Das Tao Te King von Ha Poong Kim

Das
Tao Te King
von
Lao Tse

English by
Ha Poong Kim
http://www.sanmayce.com/

Home | Index

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45
46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54
55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	63
64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72
73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81

1

No Tao that may be Tao is the constant Tao;
No name that may be a name is the constant name.
By non-being you name the beginning of Heaven and Earth;
By being you name the mother of the ten thousand things.
Therefore, always free of desire you see the secret;
Always with desire you see its appearance.
These two
Are the same in origin yet different in name.
Their sameness may be called a mystery.
It is the mystery beyond mysteries,
The gate to myriad secrets.

2

All under Heaven recognize beautiful as beautiful,
But this is none other than ugly.
Everyone recognizes good as good,
But this is none other than bad.
Therefore being and non-being rise together;
Difficult and easy complete each other;
Long and short shape each other;
High and low lean on each other;
Sound and voice come in harmony;
Front and back accompany each other.
Therefore the sage
Relies on no-action,
Practices wordless teaching.
There rise the ten thousand things, but he disowns nothing,
He gives them life, yet does not possess them;
Rules them, yet does not depend on them;
His work is done, but he never dwells in it.
Truly, since he never dwells,
He never departs.

3

If you do not exalt the worthy,
You will keep the people from contention.
If you do not treasure rare goods,
You will keep them from stealing.
If you do not exhibit things that may arouse their desire,
You will keep their minds in peace.
Therefore the sage, in governing the people,
Makes their minds empty,
Their stomachs full,
Their ambitions weak,
Their bones strong.

4

Tao is empty,
You may use it but never fill it.
Fathomless, it is like the progenitor of the ten thousand things.
[It] blunts the sharpness,
Unravels the tangles,
Softens the brilliance,
Identifies with the dust.
Deep and still, it seems as though existing forever.
I don't know whose son it is.
It bears the image of God's forefather.

5

Heaven and Earth are not humane:
They treat the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The sage is not humane:
He treats the people as straw dogs.
The space between Heaven and Earth -
Is it not as though it were a bellows?
It is empty, yet inexhaustible.
Ever active, it gives off more and more.
Much talk inevitably leads to predicament.
It is better to hold on to the void.

6

The spirit of the mountain gorge never dies.
It is called the mysterious female.
The gate of the mysterious female -
It is called the root of Heaven and Earth.
Never ceasing to be, it seems as though existing forever.
Use never exhausts it.

7

Heaven and Earth are everlasting.
The reason why they are everlasting
Is that they do not live for themselves.
That is why they can live long.
Therefore the sage
Puts himself last and finds himself first;
He leaves himself out and finds himself preserved.
Is it not because he is selfless
That he can fulfill himself?

8

The supreme good is like water.
Water benefits the ten thousand things, yet contends with nothing.
It dwells where everyone is loath to be.
That is why it is near to Tao.
In dwelling, the good is the ground,
In thought, the good is depth,
In association, the good is gentleness,
In speech, the good is truthfulness,
In government, the good is order,
In work, the good is ability,
In movement, the good is timeliness.
Truly, because it [water] contends with nothing,
It is beyond reproach.

9

Rather than hold the bowl until it fills to the brim,
Better quit in time.
Hammer the blade to its sharpest,
And you will be unable to preserve it long.
Fill the hall with gold and jade,
And you will be unable to keep them safe.
He who is arrogant with his wealth and position
Will bring calamity upon himself.
To withdraw when the task is accomplished
Is the way of Heaven.

10

Rest your shining spirit and embrace the One.
Can you forever hold onto it?
Concentrate your breath and attain the utmost softness.
Can you become a baby?
Clean your mysterious mirror.
Can you keep it free of blemish?
Love the people and keep the state in peace.
Can you rule through no-action?
As the gate of Heaven opens and closes,
Can you play the female part?
As bright light reaches all four directions,
Can you remain unknowing?
To give people life and nurture them;
To give them life, without possessing them;
To rule them, without depending on them;
To lead them, without directing them -
This is called the mysterious Te.

11

Thirty spokes share one hub;
On its non-being depends the usefulness of the wheel.
You make a vessel, kneading clay;
On its non-being depends the usefulness of the vessel.
You make a room, carving out doors and windows;
On its non-being depends the usefulness of the room.
Therefore, being's advantage
Is non-being's usefulness.

12

The five colors make man's eyes go blind.
The five tones make man's ears go deaf.
The five tastes injure man's palate.
Hunting on horseback
Makes man's mind go crazy.
Rare goods
Impede man's action.
That is why the sage
Cares for the stomach, not for the eye.
Therefore he discards that and takes this.

