Chapter 1: Embodying the Tao
1. The Tao that can be trodden is not
the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring
and unchanging name.
2.
(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth;
(conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.
Always
without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if
desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.
4. Under
these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it
receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the
Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.
Chapter 2: The Nourishment of the
Person.
1. All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and
in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill
of the skilful, and in doing this
2. So it
is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the
other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that
length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the
ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other;
that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one
with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following
another.
3. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing
anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.
4. All
things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they
grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their
processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work
is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see; 'Tis this that
makes the power not cease to be.
Rest.
1. Not to
value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from
rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure
is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely
to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.
2. Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government,
empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens
their bones.
3. He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge
and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them
from presuming to act (on it). When there is this abstinence from action, good
order is universal.
Chapter 4: The Fountainless.
1. The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our
employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and
unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!
2. We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications
of things; we should attemper our brightness, and bring ourselves into
agreement with the obscurity of others. How pure and still the Tao is, as if it
would ever so continue!
3. I do not know whose son it is. It might appear to have
been before God.
Chapter 5: The Use of Emptiness.
1. Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any
wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt
with. The sages do not act from (any wish to be) benevolent; they deal with the
people as the dogs of grass are dealt with.
2. May not the space between
heaven and earth be compared to a bellows?
'Tis
emptied, yet it loses not its power; 'Tis moved again, and sends forth air the
more.
Much speech to swift exhaustion lead we see;
Your inner being guard, and
keep it free.
Chapter 6: The Completion of
Material Forms.
The valley
spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate,
from which at first they issued
forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and
without the touch of pain.
Chapter 7: Sheathing the Light.
1. Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The
reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because
they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are able to continue
and endure.
2.
Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the
foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that
person is preserved. Is it not because he has no personal and private ends,
that therefore such ends are realised?
Chapter 8: The Placid and Contented
Nature.
1. The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The
excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying,
without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike. Hence
(its way) is near to (that of) the Tao.
2. The
excellence of a residence is in (the suitability of) the place; that of the
mind is in abysmal stillness; that of associations is in their being with the
virtuous; that of government is in its securing good order; that of (the
conduct of) affairs is in its ability; and that of (the initiation of) any
movement is in its timeliness.
3. And when (one with the
highest excellence) does not wrangle (about his low position), no one finds
fault with him.
Chapter 9: [That fullness and complacency in success are
contrary to the Tao.]
1. It is better to leave a vessel
unfilled, than to attempt to carry it
when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point
cannot long preserve its sharpness.
2. When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor
cannot keep them safe. When wealth and honours lead to arrogancy, this brings
its evil on itself. When the work is done, and one's name is becoming
distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.
Chapter 10: Possibilities.
1. When the intelligent and animal souls are held together
in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided
attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy,
he can become as a (tender) babe. When he has cleansed away the most mysterious
sights (of his imagination), he can become without a flaw.
2. In
loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed without any (purpose
of) action? In the opening and shutting of his gates of heaven, cannot he do so
as a female bird? While his intelligence
3. (The Tao) produces (all
things) and nourishes them; it produces them and does not claim them as its own;
it does all, and yet does not boast of it; it presides over all, and yet does
not control them. This is what is called 'The mysterious Quality' (of the Tao).
Chapter 11: The Use of what has no Substantive Existence.
The thirty
spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that
the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on
their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are cut
out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space
(within), that its use depends. Therefore, what has a (positive) existence
serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for (actual)
usefulness.
Desires.
Colour's
five hues from th' eyes their sight will take;
Music's
five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of
taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste Make mad the mind; and objects
rare and strange,
Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change.
2.
Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the
(insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to
seek the former. Chapter 13: Loathing Shame.
1. Favour
and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be
regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind).
2. What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace?
Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The
getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing
it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):-- this is what is meant by
saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
3. And what is meant by
saying that honour and great calamity are to be
(similarly) regarded as personal conditions? What makes me liable
to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the
body, what great calamity could come to me?
4. Therefore he who would administer the kingdom,
honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he
who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be
entrusted with it.
Chapter 13: Loathing Shame.
1. Favour
and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be
regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind).
2. What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace?
Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The
getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing
it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):-- this is what is meant by
saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
3. And what is meant by
saying that honour and great calamity are to be (similarly) regarded as
personal conditions?
What makes me liable to great
calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body,
what great calamity could come to me?
4. Therefore he who would administer the kingdom,
honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he
who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be
entrusted with it.
Chapter 14: The Manifestation of the
Mystery.
1. We look
at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.' We listen to it, and
we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.' We try to grasp it, and do
not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.' With these three qualities, it
cannot be made the subject of description; and hence we blend them together and
obtain The One.
2. Its upper part is not
bright, and its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless in its action, it yet
cannot be named, and then it again returns and becomes nothing. This is called
the Form of the Formless, and the Semblance of the Invisible; this is called the
3. We meet it and do not see its Front; we follow it, and
do not see its Back. When we can lay hold of the Tao of old to direct the
things of the present day, and are able to know it as it was of old in the
beginning, this is called (unwinding) the clue of Tao.
