Achievement and Reputation功名
明君之所以立功成名者四：一曰天時，二曰人心，三曰技能，四曰勢位。非天時，雖十堯不能冬生一穗；逆人心，雖賁、育不能盡人力。故得天時，則不務而自生；得人心，則不趣而自勸；因技能，則不急而自疾；得勢位，則不推進而名成。若水之流，若船之浮。守自然之道，行毋窮之令，故曰明主。
There are four things by which the enlightened lord establishes merit and completes his name. The first is the season of heaven, the second the hearts of men, the third skill and ability, the fourth power and position. Without the season of heaven, ten Yaos could not make one ear of grain grow in winter. Against the hearts of men, even Meng Ben and Xia Yu could not draw out the full strength of men. So when he gains the season of heaven, things grow of themselves without his laboring. When he gains the hearts of men, they urge themselves on without his driving them. When he goes by skill and ability, matters move fast of themselves without his hurrying them. When he gains power and position, his name is completed without his pushing it forward. It is like water flowing, like a boat floating. He keeps to the way of what is so of itself and carries out orders without end, and therefore he is called an enlightened ruler.
夫有材而無勢，雖賢不能制不肖。故立尺材於高山之上，則臨千仞之谿，材非長也，位高也。桀爲天子，能制天下，非賢也，勢重也；堯爲匹夫，不能正三家，非不肖也，位卑也。千鈞得船則浮，錙銖失船則沉，非千鈞輕錙銖重也，有勢之與無勢也。故短之臨高也以位，不肖之制賢也以勢。人主者，天下一力以共載之，故安；衆同心以共立之，故尊。人臣守所長、盡所能，故忠。以尊主御忠臣，則長樂生而功名成。名實相持而成，形影相應而立，故臣主同欲而異使。人主之患在莫之應，故曰：一手獨拍，雖疾無聲。人臣之憂在不得一，故曰：右手畫圓，左手畫方，不能兩成。故曰：至治之國，君若桴，臣若鼓，技若車，事若馬。故人有餘力易於應，而技有餘巧便於事。立功者不足於力，親近者不足於信，成名者不足於勢，近者不親而遠者不結，則名不稱實者也。聖人德若堯、舜，行若伯夷，而位不載於世，則功不立、名不遂。故古之能致功名者，衆人助之以力，近者結之以成，遠者譽之以名，尊者載之以勢。如此，故太山之功長立於國家，而日月之名久著於天地。此堯之所以南面而守名，舜之所以北面而效功也。
Now if a man has the stuff in him but no power, then though he is worthy he cannot control the unworthy. Set a stick of timber one foot long on a high mountain, and it looks down on a ravine a thousand fathoms deep; the timber is not long, the place is high. Jie was Son of Heaven and could control all under heaven, not because he was worthy but because his power was heavy. Yao was a common man and could not set three households right, not because he was unworthy but because his place was low. A thousand jun gets a boat and floats, and the smallest weight loses the boat and sinks. It is not that a thousand jun is light and the smallest weight heavy; it is having power and not having it. So the short looks down on the high by its place, and the unworthy controls the worthy by power. The lord of men — all under heaven with one strength carries him up together, and so he is safe; the multitude with one heart sets him up together, and so he is honored. The minister keeps to what he is best at and does all that he is able to do, and so he is loyal. Rule loyal ministers with an honored lord, and long joy is born and merit and name are completed. Name and substance hold each other up and are completed, shape and shadow answer each other and stand. So minister and lord want the same thing but are put to different uses. The lord's trouble lies in having no one answer him, and so it is said, "One hand clapping alone, however fast, makes no sound." The minister's worry lies in not becoming one with his lord, and so it is said, "Draw a circle with the right hand and a square with the left, and neither can be finished." So it is said, "In a state of the utmost government the lord is like the drumstick and the minister like the drum, skill is like the cart and affairs like the horse." Therefore when a man has strength to spare he answers easily, and when a skill has craft to spare the work goes readily. If he who would establish merit falls short in strength, if he who would be close falls short in trust, if he who would complete a name falls short in power, if those near are not close to him and those far are not bound to him, then his name does not match the substance. Though a sage has the virtue of Yao and Shun and the conduct of Bo Yi, if his position is not carried by the age, then merit is not established and his name is not brought to pass. So those of old who were able to bring merit and name about were helped in strength by the multitude, bound in accomplishment by those near, praised in name by those far, and carried in power by those above. Because it was like this, merit as great as Mount Tai stood long in the state, and a name like the sun and moon was shown long in heaven and earth. This is how Yao faced south and kept his name, and how Shun faced north and offered up his merit.