13

"Be alarmed by favor and disgrace;
High rank brings you great misfortune, as if your own body."
What is the meaning of "Be alarmed by favor and disgrace"?
Regard favor as low.
Be alarmed to receive it;
Be alarmed to lose it.
This is the meaning of "Be alarmed by favor and disgrace."
What is the meaning of "High rank brings you great misfortune, as if your own body"?
My reason for having great misfortune
Is my having a body.
If I had no body,
What misfortune would I have?
Therefore, if a man values the care of his body above ruling all under Heaven,
He may be given all under Heaven.
If a man cherishes his body more than ruling all under Heaven,
All under Heaven may be entrusted to him.

14

You look at it but don't see it.
So you name it the Invisible.
You listen to it but don't hear it.
So you name it the Inaudible.
You grasp at it but don't touch it.
So you name it the Intangible.
These three
Are beyond scrutiny.
Therefore, blend them into one.
No brightness above it,
No darkness below it -
Boundless, it cannot be named.
Return to the objectless object.
It is called the shapeless shape -
The formless form.
It is called the vague and dim.
You meet it but don't see its head.
You follow it but don't see its back.
Hold on to the Tao of old,
And thereby ride the being of now.
Know the old beginning,
Which is called the thread of Tao.

15

Of old a man who practiced Tao best
Had insight into the subtlest and penetrated into the darkest.
His depth was not to be plumbed.
Truly, because his depth was not to be plumbed,
He could be portrayed only arbitrarily:
Hesitant as if crossing a river in winter;
Cautious as if fearing all four sides;
Inviolable like a guest;
Loose like ice about to thaw;
Simple like the uncarved block;
Empty like a valley;
Murky like muddy water.
Who can be muddy and yet, keeping still, slowly turn clear?
Who can be calm and yet, keeping active, slowly come to life?
He who embraces this Tao
Never wishes to be full.
Truly, because he is never full,
He decays yet renews himself.

16

Attain the utmost emptiness,
Hold fast to stillness.
The ten thousand things rise together;
I see them return.
All things flourish;
Each reverts to its root.
Reverting to the root is called stillness.
It means submission to fate.
Submission to fate is called [submission to] the constant.
To know the constant is called enlightenment.
If you do not know the constant,
You act blindly, ruining yourself.
Knowing the constant, you will be all-embracing.
All-embracing, hence impartial;
Impartial, hence king;
King, hence Heaven;
Heaven, hence Tao;
Tao, hence long-lasting.
Thus, you will be free of danger until the end of your life.

17

Of the rulers, the best is one of whose existence his people are [merely] aware;
Next comes one whom they love and praise;
Next comes one whom they fear;
Next comes one whom they despise.
When you don't trust them,
They will not trust you.
Calm, I rarely speak.
Yet the task is accomplished;
The people call me tzu-jan.

18

When the great Tao is abandoned,
You have humaneness and righteousness.
When wisdom appears,
You have great falsehood.
When the six relations are in disharmony,
You have filial piety and parental love.
When the state is in disorder,
You have loyal ministers.

19

Banish sagehood and wisdom,
And the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Banish humaneness and righteousness,
And the people will return to filial piety and parental love.
Banish cleverness and profit,
And there will be no more thieves and robbers.
These three
I take to be insufficient as maxims.
Therefore, let them be attached to the following:
Display plainness and embrace the uncarved block,
Diminish the self and reduce desires.

20

Banish learning, and you will have no worries.
"Yes" and "yeah" -
How far apart are they?
Good and bad -
How far apart are they?
"What others fear
You must fear."
How outlandish!
It will never end.
Everybody is cheerful,
As if enjoying a great feast;
As if going up to the terrace for the Spring Festival.
I alone am unexcited, giving no sign,
Like a baby who has not yet smiled;
Weary, as if nowhere to return.
Everybody has more than enough,
I alone seem dispossessed.
Mine is the mind of an ignorant man.
How indifferent!
Common folks are bright,
I alone am dark.
They are keen,
I alone am dull.
Adrift, I feel as if on the sea -
Blown by a high wind that seems never to come to rest.
Everybody is put to use,
I alone am stubborn and foolish like a boor.
Alone, different from others, I treasure the nursing mother.

21

The look of the great Te
Follows from Tao alone.
It is Tao embodied.
How vague and dim it is!
Vague and dim -
In it are forms.
Vague and dim -
In it are things.
Deep and dark -
In it is the vital essence,
Which is most real.
In it is evidence.
From the time of old till today,
Its name has never departed.
By it you view the beginning of all.
How do I know the shape of the beginning of all?
By this.

22

To yield is to remain whole;
To bend is to get up straight;
To be hollow is to be full;
To decay is to renew;
To be small is to gain;
To have many is to be perplexed.
Therefore the sage,
Embracing the One, becomes the model for all under Heaven.
He does not show himself, therefore his presence is bright.
He does not claim to be right, therefore his virtue shines.
He is not boastful of his act, therefore his merit is great.
He is not conceited, therefore he is long-lasting.
Only because he does not contend,
No one under Heaven can contend with him.
Can the old saying "To yield is to remain whole"
Be an empty phrase?
Truly, he remains whole, and the world returns to him.