Chapter 15: The Exhibition of the
Quality.
1. The skilful masters (of the Tao) in old times, with a
subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries, and were deep
(also) so as to elude men's knowledge. As they were thus beyond men's
knowledge, I will make an effort to describe of what sort they appeared to be.
2.
Shrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream in winter;
irresolute like those who are afraid of all around them; grave like a guest (in
awe of his host); evanescent like ice that is melting away; unpretentious like
wood that has not been fashioned into anything; vacant like a valley, and dull
like muddy water.
3. Who can (make) the muddy water
(clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear. Who can secure
the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will
gradually arise.
4. They who preserve this
method of the Tao do not wish to be full (of themselves). It is through their
not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear
new and complete.
Chapter 16: Returning to the Root.
1. The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost
degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike
go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their
original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their
luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root. This returning to
their root is what we call the state of stillness; and that stillness may be
called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end.
2. The
report of that fulfilment is the regular, unchanging rule. To know that
unchanging rule is to be intelligent; not to know it leads to wild movements
and evil issues. The knowledge of that unchanging rule produces a (grand)
capacity and forbearance,
and that
capacity and forbearance lead to a community (of feeling with all things). From
this community of feeling comes a kingliness of character; and he who is
king-like goes on to be heaven-like. In that likeness to heaven he possesses
the Tao. Possessed of the Tao, he endures long; and to the end of his bodily
life, is exempt from all danger of decay.
Chapter 17: The Unadulterated
Influence.
1. In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know
that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised
them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was
that when faith (in the Tao) was deficient (in the rulers) a want of faith in
them ensued (in the people).
2. How irresolute did those (earliest rulers) appear,
showing (by their reticence) the importance which they set upon their words!
Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people
all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves!'
1. When the Great Tao (Way or
Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue.
(Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.
2. When
harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial sons found
their manifestation; when the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal
ministers appeared.
Chapter 19: Returning to the Unadulterated Influence.
1. If we could renounce our
sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a
hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our
righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could
renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there
would be no thieves nor robbers.
Those three methods (of government) Thought olden ways in
elegance did fail And made these names their want of worth
But simple views, and courses plain and true Would selfish
ends and many lusts eschew.
Chapter 20: Being Different from Ordinary Men.
When we renounce learning we have no troubles.
The
(ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'-- Small is the difference they display.
But mark their issues, good and ill;-- What space the gulf
between shall fill?
What all men fear is indeed
to be feared; but how wide and without end is the range of questions (asking to
be discussed)!
2. The
multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet, as
if mounted on a tower in spring. I alone seem listless and still, my desires
having as yet given no indication of their presence. I am like an infant which
has not yet smiled. I look dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to.
The multitude of men all have enough and to spare. I alone seem to have lost
everything. My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of chaos.
Ordinary men look bright and
intelligent, while I alone seem to be benighted. They look full of
discrimination, while I alone am dull and confused. I seem to be carried about
as on the sea, drifting as if I had nowhere to rest. All men have their spheres
of action, while I alone seem dull and incapable, like a rude borderer. (Thus)
I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother (the Tao).
Chapter 21: The Empty Heart.
The grandest forms of active
force From Tao come, their only source. Who can of Tao the nature tell?
Our sight
it flies, our touch as well. Eluding sight, eluding touch,
The forms
of things all in it crouch; Eluding touch, eluding sight,
There are
their semblances, all right. Profound it is, dark and obscure; Things' essences
all there endure. Those essences the truth enfold
Of what,
when seen, shall then be told. Now it is so; 'twas so of old.
Its name--
what passes not away; So, in their beautiful array,
Things form and never know
decay.
How know I that it is so with all the
beauties
Chapter 22: The Increase granted to Humility.
1. The
partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out,
new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes
astray.
2. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing
(of humility), and manifests it to all the world. He is free from self-display,
and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is
distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged;
from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he
is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive
with him.
3. That saying of the ancients that 'the partial becomes
complete' was not vainly spoken:-- all real completion is comprehended under
it.
1.
Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature.
A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last
for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven
and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long,
how much less can man!
2.
Therefore when one is making the Tao his business, those who are also pursuing
it, agree with him in it, and those who are making the manifestation of its
course their object agree with him in that; while even those who are failing in
both these things agree with him where they fail.
3. Hence, those with whom he agrees as to the Tao have the
happiness of attaining to it; those with whom he agrees as to its manifestation
have the happiness of attaining to it; and those with whom he agrees in their
failure have also the happiness of attaining (to the Tao). (But) when there is
not faith sufficient (on his part), a want of faith (in him) ensues (on the
part of the others).
He who
stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not
walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his
own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit
acknowledged; he who is self-conceited has no superiority allowed to him. Such
conditions, viewed from the standpoint of the Tao, are like remnants of food,
or a tumour on the body, which all dislike. Hence those who pursue (the course)
of the Tao do not adopt and allow them.
