One day, Ling Gong, King of the State of Qi, had a sudden whim¹. He liked to see women wearing men's clothes and let all the women in his harem do so. Soon afterwards, all the women in the whole country followed the fashion and dressed like men.

 

Seeing the whole country follow this example. Ling Gong became angry, and gave orders to the officials in all parts of the country: "Whenever you see women dressed like men, you are to tear up their clothes and rip² their waistbands."

 

But this trend among women to dress like men couldn't be discouraged.

 

One day, when the prime minister Yan Zi came to court for an audience with him, Ling Gong asked him: "I ordered all the officials to forbid women to wear men's clothes. Wherever they see them doing so, they are to tear up their clothes and rip their waistbands without exception. But this trend couldn't be stopped. What exactly is the reason?"

 

Yan Zi answered: "Your Majesty³, you allow the women in your harem to dress like men, but you forbid the common people to do so. This is like hanging up the head of an ox outside the door, but selling horsemeat inside. How can that be done? If women in your harm are forbidden to wear men's clothes, then how would the people outside the palace dare to do so any longer?"

 

Ling Gong nodded his head again and again, and said: "What you have said is right! What you have said is right!"

 

Ling Gong ordered his officials to do according to what Yan Zi had said. Sure enough, in less than one month, the trend of dressing⁴ like men among women in the whole country was stopped.

 

一天，齐灵公心血来潮，喜欢看女扮男装，并且让内宫的女人都这样做。不久，全国的女人赶时髦，都女扮男装。

 

可是，灵公一看全国都这样，就生气了，又命令各地官吏：“只要发现女扮男装的人，就撕破她们的衣服，扯断她们的腰带。”

 

可是，这股男扮女装的风气，仍然没有能够刹住。

 

一天，宰相晏子朝见灵公，灵公问晏子：“我让各地官吏禁止女人穿男人的服装，只要看到，就一律撕破衣服，扯断腰带，可就是禁止不了。这究竟是什么原因？”

 

晏子回答说： “大王，您让内宫女扮男装，却不让百姓这样做；这就好比门外挂的是牛头，而门里面卖的是马肉，这怎么行呢？如果宫内禁止女扮男装，那么宫外的人怎么再敢这样做呢？”

 

灵公连连点头，说：“你说得对！你说得对！”

 

灵公命令官吏按照晏子的话去办。果然，不到一个月，全国各地女扮男装的风气就刹住了。

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