23

Tzu-jan rarely speaks.
Therefore no windstorm lasts all morning;
No rainstorm lasts all day.
Who causes these things?
Heaven and Earth.
If even Heaven and Earth can cause nothing to last forever,
How could man?
Therefore those who follow Tao
Are one with Tao.
Those who attain Te are one with Te;
Those who lose [Te] are one with the loss.
When a man is one with Tao,
Tao also rejoices at gaining him;
When a man is one with Te,
Te also rejoices at gaining him;
When a man is one with the loss,
The loss also rejoices at gaining him.
When you don't trust others,
They will not trust you.

24

He who tiptoes cannot remain standing;
He who strides cannot travel;
He who shows himself has no bright presence;
He who claims to be right does not shine;
The boastful have no merit;
The conceited do not last long.
From Tao's standpoint
Such things may be called excess food and superfluous action.
Creatures abhor them.
Therefore the man of Tao stays away from them.

25

There is something undifferentiated
That precedes the birth of Heaven and Earth.
Silent and still,
It stands by itself and never changes -
All-pervading and never in danger.
One may regard it as the mother of Heaven and Earth.
I don't know its proper name;
I address it as Tao.
Were I forced to name it, I would call it Great.
"Great" means "to go."
"To go" means "far away."
"Far away" means "to return."
Therefore Tao is great,
Heaven is great,
Earth is great,
The king is also great.
In the universe there are four greats.
King is one of them.
The measure for man is Earth;
The measure for Earth is Heaven;
The measure for Heaven is Tao;
The measure for Tao is tzu-jan.

26

The heavy is the root of the light;
Stillness is the lord of bustle.
Therefore the prince,
Traveling all day,
Never parts with his baggage-wagon.
Even at a magnificent sight,
He remains at ease, unmoved.
How could the lord of ten thousand chariots
Regard his own body more lightly than all under Heaven?
If you act lightly, the root is lost;
If you bustle, the lord is lost.

27

Perfect going leaves no tracks.
Perfect speech has no flaws.
Perfect counting uses no counters.
The perfect lock uses no bolt; it is impossible to open.
The perfect knot uses no rope; it is impossible to untie.
Therefore the sage
Is always perfect in delivering people from distress.
Thus he abandons no one.
He is always perfect in delivering creatures from distress.
Thus he abandons no creature.
This is called following the light.
Therefore the perfect man
Is the leader of the imperfect man;
The imperfect man
Is the asset of the perfect man.
He who does not treasure his leader,
He who does not cherish his asset,
Though he may be wise, is greatly deluded.
This is called the fundamental secret.

28

He knows the male,
Yet holds fast to the female,
And thus becomes the ravine of all under Heaven.
When he becomes the ravine of all under Heaven,
The constant Te will never desert him.
He returns to the baby.
He knows white,
Yet holds fast to black,
And thus becomes the model for all under Heaven.
When he becomes the model for all under Heaven,
The constant Te will never fail him.
He returns to the infinite.
He knows glory,
Yet holds fast to ignominy,
And thus becomes the valley of all under Heaven.
When he becomes the valley of all under Heaven,
His constant Te will be sufficient,
He returns to the uncarved block.
When the uncarved block scatters, it turns into vessels.
When the sage uses them,
He becomes chief of ministers.
Therefore great cutting does not split.

29

Do you wish to conquer all under Heaven and rule it?
I see you will never succeed.
All under Heaven is a sacred vessel;
No one can rule it by action.
Whoever rules it by action destroys it;
Whoever seizes it loses it.
Therefore, among the creatures,
Some go, some follow;
Some breathe lightly, some blow hard;
Some are strong, some are weak;
Some break, some fall.
Therefore the sage
Shuns extremes,
Shuns extravagance,
Shuns vanity.

30

He who assists the ruler by Tao
Does not resort to arms to dominate all under Heaven by force.
This thing loves to rebound.
Where troops have encamped,
Brambles grow;
After the raising of great armies
A famine follows invariably.
A good man merely lets it bear fruit;
He does not seek to force it.
He lets it bear fruit; he is not vainglorious.
He lets it bear fruit; he is not boastful.
He lets it bear fruit; he is not arrogant.
He lets it bear fruit, out of necessity.
He lets it bear fruit and does not force it.
When a thing reaches its prime, it becomes old.
Forcing is called contrary to Tao.
What is contrary to Tao expires early.

