| | 舉難: |
八曰── |
| | The eighth day──
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| | 舉難: |
以全舉人固難，物之情也。人傷堯以不慈之名，舜以卑父之號，禹以貪位之意，湯、武以放弒之謀，五伯以侵奪之事。由此觀之，物豈可全哉？故君子責人則以人，自責則以義。責人以人則易足，易足則得人；自責以義則難為非，難為非則行飾；故任天地而有餘。不肖者則不然，責人則以義，自責則以人。責人以義則難瞻，難瞻則失親；自責以人則易為，易為則行苟；故天下之大而不容也，身取危、國取亡焉，此桀、紂、幽、厲之行也。尺之木必有節目，寸之玉必有瑕瓋。先王知物之不可全也，故擇物而貴取一也。 |
| | It is indeed difficult to maintain the integrity of a juren (candidate in the imperial examination system), which is natural for human nature. People criticize Yao for the name of being uncaring, Shun for the title of belittling his father, Yu for the intention of greed for power, Tang and Wu for the plot of usurpation and regicide, and the Five Hegemons for acts of aggression and seizure. From this perspective, how can anything be entirely perfect? Therefore, a gentleman holds others to human standards but holds himself to the standard of righteousness. Holding others to human standards makes it easy to be satisfied, and being easily satisfied leads to gaining people's support; Holding oneself to the standard of righteousness makes it difficult to commit wrongdoing, and difficulty in committing wrongdoing leads to refined conduct; Therefore, one can shoulder the weight of heaven and earth with ease. The unworthy are not like this; they hold others to the standard of righteousness but hold themselves to human standards. Holding others to the standard of righteousness makes satisfaction difficult, and difficulty in satisfaction leads to losing closeness; Holding oneself to human standards makes wrongdoing easy, and ease in wrongdoing leads to careless conduct; Therefore, even though the world is vast, they find no place to be accepted; their person invites danger and their state invites destruction—this is the conduct of Jie, Zhou, You, and Li. Even a one-foot-long piece of wood must have knots, and even an inch-sized piece of jade must have flaws or imperfections. The sage kings of old knew that nothing could be entirely perfect, so they selected things and valued only one aspect.
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季孫氏劫公家。孔子欲諭術則見外，於是受養而便說，魯國以訾。孔子曰：「龍食乎清而游乎清，螭食乎清而游乎濁，魚食乎濁而游乎濁。今丘上不及龍，下不若魚，丘其螭邪。」夫欲立功者，豈得中繩哉？救溺者濡，追逃者趨。 |
| | Jisun Shi seized control of the state affairs. Confucius wanted to advise with strategy but was treated with suspicion, so he accepted support and became convenient for persuasion; thus, the State of Lu fell into disgrace. Confucius said: "The dragon feeds in clear waters and swims in clear waters; the chi feeds in clear waters but swims in murky waters; the fish feeds in murky waters and swims in murky waters." Now I, Qiu, am not as noble as the dragon above, nor as lowly as the fish below—I must be a chi. One who wishes to accomplish great deeds cannot possibly conform entirely to conventional standards. Those who rescue someone from drowning get wet; those who pursue a fugitive must hurry.
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魏文侯弟曰季成，友曰翟璜。文侯欲相之而未能決，以問李克。李克對曰：「君欲置相，則問樂騰與王孫苟端孰賢？」文侯曰：「善。」以王孫苟端為不肖，翟璜進之；以樂騰為賢，季成進之；故相季成。凡聽於主，言人不可不慎。季成，弟也，翟璜，友也，而猶不能知，何由知樂騰與王孫苟端哉？疏賤者知，親習者不知，理無自然。自然而斷相過，李克之對文侯也亦過。雖皆過，譬之若金之與木，金雖柔猶堅於木。 |
| | The younger brother of King Wenhou of Wei was named Jicheng, and his friend was Zhong Huang. King Wenhou wanted to appoint one of them as prime minister but could not decide, so he asked Li Ke. Li Ke replied: "If Your Majesty wishes to appoint a prime minister, then you should ask which of Le Teng and Wangsun Gouduan is more virtuous?" King Wenhou said: "Good." Wangsun Gouduan was considered unworthy, yet Zhong Huang recommended him; Le Teng was considered virtuous, and Jicheng recommended him; Therefore, he appointed Jicheng as prime minister. Whenever one speaks before the ruler, one must be extremely careful in what is said about others. Jicheng was the king's younger brother, and Zhong Huang was his friend, yet they could still not truly know them—how then could they possibly know Le Teng and Wangsun Goudan? Those who are distant and lowly are known, while those close and familiar are not—this is contrary to natural reason. To decide based on such reasoning would be excessive; Li Ke's response to King Wenhou was also excessive. Although both were excessive, it is like comparing metal with wood—although soft, metal remains harder than wood.
