I
The Tao that can be told
is not the constant Tao.
The way that can be named
is not the constant way.
Nameless, it is the progenitor
of heaven and earth.
Named, it is the mother of all things.
Hence ridding yourself of desires
will disclose its secrets.
Clinging to false desire
will produce its manifestations.
These two aspects are the same
but differ in name as they issue forth.
Together they are the Mystery.
Mystery upon mystery
the gateway of the manifold secrets.
II
It is because all the world recognizes the beautiful
as beautiful that the idea of the ugly arises.
It is because all the world recognizes the good
as good that the idea of bad arises.
Thus being and non-being produce one another;
Difficulty and ease complement one another.
The high and the low determine one another.
Note and tone harmonize with one another.
Before and after follow one another.
Therefore the sage abides in non-action
and practices wordless teaching.
The ten thousand things arise from it
yet it claims no authority
Gives them life yet claims no possession
Benefits them yet exacts no gratitude
Accomplishes its task yet lays no claim to merit.
It is because it lays no claim to merit
that merit never leaves it.
III
Not to employ men of ability
will keep the people from contention.
Not to value goods hard to come by
will keep them from theft.
Not to display what is desirable
will keep their minds from becoming unsettled.
Therefore the sage in governing the people
empties their minds but fills their bellies,
weakens their will but strengthens their bones.
He keeps them from knowledge
and free from desire
and restrains the clever from acting.
When there is no action, order prevails.
IV
The Tao is empty yet use will not exhaust it.
How deep! How still!
It is the progenitor
of the ten thousand things.
Blunt the sharpness
untangle the knots
soften the glare
bring yourself into agreement
with the obscurity of others.
How still! How deep!
As if it would continue forever.
I know not whose son it is.
It was prior to the existence of God.
V
Heaven and earth act not from benevolence
and treat all things as straw dogs.
The sage acts not from benevolence
and treats the people as straw dogs.
Is not the space between Heaven and Earth
like a bellows?
It is empty without being exhausted.
The more it works the more issues forth.
Much speech leads quickly to silence.
Guard your inner being and keep it free.
VI
The spirit of the valley never dies.
This is called the mysterious female.
The gateway of the mysterious female
is called the root of heaven and earth.
Deep and still, its power is forever unbroken
yet use will not exhaust it.
VII
Heaven and earth are long enduring.
The reason why heaven and earth
are long enduring is that
they do not give themselves life.
Hence they are long enduring.
Therefore the sage puts his person last
and it comes first
treats it as extraneous
and it is preserved.
Is it not because he is without thought of self
That he is able to accomplish his ends?
VIII
The highest good is like water.
It benefits the myriad creatures
without contending with them
and settles in the low places
that men dislike and avoid.
It comes close to the Tao.
In a home it is the site that matters.
In quality of mind it is stillness that matters.
In associations it is good faith that matters.
In speech it is sincerity that matters.
In government it is order that matters.
In affairs it is ability that matters.
In action it is timeliness that matters.
One with the highest excellence
does not contend about his low position
and therefore does not go astray.
IX
A vessel filled to the brim is in danger of spilling.
Better to have stopped in time.
Temper the sword edge to a point
and its sharpness cannot be preserved.
When bronze and jade fill your hall
it can no longer be guarded.
Wealth and position breed insolence
that brings ruin in its wake.
To withdraw when the task is done
is the way of heaven.
X
Can you keep the perplexed bodily soul from straying,
hold fast to the One and not let go?
Can you, while concentrating your breath
become as supple as a babe?
Can you wipe clean your vision of the mystery
and leave no blemish?
Can you love the people and rule the empire
yet remain unknown?
Can you in opening and shutting the gates of heaven
abide by the role of the female?
Can your mind penetrate the four directions
and yet remain without knowledge?
It gives them life and nurtures them.
It gives them life yet claims no possession,
Benefits them yet exacts no gratitude.
It is the steward yet exerts no authority.
Such is called the mysterious virtue.
XI
Thirty spokes converge on a hub.
The use of the wheel depends on the emptiness therein.