31

Dazzling arms
Are instruments of ill omen.
All creatures detest them.
Therefore the man of Tao does not keep company with them.
At home, the prince honors the left;
At war, the right.
Arms
Are instruments of ill omen -
No instruments for the prince.
When necessary to use them,
It's best to do so in calm disinterestedness.
You do not celebrate a victory.
To celebrate a victory
Is to delight in the slaughter of people.
He who delights in the slaughter of people
Will never realize his ambition under Heaven.
At times of good fortune, you honor the left;
At times of misfortune, you honor the right.
The second in command stands on the left;
The supreme commander stands on the right.
This means they stand as if observing funeral rites.
Having committed mass killings,
Let us weep with deep sorrow;
For a victory, let us observe funeral rites.

32

Tao is forever nameless.
Though the uncarved block is small,
No one under Heaven can make it his subject.
If kings and princes hold fast to it,
The ten thousand things will submit of their own accord;
Heaven and Earth will unite to send sweet dew;
The people will be fair of themselves, without being ordered.
When the cutting begins, names come to be.
As soon as names appear,
Know that it's time to stop.
By knowing this, you will be free from danger.
To draw an analogy, the working of Tao under Heaven
Is like streams and rapids flowing into great rivers and seas.

33

He who knows others is wise;
He who knows himself is enlightened.
He who overcomes others has strength;
He who overcomes himself is strong.
He who knows to be content is rich.
He who persists in his action is strong-willed.
He who does not lose his place is long-lasting.
He who dies but does not perish is long-lived.

34

The great Tao overflows left and right,
The ten thousand things depend on it for their lives, and it never disowns them.
Its work is done, but it has no name.
It clothes and nurtures the ten thousand things, yet it makes no claim to be lord over them.
It is always free of desire.
It may be called small.
The ten thousand things return to it, yet it makes no claim to be lord over them.
It may be called great.
Because it never regards itself as great,
It can accomplish its greatness.

35

Holding fast to the great form,
Go anywhere under Heaven.
Wherever you go, nothing will harm you -
You will be safe and in peace.
Music and fine food
Make the passing stranger stop.
When Tao comes out from the mouth,
How flavorless it is!
You look at it, but it is invisible.
You listen to it, but it is inaudible.
You use it, but it is inexhaustible.

36

When you want to shrink it,
You must first stretch it.
When you want to make it weak,
You must first make it strong.
When you want to make it fall,
You must first make it rise.
When you want to rob it,
You must first give it.
This is called subtle light.
The soft and weak prevails over the hard and strong.
The fish may not leave the depths.
The sharp instrument of the state
May not be shown to the people.

37

Tao never does,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
If kings and princes hold fast to this,
The ten thousand things will transform of themselves.
Should desires arise after transformation,
I shall calm them with the nameless, uncarved block.
The nameless, uncarved block
Brings desirelessness.
With desirelessness comes stillness,
And all under Heaven will be at peace by itself.

38

The man of superior virtue [te] is not virtuous;
Therefore he has virtue.
The man of inferior virtue never fails to be virtuous;
Therefore he has no virtue.
A man of superior virtue never acts;
He seeks nothing through action.
A man of inferior virtue acts;
He seeks [virtue] through action.
A man of superior humaneness [jen] acts;
Yet he seeks nothing through action.
A man of superior righteousness [i] acts;
He seeks [righteousness] through action.
A man of superior ritual propriety [li] acts;
And when others fail to respond accordingly,
He stretches his arm and charges at them.
Therefore, when Tao is lost, virtue appears;
When virtue is lost, humaneness appears;
When humaneness is lost, righteousness appears;
When righteousness is lost, ritual propriety appears.
Truly, ritual propriety means
The thinning of loyalty and truthfulness,
And the origin of disorder.
Foresight
Is the flower of Tao,
The beginning of folly.
Therefore the great man
Dwells in the thick,
Not in the thin,
In the fruit,
Not in the flower.
Therefore he discards that and takes this.

39

The things of old that have attained the One:
Heaven, having attained the One, is clear;
Earth, having attained the One, is steady;
Spirits, having attained the One, possess their numinous power;
Valleys, having attained the One, are full;
The ten thousand things, having attained the One, come to life;
Kings and princes, having attained the One, become the model for all under Heaven.
It is by virtue of the One that they become what they are.
Were Heaven not clear by virtue of that,
I fear it would soon shatter;
Were Earth not steady by virtue of that,
I fear it would soon collapse;
Were spirits not to possess their numinous power by virtue of that,
I fear they would soon cease to be;
Were valleys not full by virtue of that,
I fear they would soon dry up;
Were the ten thousand things not to come to life by virtue of that,
I fear they would soon perish;
Were kings and princes not noble and high by virtue of that,
I fear they would soon fall.
Therefore, for the noble the humble is the root;
For the high the low is the foundation.
For this reason, kings and princes
Refer to themselves as "the orphaned one," "the widowed one," and "the ill-provided one."
Isn't this because the humble is the root?
Is it not?
Therefore, if you tally your honors you will count none.
Don't try to jingle like jade-bells,
Rather, sound like rolling rocks.

