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凡亡國之君，其朝未嘗無致治之臣也，其府未嘗無先王之書也。然而不免乎亡者，何也？其賢不用，其法不行也。苟書法而不行其事，爵賢而不用其道，則法無異乎路說，而賢無異乎木主也。 |
| | All rulers of fallen states had in their courts ministers who could have brought about good governance, and in their offices they had not lacked the writings of previous kings. Yet none were able to avoid the fall of their states—why was this? Because they did not employ their virtuous ministers and failed to implement their laws. If one merely preserves the legal codes without putting them into practice, and bestows titles on virtuous men without following their teachings, then laws are no different from road signs, and virtuous men are no different from wooden effigies.
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昔桀奔南巢，紂踣於京，厲流於彘，幽滅於戲，當是時也，三后之典尚在，良謀之臣猶存也。下及春秋之世，楚有伍舉、左史倚相、右尹子革、白公子張，而靈王喪師；衛有太叔儀、公子鱄、蘧伯玉、史鰌，而獻公出奔；晉有趙宣子、范武子、太史董狐，而靈公被殺；魯有子家羈、叔孫婼，而昭公野死；齊有晏平仲、南史氏，而莊公不免；虞、虢有宮之奇、舟之僑，而二公絕祀。由是觀之，苟不用賢，雖有無益也。然此數國者，皆先君舊臣世祿之士，非遠求也。 |
| | In the past, Jie fled to Nanchao, Zhou fell at Jing, Li was exiled to Zhi, and You perished at Xi. At that time, the regulations of the three former kings were still present, and capable ministers with sound strategies were still in existence. Later, during the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Chu had Wu Ju, Zuo Shi Yixiang, You Yin Zige, and Bai Gongzi Zhang, yet King Ling of Chu lost his army; The State of Wei had Taishu Yi, Gongzi Zhuan, Qu Boyu, and Shi Qiao, yet Duke Xian of Wei fled into exile; The State of Jin had Zhao Xuansi, Fan Wuzi, and Taishi Donghu, yet Duke Ling of Jin was assassinated; The State of Lu had Zijia Ji and Shusun Ruo, yet Duke Zhao of Lu died in the wilderness; The State of Qi had Yan Pingzhong and Nanshi Shi, yet Duke Zhuang of Qi could not escape his fate; Yu and Guo had Gong Zhiqi and Zhou Zhiqiao, yet the two dukes were cut off from their ancestral rites. From this we can see that if virtuous men are not employed, then even having them is of no benefit. Yet these several states all had veteran ministers and hereditary officials from previous generations; they were not difficult to find or far to seek.
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乃有遠求而不用之者，昔齊桓公立稷下之官，設大夫之號，招致賢人而尊寵之。自孟軻之徒皆遊於齊；楚春申君亦好賓客，敬待豪傑，四方並集，食客盈館，且聘荀卿，置諸蘭陵。然齊不益強，黃歇遇難，不用故也。 |
| | There were also those who sought virtuous men from afar but did not employ them. In the past, Duke Huan of Qi established an office at Ji Xia, conferred the title of Da Fu, and invited virtuous scholars to come while honoring and favoring them. Scholars such as Meng Ke all traveled to Qi; Chu's Chunshen Jun also loved entertaining guests, respected and treated heroes with courtesy. Scholars from all directions gathered there, and his guest halls were filled with those he supported. Moreover, he employed Xun Qing and stationed him in Lanling. Yet Qi did not become stronger, and Huang Xie encountered misfortune—this was because their talents were not put to use.
