Adding Stones to the Well
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The idiom describes seeing someone fall into a well and throwing stones in rather than pulling them out. Applied to business, it names the moment a firm shows weakness and competitors accelerate its death to take share rather than showing sympathy. Its claim is that visible vulnerability invites attack, so weakness should not be displayed lightly.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Vulnerability concealment: do not show weakness where rivals can exploit it. - Impulse check: notice the urge to join the attack when a rival falls. - Chain breaking: refuse the first stone, since each one normalises the next.
Anchor fast decisions
Weakness signals that the cost of aggression is low and the spoils are near, so opportunism and herd dynamics reinforce each other. Each participant gains a small advantage while the collective trust that protects everyone is corroded.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9F%B3%E5%AD%90%E5%8E%9A%E5%A2%93%E5%BF%97%E9%93%ADverified
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