Wang Ceng (978–1038AD) was a renowned prime minister and poet of the Northern Song dynasty. As prime minister, Wang Ceng never made a public show of either promoting or dismissing officials, to the extent that people were unaware of which individuals had been appointed or dismissed at his behest. The statesman Fan Zhongyan once said to Wang Ceng: “To publicly commend outstanding talents among the literati, and to recommend and appoint them, is an inescapable duty of a chancellor. You are a man of great virtue and prestige, deeply admired by the people; yet in this regard alone, it seems you have not fulfilled your proper duty.“ Wang Ceng replied: “As a minister in charge of governance, if I were to claim all the credit for appointing capable individuals, to whom then should the resentment and discontent (arising from those dismissed or not appointed) be attributed?” Fan Zhongyan was deeply impressed.
From: History of Song: Biography of Wang Ceng
Yang Hu (221–278AD) was a general of the Western Jin dynasty who led numerous campaigns against the Eastern Wu and was highly regarded by Emperor Wu of Jin. Later, Yang Hu left the front lines due to illness and returned to the court. He recommended Du Yu to Emperor Wu to succeed him in his post, and in the emperor’s presence, he burned the recommendation letter. Emperor Wu was quite perplexed and asked him, “Recommending capable individuals is a commendable act. Why, having recommended someone at court, did you burn your recommendation letter, preventing anyone from knowing?” Yang Hu replied, “The appointment of officials is a matter of great importance to the state. I would not want people to feel indebted to me because of my recommendation.”
From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
#19 王曾羊祜不市恩
王曾（978-1038年）是北宋名相、诗人。作为宰相，王曾无论是提拔还是罢免官员，都不会对外声张，以至于当时的人都不清楚哪些人是经他一手提拔或罢免的。范仲淹曾经对王曾说：“公开称赞士大夫中的杰出人才，推荐并任用他们，这是宰相不可推卸的责任。您德高望重，深受世人赞誉，唯独在这方面，似乎没有做出应有的作为。” 王曾回答说：“身为执政大臣，如果我把任用人才的恩惠都归到自己名下，那么那些（因不被任用或被罢免而产生的）怨恨和不满，又该归到谁头上呢？”范仲淹听了，非常佩服王曾的这番话。
出自《宋史 王曾传》
羊祜（221年—278年）是西晋的一位大将，曾多次率军攻打东吴，深受晋武帝司马炎的赏识。后来，羊祜因为病重离开前线回到朝廷，他向晋武帝推荐杜预接替自己的职务，并且当着皇帝的面把推荐信烧掉了。晋武帝很不理解，问他：“推荐贤能的人是好事，你为什么在朝中推荐了人，却要烧掉奏稿，不让人知道呢？”羊祜回答说：“官员的任命是国家的大事，如果让人因为被推荐而把恩情记在推荐人身上，这种事我是不做的。”
出自《三国演义》