楚王问于范环
Chu’s King Asked Fan Huan a Question
【原文】
楚王问于范环曰寡人欲置相于秦，孰可？”对曰臣不足以知 之/’王曰广吾相甘茂可乎？”范环对曰：“不可。”王曰：“何也？”曰广夫史举，上蔡之监门也，大不知事君，小不知处室，以苛廉闻于世。甘茂事 之,顺焉。故惠王之明，武王之察，张仪之好谮，甘茂事之，取十官而无 罪。茂诚贤者也！然而不可相秦。秦之有贤相也，非楚国之利也。且 王尝用滑于越而纳句章，昧之难，越乱，故楚南察瀨胡而野江东。计王 之功所以能如此者，越乱而楚治也々今王以用之于越矣，而忘之于秦, 臣以为王钜速忘矣！王若欲置相于秦乎？若公孙郝者可。夫公孙郝之 于秦王，亲也。少与之同衣，长与之同车，被王衣以听事，真大王之相已！王相之，楚国之大利也。”
【今译】
楚王问范环：“我想安排一个人做秦国的相国，找谁可以呢？”范环 回答说我不知道这种事情楚王说我让甘茂做秦国相国，可以 吗？”范环回答说不可以。" 楚王问为什么？”范环说：“就说史举吧，他是上蔡的守门人，从大的方面讲不侍奉君主，从小的方面讲不知道治 家，以苛刻廉洁闻名于世。甘茂侍奉他的时候也能顺应他的心意行事d 所以，凭着秦惠王的英明、秦武王的明察、张仪的好诋毁别人，甘茂侍奉 他们，历任十种官职而没有犯下任何罪过。甘茂是个贤人，然而不可以 让他做秦国的相国。秦国拥有贤明的相国，对楚国是不利的。况且大 王曾经任用召滑做越国的相国而取得了句章f昧地一战，越国大乱，所 以楚军在濑胡取胜并且把江东设置为郡，估量大王的功绩，之所以能 达到这个程度，是因为越国混乱而楚国治理得好的缘故。如今大王在 越国推行了这一策略，却忘了在秦国推行它，我认为大王太健忘了。大 王想安排人做秦国的相国吗？像公孙郝这个人就可以。公孙郝跟秦王 的关系非常亲密。他小时候穿秦王的衣服，长大了坐秦王的车子，披着秦王的衣服来处理国事，这才真是大王所应任命的相国呢.大王任用他为秦相，对楚国非常有利啊
The king of the state of Chu asked Fan Huan，“I am going to appoint someone to be prime minister of the state of Qin. Whom do you think I should appoint?” Fan Huan replieds “I am not wise enough to know the answer of this question." The king asked further, “Can I appoint Gan Mao to be Qin’s prime minister?” Fan Huan repliedt “No，you shouldn’t appoint him." The king asked，“Why not?，Fan Huan said, “Shi Ju used to be the officer safeguarding the gate of the city of Shangcai. He didn’t know how to serve the sovereign. Nor did he know how to treat his own family. He was known because of his rigour and probity. When Gan Mao served him，he would do anything according to Shi’s will. Hence，although King Hui was wise, King Wu was astute, and Zhang Yi was inclined to slander others，when Gan Mao served these people，he took ten different positions without once offending them* Certainly Gan Mao is very worthy. However，you shouldn’t appoint him to be prime minister of the state of Qin, If Qin has a worthy prime minister，it is very disadvantageous to our state. You appointed Zhao Hua to be prime minister of the state of Yue and as a result took over the region of Gouzhang, During the war in Mei，the state of Yue was in chaos. So the troops of Chu defeated Yue in Laihu and make Jiangdong r Jun of our state. The reason why Your Majesty’s achievements have reached such a high level lies in the fact that the state of Yue was in chaos but our state was in perfect order. Your Majesty applied this policy in Yue but forgot to do so in Qin. I think you really have a short memory! Do you really want to appoint someone to be prime minister of the state of Qin? Then Gongsun Hao should be the correct one for this position, Gongsun Hao and the king of the state of Qin are close to each other. The king shared his clothes with Gongsun Hao during their childhood. After they grew up，they took the same carriage whenever they went out. Gongsun Hao wears the king's robes while handling government affairs. He really is the right person for Your Majesty! If you appoint him to be Qin's prime minister, it will be a huge benefit to our state. ”