Jundao — The Way of the Sovereign君道篇
有亂君，無亂國；有治人，無治法，羿之法非亡也，而羿不世中；禹之法猶存，而夏不世王。故法不能獨立，類不能自行；得其人則存，失其人則亡。法者、治之端也；君子者、法之原也。故有君子，則法雖省，足以遍矣；無君子，則法雖具，失先後之施，不能應事之變，足以亂矣。不知法之義，而正法之數者，雖博臨事必亂。故明主急得其人，而闇主急得其埶。急得其人，則身佚而國治，功大而名美，上可以王，下可以霸；不急得其人，而急得其埶，則身勞而國亂，功廢而名辱，社稷必危。故君人者，勞於索之，而休於使之。書曰：「惟文王敬忌，一人以擇。」此之謂也。
There are disordered rulers, but there is no disordered state; there are men who bring order, but there is no law that brings order. The law of Yi (羿) has not perished, yet Yi did not hit the mark age after age. The law of Yu still remains, yet Xia did not reign as king age after age.
Therefore the law cannot stand by itself, and the categories cannot walk of themselves. Get the right man and they abide; lose the right man and they perish. The law is the first thread of order, and the gentleman is the source of the law.
Therefore, where there is a gentleman, the law may be sparse and yet is enough to reach everywhere. Where there is no gentleman, the law may be complete and yet loses the order of what comes first and what comes after, cannot answer the changes of affairs, and is enough to bring disorder.
One who does not know the meaning of the law and only sets right the counts of the law, however wide his learning, will surely fall into disorder when he faces affairs.
Therefore the enlightened ruler is urgent to get the right man, and the benighted ruler is urgent to get power. Be urgent to get the right man, and the body is at ease and the state is ordered, the merit is great and the name is fair; above, he can be king, and below, he can be hegemon. Be not urgent to get the right man but urgent to get power, and the body toils and the state falls into disorder, the merit is ruined and the name disgraced, and the altars of earth and grain are surely endangered.
Therefore he who rules men toils in seeking him and rests in employing him. The Documents say, "It was King Wen who was reverent and wary, and chose one man." This is what is meant.
合符節，別契券者，所以為信也；上好權謀，則臣下百吏誕詐之人乘是而後欺。探籌、投鉤者，所以為公也；上好曲私，則臣下百吏乘是而後偏。衡石稱縣者，所以為平也；上好覆傾，則臣下百吏乘是而後險。斗斛敦概者，所以為嘖也；上好貪利，則臣下百吏乘是而後豐取刻與，以無度取於民。故械數者，治之流也，非治之原也；君子者，治之原也。官人守數，君子養原；原清則流清，原濁則流濁。故上好禮義，尚賢使能，無貪利之心，則下亦將綦辭讓，致忠信，而謹於臣子矣。如是則雖在小民，不待合符節，別契券而信，不待探籌投鉤而公，不待衝石稱縣而平，不待斗斛敦概而嘖。故賞不用而民勸，罰不用而民服，有司不勞而事治，政令不煩而俗美。百姓莫敢不順上之法，象上之志，而勸上之事，而安樂之矣。故藉歛忘費，事業忘勞，寇難忘死，城郭不待飾而固，兵刃不待陵而勁，敵國不待服而詘，四海之民不待令而一，夫是之謂至平。詩曰：「王猶允塞，徐方既來。」此之謂也。
Matching tallies and splitting bonds are the means of making trust. But when those above are fond of power and scheming, then among the ministers and the hundred clerks the empty and deceitful ride on this and cheat.
Drawing lots and casting hooks are the means of making things public. But when those above are fond of crookedness and private favor, the ministers and the hundred clerks ride on this and lean to one side.
Weighing with scale and weight is the means of making things even. But when those above are fond of overturning, the ministers and the hundred clerks ride on this and grow sly.
The peck, the bushel and the levelling stick are the means of making things fitting. But when those above are fond of coveting gain, the ministers and the hundred clerks ride on this, taking in plenty and giving out sparingly, and take from the people without measure.
Therefore tools and counts are the stream of order, not the source of order; the gentleman is the source of order. The officer keeps to the counts, and the gentleman nourishes the source. When the source is clear the stream is clear; when the source is muddy the stream is muddy.
Therefore when those above are fond of ritual and rightness, honor the worthy and employ the able, and have no heart that covets gain, then those below will also be utmost in yielding, will carry out loyalty and trust, and will be careful in serving as ministers and sons.
