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五曰── |
| | The fifth is──
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| | 谨听: |
昔者禹一沐而三捉发，一食而三起，以礼有道之士，通乎己之不足也。通乎己之不足，则不与物争矣。愉易平静以待之，使夫自得之；因然而然之，使夫自言之。亡国之主反此，乃自贤而少人，少人则说者持容而不极，听者自多而不得，虽有天下何益焉？是乃冥之昭，乱之定，毁之成，危之宁，故殷、周以亡，比干以死，悖而不足以举。故人主之性，莫过乎所疑，而过于其所不疑；不过乎所不知，而过于其所以知。故虽不疑，虽已知，必察之以法，揆之以量，验之以数。若此则是非无所失，而举措无所过矣。 |
| | In the past, Yu would take one bath and three times grasp his hair in thought, have one meal and rise three times, to honor those virtuous men with propriety, understanding that he himself was insufficient. Understanding one's own insufficiency, then one does not contend with things. Remaining pleasant, easy, and calm in facing them, allowing them to find their own way; Following things as they are and letting events unfold naturally, allowing them to speak for themselves. The rulers who lost their states acted contrary to this; they considered themselves virtuous and looked down upon others. When one looks down upon others, those who offer advice will be cautious and hold back from speaking fully, while the listener becomes conceited and unable to understand. Even if such a ruler possesses the whole world, what benefit is there? This is the brightness of darkness, the stability of chaos, the success of destruction, and the peace of danger; therefore, Yin and Zhou dynasties perished, Bi Gan was killed, and their actions were erroneous and insufficient to be upheld. Therefore, the nature of a ruler is most likely to err in what he doubts, yet often exceeds expectations in what he does not doubt; He does not err in what he does not know, but surpasses himself in the very things he believes he knows. Therefore, even when there is no doubt and even when something is already known, one must examine it according to law, measure it with standards, and verify it through calculation. If done in this way, then there will be no error in distinguishing right from wrong, and no excess in one's actions.
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| | 谨听: |
夫尧恶得贤天下而试舜？舜恶得贤天下而试禹？断之于耳而已矣。耳之可以断也，反性命之情也。今夫惑者，非知反性命之情，其次非知观于五帝、三王之所以成也，则奚自知其世之不可也？奚自知其身之不逮也？太上知之，其次知其不知。不知则问，不能则学。周箴曰：“夫自念斯，学德未暮。”学贤问，三代之所以昌也。不知而自以为知，百祸之宗也。名不徒立，功不自成，国不虚存，必有贤者。贤者之道，牟而难知，妙而难见。故见贤者而不耸则不惕于心，不惕于心则知之不深。不深知贤者之所言，不祥莫大焉。 |
| | How could Yao possibly have considered himself the most virtuous ruler under heaven and yet tested Shun? How could Shun possibly have considered himself the most virtue-ruler under heaven and yet tested Yu? It was merely decided by what they heard. To decide solely based on what one hears is to go against the true nature of life and destiny. Now, those who are confused do not understand that they are going against the true nature of life and fate; next, if they do not know how to observe the reasons for the success of the Five Emperors and Three Kings, then from where would they come to realize that their own age is unsuitable? From where would they come to know that their own abilities fall short? The highest level is knowing this; the next level is knowing that one does not know. When one does not know, he should ask; when one lacks ability, he should study. The Zhou Zhen said: "He who reflects upon himself, to learn virtue is never too late." Learning from the virtuous and asking questions—this was why the Three Dynasties flourished. Not knowing yet believing oneself to know is the root of all misfortunes. A name does not stand by itself, an achievement does not arise without effort, and a state does not exist in vain; there must be virtuous people. The way of the virtuous is subtle and hard to know, profound and difficult to perceive. Therefore, if one sees a virtuous person but does not feel reverence, then the heart will not be alert; and if the heart is not alert, then one's understanding will not be profound. Not deeply understanding what a virtuous person says is no greater misfortune than ignorance.
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主贤世治则贤者在上，主不肖世乱则贤者在下。今周室既灭，而天子已绝。乱莫大于无天子，无天子则强者胜弱，众者暴寡，以兵相残，不得休息，今之世当之矣。故当今之世，求有道之士，则于四海之内、山谷之中、僻远幽闲之所，若此则幸于得之矣。得之则何欲而不得？何为而不成？太公钓于滋泉，遭纣之世也，故文王得之而王。文王，千乘也；纣，天子也。天子失之而千乘得之，知之与不知也。诸众齐民，不待知而使，不待礼而令。若夫有道之士，必礼必知，然后其智能可尽。解在乎胜书之说周公，可谓能听矣；齐桓公之见小臣稷、魏文侯之见田子方也，皆可谓能礼士矣。 |
| | When a virtuous ruler governs, the age is well-ordered and the virtuous are in positions of authority; when an unworthy ruler rules and the age is chaotic, the virtuous remain among the common people. Now that the Zhou dynasty has perished and the Son of Heaven no longer exists. Nothing is more chaotic than having no Son of Heaven; without a Son of Heaven, the strong will overcome the weak, and the numerous will oppress the few, waging war against each other and causing endless bloodshed with no respite—this is precisely what our age faces. Therefore, in the present age, if one seeks virtuous men of principle, they must be found within the four seas—in mountain valleys and remote, secluded places. If one can find them there, it is already a stroke of good fortune. If one has found such people, what desire could remain unfulfilled? What endeavor would there be that cannot succeed? Tai Gong fished at Ziquan Spring, encountering the age of Zhou, and thus King Wen obtained him and became king. King Wen was a ruler of a thousand chariots; Zhou was the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven lost him while the ruler of a thousand chariots gained him—this is due to knowing or not knowing [the virtuous man]. Common people and ordinary subjects need no understanding to be commanded, nor require courtesy to receive orders. As for those virtuous men of principle, one must treat them with propriety and understand them thoroughly; only then can their wisdom and ability be fully realized. The explanation lies in the words of Sheng Shu about Zhou Gong; this may be called true listening; Qi Huan Gong's reception of Xiao Chen Ji, and Wei Wen Hou's reception of Tian Zifang—both may be said to have truly known how to honor virtuous men.
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