Han Xin, a founding hero of the Han Dynasty, earned countless merits as he helped Liu Bang establish the empire.
Han Xin once served as a bodyguard in Xiang Yu's camp. He repeatedly offered strategies to defeat Liu Bang, but Xiang Yu dismissed him entirely, never once heeding his advice.
When Han Xin found himself frustrated and unrecognized for his talents, he decided to seek his fortune under Liu Bang. Initially, Liu Bang saw little value in Han Xin and gave him only a minor post as a grain depot officer, a position overseeing the army's food supplies. It was only after the recommendation of Xiahou Ying that Han Xin was granted even this modest role.
In Liu Bang's army, logistics and supplies were managed by Prime Minister Xiao He, giving Han Xin opportunities to interact with him. Xiao He had an eye for talent, and after several conversations, he recognized Han Xin as a rare military genius—skilled in both civil and martial arts—and recommended him to Liu Bang.
But Liu Bang remained skeptical of Han Xin's abilities, so despite Xiao He's repeated recommendations, the emperor still refused to give Han Xin a significant post.
When Han Xin realized his talents were going to waste, he quietly slipped away under cover of darkness. Upon learning of his escape, Xiao He braved the windy, moonlit night and chased after him for two full days and nights. Finally catching up, Xiao He persuaded Han Xin to return, saying, 'The kingdom cannot afford to lose a man of your caliber.'
Xiao He once again urged Liu Bang, insisting, "Han Xin's talent is unmatched—an eye for talent like this is rare!" Only then did Liu Bang build an altar, appoint Han Xin as Grand General, and place the entire army under his command.
From then on, Han Xin led his army on campaigns across the land, achieving great feats for the unification of the Han dynasty.
Later, however, Han Xin grew arrogant over his achievements and once pressured Liu Bang to appoint him as the acting King of Qi. To keep him in check, Liu Bang granted the title. After defeating Xiang Yu, Liu Bang stripped Han Xin of his military command and reassigned him as the King of Chu.
Soon after, Liu Bang discovered that Han Xin was harboring Zhongli Mei, a general under Xiang Yu, and demoted Han Xin to Marquis of Huaiyin. By then, Liu Bang had become emperor. Though he harbored thoughts of killing Han Xin, he hesitated, mindful of Han Xin's past contributions.
Empress Lu Zhi understood Liu Bang's intentions all too well. When Chen Xi, the chancellor of Dai, rebelled, Liu Bang personally led the army to suppress the uprising. Seizing the opportunity, Empress Lu conspired with Xiao He, using the pretext of celebrating Liu Bang's victory in Dai to summon the ministers to the palace. Han Xin, deceived by Xiao He, also came to offer his congratulations—and was promptly executed.
Later, when people discussed Han Xin's life, they said, "Success due to Xiao He, failure due to Xiao He," meaning that Han Xin's rise to fame was because of Xiao He's recommendation, and his eventual death was also caused by Xiao He.
Later, the idiom "Success is due to Xiao He, failure is also due to Xiao He" is used to describe both success and failure of a matter coming from the same person.
Source: Hong Mai (Song Dynasty), *Random Notes from the Rong Studio*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "成也萧何，败也萧何" came to describe both success and failure of a matter coming from the same person.