Listen to this articleshàngxián 尚贤
Exalt the Worthy
崇尚贤才。中国古代很多学派都提出过“尚贤”或类似的主张。“尚贤”即要求执政者崇尚贤能之士，并依据其德行、才能赋予相应的政治权力与地位，使其在国家治理中充分发挥其作用。良好的德才应成为选任官吏的优先原则。对儒家而言，“尚贤”是对“亲亲”原则的有益补充。墨家则将其作为实现“尚同”之治的重要条件。
In ancient China, many schools of thought advocated “exalting the worthy” or similar ideas. They asked those in power to employ worthy and able men and make effective use of them in governance by assigning them political power and positions corresponding to their virtues. Virtue and talent were to be the first and foremost criterion in selecting officials. To the Confucians, empowering the virtuous and able was a useful complement to loving and caring for kinsmen. To the Mohists, empowering the virtuous and able was an important prerequisite for governance that “conforms upwardly.”
引例 Citations：
◎故尚贤使能，等贵贱，分亲疏，序长幼，此先王之道也。（《荀子·君子》）
（因此崇尚贤才任用能人，使尊贵与卑贱有差等，使亲近与疏远有区分，使年长与年幼有次序，这就是先王遵行的原则。）
Thus, exalting the worthy and employing the capable, ranking the noble and the lowly, differentiating those close and distant, assigning precedence to old and young: this is the principle followed by former kings. (Xunzi)
◎故古者圣王甚尊尚贤，而任使能，不党父兄，不偏贵富，不嬖（bì）颜色。（《墨子·尚贤中》）
（因此古代的圣王十分推崇尚贤的原则，而任使贤能之人，不结党于父亲兄弟，不偏私于尊贵富有之人，不宠爱容貌姣好之人。）
Therefore, in antiquity the sage kings greatly honored the principle of exalting the worthy. They employed the virtuous and capable, forming no cliques with their fathers and brothers, showing no partiality to the rich and noble, nor favoring those with handsome features. (Mozi)
