Wisdom in Distinguishing Scriptures

Author: Sima Zhe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: There are many books in Chinese history that discuss the identification and utilization of people, but few are classics, and Bi Jing is one such rare classic. Bi Jing, originally titled Ren Wu Zhi (On Human Nature and Talent), was written by Liu Shao, a learned and talented person from the Wei Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Liu Shao was skilled in evaluating people. Chen Shou, in Records of the Three Kingdoms, described him as "extensive in learning, with both literary and practical qualities." Bi Jing is Liu Shao's masterpiece. This book has a profound historical and cultural foundation, integrating the essence of Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and other schools of thought. It offers unique insights and extensive discussions on the identification and utilization of people, elevating these ideas to an unprecedented level. In the Song Dynasty, Ruan Yi reviewed this book, saying, "If a king reads it, it becomes a mirror for understanding people; if a scholar reads it, it becomes a framework for cultivating character and self-improvement." In the 1930s, this book was translated into A Study of Human Abilities by the renowned American psychologist Robert Schlosser and published in the United States. It continues to have numerous researchers in Europe, America, and Japan, exerting significant influence. As a result, leaders throughout the ages have placed great importance on Bi Jing, which has been revered as the "Treasure Manual for Identifying and Utilizing People." Some have even praised it thus: Those who reflect on themselves can understand their destiny from it; those who care about the world can achieve great things from it; those who remain calm can discern clarity from it; and those who live in the world can correct their actions from it. Bi Jing is not only a specialized work in traditional Chinese talent studies but also holds the highest status among such works. At the same time, it fully reflects traditional Chinese management thought and aligns deeply with many modern management concepts. Therefore, based on practical needs, we have made three modifications to Bi Jing: First, we translated it into a language that is easy to read and suitable for the general public; second, we provided concise summaries and analyses for each chapter; third, we cited numerous historical examples for each method of evaluating people. These examples are famous historical cases, not only adding interest to the book but also helping readers deeply understand Bi Jing.