The Man of Lu Moving to Yue
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
From the book Han Feizi: a man of Lu was skilled at weaving shoes and hats and planned to move to Yue. His wife warned him that the people of Yue went barefoot and wore their hair loose, so his fine craft would have no use there. The scaffold is product-market fit: the best product sold to the wrong population equals zero. Before expanding, conduct an anthropological survey and confirm whether the target market has a basis of demand at all.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Audit local demand: verify real needs and habits before committing to a new market. - Separate skill from market: never mistake being good at something for someone wanting it. - Cost the education: if you must teach the market, calculate whether the cost is survivable.
Anchor fast decisions
Value is not a property of the product alone; it is jointly determined by the product and the practices of the target group. The craftsman's shoes were excellent where shoes were worn and valueless where they were not, because the local habit, not the product, set the demand. Expansion therefore fails at the level of customs and infrastructure, not at the level of craftsmanship.
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/%E9%9F%A9%E9%9D%9E%E5%AD%90verified
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