21
Guiding and the Physical
The content of permeating virtuosity
is merely following a guide.
To deem guides as a natural kind:
Indeed confused! Indeed indistinct!
Indistinct! Confused!
Within them there are signs.
Confused! Indistinct!
Within them there are natural kinds.
Yawning! Murky!
Within them there is generative energy.
Their energy is optimally authentic.
Within it there is reliability.
From the past to the present
it's name remains.
And elucidates the crowd's honored father.
How do I know the shape of the crowd's honored father?
With this.
22
The Point to Reversal?
If 'crooked' then 'intact'
If 'twisted' then 'straight'
If 'vacuous' then 'filled'
If 'worn out' then 'new'
If 'deficient' then 'endowed'
If 'endowed' then 'confounded'
Using this: Sages embrace one
and deem it the social world's model.
He doesn't see by himself hence is perceptive.
Doesn't affirm himself hence is discerning.
Doesn't attack by himself hence has success.
Doesn't esteem himself hence becomes an elder.
In general: he does not dispute
hence in the social world none is able to dispute with him.
The ancients who said 'If 'crooked' then 'intact''--
could they have offered empty words?
Take 'intact' as sincere and return to it.
23
The Constancy of Guiding Concepts
Rare language is our own doing.
Hence a twisting wind does not end the morning.
A sudden storm does not end the day.
What makes these the case?--the cosmos.
The cosmos can raise it but cannot make it endure.
How much more is this the case with the human realm?
Hence those who pursue affairs with 'guidance'
Those of 'guidance,' join in guidance.
Those of 'virtuosity,' join in virtuosity.
Those of 'loss,' join in loss.
Those who join in guidance, guidance is pleased to get them.
Those who join in virtuosity, virtuosity is pleased to get them.
Those who join in loss, loss is pleased to get them.
When reliability is inadequate in it
There will be unreliability in it.
24
Important distinctions
Those who tiptoe do not stand.
Those who stride do not walk.
Those who see for themselves are not discerning.
Those who affirm for themselves are not insightful.
Those who attack it themselves do not achieve.
Those who esteem themselves do not become elders.
When these are in guides, we say:
'Excess provision; redundant action.'
Some natural kinds avoid them.
Hence those who have guides don't place them.
25
What's behind it all?
There is a thing-kind made up of a mix.
It emerges before the cosmos.
Solitary! Inchoate!
Self grounded and unchanging.
Permeating all processes without extremity.
We can deem it the mother of the social world.
I don't know its name. When put in characters we say dao.
Forced to deem it as named, we say 'great.'
Being great, we say 'comprehensive.'
Being comprehensive, we say 'far reaching.'
Being far reaching, we say 'reverting.'
So our dao is great;
Nature (heaven) is great,
Earth is great,
and kings are also great.
Within a region are four 'greats.'
And the King occupies one of those [lofty] statuses.
Humans treat earth as a standard.
Earth treats constant nature as a standard.
Constant nature treats dao as a standard.
Dao treats being so of itself as a standard.
26
Ambiguous Reversals
Deem 'heavy' as root of 'light'
Deem 'calm' as lord of 'uproar'.
Using this: Sages pass the whole day in activity
and never separate from his heavy provisions cart.
Even though he has an sublime views,
surpassing those where swallows dwell.
What do we say, then,
of the 10,000 chariot ruler
who, based on the self, 'lights' the social world?
To 'light' is to lose the root.
To 'uproar' is to lose the lord.
27
Paradoxes of the Greatest Skill
Worthy travel lacks ruts and footprints.
Worthy language lacks flaws and reproach.
Worthy tallying doesn't use algorithms.
Worthy closing lacks bars and bolts
and still can't be opened.
Worthy securing lacks rope or restraint
and still can't be loosed.
Using this: Sages take saving humanity as a constant
hence don't abandon humans
take saving thing-kinds as a constant,
therefore don't abandon thing-kinds.
Call this 'bushwhacking discernment.'
Hence those who are worthy
are the instructors of the unworthy
The unworthy
are the stuff of the worthy.
'Don't value their instructor,
don't love their stuff'
Even the wise are greatly puzzled
Call this "the necessary mystery."
28
Opposites and Primitivism
To know its 'male'
and preserve its 'female'
is to act as the world's ravine.
To act as the world' ravine,
treat virtuosity as constant, and avoid separating
is to return to infancy.
To know its 'white'
and preserve its 'black'
is to act as the world's paradigm.
To act as the world's paradigm,
treat virtuosity as constant and avoid lapses
is to return to the negative ultimate.
To know its 'sublime'
and preserve its 'disgraced'
is to act as the world's valley.
To act as the world's valley,
treating virtuosity as constant is sufficient
to return to uncarved wood.
If wood is split then it is deemed an artifact.
Sages use it
and they are deemed officials and elders.
Thus great systems don't cut.
29
Deeming
Those who desire to take the social world and deem-act it,
I see that they just don't get it.
The social world is an energized artifact.
It is not the case that it can be deemed.
Those who deem-act crush it.
Those who grasp lose it.
Hence, among natural kinds sometimes act,
sometimes conform.
sometimes snort
sometimes blow.
sometimes be strong
sometimes weak.
sometimes control
sometimes destroy.
Using this: Sages abandon superlatives,
abandon extravagance,
abandon expansiveness.
30
Government without Coercion
Those who use a guide to help the ruling class
should not coerce the social world with arms.
Social affairs are highly reciprocal.
Where you place a division,
thorns and briars grow.