Knead clay to make a bowl.
The use of the bowl depends on the emptiness therein.
Cut out doors and windows
to make a house.
The use of the house depends on the emptiness therein.
Thus is something gained
by virtue of nothing.
XII
The five colors make blind men’s eyes.
The five notes make deaf his ears.
The five flavors jade his palate.
The chariot and the hunt make wild his mind.
Goods hard to come by hinder his progress.
Hence the sage
satisfies the stomach
but not the eye.
He puts away one but not the other.
XIII
Favor and disgrace are equally to be feared.
High rank, like one’s body,
is a source of great trouble.
What is meant by speaking thus
of favor and disgrace?
Gaining favor leads to the fear
of losing it.
Losing it leads to still greater fear.
This is what is meant by speaking thus
of favor and disgrace.
What is meant by saying that high rank
like one’s own body and is a source of great trouble?
The reason I have great trouble
is because I have a body.
If I had no body
what trouble would I have?
Thus he who regards the empire as he does
his own body may be entrusted with the empire.
He who would administer the empire with the
same love he bears towards his own person
may be given custody of the empire.
XIV
What cannot be seen is called invisible.
What cannot be heard is called inaudible.
What cannot be touched is called subtle.
These three cannot be described
and so they are combined to obtain the One.
Its upper part is not bright.
Its lower part is not obscure.
Ceaseless in action and yet it cannot be named
and returns to that which is unsubstantial.
This is called the form of the formless
and the image without substance.
It is called indistinct and fleeting.
We meet it and do not see its front.
We follow it and do not see its back.
Hold fast to the Way of the old
to direct the things of today.
When we know the beginning as it was of old
it is called unwinding the thread of Tao.
XV
He of old who was skillful in the Tao
possessed subtle penetration
and mysterious comprehension.
It is because he was beyond the
knowledge of men that he can
only be given a general description:
Tentative, like one who fords a stream in winter.
Hesitant, as if in fear of his neighbors.
Solemn, like a guest.
Evanescent, like melting snow.
Empty, like a valley.
Dull, like muddy water.
Who can make clear the water?
Let it be and it will become clear.
Who can secure rest?
Let movement continue and rest
will arise of itself.
Who hold fast to this Tao
desires not to be full.
It is because he is not full
that he can endure use without being renewed.
XVI
Do your utmost to attain emptiness.
Hold firmly to stillness.
All things go through their cycles of activity
and then return to their source.
The ten thousand things
all return to their separate roots.
Returning to ones roots is known as stillness.
That stillness is known as
fulfilling one’s appointed end.
Fulfilling one’s appointed end
is known as the constant.
Ignorance of the constant
leads to evil issue.
Acting from knowledge of the constant
will lead to impartiality
and a feeling of community with all things.
Feeling of community leads to kingliness
kingliness to heaven
heaven to the Tao
the Tao to perpetuity
and to the end of your days
you will meet with no misfortune.
XVII
Of old, the best of rulers were
but a vague presence to their subjects.
Then came the ruler they loved and praised
Then came the one they feared
Then came the one they despised
Thus when the Tao is deficient in the ruler
it is found to be wanting in the people.
Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly.
When his task is accomplished and his
work done, the people say
“it happened to us naturally.”
XVIII
When the Tao falls into disuse
there is benevolence and rectitude.
Then shrewdness and subtly appear
and there is great hypocrisy.
When the six relations are out of harmony
there are filial children.
When the state falls into disorder
there are loyal ministers.
XIX
Renounce sagacity discard wisdom
and the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Renounce benevolence discard rectitude
and the people will again be filial.
Renounce ingenuity discard profit
and there will be no more thieves.
These three being deficient are not enough.
Exhibit the unadorned and
embrace the Uncarved Block.
Have little thought of self and few desires.
XX
Renounce learning and there will be no troubles.
Between yes and no
how much difference is there?
Between good and evil
how great is the difference?
What all men fear
one also must fear.
Endless are the questions requiring discussion!
The multitude is joyous
as if partaking of a feast
as if mounted on a terrace in Spring
I alone am inactive and reveal no signs.
like an infant that has not yet smiled.