Chapter 25: Representations of the
Mystery.
1. There was something undefined and complete, coming into
existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing
alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being
exhausted)! It may be regarded as the Mother of all things.
2. I do not know its name, and I give it the designation
of the Tao (the Way or Course). Making an effort (further) to give it a name I
call it The Great.
3. Great, it passes on (in constant
flow). Passing on, it becomes remote. Having become remote, it returns.
Therefore the Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the (sage)
king is also great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the
(sage) king is one of them.
4. Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its
law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its
being what it is.
Chapter 26: The Quality of Gravity.
1. Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler
of movement.
2.
Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his
baggage waggons. Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he
quietly remains (in his proper place), indifferent to them. How should the lord
of a myriad chariots carry himself lightly before the kingdom? If he do act
lightly, he has lost his root (of gravity); if he proceed to active movement,
he will lose his throne.
1. The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or
footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or
blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; the skilful closer needs no bolts
or bars, while to open what he has shut will be impossible; the skilful binder uses
no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound will be impossible. In
the same way the sage is always skilful at saving men, and so he does not cast
away any man; he is always skilful at saving things, and so he does not cast
away anything. This is called 'Hiding the light of his procedure.'
2.
Therefore the man of skill is a master (to be looked up to) by him who has not
the skill; and he who has not the skill is the helper of (the reputation of)
him who has the skill. If the one did not honour his master, and the other did
not rejoice in his helper, an (observer), though intelligent, might greatly err
about them. This is called 'The utmost degree of mystery.'
Chapter 28:
Returning to Simplicity.
Who knows his manhood's strength,
Yet still his female
feebleness maintains;
As to one channel flow the
many drains, All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky. Thus he the constant
excellence retains;-- The simple child again, free from all stains.
Who knows how white attracts,
Yet always keeps himself within black's shade,
The pattern of humility displayed, Displayed in view of
all beneath the sky; He in the unchanging excellence arrayed,
Endless return to man's first state
has made.
Who knows how glory shines,
Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale; Behold his
presence in a spacious vale, To which men come from all beneath the
sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him
we hail.
2. The unwrought material, when divided and distributed,
forms vessels. The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the Officers
(of government); and in his greatest regulations he employs no violent
measures.
1.
If any one should wish to get the kingdom for himself, and to effect this by
what he does, I see that he will not succeed.
The kingdom is a spirit-like
thing, and cannot be got by active doing. He who would so win it destroys it;
he who would hold it in his grasp loses it.
2. The course and nature of things is such that
What was in front is now behind; What warmed anon we
freezing find. Strength is of weakness oft the spoil; The store in ruins mocks
our toil.
Hence the sage puts away excessive effort, extravagance,
and easy indulgence.
Chapter 30: A Caveat against War.
1. He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the
Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. Such a course
is sure to meet with its proper return.
2.
Wherever a host is stationed,
3. A
skilful (commander) strikes a decisive blow, and stops. He does not dare (by
continuing his operations) to assert and complete his mastery. He will strike
the blow, but will be on his guard against being vain or boastful or arrogant
in consequence of it. He strikes it as a matter of necessity; he strikes it,
but not from a wish for mastery.
4. When
things have attained their strong maturity they become old. This may be said to
be not in accordance with the Tao: and what is not in accordance with it soon
comes to an end.
Chapter 31: Stilling War.
1. Now arms, however
beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all
creatures. Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them.
2. The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the
most honourable place, but in time of war the right hand. Those sharp weapons
are instruments of evil omen, and not the instruments of the superior man;-- he
uses them only on the compulsion of
necessity.
Calm and repose are what he prizes; victory (by force of arms) is to him
undesirable. To consider this desirable would be to delight in the slaughter of
men; and he who delights in the slaughter of men cannot get his will in the
kingdom.
3. On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand is the
prized position; on occasions of mourning, the right hand. The second in
command of the army has his place on the left; the general commanding in chief
has his on the right;-- his place, that is, is assigned to him as in the rites
of mourning. He who has killed multitudes of men should weep for them with the
bitterest grief; and the victor in battle has his place (rightly) according to
those rites.
Chapter 32: [sagely virtue.]
1. The Tao, considered as unchanging, has no name.
2. Though in its primordial simplicity it may be small,
the whole world dares not deal with (one embodying) it as a minister. If a
feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it, all would spontaneously
submit themselves to him.
3. Heaven and Earth (under its
guidance) unite together and send down the sweet dew, which, without the
directions of men, reaches equally everywhere as of its own accord.
4. As soon
as it proceeds to action, it has a name. When it once has that name, (men) can
know to rest in it. When they know to rest in it, they can be free from all
risk of failure and error.
5. The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that
of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.
Chapter 33: Discriminating between (different) Attributes.
1. He who
knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who
overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty. He who is
satisfied with his lot is rich; he who goes on acting with energy has a (firm)
will.
2. He who does not fail in the requirements of his
position, continues long; he who dies and yet does not perish, has longevity.
Chapter 34: The Task of
Achievement.