In the wake of a great army
inevitably lies years of calamities.
Skill bears fruit --period!
Do not presume, in view of that, to choose coercion.
Have effects and avoid regard.
Have effects and avoid assault.
Have effects and avoid pride.
Have effects and treat it as inevitable.
Have effects and avoid coercion.
Natural kinds are robust--then they get old.
This is called 'don't guide.'
Practice 'don't guide' early!
31
Military Strategies as Guides
In general, splendid martial force
is an inauspicious artifact.
Among natural kinds some eschew them.
Hence some guides don't place them.
If the 'superior gentleman' is in place then we value the left.
If we use martial force then we value the right.
Martial force
is an inauspicious artifact.
It is not an artifact of the 'superior gentleman.'
When you have no choice and use it,
deem detachment the better attitude.
When victorious don't treat it as glorious.
Those who glorify it--
that is to take satisfaction in killing.
If you take satisfaction in killing,
you cannot take that as filling the intent of the social world.
Auspicious affairs favor the left,
inauspicious the right.
The lower-rank general is on the left
and the higher rank on the right.
These words amount to arranging them according to the funeral rite.
Killing peoples in crowds,
we cry for them in bitter grief.
With victory in war we arrange things according to the funeral rite.
32
A Natural Guide.
Guide by treating nameless uncarved wood as constant.
Although small,
none in the social world can treat it as vassal.
If fief-holding kings could embrace it,
all the natural kinds would come to self conformity.
Heaven and earth mutually coalesce to rain down sweet dew.
The people, no one ordering them, self balance.
To begin to restrain you have names.
As soon as you have names then,
in general, you must also come to know to stop.
If you know to stop, you can avoid danger.
Compare this guide's being in the social world
to the relation of brook valleys to rivers and oceans.
33
Achievable goals.
Those who know the human are wise.
The self-knowing are discerning.
Those who triumph among the human have power.
The self-triumphing are coercive.
Those who know sufficiency are affluent.
Those who coercively act have will.
Those who don't lose their 'that-which' are long-lasting
Those who die and don't disappear are long-lived.
34
The Great Guide
The great guide is everywhere!
Thus it can 'left' the 'right.'
The ten-thousand natural kinds depend on it and thus live.
And it does not phrase its guidance.
Success is achieved and not named as 'having.'
Supports and nourishes the ten-thousand natural kinds
and does not deem-act as lord.
Treating lack of desire as constant;
it can be named in the direction of 'small.'
The ten-thousand natural kinds return to it
and it does not deem-act as lord.
It can be named as 'great.'
With its ultimately not self-deeming as 'great'
Hence it is able to achieve its 'great.'
35
Great Guiding Signs?
Grasp great signs.
The social world moves.
If it move and does not harm,
the comfort and balance is supreme.
Concerts and feasts
bring passing guests to a halt.
Guidance coming out of the mouth.
Isn't it bland? It lacks flavor.
Looking at it, it is not visible.
Listen to it, it is not audible.
Use it, it is not applicable.
36
Natural Reversals
On the point of desiring to contract it,
you must regard it as inherently expanded.
On the point of desiring to weaken it,
you must regard it as inherently strong.
On the point of desiring to dissipate it,
you must regard it as inherently thriving.
On the point of desiring to steal it,
you must regard it as inherently belonging.
This is called minute discernment.
Soft and pliant triumph over hard and coercive.
Fish cannot leave the abyss.
The state's beneficial artifacts
cannot be shown to people.
37
Non-Deeming Action
Some guide treats lacking deeming-action as a constant
yet everything is deem-acted.
If fief-holding kings could preserve this,
all the natural kinds would come to self transformation.
If they transform and desire to construct,
I will mollify them with the nameless uncarved wood.
Nameless uncarved wood is,
in general also being on the point of lacking desires.
If we use not desiring to get calm,
the social world will be on the point of self-fixing.
Book II
De
virtuosity
38
Consequences for Virtuosity
Superior virtuosity does not 'virtuosity.'
For that reason it has virtuosity.
Inferior virtuosity never forgets 'virtuosity'
For that reason it lacks virtuosity.
Superior virtuosity lacks deeming action
and lacks that with which to deem.
Inferior virtue deems it
and has something with which to deem.
Superior humanity deems it
and lacks that with which it deems.
Superior morality deems it
and has that with which it deems.
Superior conventionality deem it
and nothing answers.
So it raises its arm and throws it.
Hence we lose the guide and then virtuosity.
Lose virtuosity and then humanity.
Lose humanity and then morality.
Lose morality and then conventionality.
In general conventionality
is the thinning of fealty and trustworthiness
and the forerunner of disorder.
Those who realize first
take elaboration of guides
as the beginning of making them stupid.
For this reason, mature men
place emphasis on the thick
and do not dwell on the thin.
Place emphasis on the stuff
and don't dwell on the elaboration.
So they discard this and choose that.
39
Achieving Oneness
Things which from the beginning have achieved oneness:
Heaven achieves oneness in being clear.
Earth achieves oneness in stability.
Energy achieves oneness in spirit.
Valleys achive oneness in filling.
The ten-thousand natural kinds achieve oneness in life.
Fiefholders and Kings achieve oneness in deem-acting to make the socialworld correct.
They take it to the extreme.
When heaven lacks that with which to become clear,
we're on the point of fearing splitting.
When earth lacks that with which to become stable,
we're on the point of fearing spreading out.
When energy lacks that with which to become spirit,
we're on the point of fearing death.
When valleys lack that with which to become full,
