Elevating the Worthy

T he rulers of today, the great lords governing their states, all want the same three things: a rich state, a populous one, and law and order. And yet what they get is poverty instead of wealth, a thinning population instead of a full one, disorder instead of order. They have missed the very thing they wanted and landed on the thing they hate. Why? Ask the question plainly, because the answer is the whole point. The rulers and great men of today who govern the states all desire their states to be wealthy, their people to be numerous, and their administration of justice to be orderly. Yet what they get is not wealth but poverty, not a numerous people but a sparse one, not order but disorder. So they fundamentally lose what they desired and obtain what they detest. What is the reason for this?

Here is the reason. The great lords governing their states cannot govern by honoring the worthy and employing the able. It is simple bookkeeping. Where a state has many worthy and able men, its order runs deep; where it has few, its order runs thin. So the one task that should occupy a ruler is this: multiply the worthy men in his state. Everything else follows from that, or fails for the lack of it. The reason lies in this: the rulers and great men who govern the states are unable to govern by honoring the worthy and employing the able. Thus when a state has many worthy and good officers, the order of the state is thick; when worthy and good officers are few, the order of the state is thin. So the task of the great man lies simply in making the worthy numerous.

So how do you multiply worthy men? Think about it concretely. Suppose you wanted more crack archers and charioteers in your state. You would make them rich, give them rank, treat them with respect, sing their praises — and then, of course, good archers and charioteers would turn up in numbers. Now a worthy man, deep in character, sharp in argument, broad in the arts of governing, is worth far more than that. He is the treasure of the state, the support of the altars of soil and grain. Treat him the same way. Make him rich, give him rank, respect him, praise him, and the good men of the state will come. Then by what method are the worthy made numerous? Mozi said: suppose you wished to increase the good archers and charioteers of your state — you would surely enrich them, ennoble them, respect them, and praise them, and then the good archers and charioteers of the state could be obtained in numbers. How much more so for the worthy and good men, rich in virtuous conduct, skilled in discourse, broad in the arts of the Way. These are truly the treasure of the state and the helpers of the altars of soil and grain. They too must be enriched, ennobled, respected, and praised, and then the good men of the state can likewise be obtained in numbers.

“If a man is able, raise him; if he is not, bring him down. Advance the common good, set private grudges aside.”

The ancient sage-kings governed by a rule they said out loud: do wrong, and you will not be made rich; do wrong, and you will not be made noble; do wrong, and you will not be taken as kin; do wrong, and you will not be brought near. When the rich and titled heard it, they went home and rethought everything: what I counted on was my money and rank — but now the ruler raises men by righteousness and does not exempt the poor and low. I had better start doing right. The favorites heard it, and thought the same: my closeness counted for nothing now; I had better do right. And so it spread, ring by ring, out to the officials in the far districts, the palace stewards, the common people of the capital, the peasants of the four borders — all of them competing to do right. Why did it spread? Because what the ruler used to move the people below him was a single thing: righteousness. Thus the ancient sage-kings, in governing, said: 'The unrighteous shall not be enriched, the unrighteous shall not be ennobled, the unrighteous shall not be treated as kin, the unrighteous shall not be brought near.' So when the rich and noble of the state heard it, they all withdrew and deliberated: 'What I first relied on was wealth and rank. Now the ruler raises up righteousness and does not exclude the poor and humble — then I cannot but do righteousness.' Those who were close kin heard it and likewise deliberated; those who were favored heard it and likewise deliberated; and out to the ministers of the far districts, the palace stewards, the common people of the capital, and the common folk of the four borders — hearing it, all competed to do righteousness. What is the reason? The means by which the ruler directs those below is one thing; the means by which those below serve the ruler is one art.