If it is so, then even among the small people there is trust without waiting for tallies to be matched and bonds split, fairness without waiting for lots to be drawn and hooks cast, evenness without waiting for the scale, and fitness without waiting for the peck, the bushel and the levelling stick.
Therefore rewards are not used and yet the people are urged on; punishments are not used and yet the people submit; the officers do not toil and yet affairs are ordered; government and commands are not troublesome and yet customs are fair. Not one of the hundred families dares fail to follow the law of those above, to take their will for a model and to labor at their affairs, and they rest easy and delight in it.
Therefore they pay levies and forget the cost, they work and forget the toil, they meet robbers and hardship and forget death. City walls are firm without waiting to be dressed, weapons are strong without waiting to be whetted, enemy states bend without waiting to be subdued, and the people within the four seas are one without waiting for a command. This is called utmost evenness. The Odes say, "The king's plans are truly full, and the land of Xu (徐) has already come." This is what is meant.
請問為人君？曰：以禮分施，均遍而不偏。請問為人臣？曰：以禮侍君，忠順而不懈。請問為人父？曰：寬惠而有禮。請問為人子？曰：敬愛而致文。請問為人兄？曰：慈愛而見友。請問為人弟？曰：敬詘而不苟。請問為人夫？曰：致功而不流，致臨而有辨。請問為人妻？曰：夫有禮則柔從聽侍，夫無禮則恐懼而自竦也。此道也，偏立而亂，俱立而治，其足以稽矣。請問兼能之奈何？曰：審之禮也。古者先王審禮以方皇周浹於天下，動無不當也。故君子恭而不難，敬而不鞏，貧窮而不約，富貴而不驕，並遇變態而不窮，審之禮也。故君子之於禮，敬而安之；其於事也，徑而不失；其於人也，寡怨寬裕而無阿；其為身也，謹修飾而不危；其應變故也，齊給便捷而不惑；其於天地萬物也，不務說其所以然，而致善用其材；其於百官之事伎藝之人也，不與之爭能，而致善用其功；其待上也，忠順而不懈；其使下也，均遍而不偏；其交遊也，緣類而有義；其居鄉里也，容而不亂。是故窮則必有名，達則必有功，仁厚兼覆天下而不閔，明達用天地理萬變而不疑，血氣和平，志意廣大，行義塞於天地之間，仁智之極也。夫是之謂聖人；審之禮也。
I ask how to be a ruler of men. The answer is: divide and bestow by ritual, evenly and everywhere, without leaning to one side.
I ask how to be a minister of men. The answer is: serve the ruler by ritual, loyal and compliant, without slackening.
I ask how to be a father. The answer is: be generous and kind, and have ritual.
I ask how to be a son. The answer is: be reverent and loving, and carry the forms through to the full.
I ask how to be an elder brother. The answer is: be loving, and meet him as a friend.
I ask how to be a younger brother. The answer is: be reverent and yielding, and not careless.
I ask how to be a husband. The answer is: carry your work through to the full without drifting, and be close to her to the full, with a proper distinction.
I ask how to be a wife. The answer is: if the husband has ritual, be soft and compliant and wait upon him; if the husband has no ritual, be in awe and hold yourself in check.
As for this way, when one side alone stands there is disorder, and when both stand together there is order. This is enough to examine.
I ask how one may be able in both. The answer is: examine ritual. Of old the former kings examined ritual and so spread far and wide through the world, and in their movements there was nothing unfitting.
Therefore the gentleman is respectful and not put out, reverent and not cowed, poor and hemmed in and yet not cramped, rich and honored and yet not proud; he meets changes of every kind and is not brought to a stand. It is because he examines ritual.
Therefore in ritual the gentleman is reverent and at ease with it; in affairs he goes straight and does not miss; with men he has few resentments, is generous, and does not fawn; in his own person he is careful in cultivating and adorning himself and is not endangered; in answering what has changed he is quick and nimble and not confused; toward heaven and earth and the ten thousand things he does not labor to tell why they are so, but does his utmost to use their capacity well; toward the affairs of the hundred offices and men of skill he does not contend with them in ability, but does his utmost to use their work well.
In serving those above he is loyal and compliant and does not slacken; in employing those below he is even and everywhere and does not lean to one side; in his friendships he follows his own kind and keeps rightness; in his village he is tolerant and makes no disorder.
Therefore when he is blocked he surely has a name, and when he goes through he surely has merit. His humaneness and generosity cover the whole world together and yet he is not distressed; he is bright and penetrating, uses heaven and earth and orders ten thousand changes and yet has no doubt; his blood and breath are even and calm, his will is wide and great, and his conduct and rightness fill the space between heaven and earth. This is the height of humaneness and wisdom. This is called the sage. It is examining ritual.