Listless, as though with no home to go to.
The multitude has more than enough
I alone seem to be in want.
My mind is that of a fool - how empty!
Ordinary men are clear
I alone am confused.
Ordinary men are alert
I alone am drowsy.
I seem to be carried about as on the sea
drifting, with nowhere to rest.
Ordinary men have a purpose
I alone am dull and foolish.
I alone am different from others
but value being nourished by the Mother.
XXI
The scope of all pervading power
acts through the Tao and the Tao alone.
For the Tao is
illusive indistinct
yet within it are all forms.
Indistinct illusive
yet within it, their semblances.
Shadowy and dim
yet within it, their essence.
This essence unfolds the truth
from the present back to antiquity.
Its name endures forever.
Hence are all things formed
that never know decay.
How do I know that the many things are so?
By means of this.
XXII
The partial becomes whole
the crooked straight
the empty full
the worn new.
He whose desires are few attains them.
He whose desires are many goes astray.
Thus the sage embraces the One
and is a model for the empire.
He does not show himself and so is conspicuous
He does not assert himself and so is distinguished
He does not boast and so is acknowledged
He is not complacent and so is exalted
It is because he does not contend
that no one in the empire can contend against him.
The way the ancients have it,
“the partial becomes whole”
is no idle saying.
Truly, it preserves one to the end.
XXIII
He of few words
obeys the stillness of his nature.
A violent wind cannot last all morning.
A sudden rain cannot last all day.
Who is it that produces these?
Heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth cannot endure forever
how much less can man?
That is why one follows the Tao.
A man of Tao conforms to the Tao.
A man of virtue conforms to virtue.
A man of loss conforms to loss.
He who conforms to the Tao
is accepted by the Tao.
He who conforms to virtue
is accepted by virtue.
He who conforms to loss
is accepted by loss.
When there is insufficient faith on his part
there is found a want of faith in others.
XXIV
He who tiptoes cannot stand firm.
He who strides cannot walk.
He who shows himself is not seen.
He who asserts his righteousness is not distinguished.
He who boasts will have no merit.
He who is selfish will not endure.
From the standpoint of the Tao
these are the stale remnants of food
or a tumor on the body which all dislike.
Hence those who pursue the Tao
do not abide in them.
XXV
There is something formless yet complete
that existed before heaven and earth.
How still! How Empty!
It stands alone and does not change
reaches everywhere and does not weary.
It may be regarded as the mother of all things.
I do not know its name
so I call it the Tao.
Were I to name it further I would call it the Great.
Being great it passes in constant flow.
Passing on it becomes remote.
Becoming remote it turns back.
Hence, the Tao is great.
Heaven is great earth is great
and the king also is great.
In the universe four things are great
and the king counts as one.
Man takes his decree from the earth
earth from heaven
heaven from the Tao
and the Tao from that which is naturally so.
XXVI
As the heavy is the root of the light
so stillness is the lord of movement.
Therefore the prince when
traveling the whole day
never strays far from the laden carts.
However magnificent the view
he sits quiet and dispassionate.
How should a lord of ten thousand chariots
carry himself before the empire?
If lightly the root is lost.
If restlessly the throne is lost.
XXVII
The skillful traveler leaves no trace
The skillful speaker makes no slip
The skillful reckoner uses no tallies
The skillful closer uses no bolts
yet what he has sealed cannot be opened.
The skillful binder uses no cords
yet what he has bound cannot be undone.
Likewise the sage is skillful at saving men
and so abandons no one.
Always skillful in saving things
and so abandons nothing.
This is called following one’s discernment.
Hence the man of skill is a teacher
to one who has not the skill
and one who has not the skill is the helper
of one who has the skill.
Not to honor the teacher
nor to respect the helper
though he have much learning
betrays great ignorance.
This is called the essential secret.
XXVIII
Know the male
yet cleave to the female
and become like a ravine to the empire
receiving all things under heaven.
Being thus
the constant virtue will not desert you
and you will attain the state of childhood.
