Liu Bang asked Han Xin: "How many soldiers can I command?" Han Xin answered: "Your Majesty can command no more than a hundred thousand." Liu Bang asked: "And you?" Han Xin replied: "The more the better — 多多益善."\p>
Liu Bang laughed: "If you can command more soldiers the better, why are you my subject?" Han Xin answered: "Your Majesty cannot command soldiers, but you can command generals. That is why I serve you."
上问曰：「如我能将几何？」信曰：「陛下不过能将十万。」上曰：「于君何如？」曰：「臣多多而益善耳。」上笑曰：「多多益善，何为为我禽？」信曰：「陛下不能将兵，而善将将，此乃信之所以为陛下禽也。」
上问曰：「如我能将几何？」信曰：「陛下不过能将十万。」上曰：「于君何如？」曰：「臣多多而益善耳。」上笑曰：「多多益善，何为为我禽？」信曰：「陛下不能将兵，而善将将，此乃信之所以为陛下禽也。」
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
The leader of leaders is greater than the leader of soldiers. The one who commands commanders has the highest power of all.
This exchange between Liu Bang and Han Xin is one of the most revealing in Chinese history. Han Xin was the superior military commander — but Liu Bang was the superior leader. The distinction is crucial: commanding soldiers is a technical skill; commanding generals is a political one.
The phrase "多多益善" (the more the better) is now used broadly — for money, resources, talent. But its original context is about the nature of leadership: the best leader is not the one who can do everything, but the one who can manage the people who do everything.