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孟嘗君問於白圭曰：「魏文侯名過桓公，而功不及五伯，何也？」白圭對曰：「文侯師子夏，友田子方，敬段干木，此名之所以過桓公也。卜相曰『成與璜孰可』？此功之所以不及五伯也。相也者，百官之長也。擇者欲其博也。今擇而不去二人，與用其讎亦遠矣。且師友也者，公可也；戚愛也者，私安也。以私勝公，衰國之政也。然而名號顯榮者，三士羽之也。」 |
| | Mengchang Jun asked Bai Gui: "King Wenhou of Wei had a reputation surpassing that of Duke Huan, yet his achievements did not match those of the Five Hegemons. Why is this so?" Bai Gui replied: "King Wenhou of Wei took Zi Xia as his teacher, regarded Tian Zifang as a friend, and respected Duangan Mu—this is why his reputation surpassed that of Duke Huan." When choosing a prime minister he asked, "Which is more suitable, Jicheng or Zhong Huang?" This is why his achievements did not match those of the five Hegemons. The prime minister is the leader of all officials. Those who select a person desire to be comprehensive in their judgment. Now, selecting without eliminating the two candidates is not much different from appointing one's enemy. And teachers and friends—this is acceptable in public matters; Intimate affection, on the other hand, belongs to private concerns. Allowing private interests to prevail over public affairs is the governance of a declining state. Yet his reputation and honor became prominent—this was due to the support of these three men."
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甯戚欲干齊桓公，窮困無以自進，於是為商旅將任車以至齊，暮宿於郭門之外。桓公郊迎客，夜開門，辟任車，爝火甚盛，從者甚眾。甯戚飯牛居車下，望桓公而悲，擊牛角疾歌。桓公聞之，撫其僕之手曰：「異哉！之歌者非常人也。」命後車載之。桓公反，至，從者以請。桓公賜之衣冠，將見之。甯戚見，說桓公以治境內。明日復見，說桓公以為天下。桓公大說，將任之。群臣爭之曰：「客，衛人也。衛之去齊不遠，君不若使人問之，而固賢者也，用之未晚也。」桓公曰：「不然。問之，患其有小惡，以人之小惡，亡人之大美，此人主之所以失天下之士也已。」凡聽必有以矣。今聽而不復問，合其所以也。且人固難全，權而用其長者。當舉也，桓公得之矣。 |
| | Ning Qi wanted to offer his services to Duke Huan of Qi, but he was poor and had no way to recommend himself. Thus, he became a merchant and traveled with a cart carrying goods to Qi, staying the night outside the western gate of the city. Duke Huan went out to meet guests in the suburbs, opened the gates at night, cleared a path for the merchant carts, lit many torches, and was accompanied by a large entourage. Ning Qi fed oxen beneath his cart, gazed at Duke Huan with sorrow, and struck the cow's horns while singing passionately. Duke Huan heard this and patted his charioteer's hand, saying: "Strange indeed! That singer is no ordinary person." He ordered the rear carriage to take him along. Duke Huan returned and arrived at his residence, and those who had accompanied him requested permission to present Ning Qi. Duke Huan gave him clothes and a hat, and was about to receive him in audience. Ning Qi appeared before Duke Huan and advised him on governing the state. The next day, he was seen again and advised Duke Huan on matters of ruling the world. Duke Huan was greatly pleased and intended to appoint him to an official position. The ministers objected, saying: "This guest is a native of the State of Wei." The distance between the State of Wei and Qi is not great; Your Majesty might as well send someone to inquire. If he proves to be a truly virtuous man, it will not be too late to employ him." Duke Huan said: "Not so. To inquire into his background would only lead to concern over minor faults. To let a person's small flaws obscure their great virtues is precisely why rulers lose the talents of the world." Whenever one listens, there must be a reason for it. Now that I have listened and do not need to inquire further, this is in harmony with the reasons behind it. Moreover, no person is perfect by nature; one must weigh their qualities and make use of their strengths. At the time of selection, Duke Huan made the right choice.
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