Know the white
yet cleave to the black
and become a model to the empire.
Being thus
the constant virtue will not be wanting
and you will return to the limitless.
Know glory
yet cleave to the ignoble
and become a valley to the empire.
Being thus
the constant virtue will be sufficient
and you will return to the Uncarved Block.
When the Uncarved Block is divided
it is made into vessels.
The sage makes use of these and becomes
lord over the ministers.
Truly, the greatest carver does the least cutting
XXIX
Who ever would take the empire
by tampering with it
will have no success.
The empire is a sacred vessel
risky to tamper with.
Those that tamper with it harm it.
Who ever lays hold of it will lose it.
Hence some things lead and others follow
Some breathe gently and others breathe hard
Some are strong and some are weak
Some destroy and others are destroyed.
Hence the sage avoids excess
extravagance and indulgence.
XXX
He who would assist a ruler of men
by means of the Tao will not
intimidate the empire by a show of arms.
Such a course is sure to have repercussions.
Where armies encamp
briars and thorns spring up.
In the wake of a mighty army
blight follows without fail.
A skilful commander aims at bringing
his campaign to a conclusion
but dares not intimidate thereby.
He brings it to a conclusion but does not boast;
He brings it to a conclusion but does not brag;
He brings it to a conclusion but is not arrogant;
He strikes as a matter of necessity
but does not intimidate.
Things in their prime doing harm to the old
is not in accordance with the Tao.
That which is not in accordance with the Tao
will come to an early end.
XXXI
It is because arms are of ill omen
and hateful to all creatures
that one in the Tao
does not abide by their use.
In peace the left hand is
the place of honor;
In war the right hand is
the place of honor.
Arms are of ill omen,
not the instruments of the superior man.
He uses them without relish.
To glorify victory
is to exult in the killing of men.
He who exalts in the killing of men
will not have his way in the empire.
A host that has slain men
is received with grief and mourning.
He that has conquered in battle
is received with rites of mourning.
XXXII
The way is forever nameless.
Though the uncarved block
is small, the whole world
dare not contend with he
who is its advocate.
Could kings and queens but hold fast to it
all would submit of their own accord.
Though no one so decrees,
heaven and earth unite
sending down sweet dew
equally in all directions.
Only when the block is carved
are there names.
As soon as there are names
men should know cessation.
Knowing cessation they are
free from danger.
The Tao is to the world
what the ocean is to the stream.
XXXIII
He who knows others is discerning
He who knows himself is stealthy
He who overcomes others is strong
He who overcomes himself is mighty
He who knows contentment is rich
He who preservers is a man of firm resolve
He who maintains his position will endure
He who lives out his days will have a long life
XXXIV
The Tao is all pervading
reaching to the left as well as to the right.
The ten thousand things depend on it for life
yet it claims no authority.
It accomplishes its task
yet lays no claim to merit.
It makes provision for the myriad creatures
yet lays no claim to being lord.
Free of desire, it can be called small.
Yet as it presides over the return
of all things to their root
without claiming lordship,
it can be called great.
Hence the sage accomplishes
his ends by never attempting
himself to be great.
XXXV
To him who holds the great Image
the whole world repairs.
They who resort to him receive no hurt
but find rest, ease, and tranquility.
Music and food
induce the wayfarer to stop.
The Tao in its passage through the mouth
is without flavor.
It cannot be seen
it cannot be heard
yet it cannot be exhausted by use.
XXXVI
If you would have a thing contracted
you must first expand it;
If you would have a thing weakened
you must first strengthen it;
If you would have a thing laid aside
you must first take it up.
This is called concealing
the light of procedure.
The submissive and weak
overcome the hard and strong.
The instruments of power in a state
must not be revealed to anyone.
XXXVII
The Tao never acts
yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and princes could hold fast to it,
all things of themselves would be transformed.
If desire should arise,
I would press it down
by the weight of the uncarved block.
Simplicity without a name
is free from all desire.
If I cease from desire
and remain still,
all things will be at peace of their own accord.
XXXVIII
The man with the highest
attributes of Tao does not show them in
the fullest measure.
is not the constant Tao.