請問為國？曰聞修身，未嘗聞為國也。君者儀也，民者景也，儀正而景正。君者槃也，民者水也，槃圓而水圓。君者盂也，盂方而水方。君射則臣決。楚莊王好細腰，故朝有餓人。故曰：聞修身，未嘗聞為國也。
I ask how to govern a state. The answer is: I have heard of cultivating one's own person; I have never heard of governing a state.
The ruler is the gnomon and the people are the shadow; when the gnomon is straight the shadow is straight. The ruler is the basin and the people are the water; when the basin is round the water is round. The ruler is the bowl; when the bowl is square the water is square. When the ruler shoots, the ministers put on the thumb ring. King Zhuang of Chu was fond of slender waists, and so there were starving men at his court.
Therefore it is said: I have heard of cultivating one's own person; I have never heard of governing a state.
君者，民之原也；原清則流清，原濁則流濁。故有社稷者而不能愛民，不能利民，而求民之親愛己，不可得也。民不親不愛，而求為己用，為己死，不可得也。民不為己用，不為己死，而求兵之勁，城之固，不可得也。兵不勁，城不固，而求敵之不至，不可得也。敵至而求無危削，不滅亡，不可得也。危削滅亡之情，舉積此矣，而求安樂，是狂生者也。狂生者，不胥時而落。故人主欲彊固安樂，則莫若反之民；欲附下一民，則莫若反之政；欲脩政美俗，則莫若求其人。彼或蓄積而得之者不世絕。彼其人者，生乎今之世，而志乎古之道。以天下之王公莫好之也，然而是子獨好之；以天下之民莫為之也，然而是子獨為之。好之者貧，為之者窮，然而是子猶將為之也，不為少頃輟焉。曉然獨明於先王之所以得之，所以失之，知國之安危臧否，若別白黑。是其人也，大用之，則天下為一，諸侯為臣；小用之，則威行鄰敵；縱不能用，使無去其疆域，則國終身無故。故君人者，愛民而安，好士而榮，兩者無一焉而亡。詩曰：「介人維藩，大師為垣。」此之謂也。
The ruler is the source of the people. When the source is clear the stream is clear; when the source is muddy the stream is muddy.
Therefore if one who holds the altars of earth and grain cannot love the people and cannot benefit the people, and yet seeks that the people hold him dear and love him, he cannot get it. If the people are not close to him and do not love him, and yet he seeks that they be used for him and die for him, he cannot get it. If the people are not used for him and do not die for him, and yet he seeks that his soldiers be strong and his walls firm, he cannot get it. If the soldiers are not strong and the walls are not firm, and yet he seeks that the enemy not come, he cannot get it. If the enemy has come, and he seeks not to be endangered and pared away and wiped out, he cannot get it.
The makings of danger, of being pared away and wiped out are all heaped up here, and still he seeks ease and joy. This is a man living in madness. A man living in madness falls without waiting for his season.
Therefore if the ruler wishes to be strong and firm and at ease and glad, nothing is like turning back to the people; if he wishes to attach those below and make the people one, nothing is like turning back to government; if he wishes to cultivate government and make customs fair, nothing is like seeking the right man.
Here and there men who have heaped it up and got it are not cut off in any age. Such a man is one born into the present age whose will is set on the way of antiquity. Though not one of the kings and dukes of the world is fond of it, this man alone is fond of it; though not one of the people of the world does it, this man alone does it. Those who are fond of it are poor and those who do it are blocked, and still this man will go on doing it and does not stop for a moment.
Clearly he alone is bright about how the former kings got it and how they lost it, and he knows the safety and danger, the good and ill of a state as one tells white from black.
Such a man, used greatly, makes the world one and the feudal lords ministers; used in a small way, his awe goes out among the neighboring enemies; and even if he cannot be used, keep him from leaving your borders and the state is without trouble to the end of your days.
Therefore he who rules men is at ease by loving the people and is glorious by being fond of gentlemen; lacking either one of the two, he perishes. The Odes say, "Good men are the fence, and the great host is the wall." This is what is meant.