1. All-pervading is the Great Tao! It may be found on the
left hand and on the right.
2. All things depend on it for their production, which it
gives to them, not one refusing obedience to it. When its work is accomplished,
it does not claim the name of having done it. It clothes all things as with a
garment, and makes no assumption of being their lord;-- it may be named in the
smallest things. All things return (to their root and disappear), and do not
know that it is it which presides over their doing so;-- it may be named in the
greatest things.
3. Hence
the sage is able (in the same way) to accomplish his great achievements. It is
through his not making himself great that he can accomplish them.
Benevolence.
1. To him
who holds in his hands the Great Image (of the invisible Tao), the whole world
repairs. Men resort to him, and receive no hurt, but (find) rest, peace, and
the feeling of ease.
2. Music and dainties will make the passing guest stop
(for a time). But though the Tao as it comes from the mouth, seems insipid and
has no flavour, though it seems not worth being looked at or listened to, the
use of it is inexhaustible.
Chapter 36: Minimising the Light.
1. When
one is about to take an inspiration, he is sure to make a (previous)
expiration; when he is going to weaken another, he will first strengthen him;
when he is going to overthrow another, he will first have raised him up; when
he is going to despoil another, he will first have made gifts to him:-- this is
called 'Hiding the light (of his procedure).'
2. The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.
3. Fishes should not be taken from
the deep; instruments for the profit of a state should not be shown to the
people. Chapter 37: The Exercise of Government.
1. The Tao in its regular course does
nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not
do.
2. If
princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be
transformed by them.
3. If this transformation became to
me an object of desire, I would express the desire by the nameless simplicity.
Simplicity without a name
Is free from all external
aim.
With no desire, at rest and
still,
All things go right as of
their will.
Chapter 37: The Exercise of
Government.
1. The Tao in its regular course does
nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not
do.
2. If
princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves
3. If this transformation became to me an object of
desire, I would express the desire by the nameless simplicity.
Simplicity without a name
Is free from all external
aim.
With no desire, at rest and
still,
All things go right as of
their will.
Chapter 38: About the Attributes.
1. (Those who) possessed in highest degree the attributes
(of the Tao) did not (seek) to show them, and therefore they possessed them (in
fullest measure). (Those who) possessed in a lower degree those attributes
(sought how) not to lose them, and therefore they did not possess them (in
fullest measure).
2. (Those
who) possessed in the highest degree those attributes did nothing (with a
purpose), and had no need to do anything. (Those who) possessed them in a lower
degree were (always) doing, and had need to be so doing.
3. (Those who) possessed the
highest benevolence were (always seeking) to carry it out, and had
no need to be doing so. (Those who) possessed the highest righteousness were
(always seeking) to carry it out, and had need to be so doing.
4. (Those who) possessed the highest (sense of) propriety
were (always seeking) to show it, and when men did not respond to it, they
bared the arm and marched up to them.
5. Thus it
was that when the Tao was lost, its attributes appeared; when its attributes
were lost, benevolence appeared; when benevolence was lost, righteousness
appeared; and when righteousness was lost, the proprieties appeared.
6. Now propriety is the
attenuated form of leal-heartedness and good faith, and is also the
commencement of disorder; swift apprehension is (only) a flower of the Tao, and
is the beginning of stupidity.
7. Thus it is that the Great man abides by what is solid,
and eschews what is flimsy; dwells with the fruit and not with the flower. It
is thus that he puts away the one and makes choice of the other.
1. The things which from of old have got the One (the Tao)
are--
Heaven which by it is bright and pure; Earth rendered
thereby firm and sure; Spirits with powers by it supplied; Valleys kept full
throughout their void All creatures which through it do live Princes and kings
who from it get The model which to all they give.
All these are the results of the One (Tao).
If heaven were not thus pure, it soon would rend;
If earth were not thus sure, 'twould break and bend;
Without these powers, the spirits soon would fail;
If not so filled, the drought would parch each vale;
Without that life, creatures would pass away; Princes and
kings, without that moral sway, However grand and high, would all decay.
3. Thus it is that dignity finds its (firm) root in its
(previous) meanness, and what is lofty finds its stability in the lowness (from
which it rises). Hence princes and kings call themselves 'Orphans,' 'Men of
small virtue,' and as 'Carriages without a nave.' Is not this an acknowledgment
that in their
considering
themselves mean they see the foundation of their dignity? So it is that in the
enumeration of the different parts of a carriage we do not come on what makes
it answer the ends of a carriage. They do not wish to show themselves elegant-looking
as jade, but (prefer) to be coarse-looking as an (ordinary) stone.
Chapter 40: Dispensing with the Use (of Means).
The movement of the Tao
By contraries proceeds;
And weakness marks the course
Of Tao's mighty deeds.
2. All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and
named); that existence sprang from It as non-existent (and not named).
Chapter 41:
Sameness and
Difference.
1. Scholars of the highest class,
when they
hear about the Tao, earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of the middle
class, when they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it.