40

Turning back is Tao's motion.
Being weak is Tao's function.
The ten thousand things under Heaven are born from being;
Being is born from non-being.

41

When the highest type of man hears Tao,
He practices it diligently.
When the middle type hears Tao,
He half believes and half disbelieves it.
When the lowest type hears Tao,
He laughs out loud.
If he didn't,
It couldn't possibly be considered Tao.
Therefore the Chien yen has it:
"The bright Tao looks dark;
The forward-moving Tao seems retreating;
The level Tao seems bumpy;
The highest Te is like a valley;
Perfect white looks soiled;
The broad Te seems insufficient;
The firm Te seems precarious;
The pure Te seems discolored;
The great square has no corners;
The great vessel takes long to complete;
The great sound is inaudible;
The great form is shapeless."
Tao is hidden and nameless.
Truly, Tao alone supports [all things] and brings them to completion.

42

Tao gives birth to One;
One gives birth to Two;
Two give birth to Three,
Three give birth to the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry the yin on their backs and hold the yang in their arms;
And attain harmony through the blending of the two energies.
What people detest most
Is to be orphaned, widowed and ill-provided.
But that is how kings and princes call themselves.
Therefore, of things, some gain by losing,
Some lose by gaining.
What others teach
I also teach.
"The violent one will not attain his death."
I will take this to be my teacher.

43

The softest under Heaven
Rides roughshod over the hardest under Heaven.
The beingless [wu yu] penetrates the spaceless [wu chien].
From this I know the advantage of no-action [wu-wei].
The wordless teaching,
The advantage of no-action -
Nothing under Heaven exemplifies them better.

44

Your name or your body, which is dearer?
Your body or your possessions, which is more valuable?
Gaining or losing, which worries you more?
Therefore, when your craving is excessive, your spending is extravagant.
When you store much, you are bound to lose much.
Know how to be content, and you will not be disgraced.
Know when to stop, and you will be free from danger.
Thus you will be long-lasting.

45

Great accomplishment looks incomplete;
Use will not wear it out.
Great fullness looks empty;
Use will not exhaust it.
Great straightness looks crooked;
Great skill looks clumsy;
Great eloquence sounds stuttering;
"Being in motion overcomes cold;
Being still overcomes heat."
Be clear and still, and you will be the lord of all under Heaven.

46

When Tao prevails under Heaven,
Fleet-footed horses are taken out [of service] to fertilize the fields.
When Tao fails to prevail under Heaven,
War horses breed on the sacred mounds outside the city walls.
No misfortune is greater than not knowing contentment;
No calamity is greater than wanting to possess.
Therefore, he who knows the sufficiency of contentment
Is always contented.

47

Without leaving the door,
You may know all under Heaven.
Without looking out the window,
You may know the way of Heaven.
The further you go,
The less you know.
Therefore the sage
Knows without going,
Sees without looking,
Fulfills without doing.

48

When you pursue learning, you gain day by day.
When you pursue Tao, you lose day by day.
You lose more and more,
Until you reach thereby the point of no-action.
You do nothing yet leave nothing undone.
You take all under Heaven
Always through no activity.
Should you rely on activity,
You will find it insufficient to take all under Heaven.

49

The sage has no fixed mind;
He takes the people's mind as his own.
I accept as good those who are good;
I also accept as good those who are not good.
Such is Te's goodness.
I trust those who trust;
I also trust those who do not trust.
Such is Te's trust.
The sage, in ruling all under Heaven,
Makes his mind one with it.
All his subjects set their ears and eyes on him.
He regards them all as his children.

50

You come out to life and enter death.
The companions of life are three in ten;
The companions of death are three in ten:
The way humans live,
There are those who move into death-spots.
They too are three in ten.
Why is this so?
It is because of their hoarding of life.
I hear that those who nurture life well,
When traveling on land, do not meet wild buffaloes or tigers,
Nor do they, when going into battle, put on armor or shields.
The wild buffalo would find no place to thrust its horns;
The tiger would find no place to place its claws;
The sword would find no place to lodge its blade.
Why is this so?
Because for such men there are no death-spots.

51

Tao gives life [to the ten thousand things];
Te nurtures them.
Materiality shapes them;
The circumstances fulfill them.
Therefore, of the ten thousand things
None fails to revere Tao and honor Te.
The revering of Tao,
The honoring of Te -
No one orders it.
It is always so of itself [tzu-jan].
Therefore Tao gives them life;
Te nurtures them.
Makes them flourish and grow;
Gives them security and comfort;
Feeds and shelters them.
To give them life, without possessing them;
To rule them, without depending on them;
To lead them, without presiding over them -
This is called the mysterious Te.

