This is called the art of making the rootsstrike deep by fencing the trunk, It signifies to be firmly rooted, tohave deep strength, for the roots are deep and the stalks are firm, roadto immortality and enduring vision, the way of long life and everlastingexistence is won by making life long by fixed staring.
60
Ruling a big kingdom is like frying a smallfish.
They who by dao ruled all that's under heavendid not let an evil spirit within them display its powers. Such evil spiritsdid not display their supernatural powers; the spirits of wise men werehardly used to hurt other men. So when dao is employed to rule the kingdom,spiritual beings will lose their supernatural grip and cease to harm commonpeople. And their supernatural power will far from harm people, and thewise man also will refrain from harming people. When both don't do eachother harm, virtue (power) flows towards them. If the sage's good spiritis nowhere mobilised to harm other men, he himself can be saved from [deterioration]harm.
And so, if evil spirits and supermen don'tharm each other, each can be quite saved from harm. Furthermore, some oftheir "tall abilities" could converge. If so, virtue can be accumulatedin both for ulterior benefit or towards some common [soap opera] end.
61
A big kingdom can be compared to the lowerpart of a river, like the low ground which all streams flow down towards.
Here is a point towards which all thingsunder heaven converge. Its part must be that of the woman
who overcomes man by simple quietude. By[such as] quiescence she gets underneath, and by tranquillity she is downunder.
A big kingdom can take over [a soul of] asmall one if it succeeds in getting itself below the small kingdom; Ifso it absorbs some from the small country, or wins some adherence of thesmall kingdom in the open.
If a small country on the other hand placesitself below a big country, it can absorbs or take over some of the bigcountry [assets]. Therefore some place themselves low so as to take overor absorb (others). Some are (naturally) low and absorb (others). Becausesmall kingdoms are by nature in this way underneath large kingdoms, they[sometimes] win the adherence of large kingdoms [or end].
What a big kingdom is after is but to annexand herd others. So what large countries really need is a lot of inhabitants.What small countries need is some place where their surplus inhabitantscan go and get employment. What they want can be little more that to join,be somewhat sheltered and perhaps serve for it all.
Both can have what they want; I say the largekingdom must "get underneath".
62
Dao is thought up as the mysterious secretof the universe, it could be the storehouse of "all things", like the pivotalworship centre in the south-west corner in the [old Chinese] house. It'sthe good man's treasure and the bad man's support and resort.
Fine words can buy honour, fine sayings canbe sold. Fine deeds can win respect from others. The best conduct is agift. Persons of noble, grave demeanour are accepted as gifts.
Even if a man is bad, when has (dao) rejectedhim? Why reject bad people [the winners of tomorrow if all goes fine]?Even the bad let slip no opportunity to acquire gifts that fit them wellenough.
Therefore on the crowning of an emperor andappointing his three ministers of the state, rather than send ta disc ofjade and teams of four horses, sit down and deliver this dao. It can bedone without moving from one's seat.
What did the old ones say of this dao, howdid they prize it? Why did they treasure such dao?
Did they not say of those that have it "Pursuing,they shall catch; pursued, they shall escape?" Or, "Search for the guiltyones and pardon them?" Or, "Those who seek shall have it, those who sinshall be freed"?
They thought [common] dao to be the mostprecious, the treasure of the world.
63
Succeed in the magician's wu-wei: Accomplishseemingly do-nothing.
Attend seemingly to no-affairs. And do completelywithout ado. What runs, acts without action, does without doing,
So let's taste without tasting. Taste theflavourless. Taste the flavourless without tasting. Find flavourless flavour.
Whether it's big or small, many or few, requitehatred with virtue.
Dao can make the small great and the fewmany, can requite injuries with some decent deeds. But prepare for thehard while it's still easy. Deal with it while it's still easy. Deal withthe great or big while it's still small.
In governing your kingdom everything hardmust be dealt with while it's still easy. The hard has to be dealt withwhile still very easy. All the great (ones and great problems) of the worldare to be dealt with while they're yet small. Everything great must bedealt with while it's still small.