The way that can be named
is not the constant way.
Nameless, it is the progenitor
of heaven and earth.
Named, it is the mother of all things.
Hence ridding yourself of desires
will disclose its secrets.
Clinging to false desire
will produce its manifestations.
These two aspects are the same
but differ in name as they issue forth.
Together they are the Mystery.
Mystery upon mystery
the gateway of the manifold secrets.
II
It is because all the world recognizes the beautiful
as beautiful that the idea of the ugly arises.
It is because all the world recognizes the good
as good that the idea of bad arises.
Thus being and non-being produce one another;
Difficulty and ease complement one another.
The high and the low determine one another.
Note and tone harmonize with one another.
Before and after follow one another.
Therefore the sage abides in non-action
and practices wordless teaching.
The ten thousand things arise from it
yet it claims no authority
Gives them life yet claims no possession
Benefits them yet exacts no gratitude
Accomplishes its task yet lays no claim to merit.
It is because it lays no claim to merit
that merit never leaves it.
III
Not to employ men of ability
will keep the people from contention.
Not to value goods hard to come by
will keep them from theft.
Not to display what is desirable
will keep their minds from becoming unsettled.
Therefore the sage in governing the people
empties their minds but fills their bellies,
weakens their will but strengthens their bones.
He keeps them from knowledge
and free from desire
and restrains the clever from acting.
When there is no action, order prevails.
IV
The Tao is empty yet use will not exhaust it.
How deep! How still!
It is the progenitor
of the ten thousand things.
Blunt the sharpness
untangle the knots
soften the glare
bring yourself into agreement
with the obscurity of others.
How still! How deep!
As if it would continue forever.
I know not whose son it is.
It was prior to the existence of God.
V
Heaven and earth act not from benevolence
and treat all things as straw dogs.
The sage acts not from benevolence
and treats the people as straw dogs.
Is not the space between Heaven and Earth
like a bellows?
It is empty without being exhausted.
The more it works the more issues forth.
Much speech leads quickly to silence.
Guard your inner being and keep it free.
VI
The spirit of the valley never dies.
This is called the mysterious female.
The gateway of the mysterious female
is called the root of heaven and earth.
Deep and still, its power is forever unbroken
yet use will not exhaust it.
VII
Heaven and earth are long enduring.
The reason why heaven and earth
are long enduring is that
they do not give themselves life.
Hence they are long enduring.
Therefore the sage puts his person last
and it comes first
treats it as extraneous
and it is preserved.
Is it not because he is without thought of self
That he is able to accomplish his ends?
VIII
The highest good is like water.
It benefits the myriad creatures
without contending with them
and settles in the low places
that men dislike and avoid.
It comes close to the Tao.
In a home it is the site that matters.
In quality of mind it is stillness that matters.
In associations it is good faith that matters.
In speech it is sincerity that matters.
In government it is order that matters.
In affairs it is ability that matters.
In action it is timeliness that matters.
One with the highest excellence
does not contend about his low position
and therefore does not go astray.
IX
A vessel filled to the brim is in danger of spilling.
Better to have stopped in time.
Temper the sword edge to a point
and its sharpness cannot be preserved.
When bronze and jade fill your hall
it can no longer be guarded.
Wealth and position breed insolence
that brings ruin in its wake.
To withdraw when the task is done
is the way of heaven.
X
Can you keep the perplexed bodily soul from straying,
hold fast to the One and not let go?
Can you, while concentrating your breath
become as supple as a babe?
Can you wipe clean your vision of the mystery
and leave no blemish?
Can you love the people and rule the empire
yet remain unknown?
Can you in opening and shutting the gates of heaven
abide by the role of the female?
Can your mind penetrate the four directions
and yet remain without knowledge?
It gives them life and nurtures them.
It gives them life yet claims no possession,
Benefits them yet exacts no gratitude.
It is the steward yet exerts no authority.
Such is called the mysterious virtue.
XI
Thirty spokes converge on a hub.
The use of the wheel depends on the emptiness therein.
Knead clay to make a bowl.