52

All under Heaven has its beginning,
Which may be regarded as the mother of all under Heaven.
Having recognized its mother,
You know the child, also;
Having known the child,
You hold fast to its mother, also.
Thus you will be free of danger till the end of your life.
Block the holes,
Shut the gates,
And you will never be spent till your last day.
Open up the holes,
Busy yourself with activities,
And you will never be saved till your last day.
To see what is small is called clear sight;
To hold fast to what is soft is called strength.
Use the light,
Return to clear sight,
And you will never bring misfortune upon yourself.
This is called following the constant.

53

Let me have even the slightest of wisdom.
Traveling the great way [Tao],
I will only fear going astray.
The great way is level.
Yet people prefer small paths.
The court is overrun with corruption;
The fields are overgrown with weeds;
The granaries are utterly empty;
Yet the officials wear embroidered clothes,
Carry sharp swords,
Feast on food and wine,
Possess more goods than they need.
This is called the robber's extravagance.
It is indeed contrary to Tao!

54

What is firmly planted cannot be pulled out;
What is tightly held in the arms cannot slip away,
So that the descendants will never stop offering ancestral sacrifice.
Cultivate it in yourself,
And its Te will be genuine.
Cultivate it in the household,
And its Te will be more than sufficient.
Cultivate it in the village,
And its Te will be long-lasting.
Cultivate it in the state,
And its Te will be plentiful.
Cultivate it in all under Heaven,
And its Te will be all-encompassing.
Therefore, observe yourself through yourself;
The household through the household;
The village through the village;
The state through the state;
All under Heaven through all under Heaven.
How do I know that all under Heaven is so?
With this.

55

He who possesses Te in abundance
May be likened to a newborn baby.
Bees, scorpions and vipers do not sting it;
Ferocious beasts do not seize it;
Birds of prey do not attack it.
Its bones are weak and its sinews soft, yet its grip is firm.
It doesn't yet know the union of male and female, yet its organ is erect.
Its vital energy is perfect.
It screams all day yet never becomes hoarse.
Its harmony is perfect.
To know harmony is called [to know the] constant.
To know the constant is called enlightenment.
To improve upon one's life is called ill omen.
When the mind dictates the vital breath, it is called forcing.
When a thing reaches its prime, it becomes old.
Forcing is called contrary to Tao.
What is contrary to Tao expires early.

56

He who knows does not speak;
He who speaks does not know.
Block the holes,
Shut the gates.
[He] blunts the sharpness,
Unravels the tangles,
Softens the brilliance,
Identifies with the dust.
This is called mysterious identity.
Therefore you can neither befriend him,
Nor alienate him,
Nor benefit him,
Nor harm him,
Nor exalt him,
Nor humble him.
That is why he is the noblest of all under Heaven.

57

"Govern the state according to what is right;
Use the troops by surprise tactics."
But take all under Heaven through no-action.
How do I know this is so?
Because of this -
The more bans and taboos under Heaven,
The poorer the people;
The more sharp instruments in the hands of the people,
The more trouble for the state;
The more skills the people have,
The more fanciful inventions appear;
The more laws and decrees,
The more thieves and robbers.
Therefore the sage says:
"I engage in no-action, and the people transform of themselves;
I love stillness, and the people correct themselves;
I engage in no work, and the people prosper of themselves;
I am free from desire, and the people turn into the uncarved block of themselves."

58

When the government is dull,
The people are simple.
When the government is keen,
The people are discontented.
Bad fortune is what good fortune leans on;
Good fortune is where bad fortune lurks.
Who knows the fortune's end?
There is nothing straight.
What is straight turns monstrous.
What is beautiful turns grotesque.
Man has been deluded
From time immemorial.
Therefore the sage
Is square without cutting;
Honest without scraping;
Straight without overbearing;
Bright without dazzling.

59

In ruling the people and serving Heaven
Nothing is better than being sparing.
Truly, being sparing
Means submitting early.
Submitting early
Means accumulating Te heavily.
If you accumulate Te heavily,
There will be nothing you cannot overcome.
If there is nothing you cannot overcome,
You will find no limit.
If you find no limit,
You will be fit to rule a state.
If you possess the mother of the state,
You will be long-lasting.
This is called deeply rooted and firmly planted.
It is the way of long life and lasting sight.

60

Governing a large state
Is like boiling a small fish.
When you rule all under Heaven according to Tao,
The spirits of the dead cease to exercise supernatural power.
It is not that they cease to exercise supernatural power.
Their supernatural power does not harm the people.
It is not simply that their supernatural power does not harm the people.
The sage, too, does not harm the people.
Since neither of them harms the people,
Their Te, united, returns.

