And when the country is in chaos and confusion, it is then that there are virtuous officials.
19
Eliminate sageliness, throw away knowledge,
And the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Eliminate humanity, throw away righteousness,
And the people will return to filial piety and compassion.
Eliminate craftiness, throw away profit,
Then we will have no robbers and thieves.
These three sayings?br> Regard as a text are not yet complete.
Thus, we must see to it that they have the following appended:
Manifest plainness and embrace the genuine;
Lessen self-interest and make few your desires;
Eliminate learning and have no undue concern.
20
Agreement and angry rejection;
How great is the difference between them?
Beautiful and ugly;
What's it like梩he difference between them?
The one who is feared by others,
Must also because of this fear other men.
Wild, unrestrained! It will never come to an end!
The multitudes are peaceful and happy;
Like climbing a terrace in springtime to feast at the tai-lao sacrifice.
But I'm tranquil and quiet梟ot yet having given any sign.
Like a child who has not yet smiled.
Tired and exhausted梐s though I have no place to return.
The multitudes all have a surplus.
[I alone seem to be lacking.]
Mine is the mind of a fool梚gnorant and stupid!
The common people see things clearly;
I alone am in the dark.
The common people discriminate and make fine distinctions;
I alone am muddled and confused.
Formless am I! Like the ocean;
Shapeless am I! As though I have nothing in which I can rest.
The masses all have their reasons [for acting];
I alone am stupid and obstinate like a rustic.
But my desires alone differ from those of others?br> For I value drawing sustenance from the Mother.
21
The character of great virtue follows alone from the Way.
As for the nature of the Way梚t's shapeless and formless.
Formless! Shapeless! Inside there are images.
Shapeless! Formless! Inside there are things.
Hidden! Obscure! Inside there are essences.
These essences are very real;
Inside them is the proof.
From the present back to the past,
Its name has never gone away.
It is by this that we comply with the father of the multitude [of things].
How do I know that the father of the multitude is so?
By this.
22
Bent over, you'll be preserved whole;
When twisted, you'll be upright;
When hollowed out, you'll be full;
When worn out, you'll be renewed;
When you have little, you'll attain [much];
With much, you'll be confused.
Therefore the Sage holds on to the One and in this way becomes the shepherd of the world.
He does not show himself off; therefore he becomes prominent.
He does not put himself on display; therefore he brightly shines.
He does not brag about himself; therefore he receives credit.
He does not praise his own deeds; therefore he can long endure.
It is only because he does not compete that, therefore, no one is able to compete with him.
The so-called "Bent over you'll be preserved whole" of the ancients
Was an expression that was really close to it!
Truly "wholeness" will belong to him.
23
To rarely speak梥uch is [the way of] Nature.
Fierce winds don't last the whole morning;
Torrential rains don't last the whole day.
Who makes these things?
If even Heaven and Earth can't make these last long?br> How much the more is this true for man?!
Therefore, one who devotes himself to the Way is one with the Way;
One who [devotes himself to] Virtue is one with that Virtue;
And one who [devotes himself to] losing is one with that loss.
To the one who is one with Virtue, the Way also gives Virtue;
While for the one who is one with his loss, the Way also disregards him.
24
One who boasts is not established;
One who shows himself off does not become prominent;
One who puts himself on display does not brightly shine;
One who brags about himself gests no credit;
One who praises himself does not long endure.
In the Way, such things are called:
"Surplus food and redundant action."
And with things梩here are those who hate them.
Therefore, the one with the Way in them does not dwell.
25
There was something formed out of chaos,
That was born before Heaven and Earth.
Quiet and Still! Pure and deep!
It stands on its own and does not change.
It can be regarded as the mother of Heaven and Earth.
I do not yet know its name:
I "style" it "the Way."
Were I forced to give it a name, I would call it "the Great."
"Great" means "to depart";
"To depart" means "to be far away";
And "to be far away" means "to return."
The Way is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
And the king is also great.
In the country there are four greats, and the king occupies one place among them.
Man models himself on the Earth;
The Earth models itself on Heaven;
Heaven models itself on the Way;
And the Way models itself on that which is so on its own.
26
The heavy is the root of the light;
Tranquility is the loard of agitation.
Therefore the gentleman, in traveling all day, does not get far away from his luggage carts.
When he's safely inside a walled-in [protected] hostel and resting at ease梠nly then does he transcend all concern.
How can the king of ten thousand chariots treat his own person more lightly than the whole world?!
If you regard things too lightly, then you lose the basic;
If you're agitated, you lose the "lord."
27
The good traveler leaves no track behind;
The good speaker [speaks] without blemish or flaw;
The good counter doesn't use tallies or chips;
The good closer of doors does so without bolt or lock, and yet the door cannot be opened;
The good tier of knots ties without rope or cord, yet his knots can't be undone.
Therefore the Sage is constantly good at saving men and never rejects anyone;
And with things, he never rejects useful goods.
This is called Doubly Bright.
Therefore the good man is the teacher of the good,
And the bad man is the raw material for the good.
To not value one's teacher and not cherish the raw goods?br> Though one had great knowledge, he would still be greatly confused.
This is called the Essential of the Sublime.
28
When you know the male yet hold on to the female,
You'll be the ravine of the country.
When you're the ravine of the country,
Your constant virtue will not leave.
And when your constant virtue doesn't leave,
You'll return to the state of the infant.
When you know the pure yet hold on to the soiled,
You'll be the valley of the country.
