Before heaven & earth came to be
So silent, so remote
Standing alone without change
Acting everywhere and without limit
(It) may be regarded as mother to (all) under heaven
We do not know its name
A word for it speaks of a path
(If) pressed to develop its name speak of greatness
Greatness tells of journeying on
Journeying on tells of the far beyond
The far beyond tells of coming back
In this way the way is great
Heaven is great, earth is great
And sovereignty, too, is great
Between the horizons are four (kinds of) greatness
And sovereignty has its place as one among these
Humanity takes the earth as law
The earth takes heaven as law
Heaven takes the way as law
The way takes its own nature as law
26
The heavy serves as root to the light
Stillness serves as master to haste
And so it is that a noble one journeys all day
Without leaving the heavy supply wagon,
Although there are splendid vistas,
Calmly staying above it all
So how could the lord of a myriad chariots
Also conduct a frivolous life under heaven?
To be frivolous, would then be to lose the root
To be hasty would then be to lose the mastery
27
The able wanderer leaves no trail (or) trace
The able speaker is without fallacy (or) error
The able reckoner does not use counting devices
The best closure uses no barrier (or) bar
And yet is not easily opened
The best binding uses no cord (or) knot
And yet is not easily loosened
And so it is that wise ones
Are ever so skilled at making the most of others
That no person is forsaken
Are ever so skilled at making the most of situations
That no situation is wasted
This may be called 損ractical wisdom?br> And so the able one is the less than able one抯 teacher
The less than able one is the able one抯 resource
To not value one抯 teacher, to not care for one抯 resource,
However 損rudent?is greatly deluded
This may be called a 搕actical mystery?br>
28
Know the masculine
(But) keep the feminine
Serve as a stream to the world
Serving as stream to the world
Consistent character will not depart
(But) return home again as the newborn child
Know the bright
(But) keep the dark
Serve as a model to the world
Serving as model to the world
Consistent character will not falter
(But) return home again as unlimited
Know the honored
(But) keep the humble
Serve as a valley to the world
Serving as valley to the world
Consistent character will then be enough
A return journey home to original nature
Original nature, cut up, is then made into artifacts
Wise ones, using such things,
Are then made into senior officials
And so the greatest governing does the least dividing
29
When taken by desire to take hold of nature
and reconstruct things
We notice that this (will) never reach closure
The world is a spirit vessel
Not suited to reconstruction at all
Those who interfere spoil things
Those who grab lose things
And so the beings sometimes go ahead, sometimes follow
Sometimes snort, sometimes puff
Sometimes are fit, sometimes are feeble
Sometimes hold up, sometimes break down
This is why wise ones avoid the extremes
Avoid the superfluous
Avoid the extravagant
30
Those who use the way to help with human government
Do not use arms (or) force on the world
Such efforts tend to recoil
(In) a place where an army has camped
Thorns and brambles grow now
A great army抯 aftermath is sure to bring bad harvests
Those who are competent succeed and then stop
Not daring (or) thinking to take by force
Succeed but do not glorify
Succeed but with no aggression
Succeed but with no arrogance
Succeed even not having gained the end
Succeed but do not dominate
A being grown mighty will then grow frail
This may be called 搊ff the path?br> Off the path is soon finished
31
Even the finest weapons are tools of ill omen
Things somehow wrong to hold
So those who have the way do not linger
A noble one, when home, honors the left
When working with weapons, honors the right
Weapons are tools of ill omen
They are not a noble one抯 tools
Failing to gain satisfaction and still using them
Calm indifference is best adopted
Even in triumph there is no beauty
And those who are attracted to this
are in fact delighting in the slaughter of others
Now those who delight in the slaughter of others
Are then ill suited for use
in achieving any goal in the world at all
(In) auspicious affairs the left side is honored
(In) adverse affairs the right side is honored
An army抯 lieutenant commander stays to the left
The army抯 commander in chief stays to the right
A description of the funeral rites held at the end
Where the slaughter of others amounts to a multitude
Have compassion & lament & weep for them
(When) the battle is won
consider the funeral rites being held here
32
The way is continuous, without description
The original nature may be ordinary
But none in the world presumes to master it all
If leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this
The myriad beings would then submit naturally
(As) heaven and earth join together
Thus to let fall the sweet dew
Nobody has commanded this,
yet the harmony is natural
Begin with rules & definitions appear
And still more definitions are already assumed
Now, more than ever, prepare to learn restraint
Learning restraint is apt to be useful in avoiding trouble
Imagine the place of the path in nature
To be like the streams and valleys
reaching for rivers and ocean
33
To know others means intelligence
To know oneself means clarity
To overcome others is to have strength
To overcome oneself is to be powerful
To know satisfaction means wealth
(To be) energetic in movement means to have purpose
To not forget one抯 own place means enduring
To die and yet not perish means longevity
34
How the great way (is a) flood!
