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四曰── |
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昔先聖王之治天下也，必先公，公則天下平矣。平得於公。嘗試觀於上志，有得天下者眾矣，其得之以公，其失之必以偏。凡主之立也，生於公。故鴻範曰：「無偏無黨，王道蕩蕩；無偏無頗，遵王之義；無或作好，遵王之道；無或作惡，遵王之路」。 |
| | In the past, when the sage kings governed the world, they always placed fairness first; where there was fairness, the world would be at peace. Peace is derived from fairness. Try examining the records of past rulers: many have gained the world, and those who did so achieved it through fairness; yet they inevitably lost it due to partiality. Whenever a ruler is established, it arises from fairness. Therefore, Hongfan says: "Without partiality or factionalism, the royal way is broad and open;" No bias, no slant—this is adherence to the righteousness of kingship; Without any act of favoritism, one follows the way of kingship; Without any act of wrongdoing, one follows the path of kingship."
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天下非一人之天下也，天下之天下也。陰陽之和，不長一類；甘露時雨，不私一物；萬民之主，不阿一人。伯禽將行，請所以治魯，周公曰：「利而勿利也。」荊人有遺弓者，而不肯索，曰：「荊人遺之，荊人得之，又何索焉？」孔子聞之曰：「去其『荊』而可矣。」老聃聞之曰：「去其『人』而可矣。」故老聃則至公矣。天地大矣，生而弗子，成而弗有，萬物皆被其澤、得其利，而莫知其所由始，此三皇、五帝之德也。 |
| | The world is not the world of one person alone; it belongs to all under heaven. The harmony of yin and yang does not favor a single kind; Sweet dew and timely rain do not favor any one thing; The ruler of the people does not show partiality to a single individual. Before Bo Qin departed, he asked what principle should be used to govern Lu; the Duke of Zhou said: "Benefit [the people], but do not seek personal gain." A man from Jing lost his bow, yet he did not want to search for it, saying: "It was lost by a person of Jing and found by another of Jing; why should I look for it?" Confucius heard this and said: "One could omit the word 'Jing' and then it would be acceptable." Lao Dan heard this and said: "One could omit the word 'ren' (person) and then it would be acceptable." Therefore, Lao Dan was the most impartial of all. Heaven and earth are vast; they give birth to all things without regarding them as their children, nurture them into completion without claiming ownership. All beings receive their blessings and benefit from them, yet none know where these benefits originate—this is the virtue of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
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管仲有病，桓公往問之，曰：「仲父之病矣，漬甚，國人弗諱，寡人將誰屬國？」管仲對曰：「昔者臣盡力竭智，猶未足以知之也，今病在於朝夕之中，臣奚能言？」桓公曰：「此大事也，願仲父之教寡人也。」管仲敬諾，曰：「公誰欲相？」公曰：「鮑叔牙可乎？」管仲對曰：「不可。夷吾善鮑叔牙，鮑叔牙之為人也：清廉潔直，視不己若者，不比於人；一聞人之過，終身不忘。」「勿已，則隰朋其可乎？」「隰朋之為人也：上志而下求，醜不若黃帝，而哀不己若者；其於國也，有不聞也；其於物也，有不知也；其於人也，有不見也。勿已乎，則隰朋可也。」夫相，大官也。處大官者，不欲小察，不欲小智，故曰：大匠不斲，大庖不豆，大勇不鬥，大兵不寇。桓公行公去私惡，用管子而為五伯長；行私阿所愛，用豎刀而蟲出於戶。 |
| | Guan Zhong was ill, and Duke Huan visited him, saying: "Master Zhong's illness is severe; the people do not conceal it. To whom should I entrust the state?" Guan Zhong replied: "In the past, I exerted my utmost strength and wisdom, yet it was still insufficient to fully understand governance; now that my illness is worsening by the day, how could I possibly speak on this matter?" Duke Huan said: "This is a great matter; I wish for your instruction, Master Zhong." Guan Zhong respectfully agreed and asked: "Whom does the Duke wish to appoint as prime minister?" The Duke said: "Would Bao Shuyaya be suitable?" Guan Zhong replied: "No." Yi Wu admires Bao Shuyaya, but the nature of Bao Shuyaya is: clean, upright, and incorruptible; he does not associate with those who are not his equal. At the mention of someone's fault, he never forgets it for life." "If not him, then would Xi Peng be suitable?" The nature of Xi Peng is: he aspires to the lofty and seeks from below; he considers those inferior to Huangdi as ugly, yet feels compassion for those who are not his equals. Regarding the state, there are matters of which he is unaware; Regarding things, there are some that he does not know; Regarding people, there are those whom he has never seen. "If not him, then Xi Peng would be suitable." The prime minister is a great official. One who holds a high office should not concern oneself with minor details or petty wisdom. Hence it is said: the great craftsman does not chop, the great cook does not prepare small dishes, the truly courageous do not engage in brawls, and the mighty army does not become marauders. Duke Huan practiced fairness and eliminated private malice; by employing Guan Zi, he became the leader among the Five Hegemons; When Duke Huan acted out of personal favoritism and indulged those he loved, by appointing Shudao, corruption spread throughout the state.
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人之少也愚，其長也智，故智而用私，不若愚而用公。日醉而飾服，私利而立公，貪戾而求王，舜弗能為。 |
| | When people are young, they are foolish; when they grow older, they become wise. Therefore, one who is wise but uses private interests is not as good as one who is foolish yet acts with fairness. One who indulges in daily drunkenness and ostentatious attire, pursues private gain while pretending to uphold public good, and is greedy and unjust yet seeks kingship—such a person not even Shun could make into a ruler.
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