This is how the ancient sage-kings governed: they ranked men by character and elevated the worthy. Even a man out among the farmers or working in a craftsman's shop — if he was able, they raised him up. They gave him high rank, a heavy salary, real work to do, and the authority to issue orders. Because, they said, if his rank is not high the people will not respect him; if his salary is not generous the people will not trust him; if his orders are not final the people will not fear him. These three were handed to the worthy man not as a gift to him but because the work needed to get done. So the ancient sage-kings, in governing, ranked men by virtue and honored the worthy. Even one among the farmers or the artisans of the workshops, if he had ability, was raised up: given high rank, granted a heavy salary, entrusted with affairs, and given the power of decisive command. For they said: 'If his rank is not high, the people will not respect him; if his salary is not generous, the people will not trust him; if his orders are not decisive, the people will not fear him.' These three were conferred on the worthy not as a reward to the worthy, but because they wished the work to succeed.

So in those days office was assigned by character, duty by office, reward by effort; salary was measured out against what a man actually achieved. Which means: no office was permanently noble, and no commoner was permanently low. If a man is able, raise him; if he is not, bring him down. Advance the common good, set private grudges aside. That was the whole of it. So at that time, men were placed in rank according to virtue, were assigned duties according to office, were rewarded according to their labor, and salary was apportioned by measuring achievement. Therefore office was not always noble, and the people were not forever base. If a man had ability he was raised; if he had none he was brought down. The common good was advanced and private grudges set aside — this is what is meant.

The sage-kings did exactly this, by name. Yao found Shun on the sunny side of Lake Fuze and handed him the government, and the realm was at peace. Yu raised Yi from a hidden corner of the land and handed him the government, and the Nine Provinces were finished. Tang raised Yi Yin out of the kitchen and handed him the government, and his plans succeeded. King Wen raised Hong Yao and Tai Dian from among the hunters' nets and handed them the government, and the western lands submitted. In that age, even ministers already drawing fat salaries and high seats did their work in awe of it, and even men out among the farmers and craftsmen spurred each other on toward higher things. So in ancient times Yao raised Shun from the sunny side of Lake Fuze and entrusted him with government, and all under Heaven was at peace. Yu raised Yi from the hidden region and entrusted him with government, and the Nine Provinces were completed. Tang raised Yi Yin from the kitchen and entrusted him with government, and his plans succeeded. King Wen raised Hong Yao and Tai Dian from among the hunting nets and entrusted them with government, and the western lands submitted. In that age, even ministers of generous salary and honored position did not fail to act in reverent awe, and even those among the farmers and artisans did not fail to strive in emulation.

Look at how these same lords behave over small things. A ruler with a cow or sheep he cannot butcher will go find a good butcher. With cloth he cannot cut, he sends for a good tailor. Here he will not use his own blood relative, or some rich nobody, or a man with a handsome face, if he knows the man cannot do the job — because he is afraid of ruining the goods. A sick horse he cannot cure, a stiff bow he cannot string — again he hunts down a good vet, a good bowyer, and again he will not hand the work to a useless relative, however well-connected or good-looking. Over a cow, a bolt of cloth, a horse, a bow, he honors the worthy and employs the able without fail. When the rulers and great men have a cow or a sheep they cannot slaughter, they will surely seek out a good butcher; when they have cloth they cannot cut, they will surely seek out a good tailor. In these matters, even if there is a blood relative, or one rich and noble for no reason, or one of handsome face, knowing truly that he is not able, they will not employ him. Why? They fear he will ruin the goods. A worn-out horse they cannot treat — they seek a good physician; a dangerous bow they cannot draw — they seek a good craftsman. Here too, even a blood relative, the undeservedly rich and noble, or the handsome of face, knowing he is not able, they will surely not employ. Why? They fear he will ruin the goods.

But when it comes to the state itself, they do the opposite. The blood relative, the rich nobody, the good-looking favorite — these are exactly the men they raise up. Which means a ruler cares less about his own state than about a single stiff bow or worn-out horse, a bolt of cloth, a cow or a sheep. Set it side by side and that is what it comes to. It is like making a mute man your envoy and a deaf man your music master: the one job that most needs the right ability is the one job they fill by birth and face. But when it comes to their state, it is not so: the blood relative, the undeservedly rich and noble, the handsome of face — these they raise up. Then do the rulers care for their state less than for a single dangerous bow, a worn-out horse, a piece of cloth, a cow or sheep? By this I know the gentlemen of the world are clear about small matters and unclear about great ones. This is like making a mute man a messenger or a deaf man a music master.