The use of the bowl depends on the emptiness therein.
Cut out doors and windows
to make a house.
The use of the house depends on the emptiness therein.
Thus is something gained
by virtue of nothing.
XII
The five colors make blind men’s eyes.
The five notes make deaf his ears.
The five flavors jade his palate.
The chariot and the hunt make wild his mind.
Goods hard to come by hinder his progress.
Hence the sage
satisfies the stomach
but not the eye.
He puts away one but not the other.
XIII
Favor and disgrace are equally to be feared.
High rank, like one’s body,
is a source of great trouble.
What is meant by speaking thus
of favor and disgrace?
Gaining favor leads to the fear
of losing it.
Losing it leads to still greater fear.
This is what is meant by speaking thus
of favor and disgrace.
What is meant by saying that high rank
like one’s own body and is a source of great trouble?
The reason I have great trouble
is because I have a body.
If I had no body
what trouble would I have?
Thus he who regards the empire as he does
his own body may be entrusted with the empire.
He who would administer the empire with the
same love he bears towards his own person
may be given custody of the empire.
XIV
What cannot be seen is called invisible.
What cannot be heard is called inaudible.
What cannot be touched is called subtle.
These three cannot be described
and so they are combined to obtain the One.
Its upper part is not bright.
Its lower part is not obscure.
Ceaseless in action and yet it cannot be named
and returns to that which is unsubstantial.
This is called the form of the formless
and the image without substance.
It is called indistinct and fleeting.
We meet it and do not see its front.
We follow it and do not see its back.
Hold fast to the Way of the old
to direct the things of today.
When we know the beginning as it was of old
it is called unwinding the thread of Tao.
XV
He of old who was skillful in the Tao
possessed subtle penetration
and mysterious comprehension.
It is because he was beyond the
knowledge of men that he can
only be given a general description:
Tentative, like one who fords a stream in winter.
Hesitant, as if in fear of his neighbors.
Solemn, like a guest.
Evanescent, like melting snow.
Empty, like a valley.
Dull, like muddy water.
Who can make clear the water?
Let it be and it will become clear.
Who can secure rest?
Let movement continue and rest
will arise of itself.
Who hold fast to this Tao
desires not to be full.
It is because he is not full
that he can endure use without being renewed.
XVI
Do your utmost to attain emptiness.
Hold firmly to stillness.
All things go through their cycles of activity
and then return to their source.
The ten thousand things
all return to their separate roots.
Returning to ones roots is known as stillness.
That stillness is known as
fulfilling one’s appointed end.
Fulfilling one’s appointed end
is known as the constant.
Ignorance of the constant
leads to evil issue.
Acting from knowledge of the constant
will lead to impartiality
and a feeling of community with all things.
Feeling of community leads to kingliness
kingliness to heaven
heaven to the Tao
the Tao to perpetuity
and to the end of your days
you will meet with no misfortune.
XVII
Of old, the best of rulers were
but a vague presence to their subjects.
Then came the ruler they loved and praised
Then came the one they feared
Then came the one they despised
Thus when the Tao is deficient in the ruler
it is found to be wanting in the people.
Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly.
When his task is accomplished and his
work done, the people say
“it happened to us naturally.”
XVIII
When the Tao falls into disuse
there is benevolence and rectitude.
Then shrewdness and subtly appear
and there is great hypocrisy.
When the six relations are out of harmony
there are filial children.
When the state falls into disorder
there are loyal ministers.
XIX
Renounce sagacity discard wisdom
and the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Renounce benevolence discard rectitude
and the people will again be filial.
Renounce ingenuity discard profit
and there will be no more thieves.
These three being deficient are not enough.
Exhibit the unadorned and
embrace the Uncarved Block.
Have little thought of self and few desires.
XX
Renounce learning and there will be no troubles.
Between yes and no
how much difference is there?
Between good and evil
how great is the difference?
What all men fear
one also must fear.
Endless are the questions requiring discussion!
The multitude is joyous
as if partaking of a feast
as if mounted on a terrace in Spring
I alone am inactive and reveal no signs.
like an infant that has not yet smiled.
