四稱
The Four Weighings
Duke Huan asked Guan Zhong to describe rulers of old who possessed the Way and those who lacked it, as well as ministers who possessed the Way and those who lacked it. Guan Zhong described the virtuous ruler: respecting mountains, rivers, and ancestral temples; gathering the loyal and enriching them; placing sages before him and the upright beside him. The wicked ruler: enlarging palaces and raising terraces; dismissing good ministers and harboring slanderers; neglecting governance in darkness like night; advancing his flatterers, multiplying his bells and drums; executing good ministers and debauching women. The virtuous minister: serving the ruler with duty, governing subordinates with propriety; loyal to the state with proper conduct; advancing remonstrance without hesitation even at risk of death. The wicked minister: entering service yet currying favor with those around the ruler; advancing through flattery, never retreating; enriching bribes while cheapening rank; when the ruler has faults, each saves his own skin.