To condemn those who differ and praise
those who agree(標同伐異)
(Eastern Jin Dynasty, 4th century China)
In the politically unstable Eastern Jin
Dynasty, three scholar-officials navigated a world where alliances meant
survival. Xie Shang, known for his generosity, wrote to his friend Yin Hao
requesting a government position for their mutual acquaintance Liu Dan.
"Liu Dan is talented," Xie argued
in his letter. "He deserves to govern Kuaiji Province."
Yin Hao's reply was sharp: "Liu
condemns those who differ and praises only those who agree. While this makes
him appear fiercely loyal like a warrior-errant, his methods burn bridges we
might need to cross later." He closed with a pointed question: "First
you lowered your standards to befriend him. Now you run errands for him. When
does this end?"
The bamboo scroll fell from Xie's hands. He
had overlooked how Liu's habit of attacking dissenters while rewarding
conformists - biao tong fa yi (標同伐異)as the saying went
- alienated potential allies. Yet in these turbulent times, wasn't unwavering
loyalty valuable? Or did true leadership require embracing different voices?
3 Discussion Questions:
Have you ever encountered "condemning those who differ while praising conformists" in modern workplaces/schools?
Should leaders prioritize loyal allies over critical thinkers? Where's the balance?
How might cultural differences affect
interpretations of "loyalty" vs. "exclusivity"?
標同伐異(To condemn those who differ and
praise those who agree)
在政治不穩定的東晉時期，三位士大夫在一個聯盟意味著生存的世界中摸索前進。謝尚以慷慨大方而聞名，他寫信給他的朋友殷浩，為他們共同的熟人劉惔請求一個政府職位。
謝尚在信中說道：“劉惔很有才華。” “他適合統治會稽省。”
殷浩的回答很犀利：“劉惔譴責那些持不同意見的人，只讚揚那些同意的人。雖然這讓他看起來像一個遊俠戰士一樣忠誠無比，但他的方法卻毀掉了我們以後可能需要跨越的橋樑。”他最後提出了一個尖銳的問題：“一開始你降低標準來和他交朋友。現在你又為他跑腿。這一切什麼時候才能結束？”
竹卷從謝手中落下。他忽視了劉惔攻擊異見者、獎勵順從者的習慣——俗話說「標同異」——如何疏遠了潛在的盟友。然而在這動盪的時代，堅定不移的忠誠不是很寶貴嗎？還是真正的領導力需要擁抱不同的聲音？
3 個討論問題：
你在現代工作場所/學校遇到「譴責持不同意見者，讚揚順從者」的現象嗎？
領導者是否應該優先考慮忠誠的盟友而不是批判性思考者？餘額在哪裡？
文化差異如何影響「忠誠」與「排他性」的解讀？
出處為世說新語-輕詆-10