Zhishi — Attracting Worthy Officers致士篇
衡聽、顯幽、重明、退姦、進良之術：朋黨比周之譽，君子不聽；殘賊加累之譖，君子不用；隱忌雍蔽之人，君子不近；貨財禽犢之請，君子不許。凡流言、流說、流事、流謀、流譽、流愬，不官而衡至者，君子慎之。聞聽而明譽之，定其當而當，然後士其刑賞而還與之，如是則姦言、姦說、姦事、姦謀、姦譽、姦愬莫之試也，忠言、忠說、忠事、忠謀、忠譽、忠愬莫不明通，方起以尚盡矣。夫是之謂衡聽、顯幽、重明、退姦、進良之術。
The art of weighing what one hears, of bringing the hidden to light, of doubling what is bright, of putting back the crooked and bringing forward the good, is this.
Praise that comes from factions bound close, the gentleman does not listen to. Slander that wounds and robs and heaps up charges, the gentleman does not use. Men who hide and envy and block and screen, the gentleman does not keep near. Requests that come with goods and money, with birds and calves, the gentleman does not grant.
Drifting words, drifting talk, drifting affairs, drifting schemes, drifting praise and drifting complaints: when these do not go through the proper office but come crosswise, the gentleman is wary of them.
He hears them out and makes the praise clear, settles what is fitting so that it is fitting, and then sets punishment and reward upon it and gives it back to them. When it is so, crooked words, crooked talk, crooked affairs, crooked schemes, crooked praise and crooked complaints get no trial, and loyal words, loyal talk, loyal affairs, loyal schemes, loyal praise and loyal complaints are none of them left unclear or unheard, but rise up and reach the one above to the full. This is called the art of weighing what one hears, of bringing the hidden to light, of doubling what is bright, of putting back the crooked and bringing forward the good.
川淵深而魚鼈歸之，山林茂而禽獸歸之，刑政平而百姓歸之，禮義備而君子歸之。故禮及身而行修，義及國而政明，能以禮挾而貴名白，天下願，令行禁止，王者之事畢矣。《詩》曰：「惠此中國，以綏四方。」此之謂也。川淵者，魚龍之居也；山林者，鳥獸之居也；國家者，士民之居也。川淵枯則魚龍去之，山林險則鳥獸去之，國家失政則士民去之。無土則人不安居，無人則土不守，無道法則人不至，無君子則道不舉。故土之與人也，道之與法也者，國家之本作也，君子也者，道法之摠要也，不可少頃曠也。得之則治，失之則亂；得之則安，失之則危；得之則存，失之則亡。故有良法而亂者有之矣，有君子而亂者，自古及今，未嘗聞也。《傳》曰：「治生乎君子，亂生於小人。」此之謂也。
When streams and pools are deep, fish and turtles turn to them. When hills and woods are thick, birds and beasts turn to them. When punishment and government are even, the hundred families turn to them. When ritual and rightness are complete, gentlemen turn to them.
So when ritual reaches a man's own body, his conduct is cultivated. When rightness reaches the state, its government is clear. When he can hold to ritual so that his noble name is plain, all under heaven longs for him, his orders are carried out and his prohibitions are heeded, and the work of a true king is finished. The Odes say, "He is kind to these Central States, and so gives peace to the four quarters." This is what is meant.
Streams and pools are where fish and dragons dwell. Hills and woods are where birds and beasts dwell. The state and the house are where officers and people dwell. When streams and pools dry up, fish and dragons leave them. When hills and woods are made harsh, birds and beasts leave them. When the state and the house lose good government, officers and people leave them.
Without land, men do not dwell in peace. Without men, the land is not held. Without the way and its laws, men do not come. Without gentlemen, the way is not raised up. So land and men, the way and its laws, are the root and making of the state and the house, and the gentleman is the gathering point of the way and the laws, who may not be wanting for even a little while.
Get him and there is order, lose him and there is disorder. Get him and there is safety, lose him and there is danger. Get him and the state stands, lose him and it perishes. So there have been cases of good laws and disorder still. But of gentlemen present and disorder still, from of old until now it has never been heard. A saying handed down goes, "Order is born of the gentleman, and disorder is born of the small man." This is what is meant.