道者，何也？曰：君之所道也。君者，何也？曰：能群也。能群也者，何也？曰：善生養人者也，善班治人者也，善顯設人者也，善藩飾人者也。善生養人者人親之，善班治人者人安之，善顯設人者人樂之，善藩飾人者人榮之。四統者俱，而天下歸之，夫是之謂能群。不能生養人者，人不親也；不能班治人者，人不安也；不能顯設人者，人不樂也；不能藩飾人者，人不榮也。四統者亡，而天下去之，夫是之謂匹夫。故曰：道存則國存，道亡則國亡。省工賈，眾農夫，禁盜賊，除姦邪：是所以生養之也。天子三公，諸侯一相，大夫擅官，士保職，莫不法度而公：是所以班治之也。論德而定次，量能而授官，皆使人載其事，而各得其所宜，上賢使之為三公，次賢使之為諸侯，下賢使之為士大夫：是所以顯設之也。修冠弁衣裳，黼黻文章，琱琢刻鏤，皆有等差：是所以藩飾之也。故由天子至於庶人也，莫不騁其能，得其志，安樂其事，是所同也；衣煖而食充，居安而游樂，事時制明而用足，是又所同也。若夫重色而成文章，重味而成珍備，是所衍也。聖王財衍，以明辨異，上以飾賢良而明貴賤，下以飾長幼而明親疏。上在王公之朝，下在百姓之家，天下曉然皆知其所以為異也，將以明分達治而保萬世也。故天子諸侯無靡費之用，士大夫無流淫之行，百吏官人無怠慢之事，眾庶百姓無姦怪之俗，無盜賊之罪，其能以稱義遍矣。故曰：治則衍及百姓，亂則不足及王公。此之謂也。
What is the way? The answer is: it is what the ruler leads by. What is the ruler? The answer is: he is one who can form a group.
What is it to be able to form a group? The answer is: it is to be good at giving men life and nurture, good at dividing and ordering men, good at bringing men forward and setting them in place, good at hedging men about and adorning them.
Be good at giving men life and nurture and men hold you dear; be good at dividing and ordering men and men are at ease; be good at bringing men forward and setting them in place and men delight; be good at hedging men about and adorning them and men feel honored. When these four cords are all complete, the world turns to him. This is called being able to form a group.
If he cannot give men life and nurture, men do not hold him dear; if he cannot divide and order men, men are not at ease; if he cannot bring men forward and set them in place, men do not delight; if he cannot hedge men about and adorn them, men do not feel honored. When these four cords are gone, the world leaves him. This is called a common fellow.
Therefore it is said: where the way abides the state abides, and where the way perishes the state perishes.
To cut down craftsmen and merchants, to make farmers many, to forbid robbers and to sweep away wickedness: this is the means of giving life and nurture.
For the Son of Heaven to have his three dukes, for the feudal lord to have one chief minister, for the grandees to hold their offices and the gentlemen to keep their duties, so that not one is outside the measure of law and fair dealing: this is the means of dividing and ordering.
To judge virtue and fix the order of rank, to measure ability and confer office, so that every man bears his own task and each gets the place that fits him, making the highest in worth the three dukes, the next in worth the feudal lords, and the lowest in worth the gentlemen and grandees: this is the means of bringing men forward and setting them in place.
To see to caps and bonnets, robes and skirts, embroidered figures and patterns, carving and inlay, so that all have their steps of rank: this is the means of hedging men about and adorning them.
Therefore from the Son of Heaven down to the common man there is no one who does not run out his ability, get his will, and rest easy and delight in his task; this is what they share. Clothing is warm and food is full, dwelling is safe and roaming is glad, work keeps its season, the measures are clear and goods are enough; this too is what they share.
As for doubling colors to make figured patterns and doubling flavors to fill out rare dishes, this is surplus. The sage king cuts the surplus to shape and makes clear the distinctions and differences: above, he adorns the worthy and good and makes clear the noble and the base; below, he adorns elder and younger and makes clear the near and the distant.
Above, it is in the court of kings and dukes; below, it is in the homes of the hundred families; and the whole world plainly knows why the differences are made. It is to make the divisions clear, to reach order, and to keep the ten thousand ages.
Therefore the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords have no wasteful spending, the gentlemen and grandees have no loose and licentious conduct, the hundred clerks and officers have no slack work, the multitude of the hundred families have no wicked or strange customs and no crimes of robbery. Their power to match what is right has reached everywhere.
Therefore it is said: in order, the surplus reaches even the hundred families; in disorder, there is not enough even for kings and dukes. This is what is meant.