Therefore the wise man never has to deal withthe great; and so gets greatness. He never strives for the great, by thisthe great is had.
So great undertakings shall start with what'ssmall.
But again "Who makes rash promises surelylacks. Who lightly makes a promise, can find it too hard to keep his faith.And light assent inspires little confidence. Who takes things very easilyis surely in for dealing with more difficulty in the end. So "many easies"means many a hard. In other words, who makes light of many things shouldfind many difficulties.
From all this even the wise man regards thingsas hard, but he also knows how to make the easy difficult. For that reasonhe very seldom meets with difficulties.[Uha.]
64
What remains placid is quite easy to hold.
Not determined happenings can be preparedfor well in advance. Before there has been an omen it's easy to lay plans.It's easy to forestall some things that don't are or not yet occur. It'squite easy to plan for and prepare well in advance.
[But such forestalling is had by thoughts,and thoughts are airy and can be tender and brittle, to say the least.]And what's brittle is easy to crack. What's tender is easily torn. What'sbrittle like ice is easy to melt. And what's tiny is easy to scatter.
[All the same, reach up to] deal with thingsin their state of not-yet-being; deal with things well before they appear.Just put things well in shape before disorder and confusion. Put all verywell in order before disorder, and next go on to check loss or disorderwell. A tree as big as a man's hug grows from a tiny sprout. A tower ninestoreys high begins with a clod of earth. Further, the journey of threehundred miles began with ... the feet. A journey of a thousand li beginsright where one stands, even with the very first step.
Still, he who takes a [visible forestalling]action fails. Who acts, harms; he who grabs, lets slip. And therefore thewise man doesn't act in the open, and so doesn't spoil or harm; yes, hetakes seemingly no action and therefore hardly fails.
And why is this? It's due to: He who graspsthings [often] loses them. He doesn't grasp a lot, he doesn't let slipa lot. Does hardly grab in the open, and so doesn't let slip a lot. Hegrasps nothing visibly to others, and therefore he doesn't lose much. Whereaspeople in their handling of affairs often fail when they're about to succeedat their tasks. Such people constantly spoil things when within an aceof completing them.
Be as careful at the end as at the start toavert failures at hand. Then there will be no such failures. Heed the endno less than the start, so that your valuable work will not be spoiledand ruined.
Therefore the wise man learns to seem unlearned,wants only things that are unwanted. Yes, the wise man publicly desiresto have no desire. Therefore the wise man desires no desire - and desiresall the same.
He doesn't often value rare treasures publicly.He hardly values objects hard to get or find - in public. He says he learnsthat which is unlearned. He claims he sets no store by products difficultto get, and so teaches things untaught.[It's a trap.]
But he also turns all beings back to thevery thing they have left behind, so that he can assist in the course ofnature somehow. And if so, "the ten thousand creatures" can be restoredto their self-sameness, the self-so which is of [some] dao. Yes, he supportsall things in some of their natural states.
This he does; but hardly presume to interfereall right. He hardly dares to act in the open. So he denies to take anyvisible action.
65
In old times those who practised a dao well,did hardly aim to enlighten people, but to make them ignorant and holdthem that way. It seems that the more knowledge people have, the harderthey are to rule. Maybe it's hard for people to live in peace due to verymuch knowledge.
So he who rules the state through knowledgeis robber of the state; and who seek to rule by giving knowledge couldbe like [coming] bandits preying on the land. Maybe all who seek to ruleby knowledge form the nation's curse, eventually.
He who rules a state not through knowledgeis a blessing. Those who seek not to rule by knowledge, are the nation'sblessing. To rule without giving knowledge could bring a stock of goodfortune to the land.[And maybe not.]
One who knows these two things also (sets)the standard.
Always to know such an old standard is calledto of the deep, secret calibre.
When such secret virtue becomes clear, outgoing,far-reaching, and lets things revert back to some guessed at source, allrelated things could return to some natural state. It could go all theway back to [brutal] concord and harmony.
66
How did the great rivers and seas becomethe kings of the ravines? By being experts at keeping low.