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夫遠求賢而不用之，何哉？賢者之為物也，非若美嬪麗妾之可觀於目也，非若端冕帶裳之可加於身也；非若嘉肴庶羞之可實於口也。將以言策，策不用，雖多亦奚以為！若欲備百僚之名，而不問道德之實，則莫若鑄金為人，而列於朝也。且無食祿之費矣。然彼亦知有馬必待乘之而後致遠，有醫必待行之而後愈疾。至於有賢，則不知必待用之而後興治者，何哉？賢者難知歟？何以遠求之？易知歟？何以不能用也，豈為寡不足用、欲先益之歟？此又惑之甚也。賢者稱於人也，非以力也；力者必須多，而知者不待眾也。故王七萬，而輔佐六卿也。故舜有臣五人而天下治，周有亂臣十人而四海服，此非用寡之驗歟！且六國之君，雖不用賢，及其致人也，猶脩禮盡意，不敢侮慢也。至於王莽，既不能用，及其致也，尚不能言，莽之為人也，內實姦邪，外慕古義，亦聘求名儒，徵命術士，政煩教虐，無以致之。於是脅之以峻刑，威之以重戮，賢者恐懼，莫敢不至。徒張設虛名以夸海內。莽亦卒以滅亡。且莽之爵人，其實囚之也。囚人者、非必著之桎梏，而置之囹圄之謂也，拘係之、愁憂之之謂也。使在朝之人欲進則不得陳其謀，欲退則不得安其身，是則以綸組為繩索，以印佩為鉗鐵也。小人雖樂之，君子則以為辱。 |
| | Why is it that one seeks virtuous men from afar yet does not employ them? Virtuous men, as a kind of person, are not like beautiful concubines or lovely mistresses whose beauty can be seen with the eyes; they are not like ceremonial caps and robes that can be worn on one's body; they are not like delicious dishes or choice delicacies that can satisfy the palate. Their value lies in their counsel and strategies; if such advice is not put into practice, then having many virtuous men is of little use! If one merely wishes to fill the ranks with names, without inquiring into moral character and actual virtue, then it would be no different than casting gold statues and placing them in court. And there would not even be the expense of providing salaries. Yet they also know that a horse must be ridden before it can travel far, and a physician's treatment must be administered before an illness can be cured. As for having virtuous men, why is it that they do not realize that good governance can only be achieved after employing them? Is it difficult to recognize virtuous men? Why then seek them from afar? Is it easy to recognize them? Why then is one unable to employ them? Is it because there are not enough virtuous men available, and one wishes first to increase their numbers? This is yet another great confusion. Virtuous men gain recognition from people not through force; Those who rely on strength must have many, but those who possess wisdom do not require a large number. Therefore, King Wang ruled with seven ten-thousand-man armies and was assisted by six high ministers. Thus, Shun had only five ministers yet the whole world was well governed; Zhou had ten capable officials during times of disorder and all under heaven submitted. Is this not proof that employing a small number can be sufficient! Moreover, the rulers of the six states, although they did not employ virtuous men, when it came to receiving visitors, still observed proper rites and showed utmost sincerity, daring not to be disrespectful or careless. As for Wang Mang, not only did he fail to employ virtuous men; when it came to receiving them, he could not even speak properly. As a person, Wang Mang was internally filled with deceit and malice yet outwardly pretended to admire ancient virtues. He also sought out renowned Confucian scholars and summoned diviners, but his governance was burdensome and his teachings oppressive—thus, no virtuous men came to him. Thus, he threatened them with severe punishments and intimidated them with heavy penalties. Fearing for their safety, virtuous men had no choice but to come. He merely created empty titles and postures to boast before the realm. Wang Mang eventually perished as well. Moreover, when Wang Mang conferred titles upon people, in reality he was imprisoning them. To imprison someone does not necessarily mean binding them with shackles or placing them in a prison—it means to restrict and bind them, causing sorrow and anxiety. Those in court who wished to advance could not present their strategies, and those who wished to retire could not find peace for themselves. This is equivalent to using silk ribbons as ropes and seals as iron shackles. Though the unworthy may be pleased by this, the virtuous regard it as a disgrace.
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故明王之得賢也，得其心也，非謂得其軀也。苟得其軀，而不論其心也，斯與籠鳥、檻獸無以異也。則賢者之於我也，亦猶怨讎也，豈為我用哉？雖曰：「班萬鍾之祿。」將何益歟？故苟得其心，萬里猶近；苟失其心，同衾為遠。今不脩所以得賢者之心，而務循所以執賢者之身，至於社稷顛覆，宗廟廢絕，豈不哀哉？荀子曰：「人主之患，不在乎言不用賢，而在乎誠不用賢。」言賢者、口也，知賢者、行也。口、行相反，而欲賢者進，不肖者退，不亦難乎！ |
| | Therefore, a wise ruler who gains virtuous men gains their hearts—not merely their bodies. If one gains only their bodies without considering their hearts, this is no different from caging a bird or confining a beast in a 槛. Then virtuous men toward me are also like resentful enemies—how could they ever be of use to me? Though it may be said, "Grant them ten thousand measures of grain as salary," what benefit would that bring? Therefore, if one gains their heart, even ten thousand li feel near; if one loses their heart, then even those sharing the same quilt feel far away. Now, without cultivating the means to win the hearts of virtuous men and instead focusing only on methods to control their persons, it has led to the downfall of the state and the extinction of ancestral rites—how tragic is this? Xunzi said: "The greatest concern for a ruler lies not in merely speaking about the need to employ virtuous men, but in truly failing to do so." Speaking of virtuous men refers only to words; recognizing virtuous men lies in one's actions. When words and deeds are contradictory, yet one desires virtuous men to advance and the unworthy to retreat—does this not prove difficult!