Listless, as though with no home to go to.
The multitude has more than enough
I alone seem to be in want.
My mind is that of a fool - how empty!
Ordinary men are clear
I alone am confused.
Ordinary men are alert
I alone am drowsy.
I seem to be carried about as on the sea
drifting, with nowhere to rest.
Ordinary men have a purpose
I alone am dull and foolish.
I alone am different from others
but value being nourished by the Mother.
XXI
The scope of all pervading power
acts through the Tao and the Tao alone.
For the Tao is
illusive indistinct
yet within it are all forms.
Indistinct illusive
yet within it, their semblances.
Shadowy and dim
yet within it, their essence.
This essence unfolds the truth
from the present back to antiquity.
Its name endures forever.
Hence are all things formed
that never know decay.
How do I know that the many things are so?
By means of this.
XXII
The partial becomes whole
the crooked straight
the empty full
the worn new.
He whose desires are few attains them.
He whose desires are many goes astray.
Thus the sage embraces the One
and is a model for the empire.
He does not show himself and so is conspicuous
He does not assert himself and so is distinguished
He does not boast and so is acknowledged
He is not complacent and so is exalted
It is because he does not contend
that no one in the empire can contend against him.
The way the ancients have it,
“the partial becomes whole”
is no idle saying.
Truly, it preserves one to the end.
XXIII
He of few words
obeys the stillness of his nature.
A violent wind cannot last all morning.
A sudden rain cannot last all day.
Who is it that produces these?
Heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth cannot endure forever
how much less can man?
That is why one follows the Tao.
A man of Tao conforms to the Tao.
A man of virtue conforms to virtue.
A man of loss conforms to loss.
He who conforms to the Tao
is accepted by the Tao.
He who conforms to virtue
is accepted by virtue.
He who conforms to loss
is accepted by loss.
When there is insufficient faith on his part
there is found a want of faith in others.
XXIV
He who tiptoes cannot stand firm.
He who strides cannot walk.
He who shows himself is not seen.
He who asserts his righteousness is not distinguished.
He who boasts will have no merit.
He who is selfish will not endure.
From the standpoint of the Tao
these are the stale remnants of food
or a tumor on the body which all dislike.
Hence those who pursue the Tao
do not abide in them.
XXV
There is something formless yet complete
that existed before heaven and earth.
How still! How Empty!
It stands alone and does not change
reaches everywhere and does not weary.
It may be regarded as the mother of all things.
I do not know its name
so I call it the Tao.
Were I to name it further I would call it the Great.
Being great it passes in constant flow.
Passing on it becomes remote.
Becoming remote it turns back.
Hence, the Tao is great.
Heaven is great earth is great
and the king also is great.
In the universe four things are great
and the king counts as one.
Man takes his decree from the earth
earth from heaven
heaven from the Tao
and the Tao from that which is naturally so.
XXVI
As the heavy is the root of the light
so stillness is the lord of movement.
Therefore the prince when
traveling the whole day
never strays far from the laden carts.
However magnificent the view
he sits quiet and dispassionate.
How should a lord of ten thousand chariots
carry himself before the empire?
If lightly the root is lost.
If restlessly the throne is lost.
XXVII
The skillful traveler leaves no trace
The skillful speaker makes no slip
The skillful reckoner uses no tallies
The skillful closer uses no bolts
yet what he has sealed cannot be opened.
The skillful binder uses no cords
yet what he has bound cannot be undone.
Likewise the sage is skillful at saving men
and so abandons no one.
Always skillful in saving things
and so abandons nothing.
This is called following one’s discernment.
Hence the man of skill is a teacher
to one who has not the skill
and one who has not the skill is the helper
of one who has the skill.
Not to honor the teacher
nor to respect the helper
though he have much learning
betrays great ignorance.
This is called the essential secret.
XXVIII
Know the male
yet cleave to the female
and become like a ravine to the empire
receiving all things under heaven.
Being thus
the constant virtue will not desert you
and you will attain the state of childhood.
Know the white
yet cleave to the black
and become a model to the empire.
