 Notably, the hypostasization of the notion of a model of ethical conduct (fa) in early Chinese thought is largely a contribution of the Mohists, who used it liberally in place of the Confucian appeal to the authority of tradition. But Xunzi found little use for it except in reference to the very Confucian customs the Mohists attempted to supplant. Indeed, the reason of the common individual is out of place here because the ability to correctly identify these models is a talent requiring years of cultivation and mastery, which only the intellectual elites of society would be expected to attain. Proper conduct must be transmitted through education from these elites, ultimately from those in high office who have the benefit of a life of education in proper governance.