Under three things the earth convulses; under four it cannot bear up: a slave becoming king, a fool glutted with food; an unloved woman getting a husband, a female slave succeeding her mistress. (30:21–23) The second saying vividly testifies that the cosmic order depends upon the proper ordering of the social realm, specifically in terms of the latter’s hierarchical structure. The way of the ant yields a pointed lesson on the necessity of diligence, provoking a sense of wonder over its lack of leadership