When you're the valley of the country,
Your constant virtue is complete.
And when your constant virtue is complete,
You'll return to the state of uncarved wood.
When you know the white yet hold on to the black,
You'll be the model for the country.
And when you're the model for the country,
Your constant virtue will not go astray.
And when your constant virtue does not go astray,
You'll return to the condition which has no limit.
When uncarved wood is cut up, it's turned into vessels;
When the Sage is used, he becomes the Head of Officials.
Truly, great carving is done without splitting up.
29
For those who would like to take control of thw world and act on it?br> I see that with this they simply will not succeed.
The world is a sacred vessel;
It is not something that can be acted upon.
Those who act on it destroy it;
Those who hold on to it lose it.
With things梥ome go forward, others follow;
Some are hot, others submissive and weak;
Some rise up while others fall down.
Therefore the Sage:
Rejects the extreme, the excessive, and the extravagant.
30
Those who assist their rulers with the Way,
Don't use weapons to commit violence in the world.
Such deeds easily rebound.
In places where armies are stationed, thorns and brambles will grow.
The good [general] achieves his result and that's all;
He does not use the occasion to seize strength from it.
He achieves his result but does not become arrogant;
He achieves his result but does not praise his deeds;
He achieves his result and yet does not brag.
He achieves his result, yet he abides with the result because he has no choice.
This is called achieving one's result [without] using force.
When things reach their primes, they get old;
We called this "not the Way."
What is not the Way will come to an early end.
31
As for weapons梩hey are instruments of ill omen.
And among things there are those that hate them.
Therefore, the one who has the Way, with them does not dwell.
When the gentleman is at home, he honors the left;
When at war, he honors the right.
Therefore, weapons are not the instrument of the gentleman?br> Weapons are instruments of ill omen.
When you have no choice but to use them, it's best to remain tranquil and calm.
You should never look upon them as things of beauty.
If you see them as beautiful things梩his is to delight in the killing of men.
And when you delight in the killing of men, you'll not realize your goal in the land.
Therefore, in happy events we honor the left,
But in mourning we honor the right.
Therefore, the lieutenant general stands on the left;
And the supreme general stands on the right.
Which is to say, they arrange themselves as they would at a funeral.
When multitudes of people are killed, we stand before them in sorrow and grief.
When we're victorious in battle, we treat the occasion like a funeral ceremony.
32
The Dao is constantly nameless.
Though in its natural state it seems small, no one in the world dares to treat it as a subject.
Were marquises and kings able to maintain it,
The ten thousand things would submit to them on their own,
And Heaven and Earth would unite to send forth sweet dew.
By nature it would fall equally on all things, with no one among the people ordering that it be so.
As soon as we start to establish a system, we have names.
And as soon as there are set names,
Then you must also know that it's time to stop.
By knowing to stop梚n this way you'll come to no harm.
The Way's presence in the world
Is like the relationship of small valley [streams] to rivers and seas.
33
To understand others is to be knowledgeable;
To understand yourself is to be wise.
To conquer others is to have strength;
To conquer yourself is to be strong.
To know when you have enough is to be rich.
To go forward with strength is to have ambition.
To not lose your place is to last long.
To die but not be forgotten梩hat's [true] long life.
34
The Way floats and drifts;
It can go left or right.
It accomplishes its tasks and completes its affairs, and yet for this it is not given a name.
The ten thousand things entrust their lives to it, and yet it does not act as their master.
Thus it is constantly without desires.
It can be named with the things that are small.
The ten thousand things entrust their lives to it, and yet it does not not act as their master.
It can be named with the things that are great.
Therefore the Sage's ability to accomplish the great
Comes from his not playing the role of the great.
Therefore he is able to accomplish the great.
35
Hold on to the Great Image and the whole world will come to you.
Come to you and suffer no harm; but rather know great safety and peace.
Music and food梖or these passing travelers stop.
Therefore, of the Dao's speaking, we say:
Insipid, it is! It's lack of flavor.
When you look at it, it's not sufficient to be seen;
When you listen to it, it's not sufficient to be heard;
Yet when you use it, it can't be used up.
36
If you wish to shrink it,
You must certainly stretch it.
If you wish to weaken it,
You must certainly strengthen it.
If you wish to desert it,
You must certainly work closely with it.
If you wish to snatch something from it,
You must certainly give something to it.
This is called the Subtle Light.
The submissive and weak conquer the strong.
Fish should not be taken out of the depths;
The state's sharp weapons should not be shown to the people.
37
The Dao is constantly nameless.
Were Marquises and kings able to maintain it,
The ten thousand things would transform on their own.
Having transformed, were their desires to become active,
I would subdue them with the nameless simplicity.
Having subdued them with the nameless simplicity,
I would not disgrace them.
By not being disgraced, they will be tranquil.
And Heaven and Earth will of themselves be correct and right.
38
The highest virtue is not virtuous; therefore it truly has virtue.
The lowest virtue never loses sight of its virtue; therefore it has no true virtue.
The highest virtue takes no action, yet it has no reason for acting this way;
The highest humanity takes action, yet it has no reason for acting this way;
The highest righteousness takes action, and it has its reason for acting this way;
The highest propriety takes action, and when no one responds to it, then it angrily rolls up its sleeves and forces people to comply.
Therefore, when the Way is lost, only then do we have virtue;
When virtue is lost, only then do we have humanity;
When humanity is lost, only then do we have righteousness;