Scholars of the lowest class, when they have heard about it, laugh greatly at
it. If it were not (thus) laughed at, it would not be fit to be the Tao.
2. Therefore the sentence-makers have thus expressed
themselves:--
'The Tao, when brightest seen, seems light to lack;
Who progress in it makes, seems drawing back;
Its even way is like a rugged
track.
Its highest virtue from the vale doth rise; Its greatest
beauty seems to offend the
eyes;
And he has most whose lot the least supplies.
Its firmest virtue seems but poor and low; Its solid truth
seems change to undergo; Its largest square doth yet no corner show A vessel
great, it is the slowest made; Loud is its sound, but never word it said;
A semblance great, the shadow
of a shade.'
3. The Tao
is hidden, and has no name; but it is the Tao which is skilful at imparting (to
all things what they need) and making them complete.
Chapter 42: The Transformations of
the Tao.
1. The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced
Three; Three produced All things. All things leave behind them the Obscurity
(out of which they have come), and go forward to embrace the Brightness (into
which they have emerged), while they are harmonised by the Breath of Vacancy.
2. What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little
virtue, to be as carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations
which kings and princes use for themselves. So it is that some things are
increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased.
3. What
other men (thus) teach, I also teach. The violent and strong do not die their
natural death. I will make this the basis of my teaching.
1. The
softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest; that which
has no (substantial) existence enters where there is no crevice. I know hereby
what advantage belongs to doing nothing (with a purpose).
2. There are few in the world who attain to the teaching
without words, and the advantage arising from non-action.
Chapter 44: Cautions.
Or fame or life,
Which do
you hold more dear? Or life or wealth,
To which would you adhere?
Keep life and lose those
other things;
Keep them
and lose your life:--which brings Sorrow and pain more near?
Thus we may see,
Who cleaves to fame
Rejects what is more great;
Who loves large stores
Gives up the richer state.
Who is content
Needs fear no shame.
Incurs no blame.
From danger free
Long live shall he.
Chapter 45: Great or Overflowing Virtue.
Who thinks
his great achievements poor Shall find his vigour long endure.
Of greatest fulness, deemed a void, Exhaustion ne'er shall
stem the tide.
Do thou
what's straight still crooked deem; Thy greatest art still stupid seem,
And eloquence a stammering scream.
2. Constant action overcomes cold; being still overcomes
heat. Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven.
Chapter
46: The Moderating of Desire or Ambition.
1. When the Tao prevails in the
world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts.
When the Tao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border
lands.
2. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no
calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than
the wish to be getting. Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring
and unchanging sufficiency.
Chapter 47: Surveying what is Far-off.
1. Without going outside his door, one understands (all
that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees
the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he
knows.
2.
Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their (right)
names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any
purpose of doing so.
1. He who devotes himself to learning
(seeks) from day to day to increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to
the Tao (seeks) from day to day to diminish (his doing).
2. He
diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing (on
purpose). Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he
does not do.
3. He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by
giving himself no trouble (with that end). If one take trouble (with that end),
he is not equal to getting as his own all under heaven.
Chapter 49: The Quality of
Indulgence.
1. The sage has no invariable mind of
his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind.
2. To those who are good (to me), I am good; and to those
who are not good (to me), I am also good;-- and thus (all)
get to be good. To those who are sincere (with me), I am sincere;
and to those who are not sincere (with me), I am also sincere;-- and thus (all)
get to be sincere.
3. The sage has in the world an
appearance of indecision, and keeps his mind in a state of indifference to all.
The people all keep their eyes and ears directed to him, and he deals with them
all as his children.
Chapter 50: The Value set on Life.
1. Men
come forth and live; they enter (again) and die.
2. Of every ten three are ministers of life (to
themselves); and three are ministers of death.
3. There are also three in every ten whose aim is to live,
but whose movements tend to the land (or place) of death. And for what reason?
Because of their excessive endeavours to perpetuate life.
4. But I
have heard that he who is skilful in managing the life entrusted to him for a
time travels on the land without having to shun rhinoceros or tiger, and enters
a host without having to avoid buff coat or sharp
weapon. The rhinoceros finds no place in him into which to
thrust its horn, nor the tiger a place in which to fix its claws, nor the
weapon a place to admit its point. And for what reason? Because there is in him
no place of death.
Chapter 51: The Operation (of the
Tao) in
Nourishing Things.
1. All things are produced by
the Tao, and nourished by its outflowing operation. They receive their forms
according to the nature of each, and are completed according to the circumstances
of their condition. Therefore all things without exception honour the Tao, and
exalt its outflowing operation.
2. This honouring of the Tao and
exalting of its operation is not the result of any ordination, but always a
spontaneous tribute.
3. Thus it is that the Tao produces (all things),
nourishes them, brings them to their full growth, nurses them, completes them,
matures them, maintains them, and overspreads them.
4.
It produces them and makes no claim to the possession of them; it carries them
through their processes and does not
vaunt its ability in doing so; it brings them to maturity and
exercises no control over them;-- this is called its mysterious operation.
Chapter 52: Returning to the Source.