It is apt to go (both) left & right
The myriad beings trust this for life,
yet there are no explanations
The work is completed, in spite of distinctions & claims
The myriad beings are clothed & cared for
yet there is no assumption of leadership
Ever dispassionate, (it) invites a reputation for commonness
(But) the myriad beings return here,
and still there is no acting as master
Inviting a reputation for greatness
Because it never regards itself as great
So it is able to establish its greatness
35
Grasp the big picture
(All) under heaven make progress
Make progress while doing no harm
Security and peace abound
(For) music along with fine food
The passing stranger will linger
(But) the way, as expressed in words
How insipid! It has no flavor
Look at it, there is nothing to satisfy the sight
Listen for it, there is nothing to satisfy the hearing
(But) use it, is not about to be used up
36
When desiring to contract a thing
First be sure to expand it
When desiring to weaken a thing
First be sure to empower it
When desiring to abolish a thing
First be sure to promote it
When desiring to despoil a thing
First be sure to endow it
This may be called 搒ubtle discernment?br> The adaptable & gentle overcome the firm & strong
Fish should not be removed from the depths
The sharpest instruments of the state
Should not be for showing to others
37
The way always takes no action
Yet nothing remains undone
If leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this
The myriad beings would evolve by themselves
Evolve and then want to flourish
We can then temper this
with the original nature of namelessness
(With) the original nature of namelessness
Then these too would be without ambition
Being free of ambition is the way to stillness
Nature will then arrange itself
38
The highest virtue is not virtuous
This is how to hold virtue
The inferior virtue will not let go of virtue
This is why virtue is lacking
The highest virtue takes no action and has no motive to act
The inferior virtue acts on things and then has motives to act
The highest benevolence acts on things
but has no motive for action
The highest righteousness acts on things
and also has motives for action
The highest propriety acts on things
and when nobody responds to it
Then rolls up the sleeves and throws things
And so, lose the way and then comes virtue
Lose virtue and then comes benevolence
Lose benevolence and then comes righteousness
Lose righteousness and then comes propriety
Now propriety is (but) the sham of loyalty & trust
And the beginning of confusion
Being ahead in knowledge (is but) the flower of the way
And the beginning of delusion
This is why those who are most mature
Keep to the substance
(And) do not dwell on the sham
Keep to the fruitful
(And) do not dwell on the flower
And so dismiss That to choose This
39
These things, from the beginning, have grasped wholeness:
Heaven attained the whole, becoming resolved
Earth attained the whole, becoming steady
Spirit attained the whole, becoming subtle
The valley attained the whole, becoming replenished
The myriad beings attained the whole, coming to life
Leaders & sovereigns attained the whole
as the way to attend to (all) under heaven
These things found it
Heaven, with no way to resolution,
would threaten to split apart
Earth, with no way to steadiness,
would threaten to open up
Spirit, with no way to subtlety
would probably perish
The valleys, with no way to replenishment,
would likely dry up
The myriad beings, with no way to life,
would likely be extinguished
Leaders and sovereigns,
with no way to dignity & prominence
would likely be toppled
In this way dignity regards the common as root
Prominence regards the humble as basis
This is why leaders & sovereigns refer to themselves
as orphaned & friendless, without worth
Does this not regard the common as root?
Not so?
Just as obtaining tallies of chariots
will not be (real) chariots
Do not long to dazzle & jingle like jade
Clunk & clatter like rocks
40
Reversal is the movement of the way
Yielding is the method of the way
The myriad beings in nature arose out of being
Being arose out of nothing
41
Superior students, hearing of the way,
Are diligent and practice it
Average students, hearing of the way,
Sometimes attend & sometimes forget
Inferior students, hearing of the way,
Laugh greatly about it
Without the laughter there would be no grounds
to regard this as the way
And so the established proverbs hold that:
Brightness, to the way, is as good as darkness
Advance, to the way, is as good as retreat
Evenness, to the way, is as good as roughness
The summit of character is as good as a valley
The greatest whiteness is as good as soiled
Abundant character seems inadequate
Established character seems furtive
The evident truth seems spurious
The greatest square has no corner
The greatest capacity is last to be realized
The greatest note is the rarest sound
The greatest image has no form
The way is hidden & nameless
(But) because way is good at acceptance
(it is) also fulfilling
42
The way begets the one
The one begets the two
The two beget the three
The three beget the myriad beings
The myriad beings carry the shadow and embrace the light
Mixing the breaths with harmonious action
People have their reasons to truly dislike being
揙rphaned & friendless, without worth?br> Yet sovereign & duke take (these) as titles
Since beings may sometimes lose something, and yet benefit
May sometimes gain something, and yet be diminished
What someone else has taught
I too come to teach:
Those who are forceful & hostile
do not meet their (natural) ends
I will regard (this) as a premise of the teaching
43
Nature at its most yielding
Quickly overcomes nature at its most firm
Non-being enters (where) there is no gap
This is how we know (that) inaction
comes to have such advantages
The doctrine which has no words
The benefits of taking no action -
Few in the world attain these
44
Reputation compared to life, which is dearer?
Life compared to property, which is (worth) more?
Gain compared to loss, which is (more) distressing?
It is a given that extreme affection
Entails great cost
Much stored up entails heavy loss
To understand sufficiency is no disgrace
To understand restraint avoids limits -
(This is) the right way to live long
45
A great achievement (may) seem deficient
But its function is not impaired
A great fulfillment (may) seem empty
But its function is not diminished
Great straightforwardness (might) seem compromised
Great artfulness (might) seem clumsy
Great eloquence (might) seem to stammer
Restlessness overcomes cold
Stillness overcomes heat
Clarity & stillness act as measures to the world
46
When the world holds to the way
Retired racehorses are useful for manure
When the world loses the way
War horses breed throughout the frontier
There is no vice greater than submitting to greed