Therefore to be above the people you haveto speak as though you're lower than the people in some ways.
So to be ahead of the people, you have tofollow them in your own person. To be foremost or guide well, walk behind.
The wise man keeps himself on top, and thepeople hardly feels his weight or get crushed by it in time. He guidesin this way, and the people don't harm him the least.
He can even walk in front [as an example],and people don't wish him harm.[Let's hope that.]
In this dynamic [guru] way everything underheaven will be glad to be pushed by him and will not find his guidanceirksome. Then the people of the world are glad, the world rejoices andpraises him without getting tired of it, in order to uphold him forever.
He accomplishes his aims by overt non-striving.Because he doesn't compete in the open, no one can compete well with him.
67
Every one says my dao is greatly like folly.Just because it's great, it looks like folly. Great ways don't look likethe ordinary anyhow.
If it did not look like folly, it could haveturned small and petty long ago! Then it would have been small. As forthings that don't look foolish to common men, there can be no questionabout their smallness.
I have three treasures. Guard and keep them:
The first is a deep, deep concern; call itmystic pity, if you like.
The second is never too much, which may meanfrugality.
And the third is refusal to be ahead, foremostor first, for I hardly dare to be ahead.
Deep, concerned love brings guts [or fall].
Through not doing too much, one has amplitude(of reserve power): Who has spared, may then give and seem generous.
Through not presuming to be the first andbest there is, one can develop one's talent and strength; let it matureto dominate a world.
On the other hand,
to be bold by forsaking deep love;
to be generous by forsaking frugality-wonreserves and clever, artful restraint;
and to be ahead and rushing in front by forsakingfollowing behind;
all this could prove fatal in the end.
Ardent, loving concern can't fight well withoutconquering a lot. It shall help in the case of attack, and likewise tobe firm in the case of defence.
When heaven is to save a person, heaven willprotect him through deep love. Heaven arms those it would not see beaten,with all right concern.[Let's hope that.]
68
A skilful leader of troops is never oppressivewith his military strength. The brave soldier is hardly very violent;
The best fighter doesn't become visibly angry;he hardly loses his temper.
A skilful conqueror doesn't compete withpeople. The great conqueror doesn't fight for small issues alone.
The best user of men acts as though he weretheir inferior and puts himself below them by the virtue of not-competing.
This is called the ability or capacity touse men, or matching heaven, or being suited to the highest found principle,[maybe of old]
69
The strategists say:
"If I dare not be the guest, then let mebe the host. When I dare not take the offensive, then I'll take the defensive.If you doubt your ability to advance, then retreat." Also: "When you doubtyour ability to meet the enemy's attack, take the offensive yourself."
Much of this his implies to march withoutvisible formations; its in part like rolling up the sleeve, and yet presentingno bare arm. Or it could be like stretching your arm without showing thesleeves.
Confront well, present no battle-front yourself.Refrain from charging in frontal attacks, and seem to be armed withoutweapons.[Let that come as a surprise.] Hold a thousand weapons withoutseeming to have them.
Now, great calamity comes from making lightof an enemy. There's no greater catastrophe than if a foolishly underestimatedenemy robs and destroys your most cherished treasures. It could even destroyyour topmost treasure, your old, dear body. Refrain from having an enemyat the price of losing your body and life. Remember: He whose enemy presentsno front, could lose his booty.
Therefore when armies meet, the kind-lookingman of sorrows could win [by such as surprise tactics. But often it's theopposite that happens.] Who doesn't delight in warfare in the open, hewins.[And most often not?]
70
My words are very easy to understand andvery easy to put into practice. Yet no one understands them; no one putsthem into practice.
But some of my teaching could have natureas a source, and also there's a principle-ruled ancestry in some of mywords.
Yes, [some of] my deeds have a lord; my deedscould have [right] dao as sovereign.
Most men don't understand this, they're unableto understand me.
Few people understand me, and on this my realvalue depends. I am highly valued, for few understand me.
The wise man wears a coarse cloth on topand carries jade underneath his dress, within his bosom.
