Honoring the Worthy, Part Three尚賢下
子墨子言曰：天下之王公大人，皆欲其國家之富也，人民之衆也，刑法之治也。然而不識以尚賢爲政其國家百姓，王公大人本失尚賢爲政之本也。苟若王公大人本失尚賢爲政之本也，則不能毋舉物示之乎？今若有一諸侯於此，爲政其國家也，曰：「凡我國能射御之士，我將賞貴之；不能射御之士，我將罪賤之。」問於若國之士，孰喜孰懼？我以爲必能射御之士喜，不能射御之士懼。我賞因而誘之矣，曰：「凡我國之忠信之士，我將賞貴之；不忠信之士，我將罪賤之。」問於若國之士，孰喜孰懼？我以爲必忠信之士喜，不忠信之士懼。今唯毋以尚賢爲政其國家百姓，使國爲善者勸，爲暴者沮；大以爲政於天下，使天下之爲善者勸，爲暴者沮。然昔吾所以貴堯舜禹湯文武之道者，何故以哉？以其唯毋臨衆發政而治民，使天下之爲善者可而勸也，爲暴者可而沮也。然則此尚賢者也，與堯舜禹湯文武之道同矣。
Mozi said, "The kings, dukes, and great men of all under heaven all wish their states to be rich, their people to be many, and punishment and law to be in order. Yet they do not know how to govern their states and their people by honoring the worthy. So the kings, dukes, and great men have lost from the root the root of governing by honoring the worthy.
If the kings, dukes, and great men have lost from the root the root of governing by honoring the worthy, how can one not raise a case and show it to them?
Suppose there were a feudal lord here who governed his state and said, 'Every officer in my state who shoots well and drives well I shall reward and ennoble. Every officer who cannot shoot and drive I shall punish and make low.' Ask the officers of that state, who would be glad and who would be afraid? I hold that the officers who shoot well and drive well would surely be glad, and those who cannot would be afraid.
Suppose I drew them on with rewards and said, 'Every officer in my state who is true and trusty I shall reward and ennoble. Every officer who is not true and trusty I shall punish and make low.' Ask the officers of that state, who would be glad and who would be afraid? I hold that the true and trusty officers would surely be glad, and those who are not would be afraid.
Now let a man govern his state and his people only by honoring the worthy, so that in the state those who do good are urged on and those who do violence are held back. And on a great scale let him govern all under heaven, so that in all under heaven those who do good are urged on and those who do violence are held back.
Then why was it that in old times I held dear the way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu? It was because, coming before the multitude, they sent out their government and governed the people so that in all under heaven those who did good could be urged on and those who did violence could be held back. So this honoring of the worthy is one with the way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu."
而今天下之士君子，居處言語皆尚賢，逮至其臨衆發政而治民，莫知尚賢而使能，我以此知天下之士君子明於小而不明於大也。何以知其然乎？今王公大人有一牛羊之財，不能殺，必索良宰；有一衣裳之財，不能制，必索良工。當王公大人之於此也，雖有骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者，實知其不能也，不使之也。是何故？恐其敗財也。當王公大人之於此也，則不失尚賢而使能。王公大人有一罷馬，不能治，必索良醫；有一危弓，不能張，必索良工。當王公大人之於此也，雖有骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者，實知其不能也，必不使。是何故？恐其敗財也。當王公大人之於此也，則不失尚賢而使能。逮至其國家則不然，王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者，則舉之。則王公大人之親其國家也，不若其親一危弓、罷馬、衣裳、牛羊之財與？我以此知天下之士君子皆明於小而不明於大也。此譬猶瘖者而使爲行人，聾者而使爲樂師。
Yet now the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven all honor the worthy when they are at home and talking, but when it comes to standing before the multitude, sending out their government, and governing the people, not one of them knows how to honor the worthy and employ the able. By this I know that the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are clear about the small and not clear about the great.
How do we know this is so? Now if the kings, dukes, and great men have the wealth of one ox or sheep and cannot kill it, they will surely look for a good butcher. If they have the wealth of one suit of clothes and cannot cut it out, they will surely look for a good craftsman. In these matters, though they have kin of their own bone and flesh, or men rich and noble for no reason, or men fair of face, if they truly know that such a man is not able, they do not employ him. What is the reason for this? They fear he will spoil the goods. In these matters the kings, dukes, and great men do not fail to honor the worthy and employ the able.
