People who enjoy being flattered to their faces are called “those who delight in wearing high hats.”
A court official in the capital was sent to take up a position in the provinces. Before his departure, he went to bid farewell to his teacher.
The teacher said, “Being a local official is no easy task; you must act with caution.”
The man replied, “I have prepared a hundred high hats; I intend to bestow one upon everyone I meet, so I should not encounter any trouble.”
The teacher said angrily, “We ought to treat people with integrity; why resort to such tactics?”
The man replied, “You are right of course, sir. But how many people in the world are there who, like you, dislike flattery?”
The teacher nodded and said, “There is some truth in what you say.”
After leaving the teacher, the man told others, “Of my hundred high hats, I now have only ninety-nine left.”
From (Qing dynasty)Yu Yue: “Yu Lou Za Zuan”
#21 喜戴高帽
喜欢被别人当面阿谀奉承的人被称为“喜戴高帽”。
有个在京城做朝官的人被派到外地任职，临行前去向老师告别。
老师说：“地方官不好当，应当谨慎行事。”
那人说：“我准备了一百顶高帽子，逢人就送一顶，应该不至于遇到什么麻烦。”
老师生气地说：“我们应以正直之道待人，何必如此！”
那人说：“您说的当然对，但是天下像老师这样不喜欢戴高帽子的，能有几人呢？”
老师点点头说：“你的话也不是没有道理。”
那人出来后，对人说：“我的一百顶高帽子，现在只剩九十九顶了。”
出自 (清) 俞樾《俞楼杂纂》