至道大形：隆禮至法則國有常，尚賢使能則民知方，纂論公察則民不疑，賞克罰偷則民不怠，兼聽齊明則天下歸之；然後明分職，序事業，材技官能，莫不治理，則公道達而私門塞矣，公義明而私事息矣：如是，則德厚者進而佞說者止，貪利者退而廉節者起。書曰：「先時者殺無赦，不逮時者殺無赦。」人習其事而固，人之百事，如耳目鼻口之不可以相借官也。故職分而民不慢，次定而序不亂，兼聽齊明而百事不留：如是，則臣下百吏至於庶人，莫不修己而後敢安止，誠能而後敢受職；百姓易俗，小人變心，姦怪之屬莫不反愨：夫是之謂政教之極。故天子不視而見，不聽而聰，不慮而知，不動而功，塊然獨坐而天下從之如一體，如四胑之從心：夫是之謂大形。詩曰：「溫溫恭人，維德之基。」此之謂也。
The great form of the utmost way is this. Exalt ritual and carry law to its height, and the state has constancy. Honor the worthy and employ the able, and the people know their direction. Gather counsel and examine fairly, and the people have no doubt. Reward those who prevail and punish the slack, and the people are not idle. Listen to all sides and be evenly clear, and the world turns to him.
Then make clear the divisions of office, put tasks in order, and match skill and ability with posts, so that nothing is left unordered. Then the public way runs through and private gates are blocked, public rightness is clear and private dealings cease. If it is so, those thick in virtue come forward and flatterers stop, those who covet gain withdraw and the clean and restrained rise.
The Documents say, "He who goes before his season, kill him without pardon; he who does not come up to his season, kill him without pardon."
When a man practices his own task and grows firm in it, then the hundred tasks of men are like the ear, the eye, the nose and the mouth, which cannot borrow one another's office. Therefore when duties are divided the people are not slack, when ranks are fixed the order is not confused, and when all sides are heard and there is even clarity the hundred affairs are not held up.
If it is so, then from the ministers and the hundred clerks down to the common man there is no one who does not cultivate himself before he dares rest easy, and is truly able before he dares take a duty. The people change their customs, the small man alters his heart, and of the wicked and strange sort there is none that does not turn back to honesty. This is called the height of government and teaching.
Therefore the Son of Heaven sees without looking, hears clearly without listening, knows without pondering, and has merit without stirring. He sits alone like a clod of earth, and the world follows him as one body, as the four limbs follow the heart. This is called the great form. The Odes say, "Mild and respectful is the man, the very foundation of virtue." This is what is meant.
為人主者，莫不欲彊而惡弱，欲安而惡危，欲榮而惡辱，是禹桀之所同也。要此三欲，辟此三惡，果何道而便？曰：在慎取相，道莫徑是矣。故知而不仁，不可；仁而不知，不可；既知且仁，是人主之寶也，王霸之佐也。不急得，不知；得而不用，不仁。無其人而幸有其功，愚莫大焉。今人主有大患：使賢者為之，則與不肖者規之；使知者慮之，則與愚者論之；使脩士行之，則與汙邪之人疑之，雖欲成功，得乎哉！譬之，是猶立直木而恐其景之枉也，惑莫大焉！語曰：好女之色，惡者之孽也；公正之士，眾人之痤也；脩道之人，汙邪之賊也。今使汙邪之人，論其怨賊，而求其無偏，得乎哉！譬之，是猶立枉木而求其景之直也，亂莫大焉。
Among those who become rulers of men there is none who does not wish to be strong and hate to be weak, wish to be safe and hate to be endangered, wish to be glorious and hate to be disgraced. In this Yu and Jie were the same.
To secure these three wishes and to avoid these three hatreds, which way is truly the easy one? The answer is: it lies in taking care in choosing a chief minister. In the way there is no shorter road than this.
Therefore wise but not humane will not do, and humane but not wise will not do. Both wise and humane: this is the treasure of the ruler of men and the helper of the king and the hegemon. Not to be urgent to get him is not wise; to get him and not use him is not humane. To have no such man and yet to hope for his merit, no folly is greater than this.
Now the ruler of men has a great affliction. He has the worthy do the work, and then weighs it with the unfit; he has the wise ponder it, and then discusses it with the foolish; he has the cultivated gentleman carry it out, and then casts doubt on it with foul and crooked men. Though he wishes to bring the work to completion, can he? It is like setting up a straight tree and fearing that its shadow will be crooked. No delusion is greater than this.
A saying has it: the beauty of a lovely woman is a curse to the ugly, the fair and upright gentleman is a boil to the crowd, and the man who cultivates the way is a thief to the foul and crooked. Now to have foul and crooked men judge the very men they resent and hate, and then to seek that they not lean to one side, can it be? It is like setting up a crooked tree and seeking that its shadow be straight. No disorder is greater than this.
