Exalting the Worthy III尚贤下

子墨子言曰：天下之王公大人，皆欲其国家之富也，人民之众也，刑法之治也。然而不识以尚贤为政其国家百姓，王公大人本失尚贤为政之本也。苟若王公大人本失尚贤为政之本也，则不能毋举物示之乎？今若有一诸侯于此，为政其国家也，曰：「凡我国能射御之士，我将赏贵之；不能射御之士，我将罪贱之。」问于若国之士，孰喜孰惧？我以为必能射御之士喜，不能射御之士惧。我赏因而诱之矣，曰：「凡我国之忠信之士，我将赏贵之；不忠信之士，我将罪贱之。」问于若国之士，孰喜孰惧？我以为必忠信之士喜，不忠信之士惧。今唯毋以尚贤为政其国家百姓，使国为善者劝，为暴者沮；大以为政于天下，使天下之为善者劝，为暴者沮。然昔吾所以贵尧舜禹汤文武之道者，何故以哉？以其唯毋临众发政而治民，使天下之为善者可而劝也，为暴者可而沮也。然则此尚贤者也，与尧舜禹汤文武之道同矣。

Master Mozi said: The kings, dukes and great men of the world all wish their states to be wealthy, their people numerous, and their punishments and laws well ordered. Yet they do not understand that they should govern their states and their people by exalting the worthy; the kings, dukes and great men have at the root lost sight of exalting the worthy as the root of government. If the kings, dukes and great men have at the root lost sight of exalting the worthy as the root of government, can we not bring forward an example to show them? Suppose there were a feudal lord here who, in governing his state, said: "All the men in my state who are skilled at archery and charioteering I will reward and honor; those unskilled at archery and charioteering I will punish and demean." If we asked the men of that state who would be glad and who afraid, I think it certain that those skilled at archery and charioteering would be glad, and those unskilled would be afraid. Let me follow this up and press it further: suppose he said, "All the loyal and trustworthy men in my state I will reward and honor; those not loyal and trustworthy I will punish and demean." If we asked the men of that state who would be glad and who afraid, I think it certain that the loyal and trustworthy would be glad, and those not loyal and trustworthy would be afraid. Now if only one governs one's state and people by exalting the worthy, one makes those in the state who do good encouraged and those who do violence deterred; and applying it on a grand scale to the government of the world, one makes those in the world who do good encouraged and those who do violence deterred. Now what was the reason I formerly held in honor the Way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu? It was because, whenever they faced the multitudes, issued government and ruled the people, they made it so that those in the world who did good could be encouraged and those who did violence could be deterred. So this exalting of the worthy is one and the same with the Way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu.

而今天下之士君子，居处言语皆尚贤，逮至其临众发政而治民，莫知尚贤而使能，我以此知天下之士君子明于小而不明于大也。何以知其然乎？今王公大人有一牛羊之财，不能杀，必索良宰；有一衣裳之财，不能制，必索良工。当王公大人之于此也，虽有骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者，实知其不能也，不使之也。是何故？恐其败财也。当王公大人之于此也，则不失尚贤而使能。王公大人有一罢马，不能治，必索良医；有一危弓，不能张，必索良工。当王公大人之于此也，虽有骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者，实知其不能也，必不使。是何故？恐其败财也。当王公大人之于此也，则不失尚贤而使能。逮至其国家则不然，王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者，则举之。则王公大人之亲其国家也，不若其亲一危弓、罢马、衣裳、牛羊之财与？我以此知天下之士君子皆明于小而不明于大也。此譬犹瘖者而使为行人，聋者而使为乐师。

