Kong Ming "recommended" the sage and the revelation

In order to relieve the worries of the Northern Expedition and go to Wei with all his heart, Zhuge Liang recommended a group of trustworthy civilian and military generals to the Later Lord in the "Table of Renunciation" presented to the Later Lord Liu Chan on the occasion of the Northern Expedition. From this, we can see Zhuge Liang's concept of recommending the sages. So what are the reasons or criteria for Zhuge Liang's recommendation of the sage, and what kind of enlightenment does it have for us today's "recommendation" and "being recommended"? This is described below.

Zhuge Liang recommended Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and others because they were "all good and honest, and their ambitions were loyal and pure"; the reason for recommending the general Xiang Yu was because he was "gentle in temperament and militaristic in Xiaochang". In short, "Shizhong, Shangshu, Changshi, and Joining the Army", they are all some "ministers of the Festival of Zhenliang Death". It is not difficult to see from this that the reason for Zhuge Liang's "selection of talents and ability" has the following characteristics:

First, the nature of the magnate must be good

Originally, "at the beginning of man, nature is good." But there is no vacuum in the realities of life. It is difficult to say that people are not affected by others or tempted by interests in a specific living environment. In any case, no matter what the living environment is, to be able to "get out of the mud without staining" and always maintain the essence of kindness unchanged, this is the quality that a virtuous person should have, and it is also very rare, she is the premise and guarantee for doing any job well. The good nature of the essence of the good person will never be "evil and small" because of it, nor will it be "good and small and not do it". Therefore, the Wenchen Wu recommended by Zhuge Liang for the later lord Liu Chan first looked at the good nature of "goodness" and "Shu Jun" that they possessed.

Second, the virtuous must have certain expertise

Whether it can be competent for a specific job in a certain field depends on whether it has expertise or expertise in a certain area. This is the core of the magi. Zhuge Liang is about to go to the Northern Expedition, so the officials responsible for specific work matters such as the security of the "Palace Palace" must be proficient, proficient in business, and have certain professional skills, otherwise it will be difficult to be competent. And the general Xiang Pet is precisely because of "Xiao Chang military", "applicable to the past" and has been highly praised and affirmed by the previous emperors, so who is the best person responsible for "the affairs of the camp", naturally it is he who recommends Xiang Pet.

Third, the virtuous can make the greatest sacrifices

To achieve the grand goal of "reviving the Han Dynasty and returning to the old capital", it is not only necessary for the "ministers of the guards" to "relentlessly inside" and "loyal soldiers" to "forget themselves from the outside", but also to have the spirit and courage of the "death knot", that is to say, to be able to have the spirit of making the greatest self-sacrifice, even including sacrificing their own lives. Being able to "lay down one's life for the country" is not something that anyone can do at any time. This is the supreme state of the virtuous. Therefore, Zhuge Liang recommended them to help the Later Lord Liu Chan to fully govern the internal affairs of the Shu state on the occasion of the Northern Expedition. This is the most important point to ensure the stability of the Rear of the Shu Han Dynasty.

What kind of enlightenment can Zhuge Liang's "meritocracy and recommendation ability" give us today? First of all, it is necessary to appoint meritocracy, meritocracy is to lift, and nepotism must not be nepotism. Even if the sage does not shy away from relatives, the "pro- one" should also have the characteristics of a virtuous person to avoid criticism behind his back. More often, it is often in the situation of being recommended, which requires that the "recommended person" must have excellent quality, good quality, morality, strong ability, expertise, active and willing to contribute. Opportunity always favors those who are prepared. Only by cultivating a good personal good character, cultivating solid and excellent professional skills, and having the mental preparation to endure hardships and stand hard work, when the opportunity comes and once it is "recommended", I believe that it will be able to succeed as desired.