What is not in accordance with tao comes to an early end.
31
In the end those with fine strategies lack the tools of fortune
They have things which are somehow disliked
So those who are present with tao are not dwelling in them.
The master-child resides in and comes to treasure the left
Using strategy, come to treasure the right
Those with strategy lack the tools of fortune
They have not the tools of the master-child
When using them in the absence of a foreseeable need
Uncaring, indifferent actions are better.
Conquer yet without embellishing
Yet those who are embellishing justify joy in slaughtering men
In the end those who are joyful in slaughteringmen
Cannot come to achieve their aspired relation with the world.
32
The tao entirely lacks a name
Although its true nature is tiny
Noone in the world is able to methodize it either.
If nobles and kings are able to keep to it
The 10000 things attain self-spontaneity
The heavens and earth join with each other and it rains sweet dew
It is the command of noone but people cooperate.
Once measuring begins names are present
Names are also grasped and possessed
In the end the knowledge of stopping also follows
With knowledge of stopping lack of danger can happen.
Analogically, tao being in the world
Is just like how the streams and valleys relate to rivers and seas.
33
Those who know men are wise
Those with self-knowledge are luminous
Those who conquer others possess strength
Those who conquer themselves possess force
Those with knowledge of enough are wealthy
Those who strive to go possess aspiration
Those who are not losing their place are long-lasting
Those who die yet without perishing are long-lived.
34
Great tao flowing everywhere
It can be left or right
All things depend on it yet exist yet without being denied.
Outstanding service is performed without the presence of names
It clothes and cultivates the 10000 things
Yet without acting as lord.
With entireness absent of desire
One can name in relation to smallness
The 10000 things merge and blend
Yet without action as lord one can name great actions.
What is entirely without a self to act great happens
So it is able to perfect what is great.
35
Take hold of the great form
The world comes toward
Comes toward without harm
Peace and stability in the extreme.
Music and handing out dainties
Passing guests stop
Things belonging with tao expressed
Its blandness is equal to its lack of flavor.
Observing lacks enough sight
Listening lacks enough hearing
Using lacks enough grasp.
36
Attain the desire for inhaling
Firmly seed exhaling
Attain the desire of lessening
Firmly seed strengthening
Attain the desire of discarding
Firmly seed allowing back
Attain the desire of taking by force
Firmly seed giving away
Appropriately called subtle luminance.
Yielding conquers the firm
Lessening conquers the strong.
Fish cannot escape relating to deep water
A direction for man cannot happen with tools benefitting a nation.
37
Tao, entirely absent of acting
Yet is absent of being without acting.
If nobles and kings are able to keep to it
The 10000 things attain self-transformation
Transforming yet desiring to do.
When I am able to calm the restless
An absence of naming true nature happens.
With an absence of naming true nature
In the end an absence of desire is also obtained
Without desire tranquillity happens
The world attains self-settlement.
38
Higher ideal lacks ideal
Appropriately presence of the ideal happens
Lower ideal lacks a loss of ideal
Appropriately absence of the ideal happens.
Higher ideal is absent of acting yet absent of causing acting
Lower ideal is acting yet present with causing acting.
Higher humanity is acting yet absent of causing acting
Higher morality is acting yet present with causing acting
Higher propriety is acting yet the response of noone appears
Next comes grabbing the arm yet throwing it aside.
So lose tao yet back ideal
Lose ideal yet back humanity
Lose humanity yet back morality
Lose morality yet back propriety.
In the end those with propriety
Have loyal belief without warmth yet the leader of being confused
Those with knowledge of what comes next
The flower of Tao yet the origin of being fooled.
Appropriately it happens that the great husband
Dwells in what is spread thickly, not residing in what lacks warmth
Dwells in the fruit, not residing in the flower.
So detach from that, grab this.
39
From old those which are with one:
Heavens with one, settling happens
Earth with one, a direction happens
Spirit with one, animation happens
Valley with one, fullness happens
The 10000 things with one, giving birth happens
Nobles and kings with one, pure action in the world happens.
These are the results:
Heavens absent of settling will, I am afraid, crack
Earth absent of direction will, I am afraid, shake
Spirit absent of animation will, I am afraid, fall asleep
Valley absent of fullness will, I am afraid, be used up
The 10000 things absent of giving birth will, I am afraid, die off
Nobles and kings absent of pure action will, I am afraid, be set back.
So it happens that the common acts as a root to the treasured
The lower acts as a base to the higher.
Appropriately it happens
That kings and nobles call themselves orphaned, widowed, unfavored.
Does it not happen that the common acts as root to the anomalous?
Are not these the same?
So incur praise absent of praising
Be without desiring to tinkle, tinkle, as if jade
Clatter, clatter, as if stone.
40
That which returns is tao moving
That which lessens is tao using.
The world, the 10000 things give birth in relation to presence
Presence gives birth in relation to absence.
41
Better knights hear of tao
Dutifully, yet they are practicing it
Average knights hear of tao
They look aware, they look unaware
Lesser knights hear of tao
They have great laughing.
Without laughing, there's not enough of the action of tao happening.
So long-established words are present.
Luminous tao looks dark
Advancing tao looks like it is falling back
Level tao looks uneven
Better ideal looks like a valley
Great whiteness looks spotted
Extensive ideal looks like it lacks enough
Established ideal looks unsteady
Durable ideal looks changeable
Great squares are absent of corners
Great tools are slowly perfected
Great music sounds faint
Great form lacks shape.