Yet now the officers and gentlemen of the world, in their dwellings and in their talk, all exalt the worthy; but when it comes to facing the multitudes, issuing government and ruling the people, none knows to exalt the worthy and employ the capable. By this I know that the officers and gentlemen of the world are clear about the small but not clear about the great. How do I know this is so? Now if the kings, dukes and great men have an ox or a sheep and cannot slaughter it, they will certainly seek a good butcher; if they have a piece of cloth and cannot cut it, they will certainly seek a good tailor. In these matters, the kings, dukes and great men, even if they have kin of their own flesh and blood, or men rich and honored without merit, or men of handsome face, truly know these cannot do it and will not employ them. Why is this? They fear they will spoil their property. So in these matters, the kings, dukes and great men do not fail to exalt the worthy and employ the capable. If the kings, dukes and great men have a sick horse and cannot cure it, they will certainly seek a good physician; if they have a warped bow and cannot string it, they will certainly seek a good craftsman. In these matters, the kings, dukes and great men, even if they have kin of their own flesh and blood, or men rich and honored without merit, or men of handsome face, truly know these cannot do it and will certainly not employ them. Why is this? They fear they will spoil their property. So in these matters, the kings, dukes and great men do not fail to exalt the worthy and employ the capable. But when it comes to their states, it is not so: the kings, dukes and great men promote their kin of flesh and blood, men rich and honored without merit, and men of handsome face. Do the kings, dukes and great men then love their states less than they love a warped bow, a sick horse, a garment, or an ox or sheep? By this I know that the officers and gentlemen of the world are all clear about the small but not clear about the great. This is like making a mute man an envoy or a deaf man a music master.

是故古之圣王之治天下也，其所富，其所贵，未必王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者也。是故昔者舜耕于历山，陶于河濒，渔于雷泽，灰于常阳，尧得之服泽之阳，立为天子，使接天下之政，而治天下之民。昔伊尹为莘氏女师仆，使为庖人，汤得而举之，立为三公，使接天下之政，治天下之民。昔者傅说居北海之洲，圜土之上，衣褐带索，庸筑于傅岩之城，武丁得而举之，立为三公，使之接天下之政，而治天下之民。是故昔者尧之举舜也，汤之举伊尹也，武丁之举傅说也，岂以为骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者哉？唯法其言，用其谋，行其道，上可而利天，中可而利鬼，下可而利人，是故推而上之。

Therefore when the sage kings of antiquity governed the world, those they enriched and those they honored were not necessarily the flesh-and-blood kin of kings, dukes and great men, nor men rich and honored without merit, nor men of handsome face. Thus of old Shun plowed at Mount Li, made pottery on the banks of the River, fished at Lake Lei, and burned lime at Changyang; Yao found him on the sunny side of Fuze, established him as Son of Heaven, and had him take over the government of the world and rule the people of the world. Of old Yi Yin was a servant attending the daughter of the Xin clan, and was made a cook; Tang found him and raised him up, established him as one of the Three Dukes, and had him take over the government of the world and rule the people of the world. Of old Fu Yue lived on an islet of the northern sea, on the site of a prison, wearing coarse cloth and a rope belt, laboring as a hired builder at the walls of Fuyan; Wu Ding found him and raised him up, established him as one of the Three Dukes, and had him take over the government of the world and rule the people of the world. So when Yao raised up Shun, when Tang raised up Yi Yin, when Wu Ding raised up Fu Yue, was it because they were kin of flesh and blood, rich and honored without merit, or of handsome face? It was only because they took their words as models, used their plans, and practiced their Way, which above could benefit Heaven, in the middle could benefit the spirits, and below could benefit men; and therefore they advanced and elevated them.

古者圣王既审尚贤，欲以为政，故书之竹帛，琢之槃盂，传以遗后世子孙。于先王之书《吕刑》之书然：「王曰：于！来，有国有土，告女讼刑。在今而安百姓，女何择言人？何敬不刑？何度不及？」能择人而敬为刑，尧舜禹汤文武之道可及也。是何也？则以尚贤及之。于先王之书、竖年之言然，曰：「晞夫圣武知人，以屏辅而身。」此言先王之治天下也，必选择贤者，以为其群属辅佐。

The sage kings of antiquity, having examined the exalting of the worthy and wishing to govern by it, therefore wrote it on bamboo and silk and engraved it on basins and bowls, to hand down and bequeath to their descendants of later ages. In the book of the former kings, the Punishments of Lü, it stands thus: "The king said: Oh! Come, you who hold states and hold lands, I tell you of lawsuits and punishments. Now, in giving peace to the people, whom should you choose but the right men? What should you attend to but punishments? What should you deliberate on but reaching the goal?" Being able to choose men and to attend with care to punishments, the Way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu can be reached. Why is this? Because it is reached by exalting the worthy. In the books of the former kings and the sayings of the elders of distant years it stands thus: "Seek out the sage, the martial, the wise, to shield and support your person." This says that when the former kings governed the world, they always selected the worthy to be their attendants and aides.

