The Qin Shi (in the Book of Documents) says:
“If there is a minister – simple and sincere, possessing no special talents,
yet his heart is broad, peaceful, and truly capacious.
When others have ability, he rejoices as if it were his own;
when others are virtuous and wise, he genuinely admires them,
praising them even more fervently than they would praise themselves.
Such a person can truly embrace talent,
and thus protect my descendants and the common people – truly a great benefit!
But if someone, upon seeing another’s talent, responds with envy and hatred;
and upon encountering the wise and virtuous, deliberately obstructs them so they cannot advance –
such a person truly lacks capacity for tolerance,
and therefore cannot safeguard my descendants and the people – this is indeed perilous!”
Only the benevolent person will banish such individuals,
exiling them to the four distant frontiers, refusing to let them dwell among the civilized center.
This is what is meant by: “Only the benevolent can truly love (the good) and truly hate (the evil).”
To see the worthy and fail to recommend them – or to recommend them but not prioritize them – is to miss one’s destiny.
To see the unworthy and fail to remove them – or to remove them but not keep them at a distance – is a fault.
To delight in what others detest, and detest what others delight in –
this is to go against human nature, and disaster will surely befall oneself.
Thus, the gentleman follows the Great Way:
he attains it through loyalty and trustworthiness,
and loses it through arrogance and indulgence.
《秦誓》曰：「若有一個臣，斷斷兮無他技，其心休休焉，其如有容焉。
人之有技，若己有之；人之彥聖，其心好之，不啻若自其口出。
實能容之，以能保我子孫黎民，尚亦有利哉！
人之有技，媢嫉以惡之；人之彥聖，而違之俾不通。
實不能容，以不能保我子孫黎民，亦曰殆哉！」
唯仁人放流之，迸諸四夷，不與同中國，此謂唯仁人為能愛人，能惡人。
見賢而不能舉，舉而不能先，命也；
見不善而不能退，退而不能遠，過也。
好人之所惡，惡人之所好，是謂拂人之性，災必逮夫身。
是故君子有大道，必忠信以得之，驕泰以失之。
Note
This passage, drawing on the contrast in the Qin Shi, profoundly reveals the dual Confucian political responsibility: to embrace the worthy and expel the wicked – and articulates the dialectical wisdom that “only the benevolent can truly love and truly hate.”
First, the Qin Shi presents two types of ministers as mirrors: one, though lacking extraordinary skills, possesses a generous heart that delights in others’ virtues – thus becoming a treasure to the state; the other, consumed by jealousy, blocks the advancement of the talented – thereby endangering the realm. This shows that effective governance depends not on individual brilliance, but on the capacity to welcome and promote talent – public-mindedness outweighs private ability.
Second, the statement “only the benevolent can truly love and truly hate” carries deep significance. Confucian ren (benevolence) is not blind tolerance, but a morally discerning love and aversion grounded in righteousness. The true benevolent person, being selfless, acts with impartiality: loving the virtuous out of justice, hating the corrupt out of commitment to the Way (Dao). Thus, exiling the petty is not personal vengeance, but a necessary act to preserve the moral ecology of governance.
Furthermore, The Great Learning sets forth practical criteria for personnel management: promote the worthy with priority; remove the unworthy with finality. Merely nominating without empowering, or dismissing without distancing, both constitute dereliction of duty – highlighting Confucianism’s emphasis on effective institutional implementation.
Finally, the warning – “to delight in what others detest and detest what others delight in is to violate human nature” – cautions rulers against defying public sentiment and common sense. The will of the people reflects Heavenly Principle; to oppose collective reason invites calamity. And the concluding maxim – “attained through loyalty and trustworthiness, lost through arrogance and indulgence” – underscores that the Great Way rests on inner virtue: once pride takes hold, even past achievements collapse.
As Zhu Xi notes in his Collected Commentaries on The Great Learning, this section teaches that “in governing the state and pacifying the world, nothing is more fundamental than appointing the right people” – and the root of proper appointments lies in the ruler’s own moral cultivation and impartial heart.
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