If the kings, dukes, and great men have one worn-out horse and cannot heal it, they will surely look for a good physician. If they have one warped bow and cannot draw it, they will surely look for a good craftsman. In these matters, though they have kin of their own bone and flesh, or men rich and noble for no reason, or men fair of face, if they truly know that such a man is not able, they surely do not employ him. What is the reason for this? They fear he will spoil the goods. In these matters the kings, dukes, and great men do not fail to honor the worthy and employ the able.
But when it comes to their state it is not so. The kin of their own bone and flesh, the men rich and noble for no reason, and the men fair of face are the ones they raise up. Then do the kings, dukes, and great men hold their state less dear than they hold one warped bow, a worn-out horse, clothes, or the wealth of an ox or a sheep?
By this I know that the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are all clear about the small and not clear about the great. This is like setting a mute man to be an envoy and a deaf man to be a master of music.
是故古之聖王之治天下也，其所富，其所貴，未必王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者也。是故昔者舜耕於歷山，陶於河瀕，漁於雷澤，灰於常陽，堯得之服澤之陽，立爲天子，使接天下之政，而治天下之民。昔伊尹爲莘氏女師僕，使爲庖人，湯得而舉之，立爲三公，使接天下之政，治天下之民。昔者傅說居北海之洲，圜土之上，衣褐帶索，庸築於傅巖之城，武丁得而舉之，立爲三公，使之接天下之政，而治天下之民。是故昔者堯之舉舜也，湯之舉伊尹也，武丁之舉傅說也，豈以爲骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者哉？唯法其言，用其謀，行其道，上可而利天，中可而利鬼，下可而利人，是故推而上之。
So when the sage kings of old governed all under heaven, those whom they enriched and those whom they ennobled were not always the kin of their own bone and flesh, or men rich and noble for no reason, or men fair of face.
So in old times Shun plowed at Lishan, fired pots on the bank of the He, fished at Leize, and burned ash at Changyang. Yao got him on the north side of Fuze and set him up as Son of Heaven, and had him take hold of the government of all under heaven and govern the people of all under heaven.
In old times Yi Yin was a servant who taught a daughter of the Youshen clan, and he was made to do the work of the kitchen. Tang got him and raised him up and set him up as one of the three dukes, and had him take hold of the government of all under heaven and govern the people of all under heaven.
In old times Fu Yue lived on an island of the northern sea, on Yuantu (圜土). He wore a coat of hair and a rope for a belt, and built walls for hire at the city of Fuyan. Wu Ding got him and raised him up and set him up as one of the three dukes, and had him take hold of the government of all under heaven and govern the people of all under heaven.
So when Yao raised up Shun in old times, and Tang raised up Yi Yin, and Wu Ding raised up Fu Yue, was it because they were kin of their own bone and flesh, or rich and noble for no reason, or fair of face? It was only that they took their words for law, used their plans, and walked in their way, and so could benefit Heaven above, benefit the spirits in the middle, and benefit men below. That is why they pushed them up.
古者聖王旣審尚賢，欲以爲政，故書之竹帛，琢之槃盂，傳以遺後世子孫。於先王之書《呂刑》之書然：「王曰：於！來，有國有土，告女訟刑。在今而安百姓，女何擇言人？何敬不刑？何度不及？」能擇人而敬爲刑，堯舜禹湯文武之道可及也。是何也？則以尚賢及之。於先王之書、豎年之言然，曰：「晞夫聖武知人，以屏輔而身。」此言先王之治天下也，必選擇賢者，以爲其羣屬輔佐。
The sage kings of old had already looked into honoring the worthy and wished to govern by it. So they wrote it on bamboo and silk, cut it into their basins and bowls, and handed it down to leave to the sons and grandsons of later ages.
In the writing of the former kings, the Lü xing, it is thus: "The king said, 'Ah, come. You who hold states and hold lands, I tell you of the punishments that settle lawsuits. Now, in giving the people peace, what will you choose in taking men? What will you respect if not punishment? What will you measure and not reach?'"
If one can choose men and punish with respect, the way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu can be reached. Why is this? It is reached by honoring the worthy.
In the writings of the former kings and the word of long years it is thus: "Look to the man who is sage and strong and knows men, to shield and help your own person." This says that when the former kings governed all under heaven they surely chose worthy men to be their company and their helpers.