故古之人為之不然：其取人有道，其用人有法。取人之道，參之以禮；用人之法，禁之以等。行義動靜，度之以禮；知慮取舍，稽之以成；日月積久，校之以功，故卑不得以臨尊，輕不得以縣重，愚不得以謀知，是以萬舉而不過也。故校之以禮，而觀其能安敬也；與之舉措遷移，而觀其能應變也；與之安燕，而觀其能無流慆也；接之以聲色、權利、忿怒、患險，而觀其能無離守也。彼誠有之者，與誠無之者，若白黑然，可詘邪哉！故伯樂不可欺以馬，而君子不可欺以人，此明王之道也。
Therefore the men of old did not do it so. In taking men they had a way, and in using men they had a law.
The way of taking men is to test them against ritual; the law of using men is to hold them within their grades. Conduct and rightness, movement and stillness they measured by ritual; knowledge and counsel, taking and leaving they examined by what was accomplished; and as days and months piled up long, they compared them by merit.
Therefore the low could not come over the honored, the light could not be hung upon the heavy, and the foolish could not plot against the wise. So of ten thousand undertakings not one went wrong.
Therefore they tested a man against ritual and watched whether he could be at ease in reverence; they undertook and shifted affairs with him and watched whether he could answer change; they rested at ease with him and watched whether he could keep from drifting and idling; they met him with sound and color, power and gain, anger, trouble and peril, and watched whether he could keep from leaving his charge.
The man who truly has it and the man who truly lacks it are like white and black. Can that be bent? Therefore Bole cannot be cheated with a horse, and the gentleman cannot be cheated with a man. This is the way of the enlightened king.
人主欲得善射－－射遠中微者，縣貴爵重賞以招致之。內不可以阿子弟，外不可以隱遠人，能中是者取之；是豈不必得之之道也哉！雖聖人不能易也。欲得善馭－－及速致遠者，一日而千里，縣貴爵重賞以招致之。內不可以阿子弟，外不可以隱遠人，能致是者取之；是豈不必得之之道也哉！雖聖人不能易也。欲治國馭民，調壹上下，將內以固城，外以拒難，治則制人，人不能制也；亂則危辱滅亡，可立而待也。然而求卿相輔佐，則獨不若是其公也，案唯便嬖親比己者之用也，豈不過甚矣哉！故有社稷者，莫不欲彊，俄則弱矣；莫不欲安，俄則危矣；莫不欲存，俄則亡矣。古有萬國，今有十數焉，是無他故，莫不失之是也。故明主有私人以金石珠玉，無私人以官職事業，是何也？曰：本不利於所私也。彼不能而主使之，則是主闇也；臣不能而誣能，則是臣詐也。主闇於上，臣詐於下，滅亡無日，俱害之道也。夫文王非無貴戚也，非無子弟也，非無便嬖也，倜然乃舉太公於州人而用之，豈私之也哉！以為親邪？則周姬姓也，而彼姜姓也；以為故邪？則未嘗相識也；以為好麗邪？則夫人行年七十有二，齳然而齒墮矣。然而用之者，夫文王欲立貴道，欲白貴名，以惠天下，而不可以獨也。非于是子莫足以舉之，故舉是子而用之。於是乎貴道果立，貴名果白，兼制天下，立七十一國姬姓獨居五十三人。周之子孫，苟非狂惑者，莫不為天下之顯諸侯，如是者能愛人也。故舉天下之大道，立天下之大功，然後隱其所憐所愛，其下猶足以為天下之顯諸侯。故曰：唯明主為能愛其所愛，闇主則必危其所愛。此之謂也。
When the ruler of men wishes to get a good archer, one who shoots far and hits the small mark, he hangs out noble rank and heavy reward to call him in. Within, he may not favor his sons and younger brothers; without, he may not hide away men from afar; the one who can hit the mark is the one he takes. Is this not surely the way to get him? Even a sage could not change it.
When he wishes to get a good driver, one who goes swiftly and reaches far, a thousand li in a day, he hangs out noble rank and heavy reward to call him in. Within, he may not favor his sons and younger brothers; without, he may not hide away men from afar; the one who can reach so far is the one he takes. Is this not surely the way to get him? Even a sage could not change it.
