Tao Te Ching, Book One, Chapters XXI - XXXVII
XXI
48
In his every movement a man of great virtue
Follows the way and the way only.
49
As a thing the way is
Shadowy, indistinct.
Indistinct and shadowy,
Yet within it is an image;
Shadowy and indistinct,
Yet within it is a substance.
Dim and dark,
Yet within it is an essence.
This essence is quite genuine
And within it is something that can be tested.
49a
From the present back to antiquity
Its name never deserted it.
It serves as a means for inspecting the fathers of the multitude.
49b
How do I know that the fathers of the multitude are like that?
By means of this.
XXII
50
Bowed down then preserved;
Bent then straight;
Hollow then full;
Worn then new;
A little then benefitted;
A lot then perplexed.
50a
Therefore the sage embraces the One and is a model
for the empire.
50b
He does not show himself, and so is conspicuous;
He does not consider himself right,
and so is illustrious;
He does not brag, and so has merit;
He does not boast, and so endures.
50c
It is because he does not contend that no one in the
empire is in a position to contend with him.
50d
The way the ancients had it, “Bowed down then preserved,”
is no empty saying.
Truly it enables one to be preserved to the end.
XXIII
51
To use words but rarely
Is to be natural.
51a
Hence a gusty wind cannot last all morning, and a sudden downpour cannot last all day. Who is it that produces these? Heaven and earth. If even heaven and earth cannot go on forever, much less can man. that is why one follows the way.
52
A man of the way conforms to the way; a man of virtue conforms to virtue; a man of loss conforms to loss. He who conforms to the way is gladly accepted by the way; he who conforms to virtue is gladly accepted by virtue; he who conforms to loss is gladly accepted by loss.
53
When there is not enough faith, there is lack of good faith.
XXIV
54
He who tiptoes cannot stand; he who strides cannot walk.
55
He who shows himself is not conspicuous;
He who considers himself right is not illustrious;
He who brags will have no merit;
He who boasts will not endure.
55a
From the point of view of the way these are “excessive food and useless excresences.” As there are Things that detest them, he who has the way does not abide in them.
XXV
56
There is a thing confusedly formed,
Born before heaven and earth.
Silent and void
It stands alone and does not change,
Goes round and does not weary.
It is capable of being the mother of the world.
I know not its name
So I style it “the way.”
56a
I give it the makeshift name of “the great.”
Being great, it is further described as receding,
Receding, it is described as far away,
Begin far away, it is described as turning back.
57
Hence, the way is great; heaven is great; earth is great; and the king is also great. Within the realm there are four things that are great, and the king counts as one.
58
Man models himself on earth,
Earth on Heaven,
Heaven on the way,
And the way on that which is naturally so.
XXVI
59
The heavy is the root of the light;
The still is the lord of the restless.
59a
Therefore, the gentleman when travelling all day
Never lets the heavily laden carts out of his sight.
IT is only when he is safely behind walls and watch-towers
That he rests peacefully and is above worries.
How, then, should a ruler of ten thousand chariots
Make light of his own person in the eyes of the empire?
59b
If light, then the root is lost;
If restless, the the lord is lost.
XXVII
60
One who excels in travelling leaves no wheel tracks;
One who excels in speech makes no slips;
One who excels in reckoning uses no counting rods;
One who excels in shutting uses no bolts yet what he has shut cannot be opened;
One who excels in tying uses no cords yet what he has tied cannot be undone.
61
Therefore the sage always excels in saving people, and so abandons no one; always excels in saving things, and so abandons nothing.
61a
This is called following one’s discernment.
62
Hence the good man is the teacher the bad learns from;
And the bad man is the material the good works on.
Not to value the teacher
Nor to love the material
Though it seems clever, betrays great bewilderment.
62a
This is called the essential and the secret.
XXVIII
63
Know the male
But keep to the role of the female
And be a ravine to the empire.
If you are a ravine to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not desert you
And you will again return to being a babe.
Know the white
But keep to the role of the black
And be a model to the empire.
If you are a model to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not be wanting
And you will return to the infinite.