61

The large state is the lower reaches of a river,
The place where all under Heaven meets -
The female of all under Heaven.
The female always overcomes the male by stillness.
With stillness she plays the lower part.
Therefore, when the large state plays the lower part toward the small state,
It takes the small state.
When the small state plays the lower part toward the large state,
It takes the large state.
Therefore some take by playing the lower part;
Some are taken by playing the lower part.
The large state merely wants to unite with the other and nurture it;
The small state merely wants to join and serve the other.
Each gets what it wants.
It is right that the large state should play the lower part.

62

Tao
Is the sanctuary of the ten thousand things,
The good man's treasure,
The bad man's refuge.
Beautiful words can buy honor,
Beautiful deeds can benefit people.
Though a man may be bad,
How can he be abandoned?
Therefore, on occasion of crowning the Son of Heaven
Or installing the three ministers of state,
Rather than present a large disc of jade, accompanied by a team of four horses,
Better remain in your seat and offer a tribute of this Tao.
Why did the ancients honor this Tao?
Did they not say:
"You get thereby what you seek;
You escape thereby when you have sinned."
Therefore they regarded it as the most precious of all things under Heaven.

63

Act through no-action,
Attend to no-affair,
Relish no-flavor,
Take the small as big and the few as many.
Repay hatred with Te.
Plan difficult things while they are easy.
Handle big things while they are small.
Difficult things under Heaven
Always arise from what is easy;
Big things under Heaven
Always arise from what is small.
For this reason the sage
Never intends big things,
And thus can accomplish big things.
He who agrees lightly invariably inspires little faith.
He who considers many things easy invariably encounters many difficulties.
For this reason even the sage considers things difficult;
Therefore he never encounters difficulties.

64

What is at rest is easy to hold;
What has not yet shown its sign is easy to prepare for.
What is tender is easy to break up;
What is minute is easy to scatter.
Deal with things before they become reality;
Put things in order before disorder arises.
A tree as big as a man's embrace
Grows from the tip of a fine hair.
A terrace nine stories high
Rises from a heap of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles
Starts from where one stands.
Whoever acts on it will ruin it;
Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.
For this reason the sage
Does nothing and therefore ruins nothing;
Lays hold of nothing and therefore loses nothing.
People, in handling their affairs,
Always ruin their work on the verge of completion.
Be careful at the end as at the start,
And you will never fail.
For this reason the sage
Desires not to desire,
Does not treasure rare goods,
Learns not to learn.
He returns to what the multitude passes by.
He thus helps the ten thousand things to be so of themselves [tzu jan],
And does not try to rule.

65

Of old a man who practiced Tao best
Did not thereby seek to make the people bright,
But to make them ignorant.
The people are difficult to govern,
Because they are too clever.
Therefore, to govern a state through knowledge
Is the robbing of the state;
Not to govern a state through knowledge
Is a blessing to the state.
Those who know these two
Also know the standard.
Always to know the standard
Is called the mysterious Te.
Deep and far-reaching is the mysterious Te!
Turn away from things.
Only then will the great obedience be attained.

66

The great rivers and seas are kings of hundred valleys,
Because they are good at keeping low.
That is why they can be kings of hundred valleys.
Therefore, if you want to stand above the people,
You must keep low in speaking to them.
If you want to stand ahead of the people,
You must put yourself behind them.
For this reason the sage
Is above the people yet does not weigh heavy on them;
He is ahead of the people yet causes no harm to them.
Therefore all under Heaven are happy to uphold him and never tire of him.
Because he does not contend,
No one under Heaven can contend with him.

67

All under Heaven says that
My Tao is great yet doesn't look like it [Tao].
Truly, because it is great,
It doesn't look like it.
If it did,
It would have turned out a petty one long ago.
I have three treasures.
I hold and cherish them.
The first is called mercifulness;
The second, frugality;
The third, refusal to be ahead of all under Heaven.
Being merciful, you can therefore be brave;
Being frugal, you can therefore be liberal;
Refusing to be ahead of all under Heaven,
You can therefore become the leader of the vessels.
Now, to be brave, forsaking mercifulness,
To be liberal, forsaking frugality,
To be ahead, forsaking being behind
Is death.
With mercifulness -
If you fight, you will be triumphant,
If you defend, you will be invincible.
Whatever Heaven is about to save
Heaven will protect it with mercifulness.

68

A good warrior is not belligerent;
A good fighter is not given to anger;
One who is good at winning does not engage the enemy;
One who is good at using others takes the lower position.
This is called the Te of non-contention;
This is called making use of the strength of others;
This is called fit to be Heaven's mate.
It is the ultimate [truth] of old.

69

The strategists'saying:
"I dare not play the host but play the guest,
I dare not advance an inch but retreat a foot."
This is called marching no-marching,
Stretching no-arms,
Arming with no-weapons,
Charging at no-enemy.
No disaster is greater than making light of the enemy.
When I make light of the enemy, I may lose my treasure.
Therefore, when two sides confront each other with arms,
The one who grieves wins.