He would order the state and drive the people, tune high and low into one, make the walls firm within and hold off hardship without, so that in order he shapes other men and is not shaped by them, while in disorder danger and disgrace and ruin may be waited for standing still. And yet in seeking his ministers and chief minister and helpers he alone is not fair like this, but uses only the fawning favorites and those close to himself. Is this not going wrong beyond measure?
Therefore among those who hold the altars of earth and grain there is none who does not wish to be strong, and before long he is weak; none who does not wish to be safe, and before long he is in danger; none who does not wish to abide, and before long he perishes. Of old there were ten thousand states, and now there are a dozen or so. There is no other reason: there is none that did not lose it just here.
Therefore the enlightened ruler will give gold and stone and pearls and jade to those he favors, but he does not give office and duty and work to those he favors. Why is this? The answer is: because at bottom it does not profit the one he favors. If the man is unable and the ruler employs him, the ruler is benighted; if the minister is unable and pretends to ability, the minister is a cheat. With the ruler benighted above and the minister cheating below, ruin is not many days off. It is a way that harms them both.
Now King Wen was not without noble kinsmen, not without sons and younger brothers, not without fawning favorites. Yet he reached far out and raised up Taigong (太公) from among the people of Zhou (州) and used him. How was that favoritism?
Was he thought a kinsman? The house of Zhou was of the Ji (姬) clan, and that man was of the Jiang (姜) clan. Was he thought an old acquaintance? They had never known each other. Was he thought handsome? That man was seventy-two years of age, and his teeth had fallen out.
And yet he used him, because King Wen wished to set up the noble way and make the noble name clear, and so bring kindness to the world, and he could not do it alone. There was no one but this man who could raise it up, and so he raised this man and used him.
At that the noble way was indeed set up and the noble name indeed made clear. He shaped the whole world together and set up seventy-one states, of which the Ji clan alone held fifty-three. Of the descendants of Zhou, unless a man was mad and deluded, there was none who did not become a noted feudal lord of the world. Such a man is one who can love others.
Therefore when a man has raised up the great way of the world and set up the great merit of the world, then even if afterward he shelters those he pities and loves, those under him are still fit to be noted feudal lords of the world. Therefore it is said: only the enlightened ruler can love the ones he loves, and the benighted ruler surely brings danger on the ones he loves. This is what is meant.
牆之外，目不見也；里之前，耳不聞也；而人主之守司，遠者天下，近者境內，不可不略知也。天下之變，境內之事，有弛易齵差者矣，而人主無由知之，則是拘脅蔽塞之端也。耳目之明，如是其狹也；人主之守司，如是其廣也；其中不可以不知也，如是其危也。然則人主將何以知之？曰：便嬖左右者，人主之所以窺遠收眾之門戶牖嚮也，不可不早具也。故人主必將有便嬖左右足信者，然後可。其知惠足使規物，其端誠足使定物，然後可；夫是之謂國具。人主不能不有遊觀安燕之時，則不得不有疾病物故之變焉。如是，國者，事物之至也如泉原，一物不應，亂之端也。故曰：人主不可以獨也。卿相輔佐，人主之基杖也，不可不早具也。故人主必將有卿相輔佐足任者，然後可。其德音足以填撫百姓，其知慮足以應待萬變，然後可；夫是之謂國具。四鄰諸侯之相與，不可以不相接也，然而不必相親也，故人主必將有足使喻志決疑於遠方者，然後可。其辯說足以解煩，其知慮足以決疑，其齊斷足以距難，不還秩，不反君，然而應薄扞患，足以持社稷，然後可，夫是之謂國具。故人主無便嬖左右足信者，謂之闇；無卿相輔佐足任使者，謂之獨；所使於四鄰諸侯者非其人，謂之孤；孤獨而晻，謂之危。國雖若存，古之人曰亡矣。詩曰：「濟濟多士，文王以寧。」此之謂也。
Beyond the wall the eye does not see, and before the village the ear does not hear. Yet what the ruler of men keeps watch over is the whole world far off and all within his borders near at hand, and he cannot but know it at least in outline.
When among the changes of the world and the affairs within the borders there are things gone slack and out of true, and the ruler has no way to know them, this is the beginning of being bound and pressed and shut in. The brightness of ear and eye is as narrow as this, what the ruler keeps watch over is as wide as this, and that he cannot but know what lies within it is as perilous as this.
Then by what will the ruler know it? The answer is: the fawning favorites at his side are the door and the window and the opening by which the ruler peers far off and gathers in the many, and he cannot but provide them early.
