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Honoring the Worthy, Part One尚賢上

Mozi (The Book of Master Mo) 墨子 · Mo Di and his disciples · About the 4th century BC · 7 passages · 874 Chinese characters · reading time 3.5 min

Mozi (The Book of Master Mo) Exalting the Worthy, Part One The writings of the school that in the Warring States period stood beside the Confucians as one of the "two great companies." It is not the work of one man but what Mo Di and his disciples added generation after generation, and so many chapters set down the same argument in three versions — upper, middle and lower. These are taken as the traces of the branches of the school, each copying it out in its own way. Ten doctrines are the backbone — exalting the worthy, conforming upward with what is right, loving all alike, condemning aggression, thrift in use, thrift in burial, following the will of Heaven, making ghosts clear, condemning music, and condemning fate. "If a man looked on the house of another as on his own house, who would steal?" is in the chapters on loving all alike. The ladder of "Condemning Aggression" — that a man who steals peaches and plums from another's orchard is punished, while a man who attacks another's state is praised — and the three gauges of "Condemning Fate," that to speak without a measure is "like setting the marks of sunrise and sunset upon a turning potter's wheel," stand there too. The last chapter, "Gongshu," is a story. When Chu made cloud ladders to attack Song, Mozi walked ten days and ten nights, met Gongshu Ban, and beat him nine times over with a belt and pieces of wood; and on the way home he met rain and was not let in to shelter inside the gate of that very Song village.

子墨子言曰：古者王公大人爲政於國家者，皆欲國家之富，人民之衆，刑政之治。然而不得富而得貧，不得衆而得寡，不得治而得亂，則是本失其所欲，得其所惡，是其故何也？

Mozi said, "In old times the kings, dukes, and great men who carried on the government of a state all wished the state to be rich, the people to be many, and punishment and government to be in order. Yet they did not get riches but got poverty, they did not get many but got few, they did not get order but got disorder. So from the root they lost what they wished for and got what they hated. What is the reason for this?"

子墨子言曰：是在王公大人爲政於國家者，不能以尚賢事能爲政也。是故國有賢良之士衆，則國家之治厚；賢良之士寡，則國家之治薄。故大人之務，將在於衆賢而已。

Mozi said, "This lies in the kings, dukes, and great men who carry on the government of a state not being able to govern by honoring the worthy and employing the able. Therefore, when a state has many worthy and good officers, the order of the state is thick. When the worthy and good officers are few, the order of the state is thin. So what the great men must work at is simply to make the worthy many."

曰：然則衆賢之術將柰何哉？子墨子言曰：譬若欲衆其國之善射御之士者，必將富之貴之，敬之譽之，然後國之善射御之士將可得而衆也。況又有賢良之士厚乎德行、辯乎言談、博乎道術者乎？此固國家之珍，而社稷之佐也。亦必且富之貴之，敬之譽之，然後國之良士亦將可得而衆也。

It was asked, "Then what is the art of making the worthy many?"

Mozi said, "Suppose one wished to make many in his state the officers who shoot well and drive well. He would surely have to enrich them, ennoble them, respect them, and praise them. Only then could the officers of the state who shoot well and drive well be got and made many.

How much more for the worthy and good officers, thick in virtue and conduct, clear in speech, and wide in the way and in the arts. These are truly the treasure of the state and the helpers of the altars of land and grain. They too must surely be enriched, ennobled, respected, and praised. Only then can the good officers of the state also be got and made many."

是故古者聖王之爲政也，言曰：「不義不富，不義不貴，不義不親，不義不近。」是以國之富貴人聞之，皆退而謀曰：「始我所恃者，富貴也。今上舉義不辟貧賤，然則我不可不爲義。」親者聞之，亦退而謀曰：「始我所恃者，親也。今上舉義不辟親疏，然則我不可不爲義。」近者聞之，亦退而謀曰：「始我所恃者，近也。今上舉義不辟遠近，然則我不可不爲義。」遠者聞之，亦退而謀曰：「我始以遠爲無恃。今上舉義不辟遠，然則我不可不爲義。」逮至遠鄙郊外之臣、闕庭庶子、國中之衆、四鄙之萌人，聞之皆競爲義。是其故何也？曰：上之所以使下者，一物也；下之所以事上者，一術也。譬之富者，有高墻深宮，墻立旣謹，上爲鑿一門。有盜人入，闔其自入而求之，盜其無自出。是其故何也，則上得要也。

Therefore, when the sage kings of old carried on the government, they said, "If a man is not righteous, do not enrich him. If a man is not righteous, do not ennoble him. If a man is not righteous, do not draw close to him. If a man is not righteous, do not keep him near."