So when the ancient sage-kings governed the realm, the men they made rich and gave rank to were not necessarily blood relatives, or the well-born, or the handsome. Shun farmed at Mount Li, made pots by the riverbank, fished at Lake Lei — Yao found him on the sunny side of Lake Fuze, set him up as Son of Heaven, and put the government of the realm in his hands. Yi Yin had been a serving-woman's household servant and worked as a cook; Tang found him and raised him to the highest office. Fu Yue lived out on a sandbank in coarse cloth tied with rope, doing hired labor at the building-frame at Fuyan; Wu Ding found him and raised him to the highest office. Were any of these men chosen for their blood, their inherited wealth, their good looks? No. They were chosen because the ruler could take their words, use their plans, walk their way — and so was able to benefit Heaven above, the spirits in the middle, and the people below. So when the ancient sage-kings governed all under Heaven, those they enriched and ennobled were not necessarily blood relatives, the undeservedly rich and noble, or the handsome of face. Shun farmed at Mount Li, made pottery by the river, fished at Lake Lei; Yao found him on the sunny side of Lake Fuze, set him up as Son of Heaven, and had him take charge of governing all under Heaven and ordering its people. Yi Yin was a household servant to the daughter of the Xin clan and served as a cook; Tang found and raised him, establishing him among the Three Dukes. Fu Yue dwelt on a sandbank by the northern sea, in coarse cloth bound with rope, doing hired building-work at the wall of Fuyan; Wu Ding found and raised him, establishing him among the Three Dukes. Were these chosen as blood relatives, the undeservedly rich and noble, or the handsome of face? Only that the ruler took their words, used their plans, and walked their way, so as to benefit Heaven above, the spirits in the middle, and the people below — and therefore promoted them.

When reward does not match worth and punishment does not match cruelty, when the men you reward have done nothing to earn it and the men you punish have done nothing wrong, the people see it. They let their hearts go slack and their bodies go limp; they stop trying to do good. They let the strength in their arms and legs go to waste and will not work for one another; they let surplus goods rot rather than share them; they sit on good ideas and will not teach them. And then the hungry go unfed, the cold go unclothed, the disordered go unruled. Thus when reward does not fall on the worthy and punishment does not fall on the cruel — when those rewarded have done nothing to deserve it and those punished have committed no crime — then the people all let their hearts go loose and their bodies slack, and are discouraged from doing good. They let the strength of their limbs hang idle and do not labor for one another; they let surplus goods rot and stink and do not share them; they hide away good doctrines and do not teach one another. In this case the hungry get no food, the cold no clothing, the disordered no order.

So put it as plainly as it can be put. The strong should wear themselves out helping others; those with means should put themselves out sharing with others; those who know the way should press to teach it. Do that, and the hungry get fed, the cold get clothed, the disordered get ordered. Honoring the worthy benefits Heaven, the spirits, and the people all at once. It is the root of government. There is nothing here a serious ruler can afford not to examine. So the man with strength should be eager to help others; the man with wealth should strive to share with others; the man with the Way should be moved to teach others. In this way the hungry will get food, the cold will get clothing, the disordered will get order. Honoring the worthy is the benefit of Heaven, the spirits, and the people, and the root of government. The gentlemen of the world, who truly wish to practice benevolence and righteousness and to be high officers, who wish above to accord with the way of the sage-kings and below to accord with the benefit of the state and its people, cannot but examine this.

尚賢 The original Chinese · honored as an artifact

今者王公大人為政於國家者，皆欲國家之富，人民之眾，刑政之治。

Opening lines, classical Chinese · The Mozi 墨子