Therefore the ruler must have fawning favorites at his side who can be trusted, and only then will it do. Their knowledge and kindness must be enough to weigh things and their uprightness and sincerity enough to settle things, and only then will it do. This is called a furnishing of the state.
The ruler cannot but have his times of roaming and sightseeing and resting at ease, and so he cannot but have the changes of sickness and mishap. It being so, a state is a place where affairs and things arrive like water from a spring, and if one of them goes unanswered it is the beginning of disorder. Therefore it is said: the ruler of men cannot stand alone.
The ministers and the chief minister and the helpers are the ruler's foundation and staff, and he cannot but provide them early. Therefore the ruler must have ministers and a chief minister and helpers who can be entrusted with the task, and only then will it do. Their virtue and voice must be enough to soothe the hundred families and their knowledge and counsel enough to answer ten thousand changes, and only then will it do. This is called a furnishing of the state.
Dealings with the feudal lords of the four neighbors cannot but be kept up, and yet they are not necessarily friendly. Therefore the ruler must have someone able to make his will understood and to cut off doubt in distant places, and only then will it do. His argument and speech must be enough to undo what is tangled, his knowledge and counsel enough to cut off doubt, and his even decision enough to hold off hardship; he must not hand back his charge nor turn against his ruler, and must answer what presses in and ward off trouble, enough to hold up the altars of earth and grain; and only then will it do. This is called a furnishing of the state.
Therefore a ruler who has no trusted fawning favorites at his side is called benighted; one who has no ministers or chief minister or helpers who can be entrusted with the task is called lonely; one whose envoy to the feudal lords of the four neighbors is not the right man is called cut off. Cut off and lonely and in the dark, he is called endangered. Though the state seems to abide, the men of old said it had perished. The Odes say, "Many and many are the gentlemen, and by them King Wen is at peace." This is what is meant.
材人：愿愨拘錄，計數纖嗇，而無敢遺喪，是官人使吏之材也。脩飭端正，尊法敬分，而無傾側之心，守職脩業，不敢損益，可傳世也，而不可使侵奪，是士大夫官師之材也。知隆禮義之為尊君也，知好士之為美名也，知愛民之為安國也，知有常法之為一俗也，知尚賢使能之為長功也，知務本禁末之為多材也，知無與下爭小利之為便於事也，知明制度，權物稱用之為不泥也，是卿相輔佐之材也，未及君道也。能論官此三材者而無失其次，是謂人主之道也。若是則身佚而國治，功大而名美，上可以王，下可以霸，是人主之要守也。人主不能論此三材者，不知道此道，安值將卑埶出勞，併耳目之樂，而親自貫日而治詳，一日而曲辨之，慮與臣下爭小察而綦偏能，自古及今，未有如此而不亂者也。是所謂視乎不可見，聽乎不可聞，為乎不可成，此之謂也。
The kinds of men's capacity are these.
Careful and honest, holding fast to the records, fine and sparing in his counting, never daring to let a thing slip or be lost: this is the capacity of one who directs officers and clerks.
Cultivated and well ordered, upright and correct, honoring the law and revering the divisions, with no heart that leans aside, keeping his duty and cultivating his work, not daring to take away or add, fit to be handed on for ages and yet not to be let encroach and seize: this is the capacity of the gentlemen and grandees and of those who hold office.
To know that exalting ritual and rightness is what honors the ruler, to know that being fond of gentlemen is what makes the name fair, to know that loving the people is what makes the state safe, to know that having constant laws is what makes customs one, to know that honoring the worthy and employing the able is what makes merit long, to know that working at the root and forbidding the branch is what makes goods many, to know that not contending with those below over small gains is what makes affairs easy, to know that making the measures clear and weighing things to match their use is what keeps one from being stuck: this is the capacity of the ministers and the chief minister and the helpers, but it does not yet reach the way of the ruler.
To be able to judge and assign office among these three kinds of capacity without losing their order: this is called the way of the ruler of men. If it is so, the body is at ease and the state is ordered, the merit is great and the name is fair; above, he can be king, and below, he can be hegemon. This is what the ruler of men must keep hold of.
If the ruler cannot judge these three kinds of capacity and does not know how to lead by this way, then he lowers his own position and puts out toil, gives up the pleasures of ear and eye, and himself strings the days together to govern in detail, trying to sort out every turn of it in a day; he contends with his ministers over small points of scrutiny and works his lopsided ability to the utmost. From antiquity down to now there has never been one who did this and was not in disorder. This is what is called looking at what cannot be seen, listening to what cannot be heard, and doing what cannot be done. This is what is meant.