Office and Position (Di Wei)

Rank read from clarity

The companion chapter to the previous one, moving from entry into office. Its recurring measure is the same: high rank goes with a natural clear qi that issues real authority; the military man is read from blade and killer; the regional administrator from wealth and officer in harmony. Whether a career sits at the top of the hall or among the ranks below is decided, in the text's final line, by no more than the proportion of clarity to turbidity. Structure determines position — not the other way round.