He passed away at 35 but left behind 34 idioms in his lifetime: Han Xin, a person killed by his own talent

Han Xin lived about 35 years. In those 35 years, he established the Han Dynasty and was then killed by the Han Dynasty.

This is not the most incredible part. The most incredible part is that he left 34 idioms, producing less than one and a half per year on average, and each one is based on real events. The words we use daily today—"fight against the water," "surrounded by enemies," "the more the better"—are all earned at the cost of his life.

How did he establish the Han Dynasty?

To understand how formidable Han Xin was, we need to first know how he emerged.

He came from a very poor background, idling away in Huaiyin, often begging for food, to the point that the local captain’s wife deliberately finished cooking early just to avoid hosting him. An old woman washing clothes by the river took pity on him and fed him for dozens of days. Han Xin said, “When I become successful, I will repay you heavily.” The old woman retorted directly: “It’s not for anything, you just don’t fight for yourself.”

Another incident. On the streets of Huaiyin, a thug publicly humiliated him, demanding he either draw his sword or crawl under his crotch. Han Xin, in front of an entire street, bent down and crawled through. The whole city mocked him as cowardly. But look at his eyes at that moment—the history books say he “looked steadily”—staring at his opponent for a long time before moving. He wasn’t afraid; he was calculating: drawing his sword to kill him would mean he wouldn’t survive; this life was kept for future use. This calculation he used in every battle afterward.

Later, he went to serve Liu Bang, initially as a minor official managing grain storage, ignored by others. Chancellor Xiao He talked with him several times, amazed by his talent, and repeatedly told Liu Bang that this person was a once-in-a-millennium genius. Liu Bang dismissed him each time. Han Xin’s spirits sank; he rode away on horseback in the middle of the night. Xiao He discovered this and chased after him, catching him at a rising water riverbank that night. Xiao He ran so fast he lost his shoes, barefoot pulling Han Xin back.

What did Xiao He say to Liu Bang upon returning? He said, “Other generals can be replaced at any time, but someone like Han Xin is unique in the world. Without him, you can stay as a local king in Hanzhong; if you want to conquer the world, he’s indispensable.”

Liu Bang then set up a high platform and officially appointed Han Xin as Grand General. The entire army thought it was an old general being promoted, but it was this unknown young man stepping onto the stage, shocking everyone.

Then came a series of battles you’ve probably heard of. Leaving Hanzhong, feigning a repair of the plank road, secretly crossing Chencang, taking Guanzhong first. Then leading troops eastward, fighting Zhao armies at Jingxing with forces several times his own. This battle was very unusual. He deliberately arranged his troops with their backs to a river, blocking all retreat routes. Even the opposing Zhao army saw this and laughed, saying he didn’t understand military tactics.

But Han Xin understood. He led newly recruited soldiers who hadn’t undergone systematic training. Leaving them a retreat was giving them an escape route. The only way was to leave them no choice but to fight desperately. Facing the water, Zhao’s army fought for a long time without advancing, then discovered their camp had been ambushed and replaced banners, causing chaos and collapse across the line.

Next was the Battle of Weishui, against the Chu general Long Qi. Han Xin secretly piled sandbags upstream to block the water, lowering the water level, then feigned weakness to lure the enemy. When the Chu army crossed halfway, he broke the dam and released water, cutting off twenty thousand men at the waist, forcing both sides to fight separately on each bank. Long Qi was killed on the spot.

Finally, at Gaixia. Sixty thousand Han soldiers surrounded the remaining ten thousand of Xiang Yu. Han Xin had previously altered the battlefield terrain—digging trenches, deploying war chariots—to block Xiang Yu’s escape routes. At night, soldiers sang songs from Chu territory; Xiang Yu heard the surrounded “Chu songs,” believing Chu had surrendered everywhere, and he sang mournful songs, with Yu Ji committing suicide. The next night, he attempted to break out, only to reach the Wu River with just over twenty people left, and he committed suicide.

The Han Dynasty was thus established.

How did he gradually lose politically?

Han Xin was very clear-eyed about his situation, as he later said after being demoted: “When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden; when the enemy’s country is broken, the strategists perish.” He saw his predicament clearly.

But after saying this, he did nothing.

His earliest mistake was after pacifying Qi. At that time, Liu Bang was besieged by Xiang Yu at Xingyang, desperately waiting for Han Xin to come to his rescue. Han Xin sent a letter saying that Qi was hard to govern and asked to be granted the Qi king title. Liu Bang, upon reading it, immediately cursed—he was being besieged, at his most vulnerable, and his most capable general was negotiating terms. He knew it was a threat but had no choice. Enduring his anger, he granted it. From that day, Liu Bang marked Han Xin, and never took it off.

Around that time, Xiang Yu sent envoys to persuade Han Xin to establish his own kingdom and divide the world. Han Xin’s strategist, Kuai Tong, was more direct: “Help Liu Bang win, and he’ll settle accounts with you later; help Xiang Yu, and Xiang Yu won’t trust you; the safest option is to establish yourself, form a tripartite division, and none can dominate the others.” This analysis was correct in game theory. Han Xin refused, reasoning that Liu Bang treated him well—clothes given, food served—so he couldn’t betray him. Emotionally, no problem. But he seemed unaware that Liu Bang’s “kindness” was an investment, not charity, and he had already repaid it a hundredfold.

After Xiang Yu’s death, Liu Bang’s first act was to enter Han Xin’s camp unprepared, take his command token, and seize his territory. Clean and swift—no procedures, no reason. Han Xin was demoted to King of Chu, his territory shrunk, his troops gone. Soon after, he was demoted again to Marquis of Huaiyin, with no real power.

At this point, someone asked Liu Bang how many troops he could command. Liu Bang said at most 100,000. He asked Han Xin, who replied: “Of course, the more the better—more is better.” Liu Bang laughed and asked, “Then why did I catch you?” Han Xin said, “You can’t lead troops, but you can lead generals—that’s why I lost to you.” This was a clever remark, so clever that it seemed he didn’t take his current situation seriously. Already a prisoner, still showing off his talent.

How did he die? It was a staged death.

How did Han Xin finally die? In a very peculiar way.

The cause was that he sheltered Zhongli Mo, a former subordinate of Xiang Yu. Zhongli Mo was a person Liu Bang specifically wanted to capture. Han Xin hid him and even sent troops to protect him. When Liu Bang arrived, Han Xin was caught in a dilemma.