Mencius. Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 7.
1. Mencius, having an interview with the King Seuen of Ts'e, said to him: "When men speak of 'an ancient kingdom,' it is not meant thereby that it has lofty trees in it, but that it has ministers sprung from families which have been noted in it for generations. Your Majesty has no intimate ministers even. Those who you advanced yesterday are gone today, and you do not know it."
2. The king said, "How shall I know that they have not ability, and so avoid employing them at all?"
3. The reply was, "The ruler of a state advances to office men of talents and virtue, only as a matter of necessity. Since he will thereby cause the low to overstep the honorable, and strangers to overstep his relatives, may he do so but with caution?
4. "When all those about you say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and worth,' you may not for that believe it. When your great officers all say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and virtue,' neither may you for that believe it. When all the people say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and virtue,' then examine into the case, and when you find that the man is such, employ him. When all those about you say, 'This man won't do,' then examine into the case, and when you find that the man won't do, send him away.
5. "When all those about you say, ‹ 'This man deserves death,' don't listen to them. When all your great officers say, ‹ 'This man deserves death,' don't listen to them. When the people all say, 'This man deserves death,' then inquire into the case, and when you see that the man deserves death, put him to death. In accordance with this we have the saying, 'The people killed him.'
6. "You must act in this way in order to be the parent of the people."
1. Mencius, having an interview with the King Seuen of Ts'e, said to him: "When men speak of 'an ancient kingdom,' it is not meant thereby that it has lofty trees in it, but that it has ministers sprung from families which have been noted in it for generations. Your Majesty has no intimate ministers even. Those who you advanced yesterday are gone today, and you do not know it."
2. The king said, "How shall I know that they have not ability, and so avoid employing them at all?"
3. The reply was, "The ruler of a state advances to office men of talents and virtue, only as a matter of necessity. Since he will thereby cause the low to overstep the honorable, and strangers to overstep his relatives, may he do so but with caution?
4. "When all those about you say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and worth,' you may not for that believe it. When your great officers all say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and virtue,' neither may you for that believe it. When all the people say, ‹ 'This is a man of talents and virtue,' then examine into the case, and when you find that the man is such, employ him. When all those about you say, 'This man won't do,' then examine into the case, and when you find that the man won't do, send him away.
5. "When all those about you say, ‹ 'This man deserves death,' don't listen to them. When all your great officers say, ‹ 'This man deserves death,' don't listen to them. When the people all say, 'This man deserves death,' then inquire into the case, and when you see that the man deserves death, put him to death. In accordance with this we have the saying, 'The people killed him.'
6. "You must act in this way in order to be the parent of the people."
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Text source: The Works of Mencius. Translated by James Legge.
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