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天地生萬物，聖人裁之，裁物以制分，便事以立官，君臣父子，上下長幼，貴賤親疏，皆得其分曰治，愛得分曰仁，施得分曰義，慮得分曰智，動得分曰適，言得分曰信，皆得其分而後為成人。 |
| | Heaven and Earth give birth to all things, and the sage regulates them. Regulating things establishes distinctions, facilitating affairs by appointing officials. When rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, superiors and inferiors, elders and juniors, noble and humble, close and distant are each in their proper place, this is called order (zhi). To love according to one's proper role is benevolence (ren); to act according to one's proper role is righteousness (yi); to deliberate according to one's proper role is wisdom (zhi); to move according to one's proper role means appropriateness (shi); to speak according to one's proper role implies trustworthiness (xin). Only when all these roles are properly fulfilled can a person be considered fully developed.
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明王之治民也。事少而功立，身逸而國治，言寡而令行，事少而功多，守要也。身逸而國治，用賢也。言寡而令行，正名也。君人者，苟能正名，愚智盡情，執一以静，令名自正，令事自定，賞罰隨名，民莫不敬，周公之治天下也。酒肉不徹於前，鍾鼓不解於懸，聽樂而國治，勞無事焉。飲酒而賢舉，智無事焉。自為而民富，仁無事焉。知此道也者，衆賢為役，愚智盡情矣。 |
| | The wise ruler governs the people thus: With few matters but great achievements, with a leisurely self yet a well-governed state, with few words yet effective orders—few affairs yielding many accomplishments is the result of holding to essentials. A ruler who remains at ease while the state is well governed does so by employing the virtuous and capable. Few words yet effective orders are carried out because of proper clarification of names (i.e., roles and responsibilities). A ruler, if he can properly clarify names (roles and responsibilities), will find both the foolish and the wise to express their true nature. By adhering steadfastly to one principle and maintaining tranquility, names will naturally be rectified, affairs will naturally settle into order, rewards and punishments will follow from these clarifications, and the people will have no choice but to show reverence—this was how Duke of Zhou governed the world. Wine and meat are not removed from before him, bells and drums do not cease hanging; he listens to music while the state is governed, exerting no effort on matters. Drinking wine yet having virtuous men rise up—his wisdom requires no labor. By governing through self-restraint, the people become wealthy; benevolence requires no effort. He who understands this principle will have many virtuous men serve him, and both the foolish and wise will express their true nature.
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明王之道易行也。勞不進一步，聽獄不後皋陶，食不損一味，富民不後虞舜，樂不損一日，用兵不後湯、武，書之不盈尺簡，南面而立，一言而國治，堯、舜復生，弗能更也。身無變而治，國無變而王，湯、武復生，弗能更也。 |
| | The way of the enlightened ruler is easy to follow. He labors no further than necessary, adjudicates cases with no less fairness than Gao Yao, consumes no fewer delicacies in food, enriches the people as well as Yu Shun, enjoys music without a single day's reduction, employs troops as effectively as Tang and Wu, records his governance on slips of bamboo not exceeding one foot in length. Sitting facing south, he issues but one word, and the state is governed; even if Yao and Shun were to return, they could make no improvement upon this. With no change in his person yet the state is governed; with no change in the country yet he becomes a king. Even if Tang and Wu were to return, they could not improve upon this.
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執一之道，去智與巧，有虞之君天下也。使天下貢善，殷、周之君天下也。使天下貢才，夫至衆賢而能用之，此有虞之盛德也。三人之所廢，天下弗能興也。三人之所興，天下弗能廢也。親曰不孝，君曰不忠，友曰不信，天下弗能興也。親言其孝，君言其忠，友言其信，天下弗能廢也。夫符節合之，則是非自見，行亦有符，三者合，則行自見矣。此所以觀行也。 |
| | The principle of adhering to one (the Dao) is to abandon wisdom and artifice—this was how the ruler of Youyu governed the world. Causing all under heaven to offer virtue—this was how the rulers of Yin and Zhou governed the world. Causing all under heaven to present talent; when a ruler can employ many virtuous and capable men, this is the great virtue of Youyu. What three men have abandoned, no one under heaven can revive. What three men have revived, no one under heaven can abandon. To be called disrespectful to parents, disloyal to the ruler, or untrustworthy among friends—such a person cannot be revived by all under heaven. When one is praised as filial to parents, loyal to the ruler, and trustworthy among friends—such a person no one under heaven can discard. When tokens are matched together, right and wrong become evident of themselves. Actions also have their corresponding signs; when these three elements align, the nature of one's conduct becomes clear by itself. This is how conduct is observed.
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諸治官臨衆者，上比度以觀其賢，案法以觀其罪，吏雖有邪僻，無所逃之，所以觀勝任也。羣臣之愚智，日劾於前，擇其知事者而令之謀，羣臣之所舉，日劾於前，擇其知人者而令之舉，羣臣之治亂，日劾於前，擇其勝任者而令之治，羣臣之所行，可得而察也。擇其賢者而舉之，則民競於行，勝任者治，則百官不亂，知人者舉，則賢者不隱，知事者謀，則大舉不失，聖王正言於朝，而四方治矣。是故曰：正名去僞，事成若化，以實覆名，百事皆成，夫用賢使能，不勞而治，正名覆實，不罰而威，達情見素，則是非不蔽，復本原始，則言若符節，良工之馬易御也。聖王之民易治也。其此之謂乎。 |
| | For those in office who oversee the people, superiors compare their conduct to standards to observe virtue, and examine laws to determine guilt. Even if officials are corrupt or deviant, they can nowhere escape detection—this is how capability for governance is assessed. The wisdom and foolishness of ministers are examined daily before the ruler; from among them, those who understand affairs are selected to deliberate. The recommendations made by ministers are also scrutinized daily; from these, those who know how to discern people are chosen to make appointments. The order or disorder brought about by ministers is reviewed daily; from this, those capable of governance are selected for office. Thus, the conduct of all officials can be thoroughly observed. Selecting the virtuous to be promoted causes the people to compete in virtue. When those capable of governance manage affairs, then all officials remain orderly; when those who know how to recognize talent make appointments, the virtuous will not remain hidden; when those who understand matters deliberate, great undertakings will not go awry. When a sage ruler issues just words from court, order is achieved throughout the four quarters. Therefore it is said: Rectifying names and removing falsehoods, affairs are accomplished as if by transformation. Using reality to confirm names ensures all matters succeed. Employing the virtuous and utilizing talent brings order without labor; confirming names with reality establishes authority without punishment. Understanding true nature and revealing simplicity means right and wrong cannot be concealed. Returning to origins and fundamentals makes words align like tokens—just as a skilled craftsman's horse is easily controlled. The people of the sage ruler are easy to govern. This is what it means, I suppose.
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