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夫照蟬者務明其火、振其樹而已，火不明，雖振其樹無益也。人主有能明其德者，則天下其歸之、若蟬之歸火也。善哉言乎！昔伊尹在田畝之中，以樂堯、舜之道，聞成湯作興，而自夏如商。太公避紂之惡，居於東海之濱，聞文王作興，亦自商如周。其次則甯戚如齊，百里奚入秦，范蠡如越，樂毅遊燕；故人君苟脩其道義，昭其德音，慎其威儀，審其教令，刑無頗僻，獄無放殘，仁愛普殷，惠澤流播，百官樂職，萬民得所，則賢者仰之如天地，愛之如親戚，樂之如塤箎，歆之如蘭芳，故其歸我也，猶決壅導滯水注之大壑，何不至之有？苟麤穢暴虐，馨香不登，讒邪在側，佞媚充朝，殺戮不辜，刑罰濫害，宮室崇侈，妻妾無度，撞鐘舞女，淫樂日縱，賦稅繁多，財力匱竭，百姓凍餓，死莩盈野，矜己自得，諫者被誅，內外震駭，遠近怨悲，則賢者之視我容貌也，如魍魎；臺殿也，如狴犴；采服也，如衰絰；絃歌也，如號哭；酒醴也，如滫滌；肴饌也，如糞土；從事舉錯，每無一善。彼之惡我也如是，其肯至哉？今不務明其義，而徒設其祿，可以獲小人，難以得君子。君子者、行不媮合，立不易方；不以天下枉道，不以樂生害仁，安可以祿誘哉？雖強搏執之而不獲已，亦杜口佯愚，苟免不暇，國之安危將何賴焉？故《》曰：「」此之謂也。 |
| | One who wishes to catch cicadas must focus on making the fire bright and shaking the tree. If the fire is not bright, even shaking the tree will be of no use. A ruler who can illuminate his virtue will find that all under heaven returns to him, just as cicadas return to the light of the fire. How well said! In the past, Yi Yin was among the fields and farmlands, rejoicing in the Way of Yao and Shun. When he heard that Chengtang was rising to power, he left Xia and went to Shang. Tai Gong avoided the evils of Zhouwang and lived by the shores of the East Sea. When he heard that Wen Wang was rising to power, Tai Gong also left Shang and went to Zhou. The next were Ning Qi who went to Qi, Bai Li Xi who entered Qin, Fan Li who went to Yue, and Yue Yi who traveled to Yan; Therefore, if a ruler cultivates the Way and righteousness, proclaims his virtue and reputation, observes proper dignity and decorum, issues careful edicts and commands, ensures that punishments are fair and not biased, and maintains just courts without cruelty or leniency, extends universal benevolence and love, spreads generous blessings, and brings joy to officials in their duties while ensuring the people find peace and satisfaction—then virtuous men will revere him as they do heaven and earth, cherish him like relatives, delight in his company as one does with harmonious musical instruments, and yearn for him as one longs for the fragrance of orchids. Thus, their coming to me would be like unblocking a dammed river so that its waters flow freely into the great abyss—how could there possibly be anyone who does not come? If a ruler is coarse, corrupt, and cruel, if his virtue does not rise like the fragrance of fine offerings, if sycophants and villains surround him in court, if he unjustly kills the innocent and inflicts excessive punishments that cause harm, if his palaces are excessively luxurious and his concubines indulge without restraint, if he clangs bells and dances with women while indulging in licentious pleasures day after day, if taxes and levies are heavy and resources exhausted, if the people suffer from cold and hunger while corpses litter the fields, if he is conceited and self-satisfied, punishing those who dare to advise him, causing terror within and without, and resentment near and far—then virtuous men would regard his appearance as they do a ghost or demon; his palaces and halls are like prisons; his colorful robes appear as if in mourning; the music of strings and songs sound like wailing cries; his wine and drinks are as foul as sewage. his delicacies appear like excrement and dirt; All his actions and decisions are devoid of a single virtue. If they regard me with such hatred, how could they possibly come? Nowadays, if one does not strive to clarify virtue and righteousness but merely offers salaries, it may attract the unworthy, yet it is difficult to gain the virtuous. Virtuous men do not act by furtively aligning with others and do not change their principles when standing firm. They will not distort the Way for the sake of power, nor sacrifice benevolence for the sake of life—how then could they be enticed by salaries? Even if one forcefully captures and restrains them, they cannot be won over; instead, they will close their mouths and pretend foolishness, merely seeking to escape trouble without further concern. On whom then can the state rely for its safety or peril? Therefore, the Shi Jing says: "When dignity and decorum are finally lost, the virtuous man lies as if dead." This is what it means.
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