曰：今也天下之士君子，皆欲富貴而惡貧賤。然女何爲而得富貴而辟貧賤？曰：莫若爲賢。爲賢之道將奈何？曰：有力者疾以助人，有財者勉以分人，有道者勸以教人。若此，則飢者得食，寒者得衣，亂者得治。若飢則得食，寒則得衣，亂則得治，此安生生。今王公大人，其所富，其所貴，皆王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者也。今王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者，焉故必知哉？若不知，使治其國家，則其國家之亂可得而知也。
It is said: Now the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven all wish to be rich and noble and hate to be poor and low. Then what will you do to get riches and rank and to avoid poverty and lowness? It is said that there is nothing like being worthy.
What is the way of being worthy? It is said that he who has strength is quick to help others, he who has goods works to share with others, and he who has the way works to teach others. If it is so, then the hungry get food, the cold get clothing, and those in disorder get order. When the hungry get food, the cold get clothing, and those in disorder get order, this is what makes living at peace.
Now those whom the kings, dukes, and great men enrich and those whom they ennoble are all kin of their own bone and flesh, men rich and noble for no reason, and men fair of face. How are the kin of their own bone and flesh, the men rich and noble for no reason, and the men fair of face bound to be wise? If they are not wise and are set to govern the state, that the state will fall into disorder can be known.
今天下之士君子，皆欲富貴而惡貧賤。然女何爲而得富貴而辟貧賤哉？曰：莫若爲王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者。王公大人骨肉之親、無故富貴、面目美好者，此非可學能者也。使不知辯，德行之厚若禹湯文武，不加得也；王公大人骨肉之親，蹙躄瘖聾，暴爲桀紂，不加失也。是故以賞不當賢，罰不當暴，其所賞者已無故矣，其所罰者亦無罪。是以使百姓皆放心解體，沮以爲善。垂其股肱之力，而不相勞來也；腐臭餘財，而不相分資也；隱慝良道，而不相教誨也。若此，則飢者不得食，寒者不得衣，亂者不得治。
Now the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven all wish to be rich and noble and hate to be poor and low. Then what will you do to get riches and rank and to avoid poverty and lowness? It is said that there is nothing like being a kinsman of the bone and flesh of the kings, dukes, and great men, or a man rich and noble for no reason, or a man fair of face.
But being a kinsman of the bone and flesh of the kings, dukes, and great men, or a man rich and noble for no reason, or a man fair of face, is not a thing one can learn to be. Let a man not know how to tell things apart, and though his virtue and conduct were as thick as those of Yu, Tang, King Wen, and King Wu, he gains nothing more. And if a man is a kinsman of the bone and flesh of the kings, dukes, and great men, though he be lame and mute and deaf, and as violent as Jie and Zhou, he loses nothing more.
So rewards do not fit the worthy and punishments do not fit the violent. Those they reward have no cause for it already, and those they punish have no guilt either. By this the people all let their hearts go loose and their bodies go slack, and they are held back from doing good. They let the strength of their arms and legs hang down and do not come to one another's labor. They let their leftover goods rot and stink and do not share them out to one another. They hide away the good way and do not teach one another. If it is so, then the hungry do not get food, the cold do not get clothing, and those in disorder do not get order.
是故昔者，堯有舜，舜有禹，禹有皋陶，湯有小臣，武王有閎夭、泰顚、南宮括、散宜生。得此推而上之，以而天下和，庶民阜。是以近者安之，遠者歸之，日月之所照，舟車之所及，雨露之所漸，粒食之民莫不勸譽。且今天下之王公大人士君子，中實將欲爲仁義，求爲上士，上欲中聖王之道，下欲中國家百姓之利，故尚賢之爲說，而不可不察此者也。尚賢者，天鬼百姓之利，而政事之本也。
So in old times Yao had Shun, Shun had Yu, Yu had Gao Yao, Tang had Xiaochen (小臣), and King Wu had Hong Yao, Tai Dian, Nangong Kuo, and San Yisheng. They got these men and pushed them up, and all under heaven was in harmony and the common people were well off. By this those near were at peace and those far off came home. Wherever the sun and the moon shine, wherever boats and carts reach, wherever rain and dew soak the ground, among the people who eat grain there was none who did not strive and praise them.
And now, if the kings, dukes, great men, officers, and gentlemen of all under heaven truly wish in their hearts to do what is benevolent and right and to seek to be officers of the first rank, and wish to meet the way of the sage kings above and to meet the benefit of the state and the people below, then they cannot but look into this saying about honoring the worthy. Honoring the worthy is the benefit of Heaven, the spirits, and the people, and it is the root of government.