得衆動天。美意延年。誠信如神。夸誕逐魂。
Win the multitude and you move heaven. A fair intent lengthens one's years. Sincerity and truth are like a spirit. Boasting and wild talk drive the soul away.
人主之害，不在乎不言用賢，而在乎誠必用賢。夫言用賢者口也，卻賢者行也，口行相反而欲賢者之至，不肖者之退也，不亦難乎！夫耀蟬者務在明其火，振其樹而已，火不明，雖振其樹，無益也。今人主有能明其德者，則天下歸之，若蟬之歸明火也。
The harm to a ruler does not lie in his not saying that he will use the worthy. It lies in whether he truly and surely uses the worthy. To speak of using the worthy is the mouth. To push the worthy away is the deed. When mouth and deed run against each other, and still he wants the worthy to come and the unworthy to withdraw, is this not hard?
One who catches cicadas by light works only at making his fire bright and shaking the tree. If the fire is not bright, then though he shake the tree it is of no use. Now if a ruler can make his virtue bright, all under heaven turns to him, as cicadas turn to a bright fire.
臨事接民而以義，變應寬裕而多容，恭敬以先之，政之始也；然後中和察斷以輔之，政之隆也；然後進退誅賞之，政之終也。故一年與之始，三年與之終。用其終爲始，則政令不行而上下怨疾，亂所以自作也。《書》曰：「義刑義殺，勿庸以即，女惟曰『未有順事』。」言先教也。
To come to affairs and meet the people with rightness, to answer what changes with breadth and ease and to bear much, and to go before them with courtesy and care: this is the beginning of government. After that, to aid them with the mean and with accord, with looking into things and deciding: this is the fullness of government. After that, to advance and to put back, to punish and to reward: this is the end of government.
So for one year he makes the beginning with them, and for three years he makes the end with them. If he uses the end for the beginning, government and orders are not carried out, those above and those below bear grudges and hatred, and this is how disorder makes itself. The Documents say, "Punish rightly and put to death rightly, but do not use it at once; you are only to say, 'They have not yet learned to follow.'" This is to say that teaching comes first.
程者，物之準也；禮者，節之準也。程以立數，禮以定倫，德以敘位，能以授官。凡節奏欲陵，而生民欲寬，節奏陵而文，生民寬而安。上文下安，功名之極也，不可以加矣。
The measure (程) is the standard for things, and ritual is the standard for degrees. By the measure, numbers are set up. By ritual, order of rank is fixed. By virtue, places are arranged. By ability, offices are given.
Measure and rhythm should be close-set, and the living of the people should be broad. When measure and rhythm are close-set, there is ornament. When the living of the people is broad, there is peace. Ornament above and peace below are the utmost of merit and name, and nothing can be added to them.
君者，國之隆也；父者，家之隆也。隆一而治，二而亂，自古及今，未有二隆争重而能長久者。
The ruler is the high one of the state, and the father is the high one of the house. Where the high one is one, there is order. Where there are two, there is disorder. From of old until now, there has never been a case of two high ones contending for weight that could last long.
師術有四，而博習不與焉：尊嚴而憚，可以爲師；耆艾而信，可以爲師；誦說而不陵不犯，可以爲師；知微而論，可以爲師。故師術有四，而博習不與焉。水深而回，樹落則糞本，弟子通利則思師。《詩》曰：「無言不讎，無德不報。」此之謂也。
There are four arts of being a teacher, and wide learning is not among them. To be honored and stern, so that men hold you in awe: one may be a teacher. To be old in years and trusted: one may be a teacher. To recite and expound without overstepping and without transgressing: one may be a teacher. To know what is subtle and to set it out: one may be a teacher. So there are four arts of being a teacher, and wide learning is not among them.
Where the water is deep, it turns back in eddies. When the leaves of a tree fall, they feed its root. When a disciple comes through and prospers, he thinks of his teacher. The Odes say, "No word goes unanswered, no virtue goes unrepaid." This is what is meant.
賞不欲僭，刑不欲濫，賞僭則利及小人，刑濫則害及君子。若不幸而過，寧僭勿濫；與其害善，不若利淫。
Reward should not overreach, and punishment should not overflow. When reward overreaches, the benefit reaches small men. When punishment overflows, the harm reaches gentlemen. If by ill luck one must go wrong, better that reward overreach than that punishment overflow. Rather than harm the good, it is better to benefit the man who oversteps.