhan said, "If the city walls were painted smooth, enemy attackers wouldn't be able to climb them—that's a great advantage, isn't it? There's just one difficulty: we'd need to build a shelter even taller than the walls to cover them, because paint fears sun and rain. Building such a large shelter would be quite challenging."
The Second Emperor, realizing the absurdity of his own idea, quickly seized the opportunity to back down and abandoned this impractical notion.
Later, people used the idiom "tan yan wei zhong" to describe speech that is subtle and indirect yet hits the mark.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of the Humorists"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "谈言微中" came to describe how speech that is subtle and indirect yet hits the mark.