任人唯贤

任人唯賢
rènrénwéixián
idiom #94,383

Meanings

  1. 1 to appoint people solely on merit
  2. 2 to choose people based on ability and integrity

Examples

Hǎo de lǐngdǎo yīnggāi rènrénwéixián, ér bùshì rènrénwéiqīn.
Good leaders should appoint people on merit, not on personal connections.
Gōngsī néng fāzhǎn dào jīntiān, kào de shì rènrénwéixián de yòngrén zhìdù.
The company has grown to where it is today thanks to its merit-based hiring system.

Tips

history
From the 《尚书·》: — 'Appoint officials only by their virtue and ability.' One of the earliest classical principles of Chinese governance.
mistakes
Almost always paired in contrast with its opposite 任人唯亲 ('appoint people based on personal connections'). Mixing them up reverses your meaning entirely.

Stroke Order

rèn
rén
wéi
xián