Tao is hidden, absent from name
In the end,
Only tao values lending at interest and moreoverperfects.
42
Tao gives birth to one
One gives birth to two
Two gives birth to three
Three gives birth to the 10000 things.
All things carry yin and embrace yang
With their blended animus, action in harmony happens.
In the time of men they dislike orphaned, widowed, unfavored
Yet kings and lords regard such as praiseworthy.
Men have told others
I also am telling
Those who are striving and fierce die incomplete.
I use this as the father of my teaching.
43
The most yielding reach of he world
Gallops around the most rigid reach of the world
Absence of presence enters absence of space.
Appropriately I come to know
There is presence of advantage in the absence ofacting.
Telling without words
Advantage in the absence of acting
The world rarely reaches this.
44
Name or body, which is more prized?
Body or wealth, which is more abundant?
Obtaining or losing, which is the greater fault?
So appropriately
Being very fond seeds great cost
What is abundantly stashed seeds heavy loss.
Know enough, lack disgrace
Know to stop, lack danger
Growth and the long-lasting can happen.
45
Great perfection looks incomplete
Used it lacks impairment
Great fullness looks like it needs more
Used it lacks exhaustion.
Great straightness looks bent
Great skill looks awkward
Great eloquence looks like it stutters.
Restlessness conquers the cold
Stillness conquers the heated
Clarity and stillness act on the world, ordering it.
46
When the world is present with tao
It happens that even galloping horses fertilize
When the world is absent of tao
War-horses exist in the suburbs.
No calamity is greater than relating to not knowing enough
No fault is greater than relating to the desire to obtain.
So know the enough of being enough
There is entirely enough to go with each.
47
Without going out through doors know the world
Without seeing out through windows see the tao of the heavens
Who travels extremely far knows extremely little.
Appropriately it happens that sages
Are without going out yet know
Are without seeing out yet name
Are without acting yet perfect.
48
Act academic, daily gain
Act tao, daily lose.
Losing, again lose
It happens, reaching relating to the absence ofacting
Absence of acting yet absence of being without acting.
Grabbing the world, an entire absence of effort happens
Liking entirely the presence of effort
Is insufficient to precede grabbing the world.
49
Sages are entirely absent of mind
It happens that the mind of the one hundred families acts as a mind.
Those who are valued I am valuing
Those who lack value I also am valuing
Ideal valuing.
Those who are believed I am believing
Those who are not believed I also am believing
Ideal believing.
Sages in the world inhale
Inhale, act, mix with the mind of the world.
The one hundred families concentrate their ears and eyes
Sages are each being children.
50
Life going out, death entering
There is living following 13
There is dying following 13.
The life of man strives toward the realm of death, also 13.
Why is it so in the end?
It happens, it is life lived thickly.
As a fact it is well known that those skilled in preserving life
Travel the land without running into rhinos andtigers
The militia enters and the strategy is to lack armor.
The rhino is absent of a place to thrust its horn
The tiger is absent of a place to affix its claw
The army is absent of a place to admit its blade.
Why is it so in the end?
It happens, they are absent of the realm of death.
51
Tao is giving birth
Ideal is raising
Things are embodying
The environment is perfecting.
Appropriately it happens that of the 10000 things
None lack venerating tao yet treasuring ideal.
The venerability of tao, the treasurability of the ideal
In the end it is the command of noone yet it isentirely natural.
So tao is giving birth
Ideal is raising
Growing, rearing, balancing, maturing, deepening, enveloping.
Giving birth yet without possessing
Acting yet without relying
Growing yet without directing
Appropriately called insightful ideal.
52
The world is present of an origin
It happens that this acts as the mother of the world.
Grasp and hold what is the mother
Knowledge of what is the child happens
Grasp knowledge of what is the child
Return, keep to what is the mother
Till the end the body lacks danger.
Cork its bottle
Obstruct its door
Eventually the body lacks straining.
Open its bottle
Complete its effort
Eventually the body lacks hope.
Seeing the small say luminous
Keeping to yielding say strong
Using what is bright
Return, merge with what is luminous.
An absence of offering bodily misfortune as a gift
Is appropriately called learning entirely.
53
Supposing myself to have as little knowledge as I do
I am doing things relating to great tao
It alone imposes appropriate respect.
Great tao is very even yet people are fond of byways
Courts are very divided
Fields are very weedy
Granaries are very empty
Clothes are ornamented and patterned
Sharp swords are worn
Food and drink satiate
Money and goods are present in surplus.
Appropriately called robbery, extravagance
This way is also not tao.
54
That which is valuably established is not weeded out
That which is valuably embraced is not shed off.
It happens, children and grandchildren
Sacrifice to ancestors without reflection.
Tending to relating to the body
Its ideal will be real
Tending to relating to the family
Its ideal will be bubbling over
Tending to relating to the community
Its ideal will be growing
Tending to relating to the nation
Its ideal will be abundant
Tending to relating to the world
Its ideal will be everywhere.
So body happens seeing body
Family happens seeing family
Community happens seeing community
Nation happens seeing nation
World happens seeing world.
Why does it happen that I know the nature of the world?
This just happens.
55
Holding the richness of the ideal in the mouth
Compares to relating to a newborn child.
Poisonous bugs are without stinging
Fierce animals are without grasping
Birds of prey are without pouncing.
There are weak bones and yielding tendons, yet a firm grasp
The male does not yet know union with the female
Yet its virility is strong
It has essence even at the extreme.
Screaming all day yet without being hoarse
Harmonizing even at the extreme.
