舉賢

King Wen asked Taigong: 'A ruler devotes himself to elevating the worthy, yet fails to achieve results — the world grows ever more chaotic until it reaches the point of danger and ruin. Why is this?' Taigong said: 'He elevates the worthy but does not employ them. He has the name of elevating the worthy but not the reality of using them.' King Wen asked: 'Where does the fault lie?' Taigong said: 'The fault lies in the ruler's preference for those whom popular opinion praises, rather than obtaining the truly worthy.'

King Wen asked: 'How so?' Taigong said: 'When the ruler takes those praised by popular opinion to be worthy and those criticized by popular opinion to be unworthy, then those with many partisans advance and those with few partisans are pushed aside. When this happens, cliques of the wicked band together to obstruct the worthy. Loyal ministers are put to death though innocent, while treacherous ministers obtain rank and office through hollow praise. This is why the world grows ever more chaotic and the state cannot escape danger and ruin.' King Wen asked: 'How then does one elevate the worthy?' Taigong said: 'The generals and chancellors divide their responsibilities, and each recommends men according to their official titles. Examine the name and verify the substance. Select talent and assess ability. Ensure that the substance matches the name and the name matches the substance — then you have attained the way of elevating the worthy.'