1. (The Tao) which originated all under the sky is to be
considered as the mother of them all.
2. When
the mother is found, we know what her children should be. When one knows that
he is his mother's child, and proceeds to guard (the qualities of) the mother
that belong to him, to the end of his life he will be free from all peril.
3. Let him
keep his mouth closed, and shut up the portals (of his nostrils), and all his
life he will be exempt from laborious exertion. Let him keep his mouth open,
and (spend his breath) in the promotion of his affairs, and all his life there
will be no safety for him.
4. The perception of what is small is (the secret of)
clear-sightedness; the guarding of what is soft and tender is (the secret of)
strength.
Who uses well his light,
And hides the unchanging from
men's sight.
Chapter 53: Increase of Evidence.
1. If I were suddenly to become
known, and (put into a position to) conduct (a government) according to the
Great Tao, what I should be most afraid of would be a boastful display.
2. The great Tao (or way) is very level and easy; but
people love the by-ways.
3. Their
court(-yards and buildings) shall be well kept, but their fields shall be
ill-cultivated, and their granaries very empty. They shall wear elegant and
ornamented robes, carry a sharp sword at their girdle, pamper themselves in
eating and drinking, and have a superabundance of property and wealth;-- such
(princes) may be called robbers and boasters. This is contrary to the Tao
surely!
What
(Tao's) skilful planter plants Can never be uptorn;
What his
skilful arms enfold, From him can ne'er be borne.
Sons shall
bring in lengthening line, Sacrifices to his shrine.
Tao when
nursed within one's self, His vigour will make true;
And where
the family it rules What riches will accrue!
The
neighbourhood where it prevails In thriving will abound;
And when
'tis seen throughout the state, Good fortune will be found.
Employ it
the kingdom o'er, And men thrive all around.
3. In this way the effect will be seen in the person, by
the observation of different cases; in the family; in the neighbourhood; in the
state; and in the kingdom.
4. How do
I know that this effect is sure to hold thus all under the sky? By this (method
of observation).
Chapter 55: The Mysterious Charm.
1. He who
has in himself abundantly the attributes (of the Tao) is like an infant.
Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds
of prey will not strike him.
2. (The infant's) bones are weak and its sinews soft, but
yet its grasp is firm. It knows not yet the union of male and female, and yet
its virile member may be excited;-- showing the perfection of its physical
essence. All day long it will cry without its throat becoming hoarse;-- showing
the harmony (in its constitution).
To him by whom this harmony is known, (The secret of) the
unchanging (Tao) is
shown,
And in the knowledge wisdom finds its throne.
All
life-increasing arts to evil turn; Where the mind makes the vital breath to
burn,
(False) is the strength, (and o'er it we should mourn.)
4. When
things have become strong, they (then) become old, which may be said to be
contrary to the Tao. Whatever is contrary to the Tao soon ends.
Chapter 56: The Mysterious
Excellence.
1. He who knows (the Tao)
does not (care to) speak (about it); he who is (ever ready to) speak about it
does not know it.
2. He (who
knows it) will keep his mouth shut and close the portals (of his nostrils). He
will blunt his sharp points and unravel the complications of things; he will
attemper his brightness, and bring himself into agreement with the obscurity
(of others). This is called 'the Mysterious Agreement.'
3. (Such an one) cannot be treated familiarly or
distantly; he is beyond all consideration of profit or injury; of nobility or
meanness:-- he is the noblest man under heaven.
Chapter 57: The Genuine Influence.
1. A state may be ruled by (measures of) correction;
weapons of war may be used with crafty dexterity; (but) the kingdom is made
one's own (only) by freedom
2. How do I know that it is so? By these facts:-- In the
kingdom the multiplication of prohibitive enactments increases the poverty of
the people; the more implements to add to their profit that the people have,
the greater disorder is there in the state and clan; the more acts of crafty
dexterity that men possess, the more do strange contrivances appear; the more
display there is of legislation, the more thieves and robbers there are.
3. Therefore a sage has said, 'I will do nothing (of
purpose), and the people will be transformed of themselves; I will be fond of
keeping still, and the people will of themselves become correct. I will take no
trouble about it, and the people will of themselves become rich; I will
manifest no ambition, and the people will of themselves attain to the primitive
simplicity.'
Chapter
58: Transformation according to Circumstances.
The government that seems the most unwise,
Oft goodness to the people
best supplies;
Will work but ill, and
disappointment bring.
Misery!-- happiness is to be found by
its side! Happiness!-- misery lurks beneath it! Who knows what either will come
to in the end?
2. Shall
we then dispense with correction? The (method of) correction shall by a turn
become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil. The delusion
of the people (on this point) has indeed subsisted for a long time.
3. Therefore the sage is (like) a square which cuts no one
(with its angles); (like) a corner which injures no one (with its sharpness).
He is straightforward, but allows himself no license; he is bright, but does
not dazzle.
Chapter 59: Guarding the Tao.
1. For regulating the human (in our constitution) and
rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like
moderation.