Know honour
But keep to the role of the disgraced
And be a valley to the empire.
If you are a valley to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will be sufficient
And you will return to being the uncarved block.
64
When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels.
The sage makes use of these and becomes the lord over the officials.
65
Hence the greatest cutting
Does not sever.
XXIX
66
Whoever takes the empire and wishes to do anything to it
I see will have no respite. The empire is a sacred vessel and nothing
should be done to it.
Whoever does anything to it will ruin it; whoever lays hold of it will lose it.
67
Hence, some things lead and some follow;
Some breathe gently and some breathe hard;
Some are strong and some are weak;
Some destroy and some are destroyed.
68
Therefore the sage avoids excess, extravagance, and arrogance.
XXX
69
One who assists the ruler of men by means of the way does not intimidate the empire by a show of arms.
69a
This is something which is liable to rebound.
Where troops have encamped
There will brambles grow;
In the wake of a mighty army
Bad harvests follow without fail.
69b
One who is good aims only bringing his campaign to a conclusion and dare not thereby intimidate. Bring it to a conclusion but do not boast;
bring it to a conclusion but do not brag;
bring it to a conclusion but do not be arrogant;
bring it to a conclusion but only when there is no choice;
bring it to a conclusion but do not intimidate.
70
A creature in its prime doind harm to the old
Is known as going against the way.
That which goes against the way will come to an early end.
XXXI
71
(a) It is because arms are instruments of ill omen and there are Things that detest them that one who has the way does not abide by their use.
(b) The gentleman gives precedence to the left when at home, but to the right when he goes to war. Arms are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of the gentleman. When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men.
One who exults in the killing of men will never have his way in the empire.
(c) On occasions of rejoicing precedence is given to the left; on occasions of mourning precedence is given to the right. A lieutenant’s place is on the left; the general’s place is on the right. This means that it is mourning rites that are observed.
When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe the rites of mourning.
XXXII
72
The way is forever nameless.
Though the uncarved block is small
No one in the world would dare claim its allegiance.
Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to it
The myriad creatures will submit of their own accord,
Heaven and earth will unite and sweet dew will fall,
And the people will be equitable, though no one so decrees.
Only when it is cut are there names.
As soon as there are names,
One ought to know that it is time to stop.
Knowing when to stop, one can be free from danger.
73
The way is to the world as the River and the Sea are to rivulets and streams.
XXXIII
74
He who knows others is clever;
He who knows himself has discernment.
He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong.
75
He who knows contentment is rich;
He who perserveres is a man of purpose;
He who does not lose his stations will endure;
He who lives out his days has had a long life.
XXXIV
76
The way is broad, reaching left as well as right.
The myriad creatures depend on it for life,
Yet it claims no authority.
It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit.
It clothes and feeds the myriad creatures yet lays no claim to being their master.
76a
For ever free of desire, it can be called small;
Yet, as it lays no claim to being master when the myriad creatures turn to it,
It can be called great.
76b
It is because it never attempts itself to be great that it succeeds in becoming great.
XXXV
77
Have in your hold the great image
And the empire will come to you.
Coming to you and meeting with no harm
It will be safe and sound.
Music and food
Will induce the wayfarer to stop.
78
The way in its passage through the mouth is without flavour.
It cannot be seen,
It cannot be heard,
Yet it cannot be exhausted by use.
XXXVI
79
If you would have a thing shrink,
You must first stretch it;
If you would have a thing weakened,
You must first strengthen it;
If you have a thing laid aside,
You must first set it up;
If you have take from a thing,
You must first give to it.
79a
This is called subtle discernment:
The submissive and weak will overcome the hard and strong.
80
The fish must not be allowed to leave the deep;
The instruments of power in a state must not revealed to anyone.
XXXVII
81
The way never acts yet nothing is left undone.
Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to it,
The myriad creatures will be transformed of their own accord.
After they are transformed, should desire raise its head,
I shall press it down with the weight of the nameless uncarved block.
The nameless uncarved block
Is but freedom from desire,
And if I cease to desire and remain still,
The empire will be at peace of its own accord.