So the rich and noble men of the state heard this, and all withdrew and planned, saying, "At first what I relied on was riches and rank. Now the one above raises up the righteous man and does not avoid the poor and the low. Then I cannot but do righteousness."

The kinsmen heard this, and they too withdrew and planned, saying, "At first what I relied on was kinship. Now the one above raises up the righteous man and does not avoid the near kin or the distant. Then I cannot but do righteousness."

Those who were near heard this, and they too withdrew and planned, saying, "At first what I relied on was being near. Now the one above raises up the righteous man and does not avoid the far or the near. Then I cannot but do righteousness."

Those who were far heard this, and they too said, "At first I thought that, being far, I had nothing to rely on. Now the one above raises up the righteous man and does not avoid the far. Then I cannot but do righteousness."

Down to the officials of the far and lonely fields outside the suburbs, the lesser sons of the palace court, the multitude within the state, and the people of the four country sides, all heard this and vied with one another in doing righteousness.

What is the reason for this? It is said that what the one above uses to employ those below is one thing, and what those below use to serve the one above is one art. Take for a likeness a rich man who has a high wall and a deep house. The wall has been raised with care, and above it only one gate has been cut. If a thief comes in, the owner shuts the place he came in by and looks for him, and the thief has no way out. What is the reason for this? It is that the one above has got hold of what is essential.

故古者聖王之爲政，列德而尚賢，雖在農與工肆之人，有能則舉之，高予之爵，重予之祿，任之以事，斷予之令，曰：「爵位不高則民弗敬，蓄祿不厚則民不信，政令不斷則民不畏。」舉三者授之賢者，非爲賢賜也，欲其事之成。故當是時，以德就列，以官服事，以勞殿賞，量功而分祿。故官無常貴，而民無終賤。有能則舉之，無能則下之。舉公義，辟私怨，此若言之謂也。

Therefore, when the sage kings of old carried on the government, they ranged men by virtue and honored the worthy. Even if a man were a farmer, a craftsman, or a trader, if he had ability they raised him up. They gave him high office, they gave him heavy pay, they charged him with the work, and they gave him power to decide and command. They said, "If the office is not high, the people will not respect him. If his stored pay is not thick, the people will not trust him. If his orders cannot decide, the people will not fear him."

These three were raised up and given to the worthy man not as a gift to the worthy, but because they wished the work to be accomplished.

So at that time men went forward in rank by virtue, they took on the work by their office, they settled rewards by their labor, and they measured merit and divided the pay. So in office there was no lasting nobility, and among the people there was no final lowness. If a man had ability, they raised him up. If he had no ability, they put him down. They raised up the common righteousness and avoided private grudges. This is what those words mean.

故古者堯舉舜於服澤之陽，授之政，天下平；禹舉益於陰方之中，授之政，九州成；湯舉伊尹於庖廚之中，授之政，其謀得；文王舉閎夭、泰顚於罝罔之中，授之政，西土服。故當是時，雖在於厚祿尊位之臣，莫不敬懼而施；雖在農與工肆之人，莫不競勸而尚意。故士者，所以爲輔相承嗣也。故得士則謀不困，體不勞，名立而功成，美章而惡不生，則由得士也。

So in old times Yao raised Shun from the north side of Fuze (服澤) and gave him the government, and all under heaven was made level. Yu raised Yi from the midst of Yinfang (陰方) and gave him the government, and the nine provinces were completed. Tang raised Yi Yin from the midst of the kitchen and gave him the government, and his plans were attained. King Wen raised Hong Yao and Tai Dian from the midst of the nets and gave them the government, and the western lands submitted.

So at that time, even among the officials with thick pay and high place, there was none who did not respect and fear and give of himself. Even among the farmers, craftsmen, and traders, there was none who did not vie in effort and hold his purpose high.

So officers are what one has to help him and to carry on after him. So if one gets officers, his plans are not blocked, his body is not wearied, his name is established and his merit is accomplished, what is fine is made plain and what is bad does not arise. This comes from getting officers.

是故子墨子言曰：得意，賢士不可不舉；不得意，賢士不可不舉。尚欲祖述堯舜禹湯之道，將不可不以尚賢。夫尚賢者，政之本也。

Therefore Mozi said, "If a man gets his purpose, he cannot but raise up worthy officers. If he does not get his purpose, he cannot but raise up worthy officers. If he wishes to carry on and set forth the way of Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, he cannot but honor the worthy. Honoring the worthy is the root of government."

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