Being thus
the constant virtue will not be wanting
and you will return to the limitless.
Know glory
yet cleave to the ignoble
and become a valley to the empire.
Being thus
the constant virtue will be sufficient
and you will return to the Uncarved Block.
When the Uncarved Block is divided
it is made into vessels.
The sage makes use of these and becomes
lord over the ministers.
Truly, the greatest carver does the least cutting
XXIX
Who ever would take the empire
by tampering with it
will have no success.
The empire is a sacred vessel
risky to tamper with.
Those that tamper with it harm it.
Who ever lays hold of it will lose it.
Hence some things lead and others follow
Some breathe gently and others breathe hard
Some are strong and some are weak
Some destroy and others are destroyed.
Hence the sage avoids excess
extravagance and indulgence.
XXX
He who would assist a ruler of men
by means of the Tao will not
intimidate the empire by a show of arms.
Such a course is sure to have repercussions.
Where armies encamp
briars and thorns spring up.
In the wake of a mighty army
blight follows without fail.
A skilful commander aims at bringing
his campaign to a conclusion
but dares not intimidate thereby.
He brings it to a conclusion but does not boast;
He brings it to a conclusion but does not brag;
He brings it to a conclusion but is not arrogant;
He strikes as a matter of necessity
but does not intimidate.
Things in their prime doing harm to the old
is not in accordance with the Tao.
That which is not in accordance with the Tao
will come to an early end.
XXXI
It is because arms are of ill omen
and hateful to all creatures
that one in the Tao
does not abide by their use.
In peace the left hand is
the place of honor;
In war the right hand is
the place of honor.
Arms are of ill omen,
not the instruments of the superior man.
He uses them without relish.
To glorify victory
is to exult in the killing of men.
He who exalts in the killing of men
will not have his way in the empire.
A host that has slain men
is received with grief and mourning.
He that has conquered in battle
is received with rites of mourning.
XXXII
The way is forever nameless.
Though the uncarved block
is small, the whole world
dare not contend with he
who is its advocate.
Could kings and queens but hold fast to it
all would submit of their own accord.
Though no one so decrees,
heaven and earth unite
sending down sweet dew
equally in all directions.
Only when the block is carved
are there names.
As soon as there are names
men should know cessation.
Knowing cessation they are
free from danger.
The Tao is to the world
what the ocean is to the stream.
XXXIII
He who knows others is discerning
He who knows himself is stealthy
He who overcomes others is strong
He who overcomes himself is mighty
He who knows contentment is rich
He who preservers is a man of firm resolve
He who maintains his position will endure
He who lives out his days will have a long life
XXXIV
The Tao is all pervading
reaching to the left as well as to the right.
The ten thousand things depend on it for life
yet it claims no authority.
It accomplishes its task
yet lays no claim to merit.
It makes provision for the myriad creatures
yet lays no claim to being lord.
Free of desire, it can be called small.
Yet as it presides over the return
of all things to their root
without claiming lordship,
it can be called great.
Hence the sage accomplishes
his ends by never attempting
himself to be great.
XXXV
To him who holds the great Image
the whole world repairs.
They who resort to him receive no hurt
but find rest, ease, and tranquility.
Music and food
induce the wayfarer to stop.
The Tao in its passage through the mouth
is without flavor.
It cannot be seen
it cannot be heard
yet it cannot be exhausted by use.
XXXVI
If you would have a thing contracted
you must first expand it;
If you would have a thing weakened
you must first strengthen it;
If you would have a thing laid aside
you must first take it up.
This is called concealing
the light of procedure.
The submissive and weak
overcome the hard and strong.
The instruments of power in a state
must not be revealed to anyone.
XXXVII
The Tao never acts
yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and princes could hold fast to it,
all things of themselves would be transformed.
If desire should arise,
I would press it down
by the weight of the uncarved block.
Simplicity without a name
is free from all desire.
If I cease from desire
and remain still,
all things will be at peace of their own accord.
XXXVIII
The man with the highest
attributes of Tao does not show them in
the fullest measure.
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