曰：今也天下之士君子，皆欲富贵而恶贫贱。然女何为而得富贵而辟贫贱？曰：莫若为贤。为贤之道将奈何？曰：有力者疾以助人，有财者勉以分人，有道者劝以教人。若此，则饥者得食，寒者得衣，乱者得治。若饥则得食，寒则得衣，乱则得治，此安生生。今王公大人，其所富，其所贵，皆王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者也。今王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者，焉故必知哉？若不知，使治其国家，则其国家之乱可得而知也。

It is said: Now the officers and gentlemen of the world all desire wealth and honor and hate poverty and lowliness. But what should you do to obtain wealth and honor and escape poverty and lowliness? It is said: nothing is better than to be worthy. What is the way to be worthy? It is said: let those who have strength be quick to help others, let those who have wealth strive to share it with others, let those who have the Way be earnest in teaching others. If this is done, then the hungry will get food, the cold will get clothing, and the disordered will get order. When the hungry get food, the cold get clothing, and the disordered get order, this is living in peace and security. Now those whom the kings, dukes and great men enrich and honor are all the flesh-and-blood kin of kings, dukes and great men, men rich and honored without merit, and men of handsome face. But why must the flesh-and-blood kin of kings, dukes and great men, men rich and honored without merit, and men of handsome face necessarily be wise? If they are not wise and are made to govern the state, the disorder of the state can be known in advance.

今天下之士君子，皆欲富贵而恶贫贱。然女何为而得富贵而辟贫贱哉？曰：莫若为王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者。王公大人骨肉之亲、无故富贵、面目美好者，此非可学能者也。使不知辩，德行之厚若禹汤文武，不加得也；王公大人骨肉之亲，蹙躄瘖聋，暴为桀纣，不加失也。是故以赏不当贤，罚不当暴，其所赏者已无故矣，其所罚者亦无罪。是以使百姓皆放心解体，沮以为善。垂其股肱之力，而不相劳来也；腐臭余财，而不相分资也；隐慝良道，而不相教诲也。若此，则饥者不得食，寒者不得衣，乱者不得治。

Now the officers and gentlemen of the world all desire wealth and honor and hate poverty and lowliness. But what should you do to obtain wealth and honor and escape poverty and lowliness? It is said: nothing is better than to be a flesh-and-blood kinsman of the kings, dukes and great men, or rich and honored without merit, or of handsome face. But being a flesh-and-blood kinsman of the kings, dukes and great men, or rich and honored without merit, or of handsome face is not something that can be learned or achieved. Even a man of no distinction, were his virtuous conduct as substantial as that of Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu, would gain nothing by it; while a flesh-and-blood kinsman of the kings, dukes and great men, though lame, crippled, mute or deaf, though as violent as Jie and Zhou, would lose nothing by it. Thus rewards do not fall on the worthy nor punishments on the violent; those rewarded have no merit, and those punished have no guilt. Consequently the people all grow slack in heart and slack in body, and are discouraged from doing good. They let the strength of their limbs hang idle and do not labor for one another; they let surplus wealth rot and stink and do not share it with one another; they conceal and hide good ways and do not teach one another. If this is so, then the hungry do not get food, the cold do not get clothing, and the disordered do not get order.

是故昔者，尧有舜，舜有禹，禹有皋陶，汤有小臣，武王有闳夭、泰顚、南宫括、散宜生。得此推而上之，以而天下和，庶民阜。是以近者安之，远者归之，日月之所照，舟车之所及，雨露之所渐，粒食之民莫不劝誉。且今天下之王公大人士君子，中实将欲为仁义，求为上士，上欲中圣王之道，下欲中国家百姓之利，故尚贤之为说，而不可不察此者也。尚贤者，天鬼百姓之利，而政事之本也。

Therefore of old Yao had Shun, Shun had Yu, Yu had Gao Yao, Tang had Xiaochen, and King Wu had Hong Yao, Tai Dian, Nangong Kuo and San Yisheng. Having gained these men and advanced and elevated them, the world was harmonious and the common people prospered. Thus those near were at peace and those far came over to them; wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever boats and carts reach, wherever rain and dew fall, all the grain-eating peoples without exception were encouraged and gave praise. Now if the kings, dukes, great men, officers and gentlemen of the world sincerely wish to practice humaneness and righteousness and seek to be superior officers, wishing above to accord with the Way of the sage kings and below to accord with the benefit of the state and the people, then the doctrine of exalting the worthy is something they cannot fail to examine. Exalting the worthy is the benefit of Heaven, the spirits, and the people, and the root of the affairs of government.