The Right Company
故事全文
When Mencius came to the State of Song, he found that the Song Monarch was surrounded by only a few good ministers. So he planned to leave. Dai Bu-sheng, a high-ranking Song official, thought Mencius to be a man of exceptional talent, and did not want to see him leave. So, he told Mencius, “If you feel that there are too few good ministers serving the king, let me recommend Xue Ju-zhou to the king. He is a fine and upright man. Let us serve the State of Song together. What do you think?”
Mencius shook his head. Then, he sighed and said, “You wish for your king to become a wise and virtuous ruler, am I right? However, let me give you an example: if an official of Chu wishes his son to speak the Chi language, do you think he should hire a tutor from Chi or a tutor from Chu?”
Dai Bu-sheng replied, “He should hire a tutor from Chi, of course!” Mencius then said, “If he hired a tutor from Chi, but his son was surrounded by Chu people who spoke the Chu language all day, it would be impossible for his son to learn how to speak the Chi language, no matter how hard the tutor tried. However, if you take his son to the State of Chi to live there for a couple of years, no matter how hard you try, it would be impossible for his son to speak the Chu language.”
Mencius looked at Dai Bu-sheng and said, “You say that Xue Ju-zhou is a fine and upright man, and wish to enlist his help to counsel the king. However, if all the king’s ministers were as good as Xue Ju-zhou, regardless of age or rank, it would be impossible for the king to do bad things. On the other hand, if all the king’s ministers were corrupt, regardless of age or rank, it would be impossible for the king to do good things. Do you think Xue Ju-zhou alone can make the king wise and virtuous?” Upon hearing this, Dai Bu-sheng could only nod and agree with what Mencius said.
