《魏书·列传·卷五十》
李彪说： 我听典籍上说： 五帝的臣子，臣不如君，所以君主亲自独揽天下大事；三王君臣智力相当，所以君臣共理天下机务；五霸臣子智力超过君主，所以事情由下面决定。 
彪曰： 我闻载籍：五帝之臣，臣不若君，故君亲揽其事；三王君臣智等，故共理机务；五霸臣过于君，故事决于下。
Li Biao said: I heard from the classics: For the vassals of the Five Emperors, the subject was not as good as the monarch, so the monarch personally took charge of all the major affairs in the world; the monarchs and subjects of the Three Kings had equal intelligence, so the monarchs and subjects co-managed all the affairs of the world; the vassals of the Five Hegemons were more intelligent than the monarchs, so the matters were decided by the lower levels.