The Ruler of Men人主
人主之所以身危國亡者，大臣太貴，左右太威也。所謂貴者，無法而擅行，操國柄而便私者也。所謂威者，擅權勢而輕重者也。此二者，不可不察也。夫馬之所以能任重引車致遠道者，以筋力也。萬乘之主、千乘之君所以制天下而征諸侯者，以其威勢也。威勢者，人主之筋力也。今大臣得威，左右擅勢，是人主失力；人主失力而能有國者，千無一人。虎豹之所以能勝人執百獸者，以其爪牙也；當使虎豹失其爪牙，則人必制之矣。今勢重者，人主之爪牙也；君人而失其爪牙，虎豹之類也。宋君失其爪牙於子罕，簡公失其爪牙於田常，而不蚤奪之，故身死國亡。今無術之主皆明知宋、簡之過也，而不悟其失，不察其事類者也。
What brings the lord of men into peril of his person and his state to ruin is that the great ministers are too noble and those at his side too full of awe. He who is called noble is one who acts as he pleases without law, grasps the handles of the state and makes things easy for his own private ends. He who is called full of awe is one who takes power and position as he pleases and makes things light or heavy. These two must be looked into. A horse can carry a heavy load and draw a cart and reach a far road because of its sinews and strength. The master of ten thousand chariots and the lord of a thousand chariots can hold all under heaven in check and strike at the feudal lords because of their awe and position. Awe and position are the sinews and strength of the lord of men. Today when the great ministers get the awe and those at his side take the position as they please, the lord of men has lost his strength; and of those who have lost their strength and can still keep a state there is not one in a thousand. The tiger and the leopard can overcome a man and seize the hundred beasts because of their claws and teeth. Let the tiger and the leopard lose their claws and teeth, and a man will surely hold them in check. Today position and weight are the claws and teeth of the lord of men. Stand above other men and lose your claws and teeth, and you are of the kind of the tiger and the leopard. The ruler of Song lost his claws and teeth to Zihan, and Duke Jian lost his claws and teeth to Tian Chang, and because they did not take them back early their persons died and their states were ruined. Today rulers without method all know clearly the fault of the ruler of Song and Duke Jian, and do not wake to their own error. They are men who do not look into how things fall into kinds.
且法術之士與當途之臣，不相容也。何以明之？主有術士，則大臣不得制斷，近習不敢賣重；大臣、左右權勢息，則人主之道明矣。今則不然，其當途之臣得勢擅事以環其私，左右近習朋黨比周以制䟽遠，則法術之士奚時得進用，人主奚時得論裁？故有術不必用，而勢不兩立，法術之士焉得無危？故君人者非能退大臣之議而背左右之訟，獨合乎道言也，則法術之士安能蒙死亡之危而進說乎？此世之所以不治也。明主者，推功而爵祿，稱能而官事，所舉者必有賢，所用者必有能，賢能之士進，則私門之請止矣。夫有功者受重祿，有能者處大官，則私劒之士安得無離於私勇而疾距敵，游宦之士焉得無撓於私門而務於清潔矣？此所以聚賢能之士而散私門之屬也。今近習者不必智，人主之於人也或有所知而聽之，入因與近習論其言，聽近習而不計其智，是與愚論智也。其當途者不必賢，人主之於人或有所賢而禮之，入因與當途者論其行，聽其言而不用賢，是與不肖論賢也。故智者決策於愚人，賢士程行於不肖，則賢智之士奚時得用，而人主之明塞矣。昔關龍逄說桀而傷其四肢，王子比干諫紂而剖其心，子胥忠直夫差而誅於屬鏤。此三子者，爲人臣非不忠，而說非不當也，然不免於死亡之患者，主不察賢智之言，而蔽於不肖之患也。今人主非肯用法術之士，聽愚不肖之臣，則賢智之士孰敢當三子之危而進其智能者乎？此世之所以亂也。
Moreover, the knight of law and method and the minister in the seat of power cannot make room for each other. How is this made clear? When a ruler has a knight of method, the great ministers cannot control and decide, and the ones near and familiar to him dare not sell his weight. When the power of the great ministers and of those at his side comes to an end, the way of the lord of men is clear. Today it is not so. The ministers who hold the road get the position and take affairs as they please so as to fence in their private ends, and those near and familiar at his side form cliques and band together to hold down those who are far off and distant. Then at what time can the knight of law and method come forward and be used, and at what time can the lord of men weigh matters and cut them? So method may be there and yet not be used, and two positions cannot stand together. How can the knight of law and method not be in peril? So unless he who stands above men can push back the talk of the great ministers and turn his back on the contentions of those at his side, and alone fall in with the words of the way, how can the knight of law and method brave the peril of death and ruin and come forward to speak? This is why the age is not in order. The enlightened ruler weighs merit and gives rank and salary, matches ability and gives charge of office. Those he raises up are surely worthy, and those he uses are surely able. When worthy and able knights come forward, the requests of private houses stop. When the man of merit receives a heavy salary and the man of ability holds a great office, how can knights of the private sword not leave their private bravery and hurry to hold off the enemy, and how can knights who wander in search of office not refuse to bend to private houses and work instead at being clean and pure? This is how worthy and able knights are gathered and the followers of private houses scattered. Today those near and familiar are not surely wise, yet the lord of men, having come to know something about a man and listened to him, goes in and discusses the words with those near and familiar. To listen to those near and familiar and not reckon the man's wisdom is to discuss wisdom with fools. Those who hold the road are not surely worthy, yet the lord of men, having held a man worthy and treated him with honor, goes in and discusses the man's conduct with those who hold the road. To listen to their words and not use the worthy man is to discuss worth with the unworthy. So when the wise man has his plans decided for him by fools and the worthy knight has his conduct measured by the unworthy, at what time can worthy and wise knights be used? And the enlightenment of the lord of men is blocked. Long ago Guan Longfeng spoke to Jie and had his four limbs injured; Prince Bi Gan remonstrated with Zhou and had his heart cut open; Zixu was loyal and straight with Fuchai and was put to death with the sword Zhulou. These three men were not lacking in loyalty as subjects, and their words were not unfitting, yet they did not escape the trouble of death and ruin, because their masters did not look into the words of the worthy and wise and were blinded by the trouble of the unworthy. Today when the lord of men is unwilling to use knights of law and method and listens to foolish and unworthy subjects, which of the worthy and wise knights will dare to face the peril of those three men and bring forward his wisdom and ability? This is why the age is in disorder.