70

My words are very easy to understand,
Very easy to put into practice.
Yet no one under Heaven can understand them
Or put them into practice.
Words have their source,
Deeds have their lord.
Truly, because people don't know this,
They don't understand me.
Those who know me are few;
Those who follow me are rare.
For this reason the sage
Wears coarse cloth but carries jade inside.

71

To know yet not to know is best;
Not to know yet to know is a disease.
Truly, when you recognize a disease as a disease,
You are free of disease.
The sage is free of disease.
Because he recognizes a disease as a disease,
He is free of disease.

72

When the people do not fear the authority [of the sovereign],
The supreme authority arrives.
They are neither contented in their abodes,
Nor satisfied with their lives.
Only because they are not satisfied,
They cannot be suppressed.
Therefore the sage
Knows himself but does not show himself,
Cherishes himself but does not exalt himself.
Therefore he discards that and takes this.

73

Being brave in daring leads to death,
Being brave in not daring leads to life.
Of these two,
One is advantageous and the other injurious.
What Heaven detests -
Who knows its reason?
Therefore even the sage finds it hard to tell.
The way of Heaven -
It never contends yet is good at winning,
It never speaks yet is good at responding.
It comes of itself without being invited,
It seems remiss yet good at planning.
Heaven's net is vast.
Though its meshes are coarse, nothing escapes it.

74

When the people do not fear death,
How can you frighten them with death?
Suppose the people do always fear death,
And we can seize and kill
Those who are lawless.
But who would dare to do so?
There is always the one who administers killings, and he does the killing.
If you do the killing, taking his place,
This is called hewing wood taking the place of the master-carpenter.
If you hew wood taking the place of the master-carpenter,
You will seldom escape injuring your own hand.

75

The people starve
Because the ruler consumes too much tax-grain.
Because of this they starve.
The people are hard to govern
Because the ruler rules through action [yu wei].
Because of this they are hard to govern.
The people take their death lightly
Because the ruler hoards his life.
Because of this they take their death lightly.
Truly, one who does nothing with life
Is wiser than one who prizes [the value of] life.

76

People are soft and weak when born,
But bard and strong when dead.
Plants are soft and supple when born,
But dry and shriveled when dead.
Therefore the hard and strong are companions of death,
The soft and weak are companions of life.
Therefore a strong weapon loses,
A strong tree breaks.
The strong and big belong below,
The soft and weak belong above.

77

The way of Heaven -
Isn't it like stretching a bow?
You press down the high,
Raise the low,
Take away the excess,
Add to the deficient.
The way of Heaven
Takes away from those who have too much and gives to those who have not enough.
The way of man
Is not so.
It takes away from those who have not enough and offers to those who have too much.
Who can have too much and offer to all under Heaven?
Only the man of Tao can.
Therefore the sage
Rules without depending on anyone.
His work is done, but he never dwells in it.
He does not wish to show his worthiness.

78

Nothing under Heaven is softer and weaker than water.
Yet in attacking what is hard and strong
Nothing can surpass water,
Because nothing can destroy it.
That the weak prevails over the strong,
That the soft prevails over the hard -
This everyone under Heaven knows,
Yet none can practice it.
Therefore the sage says:
"He who takes on himself the shame of the state
Is called lord of the land;
He who takes on himself the misfortune of the state
Is called king of all under Heaven."
True words sound contrary.

79

You allay the great discontent,
Yet, surely, there will still remain some discontent.
How can this be considered good?
Therefore the sage
Holds the left-hand tally,
Makes no claims on the people.
The man of Te oversees the tally,
The man of no Te oversees tax-collection.
The way of Heaven favors none,
Always sides with the good man.

80

Let the state be small and its people few.
Let the thousand contrivances go idle.
Let the people take death seriously and not move to distant places.
Though they may have boats and carriages,
They will not ride in them.
Though they may have armor and weapons,
They will not display them.
Let the people return to the practice of knotting cords.
They will relish what they eat,
Find their clothes beautiful,
Be content in their homes,
Delight in their customs.
States may be within sight of one another,
So that one may hear cocks and dogs from a neighboring state;
Yet people will grow old and die
Without trafficking with another state.

81

Trustworthy words are not beautiful,
Beautiful words are not trustworthy.
The good are not eloquent,
The eloquent are not good.
The wise are not learned,
The learned are not wise.
The sage stocks up nothing.
After using for others what he has,
He finds himself with still more.
After giving to others what he has,
He finds his stock even greater.
The way of Heaven
Is to benefit and not to harm.
The way of the sage
Is to rule and not to contend.

[ no frames ]

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45
46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54
55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	63
64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72
73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45
46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54
55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	63
64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72
73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45
46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54
55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	63
64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72
73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81