2. It is only by this moderation
that there is effected an early return (to man's normal state).
That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes
(of the Tao). With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes
the subjugation (of every obstacle to such return). Of this subjugation we know
not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he
may be the ruler of a state.
3. He who possesses the mother of the state may continue
long. His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are
deep and its flower stalks firm:-- this is the way to secure that its enduring
life shall long be seen.
Chapter 60: Occupying the Throne.
1.
Governing a great state is like cooking small fish.
2. Let the kingdom be governed according to the Tao, and
the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy. It is not
that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to
hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling
sage hurt them.
3. When these two do not injuriously
affect each other, their good influences converge in the virtue (of the Tao).
Chapter 61: The Attribute of
Humility.
1. What makes a great state is its being (like) a
low-lying, down-flowing (stream);-- it becomes the centre to which tend (all
the small states) under heaven.
2. (To illustrate from) the case of all females:-- the
female always overcomes the male by her stillness. Stillness may be considered
(a sort of) abasement.
3. Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to
small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing
themselves to a great state, win it over to them. In the one case the abasement
leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour.
4. The
great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state
only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. Each gets what it
desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself.
Chapter 62:
Practising the Tao.
Tao has of all things the most
honoured place. No treasures give good men so rich a grace; Bad men it guards,
and doth their ill efface.
2. (Its) admirable words can
purchase honour; (its) admirable deeds can raise their performer above others.
Even men who are not good are not abandoned by it.
3.
Therefore when the sovereign occupies his place as the Son of Heaven, and he
has appointed his three ducal ministers, though (a prince) were to send in a
round symbol-of-rank large enough to fill both the hands, and that as the
precursor of the team of horses (in the court-yard), such an offering would not
be equal to (a lesson of) this Tε o, which one might present
on his knees.
4. Why was it that the ancients prized this Tε o so
much? Was it not because it could be got by seeking for it, and the guilty
could escape (from the stain of their guilt) by it? This is the reason why all
under heaven consider it the most valuable thing.
Chapter 63: Thinking in the
Beginning.
1. (It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of)
acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste
without discerning any flavour; to
2. (The
master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and
does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things
in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy,
and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage,
while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the
greatest things.
3. He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little
faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them
difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so
never has any difficulties.
Chapter 64: Guarding the Minute.
1. That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a
thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures
against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is
easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its
appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.
2. The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the
tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; the journey of a
thousand l" commenced
with a single step.
3. He who acts (with an ulterior purpose) does harm; he
who takes hold of a thing (in the same way) loses his hold. The sage does not
act (so), and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold (so), and therefore
does not lose his bold. (But) people in their conduct of affairs are constantly
ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the
end, as (they should be) at the beginning, they would not so ruin them.
4. Therefore the sage desires what (other men) do not
desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what (other men)
do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus
he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act (with
an ulterior purpose of his own).
Chapter 65: Pure,
unmixed
Excellence.
1. The ancients who showed their skill in practising the
Tao did so, not to
2. The difficulty in governing the people arises from
their having much knowledge. He who (tries to) govern a state by his wisdom is
a scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing.
3. He who knows these two things finds in them also his
model and rule. Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call
the mysterious excellence (of a governor). Deep and far-reaching is such
mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite to others, but
leading them to a great conformity to him.
Chapter 66: Putting one's self Last.
1. That
whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all
the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they;-- it is thus that
they are the kings of them all. So it is that the sage (ruler), wishing to be
above men, puts himself by his words below them, and, wishing to be before
them, places his person behind them.
2. In this way though he has his
place above them, men do not feel his weight, nor though he has
his place before them, do they feel it an injury to them.
3. Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do
not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to
strive with him.
Chapter 67: The Three Precious
Things.
1. All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet
appears to be inferior (to other systems of teaching). Now it is just its
greatness that makes it seem to be inferior. If it were like any other
(system), for long would its smallness have been known!
2. But I have three precious things which I prize and hold
fast. The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is
shrinking from taking precedence of others.
3. With
that gentleness I can be bold; with that economy I can be liberal; shrinking
from taking precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honour.
Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; economy, and are
all for being liberal; the hindmost place, and seek only to
4. Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and
firmly to maintain its ground. Heaven will save its possessor, by his (very)
gentleness protecting him.
Chapter 68: Matching Heaven.
He who in (Tao's) wars has skill
Assumes no martial port;
He who fights with most good
will
To rage makes no resort.
He who vanquishes yet still
Keeps from his foes apart;
He whose hests men most
fulfil
Yet humbly plies his art.
Thus we say, 'He ne'er contends, And therein is his
might.'
Thus we
say, 'Men's wills he bends, That they with him unite.'
Thus we
say, 'Like Heaven's his ends, No sage of old more bright.'
1. A
master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the host (to commence
the war); I prefer to be the guest (to act on the defensive). I do not dare to
advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.' This is called marshalling the
ranks where there are no ranks; baring the arms (to fight) where there are no
arms to bare; grasping the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; advancing
against the enemy where there is no enemy.
2. There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in
war. To do that is near losing (the gentleness) which is so precious. Thus it
is that when opposing weapons are (actually) crossed, he who deplores (the
situation) conquers.
Chapter 70: The Difficulty of being (rightly) Known.
1. My words are very easy to know, and very easy to
practise; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to
practise them.
2. There is an originating and
all-comprehending (principle) in my words, and an authoritative
law for the things (which I enforce). It is because they do not know these,
that men do not know me.
3. They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the
more) to be prized. It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth,
while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom.
Chapter 71: The Disease of Knowing.
1. To know
and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and
yet think) we do know is a disease.
2. It is
simply by being pained at (the thought of) having this disease that we are
preserved from it. The sage has not the disease. He knows the pain that would
be inseparable from it, and therefore he does not have it.
Chapter 72:
Loving one's Self.
1. When the people do not fear what they ought to fear,
that which is their great dread will come on them.
2. Let them not thoughtlessly indulge
themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that
life depends on.
3. It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness
does not arise.
4. Therefore the sage knows (these things) of himself, but
does not parade (his knowledge); loves, but does not (appear to set a) value
on, himself. And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of
the former.
Chapter
73: Allowing Men to take their Course.
1. He whose boldness appears in his daring (to do wrong,
in defiance of the laws) is put to death; he whose boldness appears in his not
daring (to do so) lives on. Of these two cases the one appears to be
advantageous, and the other to be injurious. But
When Heaven's anger smites a man, Who the cause shall
truly scan?
On this account the sage feels a difficulty (as
2. It is
the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it skilfully overcomes; not to speak,
and yet it is skilful in (obtaining) a reply; does not call, and yet men come
to it of themselves. Its demonstrations are quiet, and yet its plans are
skilful and effective. The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart,
but letting nothing escape.
Chapter 74: Restraining Delusion.
1. The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to
(try to) frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death,
and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would
dare to do wrong?
2. There
is always One who presides over the infliction death. He who would inflict
death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing
wood instead of a great carpenter. Seldom is it that he who undertakes the
hewing, instead of the great carpenter, does not cut his own hands!
Chapter 75: How Greediness Injures.
1. The people suffer from famine because of the multitude
of taxes consumed by their superiors. It is through this that they suffer famine.
2. The people are difficult to govern because of the
(excessive) agency of their superiors (in governing them). It is through this
that they are difficult to govern.
3. The
people make light of dying because of the greatness of their labours in seeking
for the means of living. It is this which makes them think light of dying. Thus
it is that to leave the subject of living altogether out of view is better than
to set a high value on it.
Chapter 76: A Warning against (trusting in) Strength.
1. Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm
and strong. (So it is with) all things. Trees and plants, in their early
growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.
2. Thus it is that firmness and
strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants
of life.
3. Hence he who (relies on) the strength of his forces
does not conquer; and a tree which is strong will fill the out-stretched arms,
(and thereby invites the feller.)
4. Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is
below, and that of what is soft and weak is above.
Chapter 77: The Way of Heaven.
1. May not the Way (or Tao) of Heaven be compared to the
(method of) bending a bow? The (part of the bow) which was high is brought low,
and what was low is raised up. (So Heaven) diminishes where there is
superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.
2. It is
the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It
is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to
add to his own superabundance.
3. Who can take his own
4. Therefore the (ruling) sage acts without claiming the
results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:--
he does not wish to display his superiority.
Chapter 78: Things to be Believed.
1. There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than
water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing
that can take precedence of it;-- for there is nothing (so effectual) for which
it can be changed.
2. Every
one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the
strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.
3. Therefore a sage has said,
'He who
accepts his state's reproach, Is hailed therefore its altars' lord; To him who
bears men's direful woes They all the name of King accord.'
Chapter 79: Adherence to Bond or Covenant.
1. When a reconciliation is effected (between two parties)
after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining (in the mind of
the one who was wrong). And how can this be beneficial (to the other)?
2. Therefore (to guard against this), the sage keeps the
left-hand portion of the record of the engagement, and does not insist on the
(speedy) fulfilment of it by the other party. (So), he who has the attributes
(of the Tao) regards (only) the conditions of the engagement, while he who has
not those attributes regards only the conditions favourable to himself.
3. In the
Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the
good man.
1. In a
little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there
were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no
employment of them; I would make the people, while looking on death as a grievous
thing, yet not remove elsewhere (to avoid it).
2. Though they had boats and carriages, they should have
no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they
should have no occasion to don or use them.
3. I would make the people return to the use of knotted
cords (instead of the written characters).
4. They should think their (coarse) food sweet; their
(plain) clothes beautiful; their (poor) dwellings places of rest; and their
common (simple) ways sources of enjoyment.
5. There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and
the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but
I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse
with it.
Chapter 81: The Manifestation of
Simplicity.
1. Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.
Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious
are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned;
the extensively learned do not know it.
2. The
sage does not accumulate (for himself). The more that he expends for others,
the more does he possess of his own; the more that he gives to others, the more
does he have himself.
3. With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures
not; with all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive.
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